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Rainwater Kisses: Chapter 14
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Rainwater Kisses: Chapter 15
I stood, anxiously waiting for Owen in the lobby of the hotel where we were staying. Since he traveled on such a regular basis, he didn't bother keeping a house in the city and instead just rented the penthouse suite whenever he needed it. He had told me to meet him in the lobby, and he would pick me up when he finished a meeting with Jack to go over the details for his upcoming business trip. He had told me he was taking me to a fancy French restaurant and to get dolled up.I fussed with the straps on my dress, as much making sure that it was in place as giving my hands something to do. Rachel and Emma had found me the perfect dress while we were out shopping, and then Rachel arranged for someone to come to the hotel to do my hair and makeup for my date. I chewed my lip, knowing that I was probably smearing my lipstick. Owen was only a few minutes late, but because of my dress, everyone who walked through the lobby stopped to look at me.I looked like something off the red carpet at
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Rainwater Kisses: Chapter 16
"You want to take a walk around the park?" Owen asked when we returned to the hotel. I glanced up at the darkening sky, then out toward the trees. Green sprouts were just starting to form on the bare branches, in wait of spring showers to nourish them. The sky was dark, but it still looked like we had some time before the rain would hit."Sure," I answered. Owen grinned, and grabbed my hand and the two of us practically skipped hand in hand into the park. We found a path that meandered through the trees, the two of us just quietly taking it all in. From the corner of my eye I could see his bodyguard shadowing us silently. I ignored him, instead just focusing on being with Owen. I loved the way his hand felt in mine--strong and warm, protective and secure. I loved the way he smelled like a clear spring in winter and the way he wrapped me up in his arms. Just thinking of being held in his arms made me squeeze his hand a little tighter, glad just to be with him.A hot dog stand resided o
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Rainwater Kisses: Chapter 17
The plane touched down and woke me from the blurry vestiges of a strange dream. As I opened my eyes sleepily, I saw Owen's smiling face. It had been a rough flight. The first four hours, Owen had managed to keep me relatively calm and distracted, but when we hit a patch of turbulence, I had lost it. Luckily, Owen had convinced me to take some medication to help me relax, and then had held me until I fell asleep. I was safe in his arms, and I managed to sleep through the rest of the flight, albeit with very strange dreams. Presently, the medication was still in my system, but at least this time I was going to get off the airplane and not have a wicked hangover."Good morning, gorgeous. Welcome to Dubai." He kissed me gently and pushed open one of the window shades. Bright white sunshine poured into the dimly lit cabin, making me blink. I fumbled in my bag for a brush, ran it through my hair, then quickly gathered my things to get off the plane.As the door opened, I felt a blast of hea
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Rainwater Kisses: Chapter 18
Rachel and Emma had done well at their job of picking out my clothes. Owen's eyes practically popped out of his head when he saw me in the formal dinner dress they had chosen. It was a deep hue of blue that reminded me of twilight, right as stars start to appear but before the moon rises. The sweetheart cut would have been out of place for a conservative dinner, but with a skin-tight long-sleeve lace overlay the length of the dress, only discrete windows of my skin were exposed. I felt like something out of a fashion magazine. As we walked into the sheik's mansion, I knew that that was the point. I was here as Owen's arm candy tonight.Sheik Mohammad al-Saffar greeted us warmly as we entered a large open room in the center of what I could only call a palace. Marble archways and lavish gardens made his home exactly what I had imagined the castle from Aladdin to look like in real life.The older gentleman wore the traditional white dishdasha that I was already associating with the Middl
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Rainwater Kisses: Chapter 19
"I'll be back in time for us to go get something for dinner tonight. Are you sure you'll be all right staying in the hotel today? I can get someone to show you around the city or something." Owen frowned slightly as I adjusted his tie. I made sure it laid straight and then smoothed the fabric across his shoulders. I loved these simple moments. They may never make a scrapbook, but that will stay in my mind forever as perfect."I'll be fine. I think I'm still a little jet-lagged, so staying in sounds nice today. Maybe I'll go down to the spa or something later," I said, smiling up at him. His blue eyes still held a pout, so I added, "Besides, Dean will be here with me today if I change my mind."Owen glanced over to the kitchen where Dean sat reading a newspaper. He sighed and looked down at me. "You're sure you don't want to do anything today?""Yes! Now get going, or you'll be late!" I said, pushing him toward the door. The worry vanished from his eyes as he picked up his briefcase an
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Rainwater Kisses: Chapter 20
"Are you okay?" Dean asked, turning to me. He grabbed my wrists and looked them over, checking for any sign of damage. A single tear rolled down my cheek."He was gonna... he was gonna.." I couldn't get the words out. They were too horrific. Dean wrapped me up in his arms, protecting me from the world. He touched my hair softly and made a soft soothing shush noise as I broke down in tears.I sank to the floor, and Dean followed me, still holding me. I cried into his shoulder, letting the terror and frustration work itself out. He just kept quietly comforting me, keeping me safe until I was ready to talk. Finally, the tears wouldn't come anymore and my ragged sobs slowed to where I could speak."Are you okay?" Dean asked again, concern showing in every word. I nodded."How did he get in here, Dean? I didn't let him in. I was in the kitchen, and then he was just there.""I don't know, but I'll find out. I'm sure he just bribed someone or stole a key from housekeeping. I'm so sorry, Kayl
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Rainwater Kisses: Chapter 21
"Owen, you don't have to come. You have obligations here," I said softly as we walked in the desert sun to the waiting jet. The red carpet was there once more, along with the stairs into the plane, but I didn't feel glamorous today. I just wanted to go home and forget that this trip ever happened."Kaylee, I can't in good conscience let you get on that airplane by yourself. You don't exactly do well on them." He smiled at me, but there was a tension around his eyes which I hadn't seen before. I boarded the airplane first, and I glanced back to see Owen standing at the first step, his gaze at the horizon. He was taking the scenery in as though he might never come back.I buckled myself into the large leather recliner, settling in and taking some deep, calming breaths. This airplane wasn't as frightening this time, but I wasn't about to think that I could do this flying thing on a regular basis. Owen sat across from me, looking out the window and resting his hands on his knees. He looke
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Rainwater Kisses: Chapter 22
The next morning I woke to the soft sound of more rain on the roof. I lay in bed, staring at the dark ceiling, trying to fall back asleep but not having any success. My alarm clock told me it was only four in the morning. I groaned and tried to close my eyes one last time, but my body was convinced it was lunchtime and that I needed to get up. I realized that I hated jet lag with a passion.I got up and walked into the kitchen, ready to start a pot of coffee and get something to eat. Halfway through the living room, I tripped on a laundry basket in the middle of the floor. After shouting swear words at the plastic hamper and threatening to melt it into sporks, I turned on a light and successfully navigated to my coffee pot. As I waited for the coffee to brew, I glanced around the small room. Even in the dim, pre-dawn light, it was a disaster area. Much like my life, I thought."I'm fixing this," I said aloud to no one. I started by putting the dirty dishes in the dishwasher until the
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Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Island Kisses: Chapter 30
I had been fairly sure that I would never see the inside of Gabe's house ever again, but now I was standing on the deck watching the ocean once more. Not that I was complaining, though. I was happy to be there. In fact, the view of the ocean with the sun overhead never looked so good.“I’m glad you came over today. We need to talk. I’m ready to work through this and make things right again. But first, we both have to come clean with each other,” Gabe said, leaning against the railing of his deck.“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” I agreed. My palms were sweating, but I felt calmer than I had in weeks.His surprise visit at the restaurant had happened just the night before and this was the first time we had really had a chance to hash things out. This conversation needed to happen. It had been a long time coming.“Where should we start?” he asked. The breeze from the ocean ruffled his dark hair.“I guess what I really don’t understand is why you hid it from me?” I asked, starting th
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“So all of your readers think you’re out with Brian right now?” Cora asked.I nodded. “Yep, I’ve duped them all into thinking Brian is a real person that loves me just the way I should be loved. It’s too bad I had to make all that up, though, isn’t it.”“Whatever. I think it’s fine.” Cora just shrugged. “But I have to ask you an important question, Harper.”“What is it?” I asked, a little nervous.Cora turned to the side and set her jaw, making a serious face. “Do I look like a Brian to you?”I busted out laughing. Her goofy antics got me every time.“You know, you actually do!” I exclaimed. “You make a perfect Brian! Wow, I’m one lucky girl to be on a date with such a handsome man.”“Aw, thanks!” she said, as she turned back to face me and grinned. “If I talk like this does it make me sound like a Brian, too?”She lowered her voice as much as possible and crinkled her eyebrows together. I was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my face. The good kind of tears, though, not
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Island Kisses: Chapter 28
I sat down at my computer and clicked on the Internet. It was always the first step in starting a new blog post and I could almost feel the writer’s block start to set in as a blank window popped up on the screen and began loading.It had been just over two months since the breakup and about a month and a half since I had introduced Brian.Brian was a tall guy with a toned body, dark hair and eyes bluer than an open sky on a summer’s day. He was funny, smart, a hard worker in his career as a physical trainer, a huge sports fan and… completely fake.I had decided to create Brian in order to appease my Mother and to use as a marketing tool for the blog. After my readers had obsessed over my relationship with Gabe, Brian was designed to be Gabe 2.0 and to carry the burden of a new and passionate relationship. And completely fabricating a fake relationship was much easier than actually getting consumed by one.Brian took me on elaborate dates to all the exciting places around town without
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I took a break from watching my blog to make some belated dinner. I heated up some left over lasagna and made a milkshake with some of the ice cream still left in the fridge as post-breakup comfort food. I couldn’t help but make fun of myself and my current state of affairs. It felt only fitting to throw on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix.After about a half hour I heard the phone ring.Immediately my heart skipped a beat. I had posted my blog late at night and had done so purposefully to avoid an instant reaction from Rosie or my Mom. But with as late as it was, realistically they were the only ones that would be calling.I checked the caller I.D. on the phone before answering. It was Rosie, which was better than Mom. I took a deep breath and clicked to accept the call.“Hey, Rosie,” I attempted cheerfully.“Hey, Big Sis!” she exclaimed.“What are you doing up so late?” I asked.“I fell asleep kind of early, and then the baby woke me up. My sleep schedule is so crazy now, thi
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Island Kisses: Chapter 26
Well, the time has come. Every beginning has an end, and my relationship has found its end. Two weeks ago, Mr. Perfect Match and I broke up and it is time for the corresponding blog post (because blogging about breakups is the best way to move on, right??)It’s not the typical kind of post I’m used to writing. My life is filled with many more bad dates than bad breakups, and maybe that’s a good thing. But it also means that I’m entering new territory without the right map to guide me. They say it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have lovedI stopped writing and glared at the screen. I highlighted the last sentence and hit delete as if the force of my click would hurt the words as they left the page. Love. It was like a bad word, something I had been conditioned not to say. And Gabe deserved no exception, even if it would appease an old stupid cliché about breakups.After a few moments of contemplation I picked up again where I left off.Time is a weird thing. It has the a
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Island Kisses: Chapter 25
The plane ride to Orlando only took less than an hour, but it felt like an eternity. I spent the entire trip trying to hide my sobs, but of course it was impossible. Luckily, I had sat in the window seat and was able to face away from everyone while I cried, but I still knew that people were looking at me. The older lady sitting next to me even asked if there was anything she could do to help. I responded with, “If you can make men honest, that would help.” She just laughed and said, “I don’t think there’s anything I can do about that one.”My makeup was ruined, my hair was a mess and the clothes I had on were a day old. Needless to say, I wasn’t looking like I was ready to hit the town when I crawled off of the plane. It didn’t matter, though. Cora didn’t care what I looked like. She wouldn’t judge me. That was why I had come to see her in the first place.I had only taken a few steps out of the front doors of the airport before I heard Cora calling out my name. I hadn’t even gotten
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Island Kisses: Chapter 24
After storming out of Gabe’s office, I went back to the bedroom and got dressed as quickly as possible. I was teeming with emotion, but I didn’t want to let out a single sob. I could save that for later, when I could enjoy a pint if ice cream and a few days of binge watching my favorite TV show. But for now, I needed to keep it together and act tough.So once I was dressed, I gathered my makeup from his countertop in his bathroom and tossed everything into my overnight bag. To think, I was considering what it would be like to spend my life with the guy and now I was doing everything possible to speed up the process of leaving his house for good.I can’t believe this. I should have known that it would only be a matter of time before something like this would happen to me, I thought. Why did I fool myself into thinking I could actually meet a decent guy?I zipped up my bag and tossed it over my shoulder. Before leaving the bedroom, I took one last look at the bed, where the blankets wer
