Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Rae
Leaving Brian’s villa was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do. So hard that it wasn’t until she was walking down the walkway that she realized she’d gone out the front door. Immediately, she came to a grinding halt, looking around wildly… no one else was outside yet.
Another point in favor of not unpacking so she could pack up quickly.
Breathing out a sigh of relief, she pressed her hand over her heart as she quickly dragged her bag down to the main sidewalk, so she could head over to Domi’s without worrying about anyone seeing her where she wasn’t supposed to be. That was why her chest hurt so much, after all.
The worry.
Because she didn’t want to explain things to her friends.
Not yet.
Even though obviously it would be fine, too. Everything was past. They’d be going home tomorrow, and that meant the week was over. She and Brian had both said they’d tell their friends afterward.
But she didn’t want to take away from Domi’s week, Domi’s night with the girls. If her friends knew she’d been staying with Brian, that’s what they’d all want to talk about. Heck, if she were one of them, that would be all she was able to talk about once she found out.
And tonight was supposed to be about Domi.
So, yeah. That’s why she didn’t want them to know yet.
It didn’t have anything to do with her not feeling ready to talk about it. Because why wouldn’t she be? It was just a weeklong vacation fling. No big deal. No reason for her chest to hurt or her heart to feel like it was breaking. She’d known going in what this was going to be.
It had been a fun week. A great week. So, it wasn’t ending the way she’d expected it to; that was okay.
Sure, okay, maybe she was a little disappointed about not getting one last night with Brian.
No last chance for sex on the beach if she changed her mind about it.
No last night spent cuddled up in his arms and waking up beside him in the morning.
Fuck.
Her breath hitched.
“Hey! Rae! Wait up!” Iris’ voice calling her name nearly made her jump out of her skin.
Shit, shit, shit. Get your shit together, girl.
Taking a deep breath, Rae forced a smile onto her face as she turned to see Iris coming out of her villa.
“How fast did you pack your stuff up?” Iris asked with a laugh, though it seemed like there was a bit of suspicion in her eyes. Had she seen where Rae had come from?
“I never really unpacked,” Rae joked. “I just live out of my suitcase when I go on trips, so it’s easy to shove it all in.”
“That’s what she said.”
Rae laughed as Iris giggled, and she relaxed a little. Maybe Iris hadn’t seen her. Or if she had, she wasn’t going to say anything about it. Rae could live with that.
“I do the same thing, but I didn’t pack up nearly as quickly as you did,” Iris admitted.
“Well, it was probably easier for me since I didn’t have a man around to distract me,” Rae teased, hoping that might throw Iris off the scent if she did have any suspicions.
Or maybe she had no suspicions, and Rae was getting paranoid and projecting.
“That doesn’t hurt,” Iris replied with a laugh.
Rae unclenched a little. She probably really was just paranoid and projecting.
Domi answered the door for them, beaming with excitement as she bounced around, and Rae felt a little guilty for not being more excited about girl time.
Clearly, Domi wanted it badly. Rae needed to get her head on straight.
She was here this week for Domi, not for Brian’s dick, no matter how incredible the sex had turned out to be.
Not just his dick, either.
Go away, stupid voice.
“We’re going to have so much fun!” Domi squealed, clapping her hands. “I called the front desk, and they’re going to send us a whole bachelorette party package for tonight.”
“That sounds fun. Does it include food, or do we need to go out?”
“It includes food, booze, and some surprises.” Domi grinned as Mitch came out of their bedroom, suitcase in hand, shaking his head.
“She can’t wait to get rid of me. I see how it is.” He made himself sound utterly mournful and pathetic, but the little curve of his smile gave him away. “Not even married yet, and she’s already tired of me.”
Domi rolled her eyes even as her own smile bloomed on her face, and she went over to give him a thorough kiss. Mitch being Mitch, he groped her ass, causing her to pull away, laughing.
“Okay, get out,” she ordered as she stepped back, giving his bicep a little slap. His blue eyes gleamed.
“You’re gonna pay for that when we get home,” he warned.
“I’m shaking in my boots,” Domi called after him as he opened the door, nearly running into Avery, who had her hand up to knock. She made a small ‘eep’ sound and jumped back so she didn’t inadvertently knock on his chest.
Two minutes later, suitcases were stowed to the side, and it was just the four of them.
“Okay, who wants some champagne?” Domi asked, heading to the fridge. “Or something else. I had an assortment sent over this morning.”
“Let’s do it. This is a celebration, right?” Iris replied with a laugh.
Rae managed to get in front of Domi, hip-bumping her out of the way.
“Go sit down. You’re the bride. You’re supposed to be relaxing. I’ll get the drinks.”
“Oh, is that the maid of honor’s job?”
“It is now.”
Besides, drinks gave her something to focus on while she got herself in the mood for an unexpected ladies’ night. Everyone wanted champagne to start with, which was nice and easy. She had no doubt the evening would eventually devolve into stronger options.
“So, what did you want to do tonight?” Iris asked.
“Anything that doesn’t involve my nipples,” Domi said, making a face as she cupped her hands over her breasts, making them all laugh.
“Oh, come on,” Rae said, bracing herself to open the champagne. It came out free easily into her hand with the customary loud ‘pop.’ “It couldn’t have been that bad. You’re a masochist, for crying out loud.”
“Well, it might not have been, except Mitch decided he wanted to clamp them, too. And in the moment, it was glorious. Afterward… I had to put on a bra to keep them from rubbing against my shirt both overnight and this morning.” She made a face.
“It’s the continuing issue I knew was going to be a pain in the ass. ”
“Okay, well, that makes sense.” Though she couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous.
Her pussy was still a little sore, but she had a feeling if she and Brian had had their last night together, he would have worn her out completely.
She probably would have been getting on the plane more than a ‘little’ sore.
“I’m sure we can come up with something that doesn’t involve your nipples,” Avery said with amusement, taking her glass of champagne from Rae. “Thanks.”
“Welcome. And I don’t know, all of my plans for the evening centered heavily around Domi’s nipples.” Rae shrugged, widening her eyes innocently. “I have no idea what to do now.”
“Shut up.” Domi threw a napkin at her, making them all laugh again. “I was thinking we could do a movie, and the resort is sending their spa package so we can do nails or masks or whatever.”
“Ooh, we should watch a wedding movie.” Iris brightened. “One of the really cheesy ones.”
“Sounds good to me.” Domi beamed all around them. “I know this wasn’t the typical bachelorette trip, and I’ve had so much fun, but I really am so glad we’re getting tonight together.”
With that, all the lingering disappointment about missing out on a final night with Brian was swept away. It would have been great, but being here for her bestie was even more important. Domi was her ride-or-die, after all.
Chicks before dicks.
“We’re so glad to be here with you,” Rae said, putting down the champagne bottle and glass she was holding so she could envelop Domi in a big hug.
“Damn right!” Iris cheered, joining in on the hug along with Avery, who was laughing at their antics.
“I’m so happy we’re friends.” Avery leaned her head on Iris’ shoulder. “You all made my life so much better.”
“Back at you. And trust me, I am grateful you could get away from Marquis for a whole week.” Domi sniffled. “I know that wasn’t easy. You’re the best friends a girl could ask for.”
It was true. For a long time, it had been just Rae and Domi, and they’d shut everyone else out.
Not on purpose, exactly. They were just so tight, they hadn’t needed anyone else, and they hadn’t tried to make friends outside of each other.
There had been people they were friendly with, but they’d been their own little twosome.
Now, their group had expanded, just a little, and they were better for it.
She would do anything for Iris and Avery, just like she knew they would do anything for her and Domi.
“Only true friends go to a kink island with you,” Iris joked as they broke apart.
Rae giggled, picking up her champagne again.
“Cheers to that.” Domi lifted her glass in the air, and they all clinked them together in a toast.
Brian
Being completely unpacked and having to pack everything up was good because it gave Brian time to get himself together.
Time he needed. He had to get his game face on before facing his friends, all of who were far too observant on their worst days and now wouldn’t have their subs to distract them.
Well, except for Kincaid, who was obviously already distracted by whatever was going on between him and Zach, but that still left Mitch, Law, and Nick.
By the time he knocked on Kincaid and Zach’s door, most of the ache in his chest had subsided.
Logically, he knew Rae wasn’t rejecting him.
She was doing what was right for them by rushing out.
Both of them were there for Mitch and Domi, not for each other.
Reminding himself of that over and over again as he’d packed up didn’t help much, but it did help a little.
He pushed a smile onto his lips when Zach opened the door.
“Hey, man, come on in.”
It didn’t take more than a moment to see that he was the last to arrive, which wasn’t surprising.
He’d been taking his time. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he felt like the mood in the room was off.
Kincaid was standing by the counter, obviously mixing drinks, but Zach didn’t go over to join him after letting Brian in.
Instead, he went over to one of the armchairs.
He wasn’t glowering or sulking, but he wasn’t smiling, either.
Shit.
Maybe they should have done this at someone else’s villa. Too late now.
“There you are!” Law called out from where he was seated on the couch. “I was starting to think we’d need to send out a search party for you.” He smiled, and Brian couldn’t help but wonder if he was trying to lighten the mood.
If only Brian’s mood was better, he might have been able to help more.
“No search party necessary. Just took a while to pack everything up.” He couldn’t think of a good joke to make.
“He actually unpacks everything from his suitcase,” Mitch said, nodding somberly. “If I didn’t know him better, I’d think he was a serial killer.”
“Hey!” Brian shot Mitch an indignant look, setting his suitcase to the side. “You did, too!”
“The one trip we took where we had to stay in the same room,” Mitch explained, answering Nick’s curious glance before looking back at Brian. “Of course, I did. I was afraid you were a serial killer. I had to make you think I might be one, too.”
When it came to breaking the tension, Mitch was the master, and as everyone laughed, the mood in the room lifted. Brian felt his chest unclench a little. Rae hadn’t worried he was a serial killer; she’d just thought he was weird.
“I unpack everything, too,” Law said, turning his head and leaning toward Mitch in a mock-threatening manner.
“Does Iris?”
“She does not.” Law sighed. “She just digs around through her suitcase to find what she wants.”
“Want a drink?” Kincaid asked as the conversation continued.
“Yes, please,” Brian said fervently, walking up to the other man while the others argued about whether or not unpacking a suitcase while on a trip was a good indicator of being a serial killer.
He had no idea. He just traveled enough that he didn’t like living out of a suitcase.
For the short time he was there, he wanted to be comfortable.
For the first time, he wondered if that might have something to do with his upbringing.
His parents had moved them around a lot, usually after they’d gotten evicted from somewhere.
Especially after his dad left. His mom would get cleaned up enough to get a job and a place, then they’d be there until she inevitably started using again, and they’d get kicked out. He’d had to be ready to go in a hurry.
He hadn’t thought about that in years. Talking with Rae about his childhood must have brought up the memories.
“You okay?” Kincaid asked.
“Yeah, just… weird thought.” Brian shook his head, as though he could shake the thoughts away. And maybe he could. “So, what are we doing tonight? Has Mitch said?”
“No, but he did say he contacted the resort to send us a ‘surprise’ later.” Kincaid chuckled at Brian’s groan. “Yeah, exactly. With him, who knows what we’re getting.”
“He does keep things interesting. I feel like I should have been the one planning the surprises for his bachelor party, though.”
Kincaid shrugged. “It’s not the normal bachelor party. And who knew he and Domi would want to have a totally separated night on the last night?”
No one. Brian wished he’d known beforehand; he would have planned better.
“Other than the surprise, anything?” He took the mule Kincaid offered to him. Kincaid had a near-encyclopedic knowledge of what everyone’s favorite drink was.
“Dinner. Hanging out. Letting the girls have girl time.” Kincaid chuckled.
“We’re going to do a bonfire on the beach,” Mitch called out, making them both jump. They hadn’t realized he was listening in.
“Is that the surprise?” Brian asked, turning around to face him.
“You’ll find out.” The wink Mitch sent his way was somehow not at all encouraging.