The seaside villa was stunningly beautiful. The décor was a clean and crisp mix of stark whites, creamy beiges, and the occasional pop of blue or green. The shower was built for two and something I wanted us to experience. I loved sharing showers with Bones, and I would love it even more if we had a little bit more room, better water pressure, and a few more showerheads at home.
The canopy bed was something out of a fantasy with billowy white fabric draped around the four posts. I instantly envisioned making love to Miller with the French doors open and the wind blowing the sheer fabric around us.Jesus, what was happening to me?
“That bed,” Miller said. “We’re going to be making a lot of memories in that bed.” He turned his lustful eyes on me, and I felt like there was no reason to wait until dark to begin making those memories.
I stripped the clothes slowly from his body, and he did the same for me. I captured his mouth in a seductively slow kiss as we tumbled onto the bed. The ocean breeze blowing through the open doors felt like a kiss against my skin as I worshipped every inch of Miller’s body. I reveled in the combined scent of soap and man as I left no part of him untouched, loving the way he trembled beneath my lips and fingers.
I wanted so much more than just a new year for us; I wanted a new start to a life that marked him as mine forever. “Mine,” I reminded him—as I often did—when I slid inside him. “All mine.” I saw the same pleasure in Miller’s expressive eyes I always did when I claimed him.
“Only yours, Jag.” He wrapped his legs around my hips, holding tight to me. He gripped my ass cheeks with his hands and pulled me deeper inside him, which tore groans from both of us.
I resisted his urging to go faster and harder for a long time, drawing out our pleasure until I was nearly out of my mind with the need to come.
“Mine,” I repeated as I pinned his arms above his head and pressed my chest to his. There wasn’t a part of us that wasn’t touching—hot, sweaty, and masculine skin on skin.
“Yours.”
I kissed him feverishly to match the increased tempo of my thrusts. Miller’s cock was pinned between our bodies, and I knew the combined friction of our rutting bodies and the angle of my penetration would be enough to send him over the edge. I dug my knees into the mattress and drove into him with everything I had and was rewarded with his shouts of pleasure as he came all over both of us. The slickness of his release and the way his body gripped me inside and out sent me tumbling after him into my climax.
“Welcome to paradise,” Bones whispered against my lips.
We did make a lot of memories in that bed, in the gorgeous shower, in the ocean, and on the patio of our villa. We did other things that were nonsexual too like snorkeling, scuba diving, parasailing, and kayaking. Those things just usually got our blood pumping and led to the sexual memory-making part of our vacation.
Before I knew it, I was running out of time to ask Miller the question that made my heart thump every time I thought about it. I was down to my final two nights, and I wanted to plan something spectacular, but I didn’t know how when we were together all the time. I woke up before him the next morning and snuck out of our villa like a thief in the night. I made my way to the concierge and asked for a recommendation for the best, most romantic restaurant on the island. She helped me make reservations for six o’clock that evening, and I went back to our room after picking up some baked goods as an explanation for where I’d gone.
“Can we just lie around on the beach and be lazy today?” Miller asked when he woke up a short while later.
“Absolutely.”
We alternated between splashing about in the ocean and lazing around on the beach before we climbed back into bed for a long nap. Once again, I woke up before Miller and had a lot of time to panic about the plans I had for that night. I hoped the seaside restaurant, candlelight, wine, and ayeswould lead to the happiest moment of my life.
I decided to get into the shower to wake myself up, then start getting ready for the evening. I had convinced Bones to pack one nice outfit in case we went to a snazzier restaurant. He rolled his eyes at me, but he’d packed dressy clothes anyway. I thought the clothes might need to be pressed and decided I’d need to seek the assistance of our helpful concierge when I heard the phone in our room ringing.
We had kept our cellphones turned off the entire time we were on vacation. We decided no calls, texts, social media, or news while we were on our trip. Our friends and Miller’s family knew to call our room if there was an emergency. The ringing felt like a bad omen, and I went cold all over, even though I stood beneath the hot spray of the shower. I shut the water off and wrapped a towel around my waist without bothering to dry off.
Miller answered the phone just as I exited the bathroom. I heard the hesitation in his voice and saw the worry in his eyes when they met mine. He also knew something was wrong. His face scrunched up as the person on the other end of the line began to speak. I couldn’t tell what was being said, but I heard a frantic female voice coming through the phone.
“Mom, slow down. What’s wrong?” Miller’s voice was firm and urgent. My heart stuttered to a stop and threatened to shatter when I heard his anguished voice say, “No, Mom. No.” His body trembled and his baby blues glistened with unshed tears. “That can’t be. They made a mistake. It’s a mistake.” I rushed to his side and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close to my side. I heard his mother’s voice but not her words. Miller laid his head against my shoulder and gave in to the tears that had been threatening since the moment he’d answered the call. “I’ll be home as soon as I can. I love you too, Mom.”
I heard his mom disconnect the call on her end, but Miller still clung to the phone. I gently took it from his hand and hung it up. “What’s wrong, Bones?” It took him several long minutes before he could stop sobbing long enough to tell me what had happened.
“Darryl and Destiny were involved in a fatal car accident an hour ago.” The words sounded like they were ripped out of his chest as he struggled to come to terms with what he’d just learned. “Someone ran a red light and hit them. I can’t believe they’re gone, Jag. They can’t be gone.”
“Where are Lucas and Lily?” I asked in a panic.
“Darryl and Destiny had just dropped them off at my mom and dad’s so they could go on a dinner date.” Miller turned his body and wrapped his arms around me. I held him tight and cried with him because I knew all too well how bad it hurt to lose someone you loved so much. We clung to each other for several minutes before he said, “I need to go home, Jag. Please take me home.”
I laid him down on the bed and caressed the face I adored so much. “I’ll make the arrangements,” I told him. “I’ll take care of everything, Bones.” I pushed my sadness aside so I could focus on getting us back home to his family where he was needed.
He lay there quietly as I called the airline and moved our flight to the first available one, which happened to be early the next morning. I called Gray to let him know what had happened and asked him to pick us up at the airport when we arrived. I handed the phone to Miller because Gray wanted to talk to him, and I let his best friend offer him comfort while I packed our suitcases.
I climbed onto the bed once I was done and pulled Miller into my arms. We clung to each other and cried out our sorrow. It still didn’t seem real, even though I knew it wasn’t just a bad dream. I had known this kind of bone-deep devastation before and knew only real life could produce this kind of pain.
“Jag.” Miller whispered my name in the dark at some point in the middle of the night. “Darryl and Destiny named me as Lucas and Lily’s guardian in their wills.” He took a trembling breath before he said, “My life is going to change drastically when we get back. Lucas and Lily have had their whole world turned upside down. I’ll need to make them my top priority.” My heart squeezed painfully in my chest from fear that he was ending our relationship, but his next words shattered that notion. “Please don’t give up on us.”
“Never going to happen, Bones.” I spent the rest of the night telling him how much I loved him and how I’d never give him up. “I’ll be there with you every step of the way.” I whispered the words against his temple as the sun rose over the ocean.
Miller
