Page 134 of My Real Love Affair

I laughed. “That sounds serious.”

I wondered if I could do it. My cousin Channing and his wife were raising their family on the beach. While they weren’t exactly cut off from the world, it was definitely a different style of living. But if I had the love of my life at my side, I could live anywhere.

And for some reason, I was thinking about buying an island for me and Melody.

I wanted to buy her a beach just like this one. The white sand was so fine it felt like powder under our feet. Water so clear you could see straight to the bottom. Palm trees providing perfect shade. And best of all, it was almost completely private. Just a handful of other people scattered far enough away that we might as well have been alone.

I had a cabana set up for us. White canvas stretched over a frame, with plush cushions and towels inside. A cooler sat nearby, stocked with water, champagne, and tropical fruit. If I was losing my trust fund, I was going to spend as much as I could before it was revoked. I was going to give Melody the trip of a lifetime. Spoil her absolutely rotten.

“This is ridiculous,” Melody said, standing at the entrance to our little paradise. “This whole thing is ridiculous.”

“Good ridiculous?”

“The best ridiculous.” She turned to look at me, and the smile on her face made my heart skip a beat. “Thank you for this.”

“Stop thanking me. I’m being selfish. I wanted you here. Wanted to see you like this. I want to spend as much of that money as I can, and getting to spend it making you happy is worth every penny.”

She wrinkled her nose. “You don’t have to buy me, Austin.”

“I’m not buying you. I’m buying us a good time. I would have blown the money doing something like this anyway. You’re making the trip a million times better just by being here. I usually travel alone.”

“That must be lonely.”

I shrugged. “I suppose. But today, you’re with me, so loneliness isn’t a problem.”

She blushed, which I loved. After everything we’d done together, I could still make her blush.

We settled into the cabana and stretched out on the cushions. The shade was a relief from the sun, but the breeze kept it from being too hot. I could hear waves crashing on the shore, palm fronds rustling overhead, and the distant call of tropical birds.

“I could stay here forever,” Melody said, her eyes closed behind her sunglasses.

“That’s the plan. Although maybe not forever in the shade. You came to Tahiti. You should get some sun.”

“I burn easily.”

“I brought sunscreen.” I pulled a bottle from the beach bag Marco had packed for us. “Want me to help put it on?”

Her lips curved. “Is this a ploy to get your hands on me?”

“Absolutely. Is it working?”

“Maybe.”

I took my time with the sunscreen, making sure every inch of exposed skin was covered. Her shoulders. Her back. Her legs. She made little sounds of contentment that were doing things to me. The beach wasn’t quite that private. Although the cabana had curtains.

“Your turn,” she said when I finished.

“I don’t burn.”

“Everyone burns. Give me the sunscreen.”

I lay on my stomach and let her work. Her hands on my back were heaven, firm and thorough, occasionally straying into massage territory.

“You’re really good at this,” I said.

“At putting on sunscreen?”

“At touching me.”