Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 97525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
I ignored the pain, going faster. Faster. I ran until my heart ached and my lungs broke, then I sank onto the sand, my knees disappearing into the wet suction, my chest heaving as I flopped on my back. I closed my eyes and stayed in place until my heart rate calmed.
When the sun grew hot and the first tourists started to make their way down to the beach, I rolled over and tried my best to brush the sand from my back. Then I stood up and headed back to the house, and to Brant and the life I should be living.
Chapter 36: Hawaii
“What do you think about moving here?"
I paused, mid-chew, my mouth filled with a spinach and cottage cheese crepe and shot Brant a quizzical look.
He shrugged from his place at the teak outdoor table. We were on the second story deck, just off the kitchen and overlooking the impressive cliffs and rocky beach. "I was just thinking, we could stay a few months, maybe half the year. We could spend the winters here."
I took a sip of fresh squeezed orange juice. "What about the company?”
"I could work from here. Convert the garage into a workshop. Maybe hire a few locals to help during project times."
I grinned. "A few locals? It took you five years to find Frank." Frank, the only BSX tech who had survived Brant's temperamental blowups long enough to learn how to not piss him off. Brant was a sweetheart with me, but an exacting perfectionist with everyone else, and easily set off when others couldn’t keep up with his pace and mental calculations.
“Okay, then we bring Frank." He reached across the table and grabbed my hand. "I like vacation Layana."
I rolled my eyes and let him pull my hand to his lips. "What is vacation Layana like?"
He pursed his lips and tilted his head as if to consider the question. “Carefree. Less uptight.”
Less uptight because on vacation, Brant was with me all the time. I didn't have to wonder where his mind was, or if I'd be eating alone at dinner. Without the stress and schedule of work, he was 100% mine. I swallowed that truth and stuck out my tongue at him in jest. "Everyone's less uptight on an island. Or maybe it's the fact that I'm a thousand miles from Jillian."
"Oooh ... easy now. She's probably got this place wired." He glanced around, but even though he was kidding, the truth was, she probably did. She was probably listening to us right now.
I wiped my hands on a napkin and tossed it down. Pushing to my feet, I sauntered over to his side of the table and straddled his chair. Lowering myself onto his lap, I ran my hands through his hair. "In that case," I whispered, nipping his ear playfully, "we should put on a show."
"I'm in," he growled. He pulled at the sash of my red satin robe, then peeled it off my shoulders, exposing my black lace bra.
And right there at the breakfast table, under the warm glow of the morning sun, and in earshot of any hidden microphones, we did just that.
Chapter 37
The jet takeoff was smooth, a thousand parts of machinery working in perfect synchronization to bring Brant and me back to San Francisco. Once we were at altitude, I unbuckled and moved to the bedroom in the rear of the plane. I pulled back the dark navy sheets and fluffed the pillows. “Brant,” I called out. "What do you want to watch?”
I picked up the remote, flipping through the options on the touch screen. Brant entered the small room and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me toward the bed. I shrieked in protest and managed to slide the door closed before falling on the bed.
"I want to watch you come.” He grabbed the tablet and tossed it aside, then gave me that intense look, the one that told me he was about to give his full concentration to a task. Putting one knee on the bed, he started to work my pants off.
“Oh, fine," I conceded, his breath hot against the top of my knees as he pulled off my sandals and then the pants. My head dropped back when his hot mouth kissed his way up my thighs and then settled between my legs. "Do what you do best."
A half-hour later, I could barely move, my body lazy and limp from pleasure. Brant rolled me over until his body was cupped around mine, and we watched a movie with Gene Hackman and John Cusack. By the time the end credits rolled, Brant was asleep, his heavy breaths regular and deep against my neck.
I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep. In a few hours, we'd be back in California. I could drop Brant off at home, then swing by the printer, review the newspaper proof and make sure it was perfect. Then, I could return home and catch up on my jet lag. I would need my rest. Tomorrow could be a big day. A relationship-ending one.