The next day, we made our escape from London. Another stealthily exit through Anthony’s window, a climb over the back wall and through the old lady’s garden and house had ensured we weren’t spotted as we left.
The airport was quiet as well, but Alex only relaxed when we were on the plane.
When we landed, we cleared customs quickly, having the preferential treatment that Anthony had explained to me when Alex arrived back from Los Angeles.
As we walked out of the airport, we were greeted by a middle-aged man who Alex obviously knew.
“Felix!” he shouted, and shook his hand before hugging him. Felix grinned as Alex released him from his embrace.
“You never age, and you look amazing. What is Helen, that wonderful wife of yours, feeding you these days?”
Felix rubbed his belly. “Never mind me, young man,” he said, glancing in my direction. “Is this the lovely Ella that Megan told me all about when sorting this trip for you both?”
Alex nodded. “Yes, it is. Isn’t she beautiful?”
I raised my eyes heavenwards. “I seriously doubt it. Three and a half hours on a plane with seats so uncomfortable I want to sue, must mean I look a real fright.”
Alex pulled me to his side. “She’s not usually this grumpy.”
Felix let out a loud laugh, and held his hand out. I immediately raised mine to shake his.
Alex introduced us properly. “Felix, meet Ella. Ella meet Felix, life-long best friend of my father. He’s lived on Sao Miguel all his life. Megan and I spent a lot of time here when we were kids.”
“Getting up to all sorts of mischief,” Felix said.
“When mum and dad died, and we were adopted by Charlie and Hazel, they sort of became best friends as well.” Alex explained. “He’s practically family.”
Felix nodded. “But, I know you better than they do.”
He moved forward, taking Alex’s bag.
“Travelling light?” he asked as he swung our only piece of luggage over his shoulder.
“Something like that?” Alex winked at me and I groaned inwardly. I had no idea what was in the bag. Megan had apparently gone shopping for me and her purchases were hidden away with Alex’s in this one bag.
As we settled in the back of Felix’s car, he continued chatting to us.
“So, Alex, I’ve never known you bring a female back to Lagoa Rasa. You normally come here to escape the maddening world and everyone in it.”
“Exactly,” Alex said.
“You never brought Amy here?” I asked. If he had known about this island since he was a child, and had a hideaway here since he’d become famous, I presumed he would have brought her here.
“No, she doesn’t even know it exists,” Alex said. “You are the first woman I have ever even wanted to bring here.”
Felix was quiet as he drove us away from the airport.
“The villa, Escondido, belonged to Felix’s brother,” Alex explained. “He died about five years ago, owing massive amounts of money to people.”
“He was a fool with his money and his life!” Felix shouted. “He liked his women too much. They were his ruin!”
Alex grinned at Felix’s outburst. “As you can tell, they didn’t get on. But over here, the laws meant that Felix, as his only brother, became saddled with the villa, and his debt. My career had just taken off, so I offered to help Felix.”
“Alex, you know I could never have accepted your offer of money,” Felix protested.
“Hmm, you always were a stubborn man. But it worked out perfectly in the end. I decided to buy the property from him, which meant that he had the money to pay everyone off.”
“It was in a real state. He left nothing but the floor, walls and leaking roof,” Felix added.
“Hazel came over here, and with Felix’s generous help, they created a haven for me away from the real world. I hope you like it as much as I do, Ella.”
“I’m sure I will.” Alex had helped Felix when he desperately needed it. I was secretly very proud of him for thinking a way around being able to help him. And now he had what sounded like a beautiful villa, tucked away on a quiet island.
“I promise I will not disturb you. Helen may want to see you, but I will keep her away if you promise to come and see her next time you visit.”
“I’d appreciate that, Felix. Ella and I need some time alone.”
“I understand,” Felix said. “Have you told Ella what is so special about the lake?”
I was intrigued. What was he going to tell me?
“The lake, Lagoa Rasa, is heart shaped,” Alex said. “It’s one of the smaller ones in the old crater of a volcano. It’s far away from all the tourist sights, in fact, no-one visits it. But I think it’s quite a magical place.”
“Heart shaped, though?”
Alex nodded. “It’s perfect.”
I had to remind myself that I was actually here, not in one of my fantasy dreams. I grabbed Alex’s thigh, just to prove to myself that he was here, that this was happening, that it was real.
“You okay?” Alex asked.
“Just checking that I’m not dreaming.”
“Well if you are, so am I.”
* * *
Half an hour later, Felix brought the car to a stop at the edge of a lake. I couldn’t stop myself from gasping out loud when I climbed out of the car.
When we’d arrived at the airport, it had been raining, but now the sun was shining in a bright blue sky. The water in the lake reflected the colour of the sky, and it was the most incredible shade of blue I’d ever seen. The colour contrasted strikingly with the green trees that surrounded the edge of the lake and grew up the sides of the crater. It was a magical place.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Alex whispered.
I nodded, momentarily too stunned to speak. It was all too much for me to take in.
“You stay there, Ella. I’ll just sort things with Felix.”
His footsteps crunched on the gravel as he headed toward Felix. I didn’t listen to their ensuing conversation, I was too busy trying to soak in the beauty surrounding me. Apparently, the villa was somewhere on the edge of the lake, but I couldn’t see anything apart from the trees growing around it. As Alex had said, it was a true hide-away. Even if you stopped on this small area where Felix had parked, you wouldn’t know that there was anything else here.
I turned around to ask Alex to point out where we were going, only to be greeted with him waving at Felix’s departing car. He spun on the spot to face me.
“Are you alright, Ella?” he asked. “You’re not normally lost for words.”
“You brought me here?” I muttered, not quite finding my voice properly.
He closed the gap between us. “I wanted to share this place with you. Why? Would you rather be in a hotel somewhere with loads of other people?”
“No, of course not. It’s not that. It’s just that . . . well, this place.”
“Completely secluded. No-one will disturb us here. Come on, let’s get to the villa. I can’t wait for you to see it.”
He took my hand and led me to a small boat.
“Usually there’s only me. I’m sorry it’s so small.” He threw the hold-all into the boat before helping me into the vessel as it bobbed around in the shallow water.
It was the only boat moored at this point of the lake. “How does Felix get over to the villa, or anyone else when you’re at the villa and have the boat there?”
“Felix usually brings his own. He has a trailer for his boat. He didn’t bring it today. There was no need.”
“But you mentioned maids. How do they get there?”
“My maid is Felix, or rather, his wife, Helen. I have never had anyone else visit here, apart from them, and occasionally family.”
“And me,” I added, feeling like the most special woman in the world.
“And you, Ella.”
He gingerly stepped into the boat, rocking it dangerously as he balanced his weight. I shrieked out loud, expecting to be tipped into the water.
He sat down, facing me, before pulling a key out of his pocket and inserting it onto a small console next to the motor. The boat burst into life.
“Here we go!” he exclaimed.
As we travelled across the lake, I became even more aware of the beauty surrounding us. Were we really going to spend a full week here, alone? It sounded amazing—the sort of thing that only happened in dreams.
Alex left me to my thoughts as he steered the boat across the water, and even when we reached a small wooden pier that stretched out from a narrow stretch of golden sand, he remained quiet.
Alex helped me from the boat and walked beside me along the jetty. I peered through the trees in front of us, still curious as to where the villa was.
“This way,” Alex said as he took my hand. We only ventured a few metres, pushing through a few bushes and trees, before we stopped.
“Oh my,” I breathed as a white-washed building appeared through the trees.
Alex stood behind me, and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“Welcome to Villa Escondido, Ella.”
I raced to the villa, charging through the open glass doors to see if it was as beautiful inside as the exterior had promised. I needn’t have worried. The floors were polished wood, walls and furnishings were a soft cream, and nearly all the windows ran from floor to ceiling.
“Bedroom,” I muttered, seeing several doors to my left. Alex chuckled as I ran past him. The first door I opened was a bathroom. I wandered into the room, twirling in a circle as I held in an excited scream. The shower was big enough to have a party in. The bath was ginormous—raised on a low platform at the far side of the room, it was surrounded by glass windows.
“The glass doors open so you can sit in the Jacuzzi whilst outside,” Alex said.
I spun around to face him. He was leaning on the doorway watching my enthusiastic exploration.
“You’re kidding? A Jacuzzi?”
“A Jacuzzi, Ella.”
“Oh, my god!” I ran up to him and kissed him on the lips. “Where’s the bedroom?”
Alex inclined his head out of the room. “Next door on the left.”
I skipped out of the bathroom and opened the door he had mentioned.
“Oh. My. God!”
A four-poster bed greeted me. It was surrounded in muslin and netting, and the white linen bedding looked crisp and cool. Floor to ceiling glass doors were currently open, bringing in the surrounding lush greenery of the trees around the villa. I swallowed hard, fighting back the tears that were starting to build. Alex followed me into the room and I wiped my eyes, failing to stop the tears.
“This place is amazing,” I told him, my voice croaking with emotion.
“Hey . . .” Alex was immediately in front of me, kissing my forehead as he pulled me to his body. “Tears were not the reaction I’d hoped for.”
More tears rolled down my cheeks. “I think I’ve suddenly been reminded of just how ridiculously famous and rich you are. It seems like you aren’t my Alex anymore.”
It was a ridiculous statement to make, but somehow, seeing all this luxury, and knowing that it belonged to him, just made me realised that Alex was Alex Denton—film star, heart-throb, and a man lusted after by thousands of women across the world.
“Ella.” He tipped my face so that I had to look at him. “I am your Alex. I don’t want anyone else. I just want you.”
He leaned forward and kissed me. The kiss was slow, sensuous and confirmed his statement.
“Please, believe me. I want you, just you, nobody else,” he murmured as he swayed with me on the spot.
I nodded, the tears still not stopping. My excitement, and the rush of emotions that had crashed through me, making me question the realness of our relationship, were now replaced with my undeniable love for him.
“Crazy Ella,” he said, resting his head against mine.
“Crazy, but all yours,” I whispered.
“Definitely.”
We stood together, in the middle of the bedroom, hugging and rocking for several minutes. When we eventually pulled away from each other, he held my hand.
“Come and see the pool. It’s where I spend most of my time when I’m here.”
I nodded and let him lead me back into the main room of the villa. I had rushed through here so quickly when we had first arrived that I had missed the way the seating area was sunk lower than the rest of the room. The sofas were built into the sunken structure, and several rugs covered the floor in front of a large stone fireplace that dominated the area.
Alex guided me through the room and to the side. He turned me so that I was facing the pool. I was struck by the simplicity of the area, but also the care and craftsmanship taken in creating it. The pool was bordered by the villa on three sides, and trees hung over the remaining open side. The trees offered shade over most of the pool, but the poolside was bathed in bright sunshine.
“I like that I can skinny dip under the trees without the fear of someone snapping me from the air,” Alex said.
My mind suddenly cleared of the fog it had been drenched in since we arrived.
“Race you!” I challenged, immediately pulling my dress over my head.
“What?” Alex called as I ran outside.
I unhooked my bra, throwing it to the side as I kicked my sandals off. I balanced on the edge of the pool, and glanced back at Alex who was currently naked from the waist up. He was desperately trying not to fall over as he balanced on one leg, removing one of his trainers. I slid my fingers into the side of my pants and wriggled suggestively, skimming them down my thighs.
Alex hastily unbuttoned his jeans as he advanced toward me, leaving them in a crumpled heap at his feet as my pants fell to the floor.
I winked at him before diving into the water.
As I surfaced at the far side of the small pool, Alex leap into the air and bombed into the water, creating a massive splash.
He surfaced at the same point he had disappeared under the water.
“Diving not your strong point!” I called.
He swam across the pool, grinning as he approached me. “I think I have other skills.”
“Such as?”
He encircled me in his arms, pushing his lips onto mine as we gradually slipped beneath the surface of the water. The pool was too deep for me to stand in, but I was surprised to realise that it was too deep for Alex as well. We sank a good foot below the surface before we stopped. I wrapped my legs around him as we continued kissing. Bubbles of air rushed past our faces as they escaped through our noses.
When I needed to breathe, I moved my face away from him and pushed on his shoulders, rising the short distance to the surface. I took a big breath of air just as Alex grabbed my legs, but instead of pulling me back under the water, he lifted me, and I tipped backward. As I floated on the water, Alex’s face appeared between my knees as he came up for air. He guided my floating body to the edge of the pool.
“Hold on, Ella. I’m gonna make you scream,” he instructed before dipping under the water. I reached behind, and grabbed the edge of the pool.
“Oh shit!” I moaned as his head nudged my thighs and his tongue pushed against me, finding exactly the right spot.
There was no sound other than the water as it lapped against the side of the pool. I shut my eyes and relaxed, fully intent on letting Alex continue what he was doing. His insistent hands pushed my thighs further apart, and I moaned as his smooth tongue licked me.
The peace was broken as he came up for air, his hair plastered in wet strands across his face. He winked before disappearing under the water again. This time his tongue didn’t return to the area he had just left, his whole mouth did, latching over me as he sucked on my clit. I reacted instinctively, bucking my hips toward him. Taking my action as encouragement, he continued sucking, pushing his tongue out to tease me even more. When he surfaced again, he kissed me, deep and hard, pushing my head back onto the edge of the pool as he pressed against my body. I was trapped between the hard side of the pool and his insistent body.
“Have you screamed yet?” he asked, his voice husky and breathy.
I shook my head, my breathing laboured even though I hadn’t been the one under the water.
“Then I’m not doing my job properly, am I?”
He manoeuvred himself so he was at my side. Placing his hand against my stomach he slipped it lower, gently pushing between my legs before inserting his fingers. He kissed me as his thumb ghosted over my clit. As our kissing grew more passionate, he set up a rhythm with his fingers and his thumb, expertly bringing me near to his goal of making me scream. His erection pushed against my thigh, thrusting against me in the same rhythm as his fingers. He may not have been inside me, but his actions were more than clear.
I slipped one of my hands into the water, and wrapped my hand around him. He groaned into my mouth, and I gripped him tighter as he thrust. The change in his actions happened immediately. His thumb moved quicker, but he stopped the rhythmic movement of his fingers. Instead of them moving in and out, he stroked my front inner wall.
I screamed as my body reacted, and bucked my hips as my orgasm crashed through me. His kiss swallowed my scream, and he growled into my mouth, thrusting even harder into my tight grip on his cock. Seconds later, he pulled away from our kiss and dropped his head onto my shoulder. His cock swelled in my hand, and he gasped and moaned as his orgasm took a hold.
Neither of us spoke, and the peacefulness of the moment washed over us for several minutes. The only sounds were our laboured breathing as we calmed, and the chirps of birds in the trees nearby.
Alex lifted his head from my shoulder and pecked my lips.
“I made you scream,” he said.
I nodded. “Your fingers are incredibly talented.”
He leaned forward to kiss me again.
“We’d better get out, dry off, and then I’ll cook you some dinner,” he said when we broke apart.
“You? Cook?” I had visions of eating nothing but cheese on toast for the next week.
“Out here I do. Helen makes sure I have everything available to be able to rustle something decent up. I can hardly call for a take away. I’ll have step by step instructions in the kitchen—with everything labelled in the fridge. She’ll have made sure that there’ll be something extra nice because you’re with me.”
“Sounds good,” I offered as I turned in the water, ready to haul myself onto the side.
“Can I get out first?” Alex asked. “I don’t think I’ll cope if I see your naked ass when you climb out.”
I sank back into the water. “Be my guest. But you do know how much I like your ass. What makes you think I’ll control myself?”
He pulled himself onto the side of the pool.
I ogled him—it would have been rude not to. But as he stepped away from the pool area I shrieked in horror.
“Alex! What the hell have you got on your feet?”
“Socks,” he replied. “I didn’t have time to take them off!”
I screwed my nose up and floated on my back before pushing myself into the middle of the pool.
“If I’d known you had your socks on, you’d have never made me scream!”
I chuckled at the ridiculous sight of him naked apart from his socks. This was not what my fantasy of him looked like. I grinned as I realised that even though Alex was my fantasy man—he was also real. The socks, in a strange way, just proved it.
“Go make me my dinner, Sock Man!” I called after him as he disappeared inside.
* * *
Alex was true to his word. He cooked a fabulous meal of chicken fajitas, served with sour cream and freshly made guacamole. We also drank three bottles of wine between us before stumbling into bed. Neither of us slept straight away. The drunken sex was just too good.
I woke up alone the following morning, confused and disorientated—where was I?
A breeze pushed through the large glass open doors at the foot of the bed reminding me where I was. I sat up slowly, my hands reaching for my head as the sound of birds singing outside became very loud.
A clattering of dishes followed by several swear words made me cringe. Alex was already up, and by the sounds of it, trying to prepare some breakfast.
There was music playing, and he was singing along to a song that I didn’t recognised. I shifted my legs over the side of the bed before pulling on a white robe that was laid across the back of a chair.
I made my way to the kitchen, and leaned on the kitchen door, listening and watching Alex as he sang and danced around with his back to me. The sight was one I would have liked to have videoed. He seemed so carefree and happy, slouching around in just his tight black trunks as he prepared what looked like pancakes and blueberries for us to eat.
The song finished and I coughed.
“Ella?” He spun to face me. He had pancake batter smudged in his hair and across his face.
“You wearing that batter or cooking it?” I asked as I approached him.
His lip curled at the edge before he spoke. “And a good morning to you, Ella.”
I grinned as he waved a spatula in the air.
“Sit down, and I shall serve you breakfast,” he instructed, indicating toward the chairs with his cooking utensil.
He continued to oversee the cooking of the pancakes, and I helped myself to a glass of orange juice from the jug that was already on the table.
“What do you fancy doing today?” he asked as he placed a plate, piled high with pancakes, in the centre of the table.
I shrugged. “Isn’t it today that Simon’s story hits the papers back in England?”
Alex nodded as he reached for two pancakes, smothering them in syrup and blueberries.
“Hmm . . .” he spoke with his mouth full. “Look at your twitter account later, check what’s going on. I’m expecting a call from Megan.”
I huffed as I placed a pancake on my own plate. “I thought the idea of coming here was so that we had no interruptions, no disturbances?”
“It is. But I also need to know what’s going on. My career could be affected by all this. I need to know the public’s reaction to everything. Amy has many fans out there.”
“You have more,” I clarified
He nodded again, his face serious. “I may have lost a few recently. The introduction of a sexy girlfriend sometimes upsets them.”
“But you’ll still have more than Amy.”
“Oh, I dare say that I will. But there’s sure to be some backlash from all this . . . on both of us I’m afraid.”
I paused my eating of the pancake. Me? Backlash on me? Why hadn’t I realised. This wasn’t just about Alex. I was involved in all this as well.
“We’ll be okay,” I said, “We’ve done nothing wrong, not like her. Surely that’s what matters. People will know the truth at long last,” I reassured him, and myself.
“Well, let’s hope so. Maybe we’ll be able to see how the public reacts to Simons story, and be able to judge how things will go tomorrow when my side of things is published.”
I nodded reaching across the table to place my hand over his. “What time is Megan calling you?”
“Lunchtime.” He pushed his plate of pancakes away. “I can’t eat them now. I’m too on edge about everything.”
I took in his worried expression. “Hey, this trip was about us forgetting everything back in England. I don’t like seeing you so stressed about this.” I cocked my head to the side. “What on earth are we going to do until Megan calls?”
“I’m going back to bed,” he said as he stood up. “Care to join me?”
I was out of my seat and half way to the bedroom before he had time to respond.