Diamonds

by K. A. Linde

  Jude had a car waiting for them downstairs, and the driver placed her bags in the trunk. A bottle of champagne chilled in a silver bucket. Jude popped the top and poured them each a glass of the sparkling bubbly.

  “To new beginnings,” he said, raising his glass.

  She clinked her flute against his and then took a sip. “Is this your new beginning?”

  He smirked in an unbelievably charming way. “You’re my new beginning, Bri.”

  She didn’t know what to say to something so sweet. Guys weren’t normally like this. They didn’t really get her or know how to treat her. They were just silly boys. With Jude, it was different. She could spend all day wrapped in his arms and feel completely content. Nothing else had ever been like that. She was always so antsy, ready to do something else, anxious to get moving, scheming away in her head. Jude quieted all the noise and let her be.

  About half an hour later, they were pulling off of Interstate 10, long before reaching the Santa Monica coastline.

  Bryna glanced over at Jude in confusion. Where the hell are they going?

  When the small Santa Monica Airport came into view, she was even more confused, not to mention curious. The car drove around and deposited them outside of a large hangar.

  Bryna gaped. “What is going on?”

  Jude looked smug. “Surprise.”

  “Surprise…what?”

  The driver opened up her door, and she got out of the car. She was oscillating between shock and excitement.

  “Seriously. What is going on?” she asked, as Jude hopped out behind her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and placed a kiss on her temple.

  “You asked what was next—a private plane and a trip to Saint Barts.”

  She whipped around in his grip. “Tell me you’re joking.”

  “I’m not joking.”

  Her hand flew to her mouth before she could even try for cool, calm, and collected. Jude was taking her on a private plane to spend the week of Christmas in St. Barts. Shock was definitely winning out.

  “You said you take your passport with you everywhere.”

  She nodded softly at this. A man who had actually listened and remembered what she had said. She had counted on her own father to come home for Christmas, and he had let her down. Here was Jude, who had cared enough to go out of his way to plan this just for her. She was beyond shocked. She was completely floored and enamored.

  “I take it you like it?”

  She shook her head and then cracked up laughing. “Oh my God, I can’t believe we’re going away together.”

  He leaned down and kissed her hard on the lips. “I said it was a new beginning.”

  “You did. There’s only one problem,” she told him.

  “What’s that?”

  “I didn’t bring a swimsuit.”

  His eyes traveled the length of her body. “Where we’re going, I don’t think you’ll need one.”

  She laughed again and gave him that one. She would absolutely need a swimsuit if she was going to be tucked away at a beach resort all break, but she liked his implication.

  One thing was very clear. This was going to be the best Christmas ever.

  The private plane had an interior cabin fitted with a plush cream leather sofa, two matching chairs, and a mounted big screen television.

  A private attendant in a short blue uniform smiled at them upon their arrival. “Please make yourself comfortable. I’ll be in the galley. Let me know if you need anything. We’ll be taking off shortly,” she said before disappearing.

  Bryna took a seat in one of the chairs and checked her cell phone. She had two missed calls and a text message from Celia. Ugh!

  Bryna, please let me know when you make it to your mother’s safely. Have a great Christmas. We’ll miss you! Also, Pace says to have a great time.

  She groaned at the message. What an overbearing and insufferable human being! She was obviously leaving to go see her mom to get away from her stepfamily. Even if it was all a ruse so that she could go away with Jude, they didn’t have to keep messaging her. Doesn’t my stepmother get that?

  And Pace! She was fairly certain he had told his mother to send that shit just to irritate her. She wasn’t going to let it bother her. She was on a private jet with Jude, about to leave for St. Barts. Nothing was going to get in her way.

  Just got here. All safe. Tell Pace to have fun with Jemma over break.

  A confident smile played on her features. If his mother was overbearing with her, then she would surely be that way with Pace. Bryna couldn’t wait for all the questions to be hurled his way.

  She looked up from the screen and into Jude’s questioning eyes. She shrugged and stuffed the phone into the pocket of her black skinny jeans. She figured it was Christmas, so it would be safe to actually mention parents without sounding like she was still living at home. “Just my stepmother asking about Christmas…again.”

  Jude nodded. “I see, and you don’t want to spend the holiday with them?”

  “No,” she answered immediately. “I want to spend the holiday with you. Only you.”

  “Good. I want nothing else.”

  She smiled as she stood and sauntered over to where he was sitting on the couch, and then she straddled him. Her fingers threaded into his hair, and she dropped her mouth down onto his. This was the most romantic and amazing thing anyone had ever done for her, and all she wanted to do was show her gratitude.

  The kiss heated as his hands slid down her sides and around to grab her ass. She started grinding her hips against him as if she were giving him a lap dance right then and there. She groaned into his mouth and then dragged his bottom lip through her teeth.

  His hands continued to explore her body, sliding under her black tank top and blue blazer, climbing up her spine, and then moving around to her full breasts. Her whole body responded to the way he cupped and massaged her tits. One finger dipped inside the cup and flicked her nipple, causing her to arch against him.

  “Fuck,” he moaned.

  Then, he was hoisting her off of him and throwing her down on the couch. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he leaned over her. He kissed his way up her neck as his pelvis thrust against her in the most inviting way. God, she wanted to rip his clothes off.

  A soft cough sounded from the back of the plane, and instantly, they both seemed to remember exactly where they were. The plane hadn’t even taken off. They hadn’t even left the city. They would have an audience until they were twenty thousand feet up.

  Jude quickly straightened and helped Bryna into a sitting position as the attendant gave them flight instructions. Takeoff was a breeze. Soon, they were flying high on what Jude informed her was a nearly eight-hour flight from Los Angeles. Since it was a private plane, they would get there without any stops, but it would still be the next morning before they arrived.

  After getting good use out of the cabin and effectively joining the mile high club, Bryna lay in Jude’s lap with a content sigh.

  “This is the life,” she murmured drowsily.

  He gently stroked her hair back, and she closed her eyes at the soothing motion.

  “It’s one I’m glad you’re in.”

  She yawned as she said, “Me…too.”

  “Why don’t you try to sleep? I have some work I need to get done anyway.”

  “What are you working on?” she asked, peeking up at him.

  He gave her the look, the one she had come to associate with things he didn’t want to talk about. She never pushed it. He would tell her when he was ready. Just like she would tell him that she was seventeen…as soon as she wasn’t seventeen anymore. God, why do I have to have a July birthday?

  “Nothing. Just go to sleep. When you wake up, we’ll be in paradise.”

  She smiled up at him and let the issue slide. All she could think about as she drifted off to sleep to the sound of him clicking away on his laptop was how much she wished she could tell him everything about her.

  One day, sh
e wouldn’t have to hide from him the things everyone else already knew about her, but she didn’t think she would be able to share things he only knew about her heart with anyone else. Despite the secrets piled up between them, she felt she was utterly and unequivocally falling for this mysterious man.

  THEY TOUCHED DOWN at the tiny St. Barts airport at around two in the morning. Jude had a car waiting to take them away, and Bryna snuggled up against him in the backseat as they drove the short distance to their destination.

  Their illuminated beach house revealed an enormous red-roofed villa right on the water. Even in the dark, it looked like something she couldn’t have even dreamed up. The villa itself had six bedrooms and seven baths with a crystal-clear rectangular pool, a covered cabana, and the most spectacular view of the ocean.

  Jude deposited their bags in a massive master bedroom complete with a full sitting room, a bed large enough to comfortably sleep a half dozen, and a walk-in closet larger than her one at home. The bathroom had a Jacuzzi tub that she could swim in with a window overlooking the pool.

  All in all, Jude had been right. It was paradise.

  The next morning, Bryna woke up to the sun rising over the ocean. After exploring the villa in the daylight, they drove into town to get breakfast. Bryna purchased a couple of new bathing suits at a boutique nearby even though Jude had kept whispering in her ear that he was just going to take them off. Then they returned to the villa and spent the rest of the afternoon lounging in the sun and swimming in the pool.

  They had been enjoying their days by the water and their nights in the bedroom so much that Bryna was surprised when she woke up on Thursday to realize that Christmas was already here. Living in Los Angeles, she had never had a white Christmas unless her family vacationed in Paris or New York City. But with highs in the mid-eighties and not a cloud in the sky, Christmas in St. Barts felt even more surreal.

  Or maybe it was that she wouldn’t see any of her family. She tried not to let that fact bum her out, but she had this unexpected feeling of unease as soon as she woke up. She hadn’t heard from her mother in months. Her father was busy in New Zealand. Who knows if I’ll even hear from him today? She had no brothers and sisters, and she refused to even consider her stepfamily as relatives she should be missing on this holiday. Even though people constantly surrounded her, she felt very…alone.

  Maybe she should be used to it. After all, it wasn’t like this was some new thing. Her father loved her, but he spent more time working than he ever did with her. She had been closer to her mother when she was younger, but as she grew up, her mother had become more and more distant. It was hard not to blame that on herself rather than on the fact that her parents’ marriage had come apart at the seams.

  So, what’s different?

  Jude.

  For the first time in a long time, she felt completely wanted. He treated her right, cared about her, and gave her the affection that she had been lacking in her life. With everyone else, she could wear her confidence on her sleeve. She didn’t need friends or family or a boyfriend. She was strong, brilliant, and ready to take over the world. But Jude disarmed her, and when she was with him, she realized how alone she had always felt before this.

  At that thought, she rolled over to wrap her arms around Jude, but she realized that his side of the bed was empty—again. A moment of panic hit her when she thought about how he had left her that first night they had been together, but then she recovered. They were on an island in the Caribbean. Where could he possibly go?

  “Jude?” she called, walking out of the bedroom in nothing but a sexy red baby doll.

  She padded into the living room and heard the sound of his voice coming from the kitchen. She almost entered but stopped when she realized he was on the phone.

  “No, I’m not going to be over today.” There was a short pause. “I know what you want, but I’m away on business. I’m not even getting back until right before New Year’s.”

  Hmm. She wondered who he was talking to. She hadn’t expected him to tell anyone that he was away with her, but it kind of hurt that he was blatantly lying. Even if she had done the same thing…

  “Yes. Then I have to go away again right after.”

  So, he would be gone for New Year’s. Guess that made it easier to decide on her plans. Though she would have preferred to ring in the New Year with him, she understood if he actually had to go on a work trip.

  Unless he was lying about that, too…

  Slippery slope.

  “I’m sorry. I really can’t talk right now.” He sounded frustrated and impatient to be off the phone. “Stop trying to guilt-trip me!” he shouted.

  Bryna peeked around the corner and saw him run an irritated hand back through his hair. His face was contorted into a scowl that she had never seen him use around her before. She swallowed hard at the realization of who this might actually be.

  “I’m getting off the phone now. Have a merry Christmas.” He tossed the phone onto the granite counter, rested his palms on the edge, and hung his head forward.

  She knew she should give him a minute, but she wanted him to know she had heard at least part of his conversation. No reason to hold that back.

  “So, that was your wife, huh?” Bryna asked, stepping into the kitchen.

  Jude jumped and then turned to face her. “Bri.”

  “I thought you were separated.”

  “I thought you were asleep.”

  “I woke up,” she said with a shrug.

  “How much of that did you hear?” he asked.

  She wasn’t sure exactly what he was thinking. He wasn’t one to wear his emotions on his sleeve unless he wanted her to see them. Did he not want me to know he was talking to his wife?

  “Enough to realize that someone calling you on Christmas morning and asking about your New Year’s plans is probably someone important. Oh, and she upset you. I’ve never seen you upset,” she told him point-blank.

  “Was,” he corrected. “She was someone important, and we are separated. That’s why I’m here with you.” He walked across the tile floor and wrapped his arms around her. “This is the only place I want to be. She doesn’t matter to me.”

  If Bryna were a typical girl, she might have just let the subject drop. After all, it was Christmas, she was in St. Barts on vacation, and the man she was falling for had just said that there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

  Except she wasn’t typical.

  “So…are you guys getting a divorce then?”

  Jude took a step back and sighed. “Merry Christmas to you, too.”

  “Oh. Merry Christmas,” she said. “In California, I know you have to be separated for at least six months before a divorce is finalized.”

  “Can we not talk about this?” he asked. He looked weary of the topic of discussion.

  “Ever?”

  He grabbed her by the back of her thighs, hoisted her legs around his waist, and then carried her to the island in the middle of the kitchen. “Not while you’re here in nothing but skimpy lingerie.”

  His mouth landed hot on her neck, and he kissed his way up to her earlobe. Her brain started going fuzzy again. Fuck, she wanted to just forget all the questions she had been asking. This felt so fucking good.

  She pulled back and gave him a stern look. “Are you trying to distract me?”

  “I’m going to make you come. Are you objecting?”

  Well, when he puts it that way… “No.”

  His fingers dug into her thighs as their lips came together once more. He was intoxicating. Their chemistry was electric. Every touch threatened to push her over the edge and liquidate her very existence. She was already lost in the moment, in his tender caresses, and in thrall to his mesmerizing ways.

  Jude pushed her back until she was lying flat on the island and then slid her down until her ass was almost hanging off the edge. He dragged her underwear to the ground, and his followed. His fingers gently probed her pussy, swirling around her opening unti
l it was slick, and then he rubbed his thumb along her clit. Her body heated as he warmed her up to his touch.

  If Jude was purposely diverting her, this was clearly the best kind of distraction.

  “Tell me you want me,” he said. He teasingly slid his dick along her opening, not going in but making her want him more and more.

  “Fuck, Jude. I want you. Just fuck me.”

  “Maybe if you ask nicely.”

  He pressed the tip against her, and she gave up the illusion of control. She tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and arched toward him.

  “Please,” she groaned. “Please take me. I’m yours.”

  “Yes”—he shoved inside her pussy—“you are.”

  After his declaration, their bodies smacked together in time. It was feral and possessive, a joining of two beings out of a basic primal craving. No thoughts crossed their minds of what awaited them once they rejoined reality. There was nothing else but the thrill of taking what they wanted, living without guilt for their choices and enjoying every fucking minute of it.

  BRYNA SILENCED HER PHONE for the second time that morning. Celia kept calling her, and Bryna did not want to talk to her. If my own father hadn’t called, why would my stepmother think that I would want to talk to her?

  She had thought about calling her father in New Zealand, but he was the parent. Shouldn’t he care enough to call or at least text? He was a modern man. He knew how to use a smartphone, and he had an unlimited international package plan, so he could use his phone anywhere at anytime. Apparently, that time didn’t include calling his daughter on Christmas.

  She didn’t want to let that bother her. Not today while she was spending the wonderful day with someone who actually cared for her.

  Her eyes cut across the pool to where Jude was swimming laps. His shoulders and back were ripped. While he wasn’t bulky, he had great definition. She couldn’t tear her eyes away. They’d had sex before breakfast, but when he was half naked in front of her, it wasn’t fair how much she wanted him. He made her insatiable.