Chapter 338: Formentera pt 4
KAEL
I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this alive. It was like being drunk without a drop of liquor, high without a line of poison, just Aria, laughing breathlessly against me as we stumbled down the hall, dripping salt water across the marble floor like two idiots who had no place in a hotel like this.
Her hand clutched mine, her hair plastered to her face, her cheeks glowing, and I swear I almost dropped to my knees right there. Because she was mine. Because she chose me. Because every time her smile split across her face, I fell deeper, and deeper, and deeper, into a place I knew I’d never claw my way out of.
God help me, I didn’t want to.
But fear gnawed anyway, that quiet whisper that I was dreaming, that I’d wake up alone again and she’d vanish like smoke. It must’ve shown on my face, because Aria suddenly stopped, tugging me back by the shirt until I nearly crashed into her.
Her eyes searched me, sharp, unyielding, like she could see every thought I tried to bury. Then, without a word, she grabbed my face with both hands and pulled me down into a kiss. Teasing. Sweet. Maddening. Like she knew exactly how to anchor me back.
And she did. She always did.
.....
The morning after, I proved myself a man of my word.
We chartered a small boat, white and gleaming against the endless turquoise. The sun climbed slow and golden above the horizon, the air smelling like salt and freedom.
Aria insisted on steering, chin tilted up in defiance when I raised a brow at her. She was absolutely clueless. She almost rammed us into another vessel twice, spun us in a useless half-circle, and cursed at the wheel like it was personally mocking her. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt, my ribs ached, my heart damn near burst.
When we finally anchored in a quiet, hidden stretch of sea, she eyed the water like it was an enemy waiting to swallow her whole. But she followed me in anyway, splashing gracelessly, flailing when the depth pulled at her.
I pulled her close instantly, her body locking around mine as if she thought I’d let go. My mouth found her ear, my voice steady, soft, carved out of the truth I’d die to keep.
"I’ve got you," I whispered, holding her tighter, tighter, like I could fuse us together. "I’ve always got you."
Her breath shuddered against my neck, her nails digging into my shoulders. And in that weightless moment, floating in the bluest water, with her heartbeat pressed against mine, I swore I’d never let her doubt it again.
The water was warm, the sun burning gold across the surface, but nothing compared to the heat of her in my arms.
At first she clung to me like she was seconds from drowning, her nails digging into my shoulders, her breath uneven against my jaw. And God, God, I wanted to tell her to never stop. That I’d hold her like this forever if she let me.
Little by little, I felt her relax. Her body melted against mine, her arms no longer desperate but easy, trusting. And that shift, it wrecked me. Because Aria wasn’t the type to trust, not easily. But here she was, pressed against me, letting me be her anchor.
"You can breathe, Aria," I murmured into her hair, brushing my lips against the crown of her head. "I’m not letting you go under."
Her head tipped back, eyes glinting like sunlight on the waves. "And if you sink?"
I couldn’t help the low laugh that escaped me. "Then we sink together."
She rolled her eyes, but the smile that fought its way to her lips made my chest feel too small. I leaned in and stole a kiss, just a soft press at first, but then another, and another, because I couldn’t stop myself. The taste of saltwater and her laughter was addicting.
By the time we dragged ourselves back onto the boat, dripping and breathless, I was half drunk on her. I couldn’t stop touching her, an arm curled around her waist, a kiss pressed to her wet shoulder, my fingers sliding through her tangled hair. She elbowed me half-heartedly, cheeks flushed, but every time she glanced at me I saw it, the same hunger I felt mirrored right back at me.
And when we finally reached the suite again, that hunger followed us.
Niko was there waiting in the hall, his posture stiff, the look on his face immediately souring my mood. "Sir," he greeted, a little too cautious, a little too careful.
I forced myself not to snap. Aria was right there, her hand brushing against mine, her eyes still soft with laughter from the boat. I didn’t want to break that moment for her.
So I kissed her temple, murmured that I’d join her inside, and only when the door shut behind her did I turn to Niko.
His jaw was tight. "There’s a few things that need your attention sir."
And just like that, the warmth in my chest twisted cold.
Every step away from our suite felt like a betrayal. My body wanted to turn back, to sink into the bed where she’d be waiting, to drown in the warmth I’d fought so hard to keep.
Instead, I was following Niko down a polished marble corridor toward the executive lounge, one of those private, dimly lit rooms on the top floor reserved for meetings that never touched the public eye.
I hated it already.
The second the door closed behind us, I leaned against the edge of the glass table, glaring at Niko. "Spit it out."
He straightened, his voice clipped. "There’s been movement with Zephyrcore’s Madrid investors. They’re shifting interest toward Nocturne’s holdings, more aggressively than we projected. If they keep pulling out, we’re talking billions in valuation losses within the quarter."
I tilted my head, unimpressed. "Is that why you dragged me out here? To tell me investors are fickle sheep? They always run toward whatever wolf looks hungrier." My tone was flat, because I wasn’t shaken. Not by this. Not compared to what waited behind that suite door.
But Niko didn’t stop. His jaw ticked. "That’s not all. Erin’s been trying to reach you as well. She says she wants to apologize properly... before leaving the city. She asked for a chance to explain herself."