Page 34 of Beauty and the Boss Man

Such a gentleman.

“Aiden, we’re sleeping together. You have made me come with just your tongue…twice. I think you have permission to use our shared door.”

His mouth curls up into a half-smile. “Noted.”

“So, when was the last time you went to the beach?” I ask as we step onto the elevator.

“Oh man,” he says, rubbing his beard and trying to remember. “At least twenty years. Allison and I were kids when our parents took us, and I’m pretty sure we only went the one time.”

“Didn’t care for the beach, huh?”

“We had a good time, but typically, we would go to the mountains on our vacations.”

“Of course, you did,” I laugh. “Is your whole family cold-blooded like you?”

“Pretty much,” he says, smiling down at me.

“Did you guys go on vacation a lot?” I ask.

He nods. “Every year. They were never anything fancy, but my parents made sure we had that time together every single year.”

I think back to my own childhood. My parents had more money than they knew what to do with, but we never took family vacations. I’m sure it had something to do with the fact that my father was breaking a ton of laws to acquire his fortune, and my mother was fucking the pool boy.

As the elevator doors open, Aiden grabs my hand as we step off. Thinking about my fucked up family slightly changed my demeanor, and I think he noticed.

He doesn’t let my hand go the entire time it takes to get to the beach.

The moment we step out the back doors of the resort onto the path, the warm air blowing off the waves whips around me. The salty smell fills my lungs as I inhale deeply.

When we get to the sand, both of us bend over to take off our sandals. Sand between our toes, we walk closer to the water.

A beach attendant walks over to greet us and then leads us to a row of empty lounge chairs. Aiden was right—there’s no one else out here besides a couple of stragglers walking up and down near the surf.

The attendant asks if we would like anything from the bar.

Aiden looks at me, waiting for my answer.

“Something tall, fruity, and frozen,” I say with a smile. “Surprise me.”

Aiden turns back toward the attendant. “Two tall, fruity frozen drinks, please.”

The man walks off, and each of us takes a seat in a lounger. I gaze out over the water, and I’m amazed at the vastness of it. People always talk about how breathtaking the ocean is, but you can never really take in the full gravity of it until you’re here, right in front of it.

“What do you think, beautiful?” Aiden asks me.

“It’s…it’s…amazing.” I don’t know how else to describe it.

“Yes, it is,” he agrees.

The never-ending cascading waves mesmerize me. I’m almost hypnotized watching them crash against the shore.

I’m so enthralled that I barely hear the attendant return with our cocktails. Aiden takes both large cups and hands one to me before giving the man a hefty tip.

I sip the fruity concoction, and it’s delicious—some sort of strawberry pineapple thing with rum in it.

So good.

I take a few long sips but decide that in this heat, I better slow down.

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