Chapter Sixteen
Magnus
Day one on the island went by far too quickly. Day two started out just right with breakfast with a view. We then did a little more exploring before we had to head back to the house for a little while. Business doesn’t stop even in paradise, and I had to take a call that drags on for far too long. It’s a couple of hours before I’m able to get back to Piper. I’m frustrated as I walk out to the balcony to find her beneath an umbrella with her computer on her lap.
When she sees me, she quickly closes her laptop as her cheeks flush. She smiles at me, and I wonder what she’s up to. I know it’s nothing bad, but there’s something she’s trying to hide from me, and I must know what it is.
“I’m sorry that took so long. What have you been up to?” I lean over and kiss her before sitting down next to her.
“Nothing much,” she tells me, her eyes darting away. My curiosity is piqued even more.
“You, my darling woman, are a terrible liar. Now, I have to know what you were doing on that computer.” I laugh, showing her I’m not worried, simply curious. She’s hidden nothing from me so far, so what can this possibly be that has her blushing?
She shifts in her seat as if wrestling with the decision on whether she wants to tell me or not. I wait, letting her decide. As much as I want to know, if she really doesn’t want to share, then I will drop it. She finally lets out a sigh.
“Well, now if I don’t tell you, you’ll think it’s worse than it is,” she says. “I was just sort of . . . writing.”
“Why wouldn’t you want to share that? What are you writing?” I ask, confused. This woman is an open book, and always has been so what could she possibly be writing that has her blushing this deeply?
She’s silent for a moment longer, then she lets out another sigh, a mixture of excitement and embarrassment in her eyes. “I’ve been working on a book for about a year now.”
This has me instantly intrigued. I had no idea, and we’ve spent a lot of time together. When does she find the time to write? “Why wouldn’t you want to share this with me?” I ask.
She flushes again. “I haven’t even told Livie which is something that’s never happened before. It’s just for fun. I won’t do anything with it, but it’s a book I’ve been having fun with.”
“That’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m impressed with anyone who can create a story with their fingers,” I say. “What’s it about?”
Her blush deepens even more. “It’s a romance.” She pauses, then decides to share. Now that her secret is out, she seems almost excited to talk about it. “It’s about a librarian who goes on a European vacation, touring many countries, and meets the man of her dreams while there.”
“Ah, now I see why you know all of the places you want to travel to,” I tell her while a smile spreads across my face. “This sounds perfect. I don’t understand you being embarrassed about it.”
“It’s just a hobby, and something I do in my spare time. I don’t want people to think I’m going to actually try to publish it.”
“I know you, and know how creative you are.” I wink at her. “I’m more than happy to take you on that European tour for research.”
She laughs, shaking her head. “You’re impossible, Magnus Carter. Do you think of anything else but sex.”
“I’m always thinking about sex with you, but yes, I also think of many other ways of impressing you. I want you to be so enamored with me that you don’t ever think of running away.”
“You’ve already done that,” she assures me, making my heart beat a bit faster. “And I’ve never been obsessed with sex before meeting you, even being as big a fan of romance books as I am. I used to skip the sex scenes in books. Now, on those rare nights I’m not with you, I read those and my body aches as I imagine you and I doing the same moves in my books.”
“I’ll definitely research those moves with you as well,” I promise as I pull her into my lap and give her a quick kiss. If I deepen it too much we’ll be here in bed all day instead of enjoying our last day on the island. As fun as that sounds, I want her to fall in love with this island as much as I have.
I pull back. “I’m serious, Piper, this thing between us is moving fast, probably fast enough to scare you, but I’m here, and I don’t plan on going anywhere. I’ll be your muse or whatever else it is that you need.”
“It scares me when you say stuff like this because I feel the same, but it is fast. I’ve never experienced this before.”
“Neither one of us have. We need to stop being scared and embrace it,” I tell her.
“I’m trying my best to do that,” she says.
“Good. Then a start would be you reading me some of your book.”
She looks at me with panic at this request, and it takes a bit more coaxing, but she finally relents and opens her computer. She reads me a few pages that has me absolutely entranced. Her words paint vivid images, and I’m truly impressed by her talent.
“Piper, this is wonderful. You need to really go for this. Don’t be afraid to show the world. I think you’ll be a best seller.”
She shakes her head. “We’ll see what happens. But we’re on this island and our time is slipping away, so no more book talk for now,” she says.
I’ve pushed her enough for the day, so I drop the matter. We change into our swimsuits then head to my favorite beach with food, swimming, sand, and fun. It doesn’t take us long to arrive. The sun is high in the sky casting a warm glow over us. Piper spreads out a towel on the sand and we lie together until we get too warm, and then we jump into the water to cool off, voices and laughter surrounding us.
We’re simply a part of the crowd here on the island. No one is trying to impress us, and we’re not trying to impress anyone. We get to be us and fall a little more in love with each other. We’re going to have to come back again and again because this is what I consider heaven.
We splash around like two kids in the water as we swim, hold each other, and get into a water fight with some teens who hands down win. We climb back out and sit beneath umbrellas as we have drinks and an afternoon snack.
We do this for hours, climbing in and out of the water, and each time I pull her into my arms I feel whole again. The connection between us is deeper, growing more profound by the minute. As the sun starts to sink, I raise my glass to her, and we clink them together.
“To paradise and many more days to come just like this,” I tell her.
“To paradise,” she echoes. We’re feeling high on life, and the water has washed away the rest of the world. We finally leave the beach, then run home to shower, make love, and change. It’s our last night on the island for now and I want to take her out.
We have a romantic dinner on the water again, then head over to the bar to play some pool, listen to a live band, and dance until midnight. The party is still hopping when we decide to leave. We walk back home this time instead of drive as we’ve had too many drinks, but nothing is far in the town of Avalon, and walking with her hand in mine is perfect.
I’m no longer in a hurry when I’m with Piper. Though this adventure is ending as we fly back home tomorrow, there will be many more adventures to come. Piper and I are only beginning in our journey of life. We have a heck of a lot more memories to make together. I can’t wait to see what will come next.