Chapter 18

“Well I thought seen as a couple you’d be comfortable with,” Ashley assumed, looking at the two weirdly. “We can always change it if you’d like,” She then offered too. Both Samaira and Azrael had noticed the others looked weirdly at the mention.

“Oh that wouldn’t be necessary,” Samaira then added, trying to change this around.

“Oh it seemed like you were taken by surprise,” Vincent mentioned, looking weirdly at the two almost as if he was waiting for something like this to happen.

“No, I just dreaded the snoring I’d have to deal with,” The brunette teased, causing the others to laugh, luckily buying into this.

“I don’t snore,” Azrael pouted, pulling the brunette into him. Everyone he lived with raised a brow at him, truly questioning what he just said. “Fine, maybe a teensy bit but only when I’m tired,” He defended himself and sighed.

“You should’ve come with a warning, man,” Hendro laughed, patting Azrael’s back.

“If he came with a warning he would’ve never scored someone as great as Samaira,” Rae teased, smirking as she looked at her brother who rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

“You have wonderful sisters,” Samaira looked over at Azrael, rubbing his back as her gaze was a loving but fake one.

“Those hellhounds?” He scoffed looking at Zoey and Rae who were both clearly offended by what they were just called.

“Mom,” Zoey looked over at their mother, whilst the other laughed quietly.

“Azrael,” Ashley warned at first.

“Come on, we go to our rooms and settle in,” Azrael changed the subject and took Samaira’s hand in one and their bags in the other.

Vincent, Ashley, Marie, and Hendrick all went in one elevator whilst the other six stepped into another elevator. The first stop was the sixth floor where the Bright sisters' rooms were along with the Jensen’s siblings. As for Samaira for Azrael, they had to head to the eighth floor.

“You know I can carry my bags myself right?” Samaira raised a brow at him, watching as he managed to take care of their bags.

“Uh yeah, but Ash and Vinc should know they raised a gentleman,” He looked over at her with a playful look.

“Oh, a gentleman? You?” She asked teasingly, raising a brow at the man.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Azrael glared at her and stopped walking. Samaira turned around and looked at him, laughing, such a dramatic man.

“Fine, you’re right, you are a gentleman, you just have some moments where you’re something different,” She admitted and patted his shoulder.

“Exactly, being perfect all the time would be boring,” He shrugged and started walking again, leading the way to their room.

“I said gentleman, not the perfect man, Azrael,” Samaira corrected him, but Azrael once again just shrugged and said, “I hear no difference, Samaira.”

“Come on, let’s check our room out,” He took her hand and walked up to their door, and unlocked it for them.

Azrael allowed Samaira to get in first and followed behind her. The brunette stepped inside and immediately noticed the white walls that popped out with the dark oak furniture. The multi-colored curtains hanging was the pop of color the room had. She noticed the one bed that was quite spacious, there was a dresser, a lounging area that had T.V and a mini kitchen of which only the fridge would end up being used and maybe just maybe the microwave if they needed to heat up something. Samaira walked over to the huge curtains and pulled them to the side exposing the wall-length glass slide door which she opened up hastily and entered the balcony. She smiled holding onto the railing and looked out at the view of the beach they had.

“Look at the view,” Samaira sighed lovingly, feeling the warm breeze pass her body.

“There’s a mirror above the bed,” Azrael pointed out at the same time.

“Wait what?” She frowned, turning around, and saw the man lying on the bed and pointing to the top. She walked up to the bed and fell down opposite of him and noticed the mirror too.

“Interesting, I mean I guess I wouldn’t mind seeing this handsome face before falling asleep and first thing in the morning, seems like the right way to start the morning,” Azrael spoke confidently as he smirked, looking into the mirror. Samaira looked at him through the mirror, raising her brow at him. “Were you always this cocky?” She wondered.

“I was always like this, sweetheart,” He turned his head to her, deep down loving how close they were to each other.

“Sureee,” She mumbled, looking back at him. It took everything in her to not reach over and stroke his cheek.

“What will you do?” Azrael asked curiously, they had free days ahead of them and he knew neither of them made any plans.

“I’m not sure yet, you?” She turned onto her side, resting her head in the palm of her hand.

“I don’t know yet, I’ll go get some of those flyers downstairs, usually that’s where I get my ideas,” He decided. He could always just go online however he loved those flyers they picked out the best already, if he wasn’t sure and needed reviews he’d then go online for that.

“Won’t we unpack or something?” Samaira looked over at their bags that were near the door still.

“No, trust me it’s better to leave them as they are, if you organize your bags you’ll know how to find everything quickly,” Azrael explained, letting out a sigh as he too looked at the bags.

“And the toiletries?” She wondered, raising a brow at the man.

“Oh yeah, those we do need to unpack though,” He got up and walked over to the bags.

“Thought so, I can handle that whilst you go get those flyers,” Samaira got up too and picked up her smaller bag.

“Okay, that bag has my toiletries and laptop so be careful,” He pointed to the black bag.

“I’ll be right back,” Azrael held the key card to the sensor, unlocking the door, and was about to head out when he remembered something and turned around, one foot outside and the other still in the room. “Wait, do you need anything?” He asked, Samaira made her thinking face for a moment then shook her head and said, “Nope, I’m good, go on.”

Samaira opened up her bag containing toiletries firstly and began to unpack her stuff, heading into the bathroom, she was in awe, admiring the wood and island vibe the bathroom gave. She continued to unpack her toiletries, putting some stuff on the sink and the others on the surface of the dresser. Samaira then went to the bag Azrael pointed to and started unpacking. There was body lotion, sunscreen for both his face and body. Impressive, Samaira thought to herself and pulled out his razor along with his shaving cream. She came across his perfume and of course, they were expensive, she knew those brands. She took a sniff of the perfume and sighed lovingly, God she loved the smell of him. Samaira found his face cleanser and put that away too. After putting everything in a logical location she walked back to the bag and leaned down to close it up which is when she saw the shiny packets and pulled on them for a moment and realized they were condoms.

‘Condoms? Why did he even have those?’ She thought to herself. Did he have plans to sleep with others on this vacation where his whole family was present?! Samaira couldn’t help but feel a certain way, almost like she was pissed. Was it because he’d technically cheat on her, betray the contract? God, she hoped not. She looked around, searching for him then remembered he went downstairs. A frown formed on her face as she saw both key cards on the counter by the door, damnit did he forget to take his card key?

“You really are something else, Azreal,” Samaira muttered and got up, she took the keys and went out of the room, heading downstairs where Azrael would be. She waited patiently in the elevator and looked at herself in the mirror and adjusted her hair for a moment then looked at the door as it opened. The moment she exited the elevator sweet loud laughter of a woman filled her ears, causing her to look in that direction. She noticed Azrael standing there, two beautiful women standing in front of him. The blonde was dressed in a swimsuit covered by a sheer white knee-length shirt and the brunette wore the tiniest red bikini that showed her curves and only had a mini see-through skirt around her waist. It wasn’t the clothes of the ladies that bothered her, even she wore them, and it was hot on this island after all. What bothered her the most was how close they were to Azrael and how one had their hand on his shoulder and of course they had the man’s fullest attention.

Samaira could assume now who the condoms were for and couldn’t help but grow angry, her blood was boiling at this point, and was forced to take deep breaths.

“Fuck,” She muttered under her breath, realizing why she was acting this way, why she had ignored him those two weeks. She liked him, the sweet, caring, funny, and devilishly handsome man. However this was all fake, she wouldn’t be able to get what she wanted. Pissed off, the woman walked over back into the elevator and headed up to their floor. Samaira stopped walking right in front of the elevator, she tried to sort her mind, there was so much running through it as of right now. How did this happen? How did she fall for him? This was never supposed to happen. Sure he was a nice man, who cared for her and her friends and always looked out for her. They had their banters here and there, but it was just for laughs. Their flirting, however… She now realized that wasn’t playing around, for her it was real.

The loud ‘ting’ of the elevator went, making her snap out of her thoughts. She turned around and looked over to see Azrael stepping out of the elevator and took a step back herself.

“Samaira? What are you doing here?” Azrael asked, looking funny at the woman.

“You forgot your card,” She muttered and handed him his card then walked off.

“Oh right, thanks,” Azrael smiled foolishly and held onto the card he was just handed. He frowned when Samaira just walked away but figured it was nothing. “So I got the flyers and there are some fun places to head to,” He mentioned, catching up with her as they walked down the halls to their room.

“Ok,” She responded in a monotone, opened the door to their room, and hadn’t bothered holding it open for him.

“Do you want to check these out?” He wondered, frowning a little, was something wrong?

“No,” She replied coldly, leaving her shoes at the door and walking to the bed.

“Is everything alright, Samaira?” He rested his hands on his hips, looking over at the brunette, he had seen this routine before and knew where it would lead.

“I’m just a little tired,” She muttered, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“I’ll finish up on some work, you get some rest ok,” He squeezed her shoulder, somewhat relieved she was only cranky because she was tired.

Samaira didn’t say anything else and just headed straight onto the bed. She went under the duvet, loving the softness and warmth it offered her. She could tell Azrael put the temperature lower, but luckily the duvet helped with that. She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep for a good fifteen minutes then drifted off to sleep, avoiding her current problems.

Azrael noticed her mood turned around, he wondered if he had done something. All he did was get some flyers, was it because he left her alone to unpack the bags? She offered to, didn’t she? So what happened this time. He hated this because he knew it would lead to a fight soon and he didn’t like fighting with her. It strained their relationship and he cared much about it. In fact, he missed her so much those two weeks they barely spoke, he thought this time they’d have some fun on the island. That wouldn’t be happening now unless they resolve whatever issue there was. To him there was an even bigger issue now, he realized he cared about the brunette, in ways they agreed to not get involved in the first place.

Azrael’s POV:

Shit, this is bad. This was never meant to happen. I looked over at Samaira, watching as her body rose up a little when she breathed in and moved down slowly when she breathed out. I don’t get it, what about her is so special? Is it because I’m less than three years away from being thirty? Am I seeking stability? No that can’t be it, I planned on seeking settlement at thirty lasting till thirty-five which is when I’d want to start a family. Stability is not it. I went back to the small living room and sat down on the couch, pulling the laptop over my lap again. That’s it, I’m going to make a document and list what about her has me so hooked, to see if it would truly be worth the risk.

I opened up the document and typed in her name: Samaira Zivah Martin. So far I know she had no family, just two good friends. She’s awfully friendly and funny. I’ve never enjoyed someone's company so much. I actually wanted to be around for more than just the weekend, hence why I spend so much time off work with her. Even if her friends are around too it was still fun, but much better with just her. She was true and genuine, though I threw money at her for the contract. It's like she didn’t want more than what was already offered, it’s like she didn’t care for it. I know damn well if it was someone else they’d have asked for their whole one billion dollars allowance. She makes mean cupcakes and grilled cheese sandwiches, that’s another plus point. Fuck, she’s smart, I have others in the same position as her and no one does it as well as she does. A promotion would be due however I never gave her one, I don’t want others to think she’s getting it because she’s with the boss though it’s not fair to her and her complete hard work. What else do I like? Oh, the way she gets on with my sisters, no one ever managed to get along with them as well as she does, though those hellhounds seem to think she can do better than me though… Even Hailey, who grew up with us together, still isn’t as good with Zoey and Rae as Samaira is.

I stared at the document and thought for a moment, I felt like something was missing. Shit, I forgot she’s the prettiest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, maybe her sweet personality has to do with it, but I can’t take my eyes off her ever. I like running my fingers through those brown curly strands, I like the way those big brown eyes look into mine. Most importantly I love feeling her curves under my touch, her body is magnificent, and she is… talented and addictive in bed. Fuck, I want to be in a real relationship with her. I closed the laptop and sighed. I tipped my head back for a moment, closing my eyes not aware I’d be falling asleep.

Two hours later I heard my phone ringing and jerked awake, almost making the laptop slide down to the floor. I reached over for my phone and answered the phone without looking at who called.

“Hello?” I answered, clearing my throat and blinking my eyes. My gaze shifted to the huge windows, peeking out, and noticed the sun was slowly going down indicating a lot of time has passed.

“Azrael, please tell me you’re getting ready for dinner,” Mother spoke into the phone, her tone slightly demanding but also as if she was already expecting failure.

“Yeah, of course. Kind of interrupting me here, ma,” I lied, running my fingers through my hair. Fuck, we had to get ready for dinner.

“Just making sure, you nor Sammy had responded in the group chat,” She added.

“We were busy resting, our bad,” I responded, telling somewhat of the truth.

“That’s ok, see you soon,” Mother replied hastily, clearly she too was still getting ready.

“See you soon,” I swiftly ended the call and checked out the group chat and saw they had planned to have dinner together. I realized we only have a little time left to get ready. I heard footsteps and turned around to see Samaira walking from the mini fridge with a bottle of water.

Third person POV:

“Oh you’re up, great, we have to get ready for dinner with the others,” Azrael got up and walked over to her, wanting some water too.

“No,” Samaira answered, attempting to walk away.

“No?” Azrael turned to her, raising a brow at her. Samaira sighed and turned back around, looking at him.

“I don’t want to,” She replied, brown eyes shifting up to meet with his. She could tell he was pissed; his jaw was clenched; his eyes were narrowed down.

“Listen Samaira, I’m not paying you to just say no,” he gritted out, taking a step closer to her.

“Get out of my way,” Samaira muttered, feeling slightly intimidated.

“No,” He replied, crossing his arms.

“No?” She retorted, confused. How dare he answers with no…

“No. Tell why you’re acting this way,” Azrael's tone had softened but he didn’t move out of the way yet. “We can’t be on bad terms, not now, in front of my family,” He added, resting his hands on his hips.

“Right because this is all a play,” Samaira rolled her eyes and walked away.

“Tell me your problem, I suggest you tell me now so we can fix it,” He caught her wrist in her hand gently and pulled her back, refusing to let her walk away.

“Can’t be fixed Azrael,” She mumbled.

“What’s the problem, Samaira?” He demanded to know. How can they fix the problem if he didn’t even know what it was, to begin with?

“You,” She scoffed, her nail dug into his chest as she pointed at him.

“Me? What did I do?” He asked confused, a little taken back. What did he even do?

“I saw you flirting with those ladies downstairs Azrael. I know we’re not exclusive and I know we promised to not get any feelings and I swear I don’t, but I don’t want you cheating, we had a deal, and you won’t publicly humiliate me,” She ranted, not realizing how jealous she sounded right now, but she was. She was jealous and it bothered her to see him flirt with others when they’re supposed to be together even when it was fake she refused to be cheated on- again.

“Flirting? Sweetheart, they did the flirting. I politely sent them away, did you see that?” Azrael sighed and shook his head as he looked at her, was that what her whole bratty attitude was about?

“Why did you pack condoms then?” She wondered, still not believing him. She was foolish with Erik and wouldn’t make that mistake again.

“How do you know about those?” He frowned, feeling slightly violated.

“You asked me to unpack the bag, remember?” Samaira reminded him, rolling her eyes at him.

“Oh right, shit,” He chuckled, realizing she was right.

“Why do you have the condoms?” Samaira asked again, not letting him avoid the question at all.

“In case we get to it, you know,” He admitted awkwardly, beating around the word ‘sex’ as if it would be strange to them. Her eyes widened; mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out for that moment.

“But we had agreed to not, you know,” She answered, unable to also use the proper term.

“Why exactly did we agree on that again?” Azrael raised a brow at her, by now he regretted they ever made that rule.

“So we could avoid catching feelings, you idiot,” Samaira reminded him, clenching her jaw for a moment as she got lost in her thoughts, not the good ones. She went to bed earlier to avoid thinking about her feelings but once again they rose up and worried her. “Listen, I don’t want any dinner and I certainly don’t want to go out now,” she said coldly and right at that moment, Azrael was called by his mother.

“Hello?” He answered in a slightly angry tone before remembering who he was on the phone with.

“Mom, sorry Samaira and I won’t make it to dinner, we’re not feeling too well right now,” He lied. He listened to her as she spoke, offering to come over but he didn’t want that. Right now he wanted to talk things out with Samaira, clearly, something was still bothering her.

“No, no, you guys go, don’t worry about us, I’m sure we’re still tired,” Azrael replied, his eyes focused on Samaira, not letting her out of his sight. He ended the call and threw the phone onto the couch.

“Are you happy? Is that what you wanted?” He asked her rudely.

“Gods, stop using that asshole-ish tone with me,” Samaira rolled her eyes, tired of hearing him speak like that.

“What’s the point in being nice to you when you ignore me in return, hm?” Azrael has been nothing but kind to her and all she does is avoid him in return. It fucking hurts, especially since he cared so deeply about her, even as just a friend he still didn’t like being ignored.

“I’m ignoring you so I won’t break our damn rule, can’t you see you’re making that difficult for me,” The words just left her mouth, she didn’t even think twice to rant. “Mr. Oh-look-at-me-I’m-fucking-handsome,” She scoffed and shook her head.

“What am I making difficult for you, Samaira?” He groaned, unable to decipher what she meant, all he could pick up from what she said was that he was handsome, which he already knew.

“To not fall for you, idiot,” Samaira exposed herself, how was she not supposed to fall for him when all he did was be the perfect man, the man of her dreams she didn’t even know she had.