I leaned back into my seat. Every part of my body was exhausted—all the way to the deepest part of my bones. But I had a new sense of accomplishment I didn’t know I was seeking. And Jeremy was right. It felt fucking incredible.
4
Jeremy
My wife looked fucking hot. Almost too hot. She rolled onto her stomach, unlacing the ties that held her top together. The strings fell to the side. We had a private cabana for the entire time we were in Tahiti, but I didn’t want anyone else to see what I saw. I was tempted to throw a beach towel over her. I wasn’t a caveman. I was a protective husband. Protecting what was mine.
She sighed. “This feels good.”
I liked the contented look on her face. Her hair was braided to the side. The tiny scraps of fabric she called a bathing suit clung to her curves. God, they were delicious heavenly curves. The sun made her skin look golden.
I looked down when my phone vibrated. As soon as Evie turned her face in the opposite direction, I picked it up and scanned the emails that had come in over the past few hours.
Sasha was wired the same way I was. She almost never slept and worked at all hours of the night and day. Running the company was the same thing to her as living and breathing. She hadn’t stopped once since I left New York. This last batch of emails didn’t contain good news. It was the opposite. Fuck.
I sat forward, letting my legs dangle into the water under the cabana. The paradise surrounding me fell away when I read that I had lost another investor. Sasha didn’t give a reason. She only sent the new projections without his capital backing the project.
I needed to get him back on board or find someone to replace him. How was I going to do that sitting in Tahiti? I shot back a quick email, asking Sasha to send as many details as she could. I needed facts to construct a strategy.
I stared at the screen, waiting for her response, but nothing popped up. “Come on, Sasha,” I growled at my phone.
“Did you say something?” Evie twisted in my direction.
I tucked the phone away. “I think I’m going to go for a swim.” I needed a distraction. I needed to use my body. It was the best way to clear my head.
“Ok. I’m just going to lie here and do absolutely nothing.” She sounded sleepy.
I stretched and stepped away from the chaise so I could dive off the edge of the cabana into the sea. I was submerged, pushing through the salt water, trying to shove the bullshit of the lost investment out of my mind. This was exactly the reason I didn’t take vacations. This was why I was never out of reach. I didn’t like feeling behind. I didn’t like the lack of control. I didn’t like relying on Sasha for something this huge. There was a shift in her since she found out about Evie and me, and I didn’t like it.
I broke through the surface of the water, grabbed a gulp of air, and dove underneath again. Our part of the lagoon was barricaded with protective netting to guard against sharks and jellyfish. As I looked out at the ocean, I wanted to swim beyond the shield. I wanted to keep swimming until there was nothing on the horizon. I wanted the bullshit behind me. What was swimming with sharks compared to the war I dealt with at home?
My fingers touched the net and I paddled upright. I crossed my arms on the top of the barrier and rested for a moment, suspended in the lagoon. Evie was a small speck on the cabana. She was
probably asleep by now.
I knew this trip wasn’t going to last two weeks. I’d lose my fucking mind if we stayed here that long. I had to get back to civilization. Back to the office. Back to where I could control the money.
I turned from the border and swam back to the cabana. I didn’t think the swim did much to clear my head. Instead, it only cemented my plan to cut the honeymoon short. I pushed up on the deck as the water dripped from my body and my shorts. I wiped my hands off before checking my phone again. There was nothing from Sasha. She had gone silent.
Evie breathed lightly. I ran my fingers through my hair. I couldn’t tell if things were getting ready to come crashing down.
She shifted, drawing her arms overhead. I thought I saw a smile on her plump lips. She must have been having one hell of a dream.
I had an insurance policy. I had access to the money I needed. I had to remind myself of that. As soon as Evie was pregnant, the investors wouldn’t matter as much. I wouldn’t need them like I did now. Their money was no longer critical to buying the team. She was the key to everything I wanted. Our baby had the power to give us an incredible future.
When I proposed, I wasn’t torn apart like this. I offered Evie a deal. But now when I looked at her I saw more than a contract partner. She was no longer just the woman who would have my heir. She was my wife. She was mine. It had happened when I wasn’t looking or expecting it. I didn’t want anything complicated. I didn’t want strings and feelings. I sure as hell didn’t want to fall for my wife. But shit, I was in deeper than I should be. It fucking terrified me.
Her eyes fluttered open. She held the towel to her chest and spun around. “How was your swim? Was I asleep long?” She yawned.
I rose from the chaise and walked around her chair, loosening the tie on the curtain. “The swim was good. I needed to cool off.” I yanked it until her side of the cabana was covered, and then I walked to the other two open sides and did the same thing.
“I don’t think you were asleep long.”
“I love cat naps,” she purred, rolling on her back.
I tied the last set of cords together, securing the drapes.
“What are you doing?” she asked.