Chapter 41
AUSTIN
The beach was everything I had promised and more.
I had been to Tahiti but never to this place.
When I called to get the yacht, I asked the service to recommend some places.
Usually, when I traveled, I liked to stick to the hot spots.
I wanted the beaches blanked with scantily clad women looking for a good time.
I wanted the clubs and the liquor and the fine dining.
Finding privacy away from all of that was new for me. And I liked it. I helped Melody out of the boat. She was carrying a large tote with God knew what crammed in it. I wasn’t sure if she thought we were going to have to survive on the island or what, but she was ready.
“I don’t think I will ever get used to seeing such beauty,” Melody murmured. “I mean, honestly, I could live here forever and never get tired of the view.”
“I have a cousin that lives in Bali,” I said. “Right on the beach. I visited once a couple of years ago. Trust me, it’s hard to leave.”
“I bet,” she said. “I would give up my lattes and matcha to have this view every morning.”
I laughed. “That sounds serious.”
I wondered if I could do it. My cousin Channing and his wife were raising their family on the beach. While they weren’t exactly cut off from the world, it was definitely a different style of living. But if I had the love of my life at my side, I could live anywhere.
And for some reason, I was thinking about buying an island for me and Melody.
I wanted to buy her a beach just like this one.
The white sand was so fine it felt like powder under our feet.
Water so clear you could see straight to the bottom.
Palm trees providing perfect shade. And best of all, it was almost completely private.
Just a handful of other people scattered far enough away that we might as well have been alone.
I had a cabana set up for us. White canvas stretched over a frame, with plush cushions and towels inside.
A cooler sat nearby, stocked with water, champagne, and tropical fruit.
If I was losing my trust fund, I was going to spend as much as I could before it was revoked.
I was going to give Melody the trip of a lifetime. Spoil her absolutely rotten.
“This is ridiculous,” Melody said, standing at the entrance to our little paradise. “This whole thing is ridiculous.”
“Good ridiculous?”
“The best ridiculous.” She turned to look at me, and the smile on her face made my heart skip a beat. “Thank you for this.”
“Stop thanking me. I’m being selfish. I wanted you here. Wanted to see you like this. I want to spend as much of that money as I can, and getting to spend it making you happy is worth every penny.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You don’t have to buy me, Austin.”
“I’m not buying you. I’m buying us a good time. I would have blown the money doing something like this anyway. You’re making the trip a million times better just by being here. I usually travel alone.”
“That must be lonely.”
I shrugged. “I suppose. But today, you’re with me, so loneliness isn’t a problem.”
She blushed, which I loved. After everything we’d done together, I could still make her blush.
We settled into the cabana and stretched out on the cushions. The shade was a relief from the sun, but the breeze kept it from being too hot. I could hear waves crashing on the shore, palm fronds rustling overhead, and the distant call of tropical birds.
“I could stay here forever,” Melody said, her eyes closed behind her sunglasses.
“That’s the plan. Although maybe not forever in the shade. You came to Tahiti. You should get some sun.”
“I burn easily.”
“I brought sunscreen.” I pulled a bottle from the beach bag Marco had packed for us. “Want me to help put it on?”
Her lips curved. “Is this a ploy to get your hands on me?”
“Absolutely. Is it working?”
“Maybe.”
I took my time with the sunscreen, making sure every inch of exposed skin was covered. Her shoulders. Her back. Her legs. She made little sounds of contentment that were doing things to me. The beach wasn’t quite that private. Although the cabana had curtains.
“Your turn,” she said when I finished.
“I don’t burn.”
“Everyone burns. Give me the sunscreen.”
I lay on my stomach and let her work. Her hands on my back were heaven, firm and thorough, occasionally straying into massage territory.
“You’re really good at this,” I said.
“At putting on sunscreen?”
“At touching me.”
“Hmm. I’ve had some practice recently.”
After we were both sufficiently protected from the sun, we moved out of the shade to soak up some warmth. The water was beckoning.
I watched Melody wade into the crystal-clear water. She’d pulled her hair up into a messy bun, and the sight of her neck exposed like that did something to me.
She turned back, water lapping at her thighs. “Are you coming or what?”
“Just admiring the view.”
She rolled her eyes but was grinning. “Get in here, Bancroft.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. I jogged into the water. The temperature was warm enough to be comfortable but cool enough to be refreshing.
When I reached Melody, she splashed me.
“Oh, that’s how we’re playing?” I asked.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” But she was already backing away, that mischievous look on her face.
I dove under the water, swimming toward her. When I surfaced, she shrieked and tried to run, but the water slowed her down. I caught her around the waist, lifting her off her feet.
“Austin!” She was laughing, kicking her legs. “Put me down!”
“As you wish.” I dropped her into the water.
She came up sputtering, hair plastered to her face, and I knew I was in trouble. But before I could escape, she launched herself at me, trying to dunk me under.
I let her think she had a chance, then wrapped my arms around her and fell backward, taking us both under the surface.
We came up tangled together, laughing and gasping for air. Her arms were around my neck, her legs wrapped around my waist, and suddenly the playfulness shifted into something else. Something heated.
“Hi,” she said breathlessly.
“Hi yourself.”
She kissed me, salty water on our lips, the sun warm on our backs. I held her tighter, never wanting to let go. This was what I had been missing my entire life. Not the money or the yachts or the luxury. Just this feeling of being completely, utterly happy with someone.
When we finally broke apart, both of us were breathing hard.
God, she was beautiful.
We floated like that for a while, bodies tangled, hearts hammering, bobbing up and down in the water without a care in the world.
Her lashes were clumped, her lipstick long gone, and still she looked absolutely gorgeous.
I loved that she was willing to get soaked and sandy and not care that her makeup was ruined, not that she had put much on.
That was new. Most women I had entertained on beaches stayed pristine, perched under umbrellas, worried about hair and makeup and tan lines. Melody dove in like the ocean had personally invited her.
After staying in so long I was sure my toes were prunes, we walked out of the water and flopped onto our towels directly under the sun. I found myself just watching her. The way the sun caught in her hair. The way she smiled at nothing. The peaceful expression on her face.
“You’re staring,” she said without opening her eyes.
“Can’t help it. You’re beautiful.”
“You’re biased.”
“I’m honest.”
She turned her head to look at me. “You really think I’m beautiful?”
“Are you serious right now?”
“I just feel so plain compared to the women you are usually seen with.” She paused. “You could be with anyone. Models. Actresses. Women who look like they belong in magazines. And instead you’re here with me.”
I sat up, suddenly serious. “Melody, look at me.”
She did.
“I don’t want models or actresses or magazine women.
I want you. Exactly as you are. Your curves.
Your confidence. Your laugh. Your heart.
All of it.” I touched her face gently. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
And if you don’t believe that, I’m going to spend every day of this trip proving it to you. ”
She smiled. “Okay.”
I lay back down. “Stop underestimating yourself.”
“I’ll try. Old habits.”
“I am going to remind you constantly that you are beautiful.”
She laughed. “You don’t need to do that. I won’t say anything again. Thank you. Thank you for giving me confidence.”
“You have it already. You just keep letting it get stolen by bullshit people.”
“I know,” she said softly.
After drying off, the sun got to be just a little too strong. We retreated back to the cabana. We feasted on the cheese and fruit that had been packed for us. I noticed the other beachgoers were packing up, heading back to their boats.
“Should we head back too?” Melody asked.
“Not yet. Let’s stay a bit longer.”
We had moved together, both of us reclining on the cushions. Full. Sun-baked. And completely at peace.
“This has been perfect,” she said, settling against my chest. “Absolutely perfect.”
“It’s not over yet.”
“What else could possibly make this day better?”
I showed her, tilting her face up to kiss her properly. The kiss quickly turned into a lot more. I had her under me within minutes.
“Austin, we’re on a beach,” she murmured against my mouth.
“Just kiss me. We’re alone. The crew’s back on the yacht. No one can see us.”
So she did. We made out like teenagers under that cabana.
And I knew—without a shadow of a doubt—that I was in trouble.
Big trouble.
Because a couple months ago, if someone had told me I’d be on a beach in Tahiti, completely focused on one woman, I would have laughed. Back then, I would have wanted multiple women, a party scene and all that wild chaos I’d built my reputation on.
But now? Now I couldn’t imagine being here with anyone else.
Being with Melody felt too good. Too right. Too much like something I’d been searching for without knowing it.
She broke the kiss, breathing hard. “We should probably head back.”
“Probably.”
“The crew will be wondering where we are.”
“Let them wonder.”
“You’re so bad,” she teased.
“Five more minutes.” I pulled her closer. “Just give me five more minutes of this.”
She smiled and pulled me down for another kiss. “Okay. Five more minutes. I suppose if you’re going to pressure me.”
We stayed longer than that. I wanted sex, but I didn’t push that far. I enjoyed just kissing and touching her. There would be time for sex later. I just wanted to worship her body. The bathing suit blocked the best parts, but that was okay.
“Ready?” I finally asked.
“No. But yes.” She sat up, running her fingers through her tangled, salt-dried hair. “What an amazing day.”
“One of many.” I stood, pulling her up with me. “We have a whole week, baby girl. This is just the beginning.”
She kissed me once more, quick and sweet. “I can’t wait to see what else you have planned.”
“Good. Because I’m just getting started showing you how good life can be when you let yourself enjoy it.”
We gathered our things and headed to where Marco was waiting with the tender boat. The ride back to the yacht was quiet, both of us lost in our own thoughts, hands intertwined.
I knew that when I looked back on my life, on all the vacations and adventures and wild times I’d had, this would be the day I remembered.
Not because of the location or the luxury or any of that surface stuff.
But because of her. Because of how she made me feel.
I was happy.
Completely happy.