Chapter 23
December
Shane
“First your parents, and now way too many days with a bunch of models.” Ruben ran his nose along my neck. His breath tickled along my skin. “Who else do I have to share you with?”
I spun around and hugged him enthusiastically. “You don’t have to share me at all. Only a little of my time. You know, there’s this thing with work and money. Maybe we should get a third person in our relationship. A sugar daddy who’ll cough up the cash so we can manage our time better.”
“An excellent idea!” Ruben beamed at me with a slightly manic expression. “Why didn’t we think of that sooner? Do you think we can find someone else here?”
I winked at him. “I’ll keep my eyes open and let you know.”
He let out a hearty laugh. “Now I feel much better.”
Sighing, he handed me the last shirts, which I stuffed into my backpack. “Have your parents been in touch yet?”
I glanced at him over my shoulder. “Of course. My mom is thrilled about what a great catch I’ve made.”
“Pfft.” He snorted, but his cheeks still turned red.
“The invitation to visit them still stands when we’re in Ocean View.”
Ruben nodded. “I’m glad we’ve made a decision. And for what I have planned, the Cape is the perfect starting point.”
I zipped up my jacket, sat on my bed, and opened my arms. “Come here!”
Ruben willingly sank down onto me. “I’m looking forward to everything that’s coming. And if you need a break from me, the peninsula is big enough for us to get out of each other’s way for a while.”
He gently pressed his lips to mine. “I can’t imagine that ever being the case.”
I ran my fingers through his curly locks, letting the velvety black hair flow through my fingers. “I can. There’s nothing we can’t handle. As my dad always says, communication is everything!”
“He’s probably right.” Sighing, Ruben stretched out on top of me and looked around our room. “Maybe I’ll get some Christmas decorations before you come back. It’s already December. It certainly won’t hurt the ambience of the cabin.”
“Yeah.” I cupped his ass with one hand and pressed my pelvis against him.
When he obviously noticed that I was getting hard, he glanced back at me and raised an eyebrow.
“Do I have your attention again?” I asked.
He pushed my shoulder into the mattress. “For what? You have to leave soon.”
“For a little romp . . . ”
Laughing, Ruben rolled off me and turned onto his side to face me. I put one hand under my cheek and the other on his hip.
He kissed the tip of my nose. “Are you looking forward to the ski safari?”
I shrugged. “It’s the longest one we offer. It’s also completely booked up. Most of the instructors are going. In addition to the regular safari, there will be a photo shoot. The whole thing is a small bonus for this modeling group. An incentive and business trip.”
Ruben ran his hand along my cheek. “Maybe you’ll be discovered.”
I feigned surprise and widened my eyes. “Yes, maybe! How exciting.” I wiggled my eyebrows, and we burst out laughing. “Did I tell you that I was once on the cover of a surfing magazine?”
“Really?” Now Ruben’s surprise was genuine. His mouth opened slightly, and he stared at me.
I ran my finger over his lower lip, stroking his dark stubble. “Yes. A few years ago. A stylist had a huge shoot at the Cape and the surf school. My mom still has a copy if you want to see it.”
“So here I am lying with a model, and I don’t even know it.” Ruben stretched again and kissed me softly. “Wouldn’t that be a career you’d be interested in?”
I glanced at my phone, relieved that I still had a few minutes left.
“No!” That pretty much said it all. “To be honest, it’d be too stressful for me.
I enjoy traveling from surf spot to surf spot.
But I also want to decide for myself where I go and how long I stay.
How long I stare at the sun in one position. ”
He grinned.
“What was exciting was when Ash painted me.”
Ruben sat up abruptly. “Ash painted you? I didn’t know that.”
I pulled him back onto the bed with me. “It’s amazing that this fact hasn’t made its way into the Michelin-star restaurants in Europe.” I wiggled my eyebrows.
Ruben punched me lightly, and we smiled at each other.
“I would always model for Ash. But seriously,” I continued. “It’s a pretty tough business and far off from what I am comfortable with. It was a fun experience. And I don’t say no when someone wants to photograph me. But making this hustle my life? No, thank you!”
“I understand that now,” Ruben confessed.
“After school, I thought I had to seize every opportunity I had.” He avoided my gaze by staring between my chin and my chest. “It didn’t matter whether it was men or jobs.
I always felt like I had to take what I got.
Because maybe it was the best thing that would happen to me.
Slowly, I’m realizing that I don’t have to cling to anything or run away when I’m overwhelmed.
I can make decisions. Trust that I know what’s good for me. ”
I listened to him with awe. Ruben was often stubborn and rarely let his vulnerable yet strong side show.
“And you’re good for me. Incredibly good.” He still didn’t look at me but continued talking. “And as grateful as I am for what I learned in the Michelin-star kitchens, it’s not my life. It’s okay to be happy with something smaller. And content.”
Finally, he lifted his head, so his eyes met mine as he continued. “I’m happy now. In a calm way. I never thought this could be possible.”
I pulled him toward me, and our mouths melted into a deep kiss. I explored his mouth with my tongue. I traced his lips, until we slowly pulled apart.
“I feel the same way!” I emphasized emphatically. “Completely content on my beach, I could never have imagined that someone would make me as ecstatic as you do. You’re the cherry on top of a huge ice cream sundae.”
He snorted with amusement again and kissed me. “When you stood here in the cabin six weeks ago, I didn’t expect anything. Especially not us lying here like this today.”
“I did!” I pushed myself up decisively. “It was always in the cards.”
Ruben fell back, laughing. “Of course. Sometimes you appear to be naturally high!”
I leaned over him and kissed every inch of his face. “I’m high on you!”
After a few minutes, we got up because I had to leave. “What are you up to now?” I asked Ruben, who was letting his gaze drift around the cabin again.
He pointed to the ceiling. “George is coming by in a minute. He wants to fix something. Could it be that another water stain has formed up there?”
I followed his finger but couldn’t see anything in the dim light. “No idea.”
“Let’s see if we’ll even still be here when you come back.”
I got dressed and slung my backpack over my shoulder. “As long as you save me a spot next to you, I don’t care where we sleep.” I said goodbye with one last kiss, and Ruben began to clear the space for George’s ladder.
When I arrived at the main square in front of the resort, the minibuses were already pulling up.
Adriel ran toward me, waving. “Come with me to load the boards; they’re already waiting in the basement.” I put my backpack on a seat on one of the buses and followed Adriel.
We stowed the boards, greeted the tour guests, diligently checked names off our list, and planned the final steps before departure.
The camera crew, models, and other passengers stood together in small groups.
Adriel provided the employees with name tags, and then we mingled with the crowd.
“You’re Shane?” A guy who was almost certainly one of the models pointed to the tag stuck on my jacket.
“Ha!” I looked down at myself. “If it says so, then it must be true.”
He laughed a bit too loudly and put his hand on my shoulder. Ah. I wasn’t that funny. “Then you’re my snowboard instructor. What a nice coincidence. I can tell we’re going to have a great time. I’m Dave.”
“Nice to meet you!” I turned to the others in the group. “And you?”
The others introduced themselves, and Dave kept popping up at my side. Whenever I turned, our eyes met.
Objectively speaking, he was gorgeous. He met all the criteria for a male model. However, his attention made me uncomfortable. He didn’t seem to understand that I wasn’t interested. But maybe I had misread him, and Dave was only an intense person who liked to flirt.
While everyone boarded the buses and the remaining luggage was stowed away, I checked to see if we had left anything behind. On the way out of the garden, I saw Ruben rushing toward us.
“Lucky you’re still here. You forgot your phone.” He waved it around and, slightly flustered, I patted my pockets. “You’re right. Thank goodness you saw it.”
He came toward me in an open, fluttering jacket, with red cheeks and tousled hair. My chest got warm. I lit up, excited, and deeply relaxed all at once. Ruben was all that to me. I wanted to wrap him up and take him with me.
We stood facing each other, somewhat indecisive, as I put my phone away. I wanted to kiss him. But considering all the guests watching us, that might not have been the best idea. On the other hand, I had to show him how much even this brief interaction with him meant to me.
I leaned toward him and tugged on his jacket lapel. With a smile, he took a step toward me.
“Hey, Shane, did you . . . ” The voice behind me tore Ruben and me from our moment, and I turned to Dave.
He stared at Ruben. “You’re here?”
“What are you doing here?” Ruben snapped.
“Are you coming too?” Dave asked with equal animosity.
I swiveled my head back and forth between the two of them as if watching a tennis match.
“No!” Ruben glared at Dave.
“Nah, you’d better stay in the pantry.” Dave laughed spitefully, and Ruben stood straighter.
“Do you two know each other?” I interrupted the duel.
“No!” said Ruben, while Dave replied, “Sure.”
I raised my eyebrows. Ruben pressed his lips together, and Dave grinned at him suggestively.
“Rusty, Rodney, Rudy, and I know each other.”
I took Ruben’s hand, and his eyes locked with mine.
He shook his head, and Adriel called out from one of the buses, “Are you ready?”
I opened my mouth to say something, but Ruben shook his head again. “You have to go.”
“We do have to go, and we’re going to have a lot of fun!” Dave said, putting his hand on my shoulder. I took a step away and shook it off.
“Text me,” I whispered in Ruben’s ear and kissed the corner of his mouth.
He gave me one of his personal smiles and pushed me away. “Go on. Have fun.”
“We will!” Dave remarked.
Irritated, I turned to Dave. What the hell did he mean by that?