Tears stung at my eyes as my feet hit the sand. What had I done? Why didn't I just leave things well enough alone? He had one request of me, not to go in the study, and I had blatantly disregarded it. I was the worst kind of person and he had every right to be furious with me. Hell, I was furious with me.
I ran along the cold, wet sand, letting the full moon light my path. I followed the curve of the cove, up the hill to another beach until I finally came to a rock outcropping that I couldn't get past, at least not in bare feet. There I collapsed into one of the larger rocks, my calves aching and twitching like rubber bands. I gasped for breath, and not just from the running. Falling to my knees, I sobbed into the sand.
It was too much. All of it was just too much. All the aches, the worry, the tension, the hopeless dreams came tumbling down on me. Between my father, Chad's betrayal, the lack of direction in my life, and now the rage in Bastian's eyes, I just lost it. It was all just too much to bare.
I sat and cried into the night. It felt good to finally let it all out. I cried until I couldn't breathe and then I just gasped at the air like a fish out of water. Giant sobs racked my body, shuddering cries that ached down through my toes. But it was what I needed.
I wasn't sure how long I cried, but after a while, the tears dried and I stared out at the ocean. I was finally empty. I had held in my emotions for so long that they had overwhelmed me and now I didn't know what to do.
I heard footsteps behind me, but I didn't turn around. I knew who they belonged to. The steps paused and then came closer.
Bastian sat cautiously beside me, close enough that I could feel his presence but far enough away to give me distance. He stared out at the moonlit water for a moment before offering me a hanky. It was just a simple white cotton square of fabric, but it smelled like him. It was more than I deserved.
Holding on to his hanky, I held my breath for as long as I could before finally releasing it. My lungs ached and my cheeks were still wet.
“I'm sorry,” I said quietly. I didn't look over at him. “I didn't mean to pry.”
He let out a long slow breath.
“I let my temper get the best of me,” he replied after a long moment.
“I shouldn't have been in there.” I shook my head, looking only at the white hanky in my hands. “I always seem to be walking into rooms that I shouldn't.”
A breeze rolled over us from off the ocean. I shivered, not just because the breeze was cool for the Caribbean, but from emotional exhaustion as well.
“Come here,” Bastian commanded, his arms wrapping around me, holding me close to his heart and warming me up. I leaned my head against his shoulder, and he pressed his cheek into the top of my head. He was so warm and strong that I clung to him like a child. I felt completely safe with him holding me, like the world could crumble into a million pieces, but with him holding me, I would be safe.
“I liked the pictures above your desk,” I said quietly after a moment. I figured there was no reason to hide what I had done now. I wanted to ask him about the scars, but given that he was now wearing pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt, they obviously were something he didn't want people knowing about.
I felt his lips curl into a smile above my hair. “I like them, too.”
“I recognized Leo in some of them. Is the man in the others Gabriel?” I felt my muscles finally relaxing. “The three of you look close.”
I felt him nod and he began to stroke my hair. “Yes, all the pictures on my wall are of my family.” He shifted his weight, getting more comfortable. “After my parent's car accident, I didn't have anyone. My parents didn't even have wills made up. I went into the foster system. I had a decent family, but they weren't mine. Charlotte was the closest thing to family I had until Gabe moved in next door. I spent more time at Gabe's house than I did at my foster's. Then we met Leo our freshmen year of college.”
“What school did you go to?” I asked. He smelled so good, especially this close. Clean yet masculine. “Billionaire Harvard or Billionaire Yale?”
“Neither. I went to a state school I had a partial scholarship, but I still had to work full time to pay it off.” He shifted his back against the rock, finding a more comfortable position. “I wasn't a billionaire then.”
“You said you met Leo in college? Is that where you guys came up with your business?” I asked, snuggling deeper into his arms. He was so warm that I never wanted to leave.
“Just after graduation is when we came up with the idea. We all had degrees in business but no ideas on how to use them.” He shrugged. “So we made our own. Charlotte helped.”
I thought of Charlotte trying to be in the same room as Leo to start a business. I wondered if she had even been able to get three words out. “You know Charlotte's crazy about Leo, right?”
“I know.” He chuckled, the warm sound vibrating through his chest and into mine. “He's actually crazy about her, too. Why do you think he flew out so early? They've been circling each other like scared cats for years now.”
“And then she puked on him. Poor Charlotte,” I said softly into his chest.
“I have a feeling they'll end up all right in the end,” he assured me. “You can't find anyone more loyal than Leo.”
I shivered again as the cool breeze came off the water. It was well past midnight, and I was exhausted. Bastian pulled me in closer, rubbing his palms against my bare arms to warm me up. I was glad he didn't ask me to go in. I liked it better out here in his arms.
“How's your dad doing?” he asked. I knew he suspected it was part of why I was so upset.
“He's fine,” I replied. “They're running tests. I started looking up what each one does, but I stopped when each one scared me more.”
He hugged me tighter. “I'm sorry.”
“I just can't imagine life without him.” My breath caught. “I mean, I know I'll have to eventually, but I always imagined it when I'm old and my own children are grown.”
I suddenly remembered that he had already lost his parents. He had already lived this nightmare and here I was complaining when I still had my dad. He didn't have anyone. “I'm sorry,” I stammered, trying to pull back. “I didn't mean...”
“No, you're right,” he said softly, keeping me pressed up against him. “We're supposed to lose them when they're old and sick, not when they're young and vibrant. If anything, I understand more than anyone why you don't want to lose him.”
“Thank you,” I said softly, returning to my nook within his arms. “Thank you for taking care of us. I promise I'll repay you.” I stopped and thought about how I would ever afford such a thing. “You don't have to pay us for this appraisal.”