by C. Lesbirel
She’s in her element, and we haven’t even visited the rescue she wants to take me to. Meanwhile, I’m in my element right here, with Heaven checking out the view from the balcony, and me crashed on the sofa watching her. In a red flowy maxi dress covered in white flowers, she rocks the vacation queen look. Her hair flows down her back save for the two front sections, which she’s pulled back and secured at the back of her head, giving me full access to her face.
The first time I saw her, I knew she was easily one of the most beautiful women I’d ever laid eyes on, but the more time I spend with her, the more the other contenders pale in insignificance. I don’t know if it’s the way her eyes demand your attention with their deep blue sparkle, or whether it’s her smile, but she has this casual air about her that puts you at ease.
I’m drawn to her, and she has no fucking clue how much so. Even if I told her, she wouldn’t believe me. Not that she lacks confidence, but she’s got this endearing way of looking at me as though she can’t believe I’m giving her the time of day.
The exact way she looks at me, over her shoulder, searching me out, and relaxing when her eyes settle on mine, I’d give her all the time she wants.
Hours.
Seconds.
Milliseconds.
She could have them all.
The world could stop turning for all I care, as long as I get to keep her with me.
I want to get so wrapped up in her that I lose myself.
She is the strongest of Chinese tea, and I need to inhale every inch of her.
Shit.
I am so totally screwed with this chick.
“What now?”
“Whatever you want. I’m at your beck and call for the next few days so you choose.”
“Um.” She bites down on her bottom lip, and I wonder how I’m keeping my hands off her.
“One sec.” She runs past me and into the bedroom. The next thing I hear is a high-pitched squeal before she returns with a smaller white bag over her shoulder. The strap pinches the fabric of her dress in to amplify her curves and matches her scuffed white Superga pumps to perfection.
“Everything okay?”
She eyes me for a minute before catching on to why I’m asking. “Oh, that was… I mean… Everything’s good.”
Bending down to tighten the lace of my trainer ice white Yeezy’s, I smile when she adds, “That bed.”
To be honest, I hadn’t paid much attention to the bedroom or the rest of the suite. A hotel room is simply that. When you’ve stayed in as many as I have, they all blend into one and become unimportant.
“So, where are you taking me?” I snap to my feet and pick up the hotel key card, my wallet and my phone.
“People’s Park. It’s the perfect day for it.”
“Will these fit in your bag?”
She takes my items and tries to squeeze them in the small white pouch. “These will, you won’t need this, anyway.” She hands me back my phone, and I toss it on the counter like it wasn’t the first time I’d ever considered that I don’t need to have it glued to me. But, I do need this break. More than any other year, this one has been a tough one. Our competitors are catching on to our techniques, and even commercial airlines have upped their game. We are constantly challenging ourselves to go bigger and better. It’s not the cost our clientele is concerned with, but the ultimate luxury experience, and it isn’t easy to maintain it when countless other airlines are trying to offer the same, for a fraction of the cost.
We haven’t been beaten, though. In terms of extravagance, we are untouchable. None is even in the same league, but being the best comes with a cost, and this year, it has been my sanity. The meetings have been relentless. Back to back and constant, so, even though it’s painful to do, I fight the urge to stuff my phone in my pocket, and I leave it on the countertop.
“I’ve only been to Chengdu once before, and we stayed near the business district, so this is new to me,” I say as we ride the elevator down to the ground floor.
“I used to spend most of my spare time at People’s Park when I wasn’t at Panda Hearts.” She waves her arm as she says it, and I catch her hand, wrapping my fingers around hers. That’s better. I missed the contact between us. The way her skin feels against mine. I like the way she burns like fire every time we touch, and how the heat always turns her cheeks a slight pinker color than usual.
A short walk later, we arrive at the park still hand in hand, and she convinces me to rent one of the peddle boats on the lake. She stumbles as she’s climbing in, and I steady her by holding her waist as she steps down. I climb in beside her, pay the guy who pushes us off, and just like that, we’re floating.
It’s busy at first, with other tourists and couples all pedaling and pointing at the treetops above us, but after a while, we find the spot Heaven is so excited about. “This is it,” she cries out, and I stop pedaling to take in the waterfall surrounded by rocks and drooping branches of green leaves. It’s breathtaking, and so is she as she stares up at the cascading water, completely captivated.
“What do you think?” She knocks her shoulder against mine.
“It’s beautiful.” My voice moans out in a low husky growl that causes her to turn toward me and stare at my mouth as though to check if that’s where the sound came from.
“Right?” She jumps up to her feet, and the boat rocks violently. I jump up to steady her, but the boat rocks the other way at the sudden movement and almost tips over, causing me to sit back down and her to fall right into my lap laughing hysterically. Her mood is infectious, and I chuckle along with her until her laugh dampens out, and she notices my eyes on her. Watching her with her hair blowing in the breeze and blue eyes shimmering like moonstone, I cup her face and drag my thumb across her lips, bringing her laughter to a stop and causing her to gulp.
The first time I had kissed her goodnight had been one thing, and the lust driven ones on the plane, but this is something entirely different.
This is, I like you.
This is, I really like you.
This is, I need to know if you feel it, too.
Her lips land on mine in answer to my question and nothing stayed the same. Not the way I felt before this moment. Not how I’ll look at her after it.
Nothing.
20
Heaven
He catches me off guard with his eyes of summer green grass and his full lips parted, ready for me to emblazon with all of the weird, indescribable feelings that happen when he looks at me like this. And I do. I lose myself in his kiss and let the feeling of butterflies that begins in my stomach, send my entire being into a hurricane of hope and desire.
His hands stay still, palms flat, grabbing the sides of my face and not letting go. I don’t want him to. I never want our lips to unlock, and I tell him exactly that with my tongue, my lips and my hands that wrap around his neck and lock behind his head.
This guy is dangerous, and I am fully aware of the risks.
I want to take every single one of them.
“Heaven, I…”
“I know, it’s a special place. Wait ‘til you see what’s around the corner,” I cut him off, scared of what he might say because words are so powerful. Once said, they can’t be unspoken. Words are black and white and uncomplicated, unlike feelings, which come in colorful splashes, blending and mixing to make unique and complicated designs.
Words leave no grey areas, and I’m not sure I’m ready to define what this is. What we are. I need to be sure.
We pedal, well, he mostly pedals, and I lazily rest my feet against the pedals while taking in People’s Park Lake in all its beauty. Resting my head against his shoulder, there’s no need for words, our kiss has given us both a silent understanding of where our heads are at.
“Look at these things. Aren’t they the sweetest?” I trace my hand in the water and watch the way it ripples beneath my fingers. I can see the reflection of the side of our boat, as well as Liam staring down into the water.
“Are these the famous koi fish?” he asks, leaning over me to get a proper look at them. “They have to be just about the ugliest things I’ve ever seen.”
“Liam,” I scold him, whacking his arm.
“What?” He shoves me back, playfully. “It’s not like they can hear me, but come on. They look like a little Hoover vacuum with fins.”
“I guess they kinda do,” I say looking back into the lake and seeing a load of mini orange Hoovers staring back at me. The sight tickled me, and we both chuckle as Liam throws me an I-told-you-so-face.
“You meany.” I laugh.
“I’m a straight talker. I call it how I see it.”
“I like that about you.”
“You do?” He narrows his eyes, and I notice his lips curl to a smug smile.
“Yeah,” I admit. “Now, your turn.”
“My turn, what?”
“Say something you like about me before your head swells so big our boat capsizes.”
“Aw, look at you fishing for compliments,” he teases.
“I don’t want a compliment. I just want you to call it like you see it.” I stand up in front of him, letting him get a full view of me.
“Okay.” He rubs his hand over his stubbled chin, eyeing me carefully.
“Okay good.” I fold my arms across my chest then unfold them. Suddenly, I feel a bit awkward and don’t know what to do with my hands.
He stands and the boat jerks to one side. “Sit down,” I shout out. “You’re gonna tip us again.”
“Like this?” He steps further apart so his feet are on either side of the boat and starts to rock it.
“Don’t you dare,” I warn him, but he ignores me and does it again.
“Liam,” I shriek out as I stumble forward, and he catches me.
“Are you scared the finned vacuums will suck you up if you fall in?”
“I’m not scared of anything,” I say, standing my ground and glaring at him so hard it forces him to sit back down.
“Bullshit.”
“Excuse me?”
“You said you wanted me to call it as I see it, so I’m calling it. You’re scared. Maybe not of falling in the lake, but I know you’re scared of how you feel right now.”
My mouth dries out, and I swallow, unsure of what to say next. He’s right, of course. A CEO needs to be perceptive, and he has certainly honed that skill. “Scared?” I speak the word out loud, trying to make it sound like an abstract idea, but my voice betrays me, coming out more like a soft whisper.
“Scared,” he almost whispers back. I don’t deny it. I don’t do anything, and he must sense he’s touched a nerve because he doesn’t say anything else for a moment, either.
We just eye each other until he breaks the silence. “But, as well as being scared, you’re sexy. Exquisitely, excruciatingly and breathtakingly beautiful.”
My cheeks burn, and I know they’ve immediately turned a deep shade of pink. I have never had a guy come out and say something like that before. Liam doesn’t let go of my gaze, holding it there locked on his with raw intent and a deadpan expression that makes me believe what he just said without question. The hottest guy on the planet has flown me to my favorite city in the world, and now he’s pedaling me around a lake telling me he thinks I’m beautiful.
Surreal is not the word for this.
There are no words for this.
So, I simply sit down opposite him and lean back slightly to lift my face up to the sun while we finish our tour of the lake, each of us comfortable in one another’s presence.
Even though there are other boats around us, it feels as though we are the only two people in the world. I tune out of the chattering voices and tune in to the chirps of the exotic birds above us and the swaying of branches as the gentle breeze toys with the leaves.
“I could stay here all day,” I say to no one in particular. My shoulders shudder as we move into a shaded area, and the dense treetops block out the sun.
“Here, put this on,” Liam says, and I become aware that he’s been watching me intently this whole time.
I catch his grey Armani polo shirt and throw it straight back at him. “No way, I’m not taking your shirt.”
Every muscle on his toned upper body is on full display, and a familiar tingle starts to dance between my thighs. His skin looks so smooth in the sun I wonder whether he waxes it and moisturizes daily. My fingertips twitch with an urge to trace along the lines of his sculpted torso, and he casually jerks his chin to shift his mop of brown hair off his face.
“Just until you warm up.”
His nipples harden, and I know he must be feeling the drop in temperature, too.
“I’m fine. Honestly.”
“Put the shirt on, or I drop it in the lake,” he growls at me, stretching his arm over the side of our boat with the t-shirt wrapped in his fist.
“Okay, okay, I’ll wear the shirt.”
“That’s more like it.” He smiles a devastating flash of pearly white teeth and glistening green eyes as he tosses the top back at me.
Sliding it over my head, I drown in the strong scent of oranges and cedar wood.
21
Liam
We spend long enough time on the lake that the rocking of the gentle waves from the other boats and the peaceful serenity relaxes us, and jet lag makes both of us sleepy. The need for coffee means we have to leave.
With my top back on and Heaven’s hand in mine, we stroll through the park and down to Wide and Narrow Alley, another place I’d never heard of.
Heaven seems to know her way around, as she tugs at my hand and practically pulls me through a cobbled alleyway that’s lined with renovated ancient buildings, housing little storefronts down the walkway and courtyards.
She pauses to watch a man painting with watercolors and sighs dreamily.
“You like the painting?”
“It’s gorgeous. Look at the way he’s used so many colors to capture the treetops. It reminds me of People’s Park a bit.”
“We’ll take the painting,” I say to the guy as he wipes off his brush on a cloth that’s draped across his knee.
“Sorry, sir, this one not for sale yet. These ones for sale. This one not ready yet.”
“Do you like any of the others?” I ask Heaven.
“Not as much as that one, but you don’t have to buy it or anything. I just like it, that’s all.”
“We’ll take that one,” I tell the artist who’s now paused to regard us, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a wad of bills. Not bothering to count them I separate a few that must be at least a few thousand Yuan and pass them to him.
“We’ll go and have some lunch and come back for it in an hour, okay?”
“Okay. Thank you, sir.”
“You can thank her, she’s the one that likes your painting.”
He mumbles a thank you in Heaven’s direction as I pull her away and into the coffee shop.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she murmurs as we take our seats outside the shop under a rattan parasol.
“It was nothing. If you like the painting, you should have it.”
“You can’t just get me everything I want.” She rolls her hand and inner wrist trying to reason with me.
“Technically, I can.” I grin at her, and she rolls her pretty eyes at me, looking perplexed.
“You probably paid him enough money to buy his entire collection.”
“You didn’t want the entire collection,” I point out.
“Yes, but it’s a waste. Plus, he hasn’t finished it, yet. You can’t just use money to get what you want all the time.”
“Why not?”
“Liam,” she groans out, feigning frustration, and I fucking love the sound of my name rolling off her tongue. I can’t wait to make her moan it out tonight in my big ass hotel bed. The thought causes my cock to swell, and I shuffle in my seat to try to adjust its positioning to give my man some breathing space.
“Everyone has a price t
ag, offer them more, and they’ll usually do what you want,” I explain.
“Do you think that includes me?” She narrows her blues at me, eyeing me with a look of accusation.
“Nah.” I pop a shoulder and run my hands through my hair, leaning back in my seat and repositioning myself before I add, “I don’t need to. You’ll give yourself to me for free.”
“Oh wow. You’re a real charmer, aren’t you? You know, FYI, money isn’t everything, Liam. You might fancy yourself as Mr. Big Shot, but let me tell you that I’m the one who calls the shots in this situation, okay?”
I beam at her. She looks so cute when she’s all riled up and sassy. It’s impossible to take her serious; she’d never make it in the corporate world. Every guy she came across would be thinking what I’m thinking right now, but one thing is for sure. They would most definitely let her call the shots looking the way she does.
I try to picture her in my office wearing her girly sundress and pumps, but all I see is her bent over the table with me taking her from behind, still in my suit.
“Okay I’m not telling the truth; you did make me work for it.” I wink at her. “Coffee, boss lady?” I try to stop being such a fucking dirt bag and change up the conversation.
“Only if you let me pay.”
“Boring. Next subject.”
“I mean it, I’m not backing down this time.”
“Fine,” I spit out through gritted teeth. “I’ll let you buy the coffee as long as you let me take you to dinner later.”
“It’s a deal,” she says, tossing her hair over her shoulder and sashaying off to order two coffees and beaming at me from the small line. If buying me coffee makes her this happy, then we will be drinking a lot more of it on this trip.
When she returns and places the mugs down on the table, I can’t help but smile at the two pandas that have been designed somehow, onto the top of the coffee.
“You are just loving this, aren’t you?”
“You gotta admit, it’s pretty cool,” she replies before taking a sip of her coffee as she sits down opposite me.
