Forever Our Beach (Flirt Club)

6. Caleb

6

Caleb

It's been two days since I touched or spoke to her last, but that doesn't mean I haven't been keeping tabs. Despite our earth-shattering kisses, I knew she needed some time to come to terms with everything that happened, so I pushed her a little, giving her the excuse that I needed to take care of business. I did, but it wasn’t stuff I couldn’t do while still spending time with her.

I’m not sure how much she reconciled, but she’s been taking full advantage of our spa and wellness retreat center, doing yoga, spa treatments, and just relaxing at the tranquility pool. Every time I’ve received an update from Fiona, or watched her through the security cameras, its all the same which is as much as I can hope fore. She’s dealing without breaking down.

But now I need to invade her Zen. Lucas managed to track down more proof about Colette’s dealings, allowing me to fire her without causing an issues—that wasn’t a fun call to Mom who’s a force to be reckoned with—and the lawyers have informed me that the police will be issuing arrest warrants for her ex and her sister. I’m not sure if she’s been keeping in touch with her family about everything going on—although I highly doubt it—but I don’t want her to be blindsided by the information if her family manages to get a hold of her.

Coming to a stop outside her outer door, I ring the doorbell. It's early but I know that she's still in her room even if the blinds are all closed. The door slides open, and my heart starts to beat erratically. Despite the slight swelling around her eyes and the continued redness in her face, revealing how the past few days haven’t been easy, she’s still beautiful, a vision for my eyes.

To keep from reaching out to her and pulling her into my arms like I want to, I shove my hands into the front pockets of my board shorts. “If you don't have any plans for today, I'd like to take you out on a special outing.” When she hesitates, I quickly jump in. “It would just be me and you, if that’s okay?”

She takes a deep breath and for a moment, I’m worried that being alone with me will be the biggest stumbling block. Then a small smile grows on her face, bringing a lightness to her green eyes. “A special outing with you, how can I say no?”

The strong beat of my heart beginning to work again has me struggling to breathe as relief washes over me. I flash her a large smile before settling back for the one that I seem to sport every time I’m around her—or think about her. “Then grab your stuff for a beach day so we can head out.”

It takes a few minutes, but beach bag in hand, she emerges from her room. I take it from her and then hold her empty hand, sliding my fingers between hers as I lead her down to our private dock where one of our smaller speed boats are waiting.

“Are we taking a boat trip? Where are we going? Is it far? For how long?”

“Woah, give a guy a chance to answer.” At my wink, she blushes. I help her to board the boat and show her where to put her bag before responding to the rest of her questions. “We are, but I’m not telling you anything else.” I bop her nose. “If I did, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise.”

She chuckles as she relaxes back in one of the recliners as I ready the boat. One of the captains offered to crew the boat for me, allowing me to relax with her, but I turned him down, wanting to spend as much time as possible alone with her.

We cruise the Caribbean waters for almost an hour before we reach the sandy atoll that’s surrounded by a coral reef on the far side. It’s not large enough to be habited, and the tide can make most of it disappear, but it is privately owned… by my company. It’s a great place for a romantic rendezvous or even a day long, private beach party.

When I cut the engines and ready the anchor to be thrown, she stands and squeals. “Oh my gosh, it’s so pretty. It is always set up like this or did you do it special?”

As I drop the anchor over the side, I tell her how the few palm trees are always there, but that’s it. My staff bring everything else to the island and do the set up and take down every time someone books it.

After gathering her bag since my stuff is already on the island, I hang the rope ladder over the side. “I’ll climb down first and then help you to shore.”

The moment she’s low enough, I scoop her into my arms, carrying her bridal style through the shallow water.

“My knight in shining armour.”

“Always. Mud puddles, bodies of water, even potholes, I’ll always carry you over them.”

She kisses my cheek, nearly making me stumble. Thankfully I don’t fall or drop her even if I can’t wait to see her all wet again.

I carry her over to the white tent, cabana-like structure where my staff have set up a relaxing lounging beg complete with fine linens and a feather comforter for warmth from the blowing wind. It might be calm now, but the wind can blow strongly, cooling things down too much for most ladies—and some men, too.

“Wow. You’ve thought of everything,” she says as she glances around, taking note of the twin sun loungers set up outside the tent and the dining area, complete with two ice chests filled with drinks and snack foods. The staff will swing by later with a small buffet spread for a late lunch.

I shrug. “I thought you could use a day away from everything and everyone. Well, except for me of course.”

She grins. “Of course. I mean, who could stay away from you?”

The fact that she’s joking, and her eyes look a little cleared warms me even if she’s proven over the past few days that she can stay away from me. But then again, even when she was with my employees, she acted as if she was all alone, so I know it’s not personal.

“How about we snorkel? The far side contains a beautiful coral reef with lots of fish.”

“But we don’t—” I pull out two pairs of snorkeling gear from a basket under the bed. “Then it sounds like a wonderful idea.”

By the time the float plane arrives with our lunch, we’re both hungry and ready for a break. We spent most of the time in the water, snorkeling or swimming with only brief periods lying out under the sun. And kissing. Lots and lots of kissing. After filling our plates, we opt to eat on the bed in the shade. I know I need to tell her about everything, I don’t want to taint the fun we’re having. Maybe bringing her here to tell her was a bad move. Every time she’ll think about today and the island, she’ll remember how her sister and ex did more than just betray her. Arg, I’m such an idiot.

Instead of talking when our meal is done, we curl up on the bed for a nap, giving what may possibly be my last chance to hold her in my arms. It’s sweet torture that I never want to end, but I can’t resist the pull of relaxation the proximity of her body gives to me.

I wake up, feeling the best I’ve felt in years and find her still sleeping in my arms. It gives me a chance to watch her, memorizing every little thing about her, from the way her lashes—lightly coated in mascara—brush against her cheek to the way her nose wrinkles and her mouth twitches into a smile with a good dream. I want her to experience that feeling for as long as possible since I know our conversation will erase all those feelings of relaxation she’d discovered.

She stirs and I kiss her, staring at her temple and working my way down her cheeks and over to her mouth. I let out a moan as her body presses against mine, igniting the banked fire within me. One that I need to douse quickly because I’m not going to do anything more than kissing before telling her the truth. I back up, putting a little distance between us. “Good afternoon, darling. Did you have a good sleep?”

She stares up at me, green eyes clouded with matching desire as she stretches, pressing her breasts back up against my naked chest . A sly smile crosses her face, letting me know she knows what she’s doing to me. She trails her finger over my cheek. “I did. The best sleep I've had in a long, long time.”

“Then you’ll have to sleep in my arms all the time.” I wiggle my eyebrows. Instead of hearing her chuckle, her smile dims as she begins to chew on her bottom lip. Not wanting to spook her further, I jump from the bed. “It's time to get up. The staff will be back in and hour or two to gather everything before the tide is too high.”

“Is there anything you want to do?” She follows me out of the bed. Once again latching onto the change of topic lifeline I threw her, confirming she still wasn’t ready for more.

“Let’s go sit down and talk.” I hold out my hand not sure if she’ll take it or not, but surprisingly she does. I lead her to lounger, letting her take a seat while I pace in front of her. Will she leave because I’m responsible for getting her sister charged? Will this always hang over our heads, driving a wedge between us?

“Whatever it is, you can tell me?” Her words cut through all the worry and concerns running around in my head.

I drop to my knees in front of her. “I told you I would look into what happened, regarding your cancellation and where the money went.” She nods. “I have the answers, but I'm worried you're not going to like them.”

She reaches for my hands, placing them in her lap. “It's okay, Caleb. I think I already know the answer.” She gives my hands a squeeze. “The woman was my younger sister, wasn’t it? They wanted the money to help them start their life together since my sister’s already borrowed against most of her trust.”

“Yes, but there’s more.”

Her shoulders slump a little as she takes a couple of deep breaths before she straightens, revealing the steel core of courage she has. “Hit me with it.”

“Our lawyers are going to sue for the return of the money. But they’re also filing an insurance claim which meant talking to the police. Due to the amount of money involved, the police are issuing warrants for their arrests.”