Hopeless Vows (7 page)

I feel the tips of my ears turning bright red because he’s right. I do like his cockiness. With the way his morning erection is pressing into me, I mean that figuratively and literally. He touches my cheek with the back of his hand, releasing one of my wrists, but I don’t dare move it. The sexual tension bouncing off of us is enough to paralyze me in my spot. “No need to be embarrassed. I’m not.”

My tongue darts out to wet my lips. I’ve lost all ability to talk, to think. His eyes darken as they travel down to my mouth before coming back up to meet mine. Nothing is happening, but it’s probably one of the most intense moments of my life. The air is thick and almost suffocating. A constant buzz runs through my body.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispers. His words come out with such reverence, such honesty, that with the simple statement, I feel more beautiful in this moment than I have in my entire life.

Before I can respond, the moment is broken by a loud knock on the door. “I’ll get it,” he says with a sigh. I swallow hard and nod, still unable to find my voice. All I know is I have an ache between my legs that needs satisfying, and an intruder on the other side of the door who prevented it from happening. I’m definitely not a happy camper right now.

Climbing off the bed, he walks toward the door. I can’t help staring at his broad back and tight ass. I could be clawing that back and grabbing at that ass right now.
Geez, get a grip, Jillian.
After chastising myself, I sit up and get it together.

“Our guests have arrived,” he says sarcastically. Glancing back at him, I see he’s referring to the camera crew. For a few minutes, it was easy to forget we are on a reality TV show that will be filming us constantly.

“We’ll start filming now, and the producer will be in shortly to do one-on-one interviews.” He doesn’t wait for a response as he turns and says something to the rest of the team.

“Do you drink coffee?” I ask Austin.

“Is a pig’s ass made of pork?” The seriousness of his face makes me laugh.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” I say through my laughter. “You’re lucky, or I would’ve requested an annulment ASAP.”

“Why? Because I didn’t like coffee?”

“Yeah, people who don’t like coffee can’t be trusted. It’s unnatural.” Getting up to make us a pot, his deep chuckle hits me, causing me to smile in return.

As I’m hitting the start button, there’s another knock on the door. Austin and I both look at each other questioningly. “I wonder who it is this time,” he says as he walks back toward the door. A wall blocks my view, so I can’t see who’s there. All I hear is Austin say thank you before the door closes again.

Walking past me and to the small breakfast table that’s off to the side, he sets down a tray. On it is a small vase with two red roses, a couple bowls of fruit, two glasses of orange juice, and an envelope that’s perched in between. I bring over both of our coffees and grab some creamer before sitting down in front of Austin.

I catch him watching me dump creamer in my mug with a grin on his face. “What?” I ask with furrowed eyebrows.

“Like a little coffee with your creamer, eh?”

“Real funny, but I’d save your jokes until I’ve had at least one cup in my system.”

He holds his hands up in surrender. “Warning received.” Picking up the envelope, he holds it out to me. “Do you want to do the honors?”

“Sure.” I take it from his hand. Mr. and Mrs. James is scrolled across it in gold filigree. Opening it up, I pull the card out and read it.

“Austin and Jillian, Congratulations on being newlyweds. To celebrate and get to know one another, you will be going on a two week long, all-expense paid trip to Bora Bora. You leave later this afternoon, so pack your bags and head to the airport.”

My head snaps up to meet Austin’s surprised face. I’m sure my expression matches his. I squeal in excitement. I can’t help it. I’m going to Bora Bora!

“Holy shit. Bora Bora? That’s so fucking awesome!” Austin says after I finish freaking out. His face is lit up and I’m so glad he’s just as thrilled as I am. It’s nice to know he’s enthusiastic about having fun and living life.

“Oh God, we need to get ready!” I stand up quickly and run to my suitcase that was waiting for me when we arrived last night. We knew all along we would be going on some type of honeymoon for two weeks and were told to have bags prepared. I had no idea they’d send us somewhere so luxurious though.

The flight is twenty hours long.

Twenty.

I really hate flying anyway, but that’s pretty much a solid day of being on an airborne death trap. Fortunately, Austin has been great. It’s weird how he calms me. I’ve flown with my best friend before and was a basket case the entire time. Once Austin saw how anxious I was before takeoff, he held my hand and everything was better. He didn’t say anything, didn’t tell me to relax, he was just there. It’s one more thing he does that’s chipping away at my armor, my ability to keep him at a distance.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” I say when Austin stretches beside me. He’s been passed out for a couple hours, so I’ve spent my time reading on my kindle, holding his hand the whole time.

“What time is it?” he asks in his sexy, sleepy voice.

“I don’t know. With the time changes I quit trying to keep up. It’s dark outside though. So wherever we are, it’s late. Are you hungry? I snagged some extra snacks from the flight attendant to hold us over until they serve the next meal while you were over here snoring. It was actually kind of embarrassing. People kept looking over annoyed because you were so loud.”

“Oh really?” He looks at me from the corner of his eye with that playful grin of his.

“No, not really, but that’s what you get for teasing me about snoring last night.”

“Relax, you don’t snore.” He reaches over onto my tray and grabs some peanuts. “But you do drool.”

Austin

“WHAT ARE YOU
most excited to do while on your honeymoon?” the producer asks. I really hate this part of the whole experiment. We’re forced to do one-on-one interviews frequently, and other than having cameras in my face all the time, it’s the thing I dread the most. They pulled each of us aside before we had a chance to sit down once we got to Bora Bora. I’m exhausted from the long flight, and all I want to do is relax and enjoy this amazing place with Jillian.

“To see my wife in a bikini. I mean, you’ve seen her right?” I half joke. Although, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to seeing her in a little less clothing. The producer barely grins, so I’m guessing she wants more, so I continue. “I’m looking forward to spending some quality time with Jillian. I want to get to know her more and start laying the foundation to our relationship.”

“You know I have to ask, did you guys consummate your marriage? What happened when the cameras left last night?”

I should’ve expected her to ask. After all, it is an integral part of a relationship and it’s what every couple does on their wedding night. Still, for some reason the question pisses me off. “None of your business.”

“Actually, it is. And if you can’t answer our questions honestly and openly, then we’ll have to install surveillance to make sure we capture everything.” Is she fucking kidding me right now? There’s no way in hell I’m letting that happen. “So I’ll ask again, did you and Jillian have sex on your wedding night?”

My jaw grinds before I cool my features and answer. “Actually, we did not have sex last night. This isn’t a one-night stand and I don’t want us to rush into it. I want it to be perfect.” I shrug.

“How are you guys getting along so far? Do you think your personalities mesh?”

I nod. “Yeah, I think we get along great. She’s a little quiet and seems reluctant to open up. I’m not sure if she’s just nervous, or shy, or what, but I sense she’s holding back a little. I just hope with some time I can get her to loosen up. Otherwise, everything is good. She gets my sense of humor and jokes with me. Then again, it’s a little early to tell and I haven’t gotten to talk to her a lot because we’re doing things like this.” I can’t help myself. I have to point out I really hate doing this.

“Okay, we’re done for now. We’ll let you guys get to it and enjoy your honeymoon.”

I leave without saying anything further and go in search of my wife. I find her sitting in one of the chairs on the back balcony. The room is incredible. It looks like a tiki hut that sits in the water on stilts. A dock leads each room back to the shore. The inside is completely open where only the toilet is located behind a closed door. But the coolest thing is the glass floor at the end of the bed letting you see the ocean below the room.

“Hey, gorgeous.” I lean down and kiss her on the cheek.

“Hey, handsome.”

I gently nudge her to sit up so I can sit in the lounge chair behind her. She complies and lays against my chest when I get situated. “It’s nice, isn’t it?” I ask low in her ear and wrap my arms around her. She stills for a moment, then relaxes into my hold.

“It looks like a postcard.” She sounds in awe, but I am too. I’ve never seen water this crystal clear.

“So, what do you want to do tonight, Mrs. James?”

“I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted after traveling. What do you think about going out to dinner and coming back and relaxing?” She turns her head and looks up at me, waiting for my response.

“I can do you one better. How about we order room service and stay in? Then we don’t even have to change and get ready.”

She smiles. “That sounds perfect.”

There’s a couch facing a large window with a breathtaking view of the ocean. I move from the lounge chair and sit on it before motioning for her to come sit with me. When she does, I wrap my arm around her and pull her close. Even after being on a plane for a day, she still smells amazing. Her warm vanilla scent is becoming my new favorite smell.

We don’t say much to each other and it seems we’re both in our own heads thinking about the last forty-eight hours, but it’s not an uncomfortable silence. I like we don’t have to be talking constantly to enjoy each other’s company. This feels natural, and the effortlessness gives me hope for our future.

Dinner arrives about an hour later. “Wanna eat in here or out on the deck?” I ask her.

“Let’s sit out on the deck.”

I hold my arm out for her to lead the way as I carry our trays. Instead of sitting in the chairs, she sits on the floor. I’m not sure why, but it makes me smile. Maybe it’s because she’s so laid back. Sitting across from her, I can’t help staring. The gentle breeze from the ocean blows her long brown hair away from her face. Most people would probably be taking in the ocean or the stars, but I have the best view right in front of me.

I’m about to say something to her when I’m interrupted. “Can you guys move to the left a little, that way we can get you in the frame?” the camera guy asks. Man, nothing like a reality TV show to break up a moment. I glare at him before moving as requested.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this,” she says quietly.

“Me either.” I sigh out of frustration. I know I signed up for this, but how do they expect us to get to know each other? “At least it’s only temporary.”

We sit in silence, the only sound coming from the scenery before us as we eat. “So,” I say, “why fashion?”