Page 92 of Trust Me

I get up and grab us a cloth to wash off with. Once we’re cleaned up, we snuggle under the covers, her body wrapped up tightly against mine.

Exactly where she was always meant to be.

Chapter 37

Jasmine

I awaken to the sound of waves lapping outside of our cabana.

Birds chirp in the distance, and Elio’s heartbeat is soft against my eardrum as my head rests on his chest. I open my eyes, looking out to see the sun slowly rising on the horizon line through the glass sliding door.

Bora Bora is breathtakingly beautiful. We arrived mid-day yesterday and met everyone. The entire wedding party and guests all retreated to their huts immediately after introductions, because we were all exhausted.

Besides, the huts are too stunning and cozy not to retreat right to them. My eyes have been bugging out of my head since we landed, my body overstimulated as it tries to process the beauty all around me from the lush tropics to the crystal clear water.

At the back of our cabana, we have a hammock that sits above the water, along with a ladder that leads right into the ocean. We may or may not have christened the hammock as soon as we saw it, followed by a dip in the cool water to refresh our bodies.

Later that evening, we all met at the resort’s dining hall for dinner.

I was surprised by how natural being around his friends felt, who were all older and somewhat well-known. I know it sounds silly, but it really is weird when you realize they are normal people.

I’m not as nervous as I anticipated I’d be, instead a sense of belonging flows through me.

I mean, not in this luxurious hut that probably cost more than my monthly income, but with Elio and his friends. It’s the same feeling I got at Thanksgiving dinner with his family, like I’m finally where I’m meant to be because when I’m with Elio, I’m living for me and no one else.

There’s a knock on the door, so I extract myself from Elio’s embrace, wrapping my silk bathrobe around my waist as I make my way to the door.

I open it to see a staff member with a tray of covered food for breakfast. “Breakfast for you, Mrs. Mazzo.”

I don’t even bother to correct him, because I like the way it sounds. “Thank you,” I tell him, tipping him with the cash from my wallet.

He thanks me then heads off, while I shut the door and set the tray down on the coffee table in the living room.

“Morning, beautiful,” Elio calls out from the bed, stretching his arms out, his chiseled chest poking out from under the sheets.

“Morning, babe.” I smile at him, my eyes hungrily watching his every movement.

“What’s that?” he asks, voice raspy from sleep as he gets up, throwing a pair of shorts on from the floor.

“Breakfast. A staff member brought it over,” I tell him, removing the lid from one of the plates, revealing a plate of crispy bacon.

My mouth waters. There’s also a plate of mixed fruits, toast with various spreads of jellies and nut butters, and finally, a plate of scrambled eggs.

Although I can’t eat them, I don’t mind if Elio does. I only have a bad reaction if I ingest them, not if they’re near me. But ever since that first morning, he’s yet to buy any more eggs for our fridge at home.

Elio scowls, quickly picking up the plate of eggs and literally runs to the opposite side of the open space with them.

“Elio, I’m fine. You can eat them. Don’t waste the food.” My voice is gentle as I slowly approach him.

“I don’t care. I don’t want anything that could hurt you near you. I told the staff you had an allergy. I’m pissed off they weren’t careful.” His jaw clenches.

“That’s sweet, babe, but you need to relax. Don’t yell at them,” I plead, feeling bad for the guy already.

Elio shakes his head while dumping the eggs into the trash, which he then proceeds to leave outside the door of our cabana. He storms back into the room, sitting next to me on the couch while I grab two pieces of toast, slather them with raspberry jam, a few pieces of bacon, and fruit.

“Are you going to be okay?” I tease, popping a strawberry into my mouth.

“I’m glad you find your safety funny,” he mutters, grabbing some bacon, fruit, and three pieces of toast and almond butter spread.