Everly hasnât stopped smiling since we left her apartment.
Leaning against the doorway of the villa that leads out onto the patio where we have our own pool just steps from the beach, I canât take my eyes off her.
âThis cannot be real.â She turns in a circle on our patio, arms wide and head tipped up to the sun. Sheâs a goddess.
I come up behind her and she flings her arms around my neck and looks up at me with wonder in her eyes. âThank you.â
âFor what?â
âUmmâ¦bringing me on vacation,â she says with a small laugh. âI kept pinching myself on the jet. I canât believe this is your life.â
âNo thanks needed. I have you all to myself for the next thirty-six hours.â
I had planned for us to come up last night but that was before I knew sheâd gotten an offer on the house and wanted to celebrate with her friends.
I scoop her up into my arms and walk into the pool with her. Weâre both still in our travel clothes but I donât care. Her legs wrap around my waist, and I kiss her deeply as we sink into the water up to my shoulders.
Her hands glide over my shoulders and around my back.
âYouâre a pretty great guy, Jack Wyld. Generous and kind, and youâre good at knowing just what to do to make people around you feel seen and heard.â
âIs that a nice way of saying Iâm commanding and heavy-handed?â
âYou donât give yourself enough credit. People look to you constantly for guidance and reassurance. They know that when youâre around, everything is going to be okay. You would do anything for the people you care about. Iâve seen it so many times with your team, but over the past few months, Iâve seen just how far your devotion reaches. Your community, your dad, me. I canât think of a single person that makes me feel more free to be me. And trust me, that is a gift.â
My skin prickles as she hands me the compliment while looking at me so intently. No tease or sass. She means it, and I soak up her words, hoping theyâre true. Hoping Iâm good enough for her.
âI would do anything for you,â I confirm. âI would have before, but nowâ¦â
She waits for me to finish the sentence.
âI am in love with you.â
Whatever she expected me to say, itâs clear that wasnât it. My heart pounds in my chest. I have never said those words to anyone.
âI donât expect you to say it back now or maybe ever, but for as long as you want me, Iâm yours, Ev.â
She sighs audibly and then brings her mouth to mine. Her soft lips rest there, and we breathe each other in.
âI love you too.â
My chest tightens and I grab the back of her head and kiss her like a man completely in love. I donât know how Iâm going to keep showing her how much she means to me, but I know Iâll never get tired of trying.
I peel her out of her shirt and send it flying toward the patio with a wet thunk. She giggles and we struggle to get me out of my shirt next. Pants are easier.
âLook at you,â she says. âSkinny-dipping again.â
âThe things I do for you,â I say, teasing like itâs a real inconvenience. Iâd risk public nudity for her any day.
Her back rests against the side of the pool and her legs wrap around my waist. Gently, I nudge the head of my cock against her entrance.
âAre you ready for me?â I ask.
She nods. âAlways.â
I push in slowly, letting her adjust to my size. She sighs and a smile of pure pleasure turns up the corners of her lips.
âI donât think Iâll ever get tired of this.â
âI sure fucking hope not.â I grip her hip a little tighter. Just the thought of losing her has me wanting to keep her here on this island forever.
Her hands find purchase on my shoulders and she rolls her hips as I bury my cock farther until thereâs nowhere else to go. Still, I rut into her, wanting to fill every inch of her with me.
âYou said you wanted to ruin me for other men.â The words are breathy and end with a moan. âBut thereâs no comparison. Iâm yours too, Jack.
â
Iâm often at a loss for words with Everly. Showing her how much that means to me is far simpler.
âWhatâs mine, baby?â I ask, lips grazing down her throat to her breasts. I palm one and suck on the other. âThese mine?â
âYes,â she cries, fingers pulling at my hair.
On the next thrust I pull out of her. We both groan at the loss, but not for long. I turn her around and pull her back to me. One hand drops between her legs and I cup her pussy. âThis mine?â
She nods as I glide my fingers over her clit and then slip one inside. She moves slowly, fucking herself on my hand while I continue exploring her neck and shoulders with my mouth.
âWhat about this, Ev?â My hand glides higher and I press my thumb against the pucker of her ass, while my other fingers still rub along her pussy.
âJack.â
Iâll never get tired of hearing her say my name while I do deliciously dirty things to her body.
âIs it mine, Ev?â
âAll of it,â she rasps as I push two fingers into her cunt. âItâs all yours. Iâm yours.â
I replace my fingers with my cock, taking her from behind, and wrap one arm around her waist to keep her in place. She holds on to the edge of the pool as I take her hard and fast.
She cries out, clenching around my dick as she finds her release and I tumble right along with her. She might be mine, but she owns me. Irrevocably.
We spend the rest of the night going between the bed, the pool, and the ocean until we fall asleep naked, hair still wet.
When I open my eyes, the sun is shining through the villa and Everly is lying half on me, head propped up on her hands, watching me.
âMorning,â I say, voice rough with sleep. My lips curve into a smile and I wrap my arms around her, pulling her farther on top of me.
She laughs as I settle her right on my hard dick. Yep, waking up like this is my new favorite thing.
âWhat time are we leaving?â she asks.
I open my eyes again and see a little of her happiness has dimmed. Sheâs dreading leaving too.
âTen.â
She nods and then glances down as if to hide her disappointment.
I lift her chin up with a finger. âWeâll come back. Sometime when we can spend a whole week here. Or an entire month.â
âYouâre crazy,â she says with a small laugh.
âAbout you. Yes.â
She still wears a melancholy expression that makes me want to say fuck it to hockey and the team.
She cups my cheek and drags her thumb along my stubble. âI donât need it, you know? This place is gorgeous, and I had the best time with you, but we could have hung out in my tiny little apartment all weekend and I would still be just as wild about you.â She presses her hand to my chest, palm flat over my heart.
I take her hand in mine and press a kiss to her knuckles.
I know what sheâs trying to say, but being able to surprise her with big, extravagant things is just one way I can show her how much she means to me.
We get onto the jet and take our seats. Neither of us slept much last night so we fall into a comfortable silence as we prepare for the ride home.
She lets her head fall to the left so she can look me in the eye as she says, âI love you.â
âI love you too.â
She rests her head on my shoulder, and we fly home like that. Iâm usually anxious to get back after time away, but even Iâm feeling sad as we get in my car. I plug my phone in and notifications start rolling in, many from James.
âDid he know you were leaving?â she asks as my phone keeps pinging.
âOf course,â I say. âBut heâs probably shocked I actually managed to disconnect all weekend.â
To be fair, itâs a first for me. Usually, I spend vacation doing a lot of the same things I do at home, just in a tropical location.
I scroll through the texts. The first couple are just asking me to check in with him and then asking to call him as soon as I get a chance. So high-maintenance. I move over to voicemail. He left two. The first one is basically the same as his texts, but before I listen to his second, my phone rings.
âHey,â I answer, shaking my head at Ev. I mouth âJamesâ to her, so she knows itâs him calling again. I lean across the console and kiss her.
âHey, Jack. Thank god. Are you on your way?â
âOn my way where?â I ask. I know I didnât have any events scheduled this weekend. I cleared it with him before I left.
âThe hospital. Didnât you get my messages?â
âNo. I only listened to the first so far. Whatâs going on?â My first thoughts are my teammates. Somebody did something stupid and got hurt or maybe Coach, but Iâm not prepared for what comes out of his mouth.
âItâs your dad, Jack.â