going to come again.”
“Do it, Vivi. Come for me.”
Vivi looked up at him and reached between their bodies. She caressed his balls and gave them a gentle squeeze.
The simple action sent Rafe over the top. He grabbed Vivi’s hips and gave a final thrust, filling her with his cum.
He knew they would be explosive together and Rafe was right. Rolling to one side, he pulled Vivi into his arms and cradled her against him.
* * * *
The next morning, Vivi stretched her arms over her head and squinted at the bright sunlight filtering in the room.
With a start, she sat upright in the bed. Her room didn’t face the sunrise. Her room faced the sunset. Vivi quickly looked around and realized she was in Rafe’s stateroom.
Except she was all alone in the big bed and in the stateroom.
Rafe was gone.
Grabbing the bathrobe from the bathroom door, Vivi slipped in on. She paused for a second, inhaling the masculine scent of his aftershave that lingered on the fabric.
Vivi picked up her gown from the bedroom floor, found both her shoes and headed back to her own stateroom. After a quick shower, she’d go find out where Rafe went.
An hour later, Vivi closed the stateroom door behind herself and let the tears fall.
How could she have been so stupid as to have not seen it coming? She was nothing more than a plaything to the man. Another notch on his bedpost and she’d fallen right into the trap.
Why on earth did Vivi think she could ever hold a candle to the likes of Rafe Santori? She was way out of her league and the gap was growing wider with each passing minute.
He had left the yacht sometime in the night without saying a word to her. Roland could barely meet her eyes when he delivered the message.
“When is he coming back?”
“I don’t know, Miss Bloom. He didn’t say. He left no further instructions, I’m afraid. I’m sorry, Miss.”
She could have smacked herself on the forehead for her own stupidity. But now it was too late.
Vivi turned her attention to packing her suitcase. There was nothing left to say and nothing left to do. She went through the motions when they docked and meet Paulie’s wife for a celebration dinner, but her heart wasn’t in it.
All Vivi wanted to do was get home to her own condo, climb into bed, and forget the past week had ever happened.
Problem was it had and there was nothing she could do to change it.
Epilogue
Vivi dropped the suitcase inside the front door and made her way to the sofa. Dropping down heavily, she pulled off her sunglasses and tossed them on the table.
“It’s better this way,” she spoke the words aloud in the empty room. “This way I don’t have to look back and think of all the things I’d regret.”
Closing her eyes, Vivi bit back the sting of tears. It was better this way. The worst thing for her would be to dwell over everything she could have had with the man. She was better off without him.
She was, wasn’t she?
Right now, the only answer that came to mind was no. She was head over heels, cupid stupid in love with Rafe Santori and trying to convince herself otherwise was a big fat waste of time.
Problem was, there wasn’t anything Vivi could do about it. The man was gone off on his yacht, and Vivi had no idea what had happened after they made love that night that made him sneak off like a thief in the night.
“Look, I know you don’t want to go, but it’s important. Do it as a favor to me, okay? You only have to stay for an hour, and then you can leave, go home and drown your sorrows in a pint of rocky road ice cream. I’ll even buy the ice cream,” Her agent Elizabeth cajoled.
“Fine, only an hour then I’m outta there. And I want a quart, not a pint.”
Vivi entered the party and looked around. Most of the people she knew, a few were faces she didn’t recognize. After a quick hug from the hostess, Vivi headed to the bar. Her steps slowed as she drew closer.
It couldn’t be. This was the last thing she wanted tonight.
Rafe