Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Maya
The town car silently glides to a stop beneath a white stone archway carved with gold lettering: The Aurelia.
My breath catches.
Everything is so beautiful. I’ve never seen a place like this before, not even in movies. This is as luxurious as it gets.
The driver opens my door and I step out with golden sunlight washing down on my smiling face.
Palm trees are swaying over my head. Ornate fountains are sparkling in the sun.
Everything is spotless. The cream-colored marble stairs with gold inlay are clean enough to eat off of and there are no sweaty, cranky crowds in sight.
All I see are well-manicured smiling employees wearing impeccable uniforms without a single crease.
And it smells so good here. The air smells like salt and money—fresh, clean, and expensive.
A man in crisp white linen hurries down the stares, greeting me with a warm smile. “Welcome to The Aurelia, Miss Howard.”
Oh. My. God. They know my name.
The moment my sandals hit the marble walkway, more attendants appear. A bellboy who looks like he could moonlight as a model whisks my suitcase away, disappearing with it.
“Um, I…” I mutter, stuttering as I watch him go. If someone took your bag at the last resort, you’d never see it again.
“It will be in your room, Miss Howard,” the attendant says. “Please, leave all of your troubles at the door. We will cater to your every need.”
“Oh,” I say when someone else appears beside me, handing me a tall fruity drink. Oh my god, it’s delicious. Lime, mint, with a hint of coconut. It may just be the best thing I’ve ever tasted.
Another smiling lady arrives and drapes a flower lei around my neck. It’s made of real flowers and they smell incredible. The petals brush my skin, delicate and cool, releasing a scent so intoxicating I can’t stop smiling.
Another girl puts a bracelet on me with a beautiful shell. “The keycard for your room,” she says.
“Oh,” I say, wondering if I get to keep it. It looks like something that would be sold in a fancy jewelry store.
“My name is Jericho,” the man who initially greeted me says. “I am the manager of The Aurelia and my job, no, my duty, is to get you anything you desire.”
What I desire right now is a hot shower and to see the mysterious man who made all of this possible.
“If you’ll allow me,” Jericho says, turning and guiding me into the hotel with an open palm, “I’ll show you to yours and Mr. Drake’s room.”
I awkwardly rifle through my bag to give the driver a tip. He steps back, waving his hand politely when I offer him five bucks. “Mr. Drake has taken care of it already,” he says.
“Oh, okay,” I say, a little shaky and unsteady as I shove it back into my purse and walk up the marble stairs. I’m not used to this level of service. Or luxury. Everything is so beautiful.
When we arrive at the top of the stairs, the lobby opens before me like an extravagant dream—white columns, soaring ceilings, lush greenery spilling from every corner. Beyond is the sparkling turquoise ocean in full stunning view. It almost doesn’t look real.
And that beach. Holy cannoli. White sand like powder. Putting your hand in it must feel like putting your hand in a bag of flour.
The most amazing part is that there are no crowds. No lines and lines of packed beach chairs. No wild unsupervised kids running around, kicking sand in your face. No one playing loud screeching music on their crappy speakers. No DJ shouting into a microphone.
It’s just beach… sand… a warm breeze… slow lapping of waves… and palm trees…
Total peace…
The beach chairs are spaced well apart, giving each party maximum privacy. This is gonna be so nice.
I can already feel the difference in my body. My heartbeat has slowed. It’s steady and calm, my stress floating away with the gentle breeze.
“You’ll be staying in The Empire Suite,” Jericho explains as we walk past all of the smiling staff. “It’s our most luxurious room. You’ll be hard pressed to find a nicer suite in the entire world. I would bet my stellar reputation on it.”
He shows me around the resort on the way to my room. There are three restaurants, each one more stunning than the last.
“If you need anything,” Jericho insists as he hands me a business card. “Day or night, I’ll pick up.”
“Don’t you sleep?” I ask with a laugh.
He shakes his head, not sharing in my amusement. “I would miss my own wedding if one of our guests were lacking in anything.”
I don’t think he’ll ever have a wedding if his dedication to his guests comes before his future wife, but I don’t say any of that.
I’m dipping my head into the spa, marveling at how nice it is when Jericho says something that makes me explode into shivers.
“Oh, here is Mr. Drake now.”
I whip my head back out and gasp when I see him walking down the hallway, moving with the grace and lethality of a panther.
Wow. What a man.
This is it. This is where Adrian belongs. A billionaire in his natural habitat.
My eyes turn ravenous as I take in the stunning sight of him walking toward me. He’s wearing linen pants with a simple white t-shirt, flip flops, and blue sunglasses on his head.
This is paradise…
“Welcome to The Aurelia,” he says, those bright blue eyes giving me tingles. “I’m thrilled you’re here.”
I’m breathless as he puts his hand on my hip and kisses my cheek. He smells so good. Like lavender and sandalwood. I just want to lean against his body, put my cheek on that soft shirt, and breathe him in.
“I’ll take it from here, Jericho,” he says to the manager.
“Very well,” Jericho says, giving me one last smile. “Enjoy your stay, Miss Howard. It’s a pleasure having you at The Aurelia.”
“Thanks, Jericho,” I whisper as he leaves.
The air charges with electricity once we’re alone. I look up at this beautiful man and wonder if this is really happening. Am I really spending a week with a stranger?
But then he gives me that warm smile and I instantly feel at ease.
He’s not a stranger. I got to know Adrian well enough on the plane to know that this will be a week I’ll never forget.
“So, no wedding?”
I shake my head and laugh, a little embarrassed by my chaotic family. “No wedding. Turns out true love couldn’t survive a few warm beers and a long plane ride.”
“I can’t say I’m disappointed,” he says with that slow, confident grin that always short circuits my brain. “Unfortunately, the world won’t have mini Taints running around, but if it means I get you for the week, I’ll take that trade.”
“Be careful what you wish for, Mr. Drake,” I say in a flirty tone. “Are you sure you can handle me for a full week?”
“I’m not sure of anything anymore,” he says, staring at me with a sense of awe in his bright blue eyes, “but I’m excited to find out.”
He takes my hand and we start walking down the hall. I glance around at the shimmering marble, the view of the ocean, the quiet hum of perfection. If we can’t make it here in paradise, we have no hope anywhere else.
We walk by one of the pools and I just stare in wonder at how the human race can build something so spectacular. The crystal clear (and Bandaid free!) water looks so inviting. I just want to slip into it in my clothes and feel the cool water washing the sweat and grime from my face.
“This is a bit of an upgrade from the pool at the Breezy Winds,” I say with a laugh.
“That bad?”
I exhale long and hard as I recall the depressing sight. “That bad,” I say with a shiver. I tell him all about it as we continue walking. Even his laughs are sexy. They get me all lightheaded and quivery.
“Don’t worry,” he says as we pass a gorgeous abstract sculpture of intertwined figures overlooking a spectacular koi pond. “We have our own pool at the suite.”
I stop and stare up at him in shock. “We have our own pool?”
“Two of them,” he says with a grin. “And a hot tub.”
“Oh my god,” I say, unable to believe my luck. “Is this place heaven?”
He slowly steps up to me, cups my jaw with his hand, and leans down. “Maya,” he whispers on my mouth, his warm minty breath tingling my lips, “everywhere with you is heaven.”
I moan as he kisses me, stealing the air from my lungs, slow and deep, until I can’t tell where I end and he begins. When he finally pulls away, he licks his lips with a low groan, like he’s savoring the taste of something he’ll never get enough of.
“Come,” he says, squeezing my hand. “I can’t wait to show it to you.”
The Empire Suite is tucked away on the outskirts of the hotel for absolute privacy. It’s more of a separate villa than a hotel room, complete with solid wood double doors carved to perfection with intricate golden waves that shimmer when the light hits them.
“Ready?” Adrian asks with a grin as he presses his shell bracelet to the pad and the door unlocks.
I shake my head, not knowing what to expect. “I don’t think I’m prepared for what’s behind those doors.”
“Ready or not,” he says as he pushes the heavy door open. “You’re here.”
I step inside and stop dead in my tracks. My mouth drops. My purse slides off my shoulder and lands with a thunk on the shiny marble floor.
“This isn’t a room,” I say slowly. “This is an entire zip code.”
Adrian chuckles behind me, clearly amused as he watches me take it all in.
There’s marble everywhere—warm, creamy, and polished to perfection.
The living room alone is bigger than my whole apartment.
There’s a massive curved sofa so pristine that it looks like it’s never been sat on, facing a wall of glass that opens up to the ocean.
I can see the slow inviting waves rolling onto the white sand beach from here.
“Is that—” I point toward the patio doors. “Is that our pool?”
“That’s the small one,” he says, grinning as he watches my shocked face.
“That’s the small one?!”
I wander out to the terrace, still in shock.
There’s an infinity pool that looks like it’s connected to the ocean, and off to the side is a larger winding pool that starts at what must be the master bedroom’s terrace and winds around the villa out of sight.
There are gorgeous palm trees all around us, jutting into the clear blue sky, and a large hot tub under a huge pergola.
I immediately picture myself in there with Adrian doing all sorts of things that you’d need a private spot like this to do.
“That’s our beach,” he says, pointing to the long stretch of secluded white sand tucked between two rocky areas. “It’s private. You can’t even see it from the main beach. No one else sets foot on there but us.”
I swallow hard, not knowing what to say. This is all so… unexpected. Not just the gorgeous room and the hotel, but him. Adrian. I feel this strong intense connection with him and it’s all just hitting me at once.
I turn back to him, eyes a little watery. “I think I might cry.”
He smiles with that warm, possessive look in his eyes. “Wait until you see the master bedroom. You’ll be sobbing on the floor.”
I laugh, half because I think he’s joking and half because I’m not sure that he is.
He takes my hand and leads me back into the suite, down a short hallway lined with soft lighting and artwork that should probably be in a museum somewhere.
I try to take it all in, but there’s so much to see and experience.
Even the air is unreal. It smells like vanilla and salt, like the ocean air got all fancied up with its best perfume and wandered in to stay.
Adrian was right. The bedroom does make me tear up.
The bed is enormous with a gauzy canopy that drifts in the gentle breeze from the open doors. The view beyond the bed is nothing but blue: the pool, the sea, the sky, all blending together in one long invitation to never leave.
A single word escapes me. “Wow.”
Adrian walks into the room and sits on the bed, those hungry eyes on me as I take in the view. I spot my suitcase in the corner and wonder if I’ll be sharing this room with him. I saw a few more bedrooms on the way, but what exactly is the deal here?
What is he expecting?
I’ve never actually… been with a man before. I’m twenty-four, but it’s never happened.
It just never felt right.
I saw my cousin Leah, who’s a year older than me, jumping in the pants of one sleazy boyfriend after another and I quickly realized I didn’t want that. I wanted to feel romance and passion and desire and lust. I wanted someone to sweep me off my feet and earn it.
I guess what I wanted was… this?
Nerves start hitting me as I realize what I’ve gotten myself into. Billionaires don’t exactly wine and dine young women for a week and not expect anything in return.
I keep having dirty thoughts of this man, but do I want more? Am I ready to give him everything?
“What are the sleeping arrangements going to be?” I ask nervously. I step back as I bite my bottom lip.
He slowly stands, those mesmerizing blue eyes looking like they could hypnotize me if he wanted to. “We’ll figure that out later,” he says in a low gritty voice. “You’ll sleep wherever you’d like. No pressure.”
“Thank you,” I say softly, clasping my hands together.
“How about you get in your bathing suit, I’ll have some drinks brought to the pool, and we can check out that beach?”
“That sounds perfect,” I say as I look out at the stunning view.
Adrian grabs my suitcase and lifts it onto the bed for me. He gives me one last devastatingly sexy look before he walks out, closing the door behind him.
He’s such a gentleman, closing the door and lifting my heavy suitcase so I don’t have to.
I instantly feel better and more at ease.
He said I could choose any bed I want, but I can’t stop thinking about sliding into these sheets with him and feeling his warm possessive arms wrapping around me.
I think about having his weight pressing me into the mattress, his skin sliding on mine, his mouth all over me…
I get all warm and needy down there, so I squeeze my eyes closed and try to shut those dirty thoughts out of my head before I get myself into trouble.
“That’s enough of that,” I whisper as I open my suitcase and grab my bathing suits.
Should I go with the conservative one, the medium one, or the skimpy one?
It’s barely a debate.
I grab the skimpy one and put it on.