Chapter 17

Nicholas

I stand in the doorway and stare after her, but she’s gone already.

Heather Henderson.

My son’s ex-girlfriend, and I’ve spent the last two days fucking her brains out. I pace back to the living room and sit down on the sofa, still naked. I can’t work out what to do about this.

I rip the mask off my face and toss it across the room.

“Fuck,” I mutter. “Fuck!”

This is a mess. My phone buzzes from the bedroom but I don’t need to pick it up to know who’s calling. If I answer now, Jake’s anger will ultimately make me say something I regret.

What had Heather told me? Down on the beach yesterday, she’d revealed that her ex-boyfriend cheated on her because she wouldn’t put out.

My son cheated on her and possibly broke her heart for something as shallow as sex. Sure, he’s young, but when did he become an asshole?

I grit my teeth and run my fingers through my hair. I can’t let this happen.

Whether Jake likes it or not, I’m not going to give up on this girl. She’s young, she’s beautiful, and she’s intelligent. From what Jake revealed, she gets better grades than him at Columbia.

If I let her go, I’ll never see her again. My son will have to deal with the fact that I want her, that she’s mine, now.

After all, I spent my life building a business for him, only to have him fritter away money and act like he doesn’t give a shit about what I’ve set up.

I rise from the sofa and walk through to the bedroom at last, spare a glance for my cell, then move to the closet and open it. Inside are the suits, shirts, jeans, and shoes I picked out for this weekend.

I put on a tight white t-shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans, then spritz on some Armani. I’m not giving up on this, and to hell with Jake and his expectations. The pressure of business and loneliness has weighed on me for too long.

I stride out into the living room, then out the front door. Laughter and the sounds of sex, moans, grunts, emanate from everywhere on this island. Couples caught in the throes of passion, two people in the sand just ahead, a woman atop a man, her tits bronzed by the morning sunlight.

I ignore it all and march around the side of the villa, kicking up fountains of white sand.

The door to her place is open and I walk up to it, then step inside.

She’s on the sofa, her head bowed.

“Heather,” I say.

She snaps upright and inhales. “Nicholas,” she says.

I walk up to her, help her from the chaise lounge in front of her bed. We stand facing each other, our breaths mingling again, her chest pressed to mine.

And there she is.

Her cheeks wet but rosy. A heart-shaped face, lips full, succulent, and the cute button nose I’ve longed to see these past two days. I run a finger down her jaw and smile at her. “There you are,” I say.

“Here I am,” she replies, casting her gaze downward, refusing to meet mine.

I pinch her chin in two fingers and force her attention onto me. “You’re beautiful.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “I should’ve told you when your mask slipped off but I couldn’t. I was afraid you wouldn’t want to be with me again, and I was in too deep. I – I’ve loved every minute of this weekend with you.”

A cold breeze gusts through the open door behind us and dances across my skin, raising the hairs on her arms.

“You’re cold,” I say.

I release her and walk to the door, shut it, lock it.

“What are you doing?” she asks. “You should be leaving. We’ve done the worst thing imaginable. What will Jake say?” Heather’s so fragile, she’s gripping her arms and shivering. What can I do to make her realize what she means to me?

What this entire weekend has meant to me?

“I haven’t been with anyone in a long time,” I say. “The only time I meet women is here, and it never lasts long.”

She nods. “I understand.”

“No, Heather, you don’t. This is something special. It’s different to what I’ve had before, and I’m sure as fuck not going to let my sloppy son get between us.”

“But –”

“He hurt you,” I say, and anger burns a hole through my chest. God damn, I raised him better than this! “He made you feel less than what you were and you came here.”

“Yes.”

“And met me. That’s some kind of fate,” I say. “I’d like to see where this goes.”

Heather trembles and wriggles that adorable button nose. Christ, I’ve missed so much of her. Now, I’ll be able to watch her facial expressions in full, to watch her as she comes.

That’s all I want right now. I want to show her she’s mine.

I take her by the hand and lead her around the chaise lounge to her bed. “Come here,” I say.

I remove her sundress first and let it fall to the floor.

“We shouldn’t,” she whispers.

“Haven’t you been listening? We should.” I unhook her bra and let it fall next. Lastly, I hook my thumbs into her panties and pull them down over her thighs and right down to the floor.

I kiss her ankle, her calf, the inside of her knee, her thigh, the crest of her pussy, her lower abdomen, then stand up.

Heather sways on the spot, liquid brown eyes hazy with desire, which curls through me even now.

“Nicholas,” she whispers.