chapter 9
I try to speak, but the words freeze in my throat, we stand for an eternity just staring at each other before he finally speaks “Kate, please don’t go” he whispers.
“Carlos, I…” I don’t know what to say, I’d closed the door on this, I never thought he’d come after me.
“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have let you leave, I was confused and then you’re letter…” he is obviously having trouble putting his thoughts into words, “I love you Kate”
I’m blown away, subtly I pinch myself just to make sure I’m not imagining the whole thing, with my lack of sleep I wouldn’t be surprised; but the scene doesn’t change, I’m aware that I still haven’t responded, but I’m speechless.
“I don’t know what to say” I manage meekly, “I never thought I’d see you again”
“I know, I can’t tell you how sorry I am. After I read your letter I spoke to Marcus and he eventually admitted everything, that’s why it’s taken so long, he was still denying it and I just didn’t know what to think. I’m so sorry I doubted you. Please say you’ll come back with me”
I’m flooded with joy, all I can do is nod as fresh tears of relief roll down my face. Pulling me into him Carlos strokes my hair and soothes me “it’s OK, please don’t cry, everything’s going to be OK now” The flood gates open and I sob into his chest, inhaling his scent with every breath and holding onto him with all my strength, I never want to let him go.
“I thought I’d lost you, I love you Carlos” I finally admit it out loud.
I’ve become acutely aware of what a state I look, so as Carlos gently pulls away from the embrace I lower my head, wiping my nose with the back of my hand and sniffing hard, “I look awful”
“No, you look beautiful” he says softly, leaning down and kissing me; the feel of his lips on mine is intoxicating, I didn’t think I’d ever experience it again and now I am it feels even more glorious than I remember.
When we finally part he speaks to the stewards, now sporting a look somewhere between confusion and awe.
“They can’t get your bag now, but they will have it back here by tomorrow” he explains to me.
“OK” my suitcase is the last thing I care about right now, all I want is to be with him, nothing else in the world matters.
I can feel something digging into my palm and looking down I notice I’m still clutching onto the love charm Blair gave me, I had thought it was sweet of her, but ultimately a load of old hokum; but now I can sincerely confirm that this is one powerful little stone!
Draping his arm protectively around my shoulders he guides me away, away from the stewards judging eyes, away from my flight home and away from my heartache.
The trip back in the comfort of his hired Bentley is divine, oh how I’ve missed state of the art luxury travel, it makes the taxi ride I took to the airport feel like doing a two hour journey in a rickshaw.
We spend the time kissing and cuddling each other, no more words need to be said, mistakes have been made, but ultimately we are back together and everything seems perfectly harmonious again.
As the chauffeur opens the door for me to get out back at the resort I broach the one question that’s been playing on my mind “Is Marcus still at yours?” I ask cautiously.
“He’s staying with my parents now, they’re mad at him too, but they still think we need to talk about it and make up” he says rolling his eyes.
“It might not be such a bad idea, believe me, I know what he did was terrible, but in his own twisted way he was doing it to look out for you?” I don’t hate him any less than before; just because things have worked out now, doesn’t mean he wasn’t massively in the wrong, but they are brothers and he did come clean, eventually.
“Let’s not ruin this time by talking about him. I’ll think about it, OK” he’s blocking it out like he had done the last time, but the stern tone in his voice tells me not to push my luck; and anyway today is all about us.
“OK” I agree, “What do you want to do now?”
“Take you home and ravish you” he states simply.
“That sounds wonderful, but first I need to ring Caz and let her know she doesn’t need to pick me up from the airport just yet, oh and I should probably speak to Blair and tell her I’m back”
“Blair already knows, I saw her just before I left, she gave me a right telling off!”
“She did? Oh I’m sorry” I chuckle, imagining Blair’s mild attempt to tell someone off.
“It’s ok, I deserved it, remind me never to mess with her again!” he smiles pulling me into another fiery kiss.
Hand in hand we head back to his place, or should I say our place, God I’m so happy I feel giddy! I understand now when they say that loosing something makes you realise just how much it meant to you, I guess I have to thank my lucky stars that mine wasn’t lost forever; just long enough for us both to see the true depth of our feelings for one another. And now we are re-united more full of passion and love than ever before.
Back at home I make a swift call to Caz, I’m relieved when it goes to her answer phone as I don’t want to waste time explaining the whole scenario to her when I could be in bed with Carlos. As I garble out a quick explanation, I remember the time difference, it’s about 1.30am back home, I really need to stick a post-it note on the phone to remind me; all these spare of the moment calls must be starting to annoy Caz now.
As soon as I replace the receiver Carlos is there, his hands on my body, his lips on my neck, I melt instantly into him, my fingers fumbling the buttons on his shirt, but I’m so absorbed in what he’s doing to me that I can’t co-ordinate enough to get them undone; in frustration I grasp either side and tare it open, sending the buttons flying.
He stops kissing my neck and straightens up to look me, his eyes wide with surprise, “You really have missed me” he laughs, before scooping me up off the floor, in that effortless way only Carlos can and carrying me upstairs, “Let’s take this somewhere more comfortable”
Setting me down on the bed he lays down next to me, taking my face in his hands, we kiss, exploring each other as if in the last two days something might have changed.
I want to be closer to him, our clothes seem to create an impenetrable barrier between us and right now I need to feel every inch of him against me; slowly I sit up and inch my top up slowly, as I do he follows the retreating fabric with his hands, stroking my exposed body, until he’s cupping my breasts, gently pulling at the material of my bra.
Reaching behind me I tentatively unhook it, “Are you sure?” he whispers, his fingers poised at the straps.
“I’m sure, I want to be entirely connected with you”
Slowly he slips the straps down my arms and discards the bra over the side of the bed. He leans in and starts moving about my chest with his tongue and lips; I love his lips, they are dreamily curved with that cupids bow shape on the top and the bottom one rounded to perfection. They feel delightful against my skin, as if they were made solely for the purpose of kissing me.
I push his shirt down over his shoulders so I can caress his toned back, feeling it shift under my fingers as he moves around my body.
His hands are at my trousers, undoing them, before I know it he’s tugging them down over my thighs until they join the rest of my clothes on the floor; he slips out of his and then returns to his rightful place, next to me.
Lying face to face, our bodies entwined together, skin against skin, staring deeply into each-other’s eyes we say nothing, but instead communicate our feelings with our bodies; moving my legs up to curl around him, holding him tight, while rotating our hips in unison, teasing each other. One of his hands is in my hair as the other tantalisingly skims down my spine; I’ve never felt so in tune with anyone before, so much is being expressed between us without a single sound.
I’ve never been so turned on from just being naked with someone, come to that I’ve never felt so at ease being naked with someone, but this time it just feels right.
We alternate between kissing and looking longingly at each other for an age, becoming steadily more aroused as we do, as we continue to move I can feel his erection pressing against me and I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything so badly in my life. Reaching down I take it into my hand, positioning it against me so he can feel my muscles pulsing in anticipation; agonisingly slowly he pushes inside me, so I can appreciate every last inch of him.
We hold still, wholly fused together as one, absorbing every sensation, but it’s still not enough, I want more; I want to feel him deeper inside of me, I want to taste his tongue in my mouth.
I wrap my arms tighter around him, pushing my lips against his and thrusting my tongue inside. He reacts to my desire, rocking his hips, pulling his cock out of me before slowly pushing it all the way back in, over and over.
I pull my knees up higher, grabbing his ass and digging my nails into his firm skin; I start to roll to one side and he follows until he is on top of me, now I can move both hands to grope his peachy bum.
With a firm hold I push him into me with force until he matches my rhythm. He grasps my legs, throwing them over his shoulders and ramming into me “Oh yes baby” I call out, using the new leverage to arch my back.
“I love you Kate” he pants, increasing the intensity, I’m in ecstasy with a beautiful man who actually loves me and it feels amazing!
“Oh Carlos, I love you too” as soon as the words leave my mouth I’m overcome and as my body shakes under the impact, he finishes too.
We stay locked together, sweaty and out of breath, neither of us wanting to break this contact.
Having lost each other once, I know I can’t go through it again.
I slept soundly last night, waking late to find Carlos in his standard position, draped over me. I’m too hot, but I don’t move, I may be uncomfortable, but right now, there’s nowhere I’d rather be.
I’m all too aware that I only have six days left. I thought about changing my flights yet again and staying longer, now my romance is back on track and stronger than ever; but it’s just not feasible, not if I want to keep my job that is.
Mind you, what is more important to me right now? A job, which granted I enjoy, but is ultimately replaceable, or Carlos who I fully believe I couldn’t live without.
Obviously Carlos wins, but are things really that black and white? What would I do when I did finally return home, jobless and penniless? It’s not like I could just stay here forever, living the dream. It’s too much to think about this early in the morning, too many if’s and but’s to make a valid decision.
Carlos starts to stir beside me, blowing all other thoughts out the window as he pulls me into him even tighter.
“Morning” he mumbles, still half asleep.
“Good morning sleepy head” I whisper, stroking the soft stubble on his cheek.
I used to hate the rough feel of stubble on Jakes face, but on Carlos it feels heavenly to touch. I finally understand the phrase ‘rose tinted glasses’, if ever there was a way to describe how everything is when you’re in love it truly is rose tinted.
“I love waking up with you”
“Oh yeah, why’s that?” I tease.
“So I can do this” he says, kissing me softly and slipping his hand between my legs.
“Uhh” I utter, this man is insatiable.
We take our time making love, reclaiming each-others bodies; it’s a wonder how we’ve become more in tune with one another after spending time apart.
“I could do with a shower” I say once we’re both satisfied.
“Would you like so company?” he suggests, with his cute cheeky grin.
“I’d love some” I reply, my self-conscious side long forgotten since his admission of love for me. I think that when I let go of my insecurities and just believed that, for whatever reasons, Carlos finds me attractive, everything became more enjoyable; there’s no distracting thoughts at the back of my mind telling me I’m not good enough and instead I was free to concentrate entirely on how sensual sex can be.
Slipping naked out of bed we head to the bathroom, stepping into the steaming water. After all the traveling yesterday (and to be fair all the sex) I really appreciate the cleansing time.
Carlos is busy lathering himself in shower gel while I drench my hair, his eyes carefully watching my every move.
“What?” I ask innocently.
“Come here” he says, pulling me against him. The soapy water makes his skin soft and slippery, as he envelops me in his arms I’m coated with it too. We stand together, the shower gel gives me the excuse to touch him everywhere under the guise of helpfully spreading the soap over his body.
He slaps my ass hard making me shriek, “You had a bubble on your ass, I popped it” he says, grinning from ear to ear.
“Oh did I now?” I say, returning the favour by spanking him back, “I just wanted to spank you” I explain simply making, him laugh.
By the time we sit down to breakfast it’s midday, I’m sure Carlos should be working, he’s taken so much time off for me these last couple of weeks, but I don’t want him to go, so I say nothing about it.
Just as we’re finishing breakfast there’s a knock at the door, I look at Carlos and he shrugs “I’m not expecting anyone” he explains, crossing the room to answer it.
Marcus is on the other side, the very sight of him instantly fills me with rage, I hate him more than I’ve ever hated anything in my life. I move to stand next to Carlos showing him we are a united front, not to be messed with.
“I seeshe’sback then” he sneers. On impulse I pull my hand back, landing it with force, squarely on the side of his face making a gratifying slapping sound.
He looks at me shocked, holding his smarting cheek, “You’re going to let her get away with that?” he demands from Carlos..
“HA!” Carlos laughs, “You deserved it, in fact if she hadn’t have got in there first you would have got a lot worse from me.” He puts his arm around my waist and gives me a little squeeze of approval.
“Well I came to try and speak to you, but I can see she’s been busy brainwashing you against me” he snaps defensively.
“Jeeze, what is your problem?” I can’t believe how outrageous he is, “You were a dick and you got caught out, now everything is good again, but you’re still being a dick, seriously it’s like youwant Carlos to despise you” he opens his mouth to speak but I cut him off, “I’m not finished yet! Look I haven’t said anything to Carlos about you but the truth of what happened the other day; if anything I’ve tried to encourage him to talk to you, but you’re just hell bent on trying to tare us apart So if that’s how you want it, believe me I would be more than happy to ‘turn him against you’ ” I mimic his pathetic voice to wind him up, “or you can just let go of this random vendetta you have against me and maybe, in time, we can all get along?”
He stares me down, not saying a word for an awkwardly long amount of time, “Well?” Carlos prompts, but the only response we get is him storming away, fists clenched by his sides.
“I’ve changed my mind, if you never want to speak to that douche again it’s fine by me” I say, pushing the door closed.
“I told you so” Carlos smiles weakly back. It doesn’t matter how aggravating Marcus is, he’s still his brother and that undeniably runs deep in anybody; sadly I know this won’t be the last we hear from him.
An hour later we are just about to leave the house, I'm reaching for the handle when someone knocks from the other side. I jump back startled, Carlos chuckles at my reaction. "You don't think it's Marcus again do you?" I ask, hoping it's not, but believing the worst.
"There's only one way to find out" Carlos says, pulling the door open.
We are greeted instead with his parents, they are both smiling politely, but after everything that's been going on recently I can only assume this can't be good.
Carlos moves forward and embraces his mother, kissing her cheek in the process and then nods to his dad, "What are you two doing here?" he asks lightly; in his usual cool and collected manner he does not show any of the concern I'm feeling.
"Well actually we were hoping to have a word with Kaitlin" Clara responds, giving me a sixty watt smile, now I see where Carlos gets his from.
"Actually we were just on our way out" Carlos counteracts their request.
"It won't take long" now Tom weighs in, knowing that Carlos will not be able to refuse them a second time without sounding rude.
He turns to me, his expression questioning, we've become so close that this one look says a thousand words to me; all I would have to do is give him one forlorn gaze and he would defy them, no matter what the consequence. But they are clearly concerned or they would not have come here and the last thing I want is to be responsible for another family fall out, so instead I smile sweetly "Of course, please come in" I sing in the most obliging way, stepping back to clear a path for them.
They both visually relax as they follow my lead, Tom pauses at Carlos's side, "Would you give us a moment alone please?" he breathes the words quietly into his sons ear.
Carlos frowns, but obeys all the same, "I need to pop to the office" he states, addressing his father, then to me "I'll be back in twenty minutes" I nod in agreement, smiling to hide my nerves as I watch him leave.
However kindly they put it, I know this is going to be awkward, for all of us, so I quickly decide the best course of action will be a charm offensive; they obviously appreciate manners, so mine must be impeccable to dispel any negative thoughts they may have formed about me, based of Marcus's lies.
"Tom, Carla, can i get you anything, a drink, something to eat? have you had lunch already? We don't have much in, but I can whip up a quick snack if you're hungry?"
They exchange a quick glance, which if I'm not mistaken, shows they are suitably impressed, but refuse my offer all the same. Instead we all take a seat around the lounge area and sit in a relatively uncomfortable silence until Clara finally speaks.
"You probably know why we're here" she starts, I could hazard a guess, but I let her finish, "all this business with the boys has us a little worried. When we met you, you made a great impression on us". I have to bite my lip to stop from giggling at this point; I know she is referring to the dinner we had, but I can't help but conjure up memories of when they actually first met me, naked. I always laugh in stressful situations, I don't know why, but everything seems more funny when you know it shouldn't be. I manage to hold it together as she continues "as you may know we have heard some derogatory things from Marcus and in light of what's happened since, we can only assume that he fabricated them, but as parents it is still our duty to make sure"
"I completely understand" I respond, relieved that they haven't been taken in by his lies, "it was nothing more than brotherly love, gone a bit awry" I surprise myself at how easily the words flow from my lips, even though after this mornings events I am anything but convinced that that was Marcus's true intention.
"That's exactly what we thought" Clara agrees happily, clearly blinkered by her own love for her children; but this is not the time and it's certainly not my place to argue. They are happy with believing that, so I have to be happy with dropping it now.
"Well that was all we needed" Tom advises standing to go "we just wanted to hear it from you" Clara and I follow suit, standing to attention, before they head to the door. They both give me a surprisingly vigorous hug as they pass, I can't help but chuckle inwardly at how easily pleased they are. I'm starting to understand how Carlos and Marcus could have had this on going feud for so long, without them being aware of just how serious it was. All they would have had to do is say it's fine and their parents would seemingly have blindly accepted it. but who am I to judge, every family has it's issues, each to their own I guess.
The whole conversation took less than ten minutes in total, so I busy myself cleaning up the kitchen while I wait for Carlos to return. No more than five minutes later, he bursts through the door, all gallant, ready to save me from some unknown terror, but seeing his parents gone and me none the worse for it, he relaxes. "Well? what did they say?" he asks eager to know the details of our private rendezvous.
"Never you mind, nosey" I tease, chucking the wet sponge I've been using to wipe the surfaces, at him. He jumps to the side so it sails right past him, landing with a squelch on the tiled floor.
"Oh come on, I've been dying to know!" he whines, picking up the sponge and closing the gap between us. Shaking my head I run my fingers across my lips and rotate them at the end, flicking my fingers away, signalling that my lips are sealed.
"I was afraid you might be like this" he says playfully. Quick as a cat he grabs me, squeezing the wetness out of the sponge and down my back "AH!" I scream, squirming to get away, but achieving nothing. As his fingers find my sides I relent "OK, OK, I'll tell you" I manage between laughing and screaming.
He stops his attack, but keeps his hold on me, just in case I dare to change my mind. "It was nothing" I admit, "they just wanted to check that Marcus had lied and they were happy that it was all just make believe."
“Classic, my parents can't cope with any kind of problem, so as long as you say it's fixed their happy!” I had already figured out this much, but it's not often that Carlos divulges information about his family, so I'll take what I can get.
“Well I'd rather that than they hate me too” I say, more to myself than anyone.
“No one hates you” Carlos defends me automatically, “And anyone that does obviously doesn't know you like I do” I'm still folded in his arms as he begins to turn us in slow circles, while listing my qualities.
“You're sweet” he says followed by a kiss to my forehead, “And caring” with a kiss to my nose, “And feisty” kissing my chin, making me giggle “And Sexy” finishing with a long kiss on the lips. He looks into my eyes and stops moving us round, I'm expecting him to make his move, but he just stands there, staring at me.
“And I'm....” he prompts finally, fishing for me to return the compliment.
“Oh!” I laugh only just cottoning on to my supposed part in this, “You are all of the above as well as being brave and protective and everything I've ever dreamed of!” I'm rewarded with another kiss and a cheeky grope.
“So what do you want to do with the rest of today?” Carlos asks.
“I don't know, what are my options?”
“We could go swimming, or fishing, or go do something outside of the resort?” he offers, but nothing is more captivating to me than being with him, preferably naked.
“Or we could stay here and christen every room?” I suggest slyly.
“That is the best idea you've ever had” he growls sexily, lifting me onto the worktop I've just cleaned, “hows this for starters?” in answer to his question I rip off my top and wrap my legs around his body, dragging him towards me.
“Ms. Mavers, you look good enough to eat” he gasps, immediately covering me with little nips, gentle enough not to hurt, but hard enough so that it doesn't tickle and I find that instead, it feels strangely erotic.
I lay back, across the shiny surface, welcoming the cool of the marble against my skin. Holding me firmly by my hips Carlos pulls me towards him so that my lower back rests on the curved edge. From this position he removes my shorts and pants with ease, returning to cover my modesty with his mouth.
I'm starting to love it when he goes down on me. To begin with it was enjoyable sure, but there is something unnerving about having someones face pressed against your most private parts; but the more I grow to trust him, the more pleasurable I find it.
Reaching between my legs I grab a fistful of his hair and begin moving my hips up and down, holding his head firmly in place as I do. Pushing myself hard against his lips, taking everything he has to give and more. Riding him like there's no tomorrow.
My toes and fingers tense against the hard surface, clinging on to the edges so I can push into him without slipping off entirely.
I feel him slip his finger inside me as he lets his tongue loose, his other hand reaching up and to fondle my breast, his expert fingers clamping onto my nipple. I let go into an orgasm, letting him taste my satisfaction.
Rising up he thrusts his hard cock into me, the intensity of it almost making me cum again. I sit up so I can touch him, but it stops him from getting as deep, so I let myself drop back down, enjoying the increasing penetration as I do.
Carlos takes my hand and places it onto my *, using his fingers to guide my own around it, “I like it when you touch yourself” he pants. This is new, it's normally only something I would do alone, but I've got to admit it adds to my enjoyment, so what the hell. I find the right pace and just go with it.
“Oh sweet you're really turning me on” he says grabbing my hips and hammering his point home, it's just what I need and I can see by the look on his face that he's close too.
With one last thrust we are both undone, leaving us breathless and sweaty but inanely happy.
The rest of the afternoon we spend in a state of undress, moving from room to room, making each one more dirty than the last.
Eventually we end up exhausted and thoroughly dehydrated, sprawled out in our own bed. It's not long before I succumb to sleep, I have had a very energetic day after all; who needs the gym when you have a fine young toy boy to keep up with!?
By the time I wake the clock is displaying 19.00, rolling over sleepily I jolted awake by the lack of Carlos beside me. I know it's silly, but I've become so used to having him with me twenty four seven that when he's unexpectedly not there I panic.
I can hear movement downstairs, so my heart rate begins to slow; I throw on my jeans and one of his T-shirts, it's like being drowned in a sea of Carlos, what a way to go, and make my way downstairs.
There is light, but it's faint and flickers, casting ever changing golden streaks across the walls. He must have candles lit, maybe there's been a power cut or something. As I continue down the stairs my eyes become accustomed to the light and I can see why he wasn't in bed. The place has been transformed, candles of all different shapes and sizes adorn every surface, with rose petals scattered around them; the fairy lights from the balcony on our first date are twisted in spirals and laid out across the black marble surfaces in the kitchen, their reflections in the counter tops making them twinkle like billions of tiny stars.
He's bought in a dining table and laid it beautifully, the remainder of the intact roses in a vase in the centre, surrounded by more tea lights and a bottle of pink champagne on ice stands to one side.
He's at the oven tinkering about with something that smells both delicious and weirdly familiar, although I can't put my finger on why.
As I approach him he turns, his face lighting up at my presence. That reaction is hard to fake, but yet can be more special than any flowers or grand gestures; knowing that that person only has eyes for you and that just being in the same room as them can make them happier than you'd ever think possible. It warms your heart.
“Hey good timing, I was just going to come and get you” he smiles.
“What's all this in aid of?” I ask, daintily touching the fairy lights as I step into his arms.
“It's the two week anniversary of when we first met” he explains. Now this is romance, all I got for the first year of being married to Jake was a card, given to me two days late! I'm gob smacked, there are no words which will convey the extent of how much I love this man right now.
“Carlos, this is amazing, how did you...when did you?” my words fail me as I expected.
“You've been asleep for an hour, I sorted most of it this morning when you were talking with my parents and stashed it round the side of the house and the last few bits I picked up while you were snoring!” he jokes.
I give him a fleeting disapproving look for suggesting that I snore, but I'm so elated by his efforts that I don't care for long.
“I got chef Alfredo to prepare the same food we had on our first date, I know that was the day after, but I thought it would be a nice touch all the same, it's just warming in the oven now.”he tells me, turning to check on it.
Without warning I fling myself at him, locking lips with him fiercely.
“What was that for?” he asks, looking pleased.
“This, you, everything, I've never been so happy, I love you Mr. Johnson” I gush.
“I love you too”
Dinner was as scrumptious as it was the first time round, only even more enjoyable on account of me not being a jittering bag of nerves around Carlos anymore. Once we finish the main course he clears our plates and returns to take his seat, then reaching his hand across the table he places a small white rectangle box with a blue bow in front of me. I look up at him quizzically.
“Open it” he prompts me gently, his boyish grin spreading across his face as he practically jumps up and down in his seat with excitement. I undo the blue satin bow as painstakingly slowly as I can, just to wind him up, even though the curiosity is killing me.
Inching the lid off carefully I find a silver necklace, the pendant is a smooth piece of curved silver it the shape of an Arum Lily, with a single pearl nestled at it's heart.
“Carlos it's lovely” I say, draping it across my palm to inspect it closer.
“Turn it over” As I turn it I can see something engraved into the back, I bring it close to my face so I can make it out in the dwindling candle light, 'C & K' and then directly under the letters a shape that looks like the figure eight on it's side.
“Eternity” he whispers.
I grin back at him, again he has left me speechless, I'm not sure if I would ever tire of this romance lark, each gesture he has made tonight has taken my breath away and I couldn't be more pleased.
“I love it!” I exclaim, “Will you help me put it on?” I jump out of my seat excitedly, passing it to him. Standing behind me he lowers it down to my chest then brings the clasp together at the back of my neck, finally easing my hair out from under it and turning me round to face him.
“It's beautiful Carlos thank you” I say, moving my fingers up to touch it once more.
“A beautiful necklace for my stunningly beautiful girl”
After a perfect evening we are rudely awoken early the next day by thundering bangs on the front door. Carlos is up immediately, sprinting downstairs to attend to whatever emergency is beckoning.
I'm a little slower, choosing to throw on a little more clothing than a pair of pants like him. As I leave our bedroom I'm just in time to catch the beginnings of the scathing onslaught fired at him by Julia.
“What the f*ck Carlos? I've just got back from my honeymoon and as soon as I set foot back here Marcus fills me in on all the shit that's been going on while I've been gone! Why are you shacked up with some gold digging slut?” man she's vicious, I'm actually glad I wasn't as quick at getting down there as Carlos, or she'd no doubt be scratching my eyes out by now.
I don't get his family; how can you have someone as thoughtful and caring as Carlos, with two siblings so venomous and twisted? It's not even like they have horrible parents, or hard lives, there is no logical explanation as to why they've turned out so different.
I can tell Carlos is seething, his voice has lowered, so I can't hear what he's saying back to her, but I know from when he met Jake that when he's really angry he gets quieter.
With Carlos defending me, it must be safe to venture downstairs, I tread lightly though, so not to draw too much attention in my direction.
I'm halfway down when she spots me, “What the hell are you doing here? Marcus told me what you did” she spits the words at me.
“I've already told you...” Carlos starts, but she doesn't let him finish.
“If you don't believe it that's your issue” she barks at him, “but I'm not about to let some cheap slag take advantage of your stupidity” her eyes are burning into me with vengeance. I'm not about to go through all this crap again, I've had just about enough of these cruel accusations.
“Julia, so nice to see you again” I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm, “Marcus is messed up and if you haven't worked that out by now then there's really no point in continuing this conversation.”
“That's my brother your talking about” she snaps back, taking a step towards me, but I hold my ground, I am not backing down now.
“Julia!” Carlos warns, taking hold of her arm, which she instantly jerks out of his grasp.
“Carlos it's OK” I assure him, “look I'm not doing all this again, Marcus admitted he lied to Carlos and your parents and now he's just seeing if he can get away with it with you too. Frankly it's pathetic, but if you don't believe me, take a look in his art book”
Carlos's attention shifts from Julia to me, “What do you mean?” he asks, confused.
“He sketched me when I was on the beach, I didn't know he was there, but then he showed it to me in a bid to 'seduce me' that night. If I was the one hitting on him, why would he have drawn that?”
They both stare at me in silence, taking in the value of my words, Julia is the first to respond, “Fine I will look, but this isn't over yet!” she sounds slightly deflated, but still determined to undermine me, as she stomps out.
“Why didn't you tell me about that picture?” Carlos asks softly, he seems hurt by the revelation.
“No reason, to be honest I forgot all about it until now.” I say honestly, coming towards him for a hug, he takes me in to his arms willingly cuddling away the trauma.
“I'm sorry about her, I told you she was a bit of a bitch!”
“You weren't wrong there. It's OK, but if I have one more run in with one of your family I might just explode” I'm not even joking now. It's getting a bit ridiculous now, they clearly all care about him deeply, but do they have to be so psycho about it?
“Can we go and see Blair today?” I ask changing the subject, plus I could really do with being surrounded by people who are on my side for a change.
“Sure, give her a ring and I'll whip us up some breakfast, scrambled eggs good with you? They're about all I can make!”
“Sounds wonderful” I smile, giving him a quick peck on the cheek, before heading to the bedroom to make the call in relative privacy.
Blair is ecstatic to hear from me, nearly deafening me with her screeching, she knew Carlos had come after me, but as she hadn't seen or heard from me since she wasn't sure that I'd come back with him.
“Oh come on, did you actually think I could say no after he made such an effort? He chased me down in the airport for goodness sake, it was so romantic” I giggle.
“That's true, so what's happened since?”
I give her a brief rundown of the good the bad and the ugly, explaining that any more detail will have to wait until we're next alone together, then we agree to all meet on the beach in an hour.
I head back to the kitchen to find Carlos swearing at burnt toast, “I'm sorry, I ruined it and if I do more now the eggs will get cold” he mopes.
“It's not that bad” I soothe, “lets just scrape off the black bits then you won't know the difference” I say, picking up a piece and running a knife over the offending parts, “see” I show him the result, perking him up slightly.
We eat our burnt toast and lukewarm eggs before taking a quick shower together; it's my new favourite thing to do, with the exception of having sex with him of course.
We head out to meet Blair and John shortly after, I've left my hair to dry naturally, which could prove to be a frizzy mistake, but I'm so contented with my lot right now, it just doesn't bother me.
As soon as we find them I pull Blair to one side, leaving the boys to talk fishing or golfing or what ever boys talk about.
“Here” I say placing the small, pink, heart shaped stone she gave me two days ago in her palm, “it worked like magic, I think I can safely say it's bought me more than my fair share of love now” I smile gratefully at her.
“I'm so glad it all worked out, you look positively radiant compared to the last time I saw you. Keep hold of it though, I'd never forgive myself if you ended up jinxing it by giving this away!” she laughs, handing it back to me. I'm secretly happy that I get it back, even if it has nothing to do with fate bringing Carlos back to me, it's still a pretty keep sake and something to remember Blair by when I get home.
Carlos suggests we take the boat out for a spin, we have to take a smaller one out to it, but thankfully it too is motorised so there's no chance of me having to row!
Carlos picks me up and deposits me in even though it's on the sand and Blair jumps in beside me, while the boys push us out into the waves. Neither of them seem to struggle with getting in when the time comes, I guess Carlos has done it millions of times before, but I don't know about John; he mounts it without any problems all the same.
The engine roars into life, speeding us towardsCarla,his dad named the boat after his mother, he explains, which seems fitting as it's as majestic as she is.
I'm not familiar with boats, but it seems huge, with a sweeping front that ends in a point, ideal for sunbathing and fishing equipment off the back, already loaded and ready to use.
There's a raised cabin between the two, slightly towards the front, which I assume you drive from, there's no sails, confirming that it run on a motor instead.
When we pull up alongside it, Carlos ties our smaller one onto ropes that hang off the side, then produces a metal ladder from the floor of our vessel and hooks it onto the top ofCarla,before motioning for me to climb up. I give him a skeptical look, it seems sturdy enough but I'm not known as the most graceful person. Blair leaps to my rescue “I'll go first” she volunteers scaling the ladder with ease and jumping on board. John follows her dutifully and then there's just me and Carlos left, bobbing up and down on the waves.
“I'll be right behind you” Carlos assures me. OK Kate, come on, you can do this, it looks easy enough, just don't make a fool out of yourself, simple; I mentally psyche myself up.
With both hands firmly holding onto the rungs, I set one foot on, then the other; it's surprisingly much more stable than it looked. I take it one step at a time, Carlos's hand resting on my hip for support, all the way up. John meets me at the top, taking a strong grasp on my arms and hauling me over the edge onto firmer ground, while Carlos hops over himself.
Once we are all safely on board, Carlos gives us the grand tour. Below deck there's a bedroom furnished just how you would imagine; a double bed with navy blue bedding, cherry would finishes everywhere, varnished to an impossibly shiny level and three little porthole windows evenly spaced on each side of the room. The bathroom is the smallest I've ever been in, but mind you, who needs a bath when they're on a boat? To top it off there's a compact, but fully functional kitchen, it even has a fridge, stocked with various perishable delights; they can't just keep it like this at all times, on the off chance someone ventures out in the boat one day, so I figure Carlos must have arranged it. I don't know if I'm walking around with my head in the clouds, or if Carlos is extremely cunning, because his ability to organise complex things without my noticing is astonishing. So far it has only been good things, but if he were ever to put his skills to work on something bad, I would certainly be none the wiser.
Anyway, I shouldn't think like that, my judgment is being marred by his siblings evil side, one look at his playful smile and any concerns about him turning into them vanishes into thin air.
We set sail, so to speak, heading out into the vast ocean. Carlos and John instantly take their place manning the wheel, they are both a bit neanderthal when it comes to gender roles, men do the work and meek women just sit around and make themselves pretty; but the last thing me and Blair want to do is sit in the shaded cabin and nervously steer a boat worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, when we could just be sunbathing, so as it works out, every-ones happy.
We slow to a stop some 40 minutes later, while Blair and I have gossiped in more detail about the events that have happened since my return, the boys have both had a turn steering and are about ready to turn their attention to fishing.
The anchor is dropped, letting the boat gently sway along in a mystical dance with the waves.
By all accounts fishing will prove to be a relatively fruitless endeavour, so Blair and I opt out in favour of further sunning time. We promise that if we ever tire of it, learning to fish will be at the top of our list!
We spend a beautiful morning on the boat, I feel like an heiress, the kind you see on T.V, adorning boats like these, sprawled out like we are now, except in tiny bikinis that leave nothing to the imagination. In fairness Blair is a lot closer to the mark than I am; with her stick thin figure and miniature sequinned bikini, that I'm guessing cost a small fortune and would disintegrate at the mere mention of getting sea water on it.
I however, am in a new, but somewhat less flashy ensemble, a green bikini with pink flowers, it's print is cute, but it's undeniably made more for comfort and support than showing off all I've got.
We must look like a right pair, beauty and her frumpy older sister! I bet they would have to do a double take when they saw which man went with which woman. John is lovely, don't get me wrong, he is kind hearted, caring and generous to a fault, but he is also a bit plain. He's quite short, having only a couple of inches on me, he's not fat, but he certainly isn't toned, let alone muscly; his hair is short and dark and he uses a bit too much gel to spike it up; as for his face, it's much like the rest of him, not bad, but nothing to write home about. I wonder if Blair is maybe more self conscious than she lets on, or did she really fall for him on account of him being such a nice guy?
Either way I see myself a lot more in him than I do in Carlos, however much I'm enjoying it, I can't help but feel I'm batting way above my average with my Adonis.
It's gone two before our stomachs start to rumble and we go in search of the boys to suggest some lunch. We find them at the back of the boat, lines still in the water, but with no sign of having caught anything.
“We've actually caught a fair amount, but we put them back after we've taken a photo” John explains.
“What's the point then?” Blair voices the question I was thinking.
“It's for fun, but we've got plenty of food so there's no point in killing them, it's all about the chase.” Carlos answers her.
“Speaking of food, we're famished” I add.
“Can we just have five more minutes?” John begs, clearly desperate to add to his collection of photos of random fish, to show off when he gets home.
“OK, how about we go knock something up and we'll bring it here when it's ready?” I compromise.
“Sounds perfect” Carlos agrees, giving me an appreciative peck on the cheek, so much for blaming the boys for confining us to our gender roles, when I go and volunteer for it myself. Right woman into the kitchen you go then, you've bought it on yourself!
There is so much to choose from, the kitchen may be small, but it's deceptive in how much it holds, there's cupboards and drawers everywhere, each packed in the most economical manner, allowing for a whole host of ingredients.
We decide it's too hot to cook, plus we are too lazy to bother, instead opting for a cold platter or various cheeses, meats, olives, hummus and bread and throw together a Greek style salad for good measure.
By the time we've got it all out I'm shocked at how much there is, six different types of cheese, cooked chicken, ham and beef we found in plastic tubs in the fridge as well as four different cured meats, three different types of olives, who thinks to stock three different types of olive? Surely an olives an olive?
And on top of all that there are three different types of bread, apparently one for each jar of olives and four flavours of hummus. I don't know what they normally do on this boat, but I think I can say with some certainty that they are not hungry while they do it.
With full bellies we return to our separate sides of the boat; its the purr of an engine that alerts us that we are not alone in the vast ocean. Blair and I look towards the shore where the noise is coming from. We both see the speed boat racing towards us, but I am first to recognise its occupants, “Oh great, what now?”
“That's Marcus isn't it? But who's that with him?” Blair asks.
“That would be Julia”
“Well maybe their coming to apologise?” Blair optimistically suggests, but as their faces scowling faces become clearer I strongly doubt it.
They pull up alongside and we all begrudgingly go to meet them. Julia surfaces first, Carlos, ever the gentleman, moves to help her on board, “So what do we owe this pleasure?” he speaks as Marcus joins us.
“We've come to put a stop to this” Julia states in her usual bitchy manner.
“Oh for pity’s sake” I mumble under my breath, earning me her best death stare.
“How many times do we have to have this conversation?” Carlos demands.
“As many times as it takes for you to see whats going on!” Marcus is back to his evil personality, so much for the truce.
“Can't you see Carlos?” Julia turns to him, softening her tone slightly, “now you're taking her and her friends out on the boat?” she motions towards Blair and John, I can see Blair struggling to keep her mouth shut.
“It was my idea!” Carlos shouts frustrated.
“Oh Carlos, don't be so stupid, they are clearly manipulating you!” Julia shouts above the wind, now whipping up into a frenzy, mirroring her destructive mood.
“Yeah that money grabbing whore...” Marcus starts, he doesn't manage to finish his sentence due to the punch Carlos lands squarely on his jaw, sending him to the floor.
“That's enough!” Carlos fumes, leaving everyone but Julia dumbfounded; I see it in slow motion as she lunges for him, her talons bared. Instinct takes over and I reach out, grabbing her arm and turning her back towards me, her face is twisted in rage, catching sight of it makes me instantly regret getting involved, I'm sure Carlos could have fended her off much more successfully than I can.
She shoves me hard in the chest, sending me reeling backwards, knocking into Blair as I go. The force knocks us both off our feet, but Blair takes it to her right shoulder, sending her spiralling into the rails and over the side to the sea. It's about a six foot drop so there's a pause before we all hear the splash, but John had leaped to her aid before she even hit the water. She is a strong swimmer so it was somewhat unnecessary to go in after her, but I love his heroism all the same.
Likewise Carlos is at my side, pulling me to my feet while simultaneously scanning me for injury, “I'm OK” I assure him, clinging onto his arm for support all the same.
By now Marcus has stood back up and looks a little shocked at how events have transpired, while Julia only sports a look of haughty derision, as if she is comfortable in the knowledge that we all deserve this.
Carlos speaks, his voice has lowered into a menacing whisper, signalling that he is furious “Kate is not any of the things that you accuse her of being, I will not say this again, I would rather loose a million of you two than just one of her, so you can either accept her, or you are both as good as dead to me. Now get the hell off this boat before I throw you off”
They both pause for a moment, looking at each other to silently agree their next move, eventually deciding to leave for now. We watch them speed away back to shore, “I wish I could say it looks like they've got the message, but somehow I doubt it” I say to Carlos, but he doesn't respond, I can't imagine how hard this is for him. He heads away, following the side of the boat, looking out for Blair and John who seem to have disappeared. We find them on the other side, splashing about merrily, “Are you guys OK” I shout down to them.
“Yeah we're great, you should come in, the waters lovely!” Blair shouts back, her look but don't touch bikini, fairing well in actual water.
I scoff at the idea, it's too high to willingly jump off, and I bet the water is freezing this far out, but Carlos has other ideas; turning to me with a sparkle in his eye he grabs hold of me before I have a chance to question me and hoists me up over his shoulder. I immediately know what he's planning and begin to screech out my protest, but it's no use, he's scaling the side and launching us over into the sea, much to Blair's delight.
The water is freezing, but the shock of it wears off after a few seconds, leaving your skin invigorated and your mouth full of salty water.
I hit out at the water, sending a playful spray over Carlos, who has forgotten about his siblings intrusion in an instant.
It worries me that even when something makes him so mad, he can put it away out of his mind, never to be thought about again. It doesn't seem healthy to bottle everything up like that; granted, for all intents and purposes it does seem to work for him, but with no outlet for his emotions, I worry that he's going to end up giving himself an aneurism.
Either way, now is not the time to bring it up, if I do broach this at all, I will have to pick my moment carefully.
For now I'm content to take a leaf out of his book and forget the whole thing and just enjoy the crystal waters.
It's a bizarre situation being in the sea here; the water is so clear you can see to the bottom, but yet it's so deep you can't reach the bottom, at least not without professional diving wear. On top of that there are fish visible everywhere, they brush past your legs and tickle your feet as they swim around without fear. If you were in the sea in England and some unknown sea creature brushed your leg in the murky water, you'd be out like a shot, the fear of something unseen, just too great; but here it's a welcome sensation.
We swim for about an hour ducking and diving through the gentle waves and chasing the small fish that dare to dart between us. Blair is the first to feel the chill so we all head back to the boat to dry off in the evening sun. I lag behind the others, enjoying the last few moments I have and feeling at one with nature in this tropical paradise. As I stretch my legs out, my foot makes contact with something hard, it feels like a rock, but I haven't seen any around here. Swivelling around I tread water as I scan the clear waters for the culprit; I'm just about to give up when a meter to my right the small head of a turtle breaks the surface, it's beady little eyes curiously surveying me.
"Oh my god, you guys, look at this" I shout as loud as I dare, wanting everyone to see it, but afraid the noise might scare it off.
Carlos is already on deck and John is in the middle of pulling Blair up onto the smaller boat, still tied to the side of the main one. All eyes are on me as I float closer to the turtle, extending my hand so my fingers brush against its rough shell; a chorus of 'oo's' and 'aahs' follow as the group focus on my new friend. With a smooth brush of its flippers, it dips under the water and circles me, before re-surfacing again. I shoot an excited look back at the others, awestruck by its confident nature.
I catch a glimpse of Carlos waving one arm in the air to get my attention while he holds my camera in his other hand; I don't have to force a smile for the picture, I'm already grinning from ear to ear as it cruises in front of me, allowing me to stroke it again.
"Perfect" Carlos speaks from the deck, holding up the camera, just as the turtle gets bored and ducks down deeper, before swimming away.
"That was amazing" I gush, paddling back in, John has waited on the smaller vessel to help me up and looks suitably impressed by my experience. As he pulls me out of the water all he can utter is "Wow".
"Wow indeed" I agree, clambering up the ladder with much more ease than the first time, eager to see the photo Carlos took.
He was right, it is perfect, I was close enough for him to zoom in and capture an image of the two of us which fills the screen; I'm grinning like a maniac, my hand on the top of the turtles shell and its little face is peering straight at the camera.
"I can't believe that just happened!" I admit, joining Blair in an excited jump up and down on the spot.
"You're so lucky, they're meant to be really timid, you hardly ever get to see them, let alone up close!" she explains the magnitude of my encounter.
Carlos puts his arm around me, kissing the side of my head, "It must have known how special you are" he says, earning him a soppy look from Blair.
"You guys are so cute" she says as we all head to the bow of the boat to soak in the last of the sun.
We stay, lounging around, until we are dry and the sun has nearly completed it's descent below the horizon; the view of the sunset never gets old here. The interchanging colours streaking across the sky as the golden sun slips out of sight, is nothing short of mesmerising; watching it while wrapped up in Carlos's arms, on a boat, so that each pastel stroke dances on the water, reflecting it's beauty two fold, is just a dream come true.
I love Blair and John, but I have to admit that such a romantic scene could only be improved upon if we were alone and able to make love, right here under the glow of the majestic heavens.
Eventually the air cools, so that even Carlos's warm embrace is not enough to keep me from shivering, "I think it's about time I put some more clothes on" I succumb to needing more than a bikini and body heat.
Blair agrees and we head below deck to search for the clothes which were strewn off earlier in the day.
We throw on our light summer clothing, which does nothing to insulate us from the cold night air, I wish I had had the forethought to bring a jumper, but I guess when we left this morning I had not inclination that we would end up on a boat, well into the evening.
The boat rumbles to life beneath our feet and we feel the pull as it slowly chugs forward, coming back on deck we find the boys in the cabin, Carlos at the wheel, guiding the boat back to its mooring point. Positioning myself between Carlos and the wheel, I take a seat on his lap, placing my hands over his, "Hold it steady" he whispers in my ear, whipping his hands out from under mine and wrapping them round my waist, leaving me as captain of the ship.
"What should I do?" I ask panicked, I've never steered a boat before and I don't know how comfortable I am being in charge of one so expensive, what if I crash it? His brother and sister would just love that!
"Just go straight, don't worry I won't let anything bad happen" he soothes and I know he'll always look after me.
We keep going for the next 30minutes, Carlos occasionally adjusting the angle of the wheel under my hands. The shoreline looks magical at night, the torches that line the beach are all lit, casting eerie shadows over the palm trees; white twinkling lights from the apartment windows and patches of glowing yellow, pools out from the bars and mingles together in the background.
Carlos takes my hand from the wheel and places it on to a lever which controls the speed, "We're just going to ease this back gently to slow us down" he explains, letting me do it, but keeping his hand over mine to make sure I do it right. Under our joint effort the engine drops to a low purr before silencing all together. "Well done" Carlos congratulates me with a quick peck on the cheek.
We drop anchor and begin to disembark as Carlos does a quick circuit of the boat to ensure everything is locked up before we go. Once we are all safely in the speed boat, its a short journey back to the shore and under Carlos's instruction, John switches off the engine at the last second so that the front of the boat courses onto the sand. We all jump out, firmly back on dry land and the boys drag the speed boat up the beach to a safe distance from the sea.
The combination of fighting, swimming and sea air today has really taken it out of me and I suddenly feel woozy, I lean against Carlos, letting him take my weight and ease the strain on my legs.
"Anyone up for a nightcap?" John asks, apparently still full of beans.
"I think I best get this one back home before she falls asleep on her feet" Carlos makes the excuse for us to leave.
We say our goodbyes, arranging to meet Wednesday night for dinner; the resort is hosting a traditional Mexican evening with Mariachis, I have no idea what that is, but I'm told it's not to be missed!
Wearily we head back home, each time I come back here now I’m filled with a sense of longing; I’ve come to see this as my home, but with only three days more until I leave, it’s like I’ve already started missing it.
“Are you hungry sweetness?” Carlos asks as we cross the threshold hand in hand. I shake my head half through being too exhausted to speak and half through melancholy.
“Do you want to just go to bed?” he offers and I shake my head again, a little smirk crossing my lips as I realise that I’m behaving like a spoilt kid; in the way that only Carlos can, he humours me, pulling me down onto the sofa and switching the T.V on, “How about a cuddle then?”
“Mmmm” I reward him with a sound as I snuggle up under his arm.
Me and my lover, alone together at last, it’s the perfect end to a perfect evening.