Chapter 28 #3
I work him with my mouth, dragging up and down, my hands settling against his thighs.
I can feel him pulse against my tongue, can feel the tension building through his whole body.
It only takes a few more seconds before he comes, hot and salty against my tongue, his groan vibrating through the water around me.
I swallow around him, working him through every pulse, until my lungs start to burn.
I break the surface and push my wet hair back from my face, gasping. Reed is staring down at me with an expression I fucking love, his eyes glazed and lips parted as his hand rests loosely in my hair.
“Fuck, Olivia.”
I laugh, breathless, and he hauls me up against him before I can say anything else. My legs wrap around his waist as his mouth crashes into mine, the kiss deep and a little frantic, his hands gripping my back like he can’t quite believe I’m real.
When he finally pulls back, his forehead drops to mine. “Did you like that?”
“Are you kidding me?” His laugh vibrates through both our chests where we’re pressed together. “I’ll remember it ‘til the day I die. I did not see that coming.”
I grin against his mouth. “Neither did I, honestly.”
“My dirty, dirty girl.” He pulls me closer, then brushes my damp hair off my shoulder and looks down at me, his eyes soft. “Thank you.”
“Thank you,” I say. “For everything.”
I mean it more than I want to admit, more than our arrangement gives me any right to mean it.
His mouth quirks into a half-smile against mine. “We should probably get out of the pool. We’ve been in here a while.”
“Probably.”
I follow him to the steps, still a little dazed. When I climb out of the water, he wraps a towel around my shoulders that’s so soft and warm it feels like it just came out of the dryer.
I follow him up to the master bedroom, where I start to pull clothes out of my bag before he stops me, holding out a hand.
“What are you doing?” he says, a teasing lilt in his voice. “We’re on vacation. Are you seriously about to get dressed?”
I laugh a little. “What are you proposing? That we just walk around naked all evening?”
“Well, we could,” he points out. “We have this whole place to ourselves. But if you don’t feel like being totally naked, maybe these are the solution.” He gestures to the bathroom door, from which two freshly-laundered cotton robes are hanging.
“You know what? That sounds like my kind of night.”
We wrap ourselves in the robes, which are even fluffier than the tiny clouds that have moved in to dot the sky.
“What’s for dinner?” I ask. “I’m starving.”
“Well, the kitchen’s fully stocked. How about I go make something for us?”
While Reed cooks, I take a short walk down to the beach, feeling the soft, pristine white sand beneath my toes. The waves are gentle here, and the sea is a brilliant azure, practically beckoning me to swim again.
I head back up to the house instead, but resolve to spend all day tomorrow on the beach. When else am I going to get a chance like this?
Within half an hour, Reed and I are reclining on lounge chairs on the deck, watching the sky darken into night and enjoying the dinner he made for us—pan-fried fresh fish, an assortment of sliced fruit, cheeses, and French bread. He also dug up a few bottles of wine, a delicious cabernet.
The two of us dive into the food. There are types of cheese I can’t pronounce, incredibly creamy and decadent. Since I moved in with Reed, I’ve been eating well every night, but I can already tell that this vacation is a new level of luxury.
“This is amazing,” I say, moaning quietly in delight as I take a bite of the fish. It’s perfectly seasoned with garlic and paprika. I wonder how he managed to cook this so well in an unfamiliar kitchen.
“Glad you like it,” he replies. “I was a little worried it wouldn’t turn out great.”
“It’s the best piece of fish I’ve ever tasted.”
“Good. I’ll settle for nothing less.” He leans back, his arms folded behind his head. “After all, it’s our first night in paradise.”
“Have you been here before?” I ask, reaching for a slice of prosciutto and a hunk of bread.
“A few times.”
“Family vacations?”
He shrugs. “Mostly on my own, actually. The family took vacations to other islands sometimes, but I found that this place is the best place to unwind. Get away from everything.”
“This villa—how’d you find it?”
“Oh, it belongs to a friend,” he says. “He rents it out pretty much year round—he’s only here for a couple weeks in the spring.”
I look around, taking in the spacious deck, the view of the dark ocean, and the illuminated infinity pool. None of my friends could lend me a house like this.
“Well, it’s gorgeous,” I say. “What does your friend do? Is he, like, a prince or something?”
“A prince.” He chuckles, shaking his head. “No, he’s not a prince. But his father is a diplomat, if that counts.”
“Hey, it counts in my book.” I take a bite of my bread, then swallow. “I can’t believe your family would take you to places like this. Like… this is just your life. It’s just so hard to wrap my head around.”
He gives me a long, unreadable look, then says, “Well, it’s your life right now.”
“True.” I smile at him, lifting my wine glass for a toast. He clinks the rim of his glass against mine, and we both drink.
“Not a bad gig, right?” He gives me a charming grin, then reaches for a bunch of grapes.
“Not at all. I just hope I’m doing a good job being your fiancé.”
“Oh, you’re doing a perfect job.”
I grimace before I can stop myself, and he frowns at me.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” I sigh, waving a hand. “I’m just not so sure your parents are as pleased with my performance.”
“What makes you say that?” His frown deepens. “Did my mother say something to you? I swear to—”
“No, no,” I say quickly. “Nothing like that. It’s just the vibe I’m getting whenever I’m around them.”
He nods, his expression clearing. “Yeah, well. That’s just what they’re like. No matter what, they were never going to be happy with this situation—not with me making the decisions.”
“Even your father? I thought he was getting you ready to take over the company.” I take a sip of wine, curling up on my lounge chair.
“Yeah,” he says. “I mean… I’ve always known that I would someday step into the CEO role. Shane’s always made it really clear he doesn’t want it, and I knew I was going to inherit the company. But that doesn’t mean my father is entirely happy about the idea of me making my own choices.”
“Why not? He’s going to have to get used to it, right?”
“Theoretically.” He laughs, but there isn’t much humor in his tone as he says, “My dad has been hard on me my whole life. It’s just the way things are in my family.
” He looks up from his drink and meets my gaze.
“I’ve gotta admit… I was always jealous of the relationship you have with your parents. ”
“You were jealous of me?” I exhale, disbelieving, and gesture around at the villa around us. “I mean, you were going to these amazing places, and…” I trail off at the look on his face.
“I know it sounds stupid,” he sighs, “but it’s just… you and your family have each other’s backs. You love each other not because you have to, but because there’s mutual care between all of you.”
Both of us are quiet for a moment. The stillness between us is broken only by the sounds of crickets, the gentle lapping of the water in the pool, and, from a distance, the breaking of waves upon the shore.
“When my mom got sick,” I say, “it was so hard on all of us. It really strained my parents’ relationship. They’re so in love, and for a little while, things got so difficult between them.”
I pause to take a sip of wine. I can feel Reed’s eyes on me, intent.
“But… they got through it, and on the other side, I think their relationship was even stronger than it was to begin with.”
“That’s exactly the sort of thing I’m talking about.”
“Challenges don’t drive them apart,” I say. “They bring them closer.”
He breathes in quietly through his nose, nodding slowly. “Yeah. Exactly.”
There’s a pause as the two of us finish up the last of the fruit. The crickets’ song grows louder in the silence.
Then he says, “I have to admit something to you.”
His tone catches me off guard. He sounds… uncertain. Cautious. It’s very unlike him. “Yeah? What’s up?”
He hesitates, then sighs. “I… I once dated a married woman.”
I open my mouth to respond, then close it again, unsure what to say. I thought there was nothing else he could say that would shock me… and here we are.
“I felt like shit afterward,” he says. “As soon as I found out.” He shakes his head. “For the most part, the rest of my relationships were only scandalous to the press because, well, there were a lot of them. But that… that was different.”
“Reed…”
“I never wanted to help someone be a cheater. If I had known…”
He trails off, and I listen to the crickets, thinking. In a way, this confession is frightening to me. It makes me worry about his past, and his tendencies. I’ve known for a long time that he was a playboy, but this… it’s the most damning piece of evidence I’ve heard against him so far.
But on the other hand, I find myself affected by his admission. By how open he is, and how honest he’s being. I feel like I’m seeing a part of him that not a lot of people do, a part that’s vulnerable, humble. A part of him that wants to be a better man.
I clear my throat and say, “Well, at least you learned something, right?”
His gaze turns to me. His brow is furrowed.
“I mean, it’s okay to make mistakes sometimes,” I add. “Everyone does. It doesn’t have to be something that haunts you forever. It doesn’t have to be a permanent blemish on your character.”
A small, wry smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. He shifts his position on the lounge chair so that he’s facing me. Then he touches the side of my face, his fingertips brushing my cheek.
His brown eyes are so warm, so tender, that I feel myself drawn to him, despite all reason.
As I lean in to kiss him, the sound of his sharp, surprised breath mingles with the distant roar of the waves and the crickets’ constant song.