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

  “Always,” he replied without hesitation. Warm, fuzzy feeling drifted through my middle. He frowned slightly. “Why would you care what he tells Bastian about a fake fiancée anyway? People are always making up bullshit reasons to talk to us. It's part of being a billionaire.”

  I looked up at him, surprised. I thought he knew about Ava and Bastian, but apparently not. “Have you talked to Bastian in the past couple of days?”

  “Not really,” he said with a shrug. “I've been busy finishing up that giant phone app thing that our company is working on. You know, the one that we've been working on non-stop for the past month?”

  I rolled my eyes at him. Considering the two of us just spent a week working eighteen-hour days to make the app a reality, there was no way I could forget. “So you haven't noticed the change in him?”

  Leo shrugged. “He seemed moodier than usual, but it's Bastian. He's tall, dark and brooding. That's why we all love him.”

  “He's in love with her,” I informed Leo.

  “The caterer?” he asked.

  “No! Ava!” I smacked his arm and he grinned at me. “Bastian is in love with Ava.”

  “Oh, good for him.” Leo looked at me like I was slightly crazy. “Why would this guy matter then? He's a nobody. Why believe him?”

  “The problem is that Ava isn't here,” I explained. “Apparently, they had a fight and she left. She's at home being an idiot until she realizes that she loves him and comes back.”

  “You sound like a romance novel, you know that, right?”

  I smacked his arm again, this time harder. He laughed.

  “Shut up, I'm serious,” I said. “The two of them are head-over-heels crazy in love, but they're both being too dumb to do anything about it. I'm about ready to send someone to kidnap Ava and bring her here. It's either that, or accidentally have the private helicopter land on her lawn the next time Bastian gets on it.”

  “So Bastian's in love, huh?” Leo watched the auctioneer flirt with the caterer for a moment. “That does explain why he cussed me out for stealing his pen this morning. He did seem a little crankier than usual.”

  “If Bastian hears Mr. Stupid Hair's fiancée nonsense...” I shook my head. “It would kill Bastian if he thought Ava was with someone else.”

  “Mr. Stupid Hair?” Leo repeated, raising his eyebrows.

  “He's making me mad and I can't think straight when I'm mad,” I informed him. Instead of smacking his arm again, I tried to push him out of the way as I moved around the table. Except he was rock solid under my palms and didn't even budge. What would those muscles look like naked... under my fingers...

  Stop it. He's not yours. I told myself.

  “You sure are cute when you're mad,” Leo informed me. I knew he was trying to tease me, but I couldn't help but flush with pleasure at being called cute. Damn him and how he always managed to tie me up in knots. Even when I was irritated with him, even though he would never feel the same way about me, I couldn't help but be charmed by him.

  A sharp slap rang out through the main entrance and we both turned to see the caterer storming off while Chad held a hand to his cheek.

  “Well, my day just got a little better,” I said.

  Leo chuckled. “I'm here to make it even better.”

  The warm gooey feeling filled my heart again. He didn't know it, but he had already made my day better just by smiling at me. He always did. “And how are you going to do that?”

  “Check your email,” he said with a smug smile.

  I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, but pulled up my email on my tablet. The newest one was from Toby, Leo's personal assistant informing me that the guest list was finalized and the parking situation I had been struggling with was taken care of.

  “What is this?” I scrolled through the email, seeing more things on my to-do list crossed off by Toby. “How?”

  “Toby wanted to help you out,” Leo informed me with a warm smile. “He knows you've been busy with the auction as well as the app stuff, and yet you still had the time to help him out last week. He actually insisted he help.”

  “What?” I looked up in surprise. “Toby hates me. He did all this?” I asked, glancing through the work. He had done a great job and was completely saving me.

  Leo had hired Toby to be his personal assistant a little over a year ago, despite my objections. He had a decent resume, but there were so many more qualified candidates. I never understood why Leo was adamant that his long-lost college buddy get the job when I had perfect assistants with all the training needed lined up. Something about Toby rubbed me the wrong way, but Leo had insisted.

  Apparently, the extra time I had to spend training Toby was finally paying off. Maybe, someday, we'd even get along.

  “Does it help?” Leo asked, raising his eyebrows.

  “This is fantastic,” I said, closing the email and feeling a weight lift from my shoulders. “Thank you, Leo. This helps so much.”

  Leo held up his hands, deflecting my gratitude. “Don't thank me- thank Toby. It was all him.”

  “Still...” I didn't want to thank Toby. I wanted to thank Leo. I had a sneaky suspicion that it was Leo that had suggested it. It would be like Leo to do something wonderful and give the credit elsewhere. He was always doing stuff like that.

  I thought about hugging Leo. I could hug him and it wouldn't be all that weird. We were friends after all. But I had the world's biggest crush on him and I was fairly sure that if I hugged him, I might burst into flames of desire.

  So I just kept my distance and said a polite, “Thank you.”

  “So,” Leo said, clearing his throat. His blue eyes focused on me and I suddenly felt like a high school girl meeting a rock star. He did it to me every time. Despite years to get over him, he still rendered me back into a love-struck teen with just a glance. “I'll see you at the gala tonight?”

  I held up my tablet. “Since Toby got me caught up, yes.” I grinned at him. “I have a dress and everything.”

  Leo's face lit up in a smile. “Excellent. Be sure to save me a dance. I know how Bastian likes to steal you for the whole night.”

  “He does not,” I replied, trying not to roll my eyes. “He just likes to make sure I have a good time.”

  Leo took a step forward, and I was suddenly very aware of how close he was and how much I still wanted to hug him. To touch him. “Still, I want my dance tonight.”

  “It's yours,” I whispered, breathless. Leo grinned and stepped back toward the main doors. Behind him, two men were moving one of the large cabinets to the auction area and through the open door I could see a taxicab dropping someone off. I frowned. I wasn't expecting anyone tonight to come in a taxicab.

  A young woman with beautiful, dark red hair stepped out of the cab. It was my friend, Ava. She stood there, staring up at the big house and looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Her eyes were wide and rimmed with red, whether from crying or lack of sleep, I wasn't sure. Probably both.

  Leo put his hand on my shoulder as he moved to look over my shoulder to see what had caught my attention. The simple touch set my body on fire in a way that I should have been used to by now.

  “Looks like your friend is here,” Leo said, removing his hand. I could still feel the weight of it on my shoulder and I missed it. I wanted so much more.

  “This is going to make Bastian's night.” I turned and grinned at him, thinking now of my friend and my brother. I knew Bastian was locked up in his room, moping over the fact that Ava left. The idea of presenting her, beautiful and looking like a princess, was too good to pass up. It would be the perfect fairy-tale ending. “Don't tell him, though. This is going to be the best surprise ever.”

  “Not a word.” Leo mimicked zipping his lips and locking them shut. “You should go rescue her. She looks like she's about to bolt.”

  I grinned, handed him my tablet, and ran out the door to greet her.

  Chapter Two

  “YOU CAME BACK!” I yelled, running down
the steps toward Ava. My hair spread out behind me in the tropical heat. I jumped the last step, being careful of my heels before taking off at a run. Bastian never understood how I could do it, but I'd been wearing heels for work long enough to know how to run in them.

  I wrapped her up in a giant hug. The last time I had seen her was a little over a week ago. We had become friends just before I had left to go work on the phone app for our company. That was right around the time she and Bastian realized they were perfect for each other and were giving the most obvious love-filled glances in the kitchen. I had been glad to get out of the house and give them some alone time.

  To be honest, I was surprised when I came back to work on the auction and found out that she had gone back home, leaving my brother broken-hearted. Bastian claimed she said she just didn't fit his world, but that made no sense to me. They were so perfect together that I was having difficulty understanding why she had left, but somehow I knew she'd come back.

  I was so glad to see her. Since she had been gone, Bastian had been mopey and miserable. I had missed her, and not just because of Bastian's mood swings. She was my friend, too.

  “I'm glad to see you, too,” she replied with a laugh.

  I grinned at her, finally releasing her from my hug. “Bastian's going to flip. He's been absolutely no fun since you left.”

  “Where is Bastian?” Ava asked, her eyes going to the house and looking for him. “I need to talk to him.”

  “I'm sure you do,” I said with a wink. They needed to do much more than talk. “But he's not here right now.”

  “Oh. Of course. I should have checked before I came...” Ava looked down at the ground, heartbreak filling her voice.

  “But he'll be back for the gala tonight,” I quickly promised. Poor Ava just looked more confused and all I wanted to do was hug her again. Apparently, being apart from Bastian had been as hard on her as it had been on him.

  “Oh, he'll be back?” Relief flooded Ava's voice and her shoulders relaxed slightly. She looked exhausted. Her blouse was wrinkled and her shorts stained with the signs of fast food and travel. Her usually shiny, thick red hair was pulled back and brushed, but her eyes were red and her skin drawn and pale. If I looked up “travel-weary” in the dictionary, her picture would be there. Given that the island wasn't an easy place to get to without a private jet, I could only imagine the night she'd had.

  “You are coming to the gala tonight, right?” I asked, already working on a plan. This was going to be my opportunity to play fairy godmother.

  “Gala?” Ava sounded utterly confused. She frowned and reached into her pocket, pulling out the golden ticket for the gala and auction. The paper was creased only once, as if she had stuck it in her pocket and forgotten about it. She now stared at it as if she were reading it for the first time. “I totally missed there was a gala on there.”

  I looked at her very small travel suitcase. There was no way an elegant evening gown was in there. “What are you planning on wearing?” I asked, knowing that she most likely didn't have a plan. If anything that made me love her more. Ava had just hopped on a plane with nothing in a rush to get to the man she loved. It was incredibly romantic.

  I was a sucker for romantic.

  “Um...” Ava blushed and looked down at her suitcase.

  “Oh, good! You didn't bring anything. That makes this so much easier,” I answered for her. My brain was already going at a million miles an hour on just how I was going to make this a night to remember. “It's always better to work with a blank canvas anyway.”

  “What?” Ava squeaked. She looked a little panicked and shell-shocked. I couldn't blame her. This must not have been at all what she was expecting.

  “I've got just the designer for you,” I said, thinking of the three brand new designer gowns hanging in my closet. They had been given to me by upcoming new artists specifically for this event and now I would be able to use at least two of them. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and started to guide her up to the house. “This is going to be so much fun!”

  Ava shot me a nervous look, but let me lead her forward. I wasn't the princess of the story, but I was going to be the fairy godmother and make sure that Ava and Bastian got their fairy tale ending.

  “I'm going to make you the belle of the ball.”

  ***

  “Yes, yes, yes!” I exclaimed, finishing zipping up the back of the gown. It was perfect for Ava. The first time I saw the dress, I knew it would be too long for me, but since Ava was taller, it would fit her without even needing hemmed. It was as if it was made for her.

  The dress was made of soft gold that flowed over her hips and made the woman in front of me appear lush and slender at the time. A gold lace overlay started right at her hips and continued down the length of the gown to create a train that was both romantic and stunning.

  I hooked the top latch, making sure everything was in place. “I thought of you as soon as I saw this dress. It's perfect.”

  “It's not too much?” Ava asked, looking down at the rich lace fabric bodice.

  I stood behind her and put my hands on her shoulders. With a gentle push, I moved her in front of the full-length mirror. “You look amazing. Stunning.”

  She smiled, taking in the dress for the first time. “I'm just nervous.” Her smile faltered. “What am I going to say to him?”

  “Tell him you love him,” I told her without hesitation, squeezing her shoulders.

  Ava looked up, the mirror reflecting the shock in her bright green eyes. “How did you know? I haven't said anything about how I feel...”

  “Seriously?” I laughed, thinking of how obvious the feeling those two had were. “You just flew how many god-awful hours to come here? Besides, I knew you were in love with him from the moment I saw you two making flirty eyes over sandwiches. It wasn't exactly hard to figure out how you feel about him.”

  Ava giggled and blushed slightly. “Fair enough.”

  “He's going to be so happy to see you,” I told her. I loved the way my brother had lit up while she was here. He was a different person- a happier person. He smiled more and the lines around his eyes disappeared when Ava was near. I could only imagine how happy the two of them would be together, if they would just give one another the chance.

  Her smile faded with nerves. “Okay, no more talking about Bastian and how much of an idiot I am for not realizing I love him four days ago.” She strengthened her smile. “New, but slightly related topic: Leo.”

  I froze, thinking of his hand on my shoulder this morning. Of his promised dance to me this evening. And how it was all a moot point. He'd never choose me.

  “There's nothing on that front,” I said with a sigh.

  “Oh, come on- you two were alone all last week.” Ava turned to look at me. Her skirt made a pleasant swishing sound with the movement. “Something must have happened?”

  “First of all, we weren't alone. Gabe, the other owner of the company, was there. Second, we've been alone plenty of times and nothing's ever happened.” I sighed. “And nothing ever will. He sees me as Bastian's little sister and nothing else. Nothing's going to change that. Believe me. I've tried.”

  Ava put her hands on her hips. The dress gave her an amazing hourglass shape. “What have you tried?”

  “More of what haven't I tried?” I moved behind her and unhooked the the top of the zipper and began pulling it down. This fitting was just to make sure the dress fit and if we needed an emergency seamstress. She needed to be out of the dress for the hair and makeup ladies to work their magic. “I've tried being coy, setting up a romantic dinner, snuggling up to him, hell, I've even tried flat out asking him to kiss me, and nothing.”

  “You asked him to kiss you? And he said no?” Ava stepped out of the dress and put on a button-up shirt and shorts as I put the golden dress back on the hanger.

  “Charlotte, you're drunk and don't know what you're saying,” I said in a deep voice, trying to sound like Leo. “I don't want to do anythin
g that could jeopardize my friendship with Bastian or you.”

  “Ouch.” Ava winced.

  “I've know him since I was thirteen. I've done my best to make it obvious how I feel about him, but he's not interested. He has made that super clear. For whatever reason, he doesn't want me and I don't see that changing any time soon.” I shrugged. The ache in my heart was all too familiar. “I should be glad that he is my friend. I really need to learn how to be content with that.”

  “I'm sorry, Charlotte. When I saw the two of you together at that restaurant...” Ava shrugged and took the dress from me. “You two just seemed so perfect together.”

  “Thanks. I need to move on, I just...” I sighed, my heart aching. “I just can't.”

  Ava wrapped her arms around me, squishing me with the dress in the process. “At least we can be idiots about men together.”

  “I never said I was an idiot,” I teased, hugging her back. “But you're right.”

  She grinned at me as a knock came on the door followed by the words, “Makeup lady.”

  “Go get pretty, Princess Ava,” I said, releasing my friend from my hug. “I'll get my hair done and then we'll switch. It's a good thing I overbooked.”

  Ava went to the door and paused before opening it, turning to look back at me. “Charlotte?”

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you.” Ava's gratitude and friendship flowed through her gaze and made me feel warm and loved.

  “You're welcome.” And I truly meant it.

  As she walked away, I couldn't help but think about what I had just said. “I never said I was an idiot.” But I knew that I was. I had been from the day that he walked into my life... completely naked.

  Chapter Three

  10 Years Earlier...

  I sat carefully on the old wooden chair in Bastian's dorm room, looking around the room in awe.

  So, this is what college looks like, I thought to myself. I had imagined it to look a little less like a boy's gym bag and more like an academic library, but I wasn't going to complain.