finding Reese.: a SAFELIGHT novel vol.2 (SAFELIGHT Series) (28 page)

“I miss you, Stud,” I mumble, as my free hand tucks a wayward curl behind my ear.

“I miss you too, Catalina. So damn much it hurts,” Stryder replies quietly. I wish I could hug him.

“Did you- did you enjoy yourself?”

Stryder looks into the camera and shrugs. “Nothing compares to you, baby. Not even my hand. I just . . . fuck. I miss you.”

Tears pool in my eyes and when I nod, they slip past my cheeks. I wipe them away, and with a quivering lip, I whisper, “I know exactly how you feel. It’s a second of happiness followed by days of longing and desperation. I get it because I feel it too.”

He clears his throat, and despite the somber moment, he moves the conversation forward. “It looks like you keep losing weight, Catalina. What have you been up to?”

I straighten on the bed and worry my lip. What do I tell him? I don’t want to lie, but I don’t want to spoil a surprise either. “Nothing really . . . I joined a studio,” I answer as vaguely as I possibly can.

“Working out? I guess my little adrenaline junkie needed an alternative until Jax gets better, huh?” he teases with a smile.

I nod, and exhale in relief because for now, at least, my little secret is safe. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

We chat about his assignment and Jackson’s progress until I start to yawn. Having Stryder in a different time zone, seventeen hours ahead, can be tricky for both of us, but after today’s dance lessons and our naughty cyber tryst I’m beyond exhausted.

“I’m so exhausted. I’m going to hang up. Can we video chat tomorrow?” I ask, yawning.

“Yes, but you’re not hanging up on me. I haven’t seen you fall asleep in weeks. Please.” He urges and lies on his side not once breaking eye contact through the screen.

“Okay, Stud.”

Placing my cell on the nightstand I see through the screen he does the same. Looking at his handsome features, and hugging my pillow a little too tightly, my eyes begin to close.

“Sweet dreams, Catalina. I love you,” He whispers sweetly.

“I love you too, Stud,” I mumble. In matter of seconds, I’m asleep with a smile on my face.

T
HREE WEEKS
.

It’s been three weeks of pure hell. After my break up with Olivia, I learned to embrace assignments like these- the kind that keep me away from home for weeks at a time. That was before I met the woman of my dreams, way before I gave my heart away for the second time in my life. Now I want to kick myself in the ass for accepting this assignment. The clock hands move agonizingly slowly and the time difference takes some getting used to. It’s been three weeks since I left Catalina in Casper with Jax, and the news I received today is seriously depressing. I have to spend yet another week here in Australia. I don’t know how I’m going to break the news to her.

I worry she’ll be upset because her forced vacation for Xsports is coming to an end. Staying another week here means less time we’ll have together before she returns to New York City. My experience in Australia has been nice, all things considered. The weather is warm, and spending the majority of my days on the sandy beaches watching surfers from around the world compete hasn’t been bad. My tan is ridiculous to say the least. Last time I video chatted with Catalina she kept giving me that sexy stare, and her gawking didn’t go unnoticed. I love it when she looks at me like that.

When the days are short and the nights are long, I lie back in bed and replay in my head our cyber rendezvous from a few nights ago. It was the craziest thing I’ve ever done with a woman before. Catalina has her shy moments, but when she stops over-thinking? Holy shit. My lady is sexy as hell. The way she commanded me to stroke my dick, and how she came during that call has kept my imagination, hand, and dick extremely busy. I really wanted to get on the first flight out just to taste her.

Physically missing Catalina is something I haven’t gotten used to. There are mornings when I wake up and my wood is so uncomfortable it reminds me of the movie “The 40 Year-Old Virgin.” If anything, my sexual appetite has increased since I’ve been away, and I’m thankful for the days I’m too exhausted to think about it.

This assignment has put many things in perspective for me, and I’m surer than ever Catalina is the woman I want to be with. I just hate that our reunion will now happen in two weeks instead of one. At least having an extra week here means I get to finalize our vacation plans. I hate to disappoint her with the news of the assignment extension, but I also know she won’t throw a fit like Olivia did when I had to break similar news to her. I’m so thankful for that. I pick up my phone and glance at the time. She’s probably sleeping. I hate to do this via text message, but I really don’t have a choice. The sooner she knows the better.

As I place my cell in my pocket I see the evening sun from the balcony of my suite. I haven’t had much of an opportunity to visit to that jewelry store with the cute blue boxes. It might be considered cliché, but I really want to buy Catalina a gift from there- hopefully something she’ll wear forever. Grabbing my access keycard I leave the suite and walk the couple of blocks to the jewelry store.

I stop by the gallery windows to admire the incredible jewelry on display. My heart is whacking furiously in my chest. It’s a healthy mix of
holy shit,
and
what the hell are you doing.
I suddenly feel queasy and there’s a beading of cold sweat covering my brow probably due to the humidity I tell myself unconvincingly. I’m confident I look like a lunatic pacing back and forth in front of the store. It’s balls to the walls or nothing. Taking a deep breath, I open the glass door and slip in. I’m greeted by a woman who reminds me of Kaelan. Her smile instantly calms me.

“G’evening,” the cheery shopkeeper greets me. “Are you here for y’self or shopping’ for your lady?”

I chuckle, and extend my hand, making sure to look at her nametag. “Stryder Martynus. Pleased to meet you, Louise. I’m here to look at engagement rings.”

“Ah, an American . . . Are you here on holiday?”

“No, I’m on assignment, but when I get back, I’d like to take Catalina−that’s my girlfriend−away on holiday. Hopefully if I have the guts, I’ll ask her to marry me, and hopefully she’ll say yes.”

“Ah, I see. It’s always nerve-wracking, Stryder. Come, dear, let’s look at some options. If you find the one you’re looking for you can order it here, and pick it up at your local shop as we can ship it there too.”

I don’t tell her that I’ve done this before. She doesn’t know why I’m so fucking nervous this time around. I mean, why would she? The first time I did this sort of thing I was blindly in love with Olivia, the woman who betrayed me, and this time around I’m unquestionably and undoubtedly in love with Catalina Pardo. Just thinking about her makes me smile and my heart thud.

“Ah, thinking about your lady, I see,” Ella says, stating the obvious.

I nod. “Indeed. Here’s what I’m looking for.”

I’m walking like a jolly idiot back to the hotel. If it didn’t make me look like a lunatic, I’d probably do a couple of cartwheels and back-flips because the happy buzzing in my heart has me on a natural high. My phone rings in my pocket and I smile when I see who it is.

“Jax! How are you, little brother?”

“I’m good, Captain Chipper. Damn, you sound really happy!” Jackson chuckles.

I laugh at his spot-on assessment. “I’m great, man. I got it. Number three.”

“Umm, not sure I’m following, Jupiter.”

I stop walking. “I got the ring, Jax.”

“Holy shit, man. For real?”

“Yeah, I’ve never been surer of anything in my life. Catalina is the one, Jax.”

“Dude, I’m so fucking proud of you! When are you going to pop the question?”

“I don’t know. I’m going to wait until I get back and pray for the best. How is she?” I ask, and continue my walk towards the hotel.

“She’s good. Cat’s been on top of my appointments and stuff. She’s been super supportive, and she’s doing another piece for
Xsports
. The girl was moping, but her new hobby is making her really happy.”

“She’s been working out, right?”

Jax laughs, and replies, “Yeah, what else did you think?”

“I don’t know, Jax. You can be cryptic at times.”

“Whatever, man. Less than one week to go. Your dick must be thrilled.”

I sigh, and Jax says, “You’re not coming back on the thirteenth?”

“No . . . Work got extended by a week. I sent Cat a text letting her know when I got the news, but haven’t heard from her yet. Is she up?”

“Nah . . . She is zonked out. I couldn’t sleep so I hit the gym and then called you. She’ll be fine.”

“The gym? You got cleared to do that?”

Jackson chuckles. “Yeah, I did. The doc says I can hit the slopes in a few weeks. I have one more week of physical therapy, and then a follow-up with the medical team. So far, so good!”

I smile, listening to his old bubbly self. “That’s great. I’d love to be there when you take your first ride, and I’m sure Cat would love it too.”

We banter back and forth for a bit and then end the call. As I walk through the door of my suite, I throw my access keycard and cell on my bed. The sun is beginning to set, so I open the glass doors of the lanai. The sky is painted with red, orange, yellow, and blue. In the photography world, this is considered magic hour- the perfect moment to take stunning pictures. Resting my palms against the balcony railing, I close my eyes and point my chin to the sun.

Just be patient, Stryder, it’s only two more weeks. You can do this.

“Simon said you were second-guessing this assignment when it was first proposed to you, Mr. Martynus. I appreciate you coming over here for the competitions. By now you must be homesick,” Mr. Smith says, while puffing on a cigar.

I take a sip from my rye, smiling. “I wasn’t expecting spending an extra week, but the experience has been great. The reason why I made the sacrifice to be here was to work with you, Mr. Smith. It has been a real honor.”

“Well, how can I make up that extra week for you? If you have a special lady, maybe you can whisk her away to one of my properties. You have eleven to choose from,” he chuckles.