Chapter 17
Shay-Lee
“I s everything okay, babe?” Jordan asked, holding my hand as we walked the path leading to the main dining room.
For the last four days, he’d been holding my hand so much that I feared it would fall off soon. The first time he took my hand in his, it was cute, but four days into this vacation, it was getting on my nerves. And while my fingers had gone numb at this point, I didn’t ask him to stop and instead forced myself to hold his hand as tight as possible. I had to prove to him and myself that everything was good, even though I couldn’t wait to be back home. Here I was on vacation, in the closest place to paradise with a clear blue sky and turquoise water, feeling suffocated to death.
Maybe it’s ’cause you’d rather live in hell with a sinner such as yourself.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I finally acknowledged Jordan’s question. “Yeah, everything’s good. I’m just tired.”
“You didn’t sleep well last night?”
I shook my head. “Nah, the mattress is too soft.” And whenever I closed my eyes, Camilo paid me a visit in my dreams. Worried I’d scream his name in my sleep, because recently I couldn’t stop dreaming about him pounding me, I forced myself to stay awake.
“We can ask for a new one,” Jordan said, opening the door to the dining hall for me.
“No need.”
“Do you know what you wanna do today?”
My God, did he have a lot of questions today. Not in the mood to talk, I rubbed my eyes and then looked around the fancy dining hall. Maybe if I stuffed his mouth with food, he’d finally shut up. I knew I was mean, but I couldn’t help it. I got out of bed cranky as fuck this morning, and I blamed it on my lack of sleep.
We went over to the buffet, where Jordan finally let go of me to grab a plate. Thank fuck . After we both grabbed our breakfast, it was time to pick a place to sit. I looked around when Jordan cocked his head in the direction of the porch. “We can sit over there—”
“Hey, guys,” someone said, and we both turned to see Andrei walking toward us with a plate full of pancakes in his hands.
“They had pancakes?” Jordan asked, his brows raised in surprise. He almost drooled over Andrei’s plate, and it was kinda adorable.
“Yeah, it was right by the French toast.” Andrei smiled.
“Fuck, they had French toast, too?”
While Jordan looked back at the buffet, I side-eyed his plate. He already had tons of food; where did he plan on shoving more ?
“Any chance you guys wanna join us for breakfast?” Andrei offered, getting both of our attention back. “We’re right over there.” He tilted his head in the direction of their table, and I turned to see the rest of their group. Well, all except for one .
“Are you sure? We don’t want to bother you,” Jordan tried to dodge the offer while I narrowed my eyes at their table, trying to think why Camilo was missing.
“What are you talking about? We’d love it if you’d join us. We’ve hardly seen each other since the flight.”
“Sure, let’s eat with them,” I said before Jordan could reject Andrei’s offer .
I wanted to know where Camilo had disappeared to.
A minute later, we were greeted by warm smiles at their table. Well, sort of, because Levi didn’t bother to look up from his book while Miles was half busy typing something on his phone. So basically, Jessie was the only one to smile at us.
Ever since Miles started his and Elliot’s social accounts, he’d been practically glued to his phone. Seeing him made me grateful that I’d stopped giving a shit about that crap. I used to love posting things online and making people think my life was perfect as part of the illusion I sold myself, but not anymore. Although, the main reason I avoided all social platforms was the hate comments. Every day, I received hundreds of comments and messages telling me what a liar I was and that I deserved to rot in prison for my lies. That was the internet for you—trolls believing they knew shit about life. Since my father never stood on trial, my testimony was the only evidence for his crimes. You’d be surprised by how fast society moved from embracing you as a victim to pointing a blaming finger your way. The first time a complete stranger screamed their opinion of me in my face, I was shocked. Now? Not so much.
Realizing Miles was speaking to me, I shook my head. “Sorry, what was that?” I asked since I didn’t catch anything from what he’d just said.
Miles sighed like the diva he was before he placed down his phone and focused his blue eyes on me. “I was saying that it’s about time we acknowledge the elephant in the room.”
My brows pulled into a frown because what was he talking about?
“And that would be…”
“ Us ,” he completed my words while pointing between us. “I’m talking about us, Shay-Lee. I’m finally ready to forgive you.”
My frown only deepened because—“I thought you already had?” I said when he gasped.
“Why, of course not. At least, not entirely. ”
“Okay?” I dragged out the word until he pinned me with a harsh look.
“Are you saying you don’t care for our old friendship?”
Unsure if he was simply messing with me, I quickly darted my eyes to Andrei, who was busy stuffing his mouth with eggs and bacon, before going back to Miles. “Of course I do,” I said, then leaned a bit closer to him. “Are you taking your meds, Miley— ouch !” I whined after he flicked my forehead.
“Of course I am!” he hissed before coughing. “Anyway, I was thinking about a day in the spa. What do you say?”
It was all very sudden, and still not sure if he was having some mania episode or not, I simply nodded. “Sure.” Besides, a spa day away from Jordan might give me a chance to catch a few hours of sleep.
“Amazing.” Miles clapped his hands together and was ready to start eating his food when Jordan spoke.
“Can I join?”
“Of course not, Jordan. You’ll just get in the way.” Miles rolled his eyes while chewing his croissant.
Well, thank fuck he said it and not me because I needed a fucking break from this premature honeymoon.
“Zaychik, can you try to be a little nicer?”
Miles huffed. “I’m not in the mood to be told off today, Andrei.”
Levi snorted. “How pretentious can you sound?”
“He’s French, so basically, it’s a given.” Jessie chuckled. “I actually think it’s cool.”
“ Anyway , Jordan can’t join us. I want to work on our relationship without background noise,” Miles said without batting an eye before taking another bite from his pastry.
“Why don’t you join us on a hike, Jordan?” Andrei cut in, taking the attention away from Miles. “Levi, Jess, and I are going on a cool trail right after we’re done here.”
Jordan glanced at me.
“You like hiking, so you should go.” I smiled at him .
Satisfied with my answer, he shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
Grabbing a grape from my plate, I popped it in my mouth and waited a few more seconds before asking, “What about Diesel? He won’t be joining you?”
“Nah, the guy’s in bed. He’s been a mess ever since last night,” Andrei said in a flippant tone while munching on a sausage.
And while he chewed the greasy food and filled his body with trans fat, I tensed in my seat.
“He’s sick?” I asked while attempting to sound unfazed. With Jordan sitting right beside me, listening to every word of mine, I had to be careful.
“Yeah, he’s—”
“He ate something bad,” Miles jumped in, cutting Andrei off mid-sentence.
“He did?” I frowned, and Miles nodded.
“Yep. And trust me when I say it isn’t pleasant.” He scrunched up his nose before laughing. “ Nasty even. The smell coming from his room.” He pinched his nose and made a fanning gesture. “So help me God.”
“Miles,” Andrei hissed.
“What?” Miles smirked at his boyfriend. “It’s not my fault he suffers from raging diarrhea.”
Jessie started cracking up while Jordan mumbled something about losing his appetite.
“I mean, with all that avocado he consumes, no wonder he shat so much.”
Sounds of a plate dragging caught my attention, and I glanced to see Levi pushing aside his food.
“In fact, I think he even shat his pants—”
“Okay, Miles, that’s enough,” Andrei grunted, finally getting Miles to stop.
And while what Miles described definitely wasn’t appetizing, it mostly made me worried. I couldn’t care less about Camilo’s… well, shit , but I did care for his health. Therefore, I decided that if things didn’t get better by lunchtime, I’d make sure to check up on him.
Miles might find it funny, but we were on a tropical island (I think), and what if he really had got food poisoning? Camilo had no right to die on me before I got my hands on him.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“To my room,” I answered Miles with a yawn. “I want to catch some sleep—”
“Oh, hell no!” He grabbed my hand and began walking in the opposite direction of my suite. “It’s only the middle of the day.”
“Yeah, but it’s hot, and I’m tired,” I complained, dragging my feet so he’d walk slower.
“Well, suck it up ’cause I booked us a boat trip.”
That made me stop. “A what now?”
Turning to look at me, he clamped his hand on his waist. “A boat trip, Shay-Lee. You know, those things that float in the ocean?”
My jaw twitched. “I know what a fucking boat is, Miles. But why do we need to get on one?”
“’Cause we’re in Thailand,” he said while waving his hand around us. “Besides, I want you to take some photos of me so I can send them to Papa,” he said, then started walking again.
I rolled my eyes, because of course he did. “Didn’t you say something about working on our relationship?” I asked because, so far, the only work we had done was the deep-tissue massage we’d gotten.
“We have, haven’t we? Today felt just like the good old days.” He smiled at me, and I got a glint of his eyes that hid behind his sunglasses.
He had a point. It really did feel like one of those days we used to spend together as teens.
“Well, minus the part where I was obsessed with you,” I joked, and he laughed .
“Yep. Definitely without that part. Although, I can’t blame you. Have you seen me? I’m gorgeous.”
I bumped my shoulder with his, only for him to push me back. “Stop being so jealous,” he teased, then hooked his arm under my elbow.
“Jealous of you? Please. I’m way prettier.” I huffed, and he poked out his tongue.
Let’s just agree to disagree.
He suddenly chuckled. “When you think about it, how could we have ever worked as a couple?”
“To tell you the truth, Miley…” I made a dramatic pause before continuing. “I have no idea because I’d rather die than top you.”
Pursing his lips, he nodded. “Same.”
“By the way, I have a question for you,” he then said.
“What is it?”
Taking off his sunglasses, he eyed me intensely. “Just how big is Jordan?”
Not at all what I’d expected him to ask, I snorted. “I’m not talking about his dick with you.”
“Well, he can’t be bigger than Diesel, can he?” he laughed.
My eyes shot to his. “When the fuck have you seen his cock?”
Miles’s brows rose. “Oh, Diesel’s?” He elbowed me. “Don’t be jealous. I only got a glimpse by mistake back when we were in high school, and let me tell you something… I feel sorry for your ass.”
“Is that your way of telling me Andrei’s got a tiny dick?” I smirked, and he gasped.
“As if. My handsome man has the perfect cock. Thick, long, pink—” Miles paused when two old ladies crossed our way. Once they passed us, he went on. “He also knows how to use it, which is more important than anything.”
“Well, whatever.”
“So you pick them by size?”
I couldn’t help but grunt. “You’re tiring today, you know that? ”
We went on talking about dicks until we reached the resort’s dock, and Miles pointed over at a small motorboat.
“You expect me to get on that?” I asked with a foul look as I studied the ugly boat that seemed ready to sink at any given moment. Not to brag or anything, but I had high standards, considering my yacht, which I’d recently upgraded to a better one.
“It’s the best they had to offer at such short notice,” Miles answered me, then got on the floating dock.
Unwillingly, I followed him. “Well, who’s going to sail this junk?”
“The hotel sent us a skipper.”
Looking straight ahead, I only then noticed someone was indeed sitting in front of the wheel. With a stupid hat and the hotel staff uniform, he had his back to us. Ugh . He was probably an idiot with no sailing experience.
Finally reaching the boat, Miles was the first to climb on. I was ready to follow him on board when he gasped, and I quickly looked up at him.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ve left my phone in the spa.”
“So?” I pointed my thumb over my shoulder. “Let’s just go back there—”
“No!” Miles interrupted me, jumping from the boat and back to the dock. “I’ll go.” And while getting off the boat, he pushed me on, nearly making me fall forward. “You wait here and make sure no one steals our boat.”
“Why would anyone steal this piece of crap?” I hissed.
Miles shrugged. “I don’t know. Just wait here and don’t move.”
Confused, I watched him run down the dock and back to the shore. He was definitely acting odd, but whatever. So far, our day was fun enough for me to let it slide. With a huff, I pulled out my phone and sat down. As I scrolled through work emails, small waves rocked the boat while a strong breeze messed my hair. Despite it being annoying, it was also sort of nice, especially with the warm sun tingling on my skin—
“What the fuck?” I gasped when the boat began moving and I was jerked aside, nearly dropping my phone. Grabbing it tight, I looked at the boat’s engine to see it was working, leaving a white trail in the water as the pier was getting farther and farther away. “What the hell?” I hissed, then tucked my phone in my pocket and turned my head to the skipper.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I snarled at the man. “We’re waiting for him to return—”
I swallowed my words once the supposed skipper took off his hat and I saw who it truly was.
Oh, Miles, you little weasel.
“What are you doing here?” I barked at Camilo, anger spiking through my voice.
“What do you mean?” He played innocent, with one hand on the steering wheel, the other on the throttle. “I’m taking you on a boat date.”
Remembering what the others had said this morning at breakfast, I grimaced. “But you’re supposed to be sick in your room, with raging diarrhea.”
“What?” He jerked his eyes to me, a deep crease between his pinched brows. “Why would you think that?”
“Eyes on the water!” I grabbed his head and forced it straight ahead. “And that’s what Miles said,” I muttered after letting go of him.
Camilo moved a hand over where I’d just touched him. “That little fuck,” he snorted under his breath while shaking his head.
Despite understanding it was all one big scheme, I still wanted to make sure he was fine. “So… your guts are okay?” I asked while holding on to one of the poles of the shade this boat had over the sitting area so I wouldn’t fall overboard with how fast Camilo was driving this thing.
“My guts are perfectly fine, kitten. But if you want yours rearranged, just say the word— ”
“Turn this boat around,” I demanded, putting a stop to the nonsense he was spitting out.
“Not a chance, Llorón.”
“Fine, then I’ll just jump into the water.” I moved toward the rail of the boat when he snorted a laugh, and I turned to frown at him.
“What’s funny?”
“There’s no fucking way you’d get your hair wet after you washed it last night.”
He was right . I had a tight schedule of when I washed my hair, and it would be a cold day in hell before I’d break it. Hold on one second—
“How did you know I washed it last night?” When he kept quiet, I gasped. “You stalk me here, too? Don’t you have a shred of dignity, you impudent bastard?”
“Where do you even find these slurs?” He scratched his chin. “Do you have a book or something for that crap?”
“That’s beyond my point.” My temple throbbed with this madness. “Just answer my question.”
“Fine. I admit to being an impudent bastard who stalks you.” He then snorted before giving me a cocky smile. “But let’s stop pretending you don’t thrive on it, Llorón. You fucking love having me this desperate for your ass.”
My eyes widened at the same time my cheeks flared with heat, and so help me God, I was a mere inch from striking this man with all my might. “Ah!” I stomped my foot. “You drive me insane, Camilo. Fucking insane!”
“I love it when you purr my name, kitten. So sexy.”
Running my fingers through my hair, I tried hard not to punch him. And if all this crap wasn’t enough, Camilo was going full speed ahead with this piece of junk, and it felt more like we were jumping on the waves rather than sailing them. Water splashed everywhere, soaking my clothes and my fucking hair .
Looking over the blue ocean, I huffed. While we were far enough from the shore, we weren’t completely alone. There were quite a few people doing watersports, like parasailing or waterskiing.
“So what? You’re kidnapping me now?”
“Kidnapping you? Are you crazy?” He laughed. “I’m taking you on a date.”
“A date?”
He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. “Didn’t you see the basket?”
Turning around, I sulked at the medium-sized straw basket that was secure at the back of the boat.
“We’re gonna have a nice picnic on the water.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“Fuck no. I even got your favorite cheese, Llorón. So stop whining, sit down, and relax.” He then smiled and pointed over the front deck. “On second thought, why don’t you get naked and lie there to catch a tan? I’d love to see that sexy ass of yours—”
“Oh, shut it,” I rasped and moved to sit in the back. He was being ridiculous, and so, as an act of protest, I’d decided to ignore him and pulled out my phone. There was no reception, yet it didn’t stop me from pretending to be busy with it for a good minute before I glanced back at him. He went as far as to wear the hotel staff’s uniform and somehow still managed to look hot. Well, he looked hot in everything.
Focus, Shay-Lee.
Suddenly, the engine stilled, and the boat stopped. Camilo got up, and I quickly averted my eyes from him so he wouldn’t notice I was staring. Walking toward me, he stopped at my feet and then crouched right before me. Still pretending to be busy with my phone, I raised one brow.
“Finally found your dream job, Camilo? A skipper in a Thailand resort? Classy . An upgrade from a common whore, if you ask me.”
I looked up from the screen to see him turning his head aside, the muscle in his jaw prominent. Did I go too far? But then, Camilo turned back to face me while planting both his hands on my thighs. His strong grip turned my skin hot, but I attempted to look unfazed.
“We’re two miles away from the shore, let alone everyone else. I think you can drop the act,” he said.
With my jaw clenched, I held his piercing stare. Under the bright sun, his eyes, which often looked pitch-black, had a deep chocolate color that made me want to keep staring at him forever. But I didn’t let his pretty face get to me, no matter how much I loved the way the sun painted his skin gold and highlighted his strong features.
“I want you to take me back. To the shore. I want to go back right now,” I said, voice hoarse.
Moving his hands up my thighs, he slid his fingers underneath the hem of my trunks. “Why? We’re finally alone.”
“I don’t want to be alone with you.” My throat dried up at the same time my temperature rose.
“Why’s that?” His strong hands massaged my quads, his fingers digging into my muscles in a way that made my dick take notice.
“Because I don’t want to forgive you.”
“There it is.”
“What is—” My breath caught once he slipped his hand to my inner thigh. A cocky smile spread on his face.
“The truth.”
Letting go, he rose to his feet, so now I was the one looking up at him.
“The truth doesn’t mean shit,” I hissed before I got up and stomped my foot.
“The truth’s the only thing that matters,” he argued, pressing his finger to my heart. “And the truth is that you still love me, Shay-Lee. Whether you like it or not.”
Holding my head high, I wasn’t about to back down. “Always so confident, aren’t you, Camilo?”
He cupped the back of my neck, forcefully bringing me closer. “You’re damn right I am. But my confidence means shit when you keep pushing me away.” The possessive grip on my nape turned into an adoring caress once he slipped his fingers through my hair and softly ran his fingers through it.
He always loved doing that.
With his breath ghosting my lips, I was tempted to dive forward and into his arms, but instead, I shook my head. “If you really want me to give you a chance, you need to answer my question.” I glanced between us and then back into his eyes. “Why did you leave me?”
Camilo closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to mine. “Because back then, I thought it was the right thing to do. Only I was wrong, and I regret my decision, Shay-Lee. I’ve regretted being away from you since the moment I left.”
A wave of emotions struck me, and my breath quivered with memories of nights I cried myself to sleep because he was gone. Weeks in which I questioned what I did wrong to push him away until I doubted what we had. That was the lowest point of all—the self-doubt. He was the first man I’d trusted. The first person I’d opened up to, only for him to take it all away without any explanation. And yet, here he was, back in my life, begging me to give him another chance. Hating him was getting really hard, but not nearly as hard as the last four years without him had been.
“Do you mean it?”
Pulling back, he nodded. “I do.”
“Then jump off the boat.”
“What?” His brows squished together, a crease forming between them.
Smiling, I stepped back and away from him. “If you mean your words, jump into the water. I want you to humiliate yourself a bit more before I consider forgiving you.”
“You’re serious?” he asked with a booming laugh. “You think I’m scared of getting my ass wet?”
With my arms crossed, I kept quiet, allowing him to go on.
Always so cocky, Camilo looked at the water, then back at me. “Fine.” He took off his shirt and moved to jump .
“Nuh-uh,” I stopped him. He turned to look at me, and my eyes moved down his body. “Take off your shorts, too.”
He grinned. “Anything else, Su Alteza ?”
Your Highness.
Amused, I shook my head. “Nah, that will be all.”
Camilo took off his shorts until he was left in nothing but a pair of sexy white boxer briefs. Biting my lip, I took my sweet time studying every curve and bulge in his rigid body.
“Can I jump now? Or do you want a few more minutes to eye-fuck me?”
“No. I’m good. You can go ahead.”
Shaking his head, he turned around and, in a quick move, dove into the water head-first.
Ten points for the dive.
Taking two steps toward the rail, I looked down at the water. White foam had formed in the place he’d jumped, and tapping the rail of the boat, I waited for him to pop his head out. He did, and I watched him wiping the water off his face.
“Are you happy now?” he asked, sounding awfully cocky.
Pursing my lips, I gave him a pitiful look. “Not quite.” Letting go of the rail, I moved to the skipper seat and sat down. Without thinking twice, I turned on the engine and grabbed the steering wheel, completely ignoring Camilo’s shouting.
“Shay-Lee!” he shouted again over the engine roaring.
“What’s the matter, big boy? I thought you weren’t afraid of getting your ass wet.” I smirked, glancing at him as he tried to swim back to the boat. Not allowing it, I pushed the throttle handle, and the old junk jerked forward.
“I’m serious, Shay-Lee. Let me get back on the damn boat.”
I laughed, pushing the throttle again to get farther away from him. Watching him trying to swim back was quite the act, and I played with him for a good minute. After having enough fun, I U-turned the boat, creating a wave and splashing him with water before stopping beside his grumpy ass. Camilo looked pissed, given the vein that popped on his rigid neck, and I couldn’t be happier.
“Maybe now you’ll know how I felt when you left me alone to drown,” I snarled. “But unlike you, I’m not a coldhearted bastard.” A bit of hope gleamed in his eyes but was quickly washed away once the life vest I tossed at him hit his face.
“If I were you, I’d start swimming.” With that, I pushed the throttle all the way down, adjusted the wheel, and got the fuck out of there, leaving that bastard to float his way back to the shore.