21. Sienna
21
SIENNA
“ T his is exactly what I needed. I’m just glad you let me take your place.” Stretching out my legs in front of me, I admired the jet’s interior for the hundredth time since takeoff. “Are you sure you don’t hate me for touring the resort instead of you?”
Jules coughed loudly into the phone. Technology was incredible. I could hear her as clearly as if she were sitting on the jet with me, though I was already thousands of miles away. “It’s not your fault, babe. It’s this damn flu bug. At least one of us can go out there and review the resort.”
I spent a lot of time handholding and babysitting fragile clients, but opportunities like this one offset the teeth-grinding I did most days of the week. A client of ours was opening a new resort in the Maldives, which happened to be one of my favorite vacation places in the entire world. We would recommend the resort to our other clients, encourage them to visit and spread the word to their friends, meaning more publicity.
The company had sent a private jet to fly me out there, and I sat back with champagne roughly halfway through the flight. One day, maybe once I was my parents’ age, I would take more time for this kind of thing and enjoying the fruits of all my labor.
First, I’d have to hold onto my company, though things were looking good. A few prospects who’d seemed eager to sign on with us had suddenly changed their minds in the days since the tabloid photos were published, but our faithful, satisfied base seemed happy to stick around. Nobody could argue with our results.
“Have fun, test all the amenities, and try not to get a wicked sunburn,” Jules advised. I promised I would do my best before ending the call to watch a movie. There was plenty of time to kill.
And I needed the distraction.
I couldn’t get a grip on my brain anymore. I couldn’t discipline myself enough to keep my thoughts from drifting to Noah at the most inconvenient times.
An entire week had passed without hearing from him, though his CFO had reached out to let us know they found their culprit. The issue with the photos in the tabloids had blown over, thanks to a flurry of activity on our end. We had gone full-court press on a handful of other clients in hopes of flushing the story about Noah and me out of the news cycle, and the tactic had worked like a charm. It had served us well more times than I could count over the years. I never figured I would have to use it for myself.
Everything had gone back to normal. I had to remind myself of that, and it was becoming something close to a chant in my head. Nothing changed. Everything was the same. I had my business, Noah had his, and our lives were back on track just as they had been before.
If only I could erase the past several weeks, going back to the first night at Club Caramel. There was no going back to living life as I had before now that I knew how much better, brighter, and more exciting it could be.
Settling back in the seat, my arms around myself, I gazed out the window at the endless stretch of clouds under the jet. It was all sunny and bright up here, far above it all.
Was he thinking about me? Wondering what I was doing, how I was handling things? He hadn’t called to find out, but then I had shut and locked that door on my own. He had wanted to talk, and I had made that impossible. There was nobody but myself to blame.
The worst part? I couldn’t forget him. This wasn’t like the average ruined relationship, where both parties could go their merry way and avoid each other. I would never be rid of him. We shared too much history. If Rose and Colton ever got married, I had no doubt Noah would be his best man. We would be thrust together time and again unless I moved across the country or something. Since that wasn’t going to happen, I had no choice but to look forward to years of looking at him and seeing our past.
Knowing there was so much more to him than what he showed the world.
Knowing I still wanted him.
The only thing that could make this trip better would be having him next to me. When I imagined myself indulging over four days in the Maldives, there was no excitement—nothing to look forward to but loneliness.
After starting four different movies but stopping out of boredom within the first twenty minutes, I pulled out my phone to scroll through any new emails before sedating myself with social media scrolling. It wasn’t easy to turn off my work brain and simply enjoy mindless scrolling, but that was still preferable to questioning every single one of the decisions I made over the past weeks .
I was scrolling through Reddit when a text came through from Rose. Strange, but she hadn’t seemed too surprised to find out about her brother and me. Or maybe she didn’t want to look like the complete hypocrite my brother was, blowing up my phone, threatening to kick Noah’s ass. It was nothing but talk. Rose had probably pointed out how stupid Colton sounded. Either way, even his anger had fizzled before long.
Rose’s text came with an attached link.
Rose: Thought you might want to see this. *smiley face emoji.*
Tapping the link took me to an Instagram account.
Noah’s account.
Emotion lodged in my throat in time with my heart clenching. Why would she send me to his Instagram? I had gone out of my way to avoid any specifics when she’d pretty much forced me into confessing whatever we were, but she knew I was confused and full of regret. Why shove him in my face?
It took all of three seconds for me to understand once a video began to play. Taken on his phone, by the looks of it, while he sat in his living room looking painfully gorgeous as always. Longing hit me like a sledgehammer and left me breathless.
“Hi, everybody.” His easygoing smile made me smile back. “There’s been a lot about me in the press lately, positive and otherwise. Until now, I’ve relied on others to do the speaking for me, but it’s clear there’s something I need to straighten out in my own words.”
Oh, no. This had the potential to be an absolute disaster.
His shoulders rose and fell before he continued. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes… more than I could count if I tried. One of them led to a series of false accusations made against me . Without my publicist, Sienna Black, I would’ve inevitably made things worse by shooting off my mouth. She saved me from myself. Unfortunately, becoming involved with me led to trouble for her. I have to apologize for that, deeply and sincerely.”
This was the man who didn’t apologize. He’d told me so.
“I’m not perfect,” he admitted. “I’ll make mistakes after today. All I can do is promise to move forward and do better from now on. I hope very much to make things right with anyone I’ve hurt.”
With a wink, he added, “One person in particular. Thank you for watching.”
That was it. Short, sweet, and to the point. And in the end, directed at me. At least I hoped it was. He had gone ahead and apologized in front of essentially the whole world. Already, the video had been shared a few hundred times, and he’d only posted it four hours ago. I fired off a text to Jules, asking if she knew anything about it, before setting my phone down with a shaking hand.
I was flying away from him when all I wanted was to be with him. To ask if he was talking about making things right with me, to tell him how proud I was of him for being so humble. What was I thinking? I pulled up his number, ready to demand he fly out to the Maldives so we could talk in person, but I only got as far as his voicemail. The texts I sent to Rose and my cousins went unanswered too.
I was literally hanging in midair for the rest of the flight.
There was a car waiting for me at the private hangar, leaving me with nothing to do but try Noah repeatedly. The gorgeous slice of paradise all around me went unnoticed while I obsessed over what was supposed to happen next. All the while, Noah’s video racked up shares and likes.
When the car’s progress slowed, I looked out the window toward the luxury villa looming up ahead. The beachfront villas would be available for purchase once the resort opened, while a series of smaller waterfront cottages would be up for rent by short-term vacationers. I’d be staying in a two-story, three-bedroom villa with a thatched roof and a private garden surrounded by a sparkling pool. In other words, Heaven. My temporary slice of it.
Remember what you’re here for.
My emotions were all over the place by the time I stepped out of the car, and I was starting to wonder why everyone in my life had suddenly put me on the Pay No Mind list, but I was here for business. I forced myself to pay attention to my lush surroundings as I walked out onto the white sandy beach, already prepared to recommend the resort to anybody looking for a private paradise. The sapphire water lapped at the sand, begging me to dip my toes in.
“What do you think?”
I jumped, yelping when a deep voice cut through the conflict buzzing in my brain. It didn’t make sense. He wasn’t supposed to be here. Yet, Noah walked my way, hands in his pockets, his bare feet sinking into the warm sand. “It’s pretty fucking phenomenal out here, isn’t it?”
When I found my breath, I asked, “What are you doing here? Did you see I’ve been calling you for hours? Why did you make that video? Were you talking about me?”
He tipped his head to the side. “That sounded like one long word. Try slowing down.”
“You are such a dick.” A dick whose laughter only set a match to the powder keg that had been ready to explode for hours. My hands closed into fists before I gritted out, “This might be a joke to you, but it’s very serious to me. I want answers.”
His lids fluttered over brown eyes brimming with confusion. For God’s sake, had I genuinely shocked him? Did he know me at all? No, he expected me to melt over a video and a surprise personal appearance. My heart might have been ready to burst with excitement and relief, but I still had a shred of dignity to my name.
“I wasn’t trying to piss you off.” In a flash, he went contrite, his features pulling together in a pained expression. “I make smart-ass jokes when I’m nervous. In case you hadn’t noticed.”
“You? Nervous?” I found it difficult to believe. What mattered more just then was watching him squirm under my stare.
“You tell me how I should feel. Standing here like an asshole.” He spread his arms out to either side. “Hoping I can make you see how much you mean to me. I was stupid and wrong to push you away that morning at my place. It was a knee-jerk reaction.”
“It was a jerk-jerk reaction,” I muttered. The fact was, my indignation was melting fast, but I wanted to make him beg a little. It was the least he could do.
“Whatever you want to call it, it was a bad move on my part. I should have stuck by your side the way you stuck by mine.”
And now I felt slightly guilty in the face of his contrition. “I did try to walk away after your interview,” I reminded him in a softer voice. “But you wouldn’t let me get away with it.”
“I couldn’t let you go.” He shrugged, then jammed his hands into the pockets of his linen shorts. “I needed you. I still do. I always will. ”
The nerve of him saying exactly the right thing at the right time. “Damn you.” Sand flew as I marched up to him, taking his striped button-down in my fists and yanking hard. “Damn you for thinking you can follow me out here and win me back with a video.” Standing on my tiptoes, I added, “Damn you for being right too.”
Understanding barely had the chance to dawn on his handsome face before I crushed my lips to his. His arms shot out and pulled me close, where I belonged.
Adrenaline raced through my system with every rapid, joyful beat of my heart. Who was I kidding? There was no fighting him. Not when my whole world had started revolving around us when I wasn’t paying attention. Somewhere along the way, I had started needing him. I didn’t know how to stop.
By the time the kiss broke and I buried my face in his neck, I was home. I closed my eyes, holding him, letting myself be held against his firm chest. “I’m glad you’re here,” I decided, smiling when his arms tightened.
“I hope you don’t mind everybody ignoring your calls after Rose sent you the link.”
“What?” My head snapped up, eyes flying open wide. “You set that up?”
“I figured sending you the video while you were thousands of feet in the air would give you time to think about everything.” He winced. “Risky, since you could’ve decided to tell me to fuck myself, but what’s life without a little risk?”
“You have a habit of doing that.” Letting him go, I folded my arms. “The way you told everybody to pretend they didn’t know about your stupid prank. You like to make these arrangements behind my back.”
“It was for your sake.” He shrugged. “So was this. It’s all for you. I’ll do anything to make up for the shit I put you through. Back then and up through today. That’s all I want.”
My smile was shaky, tearful. The world was in Technicolor again, bright and shining, and all thanks to him. The last man I would ever have expected to fit me like we were made for each other. “I mean, maybe don’t take credit for everything,” I reminded him because busting his balls was a habit I wouldn’t soon grow out of. “The resort is just the perfect backdrop.”
“Is it?” He turned partway, craning his neck to admire the sprawling villa. “Did I not tell you I’ve done business with the owner?”
“You have? Small world.” His strange attitude was making me suspicious, to put it mildly.
“You should check out the interior.” Turning back to me, grinning, he added, “Since it’s yours.”
This day was full of surprises. “Pardon?”
“Isn’t it what you said you wanted? A house in the Maldives?”
“When did I?” I had said that to him once, hadn’t I? Weeks ago. My heart swelled before I whispered, “You remembered that?”
“I do listen sometimes.”
“So you set all of this up?”
His head bobbing, he confirmed, “I coordinated with Jules. The fact that the resort is about to open was a coincidence. I can’t take credit for that.”
This time, when I threw myself into his arms, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him as hard as I could. He had remembered. He bought me a house in paradise and went out of his way to keep it a secret. All to make me happy.
I was weak and breathless by the time I came up for air. All at once, everything was right again. The world had found out about us and kept turning. I still had my business. His empire was intact. All I needed was to know he was totally with me. I didn’t know how to ask for that assurance.
As it turned out, I didn’t need to. “I want you to know something.” He brushed windswept hair away from my face, his dark eyes gleaming as he stared down at me. The hard, arrogant expression I was accustomed to had softened into something sweet but just as sexy. “You make me want to be a better man. The sort of man you deserve. Somebody who’s honest and owns up to his mistakes. You keep me in line and remind me of what’s important. Money, business… none of it matters as much as having you. I’ve been lost without you. Please say we can find a way to make this work because I love you. You’re part of me and always will be.”
A rush of joy stole every word I ever knew, leaving me sputtering helplessly before he captured my mouth again. This time, our kiss was tender, full of everything neither of us could put into words, sweeping me up into a whirlwind of emotion and sizzling sensation.
“By the way,” I told him with a soft laugh between kisses. “I love you too.”
He chuckled, nuzzling my neck, holding me close enough that I could feel his heart pounding. “All it took was buying you your dream house, huh?”
“Actually, there are other things I love about you.” He looked down at me, quirking an eyebrow, before I ran a hand over his sizable bulge. “Like this, for instance.”
He could pretend to be offended all he wanted. I felt the way he jumped against my palm while a wicked grin stirred his lips. “Funny you should mention that since I was about to ask when we could christen every single room in that villa. And there are a lot of them,” he pointed out before emitting a deep growl that curled my toes.
“Well, we have four days to cover every square foot.” With my arms around his neck, I added, “I guess we better get started.”
The next thing I knew, he’d scooped me up in his arms, carrying me across the sand and up to the covered rear porch. Everything came at me in flashes—the gorgeous, warm woods, the abundance of windows and doors to let in the balmy air.
We entered through the kitchen. He couldn’t wait more than I could, setting me on the long wooden table and nudging a chair aside to make room for himself between my legs. I hiked up my long, flowing skirt, taking his face in my hands and hungrily pulling him down to kiss him greedily.
Before I left New York, I was sure I would never get to do this again. Now, I had nothing but forever to look forward to.
My heart fluttered with anticipation while he reached between us to free his cock. I closed my legs around his, pulling him in, letting my hands play over his shoulders and back. This was my second chance to touch him, to be touched, to share this thrill with him. I would never take it for granted.
He moved my panties to the side, groaning when he felt how wet he had already made me. “Fuck, I love you,” he whispered, impaling me in one quick, deep thrust that made me gasp. We stilled together, holding our breath, eyes locked.
Forever.
Forever with this man.
Yes, I could see that in those endless brown orbs. I could see my future there.
The briefest smile passed over his face as he began to move. All I could do was wrap my arms around him and hold on tight as he took me on the first of so many more adventures we would experience together. Manhattan, the Maldives, it didn’t matter where we were. So long as we were together, we could make our way through anything.
His mouth trailed up my neck before brushing my ear. “In case you were wondering…” he grunted, “… I brought a few special surprises along. It’s been too long since I’ve turned this ass red.”
The heat already blazing in my core burst into an inferno.
Forever wouldn’t be long enough with him.