Submersed (24 page)

             
“No,
Livi
.” He rested his hands on my shoulders and looked deep into my eyes. “No more envelopes.”

             
I knew that was bollocks. If any of his other clients hijacked him for a week, he’d be paid handsomely.

             
“Okay,” I said.

             
Later, I’d sneak the envelope into his shaving kit. It felt a little strange leaving money for someone who felt so much more to me than a hired…
whatever
he was. But the envelope was part of our arrangement. It was fifteen thousand dollars he shouldn’t be missing out on. Not exactly chump change.

             
During the limo ride to the airport, Dillon turned sideways in his seat to face me. “You look excited.”

             
“I am. I haven’t been to
Bel
Ange
in nearly a year.”

             
“What does
Bel
Ange
mean anyway?”

             
“It’s French for lovely angel.”

             
“Say something else in French,
Livi
.”

             
“Je
suis
heureux
que
vous
veniez
avec
moi
.”

             
“That’s pretty. What did you say?”

             
“I’m glad you’re coming with me.”

             
“Me too,” he murmured and leaned forward and kissed me.

             
“
Embrasse-moi
encore.”
Kiss me again
.

             
So, I turned towards him and took his advice for living life to the fullest. I made out with Dillon Milano in a moving vehicle.

             
Flying wasn’t my favorite thing to do. The flight to
Bel
Ange
was a long one and there was too much that could go wrong.
Too many variables.
Weather, mechanical and pilot error, landing gear
malfunction.
I tried to focus on the destination instead of the flight. When we were safely on the island, the nerve-wracking turbulence wouldn’t matter. Or so I told myself.

             
Dillon reclined next to me in his ivory leather seat, looking right at home just like he always did. “Who is
Sisilia
?” he asked.

             
“Her and her husband
Keoni
run a resort the next island over.
She looks after the
Bel
Ange
for me when I’m not there.”

             
“That’s nice.”

             
“Yeah, they are incredibly nice people.” I wiggled around in my seat, trying to get comfortable enough to forget we were speeding through the sky in a tin can.

             
“Come here,” Dillon
said,
his voice strong and sexy.

             
My stomach fluttered when he looked at me with those smoldering eyes. “I should probably stay in my seat. We’re on a plane,” I reminded him. If he was thinking about joining the mile high club, he had another thing coming.

             
It probably wasn’t a good idea to be moving about during a flight. Well, I suppose flight attendants did. Shoot, there was always a loophole in my harebrained ideas.

             
Dillon gave me his sideways look that said bullshit. “To hell with what you think you
should
do. What do you
want
to do?”

             
I wanted to be on his lap. I wanted his hands on me. I wanted to give in and check my mental baggage in the overhead compartment.

             
Maybe he was right.
Live life how you want.
No second-guesses. Don’t be afraid to take chances.

             
So, I took a chance, unbuckled my seatbelt and went across the aisle to him. I slid onto his lap and sighed as his arms enveloped me in their warmth.

             
I felt his dick harden under me and I tried to shift away, but his fingers dug into my hips.

             
“Don’t you dare move
away.
”

             
“But, isn’t that…uncomfortable?”

             
“
Sssh
.”
He pulled me into a kiss. It was sweet and tender and I felt myself melting into him as the jet zoomed over the Pacific.

             
As the kiss deepened, I
shimmied
my legs around to straddle him. When his hand slid under my shirt to caress my back, I remained calm and focused on keeping relaxed. It was when his hand moved around to my stomach that I tensed. No matter how many times Dillon touched
me,
I’d always feel like I needed to do a few hundred sit-ups to feel comfortable.

             
He reached for the hem of my shirt. “Let me see your breasts,
Livi
.”

             
“No!” I gasped, folding my arm across them as a shield. “I’m not taking my clothes off on this plane.” I said, a little too primly.

             
He eased my wrists away from my body and kissed them. I wondered if he could feel my pulse beating under his lips. “I promise to leave your clothes on.”

             
I guess I could handle that.

             
“Okay,” I sighed in agreement.

             
Under my shirt, he slid his thumb under my bra and eased it up over my breasts. Even with my tee shirt still on, it felt exciting, thrilling having my bare nipple pressing against the soft cotton fabric.

             
Dillon covered one nipple with his mouth and blew. A gust of hot, moist air encased the sensitive mound. I thrust forward and he licked me through my shirt. The thin fabric moistened as he took the pebbled nipple between his teeth. The tender bite sent a burst of pleasure-pain straight down between my legs. He sucked, teased and drew out my nipple until I was grinding down against his lap. He rotated his hips, his groin rubbing against my throbbing sex. I imagined him inside me, pulsing skin to skin. Flesh on flesh.

             
“I want you inside of me,” I cried out.

             
“Soon,” he whispered in my ear.
“Very soon.”

             
My eyes flew open at his answer, absorbing the fact that I‘d just said my deepest desire aloud. Suddenly I realized where I was. We weren’t in my secure hotel room anymore. We weren’t in the comfort of my studio. We were barreling through the sky at over five hundred mph with only a door separating us from two other people in the cockpit.

             
If my shirt didn’t dry before we landed, I would be mortified.

Chapter Twenty-Three

             
When we landed on the main island, we were greeted by
Sisilia
a
nd her family with flower leis.
I breathed in the sweet fragrance of the bright white gardenia blossoms around my neck. Oh, how I missed this place.

             
After exchanging pleasantries with the entire family,
Sisilia’s
husband
Keoni
drove us the short boat ride to
Bel
Ange
. Joy welled up inside me as we approached the dock. I felt my face break into a grin.
Bel
Ange
never changed. I could always count on this place to be inviting and welcome like a hug from a long lost friend.

             
The island of
Bel
Ange
was about five square miles with a boat dock at the
southern most
tip
. It was shaped like a crescent moon with a cozy little bungalow smack dab in the middle.

             
One thing I liked best about the bungalow was its simplicity. Its whitewashed siding and clean lines didn’t distract from the real treasure of
Bel
Ange
.

             
The view.

             
Clusters of palm trees swayed out over the calm turquoise water lapping at the white sand. A variety of fruit trees grew on the island along with coconut palms and lush ferns. Fragrant flowers such as gardenias, hibiscus and water lilies perfumed the air.

             
We said goodbye to
Keoni
and t
he boat’s motor hummed away across the ocean and Dillon and I were alone again. Nerves started to flutter into my stomach and throat. It’s funny how a person can want something that they are so terribly afraid of.

             
We carried our bags up the beach to the cottage. It had a thatched-roof made from
pandanus
leaves and was surrounded by a large deck with comfortable rattan and bamboo furniture. Inside, high ceilings made it seem bigger than it was. The red cedar walls, Tasmanian oak floors and traditional teak wood furnishings kept with the island feel. I immediately felt like I was home again.

             
I set my bags down in the middle of the living room and sighed.
Sisilia
had left vases of fresh flowers throughout the bungalow and it smelled wonderful.

             
“The bedroom is to the right and the kitchen to the left,” I told Dillon. “There are extra towels in the cupboard in the hall.
Sisilia
should have left the groceries and supplies…”

             
Dillon moved to block my view of the house and took my hands in his. He stopped me with a kiss. “
Ssh
,” he whispered when he pulled back.

             
“But I’m just trying to tell you about the accommodations.”

             
He smirked and shook his head. “
Livi
, we’ll figure all that out later. Look.” He turned and gestured at the pristine beach beyond the windows. “Just look at it.”

             
I looked out and saw paradise. The beach curved to make a cozy little cove. Crystal turquoise waters lapped at the white sand. Palm trees lined the beach, their leaves fanning out and fluttering in the breeze.

             
“The beach is our private oasis. There’s no one around for miles, so it stays pretty quiet out here.”

             
“Come on,” he said and linked my fingers with his.

             
“What about our luggage? Don’t you want to unpack and settle in?”

             
“Later.”

             
Dillon led me outside and down the stone path to the beach. As soon as his feet hit the white sand, he kicked off his shoes and socks and wiggled his toes in the sand. “Take your shoes off,
Livi
. Feel the sand in your toes.”

             
I scrunched up my nose. “I don’t want to track sand back into the house.”

             
He shot me a look of utter disbelief, bent down and took my shoes off for me. I flinched when his fingers brushed the ticklish part of my foot, but he moved quickly and my feet were bare in seconds.

             
“Now wiggle your toes,” he instructed.

             
I obeyed and no matter how hard I tried to prevent it, a smile crept over my face.

             
“See? Isn’t it sublime?”

             
“Pure heaven.”

             
“So you’re telling me that in all the time you lived here you never walked barefoot on the beach?”

             
“Well,” I chewed on my bottom lip. “No, not really…I--”

             
He stopped me with a kiss. “Tsk, tsk, Olivia Sharpe. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

             
“I’m going to keep saying stupid things if you’re going to keep kissing me like that every time I do.”

             
He smiled, his blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight. “You’ve got to take advantage of every opportunity and enjoy the little things,
Livi
.” He took a step back and his eyes darkened as he studied me. “What about this?” he asked, pulling his shirt off over his head and letting it drop next to his shoes on the sand. “Have you ever done this?”