Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Rick held the car door open , waiting . I stopped just short of stepping in . My hands curled into fists at my sides . " No , " I said . He turned his head slightly , blinking once , confused . " What ? " 55 vouchers " I'm not going with you . " My voice came out louder than I expected . My chest tightened as I took a breath and stepped back . " You can't keep doing this to me . You brought me all the way here , made me change , paraded me in front of a camera for your little damage control stunt . And now you want to go to your own personal honeymoon site ? What the hell does that even mean ? " His jaw clenched . His face was blank , unreadable , and he didn't answer right away . He just stared at me . Then he said , " I'm doing this for your own good . " I laughed under my breath . " Oh really ? " " My father has his own people stationed here . Paparazzi . He made sure this place was watched from the start ," Rick said calmly . " I knew it'd be a mess so I made plans . I thought you might need more privacy . " " I don't need privacy , " I snapped . " I need my life back . I want to go home . I want nothing to do with anything that you have here . I'm so tired of this bullshit . " My throat burned . I tried to keep my voice from cracking . " I just wanted to check in at my restaurant , see my staff . And now I'm standing here in wet lace with your father's cameras on me and you're talking about some other location . I'm not your doll . I'm not your PR stunt . " He didn't say anything . His expression shifted slightly but he kept quiet . " I just want to be with my daughter , " I said , softer this time . " Please don't push me over . You got your photos , now take me home . " Rick's brow furrowed slightly . The silence between us stretched for too long . He stepped away from the car door , closed it gently , and looked at me . " That's fine ," he said , " but it's midnight . We can't go back now . We'll leave in the morning . " His eyes dropped for half a second , lingering on my chest and I realised my nips were starting to poke through the wet material . I crossed my arms immediately , heart stuttering . I turned away slightly , uncomfortable under his stare . He noticed . Without saying a word , he pulled a towel off the lounge chair and stepped forward . He wrapped it around me gently , his hands brushing my bare shoulders . His touch was surprisingly careful . I didn't look at him , but I felt his breath against my cheek before he turned away . " Give us privacy , " he told one of the nearby staff . 1/3 8:44 pm E Chapter 22 The man nodded and disappeared around the corner with quiet footsteps . Rick looked at me again . " Let's go inside , you're freezing . " I didn't respond but I followed him into the house . EX 55 vouchers . The hallway was dimly lit , warm lights lining the edges of the stone floor . The air smelled faintly of salt and lavender . He led me to the end of the hall where there was a large double door . He opened it and walked in . I followed slowly , holding the towel tighter around me . The suite was massive . Clean marble floors stretched out beneath soft rugs . A sunken lounge area faced an open wall of glass looking over the beach . The bed was low and wide with crisp white sheets and black velvet pillows . Soft yellow light spilled from small lamps mounted into the walls . A single door stood slightly ajar on the far side , probably the bathroom . Rick moved to the middle of the room and pulled off his wet jacket , tossing it onto the back of a chair . Then his hands reached for his shirt . I stood near the door and just watched him . I didn't even mean to at first . He had pulled off his jacket and tossed it over the chair like it weighed nothing and then his hands went to his shirt , and I swear my breath actually hitched . He grabbed the hem and dragged it over his head in one quick motion . That was it and yet I couldn't look away . His skin was still wet from the pool , and I watched the water slide down his chest , across his abs , and lower . Every muscle moved like it had its own rhythm . He looked calm , like he wasn't even thinking about it , like this was nothing but it didn't feel like nothing to me . Then he reached for the front of his pants . I tensed immediately . My fingers curled tighter around the towel . The zipper came down , and I heard the sound way too clearly . Then the pants dropped , pooling at his feet . I stared . Wide - eyed . My face was burning . He was left in black briefs that clung to him , water still dripping off his legs . I quickly wrapped the towel tighter around myself . My heart was racing . I should've looked away but I didn't . I stayed near the doorway , frozen . He started walking toward me . I tensed instantly , my back straightening , hands clutching the towel like it was the only thing keeping me safe . The way he looked like he was coming to touch me made my heart jump into my throat . I took a step back without even thinking , then another until I felt the wall press against my spine . 2/3 8:44 pm ED Chapter 22 He didn't stop . 55 vouchers My breath caught as he came even closer , and I braced myself but he didn't reach for me . Instead , he leaned in , just close enough that I could feel the heat coming off his body , and reached past my head . His arm brushed the side of my face , and I flinched again . His hand found the switch just beside my shoulder . A soft click . The lights went out , leaving only the faint glow from the bathroom behind him . Then I realized how close we were . My back was against the wall , and he was standing right in front of me , one arm still braced above my head . He hadn't meant to touch me . He just wanted to turn off the light . But now I was pinned , barely breathing , and he hadn't moved away . He turned around to leave and I moved away releasing a breath I didn't know I was holding and then he looked over his shoulder at me . I took a step back . He noticed . " Stop doing that ," he said sharply , turning to face me . My back hit the edge of the doorframe . I clutched the towel tighter . " Doing what ? " " Flinching , " he said . His voice was low and rough . " I'm not going to do anything to you ." He took two quick strides forward , closing the distance . I stepped sideways but he blocked the path . His voice dropped even lower , almost a whisper now . " Unless you want me to . " 3/3 E AD Comment Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!