Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 58150 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58150 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
“Why?” Matt asks.
Jet chews and swallows hard. “Well, it’s gonna be all over social media soon enough, so you may as well know now. I have nodes. Need to rest my voice.”
Everyone glances around the table at each other, because I don’t think any of us are buying what the kid’s selling.
We all love Jet like a little brother, but this vacation is only two weeks. I want to make the most of it without getting involved in rock star drama.
I’ll leave that for Matt to handle.
Chapter Eleven
MADDOX
My palms are all itchy from being covered in sweat, and it’s not the humid Fijian air causing it. Or the exertion from climbing this stupid mountain. I’d blame Damon for being all sport-like and outdoorsy, but this was my idea. Damon’s plan for this vacation basically consisted of one thing: lots and lots of naked time in bed.
Normally, I’d be all over that, but not here. Not with what I have planned.
I’m excited about reaching the top of the headland, not so excited about what I’m going to do once we get up there.
Four years, I’ve been with Damon now. I’ve been in a committed adult relationship for four years. Give me a fucking medal. Please.
Considering I used to run away at the first sign of even being labeled as someone’s boyfriend, being here with a ring burning a hole in my pocket is almost unbelievable. I wouldn’t believe it myself if I wasn’t me.
My heart may be pounding, my breathing not coming out quite right, but I’m ready for this. I’m totally ready for—
I trip on a tree root.
Motherfucker!
My hand flies out to try to stop me from face-planting, but instead of reaching its intended target—Damon—my hand flails and lands on some weird-ass spiky plant.
I let out a very manly high-pitched scream as I fall to the ground. My right shoulder and side slam into the rough forest floor.
My hand is stinging like all fuck.
“Shit, are you okay?” Damon’s at my side in an instant, pulling me up, but that doesn’t comfort me any.
“I’d believe your concern more if you weren’t trying not to laugh,” I grumble.
Damon clears his throat and smothers his smile. “Sorry.”
“No, you’re not! You’re still trying not to laugh.”
His grin is still sexy, even if he’s thirty now. He does not appreciate the old-man comments though. Shocking, really.
“I really am sorry.” Damon cups my face.
He leans in and kisses me, the familiar taste and jolt of feels shooting down my spine still ever present. Every time he kisses me, I remember what it was like to kiss him that very first time on a random dance floor at a random wedding in my hometown.
It’s like standing on the edge of a cliff, waiting to free fall off the side. It’s like chasing something I think is unattainable only to be reminded I already have it.
It’s happiness.
When he breaks the kiss, putting distance between us again, I want to pull him closer, but when I reach for him, my swelling hand catches my attention.
Damon hisses and grabs my wrist. “What did you fall on?”
“It’s nothing. I’m fine. We’re close to the top, so let’s keep going.”
“Babe, I don’t think that’s nothing. You’re bleeding.”
Ah, that must be the tiny little red dots all over my hand.
“What did you touch?”
“I don’t know. Some spiky plant.” I point beside me.
Damon goes to check it out while I wiggle my fingers and see the spots on my hand dance.
“Are there, like, poisonous things in Fiji?”
“Fuck,” Damon says again and comes back to my side. “We need to get you back to the main house.”
“No!” Fucking stupid, prickly plant, proposal-blocking me. I shake out my hand which stings like a motherfucker. “It’s fine.” I wince. “See?”
I had a plan, damn it. A good one.
We were gonna climb to the lookout at the top of the mountain on this private island. When Matt and Noah asked our entire group of friends to come on their yearly vacation this time, we didn’t question it. I was too busy researching a way to ask Damon to be mine forever. The perfect way, because he deserves it.
God knows these past four years haven’t been perfect, but I wouldn’t change them for anything.
Damon’s been busy building his client list, while I’ve been saving up money to go on vacations around the world. This is the first trip we’ve been able to have since we went to Bermuda a few years back.
Not that I’m complaining about that as hard as I thought I would, because even though I want to see other countries, my entire world is the man beside me. There’s nothing stopping me from traveling on my own, but if I’ve learned anything over the last four years, it’s been that Damon makes everything better.
And if I have it my way, we’ll have the rest of our lives together to do what we want. Travel, buy more property, be awesome uncles to our sisters’ kids.