Adrift

by Isabel Jolie

  “Hmmm. I need to feed you because I have more plans for you tonight. What do you want?” He fondled my breast while waiting for my answer, but he did look me in the eye.

  “There’s no place with delivery.”

  “Sweetheart, you pay enough, and there’s delivery.”

  Chapter 23

  Poppy

  * * *

  I woke with Gabe’s palm planted on my lower back, a full bladder and righteous morning breath. The pitch-dark room gave no hints to time. I blinked, disoriented, allowing my sight to adjust to vague shadows. I carefully slid out from the sheets, not wanting to wake Gabe, and hunted for something to wear. We’d fallen asleep together last night after time in the hot tub, followed by a shower, followed by him pulling me into bed. My face warmed as I remembered the shower. I’d never showered with someone else before, and I’d tried to beg off, but he’d had none of it. I’d expected to be mortified, but the way he looked at me—it was like the guy needed glasses, really. But that appreciative gaze never once mocked. He clearly wasn’t lying when he said he was a boob guy. By the time he turned off the shower and wrapped me in an insanely thick warm towel, I believed that maybe my full curves, even the dimply, unfiltered ones on my ass and thighs, were desirable…at least to one man with subpar vision.

  I found Gabe’s t-shirt on the floor and pulled it on, then cracked open the door to the bathroom. Sunlight burst through. I snapped the door shut and glanced over at Gabe. He remained comatose. The second door opened to the dim hallway, and I slipped through.

  After relieving myself in the hallway bathroom, I searched for a clock. I didn’t normally sleep late, but I also didn’t have blackout shades that provided hotel level darkness. If we’d slept until noon, I’d be screwed in a non-sexy sense.

  The black and white clock on the kitchen wall showed it wasn’t even eight yet. I breathed out a relieved sigh. After staring at his coffee maker until I heard the drip, proof I’d figured it out, I moved on to priority two—food.

  One glance in his oversized refrigerator revealed Shelley did an outstanding job stocking Gabe’s kitchen. Color filled the vegetable drawer, and as I leafed past bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms, and lettuce, I landed on the spring onions. The small grocery on the island didn’t even stock those. I located the ingredients for an omelet and found some hash browns in his freezer. I set all the components aside and decided to hold off on cooking, since I had no idea how late a sleeper Gabe would be.

  From my stance in front of the expansive window, sipping my coffee, I could see a lone runner out on the beach and a ship far off in the distance. The morning sunrays sparkled over the dark blue waters. A warm body came up behind mine, and I almost spilled my coffee as rough growth tickled my neck.

  “Morning, beautiful. I like waking up with you in my place.” I stretched in his arms and kissed his chin. “I’d like it even better if I woke with you in my bed.”

  “Sorry about that. I woke up and didn’t want to disturb you.” He lifted my coffee cup and took a sip then hummed his approval. “Let me get you a cup.”

  He followed me into the kitchen.

  “Man, I can’t remember the last time I slept so late. Or so well.”

  “It’s not even eight.”

  “I’m usually up by four. Out of the bed by five. Trust me, this is late.”

  “But your room is like a cave.”

  “New York habit. I didn’t set the alarm. Normally, I don’t need to since I don’t sleep well.” He scratched his head, and errant strands of hair stuck up all over his head, making him even more good-looking. His boxers hung lower on his waist, and his cotton t-shirt hugged his biceps and molded to his pecs. Scrumptious. “You making breakfast?” He fingered the egg carton set out on the counter.

  “I thought I’d make something.”

  “I need to go for a run. You want to go with?”

  “I don’t have any running shoes here.” I snapped my fingers with pointed drama. “And…Oh, yeah…I don’t run. Clearly. You don’t get these curves—”

  “Uh-huh. None of that.” He waved his index finger in the air like a windshield wiper. “Your curves are perfect. I fantasize about all your curves. There will be no negative talk about this body. Got it?” He stepped forward until he towered over me. I pressed my lips on the dip in his clavicle, above his heart, then pulled him down for a morning minty-fresh kiss.

  “Instead of a run, we could find other ways to exercise.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and I shook my head.

  “No, I think you wore me out last night. As much as I’d like that, I think I need to give it a little rest.”

  “It? You mean your glorious, tight vagina?”

  “Don’t tell me you’re one of those guys. You have to go and use the word.”

  “Hell, yeah, I go and use the word. I love the word. Va-gi-na.”

  “Well, you definitely know your way around one.” His smug expression reminded me he was fully aware of his talents. “But I’ve got a full day.” I reluctantly stepped away from his warm, delicious body. “Do you prefer an omelet, plain eggs, or scrambled eggs?”

  He leaned back on the counter, prepared to watch me work. “Scrambled. Nothing too heavy.”

  “Got it.” His request for healthy didn’t shock me given how lean and muscular and really, well, completely perfect he was. “What about you? What have you got on tap?”

  “Oh, you know. Another day with lawyers. I have a few meetings scheduled.” He glanced at his bare wrist. “This is a late start for me. But worth it.” He playfully pinched my ass. “What about you?”

  “Oh, I’ve got to follow up with the bank. And Suzette, the owner of Jules? Well, I inquired about a bartending job, and she asked me to come in for a meeting. But not about bartending. Will told her what I’m trying to do, and she wants me to take her through my business pitch.”

  “Isn’t that cavorting with the enemy?”

  I laughed. “I’d say she’s been more of a mentor. I’ve known her for years. Worked for her for years. Maybe she’ll invest.”

  “You still looking for investors?”

  “Well, not actively, but I’m not going to turn down an investment.”

  “Good. Let me invest. Tell me how much you need.”

  I waved a fork coated with yellow goo, directing him to shush. “No way.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because now you and I are…” I didn’t know how to describe our little temporary situation, and my cheeks heated as I searched for the right description.

  “Dating?”

  “Yes.” I hid my smile at his choice in words, but my insides erupted like a cheerleading squad at a pep rally. He said dating!

  “I get it. You want to do it on your own. Without the help of a man.” He nipped at my neck as I sprinkled cheese into the omelet mixture.

  I spun around to face him. “I don’t need my boy—” I clapped my mouth shut.

  “You were gonna say boyfriend, weren’t you?” Heat surrounded my back as he stepped up behind me and massaged the very large curve of my ass. I stared straight ahead, bracing myself for what he might say next. Maybe something along the lines of no one could know about us or that we’re special friends.

  “I’d say you’re like a girlfriend. I don’t have any interest in dating anyone else.” The soft words brought hot tears to my eyes, probably a delayed reaction to the onions I sliced.

  “Really?” I gazed up into soft green eyes, close enough the flecks of brown shone.

  “Yeah. I mean, I want to be straight up with you. I’m moving back to New York.”

  “And I’m building a business here.”

  His thumb trailed my bottom lip. “But we have right now. And I swear, by the time I leave, you’re going to know your worth.” He backed away and opened a few cabinet doors, searching for plates.

  “What does that mean?”

  “I am going to make it my mission to build up your self-confidence.” He found the plates and placed them
on the counter. I slid a steaming helping of cheesy vegetable scrambled eggs onto each of them.

  “Oh, crap. I forgot the hash browns.”

  “This is plenty,” he reassured me. The breakfast didn’t hold a candle to the kind of breakfast I’d put together if I had a guest staying with me, but it was more than I’d ever make myself.

  I dug a fork in, then popped off the breakfast stool to locate the pepper.

  “Are you still doing your OnlyFans stuff?”

  “Yeah.” I spun a rotating spice wheel inside one of the cabinets. The pepper grinder came into view, and I grabbed it.

  “You planning on doing that, even while we’re dating?”

  “You think it’s something I can just put on hold while we date for a few months, and then come back to it?”

  “I guess not…” He frowned. “I just don’t like the idea of a girl I’m seeing doing that.”

  “Well, you knew what I did before we ever did this.” I had less than an hour before my meeting with Suzette, so I slid off the stool, dumped my uneaten eggs into the trash, and busied myself putting away the breakfast mess.

  “Yes. And I support you. After all, I hooked you up with Capital Business Enterprises.” His tone changed. He sounded businessy.

  “You mean Thad?”

  “Who’s Thad?”

  “Your friend? The one that was doing you a favor? That I’ve talked about—” I placed a hand on my hip and halted cleaning as it all fell into place.

  “Yeah, of course.” He sipped his coffee, but he held the coffee mug like it was protecting him. He looked like a little boy who had done something wrong.

  “You don’t know Thad at all, do you? He didn’t owe you a favor. You paid him.”

  His coffee mug hit the counter with a loud clink. “Sue me. I wanted to help you.”

  “It’s the principle.” I grabbed a dishrag and a spray bottle and set to work.

  “Don’t get pissy. If you want to pay me back, fine. No, you know what? It’s not fine. It’s my gift to you. I’m fucking loaded, and I gave you a gift. I believe in you, and I want you to believe in yourself. Get over it. And I don’t want you doing OnlyFans. It was one thing when you needed the money, but you don’t need it now. You. Have. Me.”

  The room heated about fifty degrees, and I gritted my teeth. He’d never understand. I released my anger on those counters, wiping hard, as if those spotless counters had stains. I spotted my clothes in the den, scattered in front of the sofa on the floor. Wordlessly, I dropped the damp towel on the counter.

  In the den, I scooped up my clothing and hightailed it to his bedroom. At a frantic speed, I dressed, expecting the bedroom door to open at any time. It didn’t. I rushed out the front door, sparing one glance back.

  He sat on the stool at his breakfast bar, held his hand in the air, and wiggled his fingers. A lame-ass wave goodbye if I ever saw one.

  The closed sign hung at an uneven slant on the entrance to Jules. I pushed the heavy door open. The chairs hung upside down on the tables. The pre-opening buzz from behind the swinging doors rumbled with familiarity. Clinging and clanging wafted through the dining room, the sound of knives on stainless steel. An old Jimmy Buffett song played, and I wondered if the kitchen staff still used the ancient radio with the silver antennae.

  I forced the morning shit show deep inside and swung the door to the kitchen open with a plastered smile on my face.

  “Hey, girl.” Suzette’s tight curls were bound up on her head, and she wore a collection of turquoise necklaces, bracelets, and rings. She wiped her hands on the apron tied around her waist.

  “If now’s not a good time, I can come back later.” Suzette, the owner, didn’t normally cook.

  “Nope, it’s as good a time as any. I gotta talk to you. What are you doing, going and getting a bank loan without talking to me first? I thought we parted on good terms, you and I?”

  “Of course we did.” I hadn’t seen her as much since leaving, but she’d done a lot for me. Taken time to teach and promote me. “I just, I guess, I don’t, I mean—”

  Her chuckle cut me off. She waved her hand, dismissing me, and led the way to an out of the way table by a window. “Don’t worry. I got you. You thought I’d take some sort of offense? See it as competition?”

  “You taught me everything I know.” Well, not everything. I’d worked at plenty of restaurants before finding my way to Suzette at nineteen, but she’d been the first person who gave me promotions. Even paid for me to get my bartender’s license.

  “About that.” She settled into her chair and stretched out her legs, exposing black tennis shoes with thick soles. “I taught you a lot, but not everything. I want to see you succeed. Will told me your plan.”

  That weasel.

  “I like it. I’d like to talk to you about a partnership. I’ve been wanting to expand. The secret in the restaurant business is to own multiple locations. And, if your idea works, maybe we can expand to other resorts. And I’ve been wanting to open a second location, but not on my own.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Are you open to a partnership?” Thad had encouraged me to consider a franchise so I could leverage the corporate knowledge base, but with Suzette working with me, I’d gain her experience. Unlike an investor, I wouldn’t be taking her money. We’d be working together.

  “Yeah. I think I’d really like that.”

  “Good. Now, take me through this pitch of yours. I’ve got about an hour before I need to be back in the kitchen for lunch shift. Gary called in sick. If we have time, I’d like to take you up and show you a lot that’s for sale.”

  Our meeting flew by. There was no hesitation on her part. With a brief hug, we sealed our agreement. She said she’d draft paperwork. My mind whirred with my to-do list, which included revising a loan application to include my new partner, making posts, and searching Instagram for subscriber leads.

  When I returned home, Gabe sat on my front porch, reading his phone.

  “I thought you were busy today?” I asked as I approached.

  “I am. But what I needed to say, I needed to say in person. My objective is to build your self-esteem. I get that handing you money won’t do that. So, I’ll follow your lead. You tell me what you need. I want to be supportive.” His teeth sank into his lower lip, and his hair was all ruffled, and my reason for leaving in a huff fell right out of my head.

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  He stepped up and dropped a quick kiss to my lips. “I’ve got to get running. Dinner tonight? Delphina’s? We can go or order in? Decide later?”

  I barely nodded. Satisfied, he winked at me and put his phone to his ear, speaking to whoever he dialed. His shorts hugged his tight ass, and I shamelessly soaked that beautiful sight in.

  Absolute perfection. And…he’s leaving.

  Chapter 24

  Gabe

  * * *

  “Can’t believe you talked me into dawn patrol.”

  “Whatever, dude. Don’t try to tell me you sleep in.” Tate strapped the leash around his ankle and picked up his board.

  “I had to put on a wetsuit. And it’s pretty flat. We should’ve gone paddle boarding.”

  “Suck it up, Chesterton.” In response to his snark, I pointed my middle finger up and cursed under my breath as brisk water hit my ankle.

  We pushed the boards atop the dark, cold water until we reached the beach break, the place farther out where the mack waves crashed on the sandbar. By the time we reached the sandbar, I’d built up a low level of perspiration pushing against the current.

  I straddled my board. The sun rose behind our backs, and random seagulls flew overhead, our only company out this early. I leaned back on my board and closed my eyes. Water splashing nearby informed me of Tate’s presence. Under normal conditions, we’d drift apart on a slow morning like this. He’d actively be on the lookout for a wave. I’d meditate.

  “I hear things are going well between you and Poppy.”

  I
laughed out loud, not at his comment, but because now his push to bring me out here made sense.

  “Surfing, my ass. You’re on a fact-finding expedition.”

  He slapped the water with his palm. “So…spill.”

  “Things are going good. Or they were. She got a little pissed about something ridiculous, but she’ll get over it.”

  “What’d you do?”

  “Nothing.” I stretched back on my board. He gave me a look. “I paid someone to help her with her business plan. That girl is fiercely independent. You gotta respect that, I suppose. Is that what you’re asking about? Is she still upset? It’s over and done.”

  “Luna’s scared you’re going to hurt her.”

  A wave rose, and I paddled hard to take it, but I bogged it. As I made my way back to Tate, another wave crested. Tate passed on it. I climbed on my board next to him.

  “Okay. So, what does Luna need to know? Let’s get this over with so we can go get the paddle boards and get some exercise in. It’s too flat this morning.”

  “Luna didn’t mention a fight. She told me Poppy’s stressing about moving into your place. Luna doesn’t know what advice to give her.”

  “Tell her to move in. What the fuck? Why isn’t Poppy coming to me if she’s got concerns? Luna’s living with you.”

  “Yeah, but I’m all in with Luna. She’s it for me.”

  I splashed some foam away from my board, weighing his words. “And I’m going back to New York. This is temporary for us. That’s what you mean? So, even though I’ve been upfront with Poppy, and she knows the score, Luna is worried Poppy is going to be hurt when I leave?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Look, I don’t want to hurt her. You can tell Luna that if anything, I’ve been working to build her up. Some guy from her past did a number on her. Got in her head.” He squinted, possibly from the sun, but his expression tweaked my defenses. “I care about her. I keep offering to help her out where I can.” Under my breath I muttered, “She turns me down.”