Chapter Fourteen

Ronni

I could still remember the day my parents were killed. Nathan had caught me before I fell to the floor, and his mother and father had pulled me into their laps and comforted me. I could still remember that for weeks after the accident, Mr. Landers would come into my room when he heard me crying and cradle me in his arms, rocking me back to sleep.

They had all insisted that I consider myself part of their family for the rest of my life. It was what helped me get through being alone in the world. They had made me believe that they would never turn their backs on me for any reason. When Mrs. Landers died, I tried to repay the love and be there for Mr. Landers, bringing him breakfast and lunch every day, checking in on him every evening, even when I was at school and all I could do was call. Most days, he didn’t answer, but he knew I was there if he needed me. Slowly over time, he started emerging from the darkness of their bedroom, but when he did, I could see he had changed. There was an all too familiar hole in his heart that Mrs. Landers used to fill. Mr. Landers had always been strict. but he had never been cruel. That was, until I came back from college and began making a life for myself. In reality, Mr. Landers knew better than anyone, even Nathan, that I was capable of doing the job. He had seen my grades in college, read my papers, had discussions with my professors, not realizing that I would find out. But now, there was nothing but hatred in his heart.

I felt completely betrayed by everyone except Nathan. Nick had not only done what he did on our date, but he had used me as a pawn in his game to gain control of the company. He had said horrible things about me and painted a picture in his father’s mind of a woman that I was not. The things that Mr. Landers said were uncalled for and cruel, and I could feel my whole body shaking with the pain and sadness I was feeling. And now, even after all of that, Nathan showed his loyalty to me by offering to fight for my right at the company, going as far as to offer to give up everything for me. Sure, he was a billionaire in his own right, something his father couldn’t take away. So, he wasn’t worried about the job and money, but I couldn’t help but think about his family and how they would be ripped apart, all because of me. I couldn’t allow myself to be the wedge that drove them apart, especially knowing that one day, Nathan would look at me and realize I had been the cause of all his loss.

“I will fight this, Ronni,” he whispered. “I will give everything up for you. I don’t care.”

“Don’ be silly,” I cooed, taking a deep breath. “Me working for you is not worth the fight that is brewing, nor is it worth you losing your relationship with your father.”

“Come on,” he said, grabbing his jacket and phone. “Let’s get out of here. Regardless of what you say, you are worth all of that, if not more. None of this means anything to me anymore without having you by my side.”

As we moved out of the office and down into the streets of San Diego, Nathan stopped and looked around. He checked his phone, stuck his hands in his pockets, and then stood there as if he were lost. Nathan was used to working all day, every day, with no time to do other things. He was out of his element, having left the office shortly after arriving. I giggled to myself, finding the scene actually kind of adorable. He was completely baffled by what to do next so I walked over to him, kissed his cheek, grabbed his hand, and led him to my car parked in the garage next door.

“Why don’t we take this time to relax,” I said, smiling. “We can run by my house, grab a suit, and go out on the beach for a swim. It’ll be a little chilly, but it will be really relaxing. Just the sound of the waves has a way of soothing the soul.”

“I like that idea,” he said, nodding. “I don’t have a suit, though.”

“Not a problem,” I said, smiling. “Maria was doing some test lines for men’s swimwear so you can wear one of those.”

“Okay, but if I’m going to be a guinea pig for Maria, so are you,” he said, smiling mischievously.

“Ha,” I said, opening the car door. “No problem. I’ll wear one of the bikinis from the women’s line.”

“Yes,” he whispered. “I have won.”

I laughed loudly as we pulled out of the parking garage and drove toward my house, leaving the high-rise offices in the background. It was time to force this man to let loose, have some fun, and really get some relaxation flowing through his bloodstream. Come to think of it, I couldn’t even remember a time as kids when Nathan looked like he was relaxing. He was always so serious, and even on family vacations, he was reading something, writing something, or talking to his father about business. He had been serious for most of his life, despite a few wild years in high school. It was something I loved about him, but I also wanted him to stop being so stressed and serious. Crack a joke every once in a while, run through the waves, be spontaneous. That was what life was all about. I knew better than most people how short life was and how it could be over in the blink of an eye.

We pulled up in front of the house and held hands as we walked in. I put my hurt feelings to the side and decided that today was for relaxing and living. I went into Maria’s room and pulled out the box with all the prototypes inside. For Nathan, I picked a teal blue swimsuit with Buddhas across the bottom. I dug into the other box and found the bright red tops and bottoms that I knew would fit me. I smiled at Nathan as I exited, tossing the trunks to him and walking into my bedroom. I shut the door, knowing if we ended up naked in front of each other, we might not make it to the beach. When I was done, I looked at myself in the mirror, adjusting the strings on the top so that they were tighter. When you have big breasts, you had to be careful. Sometimes they had a mind of their own. I pulled my hair back in a ponytail and put some lip gloss on before opening the door and peeking down the hall.

Nathan was standing in the living room, wearing the shorts which looked so freaking sexy. They came halfway down his thighs, fit comfortably, but definitely hugged his cock in an amazing way. It made me want to skip the beach and get him back out of the shorts. His upper body was buff as always, and I could tell he had been working out since his stomach was almost flawless. I took a deep breath and walked out into the hallway, letting him see the bathing suit. I could tell by his immediate reaction that he liked what he was seeing. My breasts bounced lightly as I walked toward him, the strings on the sides of my bottoms pulled tightly.

“Wow,” he said, looking down at my curves and walking forward with a towel. “I’m not sure if it's safe for you to leave this house like that. You might want to go back in your room and let me inspect the strength of those strings.”

“This is the only one that fits my, um, cleavage,” I said, giggling.

“I like it,” he said, leaning in and kissing me.

I grabbed the towel from him and slipped on my flip flops, taking his hand and leading him outside. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else with Nathan. Well, maybe I could, but that wouldn’t get us out in the sun. It had been a really long time since that loneliness that I had been experiencing had lifted, but as we walked across the street, laughing and flirting, I felt completely alive. Nathan filled a hole in my heart that had been there since my parents passed away, something that had grown larger and larger as the years passed. When his mother died, I felt like there was no one else in the world that cared. Little did I know that everything in life would lead me back to the Landers and ultimately, to Nathan.

We walked down the ramp and into the cool sand, looking around at the empty beach. There was no one around since it was the middle of the workday, and that was perfectly okay with me. I loved being on the beach all alone, relaxing to the sounds of the waves, and taking in the warm California air. One day, I hoped to own a home right on the water where I could sit on my porch every morning and drink my coffee and then meditate every night to the surging tides.

Nathan took my hand, and we walked along the beach in silence, just happy to be close to one another. He gripped me tightly, making me feel secure and protected, and I looked down at the sand flying from my feet with every step. I leaned down and took off my sandals, throwing them and my towel up the beach. He looked down at me and smiled his charming smile, sending waves of butterflies fluttering through my chest. We walked up and back the small strip of beach, stopping at the rock wall protruding outward.

I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes, letting the energy of the moment take over. Before I could open them, I felt Nathan’s lips press softly against mine, and he tapped me on the butt and laughed as he walked back over to our stuff. He spread out his towel as I picked up mine and sat down, leaning back and breathing deeply. It looked like that relaxation attempt was starting to actually work on him. I looked around the beach and decided that laying out wasn’t really what I was looking for. I smiled coyly at him as he looked at me suspiciously. I tossed my towel down next to him and turned toward the ocean, running full speed toward the waves. As the cold water hit my body, I gasped and laughed, feeling my whole body awaken from the cold. I trudged outward into the surf until it was up to my waist. I turned back and waved at Nathan who was laughing and walking toward me. The cold water ran all over my body, making me feel like there wasn’t a care in the world. In reality, in that moment, there really weren’t. I was on the beach with this amazing man, and I was swimming around in the most beautiful surf California had to offer.

I turned back toward the horizon and spread my arms wide, letting the waves crash into me. I breathed the salty air deep into my lungs and decided that these cool waters were going to carry my cares and fears away. There was no more headache for me, and I would decide who I let into my life, and who I threw to the side, no matter how long they had been there. It was time for the pain to be over.