I smiled at the sentiment.
“She’s certainly unique.”
Edwin nodded.
“Potentially another reason why we had to move into international waters.”
I laughed and slid the drink I hadn’t yet sipped across the table toward him.
“Well, after forty years together, at least you know all about her past.”
“Sixty-five years and ppppffffffff.”
I jumped slightly at the sound that he made by biting his bottom lip and blowing hard through his teeth.
“What?” I asked.
“I said ‘ppppffffffff,” he repeated. “You said that I know everything about Sophie’s past and I say a big old resounding ppppffffffff on that.”
“You don’t?”
“Of course not. What’s the point in that? Do I sometimes wonder how she made the ten thousand dollars that she brought home from Vegas the summer I had the ague that let us invest in our first company? Sure, I do. But when you’ve got the ague and your wife gallivants off, but then comes back, you don’t question the money that she brings with her. Or the glitter on her ass. Or the forged birth certificate in her luggage.”
“But doesn’t it bother you that she lied to you?”
Edwin looked at me for a quiet moment and for the first time I really saw the years in his eyes.
“Son, sometimes a person lies to you because they are really lying to themselves. You have to ask yourself if what they lied about really matters. Then you have to decide which is more important, the lie or the person.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Eleanor
I was reaching for the handle on my door, ready to stalk down into that party and confront Hunter, when it flung open and he rushed in, nearly knocking me over with his body.
“I’m sorry,” he said, reaching out for me, but I stepped back away from him.
“I’m not trying to buy you,” I snapped at him. “I did something horrible. I know that. I admit that. I’ve said I’m sorry for lying to you, and I’ll say it again. I’m sorry. But that doesn’t mean that I’m trying to buy you. I thought about you and the time that we spent on this island every single day, and I kept coming back to two things. One was the peace that I found here, the happiness that I found with you. The other was how Lucille destroyed this area. When I found out that the damage was so much worse when they came and took the helicopter out, it broke my heart. I hated to think about it. I didn’t want to imagine this place forever scarred by her. It needed to be a place of beauty again. So, I created this. I took what you said, what you taught me. I took what you made me feel when we were here together and I designed a resort, a retreat where people could come and experience the tiniest taste of the pleasure that we had here. There are two suites. That’s it. Two. Guests won’t be allowed to damage the island in any way. They will come here only to enjoy it.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Hunter said.
“Apparently it’s not enough for you.”
I pushed past him and out of the office. There was a party downstairs that I was hosting, and even if the reason for the celebration was crumbling around me, I had to be there for the people who had been there for me.
I had just stepped out of the office when Hunter reached through the door and pulled me back inside. I gasped in surprise as he closed the door and pressed me back against it in one smooth movement. His eyes burned into mine for a few moments before his mouth crushed down over mine and his tongue forced its way past my lips. In that instant, everything crashed around me and I lost myself in the overwhelming blend of desire and love that filled me. Our tongues tangled as I pressed into Hunter’s kiss, sweeping my arms up around his neck and using it for leverage so that I could lift my back away from the door. This allowed me to touch my body to his, bringing me close to him again and revealing to me with unquestionable power that he wanted me as much as I did him. Hunter pushed me back against the door with the pressure of his chest, flattening me so that I felt like he was enveloping me. I accepted it hungrily, welcoming his possession of me.
My mouth was swollen and hot with the power of his kiss when Hunter stepped back just enough to allow us to undress one another. Our hands clawed at each other with abandon, pulling away clothing until we both achieved the bare warmth that we sought from one another, reconnecting us to the blissful wild the island instilled in us. We moved with even greater urgency and desire than we had, but now we didn't slow down. The luxury of time, privacy, and proximity were no longer with us and now we both felt as though we were reaching toward one another through the endless days and painful, aching nights that had separated us. Hunter reached down and wrapped his hands around the backs of my thighs so that he could scoop me up. My legs embraced his hips and I rocked mine against his, seeking release from the pressure already building in my core. He turned us around and carried me toward my desk. It had been custom designed and crafted from wood and stones sourced from the island, acrylic panels displaying pieces of debris from the crash and the storm found when combing the beach before we started construction. It was one of my favorite things that I had helped create for the resort.
Hunter set me down on the edge of the desk and drew my legs from around his waist. He slid his hands up the tender insides of my thighs and pressed my legs apart. I rested the tips of my toes on the two chairs I had positioned in front of the desk, allowing my knees to fall open. The air brushed against me and I felt my body ready for Hunter with a slick rush of hot fluids. Hunter groaned as he leaned down and drew his tongue through my folds one long, unhesitant time. I gasped, reaching down to bury my fingers in his hair as I arched into the sensation. He lifted his head and looked up at me, making a hushing sound.
I nodded breathlessly. I didn’t want to draw the attention of anyone outside of the office by letting them hear me.
“I’m going to have to get used to not being able to be as loud as I want to,” I whispered.
Hunter grinned and got to his feet.
“I’ll help you.”
He captured my mouth and thrust his tongue in against mine to muffle any sounds that I might make and further the connection between us. He pulled me closer to him as we kissed and pressed one hand onto my lower back to hold me against him. I didn’t want to wait much longer. I pulled away from him and lay back, reaching to open the top drawer and withdraw a condom from the stash that I had optimistically tucked there. I tore it open with my teeth and slipped it into my mouth as I sat up. I reached forward and wrapped my hand around his cock to hold it in place and dipped my head down, using my lips and tongue to roll the condom into place.