Page 115 of In The Game

“Mmhmm.” He chuckles against my skin. I reach behind his neck to hold him closer and notice his hair is wet.

“Did you take a shower?”

How long have I been standing here?

He nods, and I enjoy the feel of his touch while taking in the incredible view in front of us. I close my eyes, listening to the hushed waves lap against the sandy beach below and committing this moment to memory.In paradise with Barrett.

My stomach rumbles and ruins it. He laughs and pulls me inside toward the kitchen, stepping into a narrow hallway tucked away behind the built-in refrigerator.

“There should be some snacks stocked in here,” he mutters.

When I follow him around the corner, the whole space opens into an enormous hidden butler pantry that’s almost the size of my kitchen at home. I spot the wall of cereal and instantly laugh. Above a long marble counter, a series of tall clear tubes are mounted to the wall. Each filled with a different cereal.

Arthur is going to lose his goddamn mind.

“Oh my God!” I say, pointing at the ridiculousness. This place has every amenity possible. Including a chic, aesthetically pleasing breakfast bar, complete with cereal dispensers.

Unreal.

“What?” He laughs along but doesn’t quite seem to get what I find so amusing.

“That!” I wave my arms, gesturing to the whole contraption.

He inspects the tubes, and gently turns one of the X-shaped dials, a few pieces of cereal fall from it and he pops them in his mouth. “Thought it’d be a fun surprise, I had them installed last week.”

I stare at him for a long second. It takes that long for me to comprehend what he said.

“Youhad them installed?”

“Yeah.” He turns a dial on one of the other tubes and catches some cereal in his hand, holding it out to me. “Want some?”

My brow furrows. “Wait, are you saying this isyourplace? You own this? This is your house?” I rattle out the questions one after the other.

“I originally bought it as an investment property. My wealth manager suggested. All the other guys on the team were buying up real estate, so I figured what the hell, why not.” He shakes his palm holding the sugary cereal, shuffling more mini marshmallows to the surface and picking them out before his eyes meet mine. “Then I remembered you saying you always wanted a beach house in Hawaii.”

I stare back slack jawed and unblinking.

He didn’t.No… there’s no fucking way he said what I think he did.

“Barrett, that was our first date!”I’m not even sure if it qualified as an actual date, we ran into each other at the bar one night!

He shrugs. “I couldn’t get you out of my head, Ral… And at the time, I didn’t think it was going to be years before I saw you again. But I always said when that day came, I would bring you here.”

I’m speechless. I don’t know whether to swoon or suspect mental illness. Barrett wasn’t lying. He’s been all in from the start. Since the very beginning. If I needed any more evidence of his feelings for me, I’m fucking standing in it.

FORTY-THREE

Last night, we were so tired from traveling, we mostly focused on getting situated for bed. But today we got out of the house and did some exploring. We ate an absolutely delightful lunch at one of the local restaurants and then spent the afternoon down on the beach. It was wonderful. The look on Arthur’s face when the saltwater splashed in his mouth will go down as one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. His eyes popped open and he stuck his tongue out, slapping at it like it was on fire.

We promised him an evening pool party, but a rare rainstorm came through. I’m not sure he would have had the energy for it anyway. Instead, we’ve opted for an indoor picnic dinner with a movie. Barrett’s fingers are intertwined with mine and I noticed Arthur looking at our hands curiously.

We’re about twenty minutes into the movie, when Barrett scoots off the “picnic blanket” and leans against the front of the couch, dragging me between his thighs. I try to pull away, but he holds my back to his chest.

“Bear, he doesn’t—”

His lips brush against the shell of my ear and we whisper to keep our conversation below movie volume. “We talked man-to-man on the plane while you were sleeping.”

I crane my neck as much as I can. “About us? What did you say?” I whisper.

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