Holiday Home (A Harem Fantasy #5)

Chapter Three

Permission for Paradise

A ccording to their pilots, they were about thirty minutes from the airport when Liam rejoined the others. He’d showered, handled all his hygiene needs, and swapped into fresh clothes. When he returned to the others, multiple eyes looked toward the shimmering blue waters far below them. Soon, lush, verdant islands, some no larger than this jet, would also begin filling their view.

Until then, Liam would just have to “settle” for admiring the four beautiful women inside the plane. Each one of them could have stolen the hearts of a room. With four of them gathered in one spot, it was nearly overwhelming. Choked for options. That was what he was.

He settled down and made himself comfortable for the final bit of travel left, admiring them all. A perceptive set of eyes soon noticed him when he looked at her.

She had some of the most unique and alluring features he’d ever seen. Her eyes were a pearly, vibrant green. If anything, there might be a comparison or two to make with certain lagoons they might stumble upon in Fiji. Skin fair and soft—he knew that for a fact—her eyes always seemed to shine. From the moment of their introduction, he’d been awed by their beauty.

Those same eyes warmed his very soul. Looking at him, her affection toward him expanded her smile. That was always a good thing, especially when Anna had the most luscious set of lips that Liam knew he’d ever have the privilege of kissing, even if he ended up kissing a million other women. And right now, barring one more addition he’d like to make to his list of kissed women, he was pretty satisfied with the number he was at.

No time like the present, Liam realized. So, he got up and went over to sit with Anna.

Her smile caused his heart to waver, and he nearly leaned in and kissed her gorgeous mouth before sitting down. It was the kind of siren’s call that could only barely be resisted. She didn’t need to sing; she just needed to enter his line of sight, and he remembered how good it felt to feel her soft lips against him.

But he forced himself into the chair, delaying that kiss until it was a little less likely that three other women would see him do it. Maybe he could get them to be the final ones off the plane.

“We’re almost there,” Anna said, giddy. “I’m pretty sure Avril intends for us to visit Nadi Market before we leave for whatever island she’s booked us at. If we go right away, we should arrive when it’s just opening.”

“That sounds good to me. Sample some local stuff?”

Anna nodded. “She knows I like to engage a little bit with the culture of wherever we’re visiting, not just rush off to a private beach and miss out on more normal sights. I know she’ll be more than happy to engage in more exotic experiences, like snorkeling. I hope that’s alright.”

“I’m happy to linger a little, yeah,” he said. “It’s a trip for everyone, so I’m glad Avril’s keeping the things you like to do in mind.”

“I’ll enjoy the beaches too, of course,” Anna said.

They weren’t so far away from the others that it was safe to rule out eavesdropping, but they were doing their own things, so maybe they wouldn’t hear. If anyone did, they didn’t make it obvious.

“And I’ll enjoy seeing you on those beaches,” he replied.

As was customary, Anna blushed. But not as much as she might have in the past. Instead, he suspected she was quietly grappling with the hope that they’d find some alone time on one of those beaches—and sooner than later.

While everyone on board could say they were taller than her, only Victoria could say she was bustier than Anna. And as of right now, as he hadn’t ever touched Victoria’s breasts, he knew her breasts were also the most sensitive on the trip.

While he’d managed to bring Tess and Avril plenty of bliss with his hands, neither of them could climax solely from breast play. For Annabelle Royce, however, she could do it—she could do it a lot. She adored his touch, and he was certain the skills he’d shown off a little while ago had piqued her interest. He’d very much like a chance to run his hands up and down her voluptuous figure, leaving her skin glistening, sensitive, and primed for a little deeper pressure into her heavy breasts. She had such lovely moans, especially when she climaxed. She always tried to keep them on the softer side, as if slightly ashamed to be making such lewd sounds. However, she always ended up losing that fight, and then they flowed like a sonata.

They hadn’t yet had sex. They hadn’t even really talked about it, either. There were still a few steps before it became the last thing they hadn’t yet done. Whether Fiji ended up leading to those steps or whether it led to them going even further, Liam had his hopes, but he didn’t intend to push Anna beyond her comfort zone.

“I’ll enjoy it when that happens, too,” Anna said.

Liam grinned. “Even when it’s just the two of us?”

“ Especially when it’s just the two of us,” she confirmed, anticipation shimmering in her eyes. The right kind of anticipation. The kind that heated his blood.

His grin stayed in place a little longer, but he knew now was the right time to bring up his aspirations with the others—Victoria, especially. The ability for eavesdropping had just gone down. Avril and Victoria had just moved over to Tess, putting their two groups in opposite quadrants of the cabin. He needed to get this part done. He knew he could get away with shocking Avril, that any revelation about him and Victoria wouldn’t spoil her vacation. But it was a different story with Anna, much the same as with Tess. He needed more than just her awareness; he needed her permission, her blessing.

“You have as many vouchers for free massages as you want,” he began.

“I know,” Anna said, surprising him with the tangible heat and ardor in her voice. “That’s why I’m looking forward to it just being the two of us at some point.”

“At a few points, with any luck,” he said, finding it harder and harder to resist his initial urge to kiss her. “I hope you’ll be among the first, not the last.”

“Me too. But I think Tess will want another one pretty soon. And I even think Victoria looked likely to ask for one.”

So, she had noticed Victoria’s interest in how his hands had undone her colleague’s stress. He’d hoped she would; she was usually very good at noticing what was happening around her. All the way back in winter break, she’d spotted the way he and Tess felt about one another.

“I’d like to give each of you at least one. Full-body ones, if you’ll all let me. If that’s okay.”

“It’s alright with me,” Anna said.

Don’t treat that like she just gave her full permission, Liam told himself. A massage was one thing, but he knew he wanted to go farther with the voluptuous professor. Much, much farther.

Liam struggled to find the right words, and he was pretty confident he ultimately didn’t. “Even, you know, if they’re like the ones I’d like to give you? I’ve been practicing a lot for this trip, hoping I might get a few chances to show off how far I’ve come.”

The light of understanding dawned within Anna’s eyes. Her gaze suddenly snapped toward the other three women in the cabin, though he knew she was staring at the woman with the next darkest hair on the trip. After a moment, they hastened back to him.

“You’re saying… like you and Tess are?”

Shock, not anger, disappointment, or betrayal, reflected in her eyes. Even… awe, perhaps?

“No, nothing like that,” Liam said, feeling an uncomfortable prickling sensation scampering up his arms. “It’s not even comparable to our relationship. Erm, it’s not really even a relationship yet. We’ve just talked a little, here and there.”

“Does Tess know?!” Anna asked in a hurried whisper. “Does Avril?! ”

“Tess knows, yes. She was really shocked about it too—so was I when it first began to seem possible, honestly. Right now, she seems more amused by the possibility that Victoria might actually be interested in me than anything. Truth be told, she was the one who suggested I start working on becoming a decent masseuse. To help me out, I guess. As for Avril, no, not yet. Victoria made it clear she didn’t want me to have loose lips, but I knew I needed to share things with at least you and Tess. With Avril, I feel like it’s riskier to share than to eventually surprise her once… if things work out.”

“That’s probably the correct way to view things,” Anna said, still seeming awed by his revelation. It was better than any number of unpleasant alternatives. But it still wasn’t permission, so Liam knew he needed to keep the conversation going.

“How do you, uh, feel about that? The possibility, I mean. Of me testing if there really is a possibility? Are you also okay with it? I won’t be upset if it’s too far—too much.”

Anna stayed quiet for about a minute. He didn’t press her to finish mulling things over quickly, even if the wait heaped stress onto his shoulders. Who was going to give him his stress-relieving massage?

Curiously, Anna ended up opting for a familiar route. One that he’d received during winter break. Back then, he’d gotten it from a professor, and it’d involved his relationship with a student from Bellmore. This time around, it was reversed.

“I’m not sure how I feel, exactly. I’m… sharing my first boyfriend a lot more than I would have ever imagined I would already.”

Liam nodded understandingly. He opened his mouth, yet Anna kept going. She’d always been good about elaborating on her thoughts, ensuring she voiced her feelings' breadth.

“But I don’t know if one more is going to exactly tip the scales. Maybe we can treat Fiji as a… testing ground? I can see how it goes and how I end up feeling, and then we can talk about it afterward? I… can tell Avril is already planning some more… things like what we did the other day—when we were on the phone together. And I’ve prepared myself for them… even to maybe go along… a little bit. I’m going to try to take her advice while I'm here. I don’t want to be too self-inhibiting. So, I won’t ask the same of you.”

“That’s more than I could ever ask for,” Liam said. “But if you feel wrong or bad or dislike things, even just for a second, you’ll bring it up as soon as you can, okay? Just so we can always be connected and on the right page?”

Anna nodded. “I will, I promise.” A bit of color returned to her face. “And… you still have plans for our relationship, right? While we’re vacationing?”

Liam couldn’t have smiled wider if he tried. “So, so many.”