by Krista Lakes
I padded over to the window, the wood floors cool on my bare feet. My messy reflection greeted me in the glass. Auburn hair all tangled and messy fell over my shoulders and green eyes peered back at me. I frowned and pulled my red hair back into a untidy pony-tail to deal with later. Dawn was on her way, with the gray skyline lightening and heralding her impending arrival. The clouds were tinged with pink and reflecting in the quiet ocean waves.
I remembered how good the water had felt around my legs last night and grinned. Sunrise with my feet in the ocean was the perfect way to start a day. If the water had been beautiful in the moonlight, I could only imagine how amazing it would be in the first golden rays of the day.
I hurried down the stairs and out onto the wooden deck, pausing for a moment before going outside. I was only wearing a thin, white, jersey-knit t-shirt and a pair of old blue boxers covered in pale pink hearts that were once part of a pajama set—not exactly appropriate attire for company. I peered out the window and didn't see anyone.
I shrugged and stepped out. If anyone saw me this early, they would most likely be in pajamas themselves. Besides, I didn't want to go back up and change and possibly miss the sunrise.
The sand was cool against my feet, but still just as soft. It was colder now that the night had the chance to cool the world, but it was still far warmer than the freezing temperatures of home. I considered getting a light jacket, but that would entail going back upstairs. Instead, I just wrapped my arms around myself and hurried to the water.
The sun wasn't up yet, so the water was dark and colder than last time, but I didn't care. It was still exhilarating. The sky was turning a vibrant shade of pink and every wave was tipped with the warming color. I was in for a magnificent sunrise.
A noise behind me made me turn. Coming down the beach, carrying a long surfboard looking thing and a paddle, was a billionaire. Wearing a skin-tight, full-body wetsuit that showed off just how in shape he was, he looked hotter than the sun that was supposed to come up any moment. His light brown hair was tussled with sleep, but his eyes were bright. And on me.
“Hi,” I stammered as he entered the water, eyes still on me. “Good morning...”
What exactly was one supposed to say when meeting a billionaire in one's pajamas while standing in the ocean at dawn? After trying to tackle him the night before? Not to mention that my very sheer shirt was highlighting just how cold I was. I tightened my arms around my chest, hoping that I had myself appropriately covered.
“I don't usually see anyone out here this early,” he replied, stopping a polite distance away. It was still closer than I felt comfortable with, especially with the wetsuit showing off his broad shoulders and toned ass. The wetsuit, if anything, accented his perfect build rather than hiding it. I almost would have preferred him to be wearing a normal swimsuit because it would have let my imagination stop putting him together. “Are you going to try and take my board again?
“No, not until later,” I replied, blushing straight down to my toes. I wasn't going to let him get to me today, though. I was a strong, independent woman. Or at least I was going to pretend to be one. “I only tackle billionaires at night. I'm actually more of a morning person. I like sunrises, and long walks on the beach.” I didn't mean to quote one of his commercials, but there it was. I really needed to learn to think before I spoke sometimes.
Mr. Belrose's brows raised and his eyes met mine. Butterflies started dancing in my stomach. There was no reason for me to feel this giddy nervousness, but I couldn't help it. For whatever reason, I wanted him to like me and standing out in my pj's quoting his company's commercials sounded incredibly lame. I was an idiot.
He half-grinned, thankfully finding me amusing.
He nodded toward the horizon. “This is a good place for sunrises.” His gaze went past me and up toward the horizon and his grin shifted into an all out smile.
I turned my head from him to see a golden ball of fire rising up over the dark blue water. The sky was awash in blues, pinks, golds, and oranges that stole my breath away. It was possibly the most stunning sunrise I had ever seen.
I glanced over at him again. The sunlight was bathing him in total glory, accenting the strength of his cheekbones and the golds in his hair. His shoulders were relaxed as he soaked in the morning light, absorbing it's radiance. His smile was almost brighter than the sun and just as beautiful. When he smiled, it was better than the sun coming up. It made my heart beat faster and my stomach make strange knots.
I looked away, turning back to watch the bright ball rise further until I couldn't bare to look at it anymore. Feelings of hope and renewal flowed through me. This is the way to start a day, I thought to myself. Almost better than coffee.
After a moment, I shifted my weight in the water, feeling awkward. “So, are the waves any good for surfing?” I asked, looking over at the billionaire and motioning to the board floating in the water beside him.
He looked over at me surprised, as if he had forgotten that I was there. The brilliant smile was gone, but so was the sternness I remembered from the day before. Out here, he looked like a young man excited for the day. Even the scar down his cheek was less pronounced. He was friendly in the morning light, as if he hadn't had time to harden.
“The waves here aren't big enough for surfing,” he patiently explained. “I paddle-board.” He grinned, threatening to reveal that brilliant smile again, as he held up the paddle. “Best way to greet the day.”
I looked at his board. It looked like a surfboard, but just a little different. The fact that he had a long paddle that looked like it belonged more on a kayak also suggested something I wasn't familiar with.
“I've never actually done that,” I said slowly.
“You're welcome to join me,” he offered. “There's extra boards in the shed.”
“I'm not exactly dressed for swimming.” I blushed, looking down at my boxer shorts and seeing the pale pink hearts darkening on the hem from the ocean water. “Is that how you broke your board?
His eyes looked me up and down, taking in my thin pajamas and just how tight I was holding my arms close. I could have sworn his pupils dilated, and just thinking that they did made me blush harder.
“No,” he said shaking his head. “That board got hit by a boat.”
“I hope you weren't on it,” I said when he didn't offer anymore information.
He regarded me quizzically for a moment before shaking his head slightly. “No, I wasn't. I was driving the boat.”
“Oh.” I smiled and nodded, hoping like hell that the pink sunrise was at least partially hiding my blush. It was really hard not to stare at his muscles under his wetsuit. Good lord, he was built. “Then maybe I'll take you up on your offer to paddle-board, but I'll remember not to go out on a boat with you. Or at least not be on a paddle-board when you're sailing.”
I looked up to see the corner of his lips twitched, hinting at his own amusement.
“As long as you don't tackle me again, I promise not to hit you with a boat.” He kept his face straight, but his eyes twinkled. I couldn't help but smile back.
He nodded politely and stepped away. Pulling his board close to him, he then lay down on his stomach and began paddling out into deeper water.
It only took a moment before he rose first to his knees and then up to standing in a graceful motion I knew must have taken months of practice. Even from where I was standing, I could see his abs and arms working with the strength needed to push him through the water. It was easy to see how he stayed in such good shape if he did this every morning. It looked like a full body workout.
I watched him for a moment, enjoying seeing his finesse and strength in the water, until I realized that I was staring again. Somehow I managed to blush even more, especially knowing that I could have happily watched him all day. I was a creep, but at least I knew it.
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. Now that the sun was up, it was warmer but my pajamas were still thin and getting wet. M
y stomach rumbled, reminding me that dinner had been a long time ago and Charlotte had mentioned something about breakfast in the morning.
Reluctantly, I turned and headed back to shore. At the base of the deck was a little freshwater shower that I used to rinse the sand and salt from my legs before climbing the stairs back inside. I looked out at the water as I finished rinsing, surprised to see Mr. Belrose looking back at me.
He grinned, and the blush that had finally faded came roaring back. I bit my lip, determined not to make a complete fool of myself and hurried inside, nearly colliding with a giant wall of man. Elijah avoided me easily, making sure that I didn't run into him or the door in my attempt to stop the collision. He chuckled, shaking his head.
My face was burning now, knowing that not only was the stealthy body guard chuckling at me, but Mr. Belrose had seen the whole thing. I mumbled an apology and scurried up to my room to put on real clothes and hopefully fade my blush before my skin permanently matched my hair.
Sunrise Kisses: Chapter 5
I glanced at the map as I hurried through the maze of rooms. I was fairly sure that the kitchen was two more rooms to the right, but every room had the same opulent extravagance. Gilded frames and antique furniture all meshed together until every room looked the same. It was all about the display of wealth. It made it hard to distinguish what room I was in without physically checking the art hanging on the walls. Since the map didn't have that information, I had already gotten turned around once.
I finally just followed the smells of cooking and coffee. It was two rooms to the right and one to the left. Once in the kitchen, though, I finally felt like I was where I belonged.
The mansion's kitchen felt like it had been decorated by someone else. It's simple, rustic charm didn't match the rest of the house. That isn't to say that it wasn't luxurious, huge, or full of gourmet items, but that it didn't feel pompous or overbearing. Of all the rooms in the giant mansion, the kitchen actually felt like one that people lived in rather than a museum.
Leaning against the center island with a bright red mug that said, “If this cup is full, don't bother talking to me” was Charlotte. She was happily chatting away with a heavyset woman in an apron who was bustling around the kitchen cooking something that smelled absolutely divine.
“Good morning, Ava,” Charlotte greeted me, a welcoming grin spreading across her face. Her dark hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail and she wore a crisp short sleeved, polka-dot shirt with the cutest skirt I had ever seen. “I wasn't expecting anyone up for a little while yet.”
I grinned back. “I wanted to see the sunrise. I'm very strange and happen to like mornings.”
“Just like her mother,” added a very grumpy voice. I turned to see my father stumble into the kitchen and settle with his work bag at the heavy wooden table. His gray hair was rumpled, and he still looked swollen from traveling. His green in his eyes looked strange against the bloodshot whites. I knew he had slept because I had heard him snoring from across the hall, but he sure didn't look like it.
“It was the time for just Mom and me,” I recalled, smiling at the memory. I could still recall with perfect clarity how Mom would always curl up in the sunny patch of the couch in the mornings, reading the morning paper or a dogeared paperback book. She was always sipping on tea or coffee and wore the same pink, ratty robe. I still had that robe, tucked away into my closet at home. Sometimes in the mornings, I would wrap myself up in it to read the paper just so that I could feel her presence again.
Charlotte handed me a full cup of coffee in a plain blue cup, pointing to the kitchen table where a pitcher of real cream and a sugar bowl sat waiting. I grinned and headed over to make my mug more cream and sugar than coffee.
“Coffee, Mr. Fairchild?” she asked, holding up a green mug. Dad mumbled a barely coherent yes and she poured him a generous helping. Just as she finished setting the cup on the table in front of him, Elijah the Bodyguard bustled into the kitchen. Without missing a beat, Charlotte picked up two waiting travel mugs from the counter and handed them to him. She's like Starbucks, but without the line, I thought to myself.
“Charlotte,” Elijah said, taking a big sip out of one of the mugs. “You're the best, you know that right?”
“Of course I do,” Charlotte replied smugly. She held up a brown paper bag. “Make sure Sebastian eats something for breakfast today. He's got that meeting with the sales rep, and last time he nearly took off the poor guy's head because he was hangry.”
Elijah went to reach for the bag, but she pulled it back, wanting a response before she would give it to him. “Yes, ma'am,” the big man said, rolling his eyes. “As long as there's one in there for me, too.”
“Have I ever let you down?” Charlotte asked, not letting go of the bag.
Elijah growled and she let go of the bag.
“What's 'hangry'?” I asked, not recognizing the word.
“You know when you haven't eaten, and it makes you mad at everything for no real good reason? That's hangry,” Charlotte explained as Elijah nearly ripped open the bag and pulled out some sort of breakfast sandwich. He immediately began to devour it. She raised her eyebrows at the big man. “You'll make sure?”
“Yes, I'll make sure he eats. I'm the one he takes his temper out on if I forget,” Elijah informed her, stuffing the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth. I kept waiting for him to comment to me about last night, but he never did. After finishing his sandwich, Elijah nodded politely to everyone in the kitchen and hurried back out carrying his coffees and sandwiches to Mr. Belrose.
I shook my head, unsure of how the tiny brunette survived bossing around the giant bodyguard. He certainly scared me a little. I sat down at the table across from Dad. He was staring into his coffee like it held the answers to the universe.
“You okay, Dad?” I asked, kicking him gently under the table when he didn't look up. “You don't look like you slept well. Or did you just stay up all night talking to Jackie?”
He narrowed his eyes at me, but took a sip of his coffee. He hated when I teased him about Jackie. As much as he insisted that the adorable woman from next door wasn't his girlfriend, the two of them spent an awful lot of time talking on the phone whenever they were apart.
“No, Jackie had to work today, so we didn't talk long.” He took another big sip of his coffee and I smiled. He had been talking with her. I liked Jackie and I was glad that my father had someone in his life that cared for him. He rubbed his jaw and looked up at me. “Remind me to get a dentist appointment when we get home. I think I have something wrong with one of my teeth.”
“If you'd like, I can have someone here on the island look at it,” Charlotte offered from her spot against the center island. She came and sat down at the table next to me. “There are several doctors, dentists, and other medical services located on the island that Mr. Belrose has access too. As his guests, you would have access to them as well.”
“Like, concierge doctors?” I asked, taking a sip of my perfectly sweetened coffee. I had heard of doctors that catered to the rich and famous, but I had yet to actually ever meet any. I didn't make anywhere near the kind of money that required.
Charlotte nodded. “Basically. Since this island is known for it's expensive tastes, the doctors here are all world class. The doctor on our retainer even has his own portable x-ray machine as well as a whole car full of medical equipment. He's like a driving hospital.”
Dad took a sip of coffee and nodded. “If it's not a bother, Charlotte. I'd be very much obliged to have that dentist take a look at it.”
I frowned. My dad hated doctors. Hated them with a passion, especially after what we went through with Mom. I knew he must be in a fair amount of pain to willingly see one.
“I'll see to it,” Charlotte promised, pulling out her phone and making a note. She then looked over at the woman cooking and grinned. “Now, Lucia makes the best omelets and french toast on the entire island and it looks like she's ready.”
I grinned as the apron donned woman came over with two heaping plates of food. She carefully set each plate down in front of my father and I, as if we were her children and she was feeding us breakfast. It smelled like breakfast heaven and had my mouth watering.
“Will Mr. Belrose be joining us?” I asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. After this morning, particularly the way he had smiled, I found myself hoping that he would come and sit next to me. I wouldn't even try to tackle him or anything.
“Bastian? No.” Charlotte shook her head and picked up her fork. “He doesn't exactly do breakfast.”
Lucia made a “harumph” noise as she placed more food on the table. “Not for my lack of trying.”
“Oh,” I replied, doing my best not to be disappointed. “I saw him out on the beach earlier. I thought that since he was up, he would be here.”
“He'll be out on the water until his first meeting,” Charlotte answered, her eyes following Lucia as she put a steaming plate of food down in front of her. She was practically drooling on the table for her omelet. “If he could get decent phone reception out in the cove, he'd take all his meetings out on that paddle-board. Though, I swear, if he breaks another one, I'm going to have to strangle the man.”
“Breaks another one?” I asked. My voice squeaked just a little bit, but luckily no one seemed to notice.
Charlotte sighed. “The things are not that easy to break, but he seems to enjoy destroying them. He can certainly afford to, but it's kind of an ongoing issue between the two of us.”
“Oh.” I smiled secretly to myself, waiting for my food. I now understood why he was sneaking out of the house with the board wrapped up. I wasn't about to tattle on him to Charlotte, though.
