Finding Love's Wings (40 page)

"Tristan, I'm sorry," she says to me, and the change in her tone of voice is so sudden it momentarily throws me for a loop.

For a second the red falters, blinks, and then rages on again in full force.
 

"You're sorry? You're sorry?! If you were sorry, Layla Brooke, you would have loved me. You would have been there for me. But you weren't. You were too busy fucking for your next role. Too busy caring about no one but yourself. Now that you have nothing, that you've washed it all down the drain, you want to come crawling back to me? Forget it. I'm done."
 

Layla stops struggling against Sasha's hold. I step out from behind the line of people protecting me.
 

"Tristan, don't," Cami pleads with me.
 

"It's all right," I say over my shoulder.

I stroll up to Layla, Tyson on my flank. As I get closer to her, the lights from the boat reveal that her pupils are dilated. She's high on something. Figures.
 

I lean in close to her ear, and when I speak my voice is pure venom. "Get out of here, Layla. Do not come back. Go home, Layla. Go home and get your shit straight. Clean up. Do not let me see your face again." I straighten up. Tears are streaming down her cheeks. "Go home, Layla." I repeat.

I nod to Sasha. "See that she gets back to her suite. Find Chanty and have her get Layla's shit together and get her back to the States. You'll have to rejoin us tomorrow with Leroy."

"Yes, Tristan," she says and turns, taking Layla, still in a bear hug, with her.

I walk back to the boat. Cami comes back to my side in an instant, taking my hand in hers. I look at her, and she at me, and in her eyes I see the closure that is reflected in mine. I finally got to say my piece.
 

Slowly, Travis helps Naomi up the ladder, followed by Mick and Beau. Tyson helps Jolene climb up, then turns to Cami and me.
 

"She won't be able to follow us," he says. "Odds are she'll make another attempt on the suite, but I'll text Chanty and tell her what happened. Once she knows you're here, she'll persuade Layla to leave."

Cami nods, but doesn't say anything. Tyson looks to me. I nod hesitantly, and he turns to climb up.

Once he's reached the top, I turn to help Cami. "Are you all right?" she says before I can even open my mouth.
 

I give her a half smile. "Is it bad that the only thing that's bothering me is that I'm worried she's put a damper on our evening?"
 

She smirks, then laughs. "She certainly likes to try to do that. But I'm fine, so long as you're okay."

I smile at her and raise my elbow so she can take it. As her hand slides into the crook of my arm, I say, "I've never been better." And it's true. The weight I've been carrying for days, maybe even years, is finally lifted from my shoulders. I'm free of Layla at last.

We make our way to the bar, where Jessie has two glasses of Bolli waiting for us.
 

"Jessie, do you ever sleep?" Cami asks.

When I'd spoken with the hotel manager about taking the boat again and having one of his bartenders accompany us, he told me that Jessie was more than willing. I tried to give the poor man a night off, but the manager insisted that Jessie wanted any and all available opportunities to assist us.
 

Jessie laughs. "No, Cami, not with you guys around. Though I'm really beginning to enjoy bartending your parties."
 

"Good." She smiles at him in appreciation.
 

The maître d’ emerges and addresses us. "Due to the cooling temperature and increased winds on the open waters, dinner will be served inside this evening," he says. "If you all will please follow me."
 

We follow him through the sliding double doors of the main cabin. Inside is a large table set for eight with wine glasses, porcelain plates, and elegant white linens and garnished with two small vases of white and yellow roses. Unlike the hull of the boat, which is black, the cabin is white with dark wood accents. There are five plush chairs and a comfortable-looking bench seat.
 

Once we are seated, two servers bring us our salads and some white wine. I don’t catch the label, but it has a unique tropical fruit taste to it. My guess is that it is a locally made wine. It's delicious.

We all carry on the conversation at dinner without much effort. Everyone is getting along really well, laughing and joking and having a good time. I'm grateful to see that Layla's interruption hasn't spoiled the mood for the night.

After dinner we sit around the table talking and drinking wine, champagne, and eventually our own favorite drinks. Jessie is attentive enough to make sure our glasses are never empty. Eventually we feel the boat slow. I look at my watch; it's nearly eleven. I'm guessing we're at about the halfway point of our journey.
 

"Are we back at the dock already?" Naomi asks.

None of us men can hide our smiles.
 

"Why don't we go take a look?" Travis says. He nudges Naomi to slide off of the bench.
 

Escorting our ladies through the door, we all step toward the railing, looking out into the darkness.
 

"Oh, wow," Cami says. "It’s gorgeous out here."
 

The moon is high and huge against the blackness of the ocean. The lights strung around the boat reflect off the water. All the other lights are off outside except for two very large spotlights under the water, gently illuminating the boat from below, softening the blackness.
 

"How would you ladies like to sleep here tonight?" I ask.
 

Jolene is the first to speak. "Um, I am not sleeping in this dress."
 

Tyson chuckles. "No, baby, you can sleep naked for all I care, but we have some clothes and bathing suits for each of you in your cabins."
 

I feel Cami lightly smack my arm. "You are too much sometimes, you know that?"
 

I turn to her and look squarely into her eyes. "No, not too much, just thorough." I watch as she smiles.
 

Speaking loud enough for all to hear, but intimately enough for Cami to capture the unspoken meaning, I say, "We are not returning to Tarah until after a weekend in Bora Bora." Cami gasps. "The boat will take us there in the morning," I tell her.
 

Her smile stays on, but I sense her hesitation. I think I can guess why. "No worries, Sweets, Leroy is getting all of our things packed up. He'll have them brought over in the helicopter." As I tell her this she relaxes and her smile grows wider.
 

I watch as she visibly starts to bounce, and the excitement is palpable. She throws her arms around my neck, almost throwing me off balance, and crushes her lips to my cheek – once, twice.
 

After a moment she pulls back. "Thank you, Tristan. This is turning out to be a fabulous weekend," she whispers.
 

I lean into her ear and whisper, "Anything for you." And then I kiss her.
 

It's not until our lips meet that I realize how much I missed them, how much I long for them. Her hands snakes into my hair and she pulls me in tighter.
 

The effect is instantaneous. My breathing goes ragged and I fight the urge to pin her up against the railing. I'm lost in Cami's kiss, so soft and sweet. My cock hardens further.
 

"I want you," I say quietly against her lips.
 

"Take me," she whispers back.

I step back, grab her hand, and pull her toward the cabin and our stateroom.
 

"Hey guys, we're, um...gonna go put our suits on," I stutter. I hear chuckles from Ty and Trav, but I don't care.

"Sounds good to me," says Mick, and he grabs Beau's hand and starts to follow. As do Tyson and Jolene. Travis and Naomi seem lost in each other too.

PART THIRTY-EIGHT

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As soon as we enter the cabin, I start trying to pull the zipper on my dress, but Tristan stops my hand.
 

"Oh, no you don't," he says from behind me. "That's my job. I want to unwrap you."
 

His words make the blood pump faster and harder through my body. My body temperature begins to rise in anticipation. I feel his body come closer to mine, and then his lips are against my neck as his hands work at unzipping my dress. His finger tracing along the inside of my fairy wings sends shivers down my spine and throughout my body. My nipples are instantly hard, pressing against my bra and begging to be freed from their confines.
 

Finally he gets the zipper all the way down and the front of my dress falls away from my chest. Tristan pulls the dress down my legs and lets it fall to the floor of the cabin.
 

I hear Tristan take a sharp breath through his teeth as he takes in my corset. Beau helped me intertwine the ribbons he left for me and it turned out pretty cool. His fingers trace around the outside and then across the ribbons, tracing their path through the hoops. The sensation tickles slightly and sends more goose bumps through my body.
 

Then his hands follow the line of my garter belt around to my sides, his soft touch sending shock waves of pleasure into my very core. My sex warms in anticipation, and I wait to see what he'll do next.
 

His hands continue around to my stomach, his touch warm and sensual, and then they are sliding their way up toward my breasts. I lean forward in anticipation of his caress.
 

I hear his breathy laugh behind me.
 

"What's so funny?" I'm trying to hide the smile on my face and failing. He chuckles again.
 

"Eager, aren't you?"

"Can you blame me? I haven't seen you all day." I bring my hands behind my back and feel around until I find his erection through his trousers.
 

"Oh, no," he says, pulling his erection from my hands. "We are doing this my way."
 

I pout, and he laughs as my shoulders slump. He spins me around and cups my face. He crushes his lips to mine and I'm lost to the sensation. His kisses get more intense each time our lips touch.
 

My body responds with urgency. My hands find the lapel of his jacket and he helps me by shrugging it off. Then his tie and his vest are all but ripped from his body. I'm impatient to have his naked chest pressed against me.

"Do you care about your shirt?" I ask against his lips, and he shakes his head.
 

I grab the shirt and rip it open, sending buttons flying to the floor.
 

He grins against my lips as his hands find the clasp of my bra. He unfastens it with great fervor, freeing my breasts of their confinement, and he wraps his arms around me, pressing me to him.
 

His kisses intensify. Our tongues dance with each other.
 

His hands slowly slide down to my buttocks, cupping and caressing. It tickles slightly and I squirm. He goes to unhook the suspenders holding up my stockings and I laugh.
 

"That tickles," I squeal, and he does it again, and again.
 

I'm starting to laugh uncontrollably and hardly notice that he pushes me toward the bed. He continues tickling me until I sit down.
 

"Now that's better," he says.
 

I unbuckle his belt and then unbutton his trousers. Hooking my thumbs in the waistband of his boxers, I pull down. Once his pants are to his knees, I lick the purplish head of his rock hard cock. He shivers at the contact. I moan as I take his head into my mouth, licking and sucking and working him in further, deeper.

His hands touch the back of my head and the flower that is holding my bow tie ponytail. As he undoes the tie, my hair quickly falls down my back, and his hands grip hard and firmly into my hair.
 

I continue licking and sucking, slowly sliding him in and out of my mouth.
 

I move my hands to cup my breasts, and my own touch sends a jolt of excitement through my sex. My clit hardens, begging to be touched. Slowly I slide my hands down my body and into my panties, and I find my clit with my fingers.
 

I moan as the sensation washes through me. I look up at Tristan through my lashes, slowly stroking his cock with my mouth as my hand continues its slow, sensual assault against my sex. Tristan moans.
 

Finally he can’t take it anymore, and he pulls back until I nearly lose my balance trying to keep him in my mouth. His sex pops free, audibly, and he grins at my pouty face.
 

"I was having fun with that," I mutter.
 

He lowers himself to his knees. "I know. But now it's my turn."
 

He undoes the last two suspenders holding up my stockings and quickly bares both my legs, removing both stockings and shoes. Then he's back to remove my black lace boy-shorts and matching garter belt.
 

Before I can blink, I'm naked and Tristan's tongue is buried against my sex, licking, stroking, and caressing me with ardent excitement. I feel the warmth of an orgasm building deep within my core. My legs stiffen and he slows, but only for the briefest of seconds. Before I even realize he's no longer kneeling, he is slamming his cock hard and deep into me, and I explode.
 

Fireworks, white stars, an indescribable sensation.
 

"Tristan," I all but scream as my orgasm rips through me.
 

"Shh, baby," he whispers.
 

Just then I hear Beau letting out her own orgasmic release, giving ironic context to Tristan's comment.
 

"Well then, I guess we're not the only ones vying for the loudest orgasm," I say.
 

He shakes his head and slowly begins to slide in and out of me, pulling back until he's practically falling free and then slamming back into me.