Turns out paradise is more than just being buried inside the woman I can’t get enough of. It’s an actual place with white sand beaches, clear blue water, and palm trees perfect for spending a day lounging under. Here, away from the reality of the threat at home, the tension in my body has melted away. All I’m worrying about is the last time Montana rubbed sunscreen across her fair skin and whether or not she’ll flush even more from pleasure as I sink into her tight pussy.
If we could stay here forever and never go back to the real world, I’d do it in a second. It’s easy to forget everything going on back home. My gaze is locked on Montana as she sits in the sand, side by side with Penelope. Her legs are kicked out in front of her as the warm waves lap at her skin. She rests back on her arms while they talk, and I don’t think I’ve blinked in about five minutes.
I’m like a fucking voyeur watching his obsession from afar, but I don’t even care. When she glances back my way every few minutes to check that I’m still here and my attention’s still on her, I know she’s okay with it.
In fact, if I was reading the sexy little smirk she gave me right, I’d be willing to bet that she liked it.
I don’t take my eyes off of her, but out of the corner of my eye, I see Indy plop down onto the warm sand beside me. ‘Don’t you think one stalker is enough for the poor woman? You’re going to scare her away with your stalking tendencies.’
We both watch as she turns to glance at me again, flashing me that wicked smile as the wind picks up her crimson hair and teases it across her body. ‘Never mind. She’s just as much of a fucking goner as you are,’ Indy laughs, leaning back on his elbows in the sand.
‘Is there some reason we always end up analyzing my love life? Seriously, what the hell, man? Let’s try something different, huh? What’s going on with you and Penelope? She looks at you like she wants to destroy you,’ I laugh.
Indy’s carefree expression falls off his face so fast it’s comical. The scowl that replaces it is filled with all sorts of darkness that I don’t particularly want to dig into while I’m sitting in literal paradise with my eyes locked on my fantasy woman. But I started this bullshit, so I need to see it through.
‘She takes everything so seriously, like if she set her phone down for two seconds, the world will come to a screeching halt. She didn’t appreciate it when I told her if she wasn’t careful, life would pass her by. The girl doesn’t know how to have fun, and she sure as fuck can’t take a joke.’ He shakes his head in exasperation and runs his hand through his hair. ‘I’ve never met anybody who’s so goddamn infuriating.’
‘Why do you even care?’ I find myself asking as I sip the frozen drink that’s been slowly melting beside me. Montana insisted I had to try the overly sweet concoction, and for some stupid reason, I let her push it on me. It was probably the brightness in her eyes and how excited she was to see my expression when I took the first sip.
Which, I definitely faked, by the way.
Indy’s expression darkens further as he answers, ‘I don’t.’
‘That was really convincing, bro.’
‘You know, I can see why you’d want to kick my ass for our heart-to-hearts about your stupid as shit relationship hang-ups. So glad you’ve gotten over those, by the way. And speaking of our resident redheaded sex goddess, let’s take a deep dive into your relationship, shall we?’
He ignores my warning growl and yammers on as my temper gathers inside me like a hurricane. ‘Oh, I know.’ A devious smile slashes across his face, and I brace myself for the bullshit about to spew out of his mouth. ‘We can start with how good the sex is. Judging from what I heard the other night, you’ve got a firecracker on your hands.’ Indy waggles his eyebrows at me, and I lean over and punch him in the stomach.
‘You don’t get to talk about her like that. In fact, the next time you start to eavesdrop while we’re fucking, do yourself a favor and get some headphones, because otherwise I’ll be forced to kick your ass for hearing something you shouldn’t.’ Just the thought of anyone else listening in on Montana while she’s coming makes me see red.
Possessive isn’t exactly something I would’ve called myself before, but here I am. If I could, if she would let me, I’d wrap her up in bubble wrap and never let anybody look at her again.
Yes, I know I’m being completely irrational, but instincts are instincts, and when it comes to her, I’m borderline savage.
It’s a good thing I know how absurd I’m being, or I might scare her away. Then again, she seems to like the slightly unhinged part of me that is completely unreasonable when it comes to her. I can’t really blame her—when Montana told me about Caroline’s behavior at the album release party, the jealousy I saw flash in her eyes turned me the fuck on.
Indy holds up his hands in surrender—or actually his one hand because he’s leaning back on the other. ‘It’s not eavesdropping when she’s screaming down the entire apartment, dude,’ he says. I can’t help the proud-ass smirk I get when I think about how she came apart on my dick in the bathtub or the multitude of repeat performances since then. I can’t seem to stop myself from digging a deeper and deeper hole when it comes to her. The reminder of how she feels wrapped around me makes my goddamn cock throb and tests the limits of my unforgiving swim trunks.
‘I’m the last person you need to worry about when it comes to looking at Montana that way.’ He shudders. ‘She’s like my sister. I wouldn’t want to listen to her having sex with anyone. That shit is not right.’ The expression on his face is almost funny. It’s a mixture of disgust and horror, and I find myself relaxing marginally. At least I know he’s not one of those dudes who’s just waiting for his chance to make a move.
Besides, despite what he says about Penelope, there is definite fire between the two of them. I’ve heard that the line between love and hate is slim, so maybe someday I’ll get to repay Indy for forcing me to deal with the shit I didn’t want to.
My phone vibrates softly in the sand beside me, and I pick it up. When I look at the screen, my mouth turns down into a frown. Indy must’ve been watching me because he notices and lowers his sunglasses. ‘Shit. What happened now?’
Gone is his carefree vibe, and the energy around us has snapped into straight work mode. One of the things I’ve always loved about this job is how you can get lost in it, never getting a break. You never know when something will happen, so you always have to be alert and on guard.
I’m starting to question what the hell I was thinking because a break sure as fuck sounds nice right about now. Montana’s laugh carries on the sea breeze across the sand, and I find myself looking up and watching her with rapt attention as she jokes around with Penelope. A wave crashes against them, and they both shriek and jump up, running for drier land. Penelope’s shaking off her phone—which seems to be permanently glued to her hand—and Montana’s squeezing out her now drenched hair.
A low chuckle rumbles through my chest at the sight, and I know when this moment disappears, and I’m forced to look back at the reality on my phone, what I find there is going to shatter the illusion of normalcy we have going on right now. It will rupture this bubble that we created, and I don’t know if I have the energy to do it.
For the first time since I started this job, I wish I could hand it off to somebody else. I wish I could give the stress and the drama to someone else to manage so I could just focus on the most important thing—Montana.
With a heavy sigh, my gaze falls back to the little black screen in my hand, and the series of pictures Asher has just sent my way. ‘The stalker was back in Montana’s apartment.’
‘Fuck.’ Indy sits upright, and I don’t miss how his eyes flicker over toward the girls. I don’t have time to wonder whether he’s checking on Montana or worrying about what it would be like if Penelope were the one mixed up in this shit. ‘What did the bastard do this time? And when the fuck are we going to catch him? This shit is getting tired.’
‘Tell me about it,’ I muttered, feeling the frustration start to overwhelm me. The only thing I want to do is come face-to-face with this waste of space and erase him from existence. That doesn’t feel like too much to ask for.
‘Her entire bedroom wall is papered with pictures. Pictures of her, pictures of her and I fucking…’
‘Wait. She lives on the goddamn sixteenth floor. How the hell is he getting pictures of what’s going on in her bedroom if he doesn’t have cameras planted inside the room? Are there any other buildings surrounding hers that look directly into her windows?’ Indy asks, looking like his mind is moving so fast it might start to smoke at any second.
That thought makes my lips twitch just a little, but the hint of amusement is gone as fast as it came at the realization that somebody has been spying on us when we thought we had all avenues of that locked down. This motherfucker keeps finding cracks where there shouldn’t be any, and that’s all on me.
‘I’ll get Asher on it, and I’ll ask Sebastian to check the apartment again for cameras. The pictures are one thing, but what’s more fucking unsettling is the fact that they were hung up all over her bedroom, so he was in there again. The word mine was painted in what looks like blood all over them, and my face was either scratched, torn, or cut out of every picture with me in it.’ There is a restless energy cascading through my body as I describe what I’m looking at on my phone before I hand it over so Indy can see for himself. I’m damn near twitchy with the need for carnage.
‘No, I’ll deal with Ash and Sebastian. You go see if you can convince them to stay an extra day while the guys back home handle getting that shit cleaned up, so she doesn’t have to see it,’ Indy says. He tilts his chin toward the two women, who’ve retreated to a cabana closer to the resort and who currently have a couple of those fucking cabana boys hovering around like flies.
‘Try not to kill anyone,’ Indy says as he slaps me on the back with a laugh before standing up and walking off with his phone to his ear.
That’ll be a tall fucking order considering every day we’ve been here the girls have lapped up the attention these oiled assclowns have been showering them with. Montana does it with a naughty glint in her eye—one that says she’s trying to rile me up, so I’ll punish her later in a way we’ll both enjoy.
Pushing up off the sand, I dust myself off and then stalk toward my maybe-girlfriend, ready to throw her over my shoulder and carry her back to our room before she can ask too many questions about why we have to stay an extra day. I’ve found she’s much more agreeable when my head is between her legs, and she’s teetering on the edge of an orgasm.
My shadow looms over her, and she shields her eyes and looks up in my direction with the most innocent expression I’ve ever seen on her face—all wide eyes, flushed cheeks, and slightly parted lips. Except Montana’s about as far from innocent as you can get. She’s mischief and sensuality wrapped in an irresistible package.
‘Is there a reason you’re blocking my view, big guy?’ she purrs, her fingers skating along the edge of her bikini top on the inside swell of her breast. For a minute, I forget what I’m doing here, forget what she asked me because all I can do is watch, transfixed as her delicate fingers trace the fabric up and down and up again, slipping just underneath every now and then.
Okay, so I might be going officially insane over this woman. I need to be closer to her, so much closer all the time. I can’t get enough of her sweet floral scent or the way her smooth skin feels when it’s pressed up against mine. Even now, my train of thought has gone completely off the rails by simply being in her presence.
If I thought giving in to the sexual tension between us would help me walk away, I’d been a goddamn moron. When I’m near her, all the fucked up shit going on fades into nothing. I can breathe again, the weight of carrying the responsibility to keep someone else alive forgotten for a single moment—long enough to catch my breath.
That’s what Montana is for me—sweet fucking relief. She’s that and so, so much more. Is there really any wonder why I told my hang-ups to get fucked and gave in to the almost unnatural need I have for this woman?
‘If you’re going to stand there staring, the least you could do is fan me,’ Montana says, a devilish grin on her face as she gestures toward the huge palm leaf-shaped fans stacked in the corner of the cabana.
I’m still trying to figure out whether I should lay down the law and tell her we’re not going home, or make her think she has a choice in the matter, like it’s her idea we stay an extra day, so I decide to put on a show of doing what she asked. I slowly peel my t-shirt over my head and fling it in her direction. Her gaze turns fiery as it runs over the defined planes of my chest and abs, and I let her look but only for a second.
Then I turn and grab a fan, and when I move away, she makes a sound of protest so fucking cute, I can’t help the smile that crosses my face. That doesn’t mean I’ll let her see it, though, so I lock that shit down when I turn back and move to stand beside her, starting to move the fan up and down. Subtlety isn’t really my thing, so I’m going with laying down the law about staying an extra day.
As I open my mouth to do just that, Penelope pipes up from the lounge chair beside Montana’s. ‘Oh, shoot. My meeting tomorrow got canceled.’
Montana perks up, sitting up and almost hitting her head on the damn fan that I feel ridiculous waving around. When the fuck did I become the guy who did whatever a pretty girl fluttered her eyelashes and asked? Shit, the smile on her face is worth the humiliation, though.
‘Does that mean we can stay another day? Please, Pen?’ she begs, sticking out her bottom lip and fluttering her eyelashes. I let out a low chuckle as Penelope looks down at her phone and then shrugs.
‘I don’t see why not, as long as everyone’s good with it.’
Montana looks up at me with pleading eyes, and I can’t believe how well all this shit worked out for me. Now she won’t be pissed at me for taking the choice away from her, and I get what I want. Plus, another day in paradise? Sign me right the fuck up.
Outside of the steamy nights, we haven’t had a lot of time alone, so I’m going to take this opportunity to steal my girl away. Penelope and Indy can entertain themselves like the grown-ass adults they are.
‘We can stay on one condition,’ I say in a stern voice, so she doesn’t think she’s won anything yet.
‘And what’s that?’ I can see her gearing up for an argument, that blazing temper sparking already. My blood heats in response to the fire in her, but I push back my desire for later. I’ve got big plans.
‘We’re going out on a date, just you and me on a private beach. Since we don’t have to pack tonight, you’ve got a half-hour to get ready.’
Her eyes light with excitement, and she jumps up, throwing her arms around me and lifting onto her toes to trap my face between her palms and give me a chaste kiss. ‘Give me fifteen minutes,’ she says and rushes off. I watch her go because her ass looks fantastic in her tiny emerald green bikini.
I’m still not used to being able to touch her anytime I want, to slide into her body as often as I like. Then there’s the distinct possibility she could be pregnant with my baby right now, and I don’t know if my dick will ever deflate. Who would’ve thought the idea of knocking her up would be so goddamn hot? I might have to actually be grateful for a broken condom.
After a few deep breaths to get myself under some semblance of control I glance over at Penelope, but I don’t think she’s even noticed Montana’s gone. Her face is buried in her phone, and she’s tapping furiously at the screen. I don’t bother saying anything to her as I leave, but I pull out my phone to text Indy to check on her while Montana and I are gone, laughing about how pissed off that’s going to make him.
My next stop is by the concierge desk to set up a ride out to the private beach he told me about this morning. By the time the car’s pulling up in front of the resort, Montana is stepping into the lobby. She’s still in her bikini but has a skirt over the top with a slit up the side so far it doesn’t stop until her hip. Her entire leg sticks out when she walks, and somehow that’s hotter than if she didn’t have it on at all. That little bit of mystery demands my complete attention, and the way her eyes darken tells me she notices.
She steps right into my space and presses her body up against mine. I’m sure she can feel how hard I am for her as she wraps her arms up around the back of my neck and pulls me down for a kiss that doesn’t last nearly long enough.
‘Let’s get going, big guy. I’m finding myself all about privacy these days,’ she murmurs against my lips. A fucking earthquake of lust rumbles through me at the promise lacing her words, and I don’t know if I’ve ever agreed with her on something more.
We step out into the hot and humid air, and then I follow her into the back seat of the waiting car as the driver shuts the door behind me. The air conditioning is a welcome reprieve from the assault that is the soupy air outside. Tropical climates are beautiful, but the humidity and fucking mosquitos take a whole hell of a lot of getting used to.
The drive to the secluded beach is on a scary as hell winding road that hangs over cliffs and seems to be one and a half lanes at best, even when two cars pass each other. Montana’s hand grips mine so tightly, I’m starting to lose feeling. I can’t really complain, though—between her and the view, if we died here now, it wouldn’t be the worst way to go.
Luckily, we don’t die, and we make it to the beach in one piece. The driver promises to be back in a couple of hours to pick us up, and then we’re left alone. There’s no one else out here, and it’s not like back in California, where even when you’re on the beach, you can usually hear traffic in the distance.
Out here, it’s just the two of us and the waves crashing into the sandy shoreline. Sometimes I wish it could be like this all the time.
‘You’ve got me right where you want me, so what are you going to do with me?’ Montana taunts as she steps backward, a mischievous glint in her eye before she turns and takes off for the water, her hair and skirt flying behind her in the wind and her laughter teasing me and urging me on. Chasing her down gets my primal side going, and it only takes a few steps before I’m wrapping my arms around her small waist and hauling her back against my body.
Her eyes sparkle, and she’s breathless when she tilts her head back and looks up at me. ‘Happy looks good on you,’ I murmur, leaning down to kiss her, but she ducks my attempt with a laugh and tries to take off again, so I tighten my hold on her.
‘How about we play a game?’ she asks, and I raise my eyebrow.
‘What’d you have in mind?’
‘First one to the water wins.’ She bats her lashes at me, suddenly the picture of innocence.
‘Yeah, somehow, I don’t think it’s going to be that simple.’ I let her go to fold my arms across my chest, and she rolls her eyes at my attempt at intimidation.
‘So, maybe we can play dirty,’ Montana shrugs, but I see through her. She’s competitive as hell, and any time stakes are made, she’ll bite, scratch, and absolutely kick someone in the balls to win.
‘And what will I get when I win?’ I ask, and her eyes flash with excitement. I know my girl; she lives for competition. It’s one of the things that gets her blood pumping.
‘When I win, I get to pick out our future house. Now that my apartment is basically an ongoing crime scene, I’m not exactly excited to go back.’ Guilt threatens to ruin my mood when I think about what I’m holding off on telling her, but for the first time in weeks, Montana has the light back in her eyes, and I’m sure as shit not going to extinguish it right now.
That can wait for the plane ride home.
‘And when I win?’
She bites her lip, and I reach up with my thumb and tug it out, running the pad along the bite mark she left behind. Her eyes flutter closed, and she sways into me, but then they snap open. ‘You can pick the house?’
‘No, I think I want something more permanent.’
‘Like what?’ The words come out breathy, and I can barely hear them over the sound of the waves. She swallows hard. ‘What’s more permanent than buying a house together?’
I tug her close so her back is pressed up against my font, and my hand splays across her flat stomach. My pulse hammers against my ribs, and my mouth dries out. ‘If I win, you let me put my baby in here.’
She lets out a soft gasp and looks up at me, eyes wide with shock. ‘Who the hell are you, and what did you do with my commitment-averse Ro?’
My dark chuckle is quiet, but I know she hears it. ‘Your Ro?’ I ignore that commitment comment since it’s true, and I’m trying not to freak out about how she’s looking at houses for us and not just her. Besides, now that I’ve gotten used to the idea, I think I might be disappointed if she’s not already pregnant.
She waves a hand around. ‘You know what I mean, stay focused. This is a huge fucking deal. I know we haven’t really been careful, but you actually want to try to knock me up? I thought the last thing you wanted was to be tied down with the whole wife, two-point-five kids, white picket fence thing.’
‘You’re not really the white picket fence type,’ I point out, and she smacks her hand against my shoulder.
‘You’re avoiding the question.’
‘No, I’m not. Did you know I watched you for months? Years even, since we first met. Every function, every time we were in the same room, I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. I was dying to ask you out, but I knew if I did, I’d never be able to walk away, so I kept my distance. I was a fucking miserable prick about it, too. You should’ve seen Connor kick my depressed ass when we were in Nevada. He called me out on my bullshit, but even that wasn’t enough. You want to know what did it?’
She’s listening intently, and she spins, so we’re facing each other while she listens to me confess how messed up I used to be over her. It’s humbling and fucking embarrassing to admit, but she needs to know how serious I’m feeling right now. ‘What?’
‘The first night you almost got taken, I was a mess and already barely holding my feelings back. Indy butted in and told me to get my shit together, and I really started to think about where my hang-ups came from and deal with them. But when your stalker drugged you, I was done. You could’ve died, and I was such a fucking chicken. I decided then and there all the bullshit holding me back didn’t matter. If I lost you, well… at least I’d have had you in the first place, right?”
She runs her hand along my jawline as her expression softens. “I spent so long convincing myself if I let myself care about you, I’d inevitably lose you like Makenna, like Samantha, like my mother. I didn’t think I was strong enough to face it, but you make me want to be stronger. You make me want to be better. I told myself it was better not to have it at all than to have it and lose it. Stupid shit, huh?’
‘The stupidest,’ she agrees.
‘I know we might be doing things backward, but I’m good with it. As long as you’re mine from now on, we don’t have to follow some arbitrary set of rules on how our relationship goes. This is important to you, and because of that, it’s important to me, too. I want a little one with my eyes and your hair. I want to watch your belly swell with our baby, and I want to be there for every second of it. It might be insane, but when I picture what my life will be like now, there’s no part of it that doesn’t have you in it. So, why not do this now? Why wait any longer? We always assume we’ve got all the time in the world, that we can put things off into the future, but I think everything we’ve both been through has proven that we never know how life’s going to play out. So, what do you think?’ I’ll admit it—I’m fucking terrified of what she might say.
This is so goddamn fast, and of course, there’s part of me that’s scared to do it, but there’s a much bigger part that’s so damn excited.
‘I think you better catch me if you want to win,’ she shouts, shoving me hard in the chest. I fall on my ass since I’m not expecting it, and she spins and bolts for the water kicking up sand with her bare feet.
It takes me half a second to push off and race after her, and I get to her right before she hits the water, scooping her up and flinging her over my shoulder before we crash into the waves.
‘I win!’ she shouts from where she’s hanging upside down, and I laugh.
‘How the hell do you figure that?’
‘Even if you win, I win, big guy. I’m the master of win-win deals but don’t worry, you’ll learn.’ She pats my ass in a patronizing way, and I lift her up and fling her into the water. She pops up laughing and swipes her dripping hair out of her beautiful face.
‘Now, get your sexy ass up on the beach. I’m ready to collect my prize,’ I say, my dick already halfway hard at what I’m about to do.
Her lips fall open, and she shields her eyes from the sun as she looks up at me. ‘Now?’
‘Right fucking now. Let’s go,’ I step aside, and she stares at me for another second before her usual impish smile curves her lips up. She saunters past me and I slap her ass as she goes. She reaches back to untie the strings of her bikini top and lets it drop into the water as she wades out of it. That leaves me to hurry and scoop it up out of the surf before it’s lost.
Her hips sway as she walks and shimmies out of her skirt, at the same time the waves crash against her legs, but she’s only about knee-deep at this point. I’m wondering how the hell she can make undressing and wading through the ocean look so fucking seductive. When her skirt drops, she leaves it in the water, too, looking back over her shoulder with a little coy grin that sets my body on fucking fire, and my patience has worn out.
I rush forward, wrapping my arms around her waist and lifting her out of the water, grabbing her skirt while I’m at it and tossing it onto the sand. When we’re clear of the water, I drop her and grab the blanket out of the bag I packed and brought along, spreading it out in a shady spot under a palm tree.
Montana stands there, suddenly looking unsure. I hate the vulnerability in her eyes, like she thinks I’m going to renege on everything I just said. There’s no way I’d do that. I’m all in with her. All. Fucking. In.
I’m not changing my mind—not now, not ever.
‘Are you absolutely, one-hundred-percent sure you want to do this? There are no takebacks, you know.’ She’s biting her lip again, and I prowl forward, barely controlling the feral energy rolling through me.
‘It’s a little late for that question, isn’t it, baby?’ I purr. ‘It’s not like we’ve been careful before now. For all we know, you could already be pregnant, and if not, well, we’re going to have a whole lot of fun making it happen. So get your ass down on the blanket.’
Her pupils dilate while I watch, and she sinks to her knees, and suddenly I’m struck by the moment. Everything I’ve convinced myself I can’t have is here, on her knees in front of me. My entire future is held within those vivid green eyes that stare up at me now with so much adoration, it steals the breath from my lungs.
Yeah, I’m going to tie her to me for good, and I’m going to enjoy every fucking second of it.
