The Billionaire From Dallas

by Simply BWWM

  She leaned down, putting her hand near the water then stopping.

  “Sharks?”

  “Just the little ones that don’t bite. I have an underwater fence that is too small for sharks to pass through.”

  “Around the entire island?”

  “No. Just this immediate area. We can snorkel out to it at low tide. It’s pretty ingenious. It looks like a reef, and the animals flourish. The island curves perfectly, making it the ideal place for it, which is why I chose this island. The fish come and go as they please, but the sharks can’t fit. It’s a new product, and I loved it so much that I funded the patent for it.”

  “When you say, ‘chose this island,’ do you seriously own this island? The whole thing?”

  “All six square miles.”

  “This is amazing.”

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  She looked at him, biting her lip as a thought occurred to her.

  “I know it’s late, but the moon is so full and bright that it’s almost like daylight.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “A midnight swim.”

  His crooked smile tugged at her heart.

  “You don’t have any bathing suits.”

  “Who said I was wearing one?”

  She pulled her dress off over her head, hanging it carefully on a nearby hook. He sucked in his breath, and when she turned, the look on his face was almost feral.

  “If I had known you weren’t wearing anything under that dress, we would have skipped dinner.”

  She reached out to him, ignoring his comment while she worked his buttons loose and pushed his shirt off his shoulders. With each opened button, she revealed more of his smooth, muscled chest and abs. She ran her fingers over his skin, the scent of him taking her back to that first night in the hotel.

  She wanted him now, but not there. She grabbed his belt and unbuckled it, then tore at his zipper. When she pushed his pants and boxers down in one smooth motion, she knew that she wasn’t the only one who wanted sex now.

  Jake stepped out of his clothes, letting them fall to the floor, wrapping his arms around her. He kissed her roughly. She gave him back as good as he gave, her hands in his auburn hair, naked bodies pressed together.

  “If you don’t want me to take you right here, we’d better get in the water.”

  She slid her hand into his and tugged, pulling him toward the door and out onto the path. Instead of running all the way back to where the sand ran along either side of the boardwalk, she jumped into the waist-deep water, and Jake jumped in after her.

  She splashed him playfully, squealing when he grabbed her and pulled her into deeper water. The moon was so bright that she could see his face clearly, the water so clear that she could make out the outline of their bodies beneath the gently lapping waves.

  The water was pleasantly warm, swirling around them gently. Deena led Jake further into the water until her feet didn’t touch the bottom and she had to wrap her arms around his shoulders to stay put.

  He grabbed her ass, pulling her close so that his erection rubbed against her.

  “I’ve been thinking about this since you said you were going to take me to a private island and ravage me.”

  “You’ve been thinking about this since this afternoon?” he teased, arching a brow, mocking her.

  “No,” she said, running one finger over his lips and along his jawline. “I thought about it every night.”

  “Every night?”

  His voice was tight. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what she was implying, but she was enjoying his reaction all the same.

  “Every night, when I was home alone, thinking about how safe I was in your strong arms. Just me and my memories, and this hand.”

  He groaned.

  “If I have my way, you’ll never spend a night alone again.”

  “I would like that,” she said, then froze when she realized what he was saying.

  She looked into his eyes, searching their blue depths for his meaning. He nodded.

  “I don’t know when it happened, Deena Harris, but I’m in love with you. I have been since long before I walked out of that interview room and discovered that you were already gone.”

  “Why didn’t you come to me then?”

  “I didn’t want to push things too quickly.”

  “Sometimes, you just know.”

  “Do you know, Deena?” She nodded. “Then say it.”

  “I love you, Jake Berrington. I can’t tell you when, why, or even how, but I know that the week I lived without you felt like an eternity.”

  “When you know, you just know,” he said, repeating her statement. “Do you believe if it’s right that there’s no such thing as too fast?”

  “I never did before, but now, I get it. I know what people mean when they say that it was like they’d known the person their entire life. I don’t remember my life before you, and I don’t want to live a life without you.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that,” he said. “Not now, but soon.”

  She smiled, biting her lip and looking down at him. He held her tight, her body hovering just above the tip of his manhood. She kissed him sweetly, then grabbed his face in her hands.

  “I want to feel you inside me,” she said.

  She didn’t have to tell him twice. He slid inside her, and she rode him hard and fast, taking her pleasure from him without a care in the world. The water that once felt warm was cool against her dark skin as her temperature rose with each thrust.

  “I love you,” he said into her ear, clinging to her.

  “I love you,” she said, then threw her head back and called his name out to the starry sky.

  They rode the waves of pleasure together, tangled up in their embrace. They were one, and there was nothing in the world that was going to tear them apart. Deena bucked and shuddered in his arms, snuggling against him as he emptied himself into her.

  When he let her go, she laid back into the water, letting herself float. Jake floated beside her. He took her hand, and they let the lazy current carry them back to the shore.

  “This is the perfect night,” she said.

  “And we still have a full week before we fly back Sunday morning.”

  “This is like a dream come true.”

  “Except you never have to wake up from this dream.”

  He helped her onto the walkway from the water, avoiding the sand. She stepped back and enjoyed the view as he pushed himself up on his arms and swung onto the deck effortlessly.

  He caught her looking and smiled.

  “What?”

  “I just decided that I’m not the only one who’s going to skip clothes this week,” she said, running her hands over the water dripping down his flesh.

  He smiled.

  “Sounds like a plan to me. Come with me. I want to show you the rest of the bungalow. It’s not very big, but I think you’re going to fall in love with it like I did.”

  He led her back through the entrance, the fish still swimming in the little pool that the opening in the floor created. The next room was the dining and sitting area, though there was no television in sight.

  “I can have them bring a television if you want,” he said.

  “No way,” she said quickly. “I need to unplug and soak up every minute. My cell phone is even in the bag.”

  “I hope you got a new number.”

  “I canceled that other one, but no, I didn’t get a new number. I’m still using the burner phone you bought.”

  “You are? Why?”

  “I was hoping that you would call me,” she admitted.

  “And I was waiting for you to call me.”

  He shook his head, leading her to the master bedroom. The king-sized bed was against the interior wall, and the wall at the foot of the bed wasn’t much more than a frame with sliding doors that could be shut during bad weather. For now, they were wide open and looking out onto the deck and the ocean beyond.

&n
bsp; They went out onto the deck. Deena inhaled the salty air, overwhelmed by everything and completely at peace.

  “I will promise you one thing,” Jake said quietly after they’d stood there for some time.

  “What’s that?”

  “For as long as I live, I will never again wait to say what’s in my heart and hope you call me first.”

  “That sounds like the perfect plan.”

  The Final Chapter

  Deena woke up with the sunrise every morning, the cry of the gulls fishing in the sea teasing her out of sleep. Every day was the same, and Deena marked the passing days with a little sadness with each sunrise. It was going too fast, and it was already Wednesday. Their time there was halfway over, and she wished that it would last forever.

  “You know we can come back any time, right?” Jake said, still laying down in the bed naked.

  The door between the dining area and the bedroom was closed, and her stomach growled in anticipation of the assortment of fruits and pastries that magically appeared each morning. She slid out of bed, tugging on his hand so he would follow her.

  “I do know that,” she said. “But it’s different. It’s your plane, your island, and your money. I can’t just come here whenever I want.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said. “Though, I don’t know why you would want to come without me.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Then we’ll come as often as we can. I know you’re dedicated to your career, and I don’t want to interfere with that.”

  He kissed her on the cheek, then slid back the door and grabbed his breakfast from the array of food laid out.

  “It’s going to suck having to wear clothes after this,” she said as they leaned against the table and watched the fish swim in one of the little pools in the floor.

  “You could always open a nude salon. I bet that would bring loads of business.”

  “You’re a mess,” she laughed.

  “I’m just trying to help you with your business model.”

  She rolled her eyes, then headed toward the door with Jake right behind her. The springtime sun was warmer but not too hot, warming her skin while the chilly sand shifted beneath her feet.

  They walked at the water’s edge hand in hand as they’d done every day, looking for shells and stopping to admire the occasional creature that moved across the sand without paying them any mind.

  “There aren’t any islands within sight here,” she remarked.

  “That’s how I like it. I don’t have to worry about anyone seeing this place. It just adds one more layer of privacy.”

  “Does this island have a name?”

  “It’s uninhabited and not on any maps, so no. I haven’t named it yet.”

  “Why did you buy this place?”

  “Sometimes, you just want to get away from it all. This is the perfect place. No people except the small crew I hired that lives here full-time.”

  “How many is that?”

  “Right now, it’s a few more because my flight crew stayed on, and they’re enjoying a vacation as well. But only four people live here full-time: an older married couple and their adult son and his wife. They keep the bungalows maintained, and they meet the boat that comes about once a week to all the islands selling groceries from the mainland. They only have to work when I’m here, which isn’t often.”

  “Maybe I’m in the wrong business,” she joked.

  “I know that you’re probably not going to go for this, but you don’t have to work if you don’t want to. Girlfriend of a billionaire is a full-time job. There are fancy fundraising dinners, hobbies to indulge, wardrobes to buy, celebrity parties to attend, lazy weekends to enjoy, and the entire world at your fingertips.”

  “A billionaire’s girlfriend, huh?”

  “When you know, you know.”

  He kissed her again, then wrapped his arms around her and stood there on the shore, admiring the view with her.

  “This place is so beautiful,” she said.

  “We could live here.”

  “As tempting as that is, I already miss home and my friends. I think a week here and there is the perfect time to recharge, but I couldn’t live here forever. What about you?”

  “I have all I need to be happy right here,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where I live.”

  Butterflies filled her stomach, and her heart clenched when she realized that he wasn’t talking about the money or the island. He was talking about her.

  “Did I say something wrong?” he asked when she stiffened ever so slightly.

  “No,” she said. “You said everything right.”

  “Good. You deserve nothing but the best, and I promise I’ll move heaven and earth if that’s what it takes to make you happy.”

  There was a loud splash not far from them. Jake pointed out by the barrier just as a second dolphin jumped out of the water and flipped, then landed smoothly inside the barrier.

  “I wondered if they would come back while you were here. They supervised the builders who put in the bungalow and they come back from time to time. I think they’re mocking my barrier.”

  “As long as sharks don’t start jumping out of the water, we’ll be fine.”

  He chuckled.

  “I hate to tell you this, but there are some-”

  “Stop right there,” she said. “I don’t wanna know.”

  “That’s probably a good idea,” he teased.

  She stood there in awe as they continued to play, still wrapped in his strong arms. More dolphins showed up just beyond the barrier. They showed off their best tricks, clearly challenging each other playfully.

  “Do you think they’ll let us get closer?” she asked.

  “I don’t see why not,” he said.

  They swam toward the barrier slowly, but the dolphins saw them right away. When they didn’t swim away, Deena was delighted. Her entire life, she’d wanted to see a dolphin in the wild. Even if she couldn’t touch one, this was already a dream come true.

  Deena was treading water beside Jake, just a few yards from the barrier, when a young dolphin swam toward them. Deena all but held her breath, not believing her own eyes. When it swam in a circle around them so close they could touch it, Deena was sure she was dreaming.

  “This can’t be real,” she whispered.

  “You can touch it.”

  “Really?”

  “It came to you. You’re not chasing it or cornering it. I don’t speak dolphin, but if it gets any closer, it’s going to be touching you anyway.”

  Tentatively she reached out, and to her surprise, the dolphin edged closer. She laid the flat of her hand just beneath the surface of the water, and the dolphin rubbed its back against her palm.

  “It feels like wet rubber,” she said, laughing when the dolphin slapped the water with its tail and splashed her.

  It came around a few more times, each time pressing more firmly against her hand and vocalizing. After a few minutes, it swam away to join the pod. They disappeared beneath the surface, then one appeared, leaping over the barrier and onto the other side before speeding away.

  “I feel like all I can say is ‘wow,’” Deena laughed. “This place is so magical.”

  “It’s part of why I fell in love with the Bahamas. There are so many tiny, uninhabited islands, I couldn’t resist having one to call my own. And it keeps it from being turned into a resort. Everything on this island is built in a way that alters it as little as possible. I bought this place because I loved it, which is why you won’t see a huge mansion in the trees above, the electricity is one hundred percent solar, and we have almost no waste. Now all the island needs is a name.”

  “You’re going to let me name it?”

  “Why not?”

  She thought about it for a moment, but she already knew exactly which name she would pick. It was the name that had been on her mind since she’d woken up that first morning to crystal waters and pristine beaches. The beauty of this little island
was unreal, and it deserved a name in kind.

  “I think you should name the island Xanadu,” she said finally.

  “It definitely does seem like a fantasy world.”

  “It does, and Fantasy Island is already overused.”

  “It’s settled then,” he said. “I’ll register it as soon as we’re home.”

  He smiled playfully.

  “It’s closer to the ladder off the bungalow deck than it is to shore,” he said. “I’ll race you.”

  He took off, but she was right behind him, catching up quickly. Jake reached the ladder first, but Deena grabbed him by the shoulders, dunking him and scurrying up the ladder before he came up for air.

  The air was warm, her body drying almost instantly as she ran across the deck and into the bedroom. He laughed when he scooped her up from behind, tossing her on the bed and following her.

  He kissed her roughly, his hand between her legs. She was still giggling, but the laughter quickly changed. They stayed in bed until the sun went down, making love and napping, then waking up and doing it all over again.

  Deena lost track of the number of times that Jake told her that he loved her, but it didn’t matter. Deena would never tire of hearing the words in his deep, southern drawl.

  Life was perfect when she was in Jake’s arms.

  *

  The week went so much faster than she thought it would, and just like that, she was on the private jet, watching the island fade away as they took off.

  “We’ll be back soon,” Jake said, reassuring her again.

  His smile was radiant, and she wondered for the millionth time about how crazy it was that she’d been in the right place at the right time, and she’d met the man of her dreams. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, but she wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear that. It was a lot, even when two people knew that they were meant to be. She didn’t want to push too far, too fast, so she decided to focus on what she knew he was willing to discuss.

  “Did you still want to live together when we get back?” she asked, nervously broaching the subject.