Chapter 5
ALINA
What was I thinking? Nothing, clearly. I was thinking only of kissing Mr. Delaporte and nothing else. This is ridiculous. I still don’t understand what he was thinking when he took the initiative. God, my brain is a mess.
I dip my face into the water, then back out.
Sliding a glance at the house, I look for Mr. Delaporte, but he’s nowhere to be seen.
Ever since he kissed me two days ago, he’s kept his distance.
Maybe because he’s respecting me after I pushed him off, maybe because he regrets it.
God, he regrets it. I mean, he must have been high to kiss me like that.
Me? The girl who people make fun of for being fat, the one with too many curves, with stretch marks and orange-peel skin.
I like myself well enough, but Mr. Delaporte is just so out of my league.
He’s tall and handsome and so strong. He’s big all over, but not like me. Not softness, but hard muscles and broad shoulders. His bronze skin under the sun, wet from the ocean, is the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen. And he has a tattoo on his chest. No sane, single girl would say no to that.
Yet, I kind of did. Why did he have to talk about Marie’s Café?
It’s my soft spot. It’s the one reason I’m not letting myself think about this crush.
This crush that’s quickly growing into something more.
God, I can’t fall for a man like that. Older, richer, the man who’s buying out the coffee shop I love.
It would be such a betrayal of my beliefs.
I shake my head, water hitting my cheeks. No falling in love. I can’t fall in love with him.
“What’s got you sulking this time?” Gen asks, swimming closer.
“Nothing.” Even before I’m done saying the word, she hits the water and splashes me in the face. “What the hell!”
“Stop lying to me. Go on. Is it about my dad?”
My eyes widen, and I shoot a quick look at the house again. This time, I see his silhouette in the kitchen window. He’s looking this way. At his daughter? At me?
“What do you mean?” I ask my best friend, giving her an awkward laugh. She just gapes back at me with an annoyed face. “Honestly, Gen, I have nothing against your father.”
“That much is obvious. I’m asking about this mutual crush you two have going on.”
She couldn’t have surprised me more if she had slapped me. I jerk away as if she had indeed hit me, my eyes widening further. “What are you talking about?”
She swims even closer, gripping both my arms so I can’t get away. Gen can be scary when she wants it. She stares deeply into my eyes, so hard she might read my soul.
“Alina. You’re my best friend. We’ve been best friends for years now.” She smiles. “I can read you easily, girl. You’re in love with my father.”
Heat explodes in my face, so hard even my eyes water. “W-what? I—I’m not! What nonsense! I barely know the man! What are you talking about?”
“Really? You’re going to insist?” She lets me go, swimming away with a peal of laughter.
“Ali. Come on, I’m not blind. Alright, I might have spent every waking hour in the ocean, but I’m not blind.
I see how you look at him, and I see how he looks at you.
God, I saw you two making out in the kitchen yesterday. ”
My heart shoots up to my throat. “What?” I squeal out.
She slaps water into my face again. “Stop that! I saw you making out. There’s no use hiding it.” Gen points at the kitchen window. “You can see him, right? Staring at us like a wounded puppy. So, I could see you too.”
Oh, my God. Oh, my God, she saw everything. “It’s not what you think,” I try. “We weren’t making out. It was just a kiss.”
Gen rolls her eyes. “Ali. Whatever it was. The two of you have been pining over one another ever since we arrived. And I get it, you don’t think it’s right because of the age difference and because he’s my dad, but I don’t mind.
You’re my best friend, and he’s a good man.
I know you two can make each other happy.
And if it goes wrong,” she lifts an arm to curl a bicep, “I will kick his old ass.”
The surprise makes me laugh, out loud and long, and I laugh and laugh until Gen swims closer and hugs me. I hug her back, her hair sticking to my face. “You’re the best,” I murmur against her shoulder.
“I know.” And she pushes me off. “Come on. I’ll grab the keys to go grocery shopping, and you two can talk it out.
” We swim together to the beach, and she helps me out of the water.
“Just... Try to keep it in the bedroom, you know? And do nothing you feel forced to. Dad’s much older, and he may forget you have no experience. ”
My face blooms with heat. “God, Gen.”
“Just saying.” She throws an arm over my shoulders. “I have your back, no matter what.”
My heart grows two or three sizes. Do I even deserve a best friend this good?
We walk together to the house, dry ourselves off, and I slip into my dress.
Gen puts on her jeans and tank top, grabs the keys next to the door, and blows me a kiss.
Curling my hands in fists, I gather all the courage I manage.
I will see this to the end. Today is our last day, and I may never have another chance. Either Mr. Delaporte sends me off, and I’ll cry my broken heart out with Gen for the next days, or... I don’t know. I don’t dare to imagine what comes next.
Butterflies take flight inside me, but I enter the house and find him in the kitchen.
Mr. Delaporte turns to look at me, shoulders pulled back, an anxious clench to his jaw.
He’s so big and looks so vulnerable when he looks at me like this.
Like I could make it or break it. Like his happiness depends on me.
I step closer to him, tilting my chin up to stare into his eyes. “Hi,” I murmur, my voice failing me.
He turns. “Hi.” And for the first time, I notice a hard bulge in his pants. My cheeks grow even hotter, if possible, but my mouth goes dry. Desert dry, and I stick my tongue out to lick at my lips.
Mr. Delaporte growls, a rough sound deep in his chest. It sends warning shivers down my neck. “Don’t do that,” he says, or he demands.
My nipples pop against my bikini top. “Do what?” And I lick at the corner of my mouth, absentmindedly. As if my body wants to challenge him, to disobey him.
“That.” And he captures my chin in his fingers.
“Why?” I breathe against his lips.
“Because it drives me fucking crazy.” And he kisses me. Hard. So hard my knees buckle. Mr. Delaporte wastes no time, folding an arm around my waist and keeping me up, flushed against his chest. His warmth seeps into me, and the hard cock digging into my stomach makes me forget everything.
Our age difference. The coffee shop. The what ifs. Every one of them flies out of the window. I sling my arms around his shoulders and kiss him back because that’s the only thing I need right now.