It was clear Reid harbored some residual guilt over his relationship with Shelly and the fact he’d hurt her by going back to Vanessa. He was far from ready to move on from his latest breakup with her. Reason number—well, I lost track—that he was not the guy for me.
Ten years from now, he would probably have a house in an affluent suburb and a beautiful wife who volunteered at the private school where his two perfect kids attended. She’d have naturally straight hair, great table manners, and impeccable taste in designer clothes. He wouldn’t have to worry about her dropping C-bombs or sharing depressing stories of her childhood. She’d eat brie, probably on a motherfucking carb-less cracker made of locally sourced seaweed. He’d be happy, and maybe even thankful to have gone through his current heartbreak, as it had brought him to a better future.
And me—most likely I’d be back in LA, paying half the rent somewhere with my sister and niece while we saved up for a house of our own. I didn’t begrudge my sister this plan since I owed everything to Tory, but there were times I wished I could choose to do anything I wanted.
As far as dreams went, becoming an esthetician might not seem ambitious. But then again, I’d be so content to work for the joy of a chosen profession instead of being constrained to chase the money.
We boarded the flight, and I was quick to realize business-class travel on an Emirates flight was a whole new level.
“Sorry, first class was booked,” Reid apologized while placing both of our bags in the overhead carry-on bin.
“Oh, yeah, this business class is seriously roughing it.” I took my seat, smelling the rich leather and stretching my long legs out in front of me.
He sat down in the chair beside me. “The A380 is a nice plane with these newer business-class cabins.” He went on about the model of the plane, giving details from the engine to the upgrades before suddenly stopping. “Sorry, nerd alert.”
“I found it fascinating.”
He chuckled. “Sure you did.”
“No, actually I did. It eases my anxiety to hear this plane is new. Now then, what kind of movies do we get to choose from?” I picked up the remote and pressed the on button for the flat-screen television in front of me.
“Aren’t you planning to sleep?”
It was a sixteen-and-a-half-hour flight from Dubai to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. From there, we’d transfer to a three-and-a-half-hour flight to the Turks and Caicos.
“Yeah, I’ll get some sleep at some point.” But currently I was a kid in a candy store as I perused all of the movie options.
As the loading of the plane continued, the flight attendant appeared, dressed impeccably in her uniform and wearing a perfect smile which didn’t hint at the early morning hour or that we were about to be trapped together in this thing for the next sixteen hours.
“Good morning and welcome. Can I offer you anything to drink before we take off?”
Reid deferred to me, always the gentleman.
“Um, ice water would be great,” I said.
“Make it two ice waters, please,” he requested, and the attendant went to fetch our drinks.
“She was pretty, nice British accent.” All this talk about my type of guy had me wondering what was Reid’s type of woman—aside from his ex.
He thumbed through his magazine. “Was she? I didn’t notice.”
I chuckled. “That’s a great boyfriend response.”
He flashed a grin and took my hand, kissing the inside of my wrist in an unexpected and intimate gesture. The touch of his lips against my skin sent shivers racing down to my toes.
“From here on out, you’re stuck with me.”
“Yep.” My mouth popped the p on the word as I took my hand back and tried to fight the butterflies in my stomach. My eyes automatically tracked forward toward the open door. It represented my last chance to escape this journey to heartbreak.
But luckily, the flight attendant returned just in time, distracting me from my worry over spending the next few days with Reid. She brought our drinks and little white ramekins of warmed nuts. Nothing convinced me to stay and see this thing through like warmed, salted nuts. I let out a resigned sigh. Perhaps they were “calming nuts.”
“You okay?” Reid asked, causing us both to laugh. We were in grave danger of wearing out that particular question.
“New plan. We need a code word or phrase, so we won’t have to use those words all weekend.”
“Hm.” He sipped his water. “How about, are you thirsty?”
“But what if I happen to be thirsty?”
His grin brought out his dimple. Oh, dimples, how I love thee.
“How about, could you use a cocktail?”
“Given the circumstances of this weekend, the answer will always be yes. How about, do you want some warm nuts?” What could I say? My creativity was limited to the snack in front of me.
“Could make for some funny looks. I like it. So then, how are your warm nuts?”
A giggle escaped my throat at the absurdity of our little inside phrase. “My warm nuts are incredible. I’m digging business-class service already.”
“You’re a cheap date if the nuts are doing it for you.”
I picked up the menu on the center console. “I doubt these seats were cheap. By the way, thank you for the flight to California afterwards.” It couldn’t have been cheap either. Although I was aware he had a good deal of family money and probably made a good living as a security director, I would never take his generosity for granted.
“It was the least I could do to offset the discomfort you’re about to experience.”
“Guess I’d better fasten my seat belt.” Both figuratively and literally.
After a large breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and fruit—in business class they actually served you on real plates with silverware—I gave up trying to watch another movie and settled in for sleep. The beauty of these seats was you could lay them flat like a bed. But the bed aspect made me very aware I’d be sleeping next to Reid.
Guess I ought to get used to it since we’d be sharing a room tonight. But wait? Would we be sharing a bed too? I hadn’t thought to ask. I finally fell asleep dreaming about warm nuts.
I woke, stretched out the kinks, and glanced at my phone, which told me I’d slept six hours. The plane was relatively quiet and dark, with a melodic white noise humming in my ears from the jet engines. As I sat up, I realized most of the passengers were sleeping, including my seatmate. I swallowed hard at the sight of his baby face, completely relaxed in slumber. Couldn’t he at least snore or drool or do something unattractive? Then again, if he had, I’d probably make an exception and find the flaw as sexy as the rest of him.
As if he could hear my internal thoughts, he stretched—adorably, of course—and opened his eyes. Immediately, he focused on me. “Hi,” came his gravelly morning voice.
“Hi.” Why was his morning voice sexy while mine sounded as if I’d chain-smoked a pack of cigarettes?
“How long did you sleep?”
“Six hours. I just woke up.”
“Mm, you’re excited for another movie, aren’t you?”
Before succumbing to sleep, I’d rattled off to him the titles of at least a dozen movies I couldn’t wait to watch, so yeah, I was eager. Considering I’d never had cable television and didn’t frequently have a chance to watch movies, was it any wonder I was enthusiastic?
“I am. But first I need to use the lavatory.” While Reid probably had perfect morning breath, I knew, without a doubt, I did not.
“Let me get your bag.”
He was so considerate, setting his seat to the upright position and climbing out so he could fetch my bag out of the overhead.
“Thank you,” I murmured, taking my toiletry bag. I made my way to the bathroom and, once in the closet-like space, checked my hair in the mirror. I was happy to see it had stayed calm. If I’d left it curly, it would’ve been a mess by now. I took a good ten minutes to wash my face, brush my teeth, and freshen up before returning to my seat. Once there, I smiled at my seatmate, who appeared as though he’d also freshened up and was now sitting up in his chair. Our bedding had already been folded.
“The flight attendant will be back with some sandwiches and drinks if you’re hungry.”
I was.
Once we arrived in Fort Lauderdale, we went through customs and then straight to the Emirates arrivals lounge. There I was able to take a shower and change into expensive outfit number one. It consisted of a soft yellow-and-white sundress with tan espadrille wedge shoes. I accessorized with a simple silver chain bracelet and my silver locket, the one holding a picture of my niece.
When I came out of the women’s lounge, Reid was waiting on me, leaned up against the wall. He’d changed into khaki pants and a baby-blue, short-sleeved dress shirt. He resembled the pre-breakup, fresh-faced Reid. When he smiled, I noted how clear his eyes were and how healthily his skin glowed.
“Hi,” I said, enjoying the way his eyes lit up at my appearance.
“Hi. You look beautiful.”
Never comfortable with compliments, I deflected. “It’s the straight hair. Makes a difference.”
He cocked his head to the side and was about to speak, but we were interrupted by an airline employee who’d walked up. “Sir, madam, your gate has been announced.” She went on to give us directions to the gate and to wish us a good flight.
We walked down the wide concourse toward our gate, weaving in and out between fellow passengers. In front of a convenience store, Reid stopped and handed me his carry-on suitcase. “Can you watch this while I get a few things? And do you want anything yourself?”
“No, I’m good, thanks.”
A few minutes later, he came out with a plastic bag.
“What did you get?”
He dug inside and fished out a box which he then handed to me. “Candy for you, milady. Jolly Ranchers are your favorite, right?”
It was sweet. I couldn’t believe he’d remembered. But then, of course he had. We wouldn’t be able to pull this off if he didn’t remember such things. I murmured a thank you for his thoughtfulness and almost couldn’t wait until we’d boarded the next flight before popping an apple-flavored candy into my mouth.
“How are the nuts?” he asked after I let out a long sigh.
Our code question immediately made me smile. “Good. Yours?”
He bit his lip to keep from laughing. “Doing okay.”
But four hours later, I was definitely not doing okay when the cab pulled up to a massive beachside resort. The entrance was lined with palm trees that looked picture perfect in the early afternoon. White columns and impressive archways led to a spectacular, marbled lobby inside. Were they piping in bird sounds, or were those real birds chirping? And was that the scent of tropical flowers, or did they Febreze the place every few minutes? In addition to all this, there was a large water fountain right in the center of the lobby.
Holy out of my league.
The place looked like something from a movie scene, complete with staff in impeccable tan uniforms and megawatt welcome-to-vacation smiles who took our bags. We were officially in paradise. I jumped when Reid took my hand in his.
“Your nuts holding up okay?” he whispered.
“Yeah. Of course. I was momentarily awestruck by this place. Not playing my part very well.”
He squeezed my hand. “How many times do I have to tell you to just be yourself?”
His words indicated one thing but his actions quite another. Hadn’t he bought me all these designer clothes? But I just smiled. It wasn’t his fault I was out of my element.
We walked in and headed straight for the front desk. I noticed Reid was on edge, his eyes darting around the lobby. I imagined he was wondering who might be about to walk up to him, friend or foe. What a strange feeling that must be. No wonder he hadn’t wanted to deal with it alone. I was genuinely glad to be here for him.
He kept his hand in mine at the front desk, bringing my knuckles up to his lips to brush them with a kiss.
This is all pretend. This is all pretend.
“There are two women staring at us from the floor above.” The lobby was open and airy, with steps leading up to a bar or restaurant on the second level that gave views of the water fountain below. “By the way they’re gawking, I assume they must know you, but neither of them is your ex.”
To his credit, Reid didn’t so much as flick a glance their way. Instead, he smoothed an invisible hair behind my ear and bent his head closer.
“You okay with me kissing you?” he asked in a whisper.
“Stop asking and kiss me already,” I ground out. While he was only putting on a show, my body was already tingling with very real anticipation.
He chuckled, amusement dancing in his eyes. “You’re right. I’ll stop asking.” But instead of dropping his lips to mine, he went for my neck, kissing me below my ear.
A shiver snaked through my entire body.
Move over, warm airplane nuts. Neck kisses were now my official kryptonite.
The clerk handed over the card keys. “Enjoy your stay, Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell,” he said in a thick accent.
While I blushed, Reid gave me a wink and didn’t bother to correct the clerk’s mistake in assuming I was his wife.
“Ramone will take your luggage and show you to your room.”
“Thank you.” Reid then took my hand as we followed the luggage cart.
Once we were inside the hotel room, I experienced another few moments of awe. Marble tiles led into a living room that was larger than my apartment. All of the plush furnishings and paint appeared new. New and expensive. From the flat-screen television to the fully stocked bar in the corner, the room was high class. Off to the right of the main room was a large bedroom with an en-suite bathroom showcasing a Jacuzzi tub the size of a small car. But the balconies, one off the bedroom and another off the living room, were what truly stole the show.
“Holy shit,” I exclaimed, opening the sliding door. I walked out to take in the view of the gorgeous white-sand beach and turquoise-blue water. Inhaling, I caught the wonderful smell of what I instantly dubbed “island air,” something scented with the ocean and all things vacation.
Reid thanked the bellhop and handed him a tip before joining me.
Here I’d thought Dubai had beautiful beaches. “It’s gorgeous,” I breathed.
“It is. So about the bed—”
My eyes swung into the bedroom and focused on the large king-sized bed. Gulp. “Yeah?”
“I thought it might be odd to ask for two doubles.”
“Yes. It would.”
“I can take the couch.”
My gaze tracked toward the ornamental sofa. It appeared uncomfortable for sleeping and undoubtedly wouldn’t fit his six-foot-something frame. “I don’t mind sharing the bed.”
He grinned. “I promise to stay on my side.”
How practical. How disappointing.
“Are you hungry? You want to go get some lunch? Or would you rather rest? You could take a nap, and I could go downstairs to give you some privacy.”
I rolled my eyes. “Would you give your new girlfriend privacy after stepping into this beautiful room with the romantic view? No, if we were actually dating we’d be fu—” I was about to say fucking like bunnies, but stopped. “We’d be, uh, busy with each other.”
His cheeks stained pink, but he chuckled. “We’d be fu-nning? Is that what you were about to say?”
“Yep. We’d be funning.” Jesus, now I was blushing. “But I am hungry.”
“I think room service should fit our fu-n image.”
Here was hoping I could now get my mind off of all the fu-n ways we could have been spending our time.
