“Well good for you!” Gussie said with a huge smile. “Seriously, I am impressed.”
“So what’s next for you?” Willow asked. “Now that you don’t have to slink around looking for hiding places.”
Ellie grinned and gave Max a flirty wink before she looked at her bosses. “Well, we’ve decided we’re still going to find good reasons to slink around – just for fun.”
Her statement was met with a bunch of hoots and hollers from the girls in the room.
“But…” she quickly interrupted, “we actually came back in here to look at the calendar and see when our next light weekend might be. We were talking about getting a villa of our own for a weekend and wanted to start planning that.”
“That could be…” Ari began but was interrupted by the office phone ringing. “Excuse me. I’ll go and grab that.”
“I’ve got the phone right here,” Willow said and picked up the phone. “Barefoot Brides, this is Willow.” She paused and listened. “Uh-huh…right…okay…we’ll need that in writing. Yes. No it’s not refundable. Yes. We’ll be able to sit down with you in an hour. We’re with a client right now.” And other pause. “Then we’ll send the paperwork right over…thank you. Bye.”
Everyone sat quietly as Willow hung up the phone and made quick work of pulling up a document on her computer and printing it out. When she had the papers in her hand, she looked at everyone.
“Bad news,” she began, her voice somber. “The Olsen-Elliott wedding has been canceled.” She waved the papers in her hand like a flag. “They’re going to sign off on them ASAP because they’re checking out of Casa Blanca and have a flight to catch.”
There were more hoots and hollers before Willow cleared her throat and got their attention back. “I’m going to run these out to the concierge and have him deliver them for us. I’ll be right back!” And with a whole lot of pep in her step, she walked out of the office.
“Wow…” Ellie said. “That was…”
“The best way for this situation to end,” Gussie said. “For all of us!”
“Amen!” Ari agreed. “The thought of dealing with the two of them – especially after what you just went through again – I don’t think I could have done it.”
“It wouldn’t have been so bad,” Ellie said. “Think of all the fun we could have had and all the jokes we could have made at their expense!”
“Ooo…that would have been fun,” Gussie agreed.
Beside her, Max chuckled and shook his head. “Y’all are just a bunch of mean girls,” he teased. “And it’s awesome.”
“You know it,” Ari said.
“Well that’s over and done with,” Willow said as she breezed back into the room. “So…what did I miss? Weren’t we talking about you and Max needing to find a weekend for you to have off?”
Ellie nodded. “We were but…I know you’re all busy and we do have a wedding to get ready for so we’ll look it over and I’ll put in a request sometime next week.”
They were all silent for a moment.
“Well…” Gussie began, looking over at Willow and Ari. They seemed to be silently communicating. “I think you deserve to have this weekend off.”
“Really?” Ellie asked excitedly. “Are you sure? I mean…it’s such short notice and…”
Willow picked up the phone and Ellie heard her talking quietly to one of the front desk clerks. “Perfect,” she said after a moment. “Thank you!” Hanging up the phone, she looked over at Ellie and Max. “The Blue Casbah villa is available and is being held for the two of you if you’d like it.”
Max stood up and Ellie saw the stern look on his face and was afraid he didn’t like the fact that things had sort of gotten out of their control.
“Max,” Ellie began. “It’s okay. We can wait. It’s not a big deal.”
But he was looking at Willow. “So it’s available now? As in right now?”
Willow nodded, her smile lighting up her entire face.
He looked at his watch and then at Ellie. “The Blue Casbah is supposed to be amazing. It’s one of the newer villas.”
“I’m sure it is,” Ellie agreed. “But…it’s only a little after one and we both have to finish out the day…”
“Your weekend starts now,” Gussie said. “Go on. Scram. We’ve got it covered.”
“Are you sure?” Ellie asked, but she was practically out the door as she said it.
“Go and have a great weekend,” Willow said. “And we don’t want to see you until Tuesday!”
Rather than let them keep talking, Max grabbed Ellie’s hand and said, “Deal! Thank you, ladies!” and pulled her out the door.
It wasn’t until they were at the check-in desk that he stopped and looked at her. “I want the whole weekend, Ellie. If it’s available, I want to stay until Monday. What do you think?”
“Max…a villa is so…expensive. Are you sure?”
Behind the desk, the clerk – Marshall – smiled. “Hey, Max. Hey, Ellie,” he said and pulled a reservation folder out for them. “Blue Casbah…here are the keys…and I’ll just need you to sign here.”
Max leaned over and picked up a pen and froze. He looked up at Marshall. “I…is this right?”
“Yes, sir,” Marshall said with a grin. “Compliments of Barefoot Brides.”
“What’s going on?” Ellie asked, coming up beside him.
He signed his name, shaking his head the entire time. “Thanks, Marshall,” he said before turning and taking the keys and then reaching for Ellie’s hand.
“Max?”
They were outside before he spoke. “It seems your boss negotiated a deal for us – three nights in the villa – on the house.”
“No!”
He nodded.
“So…are you mad?” she asked nervously. “I’m sure she meant well and…”
“Ellie?”
“Hmm?”
“I do need to take care of some things this afternoon around the resort and then we both need to go home and pack but…let’s go check out the villa first.”
“Are you sure?”
Cupping her face in his hands, he leaned in and kissed her. “Consider it our last hiding place for a while.”
“As long as you always come to find me, I’m good with that.”
Eleven
IN ELLIE’S MIND they were going to take an extended look at the villa.
But they didn’t.
Max had incredible self-control and no matter how naughty of a suggestion she threw at him, he smiled and shook his head and promised they’d get to all of that.
Later.
Dammit.
Once he had left to go back to work, Ellie went to her car and drove home to quickly pack up a few necessities and called her parents just to let them know she’d be away for the weekend. It had been tempting to tell them about her run-in with Harry and Monica but decided it served no purpose. They felt bad enough about the entire situation and being that they’d all moved on, there was no point in bringing it back up.
She had closure.
And it felt wonderful.
As she threw her bathing suit into the suitcase, she stopped and thought about how different her life would be right now if she hadn’t found out about Harry’s affair when she did. How much more devastating would it have been to have found out after the wedding? And knowing what she did now, Ellie had no doubt that Monica would have made sure she found out about it sooner rather than later and by this time, she’d be well on her way to getting a divorce.
“Definitely dodged a bullet,” she murmured and grabbed her robe off of a hanger.
But more importantly, she would have never met Max.
Just thinking about him – spending the entire weekend with him – made her feel so happy. It was a feeling she couldn’t ever remember feeling with Harry. And as much as she hated making the comparison, it was kind of hard not to.
One man she almost married.
And the other? Well…it wasn’t hard to imag
ine marrying Max. As a matter of fact, it was scary how easily she could picture it and how much she actually wanted it.
Too soon. It was way too soon to be thinking like that and yet…it was a thought, an image, that wouldn’t go away. She only hoped she wouldn’t blurt that out over the weekend and scare him off.
Although, if this whole crazy nonsense she’d been involved in since meeting him didn’t send him running, then he probably didn’t scare easily. If anything, Max was the kind of man who didn’t back away from a challenge – any challenge. He was a good man and…Ellie stopped and shook her head. He was so much more than she ever imagined. Her schoolgirl crush on a boy she only knew by looks had somehow turned into feelings for a man who was one of the kindest and most giving person she’d ever met.
And he was hers for the entire weekend.
A quick glance at her bedside clock showed it was almost four and she had planned on getting back to the villa before him. She had a couple of tricks up her sleeve and hoped she’d be able to surprise him.
Doing her best to gather the rest of her things, Ellie finally closed her suitcase and made a quick sweep of her house, locking everything up before heading out to her car. With a little luck, she’d make it back to Casa Blanca and have time to put her plans into effect and also have a few minutes to relax. She didn’t want to experience any part of the Blue Casbah without him, but she wanted a few minutes alone to simply marvel and touch everything without Max thinking she was being silly.
Twenty minutes later, she thanked the bellman – a lovely young man named Thomas – and closed the door behind him. He’d placed her suitcase in the bedroom while she carried the other bags into the kitchen. Now, hands on her hips, she took a look around and tried to figure out where she wanted everything to go.
Moving around the villa, Ellie placed candles and found the perfect satellite station for music when there was a knock at the door. She opened it and smiled at the platter of fresh fruit and the bottle of champagne. Signing for it, she tipped the server and showed him where to set it up. The bedroom had been her first thought, but then she thought it might be nice to have it outside by their private pool.
Once she was done with that, she practically skipped to the bedroom, slipped into her bikini and carefully wrapped her sarong around her hips. Looking around the bedroom, she pulled back the comforter and moved some of the pillows aside. Then she went and fetched a few more scented candles from her bag. When the room was set to her liking, she checked her reflection in the mirror and smiled.
Sexy had never been her thing, but for Max? She wanted to look sexy. Desirable. And as she looked at herself in the mirror, she had to admit she felt pretty damn sexy. She checked her watch and saw it was now pushing five o’clock. A twinge of disappointment hit her that Max wasn’t there yet. He was supposed to get off of work by three-thirty and she had hoped he’d be here by now.
With nothing left to do, she walked out of the bedroom, went out by the pool and got comfortable in one of the lounges. The sun felt glorious and there was enough of a breeze that she wasn’t going to sweat. Closing her eyes, Ellie felt herself begin to relax – which is really what she had wanted to happen before Max arrived so…everything was going according to plan.
She hummed softly and simply allowed herself to enjoy the peace and quiet.
****
It was five-thirty and Max cursed himself for the tenth time as he made his way to the villa. He’d gotten held up with a malfunctioning blower and as he called around for someone to take a look at it as soon as possible, it seemed like everyone had taken the day off.
Then he’d had to go home and shower and change and pack. Unfortunately, that’s when he’d realized he hadn’t done laundry the whole damn week. He didn’t plan on needing a whole lot to wear – he was hopeful for a whole lot of naked in bed time with Ellie – but he did need to have some of the basics with him.
And if that wasn’t enough, he didn’t want to show up at the villa empty-handed. There was no doubt there would be wine or champagne waiting for them and possibly a small tray of food, but…he wanted something a little more personal. Flowers were the obvious choice but they were also the easiest, and the last thing he wanted was to be predictable.
But in the end, that’s what he went for – well, that and he’d made arrangements for them to have a couples massage on Saturday and for dinner to be brought to the villa for them tonight. There was no way he was letting them leave their own private cocoon so soon – not when it seemed like he’d waited forever for them to be there.
The reality was it had only been two months but still…everything about Ellie was different from anything he’d ever experienced or felt before and he planned on telling her that this weekend. He wanted to tell her he loved her and…she was it for him. Maybe it was too soon and maybe it was crazy but…it didn’t change anything.
She was the woman for him.
As he opened the door to the villa he immediately heard the music playing softly and smiled. It was a nice touch. There were scented candles lit in the living room and as he made his way to the bedroom to put his suitcase down, he saw the bed turned down and realized he was disappointed not to find her waiting there for him.
With his luggage tucked in the corner of the room, he went in search of Ellie.
Not in the bedroom. Not in the living room. Not in the kitchen.
When he noticed the open French doors leading to the pool, he walked through and found her.
Asleep on the lounge – right next to a table that held a bucket of champagne on ice and a platter of fruit. Rather than waking her up, he went back inside and found a vase for the flowers and placed it on the table by the rest of their goodies. And just when he was about to wake her with a kiss, he noticed her skimpy attire and felt himself go instantly hard.
“Okay, stop acting like a sixteen year old,” he chided himself as he turned and went back inside to the bedroom. Figuring she might not mind a few extra minutes of sleep, Max quickly changed into a pair of swim trunks before rejoining her out by the pool.
When he sat down on the edge of the lounge and leaned over to kiss her, it felt like the perfect moment. She came awake at his touch and purred with pleasure at finding him beside her. Not a bad way to start off their weekend, he thought. When he lifted his head and heard her sigh, he felt all of the tension leave his body.
“Hi,” he said softly.
“Hi. When did you get here?”
“Just a few minutes ago.”
“What time is it?”
“About five forty-five. Sorry,” he said sheepishly and then gave her the quick run-down of what took him so long. “I hate that I kept you waiting.”
She shook her head. “It was just fine. I wanted to get here before you and get settled in.” When she went to sit up, Max gently placed his hands on her shoulders and kept her in place.
“You look incredibly comfortable so I want you to stay that way while I pour us some champagne.” Standing, he walked over and did just that, then handed her a glass and sat back down beside her. “To an amazing weekend,” he toasted.
Touching her glass to his, she added, “To us.”
They each drank slowly and when Max took the glass from her, she looked at him questioningly. Then he stood, took her by the hand and pulled her to her feet. The kiss they shared was soft and slow and sweet. His hands rested on her waist and he gently untied her sarong and let it fall to the floor.
“The pool is heated,” he murmured against her cheek. “What do you say we try it out?”
Ellie nodded and let him lead her to the pool steps and then into the water.
“Ever make love in a pool?” he asked, a slow, sexy grin crossing his face.
“Can’t say I have.”
“Wanna give it a try?”
She looked around nervously and then laughed at her own behavior. “I know it’s completely private and yet…”
Max pulled her in close and cut off the rest of her
words with a kiss – this time it was the kind that had little restraint and held all kind of promises.
And then – private or not – Ellie surrendered to the pleasure Max promised.
****
It was late – after midnight – and they were facing each other in the massive bed. Dinner had been delivered to the room at eight and they dined in the moonlight to an incredible feast of surf and turf and grilled vegetables, followed by a chocolate soufflé. It was beyond decadent.
Once they’d finished, Max held out a hand to her and they danced slowly under the stars. It had been incredibly romantic. To Ellie, it almost seemed like a dream. Never in her life had she experienced such an incredible night.
“What are you thinking?” Max asked quietly.
“How incredible you are.”
He smiled slowly and reached out to caress her cheek. “I’m glad you think that because that’s exactly how I feel about you. I’m still a little in awe of you being here with me.”
Her eyes went a little wide. “Really?”
He nodded. “Ellie, I’ve always told you how I’ve felt. I don’t believe in playing games – even though some of the greatest time we spent together was while we were playing one…”
“Ugh…don’t remind me,” she said with a soft laugh.
“Don’t think about why we were playing, just the fact that we were playing it together. But…” He shifted and sat up a bit. “As much as I love playing with you and spending time with you, I need you to know…I love you, Ellie.”
You could have heard a pin drop in the room.
Ellie scrambled to sit up. “Max…” Her heart was beating wildly in her chest.
“Maybe there was a more eloquent way to say it or maybe saying it in bed after making love wasn’t quite the way to go but…”
She immediately reached over and placed her finger over his lips to stop him. “It was exactly the way to go,” she said, smiling and she hated how she could feel tears filling her eyes. “I love you too.”
Wordlessly, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her softly.
“Say it again,” she whispered.
Seeking Forever Page 9
