Waterfall Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story (Saltwater Kisses Book 8) Read online

  The room was full of sunlight, but empty of Leo.

  My hand felt for him on his side of the bed before I opened my eyes, but I knew he was gone before ever stretching out my hand.

  I sighed. When I slept with him, I didn't get the nightmares of being alone, but waking up by myself was almost as bad. I hated being alone more than anything.

  With a groan, I rolled out of bed and opened a drawer to find something to wear. A pair of boxers and a clean white t-shirt that smelled like Leo were perfect pajamas.

  I picked up my phone to check my schedule and found twelve new emails. I had work to do today, even though I really just wanted to take another day off.

  Screw it, I thought setting the phone back down on the nightstand, I'm going back to bed. Maybe I'll go back to sleep and when I wake up Leo will be here.

  It sounded like a solid plan. Avoidance and procrastination were always the best solutions in regards to work. Sometimes.

  I had just snuggled back under the covers, tucking my head under the pillow, when the bedroom door opened.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” Leo said, his voice warm and smooth like honey. That was the greeting I had been wanting earlier. It made waking up worth it. I popped my head out from under it's downy castle and saw that Leo had a tray. A tray with coffee and food. Leo grinned. “Breakfast awaits, madam.”

  I moved the pillow behind me and scooted up in bed as Leo placed the tray over my lap. The smell of pancakes and bacon was overwhelming and my mouth started to water. He even had my coffee with two creams and sugars.

  “You didn't have to do this,” I said, noticing that the tray came complete with a small vase holding a tropical flower. A happy warmth surged behind my breastbone.

  “I know.” Leo shrugged, sitting on the edge of the bed and watching my reaction with a smile. “I wanted to.”

  I grinned at him. No one had ever made me breakfast in bed. Ever. Not even Bastian. But it was something I had always wanted to experience. The idea of someone taking the time to prepare me food, and then bring it to me without having to be asked, or without me even having to crawl out of bed, was one of utter care. Only special people got breakfast in bed. Of course it would be Leo who would give that experience to me. There was a very good reason why I was in love with him.

  “Are you going to eat?” I asked, pouring the pitcher of syrup all over the pancakes and letting it dribble onto the bacon. It was thick and heavy and I knew it had to be real maple syrup and not the knock off kind. Leo really was the best.

  “I already ate. I woke up early,” he said with a shrug. “I couldn't sleep so I went for a run.”

  I was too busy stuffing a bite of pancakes into my mouth to ask why he couldn't sleep. I had slept like the dead.

  “So, I was thinking...” Leo ran his fingers through his hair, making it stand on end.

  “Uh oh.” I dropped my fork. “That's not what a girl ever wants to hear after her boyfriend has done something nice.”

  “This has nothing to do with that.” Leo chuckled, moving to sit beside me. He swiped a piece of bacon off my plate. “I think we should tell your brother about us.”

  “I didn't know you had a death wish,” I replied with a grin. Inside, I was doing cartwheels. We were going to go public. Everyone would know. He could kiss me in front of Toby and it wouldn't matter. We could hold hands. We could go out on dates without having to sneak out of the house. It would be fantastic... if he survived my brother.

  “You're worth it. Besides, I think it's time.” Leo ruffled his hair again. “I timed myself on my run this morning, and I'm pretty sure I'm faster than him.”

  I giggled. “And you have Murdoch. I'm pretty sure Murdoch could take Eli, but if it's Bastian and Eli, you're screwed.”

  “Wow. You're filling me with confidence.” He rolled his eyes.

  I fiddled with my breakfast for a moment. “You remember what he did to my first boyfriend?”

  “The one he caught coming out of your college dorm room at six am?” Leo let out a low whistle as he remembered. “He did not look good with a broken nose. Though, I wanted to beat the guy to a pulp, too. That smug smile still makes me want to hit him.”

  A warmth filled me. Even then, Leo had liked me.

  “Yeah, well thanks to Bastian, that guy never called me again.” I shook my head. Bastian could be very scary when he wanted to be. Especially when it came to his little sister. I frowned. “If Bastian beats you up, you'll still call me, right?”

  Leo planted a kiss on my forehead. “As long as you come see me in the hospital.”

  I laughed, but it was more of a nervous titter than humorous guffaw. I wasn't sure what Bastian was going to do. Leo was his friend, but I was his little sister. He'd scared off more guys than I could count and he wasn't afraid to lose his temper. I loved that he wanted to keep me safe, but at the same time, I was a full-grown woman now.

  I hoped Bastian would be okay with Leo.

  “We'll break it to him easy,” I said. “In a public place. With Ava.” I paused. “I bet she'd even be willing to tie him down for us.”

  “I don't want to think about Ava tying Bastian down, thanks.” Leo stuck his tongue out at me and I giggled. “But, you're right. Some place public, with Ava there, and preferably when he's in a good mood.”

  “Oh, so like... never.” I sighed.

  “Tonight.” Leo kissed my forehead again. “We'll tell him tonight.”

  “Okay.” A delightful pressure was growing behind my breastbone. I loved this man. He was willing to face the wrath of my brother for me. It was going to be scary. But, he was going to do it for me.

  We had a plan.

  Without warning, the bedroom door opened. I turned, expecting it to be the housekeeper or maybe Murdoch. Instead, to my absolute mortification, in walked Bastian and Gabe.

  I tried to pull the sheet up a little higher, but the breakfast tray made it a little hard to do. I was incredibly glad I had decided to put on some clothing, but even so, having my brother walk in on me in Leo's bed wearing Leo's t-shirt, wasn't exactly the way I had planned on informing my brother that Leo and I were a couple.

  This was not the plan.

  “Hey, Charlotte,” Gabe greeted me, walking in and leaning against the far wall without a care in the world. I stared at him, clutching the sheet like a shield. I could feel my blush searing down my skin and was half afraid I was going to light the bed on fire I was blushing so hot.

  “Hi, Charlotte,” Bastian echoed, coming in and sitting down on the foot of the bed like everything was completely normal. “Sorry to interrupt, but we just got good news.”

  I stared at my brother sitting calmly on the edge of the bed while I sat there with sex sleep hair.

  I couldn't be more mortified if I tried.

  “The phone application is basically user ready,” Gabe gushed excitedly. “The beta group loves it. Leo, you and Charlotte did a fantastic job.”

  “Charlotte gets most of the credit,” Leo said quickly. Somehow he wasn't bright red, but he was carefully putting distance between himself and Bastian. “She's the one who made me keep working at it until it was perfect.”

  Bastian and Gabe continued to talk about the app as I looked back and forth between them all and Leo's jaw hung open. He stared openly at Bastian, his head cocked to the side as if he wasn't sure this was real.

  To be honest, I wasn't sure the man sitting by my feet was my brother. My brother should be growling and holding Leo against the wall with a fist cocked back while Gabe tried to hold him back. He should be defending my honor while I screamed at him to let me live my life. That was how it was supposed go- how it had always gone. He wasn't supposed to be sitting there like this was the most normal thing in the world.

  No one had said anything yet about the fact that I was sleeping in Leo's bed. Everyone was behaving as if this were the most normal thing. I had no idea why Bastian wasn't screaming death threats. The scar over his eye wasn't even twitching.

>   The only reasonable explanation was that Bastian had been abducted by aliens. Or this was a dream and the smell of pancakes was just really vivid.

  “So, dinner tonight to celebrate,” Gabe said. “Adele's Restaurant, since she makes the best food on the island other than Leo.”

  The other two boys murmured their assent and somehow my head moved in approval as well. I just kept tugging at the sheet, hoping I wouldn't knock my tray of pancakes over in my attempt to disappear.

  Gabe pushed off the wall and went to the bedroom door. “Great. See you all at six.” Gabe grinned at everyone. “Looking great, by the way, Charlotte.”

  He left the door open, whistling as he went down the hall. I hid a little more under the blanket.

  But Bastian didn't do anything.

  “Enjoy your morning off, but remember I have work for you this afternoon.” Bastian patted my leg through the bedspread before standing and heading to the door himself. “See you later, Leo.”

  And with that, my brother, who should have been pissed that his little sister was in someone's bed, walked out of the room with a smile on his face.

  The room was empty for three whole minutes before I regained the ability to speak.

  “What the hell just happened?” I asked, staring at the door and feeling like I'd just survived a hurricane. I looked over at Leo.

  “The app's going live. It's a good thing.” He shrugged.

  I chucked the pillow at his head. The damn phone app was the last thing I was worried about. “Not the app! Them!” I waved my arms at the door where Bastian and Gabe had just disappeared. “No offense, but how do you not have a black eye right now? I'm in your bed! The guy who took me to prom got a black eye and being in your bed is far worse than a crappy corsage!”

  “To be fair, that guy was a jerk,” Leo replied with a shrug. “I'm not a jerk.”

  I grabbed another pillow and chucked it at him again. He easily caught it and laughed.

  “I have no idea what just happened,” Leo said, looking at the door like it led to another world. “But, apparently, Bastian's good with us being together and I'm still alive. So, I'm not going to complain.”

  The door knocked and I turned to stare at it, worried at what other craziness might walk through that door.

  It was just Bastian.

  “Did I leave my phone in here?” he asked, poking his head in. He then came into room and went to the foot of the bed, walking as nonchalantly as a cat. “Ah, here it is. Must have fell out of my pocket.”

  Bastian grinned at me as I stared at him, my jaw on my chest. There was no way this was really happening. No way.

  Bastian picked up his phone and went back to the door like nothing about this scenario was strange.

  “That's it?” I squeaked, still clutching the sheet.

  Bastian paused at the doorway, finally taking pity on me. He grinned like this was the funniest thing in the whole world. To him, it probably was.

  “Charlotte, thank god you finally got together. It was painful to watch you two dance around each other for this long.” His grin melted into an angry face. The scar pulsed white. “But, Leo- you hurt her and I swear to God, you are a dead man. Understand?”

  “Yes.” Leo took a protective step toward me. Bastian's eyes darkened at the insinuation that he would do such a thing. “You know that'll never happen. I'd never hurt her.” Bastian looked ready to punch Leo's lights out. “I love her.”

  My heart melted completely.

  The scary gleam vanished from Bastian's eyes. “I know. That's why your face is still intact right now.” Bastian grinned. “Also, do you know where Murdoch is? He owes me twenty bucks.”

  “Kitchen,” Leo answered, frowning slightly. “He seems to owe a lot of people money this week.”

  “Thanks.” Bastian winked at me. “See you later.”

  I could hear him chuckling as he walked down the hallway.

  “I'm in the Twilight Zone,” I said to Leo. “Somewhere, someone is narrating my life with a weird twist ending.”

  Leo plopped onto the foot of the bed, staring at the doorway again. “I guess we aren't nearly as secretive as we thought.”

  “Did everyone but the two of us know this was going to happen? No one seems even remotely surprised.” I stabbed my eggs with a fork. “Wish they would've shared that with me.”

  Leo chuckled and put his hand on mine. “I don't know... I think things worked out pretty well.”

  I looked up from my breakfast into his kind, blue eyes. The sun shone on his hair and there was a sparkle in his eyes that made my chest fill up with longing and joy.

  “You're right,” I said softly, smiling as I looked at the man I loved. This was perfect and if it had happened any other way, I wasn't sure it would feel this good. “I wouldn't change this for the world.”

  Chapter Twenty

  It had been a good morning. A very good morning.

  I grinned as I approached the mansion, humming to myself and feeling good about the world and everything in it. Leo and I were officially a couple and my brother was okay with it. Things were finally going the way I had always imagined.

  A security guard waved as I approached, recognizing me and opening up the main gate. I walked in, shaking my head at the massive house in front of me.

  Soon, this mansion wouldn't be ours anymore. It had been sold as part of the auction, and in a few weeks, all of the furniture would be gone and we'd be back in New York. I was actually okay with selling it. I loved the location of the mansion, as well as the view, but the building was far too big and gaudy. It screamed wealth and money and that was the last thing I cared about.

  I much preferred the idea of a cute little two bedroom bungalow on the beach to the massive monstrosity full of old artwork and antique furniture designed to impress. I liked comfort more.

  I stepped inside and nearly tripped over a pair of sandals. They weren't the right size or style for Bastian, but were most definitely men's sandals. And there was a pair of women's flip-flops alongside the door. I stared at them for a moment before remembering that Ava's father and his girlfriend arrived yesterday.

  I knew I'd have to say hello to them later, but for now, I needed to get to work. Despite being in the Caribbean, there were things that needed to be done. Billions of dollars didn't just keep track of themselves.

  I ran up to my room and changed into some light cotton slacks and a silk blouse. Even though I'd be working from home today, I wanted to look professional. Besides, if I was dressed for work, I wouldn't be tempted to leave because I'd have to change.

  I knocked on Bastian's office door before going in to check with him what he needed for the day. He was sitting at his desk while Ava lounged on the couch next to him with a book. Both of them looked like cats that had found the cream.

  “What's up, boss?” I asked, pulling out my tablet. I still had some things that needed to be done with the phone app, but Bastian's news this morning that the beta testers loved it was incredibly encouraging.

  “Those reports you asked for are in,” Bastian replied. “I also need you to schedule a press release.”

  I looked up from my tablet. “A press release? For what?”

  Bastian looked over at Ava and ginned. He looked happier than I'd ever seen him. “Ava, you want to tell her?”

  Ava jumped up from the couch and hurried over to me, holding out her left hand. A big, shiny rock glittered on her left ring finger. “We're engaged!”

  I let out an inhumanely high, excited SQUEE!!!! and began jumping up and down while trying to hug her. “I get a sister! I'm so excited for you two!”

  Ava laughed, hugging me back and jumping with me. “It won't be for a while. We want a longer engagement, but...” She looked over at Bastian and grinned.

  “But there just wasn't a good reason to wait to ask,” Bastian finished. He smiled back at her and I could feel the love in the room.

  “That's why you had me fly Ava's dad out, isn't?” I asked, finally
stopping my jumping. “So you could ask him permission?”

  “I felt it was something I should do in person.” Bastian paused, his smile faltering. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I figured when you said that I should marry Ava, that you were serious and-”

  “-and you were right,” I cut him off. I let go of Ava and ran over to hug my brother. He held me tight and I could feel the happiness radiating off him in waves. “I'm so happy for you, Bastian. So. Happy.”

  He released me, and I realized he had picked me up off the floor in his bear hug. “Thank you,” he said with a bashful grin. His eyes flashed over to Ava and his smile softened into something that melted my heart. He walked around his desk and put his arm over Ava's shoulder. She instinctively leaned into him and smiled.

  “You two are just too damn cute,” I groaned, rolling my eyes. “So lovey-dovey.”

  Actually, I love it, I thought to myself. This was a true romance story. This was what love looked like and I couldn't be gladder that my brother had it. If anyone deserved happiness, it was him.

  “Like you aren't exactly the same,” Ava teased. She grinned at my confused expression. “I heard you were in Leo's bed this morning.”

  Red heat flushed through my entire body and I suddenly felt a little dizzy with the sudden loss of blood to the full body blush.

  “And to think I had to hear it from this guy,” Ava continued, mock hurt filling her voice. She pouted her lips out. “I thought we were friends, Charlotte.”

  “Um...” I couldn't find words. “Well...”

  “I told you it would work out!” Ava grinned at me, holding onto Bastian. “I knew it from the moment I saw the two of you together.”

  I looked back and forth between their knowing grins and sighed. “I'm so glad everyone is so involved in my love life.”

  Bastian laughed. “It just means we care.”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “You said those reports were in?” I asked, changing the subject.

  “Yup.” He grinned, knowing exactly what I was doing to change the subject.

  “Then I need to get to work.” I went to hug Ava. “I'm so happy for you. I couldn't ask for a better sister.”