Longing For The Beach Billionaire Daddy
Chapter 45

*Shelby*

That had worked out so much better than I could have imagined. As we wandered through the rest of the aquarium, I felt elated. My heart pounded, and my cheeks tinged red, no doubt from the excitement that, yes, things were working out. I could actually relax, at least for now. I was free.

I stared at some tropical fish displaying a menagerie of colors, going over just how much of a dream my time with Michael had been. Except, now it didn’t have to just be a dream or a few days of luxury. This all could be a reality while I advanced in my career like I was meant to.

Well, somewhat. I was jumping to conclusions. I furrowed my brow, refocusing on Michael, who was standing behind me, and focused on the fish. It took him a few seconds to realize I had turned to look at him.

“Something the matter?” he asked, his voice dripping with concern. He inspected me, no doubt trying to discern if stress was still weighing on my shoulders. A much less potent version of it was, yes. Now that we could be together, I was scared of how that would work.

He lived in NYC, and I was going to live in Cambridge now. I didn’t want to take him from his life there just to be with me.

“I don’t want to force you to be inconvenienced by my choices,” I started, my tone serious. I moved aside, heading to sit down at one of the benches again so that we could talk.

He followed, making himself comfortable as he kept his focus on me. He was hanging on every word I said with an intense look in his eyes.

I continued, “I will be continuing my path to that firm, so I won’t be able to be with you all the time. I know you have means of travel, but I don’t want to assume anything of you.”

He nodded, an amused smile crossing his face.

“You’re worried about me, Shelby? I will survive. I want you to follow your dreams, and I want to be with you. In my case, it is easy to make things work out. Some bumps in the road will be handled as they come up. I do not need to see you regularly to be happy, though I adore seeing you regardless.

“You have your life, and I will have mine. They will entwine often, but we are individuals. I have the means to see you when we wish and have time, and I will use those. We’ve done it, and I couldn’t be more happy,” he replied to me. More tears crawled down my cheeks, and I couldn’t help but squeal and throw myself into his arms.

We hugged for a while before continuing our journey through the aquarium. I couldn’t help but be awestruck by just how intelligent Michael’s plan was. I wondered how Blaine would be handled.

I hoped he would be out of our lives forever, but something told me that when he got out of jail, he would still be a problem. That weighed on me a little, but not as much as when he was actually active. No, my reaction was what bothered me the most right now, and I wanted to address it at the end of our day together.

Holding hands to walk through the rest of the aquarium, I approached some crabs, watching them wrestle one another with their arms, and smiling. Perhaps I’d suggest to Michael that we go diving to see the reefs at some point.

Judging by how he seemed as fascinated with sealife as I was, I figured he would like that idea. Now that we’d be together, there would be plenty of chances for us both to visit the beach and explore activities like that. Maybe we could even try a submarine ride!

Sadly, our visit to the aquarium had to end. I followed Michael to the car, and he opened the door for me. I slipped inside, my shoulders resting against the cool leather interior. Today was wonderful.

“We should go to the art museum later,” I suggested, to which he nodded with a smile. “We’re going back to the hotel for lunch first, though, right?”

“That’s right. Gourmet food and professional music to listen to while we eat. That hotel has a lot to offer,” he said with a wink. “How are you feeling after everything?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about everything. It feels a bit wrong to hide our relationship. Blaine ironically opened my eyes to that. I think it’s best to lay low for now and let it sort of… seep in.

“Having it hit the public like a train, what Blaine was trying to do just that, doesn’t sound reasonable. But hiding it from everyone forever isn’t something you think we’ll need to do, right?” I asked, biting my l*p.

I felt a coil of nervousness curl in my stomach. Much to my relief, Michael slowly shook his head. He was smiling again. He’d done a lot of that today, and I couldn’t help but smile in return.

“Not at all. We will be able to show the world us someday in full. Slowly is a good idea. It may take some by surprise, and there may be somewhat of an uproar, but they will get over it. You know how the public in general and tabloids are. Someone is bound to be upset.

“The important thing is to not let them get to us. Do you think you can handle paparazzi, Shelby?” he asked with a wink. I g*****d softly and dramatically put a hand on my forehead. In a joking manner, of course, to lighten the mood a bit.

“I suppose,” I replied with a laugh. “They sound like annoying gnats! I don’t know how you handle them.”

“I avoid them as much as I can,” Michael said with a smirk. He moved over and wrapped his arms around me, holding me as we rode along, something I returned with joy.

When we arrived at the luxury hotel, I was helped out of the car and led to the building. We took a seat in a very fancy hall and were handed menus with very intricate, complex gourmet foods that had my mouth watering and my stomach grumbling like a hungry lion.

“’I’m glad we stopped here before any sort of other trips,” Michael laughed, shaking his head at my sheepish expression. I put my order in, as did he, and soon we had plates with piping hot rare steaks and garden vegetables placed in front of us.

I ordered some aged red wine, taking a sip with my meal every so often, as they went so well together. I was on top of the world, but the most important thing was that I was here with Michael. His presence in my life had come to mean so much to me.

We ate in silence for a little while, but soon, I broke it with one final point to make.

“I’ve resolved to let my skills carry me, as you said, Michael,” I said, catching his attention. He looked at me and nodded, smiling softly. “But I will also suck it up and accept a bit of your help too. Doing this alone isn’t smart. If I have help, I should accept it. I just want to say thank you, with all of my heart.”

Michael beamed at me, finishing chewing his food before dipping his head. “No need to thank me, Shelby. You’ve earned this with all of your hard work and by being you. Thank you for believing in me as well. The Blaine situation was terrible, but we got through it together, in large part because we kept clear heads in the end there and managed to get him. You’re going to make a wonderful lawyer.”

I blushed, finishing up my meal and standing. I walked over to him, wrapping my arms around him and burying my face in his chest. I didn’t care if there were some onlookers right now, though the k**s, well… I saved that for when we were in a more private spot.

Luckily, I didn’t need to wait long. As soon as we were in the car next to each other, heading to the next destination, I leaned into him eagerly.

We exchanged a k**s, something deep and meaningful. I was looking forward to more k****s like this on the regular. My heart sang as I realized I really, truly did not need to tell Michael goodbye.

As our k**s deepened, Michael pulled me onto his lap so that I was facing him, and I wrapped my hands around his neck, moving my hands into his hair, and we continued to k**s passionately.

I couldn’t deny I wanted him and decided to tell him. I needed him badly.

I slowly pulled away from our k**s and nibbled his neck up to his ear before whispering, “Take me, Michael.” Then I kissed him again.

He reacted eagerly and pulled a condom from a compartment by the seats, and handed it to me with a grin.

I smilled in response and knelt on the carpeted floor. Unzipping his pants, I pulled them down to his ankles, along with his boxers. His e******n came out freely, and I opened the condom gently sliding it down him.

He m****d happily in return, watching me.

I crawled back onto his lap and his hand reached to remove my panties, grinning in shock to replace that I wasn’t wearing any. I smiled at him, and he kissed me deeply, running his hands between my legs to feel the wetness that had grown there.

Needing no further proof, he slid into me agonizingly slow. I let out a m**n into our k**s, and he began to move in and out at the same pace. His hands ran down my back before settling on my h**s.

Gradually, he increased his pace, and pleasure shot through my body as an o****m made me m**n in delight and shake on his lap. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to him as he kept going, burying his face in my breasts.

My body shuddered as I came again, I called out in pure ecstasy but still, he kept going. My legs were trembling with pleasure when he finally stiffened and m****d as I tightened around him in one last o****m.

I collapsed into him, both of us trying to catch our breath. He enveloped me in his warmth, and I couldn’t help it any longer.

“I love you, Michael,” I said in a whisper, still breathing hard. He pulled my face up to look into his eyes, a huge smile crossing his face.

“I love you too, Shelby.” I lit up, my mouth stretching from ear to ear. He gently cupped his hand to my cheek and pulled me into a soft k**s.

Finally, we were free to be together. I loved him and he loved me.

I couldn’t be happier.