Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
More than their offices, this is where my four come together as a group.
This is who they are, and—if I’m being honest with myself—who I’m falling for.
Derek opens the double door with a flourish. We’re suddenly standing on a wide white deck, overlooking a deep pool with a high diving board off to the right.
We have a stunning view of the coastline. The high white sun is warm, but the breeze off the sea is cool and salty. Derek takes my arm and leads me down a set of spiral stairs to the pool deck below.
Killian meets us and hands me a cool glass of cucumber-scented ice water. I thank him and smile, a spark of electricity running down my spine when our fingers brush.
Spencer’s lounging in a hammock. I can see the condensation dripping from his beer.
“Relax, Sweets, nothing to worry about,” he calls over to me. “There’s some shit these dudes want to hash out later, but I told them we needed to let you experience everything this old boat has to offer.”
“But we’ll be having a serious conversation during dinner, Angel. Spencer may be giving you free rein, but be sure I’ll be catching those reins later,” Killian’s commanding voice sends that same electric jolt up my spine.
He gives Spencer a sharp look.
Spencer flashes him a hang loose sign and a smirk, then drains his beer in a long swig.
I can’t help but laugh.
Killian looks at me sharply as well, but smiles when he realizes I’m laughing at Spencer. While Killian’s looking at me, Derek pushes hard on Spencer’s hammock suddenly, dumping him into the pool.
He sputters and quickly gestures to a woman in a white cutout swimsuit. She tosses him a pool float shaped like a cartoonish narwhal. Spencer arranges himself on the float and resumes lounging, now on the pool’s tranquil surface.
Killian and Xane join in laughing with Derek and me. My heart flutters as I realize I have connected with each of them in their own environment. Seeing them together is incredible; they’re so very different, yet mesh so well as a strange unit.
When I met them, I didn’t understand how these different men even knew each other, much less how they were friends who ran a vacation empire together.
Now I know.
They’re pieces of a puzzle, complementary colors building on each other’s strengths. Any woman would be lucky to have one of them in her life, and somehow, I have the eye of all of them.
We spend the afternoon in the pool. Snacks and drinks are almost unending; a simple gesture to any of the absolutely drop-dead gorgeous attendants surrounding us, and they appear at our sides. They’re some of the most delectable things I’ve ever tasted, even compared to my worldwide trip.
I swim and snack. I nap and, at Spencer’s urging, even do a body shot off a woman named Stacy.
A bell rings, signaling an hour until dinner. We disperse to get cleaned up for a formal dinner with just the four of us. Stacy leads me to my stateroom and closes the door.
The room’s cool, dark, and quiet—refreshing after the day in the sun by the pool. With the door closed, I’m alone with my thoughts again.
Dinner. Killian said he wanted to have a serious talk at dinner. The cool room suddenly seems cold, knowing that this is the last time I’ll be free and falling in love. I know what they want to talk about.
Am I theirs?
Do I submit?
Will I give myself to them?
They already have my heart…can I give them more?
An hour passes quickly, but I have myself put together. I’m wearing a long, white backless dress. The collar traces the line of my collarbones, and the skirt’s multiple layers of sheer fabric swirl around my legs.
I can’t find any shoes or underwear, so I go without either. An attendant I haven’t seen yet comes to collect me and take me to the dining room. He’s wearing a white uniform with shorts that show off his muscular legs.
A lifetime ago, I would have appreciated how attractive he was, and those legs alone could’ve fueled many lonely nights in my loft, but now…he isn’t nearly as tantalizing as the four men he’s taking me to.
The dining room’s smaller and more simplistic than I thought it would be. The motif is all dark wood and white linens.
My four paramours stand when I enter. They’re wearing stunningly handsome tuxedos.
Even Spencer—can you believe that?
I see the longing in their eyes as they take me in.
“You really are a Princess,” breathes Derek as he steps around the table and pulls out a chair at the head of the table for me.
The men sit a half second after I do.
A troupe of attendants in crisp, white uniforms serves plates of beautiful seafood with couscous and warm, fresh pita. They open a couple of bottles of wine, first pouring for Killian to taste. Upon his approval, they leave without a single word.