by Alexa Davis
“No,” he says.
“Well,” I say, “I’ve got something I want to run by you. Before I do, though, I want to impress upon you how crucial it is that this conversation stays between us. Do you think you can handle that?”
“Of course, sir,” he says. “I’d never betray your confidence.”
“Yeah,” I say, leaning back in my chair and smiling. “Well, I guess we’re about to find out, because if this is going to work, I’m going to have to tell you everything.”
* * *
Malcolm got through our discussion without rending his garments, so I’m tentatively looking at it as a successful meeting. He had a lot of questions, as I expected he would, but he seemed to handle everything okay.
As I’m leaving the office, I give Ellie a call.
“Hey,” she says, answering the phone.
“Hey, you all right?” I ask. “You sound stressed.”
“I made the mistake of switching on the television for the first time in about a year,” she says. “They’re still plastering my face in the news. What’s better, apparently someone from town sent in a picture of me from high school, so I look like I’m about a decade younger than I am.”
“I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am about that,” I tell her. “This isn’t what I wanted.”
“Yeah, well, it’s how it goes, I guess,” she says and sighs.
I get down to the car, and Trevor opens my door. Getting in, I tell Ellie, “I’ve been thinking about it. I don’t know if this is something you’d consider or not, but I have a house out on Long Island. It’s just a beach house, really, but it’s away from the city, away from the press. I thought maybe you’d prefer staying there over—”
“If it’s not Manhattan, you’ve got yourself a deal,” she says.
Part of me wants to tell Ellie how Manhattan’s not all that bad as long as you can stay away from the press, but I think better of it. “I’m leaving the office now,” I tell her. “Why don’t I invite a few friends who’ve been through this sort of thing over tonight and maybe we can figure out the best way past this. What do you think?”
“Just nothing big,” she says. “I’m fine if it’s a few people, but I’m not in the mood to meet a whole lot of people.”
“I know just the ones to invite,” I tell her. “Don’t worry about a thing. We’ll be there to pick you up shortly, and I’ll have your stuff gathered and sent to the Long Island house.”
“Okay,” she says with a loud exhale. “I’ll see you when you get here.”
On the way, I send a few texts to select people, informing them of “a little get-together” this evening.
When I get to Ellie’s room, she doesn’t say much. She doesn’t say much when we’re back in the car, headed along Long Island Expressway, either. The whole ride, I don’t think she says more than ten or fifteen words, but she’s holding my hand tightly as she sits in the seat next to me.
I know this isn’t what she signed up for, but all I can do about it now is try not to make things any worse.
As we’re pulling up to the beach house, Ellie leaves my side a moment to get a better view out the window.
“This is a beach house?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I tell her.
“The thing’s huge,” she says. “Where I’m from, we call this a mansion.”
“I’m glad you like it,” I tell her. Trevor pulls up in front of the door.
Ellie lets herself out, and I follow close behind.
The beach house is a twelve-bedroom, seven bathroom villa right on the beach. I’m gearing up for a tour, but as soon as I mention the house has four separate offices, a den, a library and a dozen rooms, Ellie says she wants to do her exploring later.
“Thank you for this,” she says as we come through the back doors and onto the sun deck. “I was starting to go crazy in that room, and it wasn’t like I could leave. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I tell her. “Take the next few hours and just relax. People won’t start showing up until eight o’clock, so we’ve got a little while.”
I leave her to make the necessary calls for tonight’s get-together—catering, some light entertainment. By the time I go back to the main room in the center of the house, Ellie’s passed out on the couch. I grab a blanket from one of the closets and place it on her.
I’d say I can only imagine what she’s feeling, but the truth is I know exactly what she’s going through.
I wasn’t always a billionaire, and for more than half my life so far, nobody knew who I was. After Stingray’s IPO made me a billionaire, I barely left the apartment where I was living for months.
The difference is that I asked for it. She didn’t. All I can do now is protect her the best way I know how.
For now, I just sit in a chair across from Ellie and watch her sleep.
When the caterers arrive, I lead Ellie to one of the bedrooms where she won’t hear all the commotion.
“I’m sorry I’m this tired,” she says. “I don’t even know why. It’s not like I’ve been doing anything.”
“Stress does that to a person,” I tell her. “Don’t worry about a thing, just get some rest. If you want, I can cancel the—”
“No, it’s fine,” she says through a yawn. “Wake me up when they’re here. I like knowing I’m not the only one who’s been through this—I mean, I’m sure you have and everything. I just meant—”
“Shhh …” I say. “Just relax. I’ll let you know when they’re here.”
I leave the room just in time to hear the doorbell ring.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” I mutter, looking down at my watch.
* * *
Apparently, what I call a small get-together qualifies as the A-List party of the season, according to Ellie. Luckily, that wasn’t a problem for her.
Now it’s about four in the morning. Ellie and I are cleaning up, and she hasn’t stopped raving yet.
“Seriously, when Yon Blacker came up to me and introduced himself, I almost died,” she says, carrying a handful of dishes to the sink. “Did you ever see Druscilla Lost?” she asks. “That movie changed my life, and there he was going on about how big of a pain in the ass Tim Tripp is to work with—” She ends the phrase with what I can only describe as a prodigiously long grunt.
“Well, I’m glad you had fun,” I tell her.
“By the way, I did get quite a bit of advice about how to deal with the paparazzi, but nearly all of it included some level of violence,” she says.
“That’s mostly venting,” I tell her as I top off my third garbage bag of the evening. “The worst thing you can do is go after a reporter. I guess Björk got away with it, but that was an exceptional circumstance. Frankly, that lady had it coming, but I wouldn’t suggest it.”
“You know,” she says, “I have to tell you, I’ve been wondering if there was any way we could make this work. I like you, but I think we both know this isn’t my world.”
“What are you saying?” I ask as my smile disappears.
“What I’m saying,” she tells me as she gathers a few loose bottles from the counter, “is that I don’t want to go back to Manhattan. I’m saying that I want to stay here at the beach house, at least until you’re done in the city. Naomi’s not going to be thrilled about it, but if anyone’s qualified to solve the many, many problems that come from being in a relationship with you, it’s you.”
I chuckle. “So, what are you saying?” I ask again.
“I guess what I’m saying,” she tells me, dumping the bottles in the trash, “is that I’m ready to start thinking long term. I’ve been half in and half out of this relationship because I just assumed it was going to end, but I think from the outset, you’ve been trying to show me that I had it wrong. It just took me until now to see it.”
Nothing could chisel the grin off my face.
Chapter Nine
The Rising Tide
Ellie
The morning breeze is the p
erfect accent to the morning as I lay myself down on the soft beach towel I’ve set out on the deck. Last night, I convinced Nick to go in late to work, but I just heard his alarm.
He’s done so much for me over the short time I’ve known him; I decided to prepare a little surprise for him this morning. I’m still waiting for Troy to follow through with the bonus I’m owed, but there are other ways I can surprise Nick.
Besides, what do you buy a man who can buy anything?
The breeze is starting to feel cold against my skin, but as the French doors open behind me, my body heats up fast enough.
“Hey,” Nick says. “Getting some sun?”
“Waiting for you, actually,” I tell him, shielding my eyes from the sun to look at him. He’s in a white bathrobe. “I thought I’d surprise you.”
“Yeah?” he asks and sits on the deck next to me. “Does the surprise have anything to do with you being naked?” he asks.
I just grin.
Nick bends down to kiss me on the lips, and I wrap my arms around him and pull his upper body closer to me. My tongue greets his in a swirling dance, and by the time I loosen my grip, we’re both breathing heavily.
“You remember last night how I told you I was half in, half out before?” I ask.
“Yeah,” he breathes.
“I thought I’d start making up for that this morning,” I say. “So here I am,” I tell him, sitting up. “I’m all-in. No more holding back, no more closing off and I want you to have me any way you want me.”
It’s an incredible boost to the ego, making a man like Nick blush, but he’s not timid. He runs his fingers through my hair and pulls me to him, kissing me with a kind of urgency I’ve never felt.
He sets his other hand on my knee and slowly glides it up the inside of my leg, toward my eager heat, but he stops just short, teasing my inner thigh with his feathery touch. Just when it feels like he’s about to go that last inch or two, he pulls his hand away and slowly rises to his feet.
“Well, well,” I say, making quite the show of staring at the front of his robe.
He extends an open hand to me, and I take it, using his aid to rise to my feet.
Even though I checked before I lost the bathing suit, I take a quick look up and down the beach, making sure we’re well out of view of any neighbors. The coast is clear, and Nick is kissing the bend of my neck, gently sucking the skin.
I set my hands side-by-side on his chest and slowly move them downward, parting the front of the robe as I go. The robe tie around his waist comes apart without difficulty.
Nick kisses me on the lips, and I slither my arms around the bare skin of his upper body, the flaps of his robe cocooning much of my body as I press myself against him.
His erection is firm and throbbing, resting against the skin of my abdomen, and I can’t wait to find out what he has in mind.
Nick slips the robe from his shoulders, leaving us bare, embracing. He looks down at me, saying, “You look beautiful, by the way.”
“Thanks,” I say, blushing. “It’s just a little something I threw together.”
His hands move down my back. He leaves one hand to rest just above my ass, but the other keeps going until he’s leaning to one side, encouraging me to raise my right leg with the motion of his hand.
I do, and he guides my leg upward and around his body before returning the hand to meet the other at the small of my back.
He slides his hands up my sides and sucks on my earlobe while I angle my lower body just enough to get my hand in between us, and I’m stroking him.
Nick slides his hands down my sides once more and bends his knees a little. In a moment, I go from caressing his magnificent cock to guiding it into me.
A wave of affection flows through me as he penetrates my center, and I’m so wet he doesn’t need to be slow about it.
I rest my arms on his neck, bringing my hands around to hold the back of his head as he gently sucks my bottom lip.
Nick’s hands move from my hips to my ass, and in the next second, he’s lifting me off the ground. He’s still inside me as he turns, so I’m facing the ocean and positions himself on the towel.
He holds me there a moment, and I watch the ocean waves rolling to shore as a different type of movement raises and lowers me, quivering over him.
Slowly, deliberately, he lowers us both down until we’re sitting, my legs behind him, his behind me.
He slips one hand between us, his palm against my skin, and he nestles his hand between my breasts before delicately encouraging me back, back until I’m supporting myself, my hands on the deck.
He leans back, mimicking my position and as I come down on him again, his hardness fills me until I don’t know if I can breathe with him so deep inside me.
“Hoy shit,” I moan as we almost separate before coming back together again.
He suppresses a smile, and guides one of his hands up my leg as before, only this time, he doesn’t stop until the pad of his thumb is massaging my clit in tiny, rapid circles.
I gasp and moan, because I’ve lost the ability to breathe otherwise, and I swirl my hips, feeling him press against every inch inside of me. His hand moves with me.
The sound of the waves is growing louder, and I can feel the first beads of sweat trickling over my bare skin. Nick lies back all the way, making sure to let me get my feet out from under him as he does.
Riding him now, I gaze at his muscular chest as it heaves before me.
I lean forward, my hands on his shoulders now, and our lips meet in an electrical spark that starts my body quaking.
He keeps the rhythm under his control, his hands on my hips.
That same wave of affection I felt when we started floods back over me as that final sliver of tension breaks, and I come so hard I can hardly see the beach in front of me.
Nick’s abs tense beneath me, and I smother him with long, soft kisses as he’s moving so fast now.
His hands leave my hips, and he pulls out of me. Grabbing himself with one hand, he gasps as I feel his hot seed fall in ropes on my back.
I lay my head on his chest as our bodies raise and lower with heavy breath.
I’m so relaxed, so comfortable and safe in his arms, that I drift off for a moment. When I come back to full consciousness, Nick has worked the towel most of the way from under him, and he’s running it over my back, cleaning me, drying me.
“I honestly think you sent me into a different dimension there for a minute,” I tell him.
His body jerks beneath me, and he starts laughing. “You startled the hell out of me,” he says. “I thought you were still out—fantastic compliment, by the way.”
I chortle and pat him on the chest as I rise to my knees.
Inside, I can hear the phone ringing. I groan.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “It’ll just be a minute.”
“It’s okay,” I tell him. “Do what you need to do. I’m probably going to need a few before I’m able to walk again properly anyway.”
We share a smile as I lift myself the rest of the way to my feet. He collects the towel and heads for the door while I walk over to stand at the railing above the beach to look over the ocean.
Nick goes inside, but I still feel the memory of his body so warm against mine. After a minute watching the rise and fall of the seemingly endless Atlantic, I head in after him.
I’m on my way to the nearest bathroom for a shower when Nick calls my name from another room.
I follow the sound of his voice to the kitchen, and he holds up his phone to me, saying, “It’s for you.”
“For me?” I ask. “Who is it?”
“It’s your sister,” he says.
Yeah, that sounds about right.
I take the phone and put it to my ear. “Hey, Na—”
“Where the hell are you?” she asks. “You haven’t been home in like three weeks, and your cat is tearing up the house.”
“Yeah, Sammie’s kind of an asshole if you don’t give h
im attention when he wants it,” I say.
“And is there any way to keep your dog from getting in the trash?” she asks. “Seriously, I’ve tried everything, but as soon as I turn my back, I hear that damn rustling again.”
“Have you been taking him for walks?” I ask.
She groans. “You need to get home,” she says. “I know I’m supposed to give you some leeway because you’re paying the rent and all, but how long are you going to drag out your rich-guy fantasy, anyway? You know you’re all over the news, right?” she asks.
“I’m aware,” I sigh.
“Don’t let your Bohemian sex trip become the only thing people ever know about you,” she says. “Besides, how much longer do you think it’s going to last anyway? Just come home. You’ve had your fun. Now it’s time to get back to the real world.”
Always a ray of sunshine, my sister.
“If you need me, of course, I’ll come home,” I tell her. “As for the rest of it, though, I’d say Nick and I are probably going to be together a while, so you might want to get used to seeing my face next to embarrassing captions at the checkout stands across the country.”
“You seem like you’re in a good mood,” Naomi says with a lilt in her voice that almost sounds like surprise.
“I just told you. Nick and I made things official,” I tell her. “We’re a couple. Seriously, though, I’ll talk to him and see when I can get back there to take care of Max and Sammie.”
“Whoa, let’s not rush into anything,” she says.
“What?”
“I didn’t know the two of you were like a real thing; I thought he was just using you for sex while you used him for money,” she says.
If only she could see the one-sided smile creep up my face. The only real perk I’ve gotten out of her studies into facial expressions is it’s a lot easier now to show her my contempt. Of course, it doesn’t do much good over the phone.
“I think that’s the nicest way anyone’s ever called me a prostitute,” I tell her.
She breaks into a loud, overdone laugh. “Oh, that’s not what I was saying, and besides, you two are in a relationship,” she coos. “This is such incredible news!”