Ten years later…It’s so sunny outside that it’s hard to open my eyes as we lie stretched out on the blanket. I hear the kids arguing about whose turn it is to feed the swans, but I just ignore them as I burrow deeper against Julie.“Those swans are going to be so fat,” she laughs as I squeeze her thigh.“Let them enjoy it, and we can enjoy the alone time.”Julie sighs as she rolls over next to me, and I feel her hand on my face. “Have I ever told you how much I love you?” she asks, and I smile.“Not today, so you better do it.” When I open my eyes, she’s sitting up on her elbow to look down at me, and there’s a halo of sunshine around her.“Mama, can we go to the barn and look at the baby lambs?” our oldest asks, and she looks over and nods.“Just ask Shane to help you with the latch.”Our three boys take off in the direction of the barn and Julie watches them go. “How long do you think we have?” I ask as I run my hand down her arm.“Probably about fifteen minutes.” She looks down at
Dario Vampelt is nothing short of a spoilt, billionaire brat.No is never to be said to him. Arrogant, condescending and a justified asshole, he's always used to getting what he wants thanks to his affluence and wealth. When a small island hotel turns down his offer to buy it, he's confused and pissed.How dare they?Annoyed, he makes plans to fly to the 'dingy' remote town, find the owner, sweet-talk or threaten (whichever one might work) them to agree to his offer and close the deal. Easy peasy.But when he meets Jade, his plan flies out the window.Jade Willow has spent her whole life on the island with her grandparents, and now that they have passed on, the responsibility of running the family business, The Mermaid, falls on her alone. She's frustrated, destitute and sad, and there's no option left than to sell it.But one night at a local dive bar with a rich-looking stranger changes everything.------------------1 - Dario.Whoosh whoosh whooshThe sound of the helicopter is mak
I stare at the computer screen, wishing things could be different. How did things genuinely get so bad? I love this place. It’s all I’ve known my whole life and soon I’m going to lose it. No matter how hard I work I just can’t dig myself out of this hole. I’m going to lose the only link I have to my family. Their legacy. The place my grandma and grandpa poured their everything into. My heart breaks thinking about them. I try to remind myself that even if I lose this place I will always carry them with me.I hit the close button on our accounting program knowing no matter how long I stare at the screen nothing is going to change. I have months. If I’m lucky. Taxes are due and there’s no way I’m going to be able to pay them. I have no reason to think that something is going to change that might help with the matter. Besides selling this place, and that is the last thing I want to do. Even if I’m being offered way more than this place is worth. But to me it’s priceless.I force a smile w
When I finally find the entrance to the Mermaid, the sky has gotten dark. It’s a combination of the sun setting and the clouds rolling in. Kathy already called me to say that I have to get off the island in the next twenty minutes or I’m going to have to stay the night. It took me more than that just to get to the damn place. It’s so far off the main road, and none of these stupid streets are signposted. I guess they just expect people to find it. No wonder her business is failing. Nobody can find it. The place is literally next door to my resort, but there’s not one good way to get to it.My pilot sends me a text from the mainland saying he’s getting hail and has to put the plane in the hangar.“Fucking great,” I say through clenched teeth.Then another text pops up from the helipad. They’re packing it in since the storm is moving faster than they thought.I take a deep breath, trying not to let this get to me. I need to remember why I’m here and take care of business. So I have to s
After I lock my door and walk to the front of the hotel I see it’s already pouring rain. By the entrance there’s a basket full of umbrellas, with a note to take one. I grumble again as I pull the collar on my shirt up around my neck and blow by them. Why are all the little touches so annoying? Can’t they just operate like a normal hotel?The air is muggy as I make my way under the canopy of trees and in the vague direction Ken pointed. Of course, there’s no goddamn cell reception on this island, so I just have to guess where to go from here.Up ahead I see a building with glowing lights and can make out a neon fish on the roof. That must be the place. When I get closer I see the place is basically a shack. The door has been propped open with a few pieces of driftwood, and music is blaring through the open windows.The Red Din is crowded for a weekday and I’m surprised. Is this whole island just one big party? I guess nobody does any real work when the sun goes down.I walk inside, but
“I see you’ve got a taste for the local cuisine,” Dolly says, breaking my concentration. I look at her and see she’s not talking about my food but nodding to the woman at the door. “That girl is like a daughter to everyone on this island,” she says, turning to face me. “You hurt her, and I’ll turn you from a sea cucumber into a clam with one shuck.” She tips her glass to me as she takes a sip and walks over to the other side of the bar to take a drink order.I watch as the woman moves up to the bar and leans over to give Dolly a kiss on the cheek. The motion pushes her breasts up and over the top of the bar, and I get a look right down the front of her top. The image of my cock popping up between them fills my mind and suddenly I can’t think straight. I take a drink of my beer to distract myself and to have a moment to get my thoughts together.I’m not here to fuck local pussy. I’m here for a business deal and then I’m getting the hell off this island. But then the devil on my shoulde
My breath hitches as I realize what I’d just said. I lost my cherry. I want to die of embarrassment, but I try to play it cool like I was flirting and not complaining about losing the mixed drink.“It’s really just cherry limeade with a splash of vodka,” I tell him. His eyes go to my lips and I can’t stop myself from licking them.Then I look to his and notice for the first time how full they are. Then I imagine what they’d feel like against mine…on my neck. I realize I’m staring at him when his mouth forms a half-smile and I’ve been caught lost in a fantasy.Luckily at that moment Dolly sets my drink down and I reach out and grab it. I take a long sip of it as I try to give myself something to do. I peek over the top of the glass at him and can’t help but think he’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in my life. He’s big, but damn, that doesn’t even begin to cover it. He’s not only taller than me, but double the width. I’ve always been tall for a girl, and I’m used to men being my
“She’s mine.” Dario’s deep rumble catches me off-guard.I’m surprised by such a caveman statement, but I’m more surprised by how much I like it. I had no idea he was going to be so possessive, but the warm slide between my legs tells me he should keep doing that. Yeah, this guy has heartbreak written all over him.Derick chuckles. “You and Aisha. Y’all are always getting those tourists to chase after you,” he says, looking up at the ceiling. “You going to get a bra up there tonight?”I make a face like I’m grossed out, but really I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be one of those couples who couldn’t control themselves. The type that had to have one another so badly that they couldn’t wait to get home. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to not care that you’re in some bar bathroom. But the part afterward is my favorite. Watching the guy come out like a warrior who just claimed a kingdom as he tosses her bra up on a nail is always fun. I’ve seen it happen a few times an
I love everything about our little seaside village of Ferragudo, but it’s especially magical in the early hours of the morning, when only the fish and the birds are awake. I love coming out onto our deck to observe the calm, quiet world. Usually, I can even manage to get a good page or two written before the kids wake up.I curl my hands around my mug of coffee, the tendrils of steam evaporating into the cool air, and smile before taking a sip. The last ten years have been better than anything I could have ever hoped for. Finn and I had the most beautiful wedding right here on the beach, just a few miles away from where we now live.The ceremony was small and intimate and absolutely perfect. Finn cried, and yeah, I was a blubbering mess by the end as well. Standing there next to him, peering into those deep brown eyes while the waves tickled my feet was one of the greatest moments of my life. I finally felt like I was right where I belonged, with someone who wanted me as much as I wan
Zarina slumps over the balcony as I pull out of her, our combined releases dripping down her thighs. Jesus, I’m almost ready to go again at the sight. Spinning her around, I scoop my woman up in my arms and carry her to my bed, ridding her of her clothes before stripping down and crawling in beside her.She snuggles up next to me and I wrap an arm around her, tucking her closer into my side. “I love you so damn much,” I whisper into the top of her head. She sighs so sweetly, her breath tickling my bare chest.“I love you, too. Thank you.”“For what?”Zarina props herself up on her elbow, looking down at me. “For...everything. I...I don’t know how to explain it. Like your letter said, we haven’t known each other that long, but in a way, we have. I know you. I feel you right here,” she whispers, placing my hand over her heart. I slide it up her chest and wrap my fingers around the back of her neck, drawing her down for another kiss.“I feel you, too,” I murmur against her lips.“Did...d
Twenty minutes later, we're pulling up to my apartment. I've traveled from city to city and country to country over the last nineteen years, but this little apartment has served as home base in between gigs. I want something so much grander for my wife-to-be, but this will have to do for now.“It’s beautiful,” Zarina whispers as I help her out of the cab. The building itself is painted white, matching the other homes and buildings here in Ferragudo, Portugal. The seaside town is quite breathtaking and picturesque with boats adorning the shores and whitewashed homes dotting the skyline.“You’re beautiful,” I say with a grin when she rolls her eyes. “Now let’s get inside before I lose my mind.”I drag my Zarina through the lobby of the apartment building, almost forgetting her damn luggage again. She giggles and spins around in my arms once we step inside the elevator, getting up on her tiptoes to give me a kiss. I wrap my arms around her and haul her into my chest, groaning when I feel
I wipe a sweaty palm on my jeans and tighten my hold on the bouquet of wildflowers I gathered from one of my favorite parks overlooking the ocean. The plane should be landing any minute now, and I pray to every god I can think of that my babygirl is on it.These last three days have been absolute misery without her. I knew Darren would be upset, but I underestimated his temper, as well as his connections. After we gave our statements about what happened in the hotel room, Darren talked to the officers and apparently greased the wheels to have me fucking deported.After an arduous and humiliating journey back to Portugal in cuffs, I spent the night in a holding cell. I was released yesterday when they realized the charges were bogus, but TSA took my passport, so there was no way to hop on the next plane back to New York.And God, that’s all I’ve wanted to do. I won’t rest until Zarina is in my arms again. I need to hold her, to look at her sharp, beautiful eyes and tell her I love her.
Over and over, picture after picture, Finn poured his heart out to me. That day at the farmers market he told me he communicated better with photos, but I think his words are just as powerful.Underneath the pile of photos, I see a letter folded up. I reach for it, handling it like a sacred document. To me, it is. Something falls out of the letter when I unfold it. Picking up the scrap of paper, I gasp when I see it’s a plane ticket to Portugal. My name is at the top, along with tomorrow’s date. Was this his plan all along? Was he going to bring me back to Portugal with him?I set the ticket down on the bed and reach for the letter again, hoping to find the answers to my questions.Zarina, my beautiful babygirl,I love every moment of every day with you. Everything you do is enchanting. Magical. I didn’t know what was missing in my life until you flashed those eyes at me and challenged me for control.We haven’t known each other long, but at the same time, my soul knows yours. You fee
Three days. It’s been three days since Miriam hauled me out of the hotel. Three days since Finn made love to me. Three days since my heart was healed and then shattered.Where is he? What happened? Finn told me he loved me, but the doubts are starting to creep in.That first day, I collapsed on my bed and cried myself to sleep. I was so certain I would wake up next to my Daddy, but when I blinked my swollen eyes open, I was alone, just like I always am. I barely left my room the second day, only venturing out into the house to use the bathroom or grab something to eat.My father won’t even look at me. He’s hardly spoken ten words to me in the last few days. All I know is that he and Miriam got a call when they landed in Bora Bora from someone who saw Finn kissing me at the wedding. According to Miriam, I ruined her wedding and made a fool out of myself and my family.Last night, my dad told me he set up an interview with the dean of NYU next week to discuss my schedule for the fall. M
I feel her pussy knot around my shaft, squeezing me so damn tight it hurts in the best way. Zarina inhales a sharp breath as wave after wave of pleasure wracks her body. She claws at my back, ripping my skin open, making me roar my release and fill her with my seed. I come so damn hard I feel like I might pass out.“Breathe,” I say to myself as much as her.Zarina gasps for air and clings to me as her body trembles with the last of her orgasm. I slide her down my body and hold her close, kissing the top of her head.When we both have somewhat recovered, I step back and pour body wash into my hands before rubbing it over the dips and curves of her body. Zarina leans into me for support, making me smile at how thoroughly fucked and sated she is right now. When I’m done, she soaps me up and places a sweet kiss over my heart.I cup her face and kiss her deeply, passionately, but slowly. One drugging kiss leads to another and another, and before I know it, I’m spinning her around and placi
I strip out of what little clothes I have left on and then practically tear Zarina’s dress off of her, leaving her in a matching bra and panty set.“Hey!” she shrieks and then giggles. “Be careful! I don’t want you ruining another dress of mine.”I kiss her neck, needing my lips to be on some part of her body right this goddamn second. “I’ll buy you a new one,” I grunt, biting and kissing her again.I slide my hands down her body, gripping her thighs and lifting her gorgeous, curvy body up into my arms. She gasps and hooks her ankles behind my back. I growl and kiss down her neck as she arches her back and presses her body into mine.“Fuck, I need you,” I grunt before nipping at the sensitive skin below her ear.“I’m yours, Daddy,” she pants, rubbing her hot little pussy over my stomach letting me know she needs me, too.“Take a shower with me.” It’s not a question, it’s a command.She nods her head and twists her fingers in my hair, pulling me in for another kiss.I carry her into th
We walk silently through the market and take a cab back to the house, where I direct Zarina to pack an overnight bag. The sassy little smirk she gives me nearly has me tossing her on her bed and burying my cock between her pouty lips, but I manage to restrain myself.Once we’re packed up, I order an Uber to Four Seasons, ready to show my little love everything she’s asking for. Zarina smiles at me and snuggles into my side, content to let me take care of every little detail.My chest swells up with pride when I step out of the car and hold my hand out for my babygirl. She doesn’t hesitate to take my hand and let me lead her through the opulent lobby and onto the private elevator. I love that she trusts me like this. As soon as the doors shut, I slide my hands down her body and grip her hips, pulling her back against my front.She moans softly, melting into me as I trail kisses up and down her neck. My hands roam up her generous curves until I’m cupping her breasts. Zarina gasps and th