I woke up in Killian's arms. When I opened my eyes, the very first thing I saw was the brilliance of his eyes—emerald crystal, locked onto me. His lips found mine as he murmured, "I've been watching you for a while now, and I've realized I can't imagine a better way to spend a morning. We're all alone on the island; Lucius left a few hours ago. How about breakfast and some sunshine by the sea?"
I nodded, caressing his face. I gave him a quick kiss and slid out of bed, heading to my room to change into a bikini. While I was brushing my teeth in front of the mirror, he slipped inside. I expected him to wrap his arms around my waist; I have to confess, girl, my body had already anticipated it, subtly arching back toward him. But he did something far more clever, intuitively sensing that Lucius had gained some ground over the last few days.
"I want us to start over," Killian said. "Hi, I'm Killian Longfield, and for the rest of this day, I'm going to make sure you fall as deeply in love with me as I am with you."
I smiled through the toothpaste. "Hi, I'm Carmilla Morris. You are the most beautiful man I've ever seen, and your heart is even better. It won't be hard—you already know I love you."
His expression turned serious, the muscles in his arms tightening as he leaned back against the mirrored wall. "Carmilla Morris, I know you mean it. But you aren't mine yet. I haven't earned that right. But that, little one, is going to change today."
When he stepped out of the bathroom, I was left trembling, staring at my own reflection and wondering, What just happened? What changed between yesterday and today to make the very god of strength and love feel like he needs to try harder for me? I decided not to overthink it and just live it.
I ran my fingers through my hair and headed down after him, focusing entirely on what Carol had taught me: what better way to honor her birthday than to enjoy every moment without taking a single thing for granted?
While we were packing our beach gear, Killian traced his fingers over the scars on my back, just like he had that first night he took me to the dock by the lake. I smiled up at him, and he murmured, "That white bikini looks incredible on you. Let's get you out in the sun."
Right then, Clara's words flashed through my mind, and I ran upstairs to look for my suntan lotion—the empty bottle I was determined to carry everywhere, just in case. I couldn't find it anywhere, even though I was sure I had packed it. With no other motive than finding it, I tore through my room and then opened the door to Killian's bedroom. Not there either. Finally, I found it in Lucius's room, sitting on his bed. There were also three Polaroid photos lying right next to it, and of course, I looked. What, girl? I'm the least toxic person on the planet, but come on—don't judge me. You would have looked too.
The first was a photo of him from two years ago. He was sporting a mustache similar to his father's, posing by the foundation of this very beach house. He was pointing at a sign that read: "Moetia Heiva, Architect," along with her office address in Papeete, Tahiti—exactly where Lucius had gone that morning.
The second photo was of a gorgeous woman in her early thirties, with sun-kissed skin and long, voluminous, curly mahogany hair. She had the most beautiful smile and bright, light hazel eyes. She was posing by the same sign, laughing, like a siren who had risen from the ocean just to love.
The third was a picture of the two of them together, taken by Lucius himself. He was sitting on the beach, and she was kneeling behind him, pressing a kiss dangerously close to his lips. On the back of the photo, there was a drawn heart and a handwritten inscription: "Moetia and Lucius, our love is eternal. I will wait for you."
A tight ache gripped my heart. It wasn't jealousy—no, I swear, girl, it was something closer to sadness. I can say without shame that I connected with her instantly. She looked so happy, so deeply in love with him, that reality hit me all at once. The same reality I had always suspected: Lucius had other loves, other women, and I… I could never contain his nature. Just by looking at them, I knew she mattered to him. There was a reason Clara, the psychic, had written, "Don't forget the suntan lotion." She wanted me to see those photos.
I left them exactly where they were and took a deep breath. When I went downstairs and saw Killian with his long hair and perfect beard, a thought crossed my mind: does he have other women too? I was sure he did, but I couldn't stop myself from walking up to him and saying, with a hint of mock irritation:
"Before I go anywhere with you, you need to be completely honest about something: how many are there? Don't make that face like you don't know what I'm talking about. How many mistresses, lovers, women, girlfriends—whatever—do you have right now? No, wait—better yet: tell me how many you've loved, one by one."
He gave me a puzzled look, picked up the beach gear, and said, "I promise that if you come to the beach with me right now—if you follow me—I'll tell you everything. Every last detail you want."
I agreed, even though a sudden fear made me want to throw myself into his arms and scream, No—just tell me I'm the only one, damn it! But I smiled and followed him down the wooden path until we stepped out of the vegetation and the sea and sun flooded my senses.
There were umbrellas and tables already set up. We had breakfast there, and every two bites I would nudge him: "Well? Start talking!" But he would pretend his mouth was full or take another sip of coffee. And he looked so beautiful with those dimples that appeared every time he played dumb—so endearing that I couldn't help but laugh.
When we finished, he took my hand and led me into the water, keeping his promise to finally talk. Standing there, I watched the sunlight move across his body, tracing his muscles as if Apollo himself were whispering, You are my son, and you have returned to my arms.
Killian asked, "Okay, Carmilla, do you want the short answer, straight to the point, or the long, detailed version?"
How clever. He had delayed just long enough for my own urgency to demand the answer. But I pretended patience. I swam for a bit, then took his hand and led him back to the shore so we could dry off. I removed the top of my bikini and, sitting there topless—pretending I was the most confident woman in the entire Pacific—I told him, "I have all the time in the world to listen. I want to know everything. But I'll warn you—if you lie to me, I'll know."
He smiled. "My first love, as you already know, was my language teacher. I told you what happened. Want to know the strangest part? Even after her arrest, after realizing she was a terrible person, I still thought about her some nights. I still do sometimes, and I can't believe she played with our feelings like that… we were just kids."
I looked at him with tenderness and understood he was telling the truth, so I asked him to continue.
"The next woman I have to mention is Georgiana, the daughter of one of my father's cousins," he said. "Blonde, beautiful, blue eyes, fun. We were eleven when we met, and she was in love with Lucius. I'm not ashamed to admit my brother never paid her any attention, while I was completely obsessed with her. Years passed, we turned seventeen, and maybe because Lucius never showed interest, she agreed to be my girlfriend. She kissed me under the snow during a beautiful winter. We were together in secret for two years. Georgiana never stopped loving my brother—I knew it—but I was willing to accept it, convinced she would eventually realize I was the one. And that's exactly what happened… but it took too long, and by then—well, Julia appeared. I have to tell you about her too, because I have twins with Julia. Two beautiful boys."
I had my eyes fixed on his, and my heart nearly stopped in the split second it took me to realize Killian was joking. I threw myself at him to hit him, but he caught me, laughing, and my breasts pressed against his muscles. I could feel his body react instantly, but I pulled away and told him, "Control yourself. I won't come near you again if you make another joke like that."
Killian stopped laughing and continued, "Alright, no kids. But Julia is real, and she was very important. She was a boxer when I met her—I'm not kidding—and she actually won the world championship last year. She's amazing. I adore her, but we've just been friends for a long time. It was my fault. As I took on more responsibility in the Longfield business, I completely neglected that relationship. I didn't love her, but being with her was beautiful. I'm lucky she still talks to me."
I had no doubt he was telling the truth. We went back into the water, and I let him hold me from behind, his hands touching my breasts. This time, I was the one who kissed him. There's nowhere else in the world where I feel safer than in his arms.
"I need to tell you something," I said, "but wait… is there anyone else?"
"Yes," he answered. "You arrived, with those incredible eyes and this small body that drives me completely crazy. There isn't a single person—no one under the sun or the stars—that I have ever loved the way I love you."
His answer ignited something inside me. There, in the emerald sea, I wrapped my legs around him and held onto his shoulders. I kissed him and, wanting to hear his voice say once more that I was the only one, I asked:
"Why? Why do you say you love me?"
Killian didn't hesitate. He held me by the waist, positioning my body so my breasts pressed against him, lifting me over his arousal so I could feel how much he desired me. I gasped, once again surprised by him.
"While you were sleeping in my arms this morning, I was watching you," he said. "I couldn't believe how lucky I am just to have you close. I found a thousand reasons to love you in that moment—from the soft sound of your breathing to the small movements of your eyes when you dream something sad. And from the moment you woke up until now, that number hasn't stopped growing."
I kissed him, my legs tightening around him as he removed my bikini and his shorts, wanting what was about to happen. Killian, with his eyes shining green, slowly entered me, making sure I felt everything, little by little, encouraged by the pleasure on my face, until he went deeper.
He whispered in my ear, "Do you want me to stop? Am I hurting you?"
I shook my head and kissed him, lost in the sensation.
Then Killian went deeper, and when I cried out, "I love you!" trembling and digging my nails into him, overwhelmed by his strength, he promised in his deep, warm voice:
"I'm going to make love to you until the entire ocean evaporates around us."