8
Bain
From where I was sitting,I could see that every eye on the beach was trained on Ciana. The bikini she was wearing left nothing to the imagination. Fuck, barely three pieces of cloth covered her nipples and her bare pussy, held in place by the thinnest strings I’d ever seen.
It took every ounce of willpower I possessed to stay on my lounger, pretending to enjoy the sun and not planning how I would kill every motherfucker eye-fucking what was mine.
Even with the distance separating us, I heard Ciana sigh as she pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head before turning over. Showing the world her perfect ass. That damn bikini didn’t even cover anything back there. Just a fucking string between her ass cheeks. From several feet away, I heard not one but a handful of groans as my beauty shifted to get comfortable, her ass jiggling ever so slightly.
The sound of something cracking reminded me that I had my phone in my hand. I’d been texting Declan about a situation that had popped up the night before, but for the past ten minutes, I’d been so consumed by watching Ciana that I’d clocked out on him. My second wasn’t the most patient of men, so it wasn’t surprising when my phone vibrated.
Seeing his name—and the crack now around the edges of my screen—I swallowed a curse and lifted the phone to my ear while keeping my eyes glued to Ciana. “Yeah?”
At the sound of my voice, she turned her head, her gaze narrowing when she noticed I was on my phone.
“Don’t shoot me, but…” I clenched my jaw as I listened. I’d known since the first call the night before that I was going to have to cut my trip short, but I was hoping to be proven wrong for once.
“I’ll let you know when to be at the airport. Don’t let anyone know I’m coming.” I was already on my feet.
“Cori has also demanded I ask you if you prefer a red or a white rosebud boutonniere,” he said with a muffled laugh.
“Feck off, mate,” I grumbled as I passed Ciana.
“Figured you would say that,” my best friend and second-in-command chuckled.
In response, I hung up, irritated by his amusement. Upstairs, I started tossing a few things into my case. This would only take a few days. I’d deal with the issue and then be back right before the end of Ciana’s stay.
Finding one of her hair ties on the nightstand, I used it to pull my hair out of my face just as I heard her on the balcony. Turning, I found her with her favorite kimono-style wrap covering the barely there bikini.
“Is something wrong?” she asked quietly.
I grimaced. “Something came up at work that only I can handle,” I explained. “I have to fly back to deal with it.”
“Oh,” she muttered, wrapping her arms around herself as she stood there looking at my open suitcase.
The uncertainty on her face stopped me as I was about to toss in a folded shirt. “I will be back in time for us to go home together, mo chroí.”
Some of the clouds left her eyes, and she smiled up at me. “Or I could come with you now.”
“No,” I said with a shake of my head, walking over to pull her into my arms. She melted against me, making me want to eat my next words, but I couldn’t take her with me yet. “I want you to enjoy the rest of your holiday.” I stroked my hands down her back before slapping them against her ass. “But promise not to wear this bikini while I’m away.”
A mischievous smile teased at her lips. “Oh, I don’t know. I think it will make you want to come back to me sooner if you imagine me wearing my favorite bathing suit.”
With a growl, I lifted her, and she instantly wrapped her legs around my waist. “Ciana.”
“Yes, moye solntse?” she asked innocently.
“Please,” I gritted out, the word foreign to me.
Her eyes softened as she stroked her fingers down the back of my neck. “I promise not to wear it while you are away.” Leaning in, she skimmed her nose over mine playfully. “Don’t be gone long.”
I clenched my hands on her ass. “Will you miss me, my beauty?”
“Yes,” she said with sincerity, her eyes glazing over with emotion. “I want to go with you.”
I tightened my hold on her. “I don’t want to bore you. I just need to take care of something very quickly, and then I will be right back here. Stay, enjoy the last of your fun in the sun, and when I return, we will fly straight to Dublin.”
Her bottom lip pouted out, making me want to suck it into my mouth. “But I won’t be able to have any fun without you. I just want to be with you, Torin. I promise not to get in the way.”
I gritted my teeth, wanting to take her with me now but knowing it wasn’t wise. If Sheena found out too soon that I had plans of my own, she would ruin them before I could convince Ciana of the truth. “How will you explain it to your bodyguards? Weren’t you the one who said we had to play this carefully so your parents didn’t cause trouble for us?”
Her teeth sank into her bottom lip, but after a moment, she gave a resigned nod. “Yeah. I have to get Nova to help me convince Ryan I haven’t lost my mind. If Ryan is on board with us, then it will be easy to get everyone to accept our relationship as well.” Releasing a heavy sigh, she wiggled free. Reluctantly, I placed her on her feet, and she gave me a tiny smile. “Okay, I’ll stay. But don’t be long. It would be so embarrassing if the man I love ditched me.”
I cupped both sides of her face. “Never,” I rasped, brushing my lips over hers. “I swear, mo chroí. I will be back as soon as I can. Just the thought of leaving without you is making my skin feel too tight. I want to take you with me, desperately, but it will be better all around if you finish your holiday.”
Swallowing hard, she gave me another forced smile. “Yeah, okay.”
Groaning, I kissed her. I couldn’t take that sad look in her pretty brown eyes. Fuck it. Whatever happened, I would deal with it. I couldn’t leave her behind when she was obviously upset. “Go back to your room and pack. We have time. The helicopter that’s taking me to the mainland can wait.” My jet was on the mainland since the airport on the island was so small. It was just quicker for me to go by helicopter while my pilot got my jet ready than to wait for him.
“No,” she said with a shake of her head, her smile a little more genuine. “You’re right. I’ll soak up the sun for a few more days and figure out what I’m going to say to Nova to get her to use her magic on Ryan.”
“Don’t be sad,” I pleaded, hugging her to me. “I’ll bring you a present when I come back.”
She slapped a hand against my chest, but her fingers bunched in the material of my shirt, clutching me to her. “Shut up. I don’t want any more presents. You’ve already given me so many things that I’m going to need an extra suitcase to take them home with us.”
“But I like to spoil you,” I murmured, skimming my lips down her neck. “I want to see you dripping in diamonds and silk, knowing I provided them for you.”
Her nostrils flared with irritation. “I have plenty of diamonds and silk, thank you very much. All I want is you.”