Claiming Beauty (Taking Beauty Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  “What makes it so amazing?” I asked.

  “Exposure to the Atlantic Ocean on two sides as well as the Matanilla Shoal. Because of the shoal, the conditions are like nowhere else on earth.”

  “That’s amazing. So what happened? Why is it deserted?”

  “It’s lived a lot of different lives. It was named after a British judge, Thomas Walker. He was exiled on the island and after his death, the island stood deserted for a few hundred years. After that it was just passed down to a few businessmen who used it for various purposes over the years. The last man to own it died about fifteen years ago and it’s been left abandoned. It’s been hit by two hurricanes and nobody’s touched it since. Once I saw it, I knew I couldn’t just let it deteriorate. The buildings are well-made, the sewer and electrical systems are in perfect working order. All it needs is a little elbow grease and some life breathed into it.”

  His eyes were glowing, each word a sparkling star of promise as he rambled on about his dreams for this magical place. His excitement was contagious and suddenly, I was eager to see everything.

  “I can’t wait to see what you do with it, Bear,” I said, beaming across the room at him. He was standing by the window, the warm light bathing his skin. He turned to me, his eyes full of love and gentleness.

  “Us, Chloe,” he said. “We’re a team now. You’re going to be as much a part of this as I am. We’ll do it together.”

  My heart swelled at his words.

  “I’d be honored to help you,” I whispered. He walked over to me, kissing me sweetly.

  “I want to show you something,” he said, grabbing my hand and leading me out a set of double doors that led to the back of the house. We stepped out onto a huge deck that opened up to a gorgeous, sprawling lawn that sloped down to a pristine white beach with aquamarine waves crashing rhythmically on the shore.

  The lush green grass tickled my feet as we walked down to the beach. My toes sank into the white sand as I drank in the beauty of the gorgeous sea spread out before us.

  “I’ve never felt so isolated from civilization in my life,” I murmured.

  “I know what you mean,” he said, wrapping his arms around me from behind. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?”

  “How many times have you come here?” I asked.

  “This is my fourth visit. But it’s always been to show other businessmen.”

  “And now you’re here with me,” I said, leaning into his embrace. He leaned down, gently kissing my neck, his lips warm on my skin.

  “I couldn’t be happier about that,” he murmured.

  He turned me around to face him, his eyes glowing in the bright sunshine. We’d left our shoes behind and the warm waves lapped at our bare feet. He reached down, pulling my t-shirt over my head, exposing my hard nipples to the sun. A slow, satisfied smile spread across his sexy face, and he unfastened my shorts and pushed them down.

  I stood naked in front of him, the hot rays feeling like pulsing beams of pure life force shining down on my bare skin. I pulled his shirt over his head and his shorts fell away as he grabbed my hand and we took off running.

  We galloped into the waves, the warm water washing over us, welcoming us into its wet embrace. We swam past the waves, the water so clear it was translucent, providing a clear view of the dozens of colorful, tropical fish that swam around our legs.

  Bear swam next to me, his dark hair shimmering almost as much as his crystal blue eyes. My heart swelled with joy, leaving a permanent fullness that brought tears to my eyes. How did I get here? He’s magical.

  Too much, too fast, a tiny voice said inside of my head. I pushed it away like a handful of water and it came back just as easily.

  This only happens in those damned books, it said.

  He’s too good to be true, another voice said. Only that was my voice this time. I knew this was all crazy, but I reminded myself to sink into it and see where it went.

  So far, so good.

  After a few minutes of gazing into the water, marveling at the beauty that swirled around us, we made our way back to the shore, falling into the hard sand together, the waves washing over us.

  Bear’s kiss was magic. Warm, loving, soft. I wrapped myself around him, my arms, my legs, my heart. And when his hardness sank into me, I welcomed him, my thighs falling open, begging him to crawl deep inside of me as I melted into the warm sand below us. His lips never left mine, the passion between us growing quickly as he fucked me with wild abandon, the waves crashing over us over and over as he took me there under the golden rays of sunshine.

  Chapter 4

  Our week on the island flew by. We spent our days lazing around in the sun, exploring all the different abandoned buildings and making love every place we could think of. We hadn’t even exchanged vows and yet it already felt like we were on our honeymoon. The days stretched long and slow, fading into one another until Bear told me it was almost time to go home.

  “Matilda will want you home for the holidays. And I always spend New Years in Times Square. You’ll love it,” he said. “It’s freezing cold, there are hundreds of thousands of drunken people in the streets screaming—it’s total mayhem.”

  “We’re sitting on a secluded, warm, private beach, Bear,” I said. “None of what you described sounds appealing in any way compared to this.”

  “Balance, darling,” he said.

  “I guess…,” I murmured, turning my face to the sun. “When do we leave?”

  “Tomorrow,” he said. “My pilot will be back with the plane in the morning.”

  “We only have one more night here?” I asked.

  “We’ll come back soon, I promise,” he said, kissing me.

  “I’m going to hold you to that,” I said.

  “You can hold me to anything you want,” he growled. I looked down and saw his cock stirring and a tiny thrill went through me. We’d spent almost the entire week completely naked and I’d gotten quite used to his sudden advances. When he decided he wanted to make love, there was nothing for me to do but submit to the pleasure our bodies created when they were wrapped around each other.

  He rolled over on top of me, his cock pressing into my thigh, his tongue delving deep into my mouth as he kissed me hard.

  He’d been so gentle with me during our time on the island, making love to me in such long and luxurious sessions. He’d been assertive, but he hadn’t let the roughness take over at all. We’d spent hours caressing each other, staring lovingly into one another’s eyes, losing track of time as we kissed endlessly.

  He’d been a perfect gentleman. He hadn’t even spanked me once, even though I was secretly missing the hot sting of his hand on my ass.

  I relished the attention, worshiping Bear’s body, falling in love with his heart. He was funny and charming and every time he touched me, it was as if he was waking me up inch by inch, breathing life into my life, shining a light on the very things I’d kept in the dark. He’d been gracious and kind every step of the way, allowing me to just be me and to open up to him.

  And I did.

  The first thing I’d done was tell him I didn’t want the responsibility of working on the hotel. I wasn’t sure how he’d take it, but I’d made up my mind.

  “I’ll find another job,” I’d said. “Something simple that I know how to do.”

  “Whatever makes you happy, Beauty,” he’d agreed, smiling at me with such pure love that it shot straight through my heart.

  “I thought you might be disappointed.”

  “How could I ever be disappointed about anything you do? Chloe, more than anything, I want you to be happy. What’s your wildest dream?”

  “I think I’m living it right now,” I’d said.

  “Career wise, I mean. Where do you see yourself in five years?” he’d asked, donning a serious face before breaking out in a million dollar grin. My eyes grazed over his naked body, his tan skin glowing in the bright sunshine.

  “Well, before you came along, I had a plan,” I’d t
old him.

  “What was your plan? Tell me all about it.”

  “I was going to start small,” I’d said. “Make a line of dresses for myself and wear them everywhere I went. When people asked about them, I’d give them my card. I’d start by doing small custom jobs until I’d saved enough money and had enough time to make dozens of different styles and sizes. Eventually, I’d open my own store in Portland, filled entirely with my own creations.”

  “So do that,” he’d said, nodding, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

  “I am. I’ll start making my own dresses as soon as I get back. I already have several, but they aren’t appropriate for the winter weather.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Oh?”

  “No, skip straight to the part about opening your own store.”

  I’d laughed and shook my head.

  “It doesn’t work like that. I can’t afford that. Especially in New York,” I’d protested.

  “Of course you can. I’ll pay for it,” he’d promised.

  “I can’t let you do that, Bear.” I shook my head firmly.

  “I want to. Besides, what’s mine is yours, sweetheart. That includes my money. Please, there’s so much of it, I won’t be able to spend it all in my lifetime. Might as well spend it on something wonderful.”

  “But it’ll take quite a while for me to sew enough dresses to fill a storefront.”

  “So hire help,” he shrugged.

  “Bear!”

  “What? New York is full of excellent seamstresses more than happy to work for the next up and coming designer.”

  “You flatter me,” I’d said. I couldn’t help smiling.

  He’d kissed me for hours after that and the next day, he’d acted like it was settled. A done deal. I’d open a store, and that was that.

  My mind had a hard time accepting that as reality. Hell, I was almost more intimidated about opening my own place than I was the hotel job. This was my baby. This was real. It mattered even more if I fucked it up. The silent thrill that ran through me when I thought about it wouldn’t let up, though, and eventually, I just went along with it and stopped protesting.

  This was the year of saying yes, right?

  When in the world would I ever have an opportunity like this again?

  There was only one thing I was hesitant about, and it was huge. I didn’t really want my career tied up in Bear’s money. What if something happened and we broke up? I made a vow to keep meticulous records and pay back every penny. I didn’t tell him that, because I knew he would dismiss it, but I promised myself and that was enough for now.

  Everything seemed to be working out so well. Actually, that was an understatement. Bear and this life was a fairytale come true, there was no other way to describe it.

  I’d never believed in fairytales before. I’d poured over all those romance novels for years, never believing for a second that love like that really existed, that men like Bear existed, that lives like this existed.

  I’d been proven so wrong. Bear had made my toes curl so many times by now that I was pretty sure they’d never uncurl again.

  Chapter 5

  “To our island,” Bear said, holding up a champagne filled goblet and clinking the edge against mine. We’d decided to go all out for our last night there and gotten dressed up. I was wearing a long, backless, black maxi-dress with a tropical floral print on it. The halter top accentuated the curves of my breasts and I felt sexy and voluptuous in it. My hair flowed down my back in soft waves. The look in Bear’s eyes when I’d walked out of the bedroom held a familiar darkness that I’d not seen since we’d been here. A spark of anticipation flashed deep inside of me and I knew it was going to be a wonderful night.

  We’d built a fire on the beach and sat next to it together on a blanket, watching the sun set in the distance, pink and purple streaks fading to orange, casting a warm glow over the beach until it disappeared into a stunning darkness glittering with sparkling diamonds.

  “To our island,” I repeated, “to us!”

  “Yes, to us, to our future, to the beautiful life we’re going to have together,” he said. We sipped from our glasses, our eyes meeting over the rims of the goblets. I’d gotten so used to being alone with him that the thought of sharing him with the world again was something I wasn’t quite ready for. I was so grateful we had one more night alone together.

  He looked incredibly handsome in his clothes. We’d hardly dressed the entire week and it was nice to see him all dressed up for me. He wore a white linen button down shirt and a pair of matching linen trousers, we were both barefoot. He’d slicked his hair back, making it appear even darker. The deep blue-black contrasted starkly against the white of his clothes, the stars twinkling overhead reflected in his shimmering blue eyes.

  Gazing at him had become my favorite past time.

  I reached up and touched the choker I’d worn every day since he’d proposed. He’d not said a word about it since and neither had I, but I’d worn it without hesitation, dutifully fastening it back around my neck after every shower.

  He saw me fingering it now and gazed back up at me.

  “Is it uncomfortable?” he asked.

  “No, not at all,” I replied, smiling at him.

  “That’s good. You know you have to wear it in the city, too, right?” he asked, his voice a low whisper.

  “Yes,” I said. “I know.”

  “I want everyone to know you’re mine.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  He looked at me thoughtfully a moment, his eyes searching mine.

  “Because I’m proud of you,” he said.

  I nodded, not wanting to press him further, even though I didn’t fully understand. I wanted to. I was flattered and I wanted everyone to know he was mine, too, but I didn’t see how doing it this way was important.

  “What will it be like, when we get home?” I asked.

  “Like it was before,” he said. “Nothing needs to change. Not right away. Take whatever time you need, Chloe. You can keep your apartment, focus on your store. Or, you can move in with me, if you want.”

  “I think we should go slow,” I said.

  “What?” he said, the corners of his eyes wrinkling in a smile. “Do you think we’re moving too fast?”

  “We’re engaged and I haven’t even told my mother about you yet,” I laughed.

  “Ah, yes, Matilda. I have a feeling Matilda might be a little surprised, but she’ll warm up to the idea eventually. She loves me,” he shrugged.

  “She’s going to be shocked,” I said. “I’ll probably never hear the end of it. She’ll accuse me of sabotaging her career, or something. Oh, God,” I said, the idea dawning on me for the first time. “Please don’t fire my mom if we ever break up.”

  “Break up?” he said, shaking his head. “Never going to happen.”

  “Never say never,” I said. “Famous last words and all of that…”

  “Fuck that,” he said, pulling me into his lap. “I’m never letting you go, Chloe, no matter what.”

  “You sound so certain,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck.

  “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. I’ll tell you a little story. I mentioned before that my parents forced me to learn how to play the trombone, right?”

  “Yes,” I nodded, trying not to laugh at the vision in my head of Bear blowing into a huge trombone.

  “Right. Well, at first I hated it. But after being forced to do it over and over again, I started to dig it a little. I learned a little more and after a while, I got better and better. My dad was real big on never quitting anything you started and those times that I grew tired of it, he pressed me to keep going. I was a huge nerd back then and didn’t really have a social life of any sort, so at some point, I really dove in to learning the instrument. I made that damned trombone my life, I learned everything there was to know about it.”

  “That’s awesome,” I replied, imagi
ng him as a young boy pouring over sheet music, the loud honking sounds filling his house. “So what happened? You mentioned before you never wanted to see a trombone again.”

  “I grew out of it eventually, but there were a few years there where I was obsessed with it. And by obsessed, I mean I embraced that S-shaped brass instrument like it was a part of me. I carried it everywhere, I learned everything there was to know about it. For instance,” he said, cocking his head, “did you know it was originally called a ‘sackbut’?”

  I giggled and shook my head.

  “Nope, didn’t know that!”

  “Not many do!” he said, arching a brow. “So, I was in the school band, of course.”

  “You were a nerd, of course you were.”

  “It’s true,” he said, nodding his sexy head. “My band teacher was like a second father to me. I practically lived in the band room.” A big smile spread across his face. “I’ll never forget him. His named was Mr. Petty and he was this big, furry gay Jewish guy who could play every instrument under the sun and he sang like an angel.”

  “He sounds great,” I said.

  “He was. Just fantastic, really. He was the exact opposite of my dad and just what I needed at the time. Anyway, he told me about this competition. A trombone competition! Bet you didn’t know those existed, did you?”

  “Nope,” I laughed.

  “Not many do!” he winked. He was so fucking cute I wanted to kiss him right there, but his story was adorable and I loved hearing him talk about himself. He didn’t open up too often about his past. I got the sense there wasn’t a lot of good stuff to talk about and the bad stuff, well…we both seemed to want to keep that at bay. Everything felt so good, he seemed to be relishing in it as much as I was.

  “Keep going!” I said, hungry for him. I wanted to crawl inside of his mind, inside of his heart, I wanted to feel what he felt and know him as deeply as I could. But I couldn’t do that. His words are the only window I have.

  “Well, me, being the obsessed freak and the only one in the entire band that knew that the Trombone was first spotted in literature as far back as 1478 in Spain and the only one who could play it with precision, Mr. Petty decided I need to go represent the school.”