One More Chance, page 11
Today, they had vowed to just be lazy and enjoy a day on the beach. As she stepped out onto the back deck, she realized that wouldn’t be hard to do, considering the house was literally ten feet from the sand.
The air was brisk, and she pulled her robe tighter against her as she sat on a chaise lounge and stared out at the ocean. The view was spectacular, but then again, everything about this trip fit in that category. She felt way out of her league when she was alone like this, but when Mick was at her side, it all felt... natural.
Well, sort of natural. It still boggled her mind that people lived like this, that the boy she grew up with owned luxury houses all over the world and could have whatever he wanted whenever he wanted.
Including her.
Okay, that part had nothing to do with his wealth and fame and everything to with him as a person. The connection had always been there and back when they were younger, they sort of knew all they could have was a friendship.
Until that last day when she’d gotten bold and kissed him.
But even if he had stayed, it would have been years before they could have started dating without everyone freaking out about it.
So now, here they were; making up for lost time and trying to figure out what comes next. Mick already seemed confident in what that was—he had stated it so boldly that first day—but Sienna wasn’t quite so sure. Glancing around at the scenery and the house, she wasn’t so sure she could fit into this world. It took her years to commit to buying a house and it wasn’t even one she loved, it was one she could afford. Meanwhile, he had his choice of houses in every time zone and barely had to think about the price tag.
They’d talked a little about that last night over dinner. This house he’d owned the longest, but he’d been buying and selling homes around Malibu and L.A. for years. He had the penthouse in Manhattan, a condo in Vale, a flat in London, and a small condo in the heart of L.A., just a block away from his office. Again, part of her wanted to argue that she didn’t fit in his world, but she desperately wanted to.
And not just for the monetary perks.
Every day that they spent together, she found more to genuinely like about Mick. They talked about everything, from sharing memories from their childhood to her research on clinical neuropsychology. He’d been very open about his own career and both the struggles and successes he’d dealt with. The more he shared, however, the more she realized that he preferred working behind the scenes and not taking any of the spotlight for himself. And now that he’d achieved the level of success that he had, he didn’t know how to just live for himself.
And it made her incredibly sad.
In contrast, much of her life had been spent in a classroom or a lab. There were very few circumstances that put her in any kind of spotlight, but she still spent most of her time locked away from anything enjoyable. She socialized with other scientists and made a lot of good friends, but she couldn’t remember ever feeling as carefree as she had this past week.
So what did it all mean?
Mick had kept true to his word and, other than his declaration that first day on the plane, he had put no pressure on her to talk about her feelings. He certainly wasn’t pushing her for anything beyond their two weeks.
Although... she really wished he would.
God, what a mess I am...
For so long, Sienna had made all her own decisions. Because of her intelligence and skipping two grades, she’d been more mature than her peers and had always known what she wanted to do with her life. She didn’t rely on guidance counselors or academic advisors. Every step had been planned meticulously by her. Now she suddenly wished for someone else to take the lead for a while. Someone to tell her it was okay to take a step back from her career and take a sabbatical.
Someone like Mick to ask her to stay with him.
She had taken her phone outside with her and she reached for it and captured a picture of the early morning view of the beach and sent it to Eleanor.
Sienna: Good morning from Malibu
Eleanor: Now that is a beautiful way to start the day
Sienna: I don’t think I’ve ever been outside to watch the sunrise like this
Eleanor: Because most days you were either already in the lab or rushing to get to it
Sienna: Very true
Sienna: How are you feeling today
Eleanor: Tired. Very tired. I have a bunch of scans later today
Eleanor: I told them not to bother because it won’t change anything
Eleanor: But no one’s listening
Sienna: Why won’t they listen? If you’re against it, that should be your decision
Eleanor: For the sake of research, I’m going to allow it
Frustration built in her and she wanted to say fuck the research! Where had it gotten her friend, huh? All the research that goes into cancer every damn day and it still couldn’t save Eleanor.
Closing her eyes, Sienna mentally counted to ten because the last thing anyone needed was for her to get argumentative and make things worse
Eleanor: By your lack of response, I can tell you’re upset
Why deny it?
Sienna: I am. I hate that you’re going through this
Sienna: And I hate that you’re going through it alone. I should be there
Eleanor: No, you shouldn’t
Eleanor: You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be
Sienna: It’s hard to feel good about that when I know where you are
Eleanor: And you being where you are is giving me joy, Sienna
Eleanor: I’m so glad you took my advice
Sienna: You always give me good advice
Eleanor: Then I’ve got one more for you
Sienna: Oh?
Eleanor: Don’t worry about me. Everything happens for a reason
Eleanor: Go and start your day on a happy note
Eleanor: Watch the sunrise, walk on the beach, smile, and take lots of pictures
Tears stung her eyes as she silently nodded
Sienna: I will
Eleanor: Good. And send some to me. I’m sharing your adventure with the nurses
That made her laugh.
Eleanor: And they all think you deserve this too
Eleanor: xoxo
Sighing, she placed her phone back on the small table beside her and did her best to get her emotions under control. Closing her eyes, she hugged herself tightly to fight off the early morning chill. “I should have made some coffee before coming out here,” she muttered.
“Your wish is my command,” Mick said from behind her, and she practically fell out of the chair.
“You scared the hell out of me!” she huffed, her hand on her chest. “I didn’t even hear the doors open.”
Looking tousled and far too sexy in a pair of gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt, he handed her a mug. “Sorry. I woke up alone and got up to see where you were. When I spotted you out here on the deck and saw that you hadn’t helped yourself to the coffee, I figured I’d make you a cup.” Leaning down, he gave her a soft kiss. “Wait here.”
The warmth of the mug in her hands felt wonderful. A minute later, Mick was back with a blanket. “Scoot forward a bit,” he said before draping the blanket over her lap and sliding in behind her on the chaise. His arms went around her as he pulled the blanket further up and then urged her to lean back against him. “Good morning, beautiful.” His breath was warm against her throat, and Sienna simply melted against him.
“Good morning to you, too. I hope I didn’t wake you.” Over the last week, they had gotten up early each day because they had places they wanted to see, and she just assumed he’d want to sleep in today.
“I thought we were going to be lazy today. Then I rolled over and you weren’t there, so I wanted to make sure you were alright.”
She took a sip of her coffee and hummed with pleasure. “So good.” For a moment, she simply let the sensations wash over her—the feel of Mick, the smell of the ocean air, and the taste of her morning coffee. “I’m used to being up early, and I was curious about the view. It was too dark to appreciate it last night.”
“It’s definitely a good view,” he murmured against her shoulder, and she knew he wasn’t looking out at the ocean. It made her blush. “Are you hungry? Should I get something delivered?”
That almost made her laugh. “Something delivered? Why can’t we just make breakfast ourselves?”
“We’re on vacation.”
“But we still have to eat, Mick. Although... hmm...”
“What?”
“I wish bakeries delivered. After having that chocolate chip muffin the other day, all I can think about is having another.”
“Seriously? Everything we’ve done and all the places we’ve seen, and you’re still thinking about a muffin?”
Glancing over her shoulder, she said, “It was a really good muffin.”
Chuckling, he nuzzled her neck. “How do you feel about early morning walks on the beach?”
“Um...”
“With the promise of a really good muffin,” he added.
“I’m intrigued. I’ve never gone for an early morning walk on the beach that led to muffins.”
Slowly, he came to his feet and held out a hand to her. “It’s not really my thing either. But Julian lived here for a while, and he raved about the coffeehouse down the beach. You want to try it?”
Accepting his hand, Sienna tried to hold on to her mug and the blanket with her other hand, but the blanket simply fell to the floor. “I think that sounds like a wonderful idea.” She kissed him. “But first... clothes.”
“Hmm... now it doesn’t feel like such a wonderful idea,” he grumbled, picking up the blanket and following her into the house.
Laughing, Sienna walked into the kitchen and put her mug down on the marble island. “Sadly, they are a necessity. But the sooner we get back, the sooner we can get back into our jammies. How does that sound?”
Walking over, Mick gently grasped her hips and tugged her to him. “It sounds like a ridiculous word, but as long as it means coming home and crawling back into bed with you, I’m all for it.” And then he was kissing her, slow and languid and oh so tempting to say to hell with the muffin and drag him back to bed.
But she really wanted the muffin.
Dammit.
Sienna broke the kiss and gave him a sassy smile. “The faster we get dressed and go, the faster we’ll be back here and in bed.”
The man practically sprinted from the room.
Fifteen minutes later, they were on the sand and heading down the beach. She was surprised by how many people were already up and out here, and commented on it to Mick.
“There are a lot of surfers the closer you get to town. The beach in front of these houses is more private, but I wish I would have found a place further away. I prefer to sit out on the deck and have peace and quiet.”
“It’s hardly noisy,” she reasoned. “The loudest noise is the ocean.”
“That I enjoy. It’s very relaxing and when I’m overly stressed, I like to sit outside with a drink and just listen to the waves crashing. It’s very therapeutic.”
“I can imagine.” They strolled hand in hand, and Sienna marveled at how tranquil it all was, how serene she felt. “I think if I had this view, I’d be outside soaking it in every single day.”
“Durham’s not near the water, is it?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I’m about three hours from the coast and I never go. I think the last time I went to the beach—any beach—was while I was still living at home with my parents. I went to see a concert at Jones Beach.”
He smiled. “Who did you see?”
“Um... I think it was R.E.M. Jason took me and, from what I remember, it was a good show. We went with a bunch of people and spent the afternoon on the beach, so... it was a fun day.”
“Still, that’s a long time since you’ve put your toes in the sand.”
They were carrying their shoes, even though it was still chilly out, but she had to admit that it felt good. “I don’t think I ever really paid attention to how nice it feels to walk in the sand, but a girl could get used to this.” Realizing what she said, Sienna inwardly groaned. “I’ll have to mark my calendar to check out the North Carolina beaches.”
Mick didn’t comment, and they made the rest of the walk in companionable silence.
They came to a set of stairs that led up to the street, and from there, she spotted the coffee shop right across the way. There was a line practically out the door, but neither seemed to mind the wait. It moved quickly, and before she knew it, they each had their coffees in their hands and Mick had the bag with two chocolate chip muffins, a blueberry muffin, and a slice of red velvet pound cake.
It was safe to say their cake needs were being met.
“Do you want to sit out here and eat or wait until we get back to the house?” he asked, even as they started crossing the street.
“Back at the house. I want to run in and put my jammies back on, and then get back on that chaise with you and the blanket and enjoy our breakfast. How does that sound?”
Beside her, he chuckled. “Like a perfect way to start the day.” Then he laughed again.
“What? What’s so funny?”
“Part of me wishes we could run back so we’d get there sooner, but I don’t think running and hot coffee really go together.”
That had her laughing, too. “Definitely not. Besides, I’m not that athletic. Between all the walking we’ve done on our vacation stops, and all the sex, my body is rebelling. That’s why I need the muffin and the chaise.”
“And me?” he teased, playfully nudging her shoulder.
“Oh, yeah,” she replied. “You’re the best part of it all.”
Carefully, Mick put his arm around her and gave her a gentle hug before they headed down the steps to the beach.
Sienna wasn’t lying when she said her body was sore, but she was more than willing to suck it up and deal with it, because everything she was experiencing with Mick was like a dream.
And all too soon, it would be back to reality.
They hadn’t talked about what would happen when the time came, but she was a realist and knew she’d go back to Durham and back to work, and Mick probably had some clients that needed his attention. Of course, they’d keep in touch and would say they would make the whole long-distance thing work, but, again, she was a realist. It was rare that any long-distance relationship lasted. Eventually, one—or both—parties would grow tired of the constant travel and the overall disruption to their lives. In their case, however, she imagined they’d just slowly phase one another out, because they’d end up being too engrossed in their work.
Sad but true...
The thing was, that given the opportunity, Sienna truly believed she’d be open to finding a way to either move closer to Mick or...
“Hey,” he said, interrupting her thoughts again. “You’ve gone quiet on me. What are you thinking right now?”
Dangerous territory, she mused.
Now wasn’t the time to get into this particular topic. Besides, they still had another week, and there was always the chance that they’d be bored with one another by then.
She highly doubted it, but it was still a possibility.
“Sienna?”
Pushing her thoughts aside, she turned her head and smiled at him. “I was thinking how much I’m loving the smell of the ocean air, and how much more I’ll love it from your deck.”
Now it was his turn to smile. “I’ll admit that I rarely give it that much thought, but it is a great smell.” Then he moved in closer. “But you smell even better.”
“I don’t know about that. All this fresh air, the coffee, and the freshly baked muffins are the stars of the show right now.”
“I disagree.” He squeezed her hand, and she noticed they were almost back at the house. She had to stop herself from sighing with relief.
They kept their leisurely pace, but once they hit the stairs that led up to the deck, Sienna walked a little faster. Mick set up their breakfast before following her inside, where they changed.
“You know, technically, we didn’t sleep in any jammies. You were naked under your robe and I only threw on the sweats because the neighbors would probably frown on me walking around outside with no clothes.”
She stood next to the bed and, with nothing but a pair of panties on, slid her arms back into her robe. “I promise we’ll get naked later. First, breakfast.”
He walked over and cupped her face. “Deal.”
This was the longest Mick had ever had his phone turned off, but when he woke up and found that Sienna was still asleep the next morning, he figured it might be a good time to just sort of check on things and make sure he hadn’t missed anything important.
Three-hundred and forty-seven new emails were in his inbox and he had sixty-four missed texts.
Groaning, he walked into the kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee before heading into his office to see what fires he needed to put out. Hopefully it wouldn’t take too long and by the time Sienna was awake, they could have breakfast and pack up before leaving for San Francisco later this afternoon.
Opening the laptop, he quickly scrolled through deleting spam messages or any other pointless bullshit that wasn’t important. There were several inquiries from musicians looking for representation and Mick forwarded them to his assistant. Next were some invites to a couple of charity events, along with several requests for him to speak at some of the local music schools.
Again, he forwarded them to his assistant with the instructions that he wasn’t taking on any speaking engagements or any other appointments until after the New Year. It wasn’t something that he normally did—leaving his calendar so empty—but this last week had given him a lot to think about.
Mostly...working less and living more.
There was a sense of contentment he was feeling that was like nothing else he’d ever felt before. When he closed a deal, there was a high that he got from it. It kicked up his adrenaline and made him hungry for more. When he watched one of his clients in concert or during a performance on a late-night show, it got his creative juices going on where he wanted to see them next. And when they were in the studio creating music, he loved coming up with ways to promote the new stuff in a way they never did before. Each of those things was satisfying and energizing, but what he was feeling right now? It was on a whole other level, and he found that he liked it.
