I smirked and carried on. “I owe you everything, Jess. Along with the money, I also vow to deliver whatever you ask of me. You can ask today or a decade from now, and whatever you request, you shall have it.”
Silence fell. Cal’s cough sounded in the background before Jess said softly, “I appreciate your generosity, Sullivan. And I mean it when I say you don’t have to give me money. What I did with Drake was out of friendship, but I will accept the funds, if it makes things even between us.” A slight pause before she added, “I do have one request, if I may?”
“It’s yours. What do you want?”
“Can I stay? Can I stay on this island with you and Jinx and…Cal?”
My eyes snagged Eleanor’s. Her grey gaze shimmered with adoration, and her hand reached for mine, linking our fingers.
Skittles landed on her shoulder, and Pika roosted on my head, and it seemed like fate pressed a pause button for me to fully appreciate this moment.
To understand precisely what I was gaining by agreeing to Jess’s request.
I wasn’t just allowing another couple to live on my shores, to share in my gardens, or to indulge in this tropical paradise. I was saying yes to friends, yes to family, yes to trust.
A network of happiness.
A bond that extended past the woman I’d fallen for and opened up my darkened world with promises of something so simple and satisfying.
Something I’ve never had before.
Squeezing Eleanor’s hand, I spoke to her as well as to Jess. “Of course, you can stay. This is your home. Our home. Cal’s and Eleanor’s and mine. We’re family.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
THE FIRST FEW DAYS of Sully’s recovery followed bursts of vibrant energy, vows of leaving his bed to go swimming in his waterfall, and unbelievable progress in both his motor control and strength, only to be followed by bouts of deep restful sleep that slammed into him without warning.
He hated succumbing to sleep. Cursed each time he woke and resumed the exercises Louise had given him. I understood his desire to return to his original capabilities, but it hurt to see him push so hard, to see the pain in his eyes, to witness the horror that he’d fallen asleep outside of his control yet again.
He didn’t celebrate the victories he achieved. He didn’t care that he could raise his arms, operate a fork, or push into a sitting position unassisted. To him, nothing was a success until he could swing his legs out of bed and walk on his own.
His temper flickered on the afternoons where the humidity levels crept to unbearable and the urge to be in cool water overrode his patience with healing.
I requested Arbi to come help the Geneva team. Lending a hand with Joe to lift Sully from his bed and take him to the bathroom. One afternoon, they positioned him on a chair in the huge pebbled shower with its open-air wall.
Once we were alone, I shampooed, rinsed, and trimmed his longer hair.
His hands roamed over my body, sometimes shaking from the effort but never conceding defeat, all while I shaved his beard down to a five o’clock shadow.
I shivered as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss against my cleavage. While I carefully snipped and shaped his hair, he gritted his teeth, gathered energy he couldn’t afford, and slipped two fingers inside me.
I’d exploded the second he thrust deep and drove his thumb against my clit.
My release vicious and starving for more.
My libido well and truly awake now that Sully showed no signs of leaving me.
With my orgasm pulsing through me, I’d contemplated sitting on his lap and inserting his erection inside me. We could reconnect in the shower with a chair holding us and dragonflies flitting in the setting sun.
But his eyes had closed, his fingers slipped from my body, and he’d slumped into sleep with Nirvana crashing around us.
I’d finished my barber session, turned off the shower and ensured he was as dry as I could, before slipping a black sarong around his waist for modesty.
I’d called Arbi and Joe in to carry him back to bed and dismissed everyone’s help for the rest of the night. I’d fallen asleep beside him, cuddled close with the two caiques flying through the sliders to raid a hibiscus bush in the moonlight.
“Jinx…you awake?”
My eyes snapped open.
Still dark but with the sense that dawn wasn’t far away.
I glanced at Sully. He lay on his back, one leg cocked and one arm thrown over his head. Huh, he could move in his sleep, hinting his strength was returning far faster than what Louise predicted.
If he’s still sleeping, who on earth—
“Jinx.” Cal waved from the threshold of Sully’s bedroom. I sat up, grateful I’d fallen asleep in a silver nightgown that hid what needed to be hidden.