Fractured Freedom(38)

Thankfully, there weren’t many, but my brothers were being dicks on the family group chat now that they knew I’d been in jail.

Dom: Did you make sure not to drop soap in there?

Dimitri: Man, that’s a joke for men in jail, idiot.

Declan: Yeah, they don’t put men and women together in jail. Do they?

Dom: They better not have. Lilah? You weren’t with men in there, were you?

Me: Can you all please do something else with your time? I’m trying to lay low before I start work. I actually have to focus when I'm there. Lives are on the line.

Dom: Not like Declan’s work where he just tackles people for no reason.





I laughed at that because we constantly teased Declan, who was in the NFL. My other brothers made good livings in tech and engineering. Collectively, we’d made our mother and father proud.

I ignored the group chat after that so I could go through the rest of my texts. One in particular I had been avoiding was my work friend, Allan. He was a resident to become a doctor, and I was sure he was into me.

I thought I was into him too. Enough that I’d maybe indulge in some fun with him.

Still, my fingers hovered over his text message inviting me out for drinks once I was back in town. We’d already been out twice. And he was everything I thought I wanted.

Except that Dante was back here.

Swimming in the ocean right in front of me, making it hard to concentrate on anything else.

But beautiful towel girl made her move, running to give him a towel as he came striding, soaking wet of course, out of the beautiful blue water. When he idled near her, drying off, I had the reminder I needed.

There was nothing between us. Dante and I may have bickered, and he may have teased me with a few lines here and there, but he probably had women around the world waiting for him. I needed to have my fun here.

Eat. Pray. And freaking Love. That meant putting myself first and moving forward instead of back.

I texted Allan that drinks would be great. And hopefully, things would progress to mind-blowing sex so I could forget about Dante’s muscles dripping with ocean water.

I grabbed my belongings and hurried back up to the room without him. I glared at my reflection in the mirror, my hair windblown and most of my makeup gone from sweating in the sun. I threw my new clothes off and stared at the new lingerie I’d purchased in my suitcase for this trip.

I slid into the red lace and took a peek at myself again. This time, my cheeks were flushed, my hair wild but maybe sexy.

I nodded.

I was just as good as any girl on that beach and Allan, at least, would see that. I jumped when I heard a knock at the door and raced to throw on a night shirt and shorts over my lingerie.

I sighed as I opened it. “I’m just lying low the rest of the day, Dante.”

“Delilah, ask who it is before you open the door.” His voice was low like he wanted me to really listen this time. “When you leave the beach, you need to tell me.”

“I didn’t leave the resort.” I crossed my arms over my chest to hide how my heart had started to pound out of my chest from him standing directly in front of me in wet swim trunks with no shirt on. I couldn’t make out all the tattoos without staring but the ones across his chest and ribs looked intriguing.

He lifted a brown bag. “Got you some food since you forgot to eat and it’s almost dinnertime.”

I didn’t invite him in. He was half naked and my body had gone off the deep end imagining what it would feel like if I rubbed my hands over him.

“I even got a quesito in here. Let me in.” He tilted his chin at the door I was holding half-closed.

I shook my head and opened the door wide. “You may enter.”

He patted my shoulder and walked on by to set the food on the counter. “You didn’t snorkel today.”

Glancing out the window at my ocean view, I didn’t confess that I had to get out of there before I clawed the towel girl’s eyes out for staring. Plus, there was another reason. “I think I’m scared of it.”

“Scared? Little Lamb, what for?” He smiled softly at me like he genuinely wanted to know.

“You know, that nickname is demeaning.”

He blew a raspberry and pulled out a box of food that smelled delicious. “It’s not. It means you’re cute and—”

“—innocent and pure and probably na?ve. I don’t want to be any of those things.”

“But those things make you close to perfect,” he murmured.

I blew past him, ignoring how smooth he was. “Your charm only works on women who don’t know you use it on every one of them.”

I probably shouldn’t have said it, but I was remembering the long blonde hair of the towel girl and couldn't stop myself.

“I don’t use my charm on everyone, and I only say what I honestly mean.” He handed me a box of food with a look of question in his eyes.

“I believe you really mean everything you say, Dante.” I shrugged before I took the carton and went to sit at the table near my bed. “You just view the world beautifully and make everyone feel beautiful in it.”

“You forget I’ve seen a lot uglier things than most. Hence why I appreciate the beauty.”

“Fair.” I opened my carton and stared at the food that smelled so sweet and glorious. There was nothing to say other than, “What is this? It smells like I died and woke up in heaven.”