Page 49 of Only for the Moment
Chapter Nineteen
Isaac knew exactly where he was—on the beach at the cove where he and Oliver spent most of their summers. What he couldn’t figure out was why. He hadn’t been here in five years. And yet he felt the heat of the sun on his face, smelled the salt in the air. He was here…but where was Oliver?
Shading his eyes, he scanned the length of the beach. There, at the end near the cliffs,he could see his friend’s sandy blond hair. Oliver was headed into the water.
Isaac stood, brushing the sand off his shorts as he jogged toward the cliffs. Oliver was knee-deep now, but when Isaac called out to him, he didn’t stop. Every step took him deeper, farther away, and no matter how hard he ran, Isaac knew he’d never catch his friend. He watched, helpless, as Oliver sank beneath the waves—
Salt water choked him. He gasped instinctively, trying to get air, but more water flooded in instead. Salt stung his eyes and nose and throat, adding to the pain, but no matter how hard he swam, the surface stayed just out of reach. Just…out of…reach…
His body seized, desperate for oxygen.Don’t give in! Don’t give in!But slowly the light of the sun blinked into darkness.
“No!”
He shot upin bed, gasping for air, dragging it into his aching lungs. Holy shit. His chest hurt like a son of a bitch, and he rubbed at it, trying to ease the pain. Trying to figure out where the hell he was and why he felt like he had been thrown into the deep end of a pool with a boulder tied to his—
“Isaac.”
Kennedy. She appeared beside him like magic, only she was real; he knew it this time. Her handfelt warm, her touch steadying him. The light scent of her shampoo filled his nose, and bare skin met his arm.
He forced his eyes open. They were in his bed in the penthouse; Kennedy was as naked as he was. Gripping her hand hard against his chest, he let the memories flood in.
He’d tied her last night.
He’d been dreaming.
Oliver.
He was out of the bed before he’d even realized he was going,staggering toward the balcony doors, lungs too tight to do more than gasp for breath. Opening the curtain revealed the pinkish glow of dawn on the rugged horizon. He’d stood here so many times since he’d come to the Sovereign, and yet, this morning, the peace the view held couldn’t touch the agony in his heart.
Minutes later Kennedy eased up behind him, her cheek settling in the hollow of hisspine, her arms coming around to pull his chilled body against the warmth of hers. Their roles were reversed—or maybe not. She was simply giving what she knew he needed, and in that moment he needed her holding him, giving him the strength he didn’t have. Keeping the pieces of him together before they shattered apart.
Hooking his arm over her head, he dragged her in front of him. “I’m sorry.I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t.”
She shivered against him. Despite the heat of her body, the air-conditioned room had drawn goose bumps over his skin.
He tried to clear some of the gravel from his voice. “Come back to bed, love.”
She let him lead her, let him tuck her under the covers with him and draw her close. The pile of pillows propped behind him raised him just enough that hecould look down into her wide green eyes, see the canvas of pink that dawn painted on her skin. The clock over her shoulder read six a.m. “What’s got you up so early?” After last night they both should’ve slept till noon at least.
She rubbed her cheek into the hollow below his collarbone. “Everything. You. Thinking.”
Alarm jangled his already frayed nerves. “Second thoughts?” He forced his musclesto stay relaxed, not wanting her to realize how desperately he needed her answer.
“No.” Kennedy kept her gaze on her hand above his heart, but one leg settled across his, intertwining them. Reassuring him. “It’s just…a lot to take in.”
He shifted to his side and slid his knee between hers. “Discovering new aspects of ourselves usually is.”
“Mm.”
Snuggled close, her breasts were soft moundsagainst his chest. She had beautiful breasts, full and round and topped with nipples that turned strawberry-pink when he teased them. Remembering how they looked last night with his clamps, he felt his cock stir.
“You were having a nightmare.”
And…no more stirring. The darkness of the dream washed over him again; all he could get out was a grunt of agreement. When Kennedy met his eyes, the worryhe saw there made his chest ache all over again.
“I’m sorry.” He hooked a runaway strand of fire-red hair with his finger and smoothed it back behind her ear. “That’s not how I intended to wake you up this morning.”
