Page 19 of Billionaire's Fantasy
I feel a blush rise to my cheeks as I look away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She leans closer to me, her breath warm on my skin. “Come on, Jackson,” she whispers. “You can trust me.”
I feel a surge of desire coursing through me as I meet her gaze. “Okay,” I say, my voice barely a whisper. “I’ll tell you something about myself.”
I take a deep breath and decide to open up to Amber about my past. “You know, before I started flying this plane, I was a pilot in the army,” I say, looking down at the water. “It was a pretty intense few years, but I learned a lot about flying and myself.”
“Really?” she asks. “That’s pretty damn cool.”
I smile at her childlike wonder. “It was.”
“When was this?”
“A few years back.” I pause for a moment, unsure of how much I want to reveal. “Something happened and I left, but I don’t really like to talk about it,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.
“I am here if you do.”
I look up and gaze at her. Her gorgeous green eyes glimmer with curiosity.
“Thanks, but I would rather not.”
As soon as Amber starts to get close to me, I turn around and try to lighten the mood. “So, what happened with your ex?” I ask, trying to shift the focus away from me.
Why the fuck did I just ask that? How was that the first question I came up with? I guess the conversation with her father bothered me a lot more than I first realized. Plus, I shouldn’t know about the ex. Amber hadn’t breathed a word and I didn’t want her knowing her father had spilled the beans to me.
Amber’s face falls, and I instantly regret asking the question. Thankfully, she doesn’t pick up on my slip of the tongue. “I don’t want to talk about it, either,” she says, looking away.
We sit in silence for a few moments, the tension between us palpable. I feel like I just ruined the night by bringing up something that clearly still hurts her. “I’m sorry,” I say finally, breaking the silence. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
I keep making the wrong decision with this girl. Fuck!
“It’s fine,” she says quietly, still not looking at me.
I don’t know how to recover from this, so I just sit there, feeling awkward and uncomfortable. I wish I could take back what I said and start over, but I know that’s not possible.
There is an unmistakable tension in the air, and I can feel the energy crackling between us. We sit there in silence, each lost in our own thoughts.
I wonder what she’s thinking, what she’s feeling. I know I’ve opened up a bit to her, but I still feel like there’s a wall between us. I want to know her, to understand her, but it seems like she’s not willing to let me in.
I try to lighten the mood by making a joke, but it falls flat. We both laugh, but it’s a hollow sound, lacking the real mirth and joy that we both so desperately need right now. As we sit there, surrounded by the warm, soothing water of the jacuzzi, I realize that I’m still holding onto something from my past. Something that’s holding me back from fully connecting with Amber.
I take a deep breath, trying to let go of the pain and fear that’s been weighing me down. I want to be here, at this moment, with her. I want to forget about everything else and just be present. But it’s hard, harder than I thought it would be.
I glance over at Amber, and I can see that she’s still lost in her thoughts. I wonder if she’s feeling the same way I am—if she’s struggling to let go of her past. We sit there in silence, but somehow, it starts to feel like we’re closer than we’ve ever been before.
When Amber announces that she is ready to go to her room, my heart sinks a little bit. I was hoping for some more time with her, but I don’t want to push it. I nod and agree.
As we made our way out of the jacuzzi, I steal a glance at Amber. The way the water clings to her tiny aquamarine bikini, leaving just enough to the imagination, is truly captivating. She glides out of the water, her wet hair cascading down her back in loose waves, and I follow her lead.
We both gather our things and walk back to the hotel in silence. I rack my brain for something to say, but nothing comes to mind. Once we reach our hotel room doors, Amber turns to me and gives a slight smile.
“Looks like we have rooms right next to each other,” she says, and I chuckle, feeling the air between us start to lift a little.
The mood between us suddenly shifts, and I feel relieved.
“Well, I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, then,” I say, trying to lighten the mood.
Amber nods, and I can see a small smile on her face. “Yeah, I guess we will. Goodnight, Jackson,” she says, her voice soft.
