Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 74940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
I don’t reply right away. Thoughts and images flood my mind. I turn to Brett and look straight into his baby blues. “I came here because I thought I could find love, but I’m wondering if what I really needed was to find myself. I was a wallflower for so many years.”
“You? The dancing queen? You’re so smart and gorgeous. How were you ever a wallflower?”
I give him a weak smile. “I was a late bloomer. When I got to college, I left those days behind me, and when I met someone amazing, I thought my life was complete. But...”
“But...it ended.”
I sigh as the water crawls toward us, almost hitting my toes. “Yeah. It ended. It ended like a slap in the face. Completely unexpected, and now...he wants me back.”
“And what do you want, Sienna?”
“I wish I knew. I came here hoping to find love again, but love isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, Brett.”
“Oh?”
I shake my head vehemently. “Love didn’t stop Leroy from cheating on me. He wants me back, but I no longer trust him. How can we possibly recover from that?”
“Hell if I know.” Brett stares out into the ocean as the sun begins to slide above the horizon.
“He broke my heart into a million pieces,” I say, tracing my finger in the sand. “I never want to feel that powerless again.”
Brett turns to me and grabs my arm almost harshly. “If it made you feel powerless, that means it was real, Sienna. For you, and probably for him too. Love is... Oh, hell, who am I to say what love is? I’ve only been in love once, and it was a long time ago. But it was real. Fucking real. One-sided, but as real as the water in the ocean and the stars in the sky. It was precious to me, and I did everything in the world to sabotage it. I didn’t mean to, but that was the end result, and frankly I didn’t feel worthy of that love anyway. Maybe that’s what happened with Leroy. Maybe what you had was so good, so precious, that he didn’t know how to handle it. He subconsciously sabotaged the best thing that had ever happened to him because he felt unworthy.”
Brett’s eyes are glassy, and I can’t quite tell if he’s looking at me or through me. His jaw is rigid, and his lips tremble ever so slightly. I want to say something to ease the pain I’m sensing from him, but I can’t.
Brett, the biggest flirt of the bunch and the man who admits how much he loves to fuck and fuck a lot, has a depth I never imagined.
“It was real,” he continues. “What I felt back then. And what you had with Leroy was also real. But this?” He waves his hand around, gesturing backward toward the mansion. “This isn’t real. Not yet. Maybe not ever. It’s only possibility. It’s fantasy. That’s why it’s so exciting, so intoxicating.”
I inhale and let his words sink in. “How can I be sure I make the right decision?”
“You can’t, Sienna. There’s a risk to everything. Nothing is set in stone. I take risks every day with my money. That’s the only way to make billions. What you have to decide is whether something is worth the risk—in this case, to your heart.”
“I just don’t know.”
He leans toward me and pushes a lock of hair that has come loose from my bun behind my ear. “I let someone go once.”
I cup his stubbled cheek. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
He shakes his head. “It’s ancient history, and in my case, it’s too late. But it doesn’t have to be too late for you. Do you still love him?”
I honestly don’t know how to answer Brett’s question. Leroy will always have a piece of my heart, but he didn’t take care of it. He broke it. Now he wants to mend it, but will he be able to? Will I ever be able to trust him again?
“Part of me will always love him,” I finally say.
He smiles. “I had an incredible time with you last night, Sienna.”
“I’m glad. I did too.”
“You’re warm and beautiful and your intelligence knows no bounds. I’d love to get to know you better, but I’m honestly not interested in pursuing something real with a person who’s hung up on someone else.”
“But I’m—”
He reaches forward and gently places his fingers over my lips. “Your heart isn’t your own to give right now. You and I both know it. You owe it to yourself to see him, talk to him. Maybe you can work it out, and maybe you can’t, but you have to try. It’s too late for me. But it doesn’t have to be too late for you.”
He stands and pulls me up next to him. In a flash he’s pulled me into his body and his lips are on mine. The kiss is raw and frantic, and our tongues duel as if our lives depend on it.