“Dad, hey. How is Isabella?” Olivia barely takes her eyes off of Benji as she answers me which is one hundred percent for the best. I’m no good at this at all.
“She’s doing much better now.” I smile thinly. “She just woke up and wanted a shower. I think she wants to wash the whole situation off. It was a bit of a shit show.”
Olivia rolls her eyes. “I hate guys like that who think the world owes them something. The way they treat women is disgusting.”
“Yeah, I know.” I lean up against the door frame trying to act as casual as I can. “I told him to leave the island so I’m hoping he isn’t here anymore.”
“Me too actually, because I was hoping we could all go out to dinner tonight.”
Oh my God.
Shit, is she really asking this? Is Isabella actually giving me a chance? I stiffen up my spine and smile because this is just so unbelievable.
“That sounds great.” I can’t keep the joy from my voice. This might be happening at a really precarious time, but it’s such great news that I am overwhelmed.
“I would love to.”
“Cool, Benji and I are just going to get changed now, so should we go in about an hour?”
I nod eagerly. I know I’m answering on Isabella’s behalf, but I’m pretty sure she’ll be okay with it. We both want what’s best for Olivia, and it might be good for us to get to know this Benji a little bit. I know he can’t be a long-term forever guy, but we also don’t want Olivia to end up with another round of heartbreak. I’m sure that deep down, she isn’t quite over what happened with Leon, so we need to be sure that he’s a good one.
He seems like one, but recent events have made me see that my judgment can’t always be right. If I couldn’t see who Michael truly was, then I can’t be one hundred percent sure that I can trust Benji either. I hope Isabella and I can work it out.
“Great, see you in a bit then. Send Isabella over once she’s showered so I can help her get dressed up nicely. After the nightmare she’s had today, I’m sure she’s going to want to have a fun night to make her feel good. Maybe we should even have a few drinks and go out dancing. I heard there is a pretty cool nightclub nearby.”
Well, I might not spend a lot of my life at nightclubs, but if Isabella goes then I will too, just in case that piece of shit, Michael, is around. Or Hank. I don’t know what will happen with him and I’m not leaving her at risk of the wolves.
No way, Isabella is way too precious to be treated like shit again.
No freaking way.
I click the door closed behind Olivia and watch through the window as she heads back to the other cabin with Benji in her arms. Once she’s fully out of sight, locked away inside so I know she can’t see a thing.
That’s the moment I head back to the bedroom to find Isabella.
As soon as I see her stepping out of the shower, naked and dripping wet, a new sensation floods me. That was nerve wracking, I will admit that, it made me very anxious to think about us getting caught, but now that that hasn’t happened there is something very exciting about all of this. The sneaking around because this is so taboo and naughty, is hot as hell.
Just like Isabella is.
I grab her and kiss her hard, before telling her our new evening plans.
“Dinner, huh?” She wiggles her eyebrows playfully. “Sounds fun. I guess I will have to get all dressed up for that.”
The burning in her eyes makes my mouth run dry. It seemed like a good idea when I agreed to the plan with Olivia, but now I’m a bit less sure because I have no idea how I’ll keep my hands off of Isabella all night long. Especially when she’s looking good.
But I wouldn’t miss it for the world, so somehow, I’m going to have to suck it up and shove my feelings to one side.
At least for a few short hours.
Question is, can I do that? I guess we’re about to find out.
ChapterTwenty-Two
ISABELLA
“I want to say cheers!” Olivia cries up as she flings her cocktail glass into the air. “Laucala Island has been even more amazing than I thought it was going to be. I know we only have a couple of days left now so I just wanted to celebrate all of this.”
Shit, is that true? Is our time on the island coming to a close so soon already? I was not prepared for that at all. I was kinda feeling like this dream could stretch out in front of me for as long as I want. Forever, if I need, but now that isn’t the case. Olivia’s words have brought reality crashing down in front of me with a painful thump.