Chapter 29
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
OBSIDIAN
T he day after our second Ritual Room visit, I surprise Ariana by whisking her away on my private plane to my home in the Bahamas.
I’ve always liked having money, sure, but since she came into my life, I’ve appreciated it on a different level. I want to give her everything. I’ve traveled quite a bit for Voss Enterprises, and I’ve traveled for pleasure, but now I want to travel with someone. I want to show her everywhere around the world she’s never had the opportunity to go. I want to make love to her on every continent, in every hemisphere, in every time zone. Nothing is too good for my good girl.
“So, what do you think?” I ask as we step onto the balcony that overlooks the crystal-blue water and white sand beach.
“Obsidian, this is so beautiful. This is your home?”
I nod, wrapping my arm around Ariana’s waist and pulling her into my side. “Yeah, I don’t get here often. But we can change that if you want.” I look down at her and swear I see a flash of sadness cross her face. I frown. “What’s wrong?”
She shakes her head. “Nothing. You are absolutely perfect.”
I give her a quick kiss, but it turns into something more before I force myself to pull away. “We should stop. The chef will be here shortly to make us dinner. Figured we could eat with this view tonight. Then tomorrow, I have a surprise.”
She grins, her blue eyes lighting up. “I like surprises.”
“Good. I think you’re going to really like this one.” I kiss the end of her nose.
“Will you give me a hint?”
I shake my head. “No way. You’ll find out tomorrow.”
She sinks to her knees in front of me, and her hands go for the button and zipper on my shorts. “What about now?”
I chuckle. “I just told you the chef will be here any minute. Maybe I’m right, and you are an exhibitionist.”
“Let’s test that theory, shall we?”
I’m about to pull her up when she palms my cock, brings my head to her lips, and does a thorough job of convincing me. I end up telling her the surprise in three minutes.
“I’m so excited for this. Thank you!” She leans over the console and kisses my cheek.
When I told her last night that we were going to a nearby resort to swim with dolphins, I could tell she was ecstatic, but she had a mouth full of cock at the time, so expressing her excitement was difficult.
But even through breakfast this morning, it was clear she couldn’t wait to get here.
“Have you ever done this before?” I pull up in front of the resort and park my car at the valet stand.
Ariana shakes her head. “No, my dad never really took us on vacations when I was growing up.”
She never says much about her family. Sometimes I think it’s because she’s embarrassed that she didn’t come from money, but other times, I can’t help but wonder whether she’s hiding something. Maybe something else she’s embarrassed about.
There’s no need for her to. I’ve already confessed to her how fucked up my family is.
I get out of the car, and the valet comes over to take the key. I wave off the other staff member who is about to open Ariana’s door, then I help her out.
We make our way through the resort, one of the hotel managers leading the way because this place is huge and it would be easy to get turned around. When we get to the large pool, one of the trainers meets us there.
The first thing we have to do is change into wetsuits. Ariana removes the short sundress she’s wearing, and I watch the trainer to make sure there’s no interest in his eyes and that he’s not leering at her in her bikini because, damn, does she look good. He’s smart enough to divert his eyes until she has the body suit on.
Next, he explains how it will work and what the dolphins will do. Ariana is practically buzzing with excitement, and I rub her back while we listen to the instructions.
“Any questions?” the trainer asks, clapping his hands in front of himself.
“Nope!” Ariana says excitedly.
Each of us walks over to the edge of the pool, and she makes a perfect swan dive into the water.
Once I’m in and above the water, treading water beside her, I say, “That was quite the dive.”
She smiles at me, but there’s a glimmer of something in her eyes. “I was a lifeguard.”
That explains her comfort in the water. I saw her in the pool that one time at the manor, but it wasn’t long enough to get a sense for how good of a swimmer she is.
The entire time we’re in the pool with the dolphins, Ariana is beaming. She hangs onto the dolphin’s fin as it pulls her through the water, and her laughter rings out. At times I have to stop and watch her, wanting to commit the moment to memory for the times when I’m feeling low and doubting whether or not I can make her happy.
Our time ends too soon, and she’s reluctant to leave the water. It’s as though she finds the same peace here as I do with her. But we do get out of the pool and return the wetsuits, thanking the trainer for his assistance.
On the walk back to the car, I interlace our fingers, and Ariana pulls me to a stop.
“Thank you so much for arranging this, Obsidian. It’s one of the most special things I’ve ever done.”
I kiss her. “I just want to see you happy.”
Her hand cups my cheek. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life. Never doubt that I love you.”
“I love you more.” My hand goes in her hair, and I kiss her again, probably with a little more vigor than I should in public, but I don’t give a fuck.
When we break the kiss, she says, “Not possible.”
The next morning, we take a Jeep around the island to explore and visit some local markets and the rum cake factory. In the afternoon, I take her to swim with the pigs, and as expected, she loves it. That night, we bathe together in the oversized tub and make love on the balcony of the master suite, overlooking the ocean.
On our final day, we go snorkeling. I’m once again amazed by how proficient she is in the water. She’s like a fucking mermaid, diving down deep to see the fish and holding her breath for way longer than I can.
Everything about our time on the island has been perfect, and I despise that we have to return to Midnight Manor. But I can’t afford to be away from work any longer than I already have been, especially since I planned this trip last minute.
As she takes her seat beside me on the private plane, I take note of the smattering of freckles on her face. They’re more pronounced after days spent in the sun and make her look younger, closer to her twenty-four years.
She takes my hand. “This entire trip has been like a whole new world for me. Thank you for bringing me here, Obsidian. I can’t remember a time I had so much fun and felt so relaxed.”
Squeezing her hand, I kiss her temple. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. I’m only sorry we couldn’t stay longer.”
She frowns, and it feels as if there’s more behind it than just being disappointed the fun has to end. “Yeah, back to reality.”
“Don’t worry, this won’t be the last time we’re here. I plan on us visiting this place many, many times together.”
Tears glisten in her eyes as she takes me in.
I frown because there’s something she’s not telling me. “What’s wrong?”
She shakes her head and sniffles. “Nothing. I’m just so happy. I never even knew I could be this happy.”
I feel the same. I am so fucking thankful this woman came into my life. Still, I can’t get rid of the sense that the clock is ticking on our time together. I tell myself the dread I feel is just my paranoia over losing the best thing in my life because everything good has always been taken away from me.
Maybe that’s what love means—you search and search for it, then after you find it, all you do is worry about losing it.