Island Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story (The Kisses Series Book 9) (20 page)

I
heard
something drop and the sound of shattering glass in the other room.

“Babe, are you okay in there? Did something break?” I called out.

“I was pouring us some wine but I think Brian knocked the glass out of my hand. He’s probably still upset at me for stealing his girl,” he yelled back.

His response made me stop and laugh.

“Did I just tack on another thirty minuets with that distraction?” he joked back.

“Oh hush, I’m almost done!”

“That’s okay, maybe we can just plan to watch the sunrise or something,” he said mournfully.

Again I laughed, though I tried to do so quietly so he wouldn’t hear. I decided to pick up again immediately before I engaged and lost my momentum.

I
paused
to look out the window at the sun and the water and smiled as I thought of Gabe waiting in the other room.

I
had taken
many final breaths after a long post, but this was it, and I exhaled heavily as I skimmed the page and admired my final work. It was time to bid farewell to the blog, and if Gabe hadn’t been waiting I would have taken a few moments to reflect, but instead I hit Publish and watched the blog as it posted.

It was bittersweet and while I hated to see it go, I felt terrifically light as the weight of the blog and all of its responsibilities finally fell from its rest on my shoulders.
Cora’s going to do great with this,
I thought to myself.
Or should I say, Courtney Catastrophe.
I had originally told her that she didn’t need to pick a name that sounded so forcefully cliché, but she had insisted. And she would continue the blog with the same sense of edge and attitude.

The sun was beginning the creep closer to the horizon and the water’s edge. I dashed out from the office and into the living room where I could see the outside balcony through the windows. I could see two chairs pulled together with a table in between and a bottle of wine and two glasses waiting patiently, but no Gabe.

I already had Gabe’s name on my lips about to call out when I felt his arms wrap around my waist from behind. I jumped.

“You scared me!” I said, still wired with adrenaline.

“Well, I’ve been
waiting!
Are you finally ready to go outside?” he asked with the smile of an eager child.

I wanted to tease and taunt him back after the way he had startled me, but instead I differed to my pleasant side that had been waiting to finally come out and sit with Gabe to watch the sun fall into the ocean waves.

I turned around to look him in the eye as he still held me at my waist. His hands were soft and his grip was comforting. I beamed into his bright green eyes and took a still breath before speaking.

“
I don’t think I’ve ever been more ready,” I told him, placing my hands on his shoulders and drawing his lips near to mine.

Slowly, like the setting sun and the ocean horizon, our lips came together on his island. The soft scent of a tropical island, the waves, and the beach mingled with his cologne and I knew that I would forever be in love with his island kisses.

I
never thought
this day would come.

Maybe when I was a little girl, I had hoped that someday it would. But I never actually believed it. It feels like a dream, but I know it’s not because it’s even better than anything I could have dreamt up.

I’m marrying Gabe Honors. In just a few moments, I’ll be wed to the love of my life.

I’m beyond nervous, but also ready. I’ve spent the last twenty minutes looking at myself in the mirror, making sure that my hair and makeup look absolutely perfect for him.

“Hey, it’s almost time,” Cora says, as she steps beside me. “You look perfect, Harper. Seriously, you look gorgeous. Gabe is going to melt.”

I hope she’s right.

“Well, let’s do this,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’m ready.”

Just outside, my mom is standing there, holding my little nephew’s hand. He breaks away and runs up to give me a quick hug before she tells him to go take his seat. Mom looks almost more nervous than I am. She can’t keep her hands still and she’s tapping her toes against the sand.

“You look amazing, Harper,” she says. “My first born baby girl is finally getting married. I can’t believe this day is finally here.”

“Me either,” I say.

“Are you ready?” she asks.

“Beyond ready.”

“Good.” She steps close and pulls me in for a hug. “I’m so proud of you. I knew things were going to work out for you. I can’t tell you how happy I am.”

For some reason, in that moment, it feels good to be held by my mom. She squeezes me tight and I feel young again. I flashback to when I was a little girl and she was the main focus of my life.

“I love you, Mom,” I whisper.

“I love you, too, Harp.” She kisses the top of my head and then holds out an elbow for me, walking me toward the ceremony.

Gabe and I had spent countless hours trying to figure out the perfect place for us to get married. We debated between a football stadium, a private island or the top of some high-rise tower in New York. They were all extravagant ideas, and would have certainly been memorable. But after a little thought, we agreed to something a little simpler, something a little more romantic.

The beach.

For most of my life, the ocean reminded me of childhood. But since I had met Gabe, the water only made me think of him. Our relationship is built around the water. We’d watched hundreds of sunsets together, admiring the sun as it sank below the horizon behind the ocean on his island home. The beach represents our love and so we eventually both agreed it would be the perfect place to get married.

When I look up, I see the rows of wooden chairs in the sand, with an aisle between them. I quickly glance over the audience, noticing mostly familiar faces, but a few I don’t recognize. It looks like a sea of billionaires, all wearing expensive suits and dresses, immaculately adorned for occasion. My occasion. Our occasion.

When I look to my left, I notice that Bastian’s wife, Ava, is in the audience. She flashes a smile and nods her head, as if to say “I’m glad Gabe found you”. Gabe's other business partner, Leo is there with the love of his life, Charlotte. Charlotte already has tears in her eyes, which she wipes away with a handkerchief. In the front row, I see Jack and Emma, another pair of my new billionaire friends, with smiles on their faces that are even bigger than my mom’s.

But even with all of these people here, when I look toward the front of the aisle, I no longer see them. They disappear and I’m left standing in the sand with just one man in front of me. He looks gorgeous as always, only today he’s especially beautiful. He’s dressed up in a black tuxedo. His jaw drops slightly when he sees me standing there and his green eyes light up, making the ocean behind him look drab in comparison.

I don’t know how long I stand there admiring him. My mom squeezes my arm, and whispers, “Come on, Harper. It’s time to get married.”

I nod and walk beside her as she leads me toward Gabe. His smile grows with each step I near him, and the butterflies in my stomach release, bursting into a chaotic ball of energy and excitement, but mostly love.

“Who is it that gives this woman to this man?” the pastor asks.

“Me. I do,” Mom replies, her voice trembling as she holds back her tears. Mom gives me a final hug and kisses my cheek, before making her way back to her seat in the front row.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony,” the pastor begins. His cadence is slow and steady before he pauses. “That’s all I have to say, because this lovely couple have taken it upon themselves to bring their own vows. That makes my life very easy.”

The audience laughs at the pastor’s joke and when they settle down, Gabe pulls a piece of paper out of the pocket of his suit coat. He looks at me and I feel everything he’s feeling. The emotion and love is so thick in the air that my knees become weak.

“Harper, the first time we met, I fell deeply in love with you. I knew that you were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Every moment we have spent together since that day, my love for you has grown. My heart, my soul and everything that I am, belongs to you. You are the most amazing and perfect girl I have ever known. You make me happier than I ever thought possible and I feel truly blessed that you have agreed to be wife. So I make these vows to you in the presence of our closest friends and family, so that they may witness the promises I make. I solemnly vow that I will spend every day doing everything I can to be the husband that you deserve; to support, love and cherish you; through the happiest times, but also through the darkest times. I vow to be your best friend, your closest soul mate and, most of all, your faithful husband. No matter what life may throw at us, I vow that I will never stop loving you, will never stop caring for you and will never stop striving to be the best possible husband that I can be. I love you, Harper, with every single fiber of my heart.”

I swallow back the tears as he finishes reading. My hands shake as I unfold my piece of paper to read my vows.

“Gabe. In you I have found my best friend, my confidant, my lover, my inspiration, my better half, my soul mate. You have already taught me so much about the kind of person I want to be. You love with your whole heart and soul and give all that you have whether it is deserved or not, whether it is appreciated or not, whether it is returned or not. You are the strongest person I have ever met. No matter what life has thrown at you, you have been able to thrive and prosper. You have an amazingly positive attitude and your good humor is infectious to all of those you surround yourself with. I am far from perfect, this you know of course, but you accept me for who I am and love me for my flaws, not in spite of them. I know that you will always support me no matter what this life throws at us, even if you don’t agree with me, which might possibly happen once or twice. I promise to always cherish you, honor you, respect you, be true to you and love you with every ounce of my being. You weren’t meant for me Gabe. And I was meant for you.”

I drop the piece of paper and it falls to the sand at my feet. I hear crying in the audience now and I wonder if my mother has brought enough tissues.

“Now Gabe, repeat after me,” the pastor says, once the audience has quieted down a bit. “With this ring, I, Gabe Honors, take thee, Harper Thomas…”

Gabe takes my hands in his. He looks me in the eyes and I melt just like it was the first time I met him. He had me from that very first moment in the restaurant. I knew he was the one then and I definitely know now.

“…to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”

Gabe repeats the words from the pastor. He speaks proudly as he does so. There’s no nervousness in his voice. This is what he wants. This is what I want.

“Groomsman, please present the ring,” the pastor turns toward Bastian, who stands nervously behind Gabe as the best man.

Bastian pulls a small box out of his pocket and hands it to Gabe. He opens the box in front of me and removes a beautiful silver ring with a single-set diamond in the middle. As he slips it on my finger, I lean toward him, wanting so badly to kiss him right there. I stop myself, though. It’s not time yet. The best kiss of my life is coming and I have to be patient.

Once the ring is on, the pastor turns to me. “Harper, repeat after me.”

The words flow out of my mouth as though my heart is speaking directly. I had been waiting my entire life to say these words and it feels amazing.

“With this ring, I, Harper Thomas, take thee, Gabe Honors to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”

I slide the ring over Gabe’s left finger, grateful to see it fits perfectly.

“Now, Gabe, you may kiss the bride.” The pastor says with a wide smile.

Gabe steps forward without any hesitation. He takes me in his arms, leans in and gives me an electrifying and thorough kiss. I melt into him, and my heart feels content in a way it never has before.

He’s all mine.

The audience goes insane. They cheer and clap. I can hardly hear anything at all. But I don’t need to. When I look at Gabe, he mouths the words, “I love you”. It’s the only thing I need to know.

“I love you,” I reply.

We kiss again and this time, the sound of the crowd drowns out. It’s just us, Gabe and I on the beach somewhere. I have all I could ever want in my entire life: The most amazing man in the world and island kisses.

T
hank
you for reading Island Kisses! Please enjoy another of my Kisses books, Freshwater Kisses!

* * *

E
verything in Samantha Conners
' life seemed to be in a holding pattern. Her sailboat racing season had fallen through, and she was stuck in a dead end job that barely covered the bills. If it wasn't for the fact that her sister and niece were depending on her, she would have never been out on the water the day the billionaire's boat ran her over.

Robbie Saunders is convinced that he is the screw-up younger brother of billionaire Jack Saunders. One of his biggest rules was to never go out drunk on the water, but with the impending death of his father, he took the boat out after drinking to try and gain some clarity. Instead, he ran over Sam and barely managed to save her from drowning.

While the two had been childhood sweethearts, time and distance had made them into different people. When fate crashed them back together, Robbie finds the fiery young woman to be the person he needs to give him motivation and direction. For Sam, Robbie is growing into the man she always knew he could be. A love blossoms and grows.

But what fate can give, it can also take away. A storm during the biggest freshwater sailing race of Sam's career changes everything. Will Sam and Robbie find a way to overcome the storm, or will the two only have memories of freshwater kisses?

* * *

T
he ocean was
as warm as bathwater. I surfaced, kicking water at him. He raised his arm to block the spray, but then roared and started swimming for me. I shrieked and swam away, kicking my legs and swinging my arms as he chased me through the warm waves.

Robbie was always the faster swimmer, and it was only a matter of minutes before he finally caught me by the aft of the ship. His hand wrapped around my ankle and he dunked me under with a swift downward pull. I shook my head free of the water as I emerged, opening my eyes to find him close enough to kiss. The moonlight caught the gleam in his eye as he pulled me closer to him, holding onto the boat to keep us both afloat.

"Kiss me," I said with just a hint of begging. I licked the salt from my lips. His mouth curved up into a smile and he tipped his head to the side, bringing his lips to mine. His tongue was salty with the ocean water as he tasted me, our lips dancing in the dark. Heat began to burn in my core. I didn't want to wait any longer. I wanted Robbie more than I wanted to breathe...

* * *

D
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