“You’re going to be amazing someday. Maybe I can buy some of your art.”
She blushes. “You don’t have to be so nice to me.”
“I’m just being honest,” I growl. I sit down on the sun bed beside her. No one seems to be using it, anyway. She clears her throat.
“Well...what is it that you do? Are you a surfer?”
I laugh, glancing at my abandoned surfboard in the sand. “I wish. That would be a peaceful life. But no, I’m a businessman back in New York.”
“A businessman?” she repeats. I can see from her gaze that she finds that fact sexy. Maybe she’s as attracted to my success and power as I am to her incredible body and talent. I nod.
“I run my own company. I’m here on holiday to get away from it all.”
“Me too,” she whispers. She finally smiles, letting go of her nerves a bit. My cock jerks in my shorts. Now that she’s smiling at me, she’s even more beautiful.
“So did you come alone?” I ask her. Just as I ask her that question, I realize I’m suddenly in a shadow. Someone has approached us. I look up and see an older man with a stern expression on his face.
“No, she didn’t,” he snaps. “And you’re in my seat.”
CHAPTER TWO
Stella
I can’t believe dad has chosen this exact moment to show up. I finally felt like I was getting comfortable in Jaxson presence, otherwise known as the sexiest man alive.
But I can sense that something is off right now. Jaxson and dad are looking at one another like they know each other. I can feel my heart racing inside my chest. This is my worst nightmare. Dad would never approve of me falling for someone older than me anyway, but if Jaxson is a ghost of his past, then it’s going to be impossible to get him to let me carry on seeing Jaxson.
“I don’t believe it,” Jaxson growls. “What a small world.”
“Indeed,” Dad says in a tense voice. “I didn’t think I’d ever see your face again.”
I clear my throat. “Um...what’s going on here?”
Neither of the men respond. They just keep glaring at one another as though they’re sworn enemies. If Jaxson is from New York then of course it’s possible that he and my dad have crossed paths before in the business world, but I still don’t understand why they would dislike each other as much as they seem to. My father sniffs.
“Why are you here with my daughter? Are you harassing her?”
“Of course he isn’t, Dad!” I insist. “He came over because some guys wouldn’t leave me alone. I owe him for saving me.”
“I’m sure you could’ve saved yourself. You’re not a child anymore, Stella,” Dad says crossly. He’s always pushed me to be independent, though I know he’s just angry that he wasn’t here to chase those guys off himself. He likes to believe he’s stronger than everyone else.
“Don’t be angry, he was just helping me out. We were just talking,” I insist. I glance at Jaxson and feel my entire body melt once again. Maybe it’s for the best if dad sends him away because he’s turned me into a mess since he showed up here. He’s doing things to my body without even touching me. He’s sent my heart into overdrive and my stomach into a flutter.
But if he leaves me here, on this beach, I know I’ll never be able to stop thinking about him.
“Sam…” Jaxson says, to my dad. “I know things were bad between us all those years ago...but I truly meant no harm. Your daughter seems like an incredible woman. I was just talking to her.”
“I don’t want to hear another word from you,” Dad snaps. “I’m not interested in making amends, Jaxson. Now, I’d appreciate it if you picked up your surfboard and left us alone. This is my holiday, with my daughter. You have no business getting in the middle of it.”
“Dad!” I exclaim. He’s being so rude that I don't even recognize him right now. My father is always so charming, used to schmoozing people left, right, and center. But something is different now that he’s around Jaxson. Clearly he’s not willing to turn on the charm for him.
“It’s alright,” Jaxson says, standing. It’s very clear that he thinks nothing about this is alright. “I was planning to head back to the hotel anyway. I guess I’ll see you both around.” He glances at me, his dark eyes boring into me. My whole body goes weak under his gaze. “Keep up the drawing, Stella.mI’d love to see that picture when it’s finished.”
I want to say something. I want to say a lot, in fact, but I can’t. Not with my dad here. I want to tell Jaxson how much I want him. I want to tell him that he’s captured my heart and my soul in one fell swoop. That I want to give him my body too.
But the words stay locked inside me, never destined to be released. As Jaxson walks away, I get the sense that the best thing that’s ever happened to me is walking right out of my life.
Meanwhile, dad returns to his sun bed, snatching up my sketchbook from where Jaxson left it. He stares at the picture I was working on and I see fury in his eyes.
“Why were you drawing him?” he snaps. I blush. I obviously can’t tell him the real reason.
“I don’t know, he was the first guy I saw on the shoreline. Why were you so rude to him? He was being perfectly polite.”
My father turns his fiery gaze on me. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Stella. This is a matter between men.”
“And you can’t even tell your daughter? Come on, Dad. I could see there was some tension there. What happened between you that you can’t possibly talk about?”
“That’s for me to know. Just trust me on this, okay? That man is trouble.”
I want to know exactly why my father thinks
