“I just can’t believe we’re here,” she smiled. “I didn’t realize how much we needed this.”
“You’ll be a new woman by the time you leave. Cameron’s scheduled a massage for you in a few hours, there is a week’s worth of groceries in the fridge. He’s also opted for concierge service and a driver for the length of your stay. My number is in the book on the table.” Abbie stood, eyes glistening, her smile growing with every word I spoke.
“Happy?”
“Ecstatic.”
“Awesome. There are two keys to the house on the foyer table. And please don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”
Cameron joined us standing by Abbie’s side with a newly animated little boy wiggling in his arms.
“Thank you so much, Koti, I couldn’t have pulled this off without you.”
“You’re welcome and welcome to St. Thomas.”
I left the smiling family with a new kind of ache in my chest. I was just about to head back to the office when Jasmine called.
“Hey buddy, did you get the Bledsoe’s checked in?”
“Yep, all set.”
“We’re done for the day if you want to knock off.”
“Are you sure?” I asked with a smile.
“Yes girl, go play with Ian. But just keep your phone on for calls. I have a date tonight.”
“Really? With who?”
She paused. “Jasmine, with who?”
“Toby. Am I crazy?”
“Of course not, I kind of figured that was going to happen.”
“Really, you see us together? He’s so…”
“Bold? Confident? Perfect for you?”
“If you thought that, why didn’t you say something?”
“I wanted you two to figure it out for yourselves.”
I pulled up to a stoplight where a Jeep, the same style as mine waited with me. I glanced over to see I had the attention of the passengers, a group of teenage guys.
“Let’s just hope he doesn’t come out in an apron or want me to R. Kelly his ass.”
“What?”
“Pee on him or some freaky shit.”
The guys burst into laughter as I hung my head. “You just embarrassed me at a stoplight,” I hissed as I smashed onto the gas the minute the light changed.
It was all I remembered aside from the crunch of metal.
IGNORING MY PHONE, I RAN through my list of lectures and made notes. Looking around the expansive beach house, I basked in the serenity of Koti’s bubble. As soon as she got home, I was going to cook her my favorite meal and spend the night making her moan. I wasn’t taking a single fucking minute of our time together for granted. After making sure I had everything I needed I glanced at the clock. She would be home any minute. Warmth spread as I thought of the way she’d woken me up that morning, her lips wrapped around my cock before she lifted herself to sink on top of me. We didn’t utter a word, just reveled in the connection as I pulled her to me so we were chest to chest, hearts pounding as she slowly rode me until we had no choice but to break the silence with words of praise.
There was something to be said about the sex we had, but the connection we shared was what made it so fucking incredible. Koti was a safe haven, and I drank with greed from her never-ending fountain of beauty and warmth. There was always an understanding in her eyes, kindness of her words. Our relationship was effortless, she was a relatable friend and an incredible lover. She gave and gave, and I took without hesitation because even though at the heart of it, I felt selfish, I felt like she too was thriving on letting me have my way. Anything else would have been unacceptable, I knew that I cared too much about her to hurt her. If I felt for one second over the last month we shared that she had suffered in any way, I wouldn’t have returned to St. Thomas. There was no benefit in making her confess she needed me the night before, but my desire to know if the feeling was mutual was too much.
Because I needed her too, and as dangerous as it was to get that admission, I didn’t feel so alone in my ache and maybe, just maybe, my confession that I needed her the same would be enough for us for the moment.
My phone vibrated again, and I picked it up to see a local area code.
“Hello.”
“Ian, it’s Jasmine.”
My heart sank as every nerve in my body fired. “No, oh fuck, is she all right?”
“She’s been in an accident. Some asshole t-boned her at a light but thankfully he wasn’t going that fast. She’s got a rash from the airbag, but she’s okay. I’m bringing her home now. She just didn’t want you to worry.”
“Why didn’t she call me?”
The silence confirmed my worst fear. “She had an attack?”
“Yes,” Jasmine confirmed with a whisper, “and it was nasty. They gave her some meds and she’s a little loopy.”
“Okay.”
“Just don’t walk on eggshells, okay, or she’ll know I told you.”
“I won’t.”
“Ian, at some point you aren’t going to be there, right?”
Pressing my lips together I tried to push away the burn in my chest. “Right.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing.”
On the defensive but feeling like a bastard, I answered. “I don’t want to hurt her.”
“But you’re going to. And if I’m being honest, I think you already are.”
Pacing the floor, I let out a sigh of relief when the front door opened. Koti appeared with a small red rash on the side of her nose and a larger stretch of it covering her chin.
“So today sucked,” she said with a laugh. “I’m slightly medicated.”
In an instant, she was in my arms. “I’m so sorry.” I pulled away.
“I’m totally fine. Airbags fucking hurt though just so you know, stay as far away from the wheel when you drive as you possibly can. I feel like I got punched by a heavyweight.”
“That bad?”
“Not on Vicodin and Xanax,” she said with a laugh. “I’m feeling pretty damn loose, professor, tonight might be a good time to experiment.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Look at you, rolling your eyes. I do remember you grounding your daughter for that.”
“Are you okay, really?”
She paused when she read my expression. “She told you, didn’t she? That asshole.”
“Why can’t I know?”
“Why should you know?” She ran her hands through her longer blonde hair. She’d been growing it out since I’d arrived at the island. I hadn’t told her, but I loved it that length. I hadn’t told her I loved a lot of things. “Because I’m the man waiting for you, that’s why.”
Ignoring me, she took a seat on the barstool by the island. “You’re cooking for me?”
Her smile was forced, but I went with it.
“Yeah, I wanted to surprise you with my favorite dish from when I was a boy.”
“What is it?”
“It’s called Boboties. It’s spiced meat with egg custard and topped with raisins.”
“That sounds… interesting. Let’s do this, I’m starving. All I’ve had to eat today was flying metal with a side of glass soup.”
I frowned at her indifference, feeling her rattle with nerves across from me. “Not funny.”
She held up her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart in front of her. “A little bit funny. My Jeep is totaled, well, my parents’ Jeep. I don’t even own a car, how am I going to have a baby?”
I froze the workings of my hands and faced her. “You’re pregnant?”
She must have realized her slip. “No. God, Ian, no. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” she waved her hand like any drugged person would.
“Why are you talking about a baby then?”
“I just, in the future if I wanted to have a baby, I don’t even own a car. I’m too poor to be a mother. Never mind, I’m rambling.”
I pressed for more information, high on pills or not, I had to know.
“Are you thinking about a family?”
“I just saw the cutest little boy ever and it made my ovaries ache, that’s all. Don’t get weird.”
“I’m not being weird, you’re being weird.”
“I’m high, what’s your excuse? And why aren’t you cooking, crocky? I’m starving!”
“On it, your highness.”
A beat of silence passed. “He was beautiful though—the baby, Noble—he was perfect. Shy, and just so… they were happy, you know, it wasn’t forced or fake, you could see how happy they were.”