Chapter 13: Chapter 13

SHAY

~FRIDAY, JULY 15~

Shay spent half of the day waiting for Ethan in her room, but he never showed. Instead of dwelling on it, Shay pushed it aside, making excuses for him in her head.

For tonight’s dinner, they’d arranged for everyone to eat by the water. Wearing a sundress and espadrilles, Shay strolled through the resort to the beach. This time, she was early so she could help the hotel staff set up.

They combined tables and rearranged the beanbag chairs in the sand, and she oversaw everything to ensure the table settings were done to perfection.

Taking a seat in the center as everyone started to pile in, she admired the scenery. The sun was starting to set, the fairy lights twinkled, and a live band was playing in the background.

It was calming—even romantic if it had been a date.

“Everything looks amazing,” her father said as he kissed her on the cheek.

“Stunning, Shay,” Billie agreed, and Shay blushed.

Although Billie was Shay’s stepmother, they had a good relationship. Billie was always over when Shay was younger, bringing Pete with her, even living with them when she wasn’t doing well financially.

Billie and Shay’s mother were friends, so when the news broke that Billie and Shay’s father were dating, everyone, including Zola, was happy for them.

Shay had always seen Billie as a second mother, sometimes even as her first. When she was growing up, her own mother was in and out of their lives, struggling with mental illness.

Zola had refused help from the very beginning.

And although Zola wanted more kids, she’d never had any more. She tried with several different men, and though she got pregnant a few times, halfway in she would miscarry.

Shay loved her mother, but they were two very different people.

As the family started to gather, Shay turned on her phone for the first time that day, instantly getting notifications from all her socials.

She sighed, knowing that she had to answer a few, then made a mental note to hire someone to handle her social accounts.

She noticed a new post garnering hits, which surprised her because she hadn’t made a post since the day before she arrived in Tulum. Someone must have put it up on her behalf. She instantly opened up the image.

Her eyes widened at the black-and-white photo. She knew exactly who took it and who had access to her account and phone.

The picture was of her curled up, eyes peacefully shut, with a blanket covering her lower half. Even though she was sleeping, it was obvious she was going through something—her cheeks were stained with tears.

She checked the caption. It read:

I’m a human. I bleed, I laugh, and I cry. I try to always be my best self. Today, however, got the best of me. I broke down because I’m heartbroken. 💔 Picture & caption: @kingbigD

As she scrolled through the comment section, she was touched by the tons of people who showed support, telling her how much they loved her and supported her.

And when she went to her profile, her eyes widened in surprise. Twenty million followers. That was a huge increase.

She lifted her head and looked around for Dario, both upset and thrilled. Upset because Dario had shared a personal moment—she never allowed herself to be vulnerable on social media—but thrilled that her numbers had increased.

She needed those numbers to further her future.

“Dario?” she called, hoping to spot him.

“Is anyone sitting beside you?”

Turning her head, she saw Ethan. He had a reserved look on his face. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Sit beside her,” she heard her mother say. “You guys look good together.” Shay hadn’t realized her mother was nearby.

Ethan sat down on the same elongated beanbag that Shay was in.

Spotting Dario walking in her direction, she yelled, “Dario Ramirez, I’m going to kill you then kiss you!” She ignored the stares of her friends and family.

“What’s going on?” Ethan asked, and she passed him her phone, showing him the post.

“I’m sorry, but we both know that I did a good job,” Dario replied, chuckling.

“I’ll deal with you later,” she grumbled.

Everyone fell into their own conversations, enjoying the dinner.

Shay avoided physical contact with Ethan, making sure to keep some distance between them. She knew it was petty, but there was something going on with him. He was treating her differently.

During the dinner, she learned that her mother was actually seeing someone. He was younger than her, but it was a serious relationship. Zola talked about Sky a little, causing Shay to tense at her twin’s name.

It had been a long time since everyone sat down together and talked, away from social media, away from life’s distractions, just shared opinions and talked about random things.

She took a sip of her drink and tuned out a little, feeling tired from her day.

“Can we talk?” Ethan asked softly, so only she could hear.

She turned her body toward him. “Where were you?”

“I had some problems—” he began, but then turned around at the sound of someone walking toward them and calling his name.

Shay’s eyes widened at the realization that Pepper was still here. And clearly drunk. Ethan shook his head and sighed, and Shay could tell that he was annoyed.

Stumbling up beside Ethan, Pepper sat herself in the sand. Ethan visibly tensed and his hands balled into fists. Shay reached over and placed her hand on his fist, attempting to calm him down.

“I thought you sent her back?” she asked softly, scooting closer to him.

“I did, but she missed her flight. And by the time I went back to the room, she was drunk and in my clothes. I tried to get another flight for her, but the next one is tomorrow morning,” he explained.

Shay relaxed, glad to hear that he didn’t ditch her on purpose.

“I’m sorry, baby,” he said, placing his hand on hers and giving her a sad smile.

“Did you know we used to be engaged?” Pepper asked out of the blue.

Shay removed her hand from Ethan’s and stared at him. Trying not to let it affect her, she blinked away her emotions and feigned polite interest.

“I ~didn’t~ know you guys were engaged,” she said, keeping her tone neutral. She knew her brothers were eyeing her cautiously. Shay did, however, wonder why Ethan had skipped over that detail.

Although their relationship was fairly new, Shay thought they were close enough to be honest with each other. Why hadn’t Ethan just told her that Pepper was his ex-fiancée instead of his ex-girlfriend? She would’ve understood.

“We were engaged for like five years,” Pepper slurred.

Nodding her head slowly in response, Shay took another sip of her drink, then looked away as Pepper went on, not paying any attention to what she was saying. She felt betrayed even though she knew she shouldn’t.

“I need to lie down,” Shay lied, then stood up and dusted the sand off her dress. She quickly bid everyone goodnight, kissing people on the cheek as she left.

Some tried to persuade her to stay, but she knew it was time for her to leave. She needed some time alone, time to digest this new information.

Once she was in her room, Shay removed her dress and changed into something more comfortable.

Her thoughts were just rushing through her mind. Although she felt betrayed, she couldn’t help but think about all the good times she’d had with Ethan and how he made her feel.

There was a big part of her that felt he was hiding more things from her, whether it was on purpose or not. That was something she couldn’t deal with, the secrets and lies.

Another big part of her wanted to believe everything he said blindly, to ignore that Ethan had a side of him that she hadn’t seen.

A side that she wouldn’t like. After all, she had read enough about him to know that he had a reputation as a ruthless businessman and a womanizer.

Opening her sliding door, she allowed the cold sea breeze to fill the room. As she stood there hugging her own waist, her thoughts were on Ethan, remembering that day in her kitchen.

***

“Do you want to touch it?” he’d asked, and she nodded her head as he took a step closer.

Licking her lips, her eyes wide, she reached out her hand.

He took her hand carefully and placed it gently on the front of his black boxers.

He was hard and warm under her hands. Gripping his girth, she swallowed, allowing herself to wonder, for just a second, how it would fit inside her petite body.

Shaking away the thoughts, she slid her hand along the fabric, almost tracing his length.

“~Fuck~,” he groaned.

She giggled lightly as she bit her lower lip, then looked up and batted her eyelashes at him. His eyes were closed as he enjoyed the feeling.

“Open your eyes, baby,” she said, taking charge.

“Shay,” he said softly, and she could see the impact she was having on him.

Smiling sweetly, she took his free hand and sucked on his fingers seductively. His other hand found her ass, squeezing it gently.

She licked his middle finger slowly, knowing exactly how to turn him on. She was a very sexual person, and despite being single, had learned some tricks.

Pleasing a man without letting him penetrate her was her forte, and in the process, she’d learned how to take care of herself.

His eyes were trained on her plump, pink lips. She opened her throat, encouraging his fingers to go deeper, allowing them to go all the way in before removing them. His eyes widened at the realization.

She smirked at him as she picked up the pace with her other hand, stroking him through his shorts.

She noticed the change in his body, and taking it as an opportunity, increased her pace even more.

“Fuck!” he almost yelled.

Shay watched his chest rise and fall as he tried to catch his breath. Looking down, she noticed the white stain on his boxers.

Though she still felt hot and bothered herself, she was proud of herself for making him reach completion.

She smiled at him and pushed him away lightly, but he held her in place as his eyes fluttered open.

They were still as dark as before when he said, “I’ve never come so hard without even doing anything.”

***

~Knock knock.~

The knocking at her door snapped her out of her thoughts. Her body was flushed from reliving that memory—though she often caught herself doing so.

“Yes?” she answered as she swung the door wide.

“Shay?” Ethan called her name softly.

“Yeah, we need to talk,” she said, leaving the door open for him to enter as she walked deeper into her room. She decided to walk out and sit in the sand, allowing the breeze to cool her body down.

She wiggled her toes just a little before sitting down. She loved the feeling of sand between her toes. Hearing him behind her, she sighed, wondering where their conversation would take them.

“I’m sorry,” he started.

Staying silent, she stared out at the water. It was so dark and empty, the stars illuminating the skies. No picture could capture the beauty of the scene—you would actually have to experience it to understand.

“Do you remember what I told you?” she finally asked. “What my nonnegotiables were?”

“Yeah,” he sighed.

“No lying and no cheating,” she reminded him. “I’m not sure what you are with Pepper, but honestly, it looks messy and complicated.”

“I promise you, we aren’t together.”

“I won’t lie—I Googled you. I know that you’re a playboy and there’s always a different girl hanging on your arm. And there’s all these pictures online of you kissing different women.

“I get it, you play the field. And I have nothing against it.”

She paused to look at him under the moonlight. She couldn’t help but admire how he looked. “I get that that’s probably how you were when you were with Pepper. And whatever your relationship was, that’s your business.”

She paused again and sighed. “Maybe we should stop seeing each other,” she said, and her voice cracked. She looked away and cleared her throat, trying to maintain her composure.

“There’s nothing going on between Pepper and me. We got together when we were really young and she pressured me into committing. I know it was wrong, but I proposed so that she’d back off.

“I was with her out of convenience, and I slept around hoping she’d get the message. And eventually we did break up. I was never serious about her—I’ve never even introduced her to my parents,” he explained as she listened patiently.

“Part of me feels guilty,” he continued, “for stringing her along for so many years. And that’s why I agreed to help her out.”

As Shay mulled over his words, she understood what he meant.

“Do you have any residual feelings for Pepper?” she asked.

“No. I am very much interested in someone else,” he answered.

Looking over at him, she noticed his gaze was on her, which gave her goosebumps as her body started to heat up again.

“Shay, I’m not a very vocal person when it comes to my emotions, and I know I have a lot to improve on. To be honest with you, you excite me and scare me all at the same time.

“You’re this amazing person who has so many layers, and yet every layer is so pleasantly unexpected.” He paused to cup her cheek. “You are the feistiest woman I’ve ever met. You’re strong, beautiful, and completely terrifying.

“I want to hug you and kiss you all the damn time because you’re so irresistible. You have this fire inside you that excites me, but you also scare me because you’re not afraid to leave,” he confessed.

“Eth,” she said softly, searching his eyes. Feeling her vulnerability showing, she swallowed nervously.

“I want you, baby,” he confessed.

Crawling on her hands and knees, Shay maintained eye contact with him as she climbed onto his lap and straddled him.

“I want honesty from you,” she said. “I don’t know where this relationship is leading, and I don’t exactly know your intentions, but I’m choosing to put your past behind us. I want to enjoy my time with you.

“And I don’t want to pressure you into marriage… But I do need to know your ~thoughts~ on marriage.”

His eyes were soft and comforting as he smiled sweetly at her. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

“I haven’t really given it much thought,” he confessed, “but I know that I’m open to the idea with the right woman. I would want to give her anything she wanted.”

Her eyes dropped to his lips for just a second before she smashed her lips against his. His hands gripped her butt as she moaned against his lips. Moving her hips in a circular motion, she started to grind on him, seeking some relief.

Pulling away, he stared at her with a serious expression, his eyes darker than she’d ever seen them. “Baby,” he breathed.

“Mmm-hmmm?” she answered, moving her hips against his bulge. She threw her head back. Every fiber in her being was yelling at her to just sleep with him. She was so tempted.

“Has anyone ever gone down on you?” he asked, and her eyes widened.

Her cheeks were hot as she shook her head slowly.

“May I?” he asked, his voice raspy.

“I... uh...” She didn’t know how to answer. No one had ever offered—it was always her taking care of them. And although she was open to the idea...

Sensing her discomfort, he leaned closer to her and, stroking her cheek, softly kissed her forehead.

“I won’t do anything you’re uncomfortable with, but if you’d like, I would love to eat you out.” He paused and blew air on her neck, causing goosebumps to rise on her skin. “I want to show you it’s not always just the men.”