Page 39 of Bound to You

“We’ll see…” She runs out of the room before I can throw something else at her.

Even I don’t believe the words coming out of my mouth, but I need to make them a reality. Caio and I can only ever be friends. I need to focus on my future, and Caio is not part of that future, he’s a distraction, and one that I don’t need.

I decideto order room service, not bothering to leave the peaceful sanctuary of my room and run into anyone today. I run myself a bath, dumping an obscene amount of the floral bubble bath left on the little stool into the water.

I sink into the warm water, allowing the hot suds to envelop my body. My breath slows as I force myself to relax, watching the cloud of steam float out the window, carrying my restless thoughts with it.

A knock on the door thirty minutes later tells me that my meal has arrived. I ordered a seafood risotto, a guilty pleasure of mine.

Brandon hated seafood, he couldn’t stand the smell, so I never had it around him, so that would be never. So when I saw it on the room service menu I couldn’t resist.

I quickly jump out of the bath, letting the water droplets glide off my skin and onto the plush mat beneath my feet as I wrap the white robe around myself and slide on the matching white slippers, quickly scooting out to the door. I can’t let room service leave.

I swipe that stupid envelope from the table and twist the bolt lock, pulling the door open just as the lady from room service is about to round the corner down the hall.

“Excuse me!” I yell out, shuffling down the hall in my robe and slippers, leaving the delicious smelling risotto on the floor outside my room.

Her eyes widen as she takes me in before schooling her face into a pleasant expression. “How can I help you?”

“Is there any way that you would be able to pass this on to Mr. Marchetti?” She eyes me skeptically. “He’s a friend of mine and he’ll know it’s from me.” I try to give her a reassuring smile.

“I’ll see what I can do,” she grabs the envelope from where I was holding it out in between us. It’s fatter than it was when May gave it to me earlier. If Caio thinks I’ll just forget about it, he’s very wrong. In fact, I added last week’s tips to it this time just to sweeten the deal.

“Thank you so much,” I say, before she speeds off down the hall. I falter on the way back to my room, wondering if that envelope will even get to him. Oh well, even if it doesn’t, it won’t be my problem anymore.

The smell of the risotto floats up my nostrils the closer I get back to my room where it’s sitting outside the door waiting for me.

I pick up the tray, kicking the door shut behind me as I make my way to the couch. I lift the cover off the plate and sigh in contentment as I look at the risotto in front of me. I don’t wait another second before I dig my fork into the meal, shoveling it into my mouth as I sit back on the couch. Fuck, that’s good. Nothing beats a good meal, and nothing gives me more pleasure than when my taste buds tingle with glee at what I’ve fed them.

Except maybe the look on Caio’s face when that envelope lands back in his possession.

chapter fifteen

CAIO

I’ve been tossingand turning in bed for the last hour. I keep checking the time thinking I’ve been lying here for half the night, but every time I check it’s only been another ten minutes. I succumb to looking once more, it’s now 12:00 a.m. Fucking hell. I’m not going to make any progress like this, so I rip the sheets off my body and decide to go the one place that always clears my mind.

The elevator doors open on the ground level. It’s empty at this time of night, the only person here is the hotel security guard Marco, who watches over the lobby overnight. I give him a nod as I pass by, walking down the hall until I reach the end and pull on the frosted double doors that lead to the pool. I step in and my eyes are immediately drawn to the tall windows. In the daylight you can see out to Ruby Cove from here, even better when we open the bi-fold doors up to the lawn and people float in and out. But now the view is the picture of midnight, with twinkling lights scattering across the dark night.

This is my favorite place to be when I can’t switch my brain off. The feeling of the water around me always seems to calmme, and I swim laps until my mind is clear as the water I’m submersed in.

The sound of lapping water draws my attention to the pool in front of me and my eyes catch on the figure in the middle of the pool, her dark hair trailing behind her as she peacefully floats on her back.

I should go, but every fiber of my body is telling me to disturb her. After not getting more than a glimpse of her for the last week, my eyes are greedy at the sight of her floating in the water, her eyes closed as she lets the water carry her weight. I flick off my sandals and walk further into the room, my feet are silent as I walk across the cold tile. Isla hasn’t moved since I got here, my presence obviously not noticed. I lay my towel on a bench as I contemplate whether I should stay or go, but I came here for a reason. Seeing Isla was not that reason, but I’m more than happy for the distraction of her.

“Well, the universe obviously has plans for us,” I say. Isla startles, her body sinking into the water before she whips around to face me. Her alarmed expression softens when she sees it’s me. Something pulls in my chest at the thought of that.

She turns away from me and begins swimming in the opposite direction.

“Is it the universe?” she asks, looking over her shoulder at me as she continues, “or are you stalking me, Fernando?”

I look up at the ceiling, smiling at the use of the nickname Isla and May gifted me with the day we met.

I look back to her and she’s facing me now with a breathtaking smile lighting up her face.

I shrug. I can’t help the smirk curving at the corner of my mouth. “You caught me there.”

She’s got that timid smile curving at the corner of her mouth. “Should’ve seen the red flags when you picked me up on the side of the road and brought me back to your place. Rookie move.”

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