Chapter 16 - Blair
“The Bahamas?” I say in surprise.
“Yes. I booked us a beachside villa for a few nights. I thought it would be nice to get out of the city after that horrible gala. We need a reset and to shake off that negative energy,” he explains.
“I’ve never been there before,” I tell him, still in shock that he has planned all of this for us.
“You’re going to love it. It’ll be peaceful and beautiful. The afternoon thunderstorms at this time of year are really amazing to witness,” he smiles, and his eyes light up as he waits for me to look excited about it.
The idea of going to the Bahamas is awesome. I’ve always wanted to go. But being alone and in close quarters with Simon makes me nervous.
I bite my lower lip. It’s been difficult to stop obsessing over the things Lindsey said at the party.
It broke me down quite a bit, and while Simon did explain that I misunderstood the situation, which I believe, it doesn’t change the fact that Lindsey and he have a very intimate past. I might have misread why he didn’t want me there, but I didn’t misread what she said and their history.
She spoke with such confidence about knowing what he likes. She’s clearly a woman with experience, someone who knows how to please a man. And I’m sure she really did give Simon everything he desired. He told me she was the first woman he ever loved.
My inexperience and cluelessness are weighing heavily on me. It’s embarrassing. I even Googled a little to try and learn what men like, but the information was overwhelming, and I’d be too shy to try most of those things with someone as experienced as Simon.
I’m just not confident enough.
I imagine that the difference between Lindsey and me is glaringly obvious to Simon.
“We’re leaving this afternoon,” Simon says, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Oh, wow, already,” I blurt out.
“You’d better go pack. Bring clothes for hot weather, but throw a jacket in case the evenings get cool,” he says. “We will leave here at two. The pilot will be waiting at the airport for us.”
Packing some things into an overnight bag, I am still thinking about Simon.
There is no way I would tell him how insecure I feel around him now, regarding the physical things that happened between us.
I’m almost terrified of getting into another situation with him where things get intimate.
Going away alone and staying in a beach villa sounds like I will be spending a lot of one-on-one time with Simon.
My stomach knots with nervous anxiety. I’m probably overthinking.
I wish I didn’t have to think about it at all.
***
When we arrive at the airport, the driver stops the car right on the runway next to a pristine white jet with two black-and-silver stripes running the full length of the plane. Someone opens my door for me and smiles, offering me a hand. I climb out of the car, and Simon follows me.
I’m constantly surprised by the level of wealth he has, and finding a private jet waiting for us on the runway was something I did not expect.
“Right this way, you can leave your luggage, we will bring it for you,” a young woman in a very neat navy-blue air hostess uniform smiles at me and gestures for me to walk up the boarding stairs.
“Wow,” I whisper to myself as I enter the jet. It looks like a luxury apartment inside. There is a living room, a bedroom in the back, and a little bar against one wall.
“You like it?” Simon grins, leading me to the sofa. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll get them to pour us some champagne when we’re in the air,” he says.
He’s been so sweet to me since the gala, since we came home, and he saw how upset I was.
He’s been putting in the effort to reassure me that things are good between us, and this trip adds to it, so I want to try too. While we’re away, I want to make a conscious effort to stop stressing over things I can’t control—like my jealousy toward his ex and me uncertainly about myself.
Maybe all of my worry is a complete waste of time because he and I will never be intimate again anyway.
I smile tightly as I take a seat on the sofa, and Simon sits opposite me.
I will make an effort to relax. Even if it’s not for him, I should do it for myself because I can’t keep stressing the entire time.
Arriving at the beach villa, I am filled with excitement. The Bahamas are as beautiful as I imagined, if not more. The ocean is bright turquoise; the giant palm trees have massive green leaves and tower high above us, framed in a bright blue sky scattered with white clouds.
Simon brings the car to a stop. It’s a Rubicon Jeep Wrangler. But it’s not the newest model. It’s an older model, bright neon yellow, and covered in stickers. It’s full of character and screams of adventure.
“Did you rent this car?” I ask, climbing out and glancing back at it, curious because everything else is pure luxury, and this… this seems out of place.
He chuckles. “Why do you ask?” he muses, raising one brow.
“Because it… it’s not in line with the cars you drive at home,” one corner of my mouth curves into a smile. I don’t want to inadvertently insult him somehow.
“She’s not a rental,” he grins.
“Then… she’s yours?”
“The very first time I came to the Bahamas was with my family. Marlen loved it so much that he bought that same holiday properly. Lemon came with the house, and the moment I saw her, I loved her. I’ve even considered shipping her back home to Miami, but I think she belongs here in the Bahamas,” he says, looking at the car as though it’s an old friend.
“Lemon?” I giggle, unable to hold it back.
“Yes! It’s a good name!” he says defensively.
“It’s a really cute name. I just didn’t expect a big, mean mafia man to come up with it.”
“I am not big and mean!” he argues, grinning as he picks up our luggage and walks toward the villa.
The villa is bright white with blue accents around the doors and windows. The side facing the ocean is mostly windows, so the view isn’t obscured. It’s a two-bedroom holiday house that opens up right onto the beach.
“If Marlen has property here, why did you rent a villa?” I ask.
“That place is massive. The whole family and all their guests can fit in there, and it’s right near the party side of the island. I wanted something cozier and quieter. I figure we could relax this afternoon and start exploring a bit tomorrow?”
“That sounds lovely,” I agree.
***
I’m sitting on a big moon chair in the living room, facing the ocean, but I have my nose buried in a good book.
It’s around four in the afternoon when a deep, low rumble growls through the sky, pulling my attention away from my book. I look up and realize the perfectly blue sky has become grey with thick dark clouds.
Simon, who was in the kitchen making snacks, comes rushing into the living room with the excitement of a kid on Christmas. Just the expression on his face makes me laugh.
I know him as someone who is mostly composed and calm, so this enthusiasm catches me off guard in a good way.
“Did you hear that?” he says, standing between the open doors that lead out onto the beach.
“It was hard not to hear,” I say, setting my book down and standing to join him in the doorway.
“You are about to experience one of nature’s beautiful artworks,” he says mystically.
As he speaks, the sky cracks with another shout of thunder, and a white flash pierces the dark clouds that seem to have come out of nowhere.
“I swear I looked at the sky thirty minutes ago and it was blue,” I muse.
“These tropical storms come in fast. They don’t last long either, but they are magnificent.”
We stand together in silence, watching the clouds move and shift in shape until, suddenly, they break open and rain begins to pour.
When I say pour, I really mean it. It’s like an ocean has cracked open around us and is falling from the sky. Simon grins and grabs my hand, pulling me out of the safety of the villa and onto the beach.
I squeal and laugh, getting instantly soaked.
He walks us to the edge of the ocean, letting the waves lap at our feet, then pulls me to his side, wraps his arm around my waist, and turns his face upward.
For a moment, I am staring at him in wonder. This version of him is so free and playful. I don’t recognize it.
Then I close my eyes and turn my face to the rain too, leaning into him and letting the smile spread wider over my lips.
When the thunder snaps again, I jump and scream. It’s so much bigger and louder when you’re outside exposed to it.
Simon laughs at me, pulling me so I am standing in front of him with my back to his chest and his arms around me.
“It’s incredible, isn’t it’s it?” he whispers against my ear.
But I’m no longer thinking only about the strength of the storm around us. I’m thinking about my body against his and his arms locking me in place. Heat is building between us. I feel small but safe in his arms.
“It’s amazing,” I whisper, as my body becomes a storm in its own way. Soaking up the energy from the sky and from him, a bolt of desire shoots through me, threatening to become as uncontrollable and unpredictable as the storm.
I clench my teeth and try to ignore it, but it’s difficult.
“Nature is so raw, so passionate,” Simon says.
I nod, not trusting my voice.
Lighting pierces from the clouds and stabs like a blade into the ocean in the distance in front of us. It snaps me back into myself, and I scream in fright.
Simon laughs again and starts pulling me backward, back toward the villa.
“Come on, let’s go have some food and watch the storm from inside,” he says.
***