“I’m sure she gets holidays,” Jasper pushes.
“You think she would?” The thought begins to percolate in my mind, and I become hopeful that maybe this will be a good thing.
“Only one way to find out,” he states.
Would she want to come with me?I don’t know if we’re even at that level yet.
“I’ll see how the week goes. I might suss her out a little more. Where she’s at … it’s only been one day.”
“Good idea. Spend this week seeing if the spark you once had is still there and wasn’t some figment of your overactive imagination,” Jasper tells me.
“The spark is certainly there,” I reply.
“As much as it pains me to say this, I’m not talking sexually,” he adds.
“I know. I’ll see what happens. I’ll play it by ear,” I tell him.
“Good. You know I only have your best interests at heart, don’t you?”
This is the sincerest I think I’ve ever heard Jasper speak. “Yeah, man, I know. Thanks for looking out for me.”
“No problem, brother. I’ll let you go and enjoy Paradise. Also, there’s no shame in trying a strap-on.” And with that pearl of wisdom, he’s gone.
With a shake of my head at my friend’s parting words, I throw my phone onto my bed and head into the bathroom to shower and freshen up.
Once out of the shower and dressed in some boardshorts, I grab the tablet and think about doing something nice for dinner. I don’t think I’m ready to head out in public with Elle yet because I know once men lay their eyes on her, they will want to have a taste, and I’m not willing to share. I click through the options, and I hope that she’s okay with what I have planned. I then grab my laptop and set it up at my desk—might as well catch up with some work while I wait for her to arrive.
A couple of hours later, the sound of the villa door opens, and Eloise steps across the threshold with a bag. Relief hits me—she’s come back to me.
“Hey,” she says, a wide smile dancing across her face when she sees me. I stand and stalk over to her, wrap my hands around her face and kiss her. “What was that for?” she questions.
“You came back.”
“Did younotthink I would come back?” she asks, a frown falling across her face.
I don’t answer her, but my face probably says it all.
“I’m so sorry, Ali. If I could go back and change that night, I would,” she tells me in all sincerity.
I reach out and cup her face. “I know you would. I don’t mean to doubt you.”
“It’s my job to work at rebuilding the trust we once had together,” she tells me honestly.
“Babe, you don’t owe me anything.” I don’t want this to be a stumbling block between us.
“But I want to,” she states clearly.
I lean down and kiss her again.
She drops her bag on the floor and wraps her arms around my neck. The kiss is heated yet sweet at the same time. With that kiss, she’s showing me how much she regrets that night.
“Everything that happened before this moment, Elle, doesn’t matter anymore, okay?” I try reassuring her that she doesn’t have to keep apologizing or making things up to me.
“Okay,” she declares, smiling up at me.
“Good! Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.” I grab her hand, pick up her bag, and walk her back through the villa, then place the bag on the bed. She eyes the freshly made bed, and I can see the desire flare behind her eyes. “That will be dessert,” I tell her.
Elle looks up at me with a smile. I tug on her hand again and lead her out toward the deck, past the pool, and back down the pathway that leads to the beach where our dinner has been set up for us.