Page 83 of Casita Casanova
The view steals my breath.
The sun is setting, painting the sky shades of orange, red, and purple. The Pacific Ocean is stunning, as deep blue as Maryn’s house. I start down the stairs, halting when I spot Maryn sitting on the beach below. She’s stretched out on a towel, her knees bent and her head resting on her folded arms. Her eyes are closed.
She’s so fucking beautiful she gives the sunset a run for its money.
I make my way down the steps, wiggling my toes into the coolness of the sand when I reach the beach.
Maryn hasn’t stirred, so I take a moment to watch her sleep.
Her dark eyelashes flutter against high cheekbones. Her lips curve into a smile.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she says, her voice playful, her eyes still closed.
“It’s not a bad view.”
Smiling, she pushes up and folds her legs to the side, then looks back at me over her shoulder. “Hi.”
“Hi.” I sit down beside her on the blanket, my fingers itching to touch her.
She pours a glass of wine and hands it to me, then pulls a metal stick out of the ground and hands it to me. “For your glass.” She motions toward her own, stuck in the sand to her right.
I shove the metal into the sand, then hold my glass out to her. “Cheers.”
She meets my gaze, a sadness in her eyes she didn’t have earlier. “What are we cheersing to?”
Something’s wrong.
Carefree Maryn is gone again.
I give her a taste of the panty dropper, trying to cheer her up, smiling wider when she returns my smile. “Strangers.”
Maryn narrows her eyes, a smile teasing the edges of her lips. “To strangers.” She clinks her glass against mine, then takes a sip, watching me over the rim of her glass. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
“The sunset, Cas.” She holds my gaze for a few beats, then looks back out over the water, and the loss of her stare stirs something in my chest.
With a deep breath, I say, “I wasn’t lying when I told you I’m a fuck up.” I take a big gulp of wine, nearly finishing the glass. “It’s nearly cost me my father’s company.”
She sets her glass into its metal holder and turns toward me more fully. “Go on.”
She’s wearing a gauzy white sundress, baggy and shapeless, yet… when the breeze blows it against her skin, her shape is all I can focus on. She’s braless, and her nipples strain against the fabric, tight little eraser tips. I was interrupted last night, robbed of the chance to fully introduce myself to those breasts. My mouth goes dry, so I take another sip of the red wine, but the tannins do nothing to bring moisture back to my mouth.
I finish my glass and set it into the holder, then lean back on my hands and stretch my legs out in front of me. If I’m going to talk to her—and, for whatever reason, I actuallywantto—I can’t look at her. I won’t be able to focus.
“My father died last year.”
She makes a sympathetic sound in her throat, but doesn’t say anything.
“He left me his company.” I swallow past the lump in my throat. “I found out this past weekend that the board is trying to vote me out because of the mess I’ve made.” I stop myself there; Maryn doesn’t need to know the mess I’ve made involves blowjobs from nearly-underage girls. “I’ve…” My eyes close as I admit, “I’ve tarnished my father’s name.”
Silence stretches on between us. She doesn’t try to dig, just waits patiently for me to find the courage to go on.
“It was my head of PR that called you about the rental. She sent me away so she could clean up my mess.” I scoff as shame settles into my shoulders. Admitting this aloud makes it all the more real, and acknowledging the kind of asshole I’ve been to a woman as fuckinggoodas Maryn leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. “She didn’t trust me to stick around while she cleaned up after me, knew I couldn’t keep my—” I shut my mouth quickly.
I nearly took it too far, told her too much.
I sigh, uncomfortable with the shame swirling in my gut. It’s not a feeling I like to acknowledge, but I know I deserve to feel it, to sit with it. My old man worked damn hard to build his empire, and what have I done to thank him but try to run it into the ground because I can’t keep my dick in my pants?
