Page 41 of Captivating Nights

Chapter 29

WHEN XAVIER WOKE UP the next morning, he couldn’t get out of bed fast enough when he saw the mane of long hair covering his chest. Sure, he’d slept with a submissive after a scene, especially like the one they’d had with Calista the night before, but this female wasn’t an ordinary club submissive. She was far more dangerous, and had no fucking clue what she did to him. Trying his best not to wake her up, he slowly untangled his limbs from hers and slipped out from beneath her. She made a murmured sound as she turned her head, but remained in her slumberous state.

He got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. On his way, he saw Zane look up from his laptop computer. “Are you still working, Z?” he asked in an incredulous tone.

“Yeah, the plans I’d originally drawn up for one of the vacant theaters are no fucking good anymore. Devin was sure he’d get that one, but as my luck goes, his offer was rejected, but he was able to acquire another with completely different dimensions. Now I’m working overtime trying to recreate something that will work for his plan B.” His friend raked his hands through his hair. “And I hate to impose, but you’re going to need to take Calista out to see some of the island today.”

“For fuck’s sake,” he cursed and then entered the bathroom. Didn’t Zane realize how perilously close Xavier already was to breaking his own cardinal rule? Even if he did, his friend wouldn’t have given a damn. He wouldn’t have been surprised to find out the man knew exactly what was going on.

Growling, he headed straight to the shower. He’d turned on the water and after stepping underneath the scalding spray, Xavier tried to think about what the hell he could do with her. He’d been on practically every square inch of the island at one time or another. The rugged beauty of Virgin Gorda was something that you had to see once in your lifetime. What are the odds that Calista Grant would ever venture this way again?

He knew Zane was right. The submissive deserved to experience everything she could while here. He’d have to choose places where they’d be around other people. Balling up his fists, he slammed them against the tiled shower wall. In all of his thirty-two years, he’d never been apprehensive around a woman, until her. And he knew why. She’d gotten under his skin and nothing he did seemed to work her out from beneath it.

She wasn’t even the type of woman he usually surrounded himself with. And maybe that had been his biggest mistake. Something about her innocence reeled him in like a fish. Calista was so fucking beautiful and didn’t even realize it. Most of the women he knew in Washington DC would flaunt their looks, using them as a weapon to try to bring a man to heel. And it wasn’t even so much her physical appearance that had drawn him to her. It was the inner kind, a certain goodness that those vapid women back home lacked.

“I should’ve known you were trouble when I first met you, belleza,” he said aloud to himself. Thank fuck the sound of the water pouring from the showerhead would drown out his voice.

He’d gone twenty-five damned years without ever feeling like this. Xavier knew this was only the beginning of the end for him, if he went down that road. Juan Rivera had proven that to be true. A scowl formed when he thought back to the weeks and months that followed Raquel walking out on them. His father had been a shell of himself…despondent…pathetic…and downright miserable. It affected everyone around him, and soon the man started drinking heavily, lost his job, and almost lost his entire fortune. And for what? A fucking female who showed not an ounce of regret when she strolled out of their bedroom and house with the pool boy in tow.

Not a single letter, phone call or anything followed. Xavier had come to realize that she’d not only turned her back on her husband, she did so to her son too, and it had to be because she knew he’d end up just like his father. Shaking his head vehemently, he refused to even entertain the thought that he’d act like Juan. That life lesson had thankfully been averted, and when he’d gotten old enough to understand, he’d made a solemn vow to never allow a female to compromise his resolve.

It was another reason he’d become a Dominant. The control wasn’t only something he enjoyed, it was something he desperately needed. There was no way in hell that Xavier could ever relinquish his for anyone or anybody. In all the years and continents he’d been on, no one had ever made him want to, until Calista.

He grabbed the soap and quickly washed himself up and then decided to get this day over with. No matter his feelings for her, there was no way he’d ever purposely hurt her. If she wanted to see the island, he’d give her the best tour he could and hope like hell he kept himself in check. Turning off the water, he dried off and then padded barefoot back into the bedroom. Cali was no longer in the bed, so Xavier looked over at the other man and arched his brow.

“Where did she go, Z?” he asked.

Zane hit a few more keys and then looked up at him. “She went to her room to shower and then get ready. I told her you’d be there in an hour.”

Xavier frowned as he walked over to the closet and pulled out some shorts and a shirt. He got dressed and then glanced over at the clock. He still had a little bit of time before she’d be ready, so he sat down on the bed and watched Zane. In the beginning of this trip, his friend had been the one who didn’t trust himself to be alone around a woman. The more he thought about it, he realized he hadn’t spent any one on one time with her at all. Is it possible that all this work is simply a ploy to get out of doing the very thing he’s pushing me to do?

Bastard. Xavier eyed Zane suspiciously before shaking his head. It was way too convenient that he could find time to be bothered when it came to sex only. He began to rethink ever inviting him to come to the resort for the holidays after all. He’d be sure to speak to his friend about this later. For now, he needed to go meet up with Calista and show her a good time. He just hoped he could continue to keep himself emotionally detached.

He grabbed the keys to the Alfa Romeo and stormed out of the villa. The short walk to her room did little to temper his irritation at Zane and the situation itself. Once he was standing outside of her door, he took a few seconds to regain his composure before knocking firmly on the teak wood.

A few seconds later, the door opened and he inhaled sharply. Calista Grant was standing there with a small bag that had towels, sunscreen, and what looked to be a camera sticking out from the top of it. Xavier turned his attention from her belongings to the woman herself. She was wearing a bikini top and pair of cut off denim shorts. Her long hair had been pulled up into a ponytail and the smile she wore tugged at something deep inside of his chest.

He did have to admit that Calista had flourished under their guidance the last week and a half. She’d gone from being completely unsure of herself and her appearance to a confident and even more beautiful woman. Fuck. He was in serious trouble.

“Could you help me with my sunscreen, Sir?” she asked softly.

I could help you with so much more. Xavier shook that thought aside and nodded. She set the bag down onto the ground beside her and pulled out the bottle of lotion. He took it from her and motioned for her to turn around. After squirting some of the cream into his hands, he brought them to her shoulders, the heat from her body radiating into his palms.

Cali shivered slightly, and he made quick work of finishing up his task. He was certain she’d done the front side of herself, so when her backside was completely coated in the sunscreen, he closed the bottle and placed it back inside of the bag as he picked it up. She’d made a move to grab her own things until he arched his brows at her. Smiling, she dropped her hands and then followed him to the front of the resort where the car was parked.

“Have you any idea what you want to do most today?” Xavier asked her as they walked along the stone pathway.

“I’d really like to go scuba diving or even snorkeling,” she answered before adding, “I’ve hardly spent any time in the water since I’ve arrived here.”

Xavier smirked. “But you have gotten wet, belleza. In fact, you’ve stayed in that state since the night we met.”

His thoughts turned briefly to that evening at the bar. She’d been so incredibly nervous and that only endeared her to him even more. Normally, he’d be surrounded by self-assured women who knew exactly what they wanted and how to get it. Their submissive behavior lacked the sincerity that Calista’s did. She’d been scared at first, but with each day that had passed, she’d grown into the potential he’d witnessed that very first night.

“Well, yes, but that’s not the same kind of wet I was talking about,” she said.

He winked at her when she looked up at him. Her bright smile and those expressive eyes… Turning his head quickly, he looked over at the landscape beside them.

“There are a few tours that run every hour. Would you like for me to take you on one of them?” he asked, silently hoping she did. There would be many people and distractions, which was exactly what he needed right now.

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