Page 39 of With a Broken Wing
The sun felt good on my skin, and I could taste the salt from the ocean in the air. Next to me, Jules hummed to herself, half asleep under the big beach hat she had on her face. I couldn’t get enough of the view in front of me. It was like something out of a movie.
Still my attention kept getting drawn back to the windows leading to the dining room where Demetri worked with William. He stood over the table, wearing just a pair of khaki shorts and a black T-shirt. The sleeves of the shirt were tight on his biceps and chest, and through the glass, I could almost see the muscles in his forearms move.
When he looked up and out the window, I quickly turned my eyes back to the view ahead of me. He tilted his head to the side, and I knew he had seen me staring. I fixed my sunglasses and stood from the seat, moving to the water in front of me.
I took a quick glance out of the corner of my eye. He was trying to hide the signs he was watching me, and I lifted my hands above my head, diving into the pool. Water ran off me as I came back up and broke the surface. I took a deep breath, smirking at my audience through the window.
He quickly turned his head away, most likely responding to something William had said, and I ached to have his eyes on me again. I liked the way my skin tingled when he watched me.
“So,” Jules said, suddenly sitting up and tossing her hat onto an empty chair. “How is it working for Demetri? If I’m being honest, I’m low-key surprised you haven’t killed each other yet.”
I laughed, trying to buy time to come up with an answer. “He’s a total hard ass, but it’s not too bad.” By not too bad, I meant mind-blowing. He knows how to make me angry and wanton in the same sentence, and I’ve never felt my body burn the way it does when I think about him touching me. Idefinitelywasn’t going to tell her I was having dreams about the way her brother-in-law’s come tasted on my tongue.
“Yeah, I thought I married the asshole Carlisle, but Demetri…” Jules shook her head, almost faking a shiver. “Really, I’m glad it’s working out. You needed something good! It is good, right?”
Smiling at my best friend, I nodded and climbed from the pool, letting the water roll off my body and onto the marble deck. “Yeah, it’s good. Different is good.”
When I looked back at the window, Demetri was standing across the table and staring right at me. I wrung the water from my hair, tossing it over my shoulder before running my hand over the front of my body to remove the excess drops. Since he was watching me, I would give him something to watch.
* * *
“I’m going to get another drink,” Demetri said, standing up from his chair. The sun had set, and we were sitting on the patio. String lights hung above us, and a cool breeze brushed off the water. Jules sat curled up on William’s lap, and I sat in the chair next to them.
“More wine!” Jules hollered after him.
“What she said!” I agreed, chuckling when he rolled his eyes. He didn’t offer, but if I had gotten to know him at all in the last several weeks, he would come back with a fresh bottle of wine and a glass of whiskey.
When he did exactly that, I laughed. He set the drinks on the table and returned to his seat across from me. He continued to flick his gaze to me, lingering longer with each glance. My phone went off in my lap, and I didn’t miss the way he narrowed his eyes.
Picking it up and unlocking it, my stomach sank. On the screen was a picture of my living room. I recognized the picture of Katie, Jules, and me on Jules’s wedding day centered on the fireplace, and my favorite blanket was exactly where I’d left it thrown across the back of the couch. The shoes I decided against last minute were tossed on the floor by the front door.
FISHER:You have a cozy home. I would expect nothing less from a princess like you.
ME:What do you want from me?
FISHER:For now? I want some money. We’ll start with $30,000.
ME:That’s a lot of money…
FISHER:That new boyfriend of yours has plenty. You’ll figure it out.
A lump grew in my throat as I thought about my bank account. The one that didn’t have remotely that much in it. What would he do if I didn’t give him the money? Then there was a rush of panic.He was in my apartment.
FISHER:Don’t drag your feet, princess. I’d hate to see this little apartment of yours burn.
When I looked up, Demetri was glaring at me with a pained look of suspicion on his face. I shrugged and shook my head, silently telling him it was nothing. He shook his head and stood up, taking the last gulp of his drink like a shot.
“I’m going to bed,” he said, storming towards the house.
“Night, you grumpy fuck,” William called after him while Jules giggled.
I wanted to run after him, to get him to look at me, to run his fingers along my skin. I wanted to wrap my fingers in his hair and run my tongue along his. I couldn’t, though. Instead, I waved after him, turning back to the half-empty glass of wine in my hand. The last few gulps went down smoothly, and I stood from my chair.
“I’m probably going to go to bed too. It’s been a long day.” I stretched as an exaggerated show of being tired. “Have a good night!”
Jules half giggled her good night from her position in her husband’s lap, and I disappeared into the house. It was quiet. I tried to hear Demetri moving around, hoping I could catch him. I didn’t want him to go to bed angry with me, but when I got to the top of the stairs and the light in his room was already off, I figured it was too late for that.
I sighed and went into mine. The picture of my living room crashed into me, and I dropped to the floor against the door I had just closed.What the fuck am I going to do?
