Love Through LimeLight (10 page)

Because I wanted it.

Tears of joy swim in my vision when I look at the painting.
It is one of the cheesiest things I own, mounted on the wall next to gallery
pieces and sophisticated collections. But I love it just as much as I am
beginning to love him…and that scares me.

I step into the room and walk through the expansive hallway
while Harper tips the bellboy. Inspecting the three-room hotel suite gives me a
rush that I never get tired of. There is gleaming stone on the ground of this
hotel. It’s a little abnormal and in any other place, it would probably seem
out of place and strange. However, since we are right on the beach, it makes
perfect sense to me.

Besides that, like everything in my life, the decorations
and furnishings of the rooms are high quality and nice. There is a warmth to
this place that I don’t think you get in many countries. Bora Bora is an island
that is happy to see to my comforts—exactly what I need.

“Thank you very much,” the bellhop sounds enthusiastic as he
tells Harper that he will personally see to any additional needs we might have
during our trip. I smile as I walk by the fully renovated kitchenette that I
have no intention of using. Why would we cook when we are on vacation?
Especially with the restaurant options that the island offers.

I continue moving through what is essentially a mini-apartment
until I come to the double doors that lead to our balcony. The hotel itself isn’t
very large. It’s a very expensive, highly exclusive establishment that only has
about twelve of these suites. As I step out onto the gated porch, I really get
an appreciation of why. The hotel is tucked into a nice little cove of the
island and offers a private beach to each of its temporary residents. Our
balcony has a set of winding stairs off to the side that lead right into the
sand.

The smell of the sea and the feel of the warm wind against
my face make me sigh with pleasure. My flow-y sundress brushes against my legs
and some of my hair comes out of the hasty ponytail I put it into when we
stepped off the plane. I drag more of the fresh air into my lungs and envision
some of the tension leaving my body when I breathe out. Even though I love the
hustle and bustle of the city, I have a deep appreciation for island life.

If I weren’t so busy, I would consider buying a house
somewhere around here. A place where I could just breathe for a few days a
month.

I gasp a little when Harper comes up behind me and wraps his
arms around my waist. For a moment, he just holds me and I know he has the same
appreciation for the scene in front of me as I do. Before I realize what’s
happened, we’re both swaying in the breeze, moving in sync with one another and
the world around us. Words aren’t needed. We know exactly what the other is
thinking, even without saying a word.

I don’t know how long we stand there. For once the time
doesn’t matter and I can just enjoy being with him. I have no press conferences
to schedule and I’ve even left my cell phone off. If there is an emergency,
Johnni knows how to reach me. But this time is sacred. Just me and Harper.

“Are you hungry?” After a while, his voice rumbles in his
chest, vibrating against my back. I inhale deeply, loving the way his scent
mingles with what’s around us, heightening my relaxed state.

“I could eat.” My voice sounds wispy in my own ears and I
smile.

“Good. I already ordered a tray of fruit and breads to be
brought down to the beach. We can sit under the palm trees and eat at one of
the tables.”

Again, his thoughtfulness touches me and I have to duck my
chin to keep from exposing how affected I am by how well he takes care of me.
Again, I am assaulted by the fact that I think I’m falling in love with him.
Can I really trust someone else with the most vulnerable parts of my heart?

He rubs his hands along my shoulders. “You’re tensing up. Is
something the matter?”

I shake my head immediately and spin around to face him. I flash
him my brightest smile, completely meaning it. “No, nothing. Everything is
perfect. Why don’t you get washed up?”

He looks down at his crisp, white suit and grimaces. “I
suppose I could use a change of clothes. Traveling can really wear you out.”

I nod, completely agreeing. “You hop in the shower and I’ll
get changed before we eat.”

He leans down and I suck in a breath. I live for the moments
where he kisses me. His mouth brushes against mine and it’s as if I were struck
by lightning. Electricity bolts from my head all the way down to my toes and it
stops at my clit on the way there. I am immediately completely ready for
anything he wants to do to me and when I open my eyes and look into the darker
storms of his, I know he feels it too.

“Fallon…” He trails off and for a moment, I see the hunger
behind his gaze. He wants me. Maybe he even wants me more badly than I want
him. His self-control is something to be marveled at. I know that he’s
suffering—that much is clear when I look at the front of his pants—but he’s
holding back…for me.

I put my hands against his chest and give him a little push
backward. Relief and resistance both flash across his face before he lets me
move him backward. He smiles and I smile back, glad that I was able to help him
resist doing what he really wants. “Go. Before we get too distracted.”

He laughs the way he always does when I tease him and my
heart lightens. This is what a real relationship should be like. Even though I’m
wetter than I’ve ever been before, even though I’ve never been this sexually
frustrated, I am content just to be near him. To be his girlfriend.

My stomach does the same flip-flop it does whenever I think
of myself as his girlfriend. I have dated before. Obviously, I have been with
people besides him. But that word has never felt more…right. More meaningful.

He kisses me again, quickly this time. When he pulls away I
can feel him shaking and I delight in the power I hold over this impressive
man. He has never wanted anyone as much as he wants me. And maybe I feel the
same way.

When he vanishes into the bathroom, I release the breath I
didn’t realized I was holding. I laugh a little at the absurdity of the moment.
The man literally just stole my breath away. Shaking my head, I move into the
bedroom where the bellhop left our bags. My eyes light up when I realize that
Harper paid the guy extra to also unpack everything for us. I walk into the
closet and find all of my clothing neatly hanging up.

“You wonderful, wonderful man.” I whisper, even though he
can’t hear me.

I quickly select a hot-pink monokini and go to the half-bath
to get ready. I clean up quickly and slip it on before finding a deep purple
sarong to tie around my waist. I redo the ponytail at the back of my neck and
find a pair of matching flip-flops with shimmering jewels on them. By the time
I wash my face and apply sunscreen, Harper is standing at the bottom of the
stairs off the balcony, waiting for me.

“Do you need help down?” He calls and I laugh, skipping down
the stone steps that lead to the sand.

“No, I think I can manage.”

He blushes but I take his hand, letting him know that I
appreciate his concern. He’s always like that with me and though I know not all
women would truly understand why he’s so overprotective, I do. I understand
everything about him.

“What are we eating?” I ask as we move closer to where the
table is set up. On top of a white tablecloth are several covered trays. They’re
all different shapes and sizes and my curiosity is immediately piqued.

“You’ll have to wait and see. I wanted to make sure you had
everything you could possibly want.”

Once we’re seated, Harper starts pulling the tops away from
the trays. I gasp, delighted by what I see. Not only is there every kind of
fruit I can think of—there are some that I can’t name. The entire table is set
up as a feast, I count how many different kinds of breads and jams there are.

“Wow, Harp. Did you leave any for the rest of the guests?”

He pretends to look offended. “Of course I didn’t. If they
get hungry they can eat what you don’t want.”

I laugh again. “So, they get my leftovers?”

Harper nods, a look of mock seriousness on his face. “They
should be so lucky.”

I reach for a fluffy piece of bread with poppy seeds in it. “You’re
so bad, spoiling me this way.”

“You deserve nothing but the best, my opal.”

The endearment makes me blush again and we eat while looking
out across the ocean. Harper hums softly while the waves crash against the sand
and I close my eyes, pushing a piece of juicy red fruit past my lips. I chew
slowly, lost in the sensation of sweetness as it runs down my throat and
wishing that Harper could taste it from my tongue.

When I open my eyes, he’s staring at me the way a man stares
at a woman. He looks like he wants to take all of these trays and shove them on
the ground, food be damned. His dark gaze flashes toward the trunk of the tree
we’re sitting under and I wonder if he wants to take me against that tree. If
he wants to impale me on his cock, while the hard wood scratches and bruises my
back.

I blush a little harder and run my tongue over my bottom
lip. His eyes track the movement and I stand abruptly, unable to take the
temptation that he’s presenting. “Why don’t we put these lids back on and take
a little walk? I think feeling the water on my feet would help me…cool off.”

Harper grins at me and some of the tension of the moment is
dispelled. We both know what the other was thinking but we’re not willing to
put strain on the relationship. This vacation is about relaxation, not thinking
about the things we can’t do.

Instead, I want to do silly things with him. I want to go to
the beach and build sandcastles with him. I want to play tag and draw pictures
in the sand. I want to see who can hold their breath longer. I want to laugh
and play with him in ways that I’ve never done with a man before.

As if he read my mind, Harper clears his throat. “This may
sound a little foolish…but have you ever been hunting for seashells?”

I know that my demeanor immediately lights up. “No but I
would love to. I once saw this thing on
Pinterest
where a woman made a
necklace out of them. It looks just as nice as those expensive ones you see in
fashion shows and I wondered if she did anything special to make them shine.”

Harper grins at me again and I almost get dizzy because it’s
such a lovely expression. “Well, I think we can definitely find a bunch here.
Do you want to try and see what we come up with?”

“I would absolutely love to.”

Harper tilts his head to the side as if considering
something major. “How about we make it a competition?”

“What kind of competition?” I ask, immediately intrigued.

“Well, I know that you want me to sleep in the same bed as
you tonight. I made sure when I booked the room that there were two separate
sleeping quarters.”

I nod, glad that he has brought that up. I understand that
he doesn’t want us to sleep together in the biblical sense but I don’t
understand why we can’t spend the night wrapped around one another. It is
something that I long for—perhaps even more than I want us to have sex.

“So, if you win, I will attempt to sleep in the same bed
with you. Over the covers.”

The addition he makes has me laughing so hard, tears form in
my eyes. I wonder how many other women would be so patient with his
stipulations and reluctances. I imagine that it’s not many but I am more than
willing to do whatever is needed to make him comfortable. “And if you win?”

He pretends to think about it. “There is a class that I want
to go to on the island tonight.”

“What class?” This is the first time I’ve heard of it and I’m
not sure why he wouldn’t just fit it into the plans. We have both talked about
what we wanted to do but he hasn’t said anything about a class.

“That’s a surprise. That’s what I want if I win, though. I
want you to come with me, no questions asked.”

Trust. There it is again, staring me right in the face. He is
asking me to trust him in a way I won’t trust anyone else. The thought makes me
nervous but at the same time, I feel completely comfortable. Harper would never
do anything to hurt me, nor would he let anyone else cause me harm. I nod. “Okay.
No questions asked.
If
you win. Don’t be so confident, I’m a pretty
competitive person, you know.”

“Oh, I know. It’s part of your Type-A personality.”

I give a single-shouldered shrug before I take off. He lets
out a bark of surprised, followed by a hollered, “Cheater!”

I call, “All’s fair in love and war!” back over my shoulder
as I race toward the beach, leaving him to cover the half-eaten food. Before he’s
even left the table, I’m on my knees in the sand, my heart pounding, a huge
grin on my face. I’m totally going to win this bet.

One hour full of laughter and playful taunting later and I
collapse backward, admitting defeat. Harper stands a few feet in front of me,
staring down at the pile of shells he’s come up with. I’m panting on my back,
not caring that there’s sand in my hair. “You totally cheated.”

Harper’s big, booming laughter fills the space between us. “Look
who’s talking! You ran off before I was even ready.”

I give a very unladylike snort and admit to nothing. That
was so long ago, who even knows if that’s what really happened? I laugh at my
silly thought. “Well, it’s not like it mattered much! You’ve done this before.”

Harper waves a hand in the air, dismissing my statement. “You
knew that when you started the competition.”

I let out a mock gasp of outrage, even though it comes out
as more of an out-of-breath huff. “But if I had known you were the all-time
seashell-hunting champion, I might have tripped you or something.”

He tsks. “More cheating, my opal? What will I ever do with
you?”

“I guess you’ll just have to love me forever.” The words
leave my mouth before I realize it, but by the time I do it’s too late to take
them back. I pause, completely shocked that I would say something so bold. “I-I—”