Back In His Arms (3 page)

“It’s just there,” he said, pointing to a tiny island a few hundred feet away.

Carla turned to look.

“Wow.”

It was beautiful.
 
A white sand beach spanned the coastline with a tropical jungle springing up from behind it, complete with brightly blooming bushes and trees.
 
Gargantuan fronds swayed in the breeze as if beckoning them in.
 

Atreus steered the motorboat toward the shore and leapt out.

“I feel like a new man,” he said, puffing his chest out as he took a deep breath of the salty air.
 
He helped Carla and Dios off the boat.
 
“Shall we explore?”

“Absolutely,” said Carla.
 
“But can we sit for a little while, first?
 
I just want to take this all in.”

“Of course, my love.”

They slipped out of their shoes and sat down, sinking their feet into the sparkling beige sand.
 
Carla thought it was satisfyingly grainy, like an exfoliation.
 
And as they looked out at the sea, Dios playing happily with a large seashell, Atreus enveloped her in his arms and held her against his warm body.
 
It felt like perfection.

“Atreus?”
 
she breathed as he fingered the white lace on the hem of her sundress; the dress, along with an entire wardrobe, that he had arranged to have delivered to the island while she was en route.

“Yes, my darling?”

She turned her gaze upward and gently ran the back of her hand along his stubbly cheek while gazing deep into his eyes.

“I’m pregnant.”

His expression turned to one of shock and delight.
 
He held her face in his hands and kissed her left cheek, then her right, then her forehead and finally her lips.

“You’re wrong,” he said.

“Sorry?”

“
We’re
pregnant,” he replied.
 
“We’re in this together, my love.”

Carla snuggled back into his arms, her heart feeling warm and safe.
 
There, in his arms, on Redemption Island, she had found pure, unadulterated happiness for the first time.
 
It felt like her entire life, having been spent in dull grayscale, had suddenly burst into Technicolor.
 
She hoped with every fiber of her being that the color would never drain away.

“We’re going to have a baby,” Atreus announced.

“And Dios will be a big brother,” Carla said.

“You hear that, buddy?” Atreus said, tickling his son under his chin.
 
Dios opened his mouth in a wide smile as he giggled, his cheeks full and his eyes bright.
 
Atreus scooped him up in a giant hug.
 
“You’re going to be a big brother!”

They knew he did not understand but when he squealed with happiness they looked into each other’s eyes and smiled.

“Our family,” said Atreus.

“Our family,” Carla agreed.

“Oh hell,” a woman’s voice said from the forest behind them.

Carla scrambled to her feet and snatched up Dios.

“Who’s there?”
 
Atreus called out.

“Who the devil do you
think
is here?”
 
Serene pushed her way out of the bushes.
 
“What the hell are you doing on my island?”

“Serene!”
 
said Atreus.

“Yes, that’s the name of it,” Serene said.

She crossed her arms and glared at Carla.

“No,” Atreus corrected her.
 
“It’s not called Serene anymore.”

“Oh, I see,” Serene said, looking Carla up and down.
 
“So what’s it called?
 
Silly Little Whore Island?”

“Who’s there, sweetness?”
 
another voice called from the bushes.

“Come and see for yourself,” hissed Serene.

Nikolas came through the gap in the bushes.
 
When he saw Atreus he threw his hands up in the air.
 
“Give it up, Atreus.
 
She loves me now!”

“You think I want this woman back?”
 
Atreus spat.
 
“You must be out of your damn mind.
 
I’ve come here with Carla.
 
And our son.”

“And now you can get the hell out,” Serene demanded.
 
“This is
my
island and you’re not welcome.”

“No, Serene.
 
This is
not
your island,” Atreus declared.
 
“I purchased it and named it after you, but now I have renamed it Redemption Island.”
 
He reached out and held Carla’s hand.
 
“For Carla.”

“Awww, Redemption Island,” Serene laughed sarcastically.
 
“Isn’t that sweet.”

“Ridiculous,” said Nikolas.

“I have no interest in what you two think of me,” dismissed Atreus.

“Maybe you’ll have an interest when you find out what Nikolas will do to you if you don’t hand over the deed to this island.
 
And not only this one, but Little Ekali too.”

Serene stepped back and rested her head on Nikolas’ shoulder with a smug, victorious smile.

“I can take away your share in Kostas Shipping like that,” said Nikolas, snapping his fingers.
 
“Just
one little scandal
and I can turn the whole board against you.”

“I’ve done nothing to warrant a scandal,” said Atreus proudly.

“One little scandal and I’ll have my son in my arms,” said Serene, ignoring Atreus’ response.
 
She looked up at Nikolas.
 
“With a strong, decent, kind,
real man
as his father.”

Carla clutched Dios to her chest.

“You don’t love him.
 
You gave him up.
 
Why do you want him now?”

“She only wants to break up our family,” explained Atreus.
 
He turned to Serene.
 
“But, mark my words, you won’t.
 
You
can’t
.”

“If you don’t give this woman exactly what she wants,” said Nikolas, “namely this island, Little Ekali and Dios, I can
guarantee
that I will destroy you.
 
Professionally, personally, everything.
 
Your name will be so dirty that people won’t even want to spit on it.”

“Get off my island,” Atreus demanded, trying to remain calm.
 

“Or what?”
 
Nikolas countered.
 
“One phone call to the board and it’s all over for you.”

“We’re going to Little Ekali now,” said Serene.
 
“Our boat’s around the other side.”

“No, you’re not,” said Atreus.
 
“You’re going back to Greece and never coming back here again.”

“Okay,” Nikolas shrugged, pulling his smartphone out of his pocket.
 
“Let’s see what chairman Alessandro Marinos has to say about how you beat Serene within an inch of her life because she threatened to expose your plan about price fixing.”

Carla could barely catch her breath.
 
How quickly paradise had turned into hell on earth.
 
She looked at Atreus and, though his face was set in fierce determination, his hands shook.
 
She couldn’t believe his next words.

“Okay,” he said.
 
“Come to Little Ekali now. We’ll talk.”

*****

Chapter 3

“It’s totally up to you,” said Atreus. “If you want to come down and talk to them with me that’s totally fine, but if you want to stay up here with Angelique that’s okay, too.”

The last thing Carla wanted to do was to sit opposite Serene and Nikolas at the grand dining table to be sneered at and disrespected.
 

“But are you sure you’ll be all right without me?
 
If you need me to come I can.”

“I don’t want you to get upset,” he said.
 
“Why don’t you just stay here and relax.
 
I’ll have some dinner and tea brought up for you.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

She sank back onto the soft mattress and wished that Serene and Nikolas would just disappear.
 
Atreus stroked the hair back from her forehead.

“I won’t be long, my love,” he told her, “I’ll get all of this over with as soon as possible and come back to you.”

“I can’t wait,” she said.

He leaned over and kissed her.

“Neither can I.”

His soft, thick lips pushed up into hers and a hot, tingling sensation spread through her body as his tongue flickered against her own.
 
He caressed her breast through her white linen robe and pinched gently at her nipple.
 
Her clit pulsated and she wanted nothing more than to throw her legs open wide and feel the thrust of his passion inside her.

As if he had read her mind, he began to pull his belt out of its loops.
 
He hurried to loosen his trousers from his hips and caressed her thighs as he pushed them apart.
 
He moaned, wasting no time in plunging his hard cock into her.
 
They both breathed a deep sigh of pleasure and relief as he filled her completely, becoming one.
 
Atreus looked into her eyes as if he were losing himself, giving his very soul up as an offering to her.

“I love you, Carla,” he said.

“I love you,” she moaned, already riding a wave of bliss as his hips gyrated against hers.
 
Her whole body felt like it was on fire.
 
“Oh… God.”

He thrust himself into her again and again, each time heightening the peak of her orgasm until she could barely keep from screaming out in ecstasy.
 
She grabbed a handful of sheet and stuffed it in her mouth as she came, soaking his cock as her pleasure flowed out of her in hot streams.

“Oh, Atreus,” she moaned as she felt his orgasm exploding inside her.

“Carla,” he moaned back, “my darling.”

He pushed all the way into her, holding her tight as they rode the last waves of their climaxes together.

“So where’s this lucky lady then?”
 
a young woman called out with a lilting Caribbean accent.
 
“Oh!
 
Oh my god, I’m so sorry!”

Carla and Atreus sprang apart and Carla clutched the sheet up to her neck.
 
She looked up to see a young woman, her skin a beautiful shining ebony against her white masseuse uniform.
 
A mass of hundreds of tiny black braids flailed from her high ponytail as she hurried out of the room.

“Sorry, sorry!”
 
she said, her voice trailing off.

Atreus rocked back onto his knees and scrambled to zip up his trousers and secure his belt.

“That’s Angelique.
 
I am so sorry.”

He looked so forlorn that Carla couldn’t help but laugh.
 
First she giggled, but then Atreus caught on and before long they were laughing out loud with the ridiculousness of it all.
 

After a few moments, Angelique poked her head out around the door with an awkward, exaggerated smile.

“That was kinda embarrassing, uh?”

Her full lips were painted into a dark purple, almost black bow that framed her smile perfectly, and her deep brown eyes were swept into sleek almond shapes with heavy kohl.
 
A single gold stud shined from one side of her nose.

“Nothing happened,” Atreus smiled.
 
“Come in.”

“I think that’s the best approach,” she agreed.
 
She walked in with a small black bag and set it on the side table.
 
“I saw nothing.
 
Nothing at all.”

She flashed Carla a teasing smile and unzipped the bag to reveal small bottles of oil.
 
Angelique was so beautiful that Carla felt a flicker of jealousy rise in her chest.
 
If she didn’t trust Atreus completely she would have been worried.
 

“Now get out of here,” Angelique teased Atreus, “so I can make your madam feel like a queen.”

“She is a queen,” said Atreus.
 
He leaned over and kissed Carla. “She’s
my
queen.”

“That’s right,” Angelique said with a hearty nod.
 
“And don’t you forget it.”
 
She arranged the bottles in a line and nodded over her shoulder at Carla.
 
“Come, my girl.”

“I’d better go down and meet you know who,” said Atreus.

“All right, darling,” Carla said.
 
She drew him into a tight hug and kissed him on the cheek.
 
“See you soon.
 
I love you.”

“I love you, too, baby.”
 
Atreus kissed her and then nodded back at Angelique.
 
“You’re in good hands.”