by Jillian Neal
“A spa day!” Emily exclaimed.
Fionna was nodding excitedly. “Ok, but I don’t want Adeline to feel left out, so whenever she wants to go.”
“Well, we’ll have to get her out of bed with my brother first.”
“Yeah, good luck with that,” Rainer teased.
Vindico stepped up as another clerk greeted them.
“Dan Vindico,” he drawled confidently. “And I’m not certain what room Governor Haydenshire booked for me, but let’s go ahead and upgrade that.” He winked at Fionna.
Rainer thought the move was a little showy, but Fionna looked thrilled.
“Actually, Mr. Vindico,” the man smiled kindly, “aren’t you here with a Mr. Lawson and a Ms. Haydenshire?” He studied the screen on the computer in front of him.
“That’s us,” Rainer stepped up. The man gave Rainer another smile as he nodded. “Well, I was just going to offer, if you’d be interested,” the man hemmed. “We do have two of our premiere ground-level suites available. They’re each three-room complexes with extended king beds, and they share a private pool. Only the four of you would have access to that particular pool.”
“Whatever you want,” Vindico assured Fionna.
Rainer started to roll his eyes, as his boss appeared to have forgotten that he and Emily even existed, and would also need to agree to the arrangement.
“The rooms don’t join. You would only share the courtyard and pool in between. It offers a great deal of privacy, ma’am,” the maître d seemed to have determined that Vindico was captaining the ship and that Fionna was all that mattered. Rainer sighed. Fionna blushed as she grinned at Vindico.
“Well, I mean that sounds like fun, if Rainer and Emily want to,” she gently reminded Vindico of their presence.
“Sure,” Emily replied, after she and Rainer had a silent conversation with their eyes and very slight nods. It was the kind of conversation a couple that had been together for a lifetime could so easily have.
With that, they were each given the key cards to the suites. Another attendant rolled a luggage cart to them, loaded up all of the bags, and gestured for the four of them to follow him.
The girls decided to meet at the pool in a little while as Vindico and Rainer unlocked the doors to their rooms. Vindico grabbed Fionna’s hand and tugged her away from Emily.
This thoroughly delighted her as the girls laughed at him outright and, though he was smiling, Rainer got the distinct impression that he wanted to be alone with Fionna. He was growing weary of Emily and Fionna’s almost magnetic attraction to one another.
Rainer chuckled. Emily knows her vastly better than you do, man. You’re gonna have to step up your game if you want her to choose you over Em when we’re together.
45
Learned Conversations
After he guided Emily through the door ahead of him, Rainer began studying the space. It was indeed a three-room suite. The room they’d stepped into was a modern living room, with several low-slung love seats and chairs decorated in sleek black and white.
The photos on the walls lacked color as well, but were charming. Rainer studied the pictures of surfboards and surfers from many decades before. There was a large television and a small desk in a corner.
Off the living room, there was a kitchenette, complete with a wet bar. He led Emily further inside the suite towards their bedroom.
It was very nice, with a posh, king-sized bed and a large-screen TV. One wall held a cut-out with glass shelving and several large shell displays. You could see from the bedroom into the living room. Opposite the bed was a dresser with a large mirror.
There were sliding-glass doors off both the living room and bedroom, which looked out on the swimming pool in the courtyard outside their room and then to the beach beyond.
The pool area was bedecked with several wicker lounge chairs and couches. The deep indentation of the concrete building, along with the abundant landscaping, did indeed mean that the pool area could only be seen by the people occupying the two suites.
Emily began unpacking as Rainer lifted suitcases onto the bed for her. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket with a smirk.
“I think I’ll just call Logan and see what they’re up to,” he teased and reveled in Emily’s giggle.
“You should. They’ve been driving me crazy since the wedding,” she rolled her eyes, though she was still beaming. A deep yawn overtook Rainer. Something about the long plane ride and the loss of an entire day made him tired.
“So, now will you tell me what Vindico wanted to know?” Emily turned the full power of her emerald green eyes on him as she wound her arms around his neck.
She arched her back and gave him an exquisite view of her stunning cleavage. Rainer gave her the growl she was after, and he waggled his eyebrows and grabbed her backside.
“Are you trying to seduce me into betraying a confidence, Miss Haydenshire?”
A broad, delicious grin spread across her beautiful face as she nodded.
“I’ll tell you, but don’t say anything to Fionna,” he negotiated.
“Ok,” she agreed, but then redacted. “Well, I mean, if he’s not cheating on her or anything like that, because I’d have to tell her that.”
Rainer shook his head and kissed Emily’s forehead.
“No, baby, it seems like he fell head over heels, just like Garrett predicted. He just wanted to know how to cast her.”
This information seemed to delight Emily.
“Oh, that’s a good sign.” She considered for a moment. “You told him how to do it, so it doesn’t do that thing where it hurts for a minute, right?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Good, because Fionna’s on cloud nine, so I really hope he doesn’t screw this up.”
“Well,” Rainer smiled, “I told him I would only teach him if he wouldn’t break her heart.” He tried not to think that his saying that would definitely buy him several points in Emily’s book.
“Aww,” she swooned, “you’re the best.”
Rainer squeezed her tightly before yawning again.
“I don’t know why I’m so tired.” He rubbed his eyes.
“You always get tired when we fly for a while,” she reminded him. He smiled. She knew him better than he knew himself.
Just as Rainer was enjoying that thought, Emily’s phone chirped. She pulled it from her purse and studied the screen confusedly. Her brow knitted.
“What’s wrong?” Rainer quizzed.
“It’s Adeline. She says Logan’s freaking out about the beach. She wants to know if you’ll talk to him.”
“What’s wrong with the beach?” Rainer flung open the sliding- glass doors and stepped out towards the ocean. They were up far enough to see the beach below. From his vantage point, it appeared to be like any other beach. It had much larger swells than they had at home, and the ocean was definitely bluer here, but Rainer couldn’t fathom what would be wrong with that.
He stepped back into the room. Emily was flipping through a binder on the bedside table with information about the hotel, Manly Beach, and Sydney. Her mouth fell open as she turned the page, and then bit her lip in an effort not to laugh.
“What?” Rainer moved beside her.
“Manly Beach was voted one of the world’s top ten topless beaches!” the copy of the award in the binder announced proudly.
A broad grin spread across Emily’s face as she rushed to the living room and threw open the sliding-glass doors to take in the beach. The view from their bedroom was on an angle, and the one from the living room offered her a more direct view of the ocean.
No wonder Logan’s freaking out. He has every right to, Rainer thought furiously as Emily spun back around and rushed back inside. Her face held a mix of stunned disbelief, delight, and piqued intrigue.
They stared at one another for a long, drawn minute as defiance set in her eyes, and a war began in his head. He heard the phrases he knew he should never utter pulsing through his mind
as she stated, “We’re about to fight about this, aren’t we?”
Powerless to stop himself, he spat, “We are if you're under some great misapprehension that you're going out there topless!”
Fury flashed in her eyes. Her hand flew up, and he watched her tuck her hair over her right ear purposefully. He knew what was coming. She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes.
He needed to stop. He needed to calm down. Ordering Emily Haydenshire not to do something was, in fact, the quickest way to get her to do the very thing you did not want her to do. He’d been with her since they were young children. He knew this, but he just couldn’t force himself to think rationally.
The possessive, chauvinistic part of his brain won out above all reason and all ability for him to stop talking. He fired back.
“Those are mine! You are mine, and no one else gets to see them, ever!”
“Oh really!” she spat in acrid defiance. “I’m not your personal property, Rainer! And I will do whatever I want to do, whenever I want to do it!”
He continued on stupidly.
“You will, under no circumstances, go out there without a top on, Emily!”
“Watch me,” were her parting words as she stomped out of their suite and slammed the door behind her.
Revulsion washed over Rainer as the thought of other guys seeing what he considered to be his and his alone. It threatened to p push him right over the edge. He ground his teeth and clenched his fists tightly as he began to pace.
A minute later, a knock sounded harshly on their door.
Well, look who came to her senses, Rainer thought viciously as he stalked to the door and threw it open. To his shock, his furious glare landed on Logan, not Emily.
“What do you want?” Rainer spun and stomped back into the suite.
“Hey, I’m not the one you’re mad at. I happen to agree with you, if you and Em are fighting about what Adeline and I are fighting about, anyway.”
“She is not going out there topless!” Rainer insisted to Logan, though some very small piece of his rational mind, still vying to be heard, tried to tell Rainer that Logan had no control over his little sister.
“You don’t have to tell me that.” Logan followed Rainer into the suite and shut the door.
He was now not only furious with Emily for wanting to go out topless, but he was also worried about where she’d gone and why she hadn’t returned.
“Why does Adeline want to go out there topless? I mean… ugh!” Logan fumed.
Rainer shut his eyes, nodded, and then began to accept his defeat.
“You know we can’t stop them. I mean, I don’t know what to do.”
While grinding his teeth, Logan spat, “Those are…I mean… she’s not… and no one else should ever….” He seemed to realize that he hadn’t formed a complete sentence. He shook his head in disgust.
With a slight chuckle, despite his own annoyance, Rainer completed the thoughts for his best friend.
“Those are yours. She’s not going out there like that, and no one else should see them ever.”
Logan laughed and lost his angry, frustrated expression momentarily.
“Yes,” he huffed. His fury returned quickly, “and I sure as hell don’t want you and Vindico seeing her like that, and I don’t want to see Fionna or my little sister like that,” he shuddered at the thought.
Another minute passed, and Rainer and Logan settled into their acrimony.
Vindico, looking highly agitated, moved across the courtyard between his suite and Rainer’s. He gave a quick knock on the glass door before sliding it open.
“Can I come in?” he asked, though it was more of a command than a request.
“Why not?” Rainer quipped. He didn’t particularly care, at the moment, that it was a rather disrespectful retort to give his boss.
Vindico didn’t seem offended. To Rainer’s shock, a wry smile spread across his face as he took in Rainer and Logan’s scowls.
“All right, can I make another deal with you, Lawson?” Vindico edged. Rainer sighed, and tried to regain the ability to speak to his boss with respect.
“I guess.”
“I’ll just go ahead and tell you two…” Vindico began, but then halted abruptly as he moved back to the door and slid it closed before starting again. “Fionna is… well…” he hemmed, but then shook his head and started again. “I really want to get to know Fionna better. As stunned as I am to say this, I really want to make this work; at least for as long as I can. Being with me is complicated and obviously dangerous.” A slight shudder moved over his body.
Logan and Rainer shared a quick, confused expression as they nodded their understanding.
“So, I have to work this very carefully. If you’ll help me out, as I am not quite as experienced with Gifted women, especially Receivers, as I am with other women, I’d really appreciate it,” he grimaced slightly. “Anyway, I figured you’ve been with a Receiver since birth, so you’re probably the guy to talk to,” he offered props to Rainer, who couldn’t help but grin. “So, if you’ll help me, then I can help you with a little advice.”
“Advice about what?” Logan quizzed.
Vindico chuckled and took a seat on one of the couches in the living room. Rainer and Logan followed suit.
“Well, seeing as how your wife,” he gestured to Logan, “and your fiancée,” he moved his gaze to Rainer, “are both in my suite, one of them in tears, and seeing as how they interrupted what was looking to be a really great afternoon, how about we start with advice about the reason that you’re fighting.”
He looked highly annoyed about the fact that his and Fionna’s time had been interrupted.
“Sorry,” Rainer apologized.
“S’ok,” Vindico sighed, but still couldn’t hide his irritation.
“Emily’s crying, I assume?” Logan huffed.
Vindico nodded, but then furrowed his brow.
“Why did you assume it was Emily?” his tone shifted. He sounded the way he did when he interrogated a criminal.
“Emily cries all the time,” Logan huffed.
Rainer rolled his eyes, and decided to go on and help Vindico with the first lesson he could teach him about being with a Receiver.
“No, she doesn’t,” Rainer threw a glare at Logan before turning back to Vindico.
“Receivers are able to feel people’s energy and the emotions in the energy. You know that, but have you ever really thought about what that must feel like?”
“There’s a reason most Receivers don’t like big crowds. If you watch Fionna and Emily at their challenges, they both relax when the aegis is set. It blocks out all of those emotions for them. They can’t really concentrate when they are bombarded, and if someone that they care about is upset or angry, they feel that more than anything else, especially when you’ve been together as long as Em and I have.”
He sincerely hoped that teaching Vindico about Fionna wasn’t going to somehow backfire and make him run. To Rainer’s relief, Vindico was extremely intrigued.
“So, is that why Fionna looked like she was going to cry when Emily showed up in tears?”
Rainer nodded his agreement.
“Fionna and Emily are really close,” Rainer informed Vindico.
“Yeah, I noticed,” Vindico didn’t look quite as annoyed by the information as he had earlier. “Is that how she is with all Receivers, or only Emily?”
“It’s really just the two of them. Receivers are usually close and enjoy hanging out together, but Emily and Fionna are on the same team, and, though Fionna is a more powerful Receiver than Em, they really get each other.”
“Fionna’s kind of crazy powerful, but Emily is very strong in her Predilect as well. They understand what the other goes through.” Rainer racked his brain to help Vindico understand Fionna as well as he could.
“Go on,” Vindico urged.
“Ok, so like you said, Emily was crying. She’s crying because she’s mad at me, but she’s also cry
ing because I’m mad at her. She can feel all of my anger instantly, because we’re so close physically.”
As Rainer explained the way Auxiliary Predilects worked, he felt guilt wash over him and take up ruthless residence in his gut. While trying not to focus on the guilt, he drew a deep breath.
“So, anyway, Fionna and Emily have stayed together, they see each other all the time, hang out even when they aren’t at practice, share makeup, food, drinks, everything. When Emily’s upset, Fionna feels that much more strongly than, say, if she saw someone crying she’d never met before, but that would upset her as well, if she could pick up on their energy.”
“That’s why Rainer lets Em get away with murder,” Logan scoffed.
Vindico’s brow knitted, and Rainer knew he wanted to ask something but couldn’t decide if he should.
“I’m really glad to help. I didn’t say anything earlier because I didn’t want to freak you out, but you’ve been with her one night and I’ve never seen you look so happy. I know it’s complicated, or whatever, but if I can help you make this work, then I’m happy to assist,” Rainer urged.
Vindico gave him a very genuine smile.
“Thanks,” he was still considering. “Ok,” he drew a deep breath. He looked rather uncomfortable. “You all right talking about your sister and her being with him?” he gestured to Rainer, as he posed the question to Logan. “I know that I personally don’t care to hear about any of my sisters’ sex lives.”
Logan sighed. “Well, I definitely want to hear whatever the advice is about my wife and the topless beach, and, like you said, he’s been with her since birth. Half the time I can hear the two of them in their room going at it, so I’m kind of used to the idea by now.”
Rainer’s eyes goggled. He felt heat pool in his cheeks.
After joining in Logan’s laughter, Vindico nodded.
“Ok, well, you said that Fionna and Emily are very close and feel each other’s emotions strongly, but that’s because they’ve spent time together and they’re friends.”
“So, after last night, shouldn’t she feel me stronger than she feels Emily?”