Page 131 of Naughty Nelle

“I can explain.” My voice shook.

“Remember, speak only when spoken to.”

Reducing me to silence with his harsh words, I hung my head low as we headed back to the party. Inside, I was fuming.

“We’re out of here,” he thundered, gripping my hand so hard it hurt.

He was moving so fast I could barely keep up with him. Unsteady in my platforms, I thought for sure I would twist an ankle. On the way out, I passed by Lauren. Engaged in conversation, she shot me a wink. I twitched back a fake, fleeting smile. My heart sank to my stomach. Did she know what a jerk her fiancé was? I wasn’t sure if I was going to tell her what happened. Especially when she was riding so high. When my emotions settled, I’d think about it more.

Ari and I shared a stretch of tense silence on the way back to his house. His mouth was pressed into a hard, angry line, and he didn’t look once at me. Finally, I had enough.

“You’ve got it all wrong,” I barked.

Silence.

“That jerk—Taylor Hodges IV—FYI, the son of your beloved client—is my best friend Lauren’s fiancé, and he hit on me.

Silence. His eyes narrowed. My nerves were little electrical pulses ready to explode. I was getting nowhere with him. This guy’s level of trust, on a scale of one to ten, was a minus twenty. A good part of me wanted to jump out of the car and hitch a ride back into the city.

With a sharp turn, the Bentley flew through the electronic gate of his estate as it opened. He sped down the pebble path that led to the house. The car came to a screeching halt in front of the shingled structure, and I hastily jumped out, not waiting for any I’m-a-gentleman door opening.

“I’m going to sleep,” I huffed. “And in the morning, I’ll be taking the train back to the city.” I stalked off in my platforms. He could keep them and everything else he bought me.

“Sarah, wait!” I heard a desperate voice call out.

Screw him. Without slowing down, I turned my head as he hopped the Bentley and then picked up my pace as he sprinted my way. Dammit. If only I could walk faster in these wedge sandals. Catching up to me in no time, he grabbed my shoulders, stopping me in my tracks, and then spun me around.

“Princess, I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I fucked up.”

Before I could say a word, he hauled me against him and crushed his velvety lips into mine. It was an all-encompassing kiss, full of tongue, passion, and remorse. I was melting like a candle, dripping with desire. I could not stay mad at this man. This god.

Slowly, he pulled away. My lips ached for more. My body ached for more. I wrapped my arms around his hard body, the way his were wrapped around mine, and leaned my head against his concrete chest. I closed my eyes. The waves in the distance lolled as he let me enjoy his warmth.

He clasped my hand from behind. “Come, Saarah, let’s take a walk on the beach. We need to talk.”

Hand in hand, we headed down to the beach in silence. Upon hitting the sand, we both kicked off our shoes. The sand was now cool and soothing beneath my soles. Ari wrapped a strong arm around me while I rested my head against his shoulder as we strolled.

The night couldn’t be more perfect. The temperature was still mild, and a myriad of stars danced around the full moon. The black as the night ocean was at low tide, the white-crested waves gently ebbing in and out.

“I’m sorry I acted that way with your friend’s fiancé,” said Ari, breaking the silence.

“He deserved it. Thanks for coming to my rescue.” Once again, he had been my heroic Power Ranger although not well intentioned.

“He’ll probably tell his father and I’ll lose my biggest account.” He shrugged, kicking up some sand.

“Nah. Macho Taylor would never tell a soul, including his father, that he got beat up.”

“Are you going to tell your friend?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s so in love with him. Maybe it was just an act of drunken folly.” Although I knew damn well, this was not the first time Taylor had cheated on Lauren.

We stopped to look at the peaceful ocean and then, releasing my hand, he turned me around to face him. Tenderly, he tilted up my chin and looked into my eyes. “And I’m sorry I came down on you so hard.”

I twitched a little forgiving smile. “It’s okay. You didn’t know what was really going on.”

His eyes stayed on me. “Do you believe in love, Saarah?”

His question struck a deep chord inside me. I nodded. “Yes.” The way Tony unconditionally loved Maria in West Side Story. “What about you?”

---