Chapter Thirty-Seven

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“I’M GIVING MY CHEFS a raise. They can have every penny I own.”

Eleanor laughed beside me, the stress that’d carved into her cheeks and highlighted her weight loss had softened thanks to our shared meal. Her hair had been twisted into a rope and pinned to the top of her head with a pencil from my desk. Pika sat on my pillow, chattering away to himself where I’d been rearranged into a sitting position, while Skittles preferred to perch on Eleanor’s knee where she sat cross-legged beside me.

The remains of our lunch lay between us.

After the intensity of our conversation, I hadn’t been able to stop the tug of sleep. I’d fallen into a dreamless rest, unaware that six hours passed while Eleanor and my doctors watched over me as my body gathered its weakened endurance.

I’d woken to the scents of food—delicious, nutritious food—and my stomach had threatened to leap from my torso and grab a knife and fork without waiting for me to fully rouse.

It seemed every time I fell asleep, I woke a little stronger, a little more coherent and normal. And now that I’d eaten, I had visions of walking from this villa and jumping into Nirvana before the day was through. Fuck my legs. A swim would be beneficial as long as I didn’t drown if I fell asleep again.

“I ate too much.” Eleanor sighed. “Your chefs are magicians.”

I glanced at the remains.

So many bowls had barely a dent in their delicious contents. My stomach, that’d felt as hollow as a cave, had filled too quickly. It ached in discomfort, stretching ribs that’d healed but still liked to remind me that they’d been broken and fixed without my knowledge.

“Dessert?” She spooned a mouthful of palm sugar syrup along with two tiny tapioca and rice balls into my mouth.

To begin with, I hadn’t been down with her feeding me like a fucking invalid. However, she’d ignored my grumbling and selected a delicious rosemary-roasted mushroom and placed it onto my tongue.

The intimacy of sucking food off a fork and holding her stare as she locked onto my mouth had caused yet another fucking erection. At least this time, no catheter twinged my tip—thanks to Louise removing it—but if I was this reactive to Eleanor while still coming out of a coma, how the hell would I endure eight long fucking weeks?

Sexual favours for progress.

Chewing on the sweet confectionary, I ran my tongue over my lips and chuckled at the way Eleanor’s breath hitched and nipples pebbled beneath my shirt. It wasn’t just me struggling, and that gave me far too much satisfaction.

“You know...eating counts as progress.” I swallowed and kept my voice for her ears only. “I deserve a reward. How about I eat you for the rest of my dessert?”

Her cheeks pinked; the spoon she wielded clinked against the porcelain bowl. “Louise will kick me out if we don’t behave.”

“Louise can watch for all I care.” I did my best to shift, needing relief from the aching throb between my legs. To be fair, everything throbbed. The bones that’d knitted together and the muscles that’d resented not being exercised in six weeks all drummed in time with my heartbeat. If it wasn’t for the pain meds that Louise slipped into my IV, I probably would’ve lost my appetite the second I started eating.

Exhaustion was yet another factor in my discomfort. The heaviness of my eyelids, the fog creeping over my mind. Just eating and talking felt like I’d swam around my island twenty times and then scaled Nirvana another forty.

I wasn’t used to being so weak.

I despised it.

“Your first step...” Eleanor whispered. “When you take your first step, you can have me for dessert.”

Goddammit, could a man die of denied gratification? I honestly didn’t know how long I could stand such insufferable desire. “Done. I’ll take a step, fall to my knees, press my mouth against your pussy, and stick my tongue—”

Another mouthful of sweet tapioca and palm syrup filled my mouth. Eleanor gave me a smug smile, effectively gagging my erotic declaration.

I chewed while narrowing my eyes at her.

The Indo dessert typically had sweet potato balls, but I preferred the chewy texture of rice and tapioca. I didn’t really have a sweet tooth, but my main chef and his team of kitchen wizards had put together every delicacy that I favoured.

Three huge trays had arrived, groaning under the weight of coconut crisped kale, lentil patties with mint chutney, satay jackfruit tacos, pumpkin and pine nut paella, chipotle charred cauliflower, spaghetti squash with spicy guacamole, and a huge bowl of tropical fruit salad that I had a tendency of ordering when working late.

Tasting each element was a shock to my system. The salt was intense, the cumin and coriander spices pungent on my tongue. After having nothing, my taste buds clung to each morsel and dissected it until each mouthful made me moan with utmost pleasure.

“I’ll hold you to that, Jinx,” I growled. “I’m going to be inside you within a week, see if I don’t.”

My cell phone rang on the sideboard across the room, making Pika squawk and fly over to peck at the vibrating screen.

“Promises, promises.” Eleanor placed the spoon back into the bowl and elegantly unwound her legs to slip off the bed. “If you keep staring at me like that, it might be me pouncing on you.”

Skittles fluttered after her, the absolute love on the little caique’s face in-tune with my own besotted attachment and desperate desire for Jinx.

Christ, I loved her.

The feeling only seemed to increase until it wrapped tight fingers around my heart and stabbed me with nails of loss.

What would I do if I ever lost her?

I wouldn’t fucking survive.

My hands curled involuntarily, stopping my blackening thoughts and dropping my stare from the girl I adored to the clenched fingers beside me.

More progress.

I tried to raise my arms as Eleanor accepted the call with her back to me. “Hi, Cal. Everything okay?”

Pika darted to the pencil in Eleanor’s hair, biting the implement until it dropped from her strands and bounced to the floor. Her hair instantly cascaded down her shoulders, and she grinned at Pika as he flew back toward me, perching on my sheet-covered toes with a cheeky look in his black eyes. He’d done that deliberately. Almost as if he knew how much I loved Jinx’s hair. How I envied him for playing with it. A direct taunt from a goddamn parrot.

“You’re a bastard,” I muttered. “But a lovable one.”

Pika chirped, puffing out his little white chest. “Lazy.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m working on it.”

He cocked his head as if judging why I hadn’t gotten out of bed yet. I looked past him to Eleanor as she padded barefoot toward me and tapped a button on the phone screen.

Instantly, Cal’s voice spilled into the villa. “You busy? I figured you’d want the good news. You were right to donate those funds in Sinclair’s name to Naked Charms. They began a campaign with the money to shut down animal testing on their biggest competitor in the cosmetic industry. It’s just been announced that all its lab mice, guinea pigs, and a handful of rabbits are being freed today. I’ve already arranged shipment for them to come to Serigala phase two.”

I frowned at Eleanor. What the hell was she doing donating stuff in my name? What the fuck was Naked Charms?

“Oh, that’s great news.” She winked at me, totally aware of my silent questions but studiously ignoring me. “Thanks.”

“Guess you’ll have to tell Sinclair what you’ve been up to when he wakes. If you survive his tirade, remind me to shout you a drink. You have balls, girl. Wait till he sees the spreadsheet of where his latest outgoings have gone.”

Eleanor ran her hand through her hair, keeping my stare but looking less sure. “Eh, well...I actually have something to tell you about that.”

“Oh, yeah? Bastard didn’t die, did he?”

“Bastard is well and truly alive and contemplating revoking your access to his funds,” I barked. “What the hell have you been doing?”

“Sullivan?” Calvin’s shock bled through the phone. “Holy shit, you’re awake.”

“It’s official. You’re fired. Stupid statements like that aren’t tolerated.” I chewed a laugh.

“If I had any doubts that you’d suffered personality changes after lying on your ass for six weeks, you’ve just put my mind at rest,” Cal snickered. “Still the same ole cunt as before.”

“Glad I could do something right and ease your troubled mind, seeing as I’ve been made redundant from my own company.” I couldn’t hold back my chuckle this time, unclenching my fist and managing to raise my arm just enough to beckon Eleanor to come closer. “Miss me or having too much fun being me?”

“Fuck yes, we missed you. We all did.”

“Hi, Sullivan. I’m so glad you joined us again.” Jess’s sweet tone cut through the masculine ribbing between Cal and me.

All ability to joke evaporated. “Jess...” I swallowed hard as Eleanor sat beside me, placing the phone on my chest and leaving the speaker option on. “I wanted to say this in person, but I can’t wait.”

“Oh, what’s wrong?”

Looking at Eleanor, I whispered, “Did you tell her?”

“Tell her what?” she asked too quiet for the phone to relay.

“About the money that I asked the lawyers to deliver in the case of my death—”

“No.” She shook her head. “Cal knows. I left it up to him to tell her...if you passed.”

“Good.” Clearing my throat, I raised my voice so Jess could hear. “I owe you a huge debt, Jessica. What you did with Drake, I’ll never be able to repay. You protected Eleanor when I couldn’t. You protected me, knowing I wouldn’t cope seeing him hurt her. You put your own life and happiness on the line for me...a man who never deserved such loyalty.”

Something rustled down the line before Jess said quietly, “It’s fine. You don’t need to thank me.”

“I do. I also need to say you’re free. You’re free to go home, travel, do whatever the hell you want. You’re no longer trapped here. Our contract is null and void.” I cleared my throat, doing my best to swallow around all the things I’d done wrong against this woman. “I know money can’t erase what I did to you, nor delete the guests you had to entertain, but I’d be honoured if you’d accept four million dollars as my attempt at apology.”

“Four?” Eleanor’s eyebrows rose, her lips curling into a smile. “Getting generous in your old age.”

I smirked and carried on. “I owe you everything, Jess. Along with the money, I also vow to deliver whatever you ask of me. You can ask today or a decade from now, and whatever you request, you shall have it.”

Silence fell. Cal’s cough sounded in the background before Jess said softly, “I appreciate your generosity, Sullivan. And I mean it when I say you don’t have to give me money. What I did with Drake was out of friendship, but I will accept the funds, if it makes things even between us.” A slight pause before she added, “I do have one request, if I may?”

“It’s yours. What do you want?”

“Can I stay? Can I stay on this island with you and Jinx and...Cal?”

My eyes snagged Eleanor’s. Her grey gaze shimmered with adoration, and her hand reached for mine, linking our fingers.

Skittles landed on her shoulder, and Pika roosted on my head, and it seemed like fate pressed a pause button for me to fully appreciate this moment.

To understand precisely what I was gaining by agreeing to Jess’s request.

I wasn’t just allowing another couple to live on my shores, to share in my gardens, or to indulge in this tropical paradise. I was saying yes to friends, yes to family, yes to trust.

A network of happiness.

A bond that extended past the woman I’d fallen for and opened up my darkened world with promises of something so simple and satisfying.

Something I’ve never had before.

Squeezing Eleanor’s hand, I spoke to her as well as to Jess. “Of course, you can stay. This is your home. Our home. Cal’s and Eleanor’s and mine. We’re family.”