“I don't want to hurt you, Violet,” he said. “I care about you, deeply. I always have.”
There we had it; the talk about how I'm like family to him. I closed my eyes, feeling tears welling in my eyes, already fearing the worst.
But while my eyes were closed, Sebastian had laid back down beside me and kissed my lips, causing me to open them mid-kiss, surprised.
“I don't want to hurt you,” he said again, stroking my face. “But I also can't deny that I feel something for you.”
“The feeling is mutual, Sebastian,” I said softly. “You don't have to worry about hurting me, I'm a big girl. I know what I'm getting into and I can handle whatever happens.”
“I know you can,” he said. “I just don't know what will happen now.”
“Can we at least take it day-by-day and see?” I asked, hopeful.
“Yeah, I think that's a great idea,” he said, kissing me again.
I was on cloud nine. There I was, living the dream in Bali with the only man in the world to ever capture my heart. I didn't think that things really couldn't get any better.
***
“This is amazing,” I said out loud, staring out at the water with a belly full of fancy tropical fruits and pancakes. “A girl could get used to this.”
Sebastian was sitting beside me and though we hadn't said much about what had happened between us, he was still being fairly affectionate with me. I had to admit, it made everything that much nicer.
“I guess I'll have to bring you on work trips more often,” he said with a wink. “Speaking of which, we have to meet Paula and Steve in an hour to start the property tours. So, as much as I don't want to, we should probably shower and get ready.”
“Of course,” I said sheepishly. “I mean, we are here for work and all.”
“Plus a little fun,” he said, his tone flirtatious.
“And a little fun,” I laughed. “Care to join me in the shower?”
As soon as I asked, I was fearful he would say no. Even though we'd had sex just the night before, and he was still holding my hand and kissing me, part of wasn't so sure he was comfortable with the sexual nature of our relationship yet. He looked into my eyes, as if contemplating the pros and cons of my request before smiling and responding.
“Sure. I'd love to,” he said. “But we can't have too much fun, we only have an hour.”
My heart nearly jumped right out of my chest, h was saying yes to showering with me. One more dream come true and something else I could check off my bucket list.
“I'll try to be good,” I said with a mischievous grin, standing up and walking toward the patio door. “But I can't make any promises.”
Sebastian playfully smacked my ass, causing me to squeal as I darted for the bathroom. We both laughed as we entered the bungalow, holding each other close, kissing and stripping each other down. Sebastian was shirtless and his pants were down around his ankles when there was a knock on the door. Eyes wide like we were kids caught doing something wrong, we stopped for a moment, wondering who it could be.
“Probably just housekeeping, making the rounds,” he said. He walked over to the door and called out. “Can you come back later, please?”
Whoever it was obviously hadn't heard him since they continued knocking. Only this time, it was louder and more insistent. Sebastian tried again, this time his tone a little less polite. “Come back later. We're in the middle of something.”
More knocking. Finally, I could see that Sebastian had had enough, and he swung open the door just enough to peer out, and that's when we both saw her. My heart just about stopped in my chest and judging by the expression on Sebastian's face, his had too.
Jessica. Standing in the doorway with a cruel little smirk on her face.
“Ooooh, golly, am I interrupting something?” she asked, peering in.
I hurried up and stepped into the bathroom, but it was too late. She saw me wearing nothing but my bra and panties and of course, Sebastian topless.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Sebastian growled.
“Well, I thought I might surprise you,” she said, peeking back past Sebastian. “Thought we might have a little fun, you know. But I guess your assistant beat me to it.”
“Get out of here,” Sebastian said as he tried to shut the door, but Jessica stopped him.