Chapter 8
Ocean
I’ve never left New York before. Vacations were not something my family could afford nor cared about. When I went to college and med school, then my residency started, there wasn’t time.
I stare through the window in awe. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life. It’s not like seeing it on TV or in pictures, driving through these mountains and forests is making me emotional.
Luckily, Dylan and Jack are still discussing the festival we will be attending. I watch everything fly by as we drive, keeping my emotions in check enough not to let any tears fall. I'm not a crier per se, and it is by no means his fault. Since meeting Dylan, and after everything we went through in the past months, I've learned not to bottle up my emotions.
It's mostly because I am still tired, but it’s also the thoughtfulness of this. The effort Jordan and Alessa have gone to, to give us this amazing opportunity.
I don’t know Jordan very well, but I’ve hung out plenty with Alessa. This is out of character, bringing us to a place like this. And from what I’ve heard of Jordan, he’s a party guy. He loves the high life. The glamor of being famous, living it up on private yachts and high rolling hotels in Vegas casinos.
This doesn’t seem like something he’d arrange either, but I’m glad I got back out of bed to come along.
Fortunately, I was off shift for three days, so it worked out well. How had Alessa managed to plan it that way? Dylan is free too, and everyone else turned up without argument.
It seems no one else was going to be busy this weekend. Yet, I’m certain none of them had any plans to get together.
“You doing okay angel?”
I turn to Dylan with a huge smile. He gives me one back, his eyes sparkling. I’ll never forget the day I met him, or his brother. Or the terror Nash felt when his brother was wheeled into the ER, after Dylan was cut out of their car.
He had never been in any real danger, but seeing your brother covered in blood, writhing in pain after a traumatic accident, isn’t easy.
Well, it would be fine for me. As harsh as it is, a few months ago, if my mom or brother came into the ER that way, I wouldn’t flinch. I would treat them as any other patient. Now, I won't see my brother again and mom would never come to my hospital even if something did happen.
I still haven't spoken to her after what happened with Xavier. Knowing she had any kind of relationship with the man who took me to get to Xavier shouldn't have surprised me. Not that she was involved in what happened.
Without having all the facts, I've often wondered if my brother got mixed up with him because mom knew him. I could drive myself crazy trying to figure it out.
Dylan has helped me move past it all. He's brought me out of the box I'd built around myself. And I love him so much for that. I blush at the thought of our first kiss in the mansion at Oyster Bay Cove. How is this my life now?
“Jordan and Alessa are my favorite people right now,” I tell him.
“Seriously?” he gives me the side eye.
“Well, for now.”
“Wait till tonight,” he whispers in my ear. “Then I’ll be your favorite, all night.”
“If I don’t fall asleep on you.”
“Never let it be forgotten, Ocean Navarez is one of the world’s greatest romantics.”
“Sorry,” I put my head in my hands. “I won’t do that, promise.”
“Angel, if you’re tired you know I won’t make you,” his voice softens.
“Make me,” I laugh. “I want to.”
“Good,” he gives me a smug smile.
“Holy shit!”
The exclamation has us both looking towards the front of the bus. Everyone is looking out of the opposite window to our side. I try to see but at five one, I’m way too small. I get up and look over the top of Dylan’s head, using his shoulders to balance as the bus turns.
My eyes widen. We’re at a gated entrance with two huge pillars and a metal sculpted sign stretching across the top.
“Morning Glory Ranch,” Jack laughs.
“Oh my God, is he serious?” Brooke drawls with a shake of her head.
We head down a long driveway. There are manicured lawns on either side. It leads to an amazing two story building straight out of the TV show, Dallas . My grandma watched it religiously before she passed. This is what a ranch looks like, I guess.
Beyond it, there are rolling hills and then the mountains, rising like a fantastic painting. I also see stables and an enclosed area where three horses are grazing, and a few other buildings dotted around, too.
For a girl raised in the Queensbridge projects, where there were barely any green spaces, I’m floored.
After we park up, everyone heads off the bus.
“It smells weird.”
“That’s the fresh mountain air, babe,” Archer tells Brooke.
“More like horse shit,” she mutters.
A fellow city dweller who I presume has never been to a place like this before or doesn’t want to. Where she is frowning and picking up on what could be construed as the bad parts, I’m reveling in the beauty.
So it smells a little, it’s not that noticeable. The fresh flowers in the beds by the Ranch are more prevalent and pleasing to me.
“Does everyone have their keys?” Sandy asks.
I pull mine out of the little black bag we were given and waggle it. Dylan has wandered off to the edge of the driveway, both hands above his eyes as he looks beyond the ranch building. Nick and Elsa move away to look at horses. At Sandy’s call, we all head towards the building with her.
“Where is Jordan?” Adam asks, his arm around Jenna.
She seems content to let him. Dylan filled me in on the news when I got out of bed and rejoined everyone.
“Out riding,” Sandy calls over her shoulder as she leads us up onto the porch. There are double glass doors already open, which lead into a large entrance hall. The kind I never thought I would ever step foot in.
“It’s beautiful,” I whisper.
“Isn’t it?” Sandy says, coming over to link my arm. I’ve never met her before, but I like her already. “Adam, Nick and Archer, and your beautiful companions. You’re on the ground floor to the left.” They all glance down the long hallway off the main area. “Ciro, Dylan, Nash and Jack, you’re on the first floor. Nash and Jack to the left, the others to the right.”
“You couldn’t have put Ciro and I together? Now we have to listen to what is going on in their rooms,” Jack groans.
“You can swap,” Sandy says. Dylan and Jack swap keys.
“You’re enjoying this way too much,” Jenna tells her mom. Sandy grins even wider.
“Everyone, go freshen up. There is a BBQ for dinner tonight. Be back here for six.”
“Is that asshole ever gonna show his face?” Archer asks. “Mama Montanari, as much as I love your hosting skills, he should be here to explain himself.”
“I’d really like to see him riding a horse,” Nick says, picking up his and Elsa’s bags.
“If he breaks any bones, I’ll kill him,” Adam adds.
“Oh hush,” Sandy lets me go and heads to her son-in-law. She gives him a little dig to his stomach, but she is grinning, and he laughs at her. “I’ll have you know he’s a pretty decent cowboy.”
Everyone laughs at that, then people disperse to find their rooms. There is no staff here to take our stuff, no reception desk. Is this a hotel or not? There is a room off to the side which looks less like a hotel, more like someone’s living room. Comfortable, I guess, is more the word I’m looking for. It isn’t fancy, it looks like the kind of room whoever lives here hangs out in watching TV.
I go to grab my bag, but Dylan has it already and shoos me with a tip of his head. We follow Nash and Adrestia to our rooms, or what should have been Jack’s room. It has his name on the door. I smile at the personal touch.
Inside, again my breath is stolen. I’ve lived in apartments all my life. First the terrifying block where I was raised, then the college dorms. Now, my little apartment which is convenient for the hospital. If I move in with Dylan, which he keeps asking, it will be to a gorgeous place, but still an apartment in a high rise building.
A brown sofa sits underneath the window, the perfect viewing spot to sit and watch the horses. The bed is enormous, enough to fit four people. A mountain of pillows is placed near the headboard. There is a cushioned ottoman at the end of the bed, with towels folded on it.
Two rustic bureaus and a matching wardrobe finish out the room. On top of one bureau is a bottle of champagne, two glasses and a basket of fruit.
“Fuck me,” Dylan mutters as he drops our bag and looks around. “This is…”
“Beautiful,” I fill in for him. “Like a dream.”
He turns to me, then comes over and picks me up, making me squeal. He walks us to the bed and sits down, settling me so I straddle his legs.
“We never get time like this,” he says, nuzzling my throat with his nose. “I’m going to make the most of it.”
It makes me feel guilty. I work long, hard hours, and sometimes when we are together, I can fall asleep. It will be even harder when he is on tour.
He kisses me and I loop my arms around his neck. But he pushes them back so he can take off my coat, which he folds up and sets down beside us. I can't help but grin. I'm surprised he didn't pause to go hang it up.
Dylan takes off my hoodie and t-shirt, then unhooks my bra setting it all on my coat. I will never tire of seeing his huge hands on my small body. Dylan makes no complaints about how dainty I am. In fact, he always shows me how much he loves it. He can pick me up and move me around to his heart’s content. And I love it.
I help him take off his jacket and t-shirt and press my skin against his warm body. He sighs, brushing my hair back, then kisses me.
No one has ever kissed me the way Dylan does. His tongue tangles with mine, tasting me, never hurried or frenzied, even when he is desperate with need.
Cupping my ass, he stands up and walks to a door. He tries the handle and laughs in relief when it is a bathroom. Where the bedroom was rustic and cozy, the bathroom is modern and sleek.
I blush as he sets me on the counter, his hands going into the back of my pants and tugging them down. I lift my ass to help.
His eyes roam over me as he bares me to him, and I flush a little more. He smiles, running his finger over my eyebrow, down my nose, and across my lips.
He leaves me to start the shower and drops his own pants and underwear. I wait as he turns back to me, stroking his hand up and down his incredibly hard cock.
I lick my lips and he growls, picking me up and walking us into the now steaming shower. Until I met him, most of my sexual experiences were in a bed, on my back.
Usually, it was hurried in the dorm room. Or at the hospital in one of the off duty rooms. It went on often, like a real soap opera. Always hurried, then straight to sleep. One or the other partner leaving to go back on duty.
Dylan enters me slowly, like he always does. Despite being small, I’ve never had trouble taking him, but he still likes to make sure he eases in. The large slate tiles of the shower are cold against my back, a stark contrast to the heat of his body flush against me.
He leaves one hand on my ass, the other he uses to cradle the back of my head to prevent me from banging it. He’s the most considerate man I’ve ever met, and I love him for it, though I have encouraged him to rough it up a bit.
He’s good at that too.
Dylan always knows what I want and right now, nice, leisurely sex is what I crave. He kisses me as he works my body. His hips and thighs hold me as he squeezes my breast until I cry out. He lets go a little then, thrusting harder until he groans his own release.
After, he lowers me and cleans me up. For a long while, having someone take care of me was foreign.
From a very young age, I’d been taking care of myself, so it was strange to relinquish that control. But now, it is the best part of sex for me. Or one of them anyway.
He dries me off and we go back into the bedroom.
“It’s only four. We have two hours.”
He takes me to the bed, pulls the covers back and deposits me on the luxurious sheets. After closing the thick curtains, the room is dark. He edges me over and gets in, then snuggles into me, wiggling me around until my back is to his chest. Cupping one of my breasts, he settles his head down beside mine.
“Why do you think Alessa did this?” I ask.
“Everyone thinks they’re gonna surprise us with a wedding.”
“You don't agree?” I run my fingers over his knuckles in a slow back-and-forth motion.
“I can’t see it. But I’ll admit, when Archer mentioned it, it crossed my mind too. Seeing this place though… Maybe they knew we all needed the break. Things with Riley are volatile right now.”
He explains what is going on and I turn over so I’m facing him. He grips our hands together between us.
“She’s killing Nash.”
“He’s strong,” I tell him. “And he has Tia, you, the rest of the band. Everyone is on his side.”
“I know, but I can see how much it’s hurting him. I fucking hate her for this.”
I stare at him and see the truth in his eyes. It’s hurting him too. Dylan grew up with Riley. They were close friends, as close as siblings.
It may have been Nash’s heart she broke, but she left a space in Dylan’s too. Her betrayal of his brother affected him.
Having only met her once, I can't comment but from that one brief interaction, she isn’t the kind of person I want to be around. The stress she caused when she quit makes me not want to like her very much either.
“Alessa doing this is doubly nice, then,” I say. “Bringing us all along, the excitement and suspense of it all, I think it’s amazing.”
“It’s not like her. It’s gotta be Jordan’s influence. As much as he’s the joker and the bad boy of BreakNeck, he cares about them. He sees us as an extension of her, so does the same for us.”
“Well, let’s do everything we can to enjoy ourselves,” I tell him. “Show Nash it doesn’t matter what Riley does. You’ll all be there for him. Keep his spirits up.”
He is about to say more when we hear rhythmic banging on the wall. He glances over as a loud moan joins the banging.
“Well, she's keeping something up,” Dylan laughs.
“Oh no. That means they will hear us.”
“I don’t care,” Dylan says, brushing my hair back. “Actually, I do,” he sits up. “I don’t need to hear my brother fucking.”
“Dylan,” I cry as he gets out of bed and pads over to the wall. “Oh my God, don’t embarrass Tia.” I sit up as he bangs against the wall. For a moment, all sounds cease, then it starts up again, louder. “Serves you right,” I giggle as Dylan scowls and comes back to bed.
“Shouldn’t have switched rooms.”
I hold my arms out and he gets back into bed. “Set an alarm for five thirty, lets snooze.”
“Easy for you to say. You can sleep through a hurricane.”
I smile brightly at him, then settle down after he sets an alarm on his phone.
I don’t know if he does, but oddly, the steady beat on the wall lulls me into a dreamless sleep.