Chapter 45

Cecilia

After we finished at the spa, I walked Alice back to her room. She moved slowly, seemed to be wondering how to face Max later.

When we reached her door, she turned to me. "Thank you," she said quietly. "For trying."

"I'm not just trying," I said. "I'm going to make this work. I promise."

Alice gave me a smile, then slipped inside and closed the door behind her.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the closed door, before turning and heading back to the master suite.

Arthur was stretched out on the bed when I walked in, scrolling through his phone. He looked up when he heard me, his expression softening. "How'd it go?"

I climbed onto the bed beside him. "We have a plan."

He set his phone down and turned to face me. "A plan?"

"For tomorrow. Girls' day—me, Alice, and Sophia. We're going to some private cove Sophia knows about. But we need your help."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "My help?"

"You and Carter need to convince Max to go do something with you guys. Fishing, snorkeling, whatever. Just keep him occupied so Alice can have a few hours without him breathing down her neck."

Arthur was quiet for a moment, processing. Then he nodded. "Alright. I'll talk to Carter tonight."

"You will?"

"Of course." He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "If it helps Alice, I'm in."

Relief flooded through me, and I leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Thank you."

He kissed me back, slow and deliberate, then pulled back slightly. "But I want something in return."

I laughed. "Of course you do. What?"

He shifted, pulling me closer so I was half-lying on top of him. "I'm feeling extremely neglected right now."

I frowned. "Neglected?"

"Mmhmm." He ran his hand down my back, his touch light and teasing. "This was supposed to be our trip, Ceci. You and me. Ocean views, private balconies, all that romantic bullshit. Instead, I'm stuck babysitting my brothers and their drama."

I bit back a smile. "You poor thing."

"I'm serious." He looked up at me with those devastating eyes, his expression a perfect mix of wounded and playful. "I can already tell these days ahead will keep me from having you to myself. You’ll never know how much I’ll struggle with it."

"Hard?" I echoed, my voice teasing.

His eyes darkened. "Very."

I felt heat pool low in my stomach, and I shifted against him, feeling exactly how hard he meant. "Arthur—"

"I need you," he murmured, his hands sliding under my shirt. "I need to feel you. Taste you. Hear you say my name like I'm the only thing that matters."

My breath hitched. "We just got back from the spa—"

"And I've been lying here thinking about you the entire time." His voice dropped lower, rougher. "Thinking about all the things I want to do to you."

I swallowed hard, my pulse racing. "Like what?"

He flipped us suddenly, pinning me beneath him, and I let out a startled laugh that turned into a gasp as his mouth found my neck.

"Like this," he murmured against my skin, his lips trailing down to my collarbone. "And this." His hand slid up my thigh, pushing my dress higher. "And definitely this."

His fingers found the edge of my underwear, and I arched into him, my hands fisting in his shirt. "Arthur—"

"Say it," he whispered, his breath hot against my ear. "Say you're mine."

"I'm yours," I breathed.

"Good." He kissed me again, deeper this time, his tongue sliding against mine in a way that made my toes curl. "Because I don't share well."

I laughed breathlessly. "I've noticed."

He pulled back just enough to look at me, his eyes blazing with heat. "I'm going to make you forget about everything else," he said. "Everyone else. Until the only thing you can think about is me."

"Promises, promises," I teased, but my voice came out shaky.

He grinned, slow and wicked. "Oh, baby. I always keep my promises."

And then his mouth was on me again, and I stopped thinking altogether.

Later—much later—I lay curled against Arthur's chest, my body still humming with the aftershocks of what we'd just done.

"Feel better?" I murmured.

He chuckled softly. "Much. You?"

"Mmm." I tilted my head up to look at him. "I should neglect you more often."

He tightened his arm around me. "Don't even joke about that."

I smiled and pressed a kiss to his chest. "I'm kidding. I love you."

Arthur

I waited until Cecilia's breathing evened out before carefully extracting myself from the bed. She mumbled something incoherent, her hand reaching for me even in sleep, and I pressed a kiss to her forehead before pulling on my shirt.

The villa was quiet as I made my way through the hallways, the only sound the distant crash of waves against the shore. I found Carter on the terrace, nursing a glass of whiskey and staring out at the ocean.

"Can't sleep either?" I asked, sliding into the chair beside him.

He glanced over, his expression weary. "Sophia has fallen asleep. I just needed some air."

I nodded, accepting the glass he poured for me. We sat in silence for a moment, and I could feel the weight of everything unsaid hanging between us.

"I need your help with something," I said finally.

Carter turned to look at me, his eyebrows raised. "Yeah?"

"Tomorrow. Cecilia's taking Alice and Sophia to some cove—girls' day thing. But we need to keep Max occupied. Away from Alice."

Carter's jaw tightened, and he looked back out at the water. "He's been... rough with her?"

"Not exactly," I said. "He just can’t help wanting to cling to his girl every single moment."

Carter was quiet for a long moment, his fingers tightening around his glass. "But don't you also want to cling to Cecilia every moment?"

"Wrong. I want to, but I respect Ceci." I pointed out.

He let out a bitter laugh. "Maybe respect really does matter a lot. It’s clear that Max has no idea." He drained his glass and set it down hard.

"Fuck. we've known Max since we were kids. We grew up together. And I never thought he'd..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "His family adopted Alice. I remember when it happened—Max was so excited about having a little sister. And now..."

His voice turned bitter. "Now she's his prisoner."

"Then we make sure nothing happens," I said firmly. "Starting tomorrow. We take Max out—fishing, snorkeling, whatever bullshit excuse we need. Give Alice a few hours of breathing room."

Carter nodded slowly. "Alright. Yeah. I'm in." He paused, then added, "But Max isn't going to go for it easily. He's going to push back."

"Then we push harder," I said. "Both of us. Make it clear it's not a suggestion."

Carter met my eyes, and I saw something shift in his expression—determination, maybe, or guilt finally hardening into action. "Alright. Let's do it."