Seducing Mr. Grumpy

13. Something new. [Part 1]

Summer Cooper’s message vault to Dominic Pauls:

Nic, all my friends are online, and even though I love them, sometimes I miss physically having someone by my side.

If I come back home, would you be my friend again?

With love,

Summer.

13. Something new.

Summer.

I watch Nic from the couch, doing nothing as I listen to him talk on the phone. He paces back and forth, sharp in his suit, hair perfectly in place, voice deep and commanding. Nic is a very confident man—I can see that now. Because even surrounded by all this wealth, Nic isn’t intimidated by any of it.

The Pauls have money, and I grew up with a golden spoon too, but what we’re seeing in Dubai is another level of richness. For me, it’s a bit overwhelming, but Nic moves through it all like a fish in water, as if he was born into it. And maybe he was, and I’m just too naïve to grasp the extent of it.

“What happened?” I ask when he finally drops down beside me. I fold my leg underneath me and turn to look at him as he rests his head against the couch, eyes fixed on the ceiling. Frustration and anger are written all over his face.

“They canceled today’s meeting. Postponed until tomorrow.”

“Well,” I glance at the time, “it’s already four in the afternoon, isn’t it kind of late anyway?”

“I had a reservation at one of the most luxurious restaurants in Dubai. Laney spent months trying to get it.”

“Months?”

“Yeah. I’ve been trying to convince these people to invest with us for months.”

“So these are the big fish, huh?”

“These people probably s**t money. They’d help me a lot, but they’re tough to win over.”

I let out a laugh, mostly surprised those words came out of his mouth.

“Is there anything you can do while you wait for tomorrow to come?”

He thinks for a second, then sighs. “No.”

“Then relax,” I say, resting my cheek near his so I can speak softly, “and let’s enjoy today… what’s left of it.”

He glances sideways at me.

“This is a business trip, not a vacation.”

This impossible man. Why is he so rigid and unmovable?

“Why are you such a killjoy, Nic?” I sigh, turning toward the gorgeous island view. “There’s sea, breeze, and sand. What more could you want? Listen—listen to the waves calling you. They’re even singing your name. Don’t you hear them? There, they’re so clear. Oh, Nic… dearest Nic… come to me.”

“Shut up,” he says with a laugh, gently placing his hand over my mouth.

I laugh too, and since he initiated the contact, I take his hand in both of mine and stroke the back of it with my thumbs.

“Let’s go to the beach?”

“And your clothes?”

“You said they’re not pretentious,” I remind him.

“That was a lie.”

“I know. There are shops right here—I’ll ask one of the staff to buy me something for tomorrow’s meeting. Sound okay?”

“Aren’t you tired from the flight?”

We’re so close his black eyes look deeper than ever—like two wells you could fall into and never want to come up for air. It’s scary, not because he’s frightening, but because it terrifies me how willingly I’d fall in… and maybe not even want to come back out.

I let go of his hand when his touch starts to burn. Instead, I busy myself tying my hair up in a high ponytail.

“After over seven hours on that plane, going to the sea sounds more tempting than ever.”

Besides, the heat outside is suffocating. A dip in the ocean sounds perfect.

Dominic thinks about it for a second, and just when I think he might say yes, his phone vibrates. He curses under his breath at whatever’s on the screen and stands up as he mutters, “I can’t. I’ll be in my room working.”

I deflate like a balloon. I was really hoping we’d spend some time together—business or not, this is our first trip together.

I stare out at the breathtaking view from our family suite.

Still, I’m used to traveling alone.

---

I explore the surroundings a bit, and not wanting to let Nic down, I walk into one of the many boutiques in the city and buy some clothes for the meetings. Since Laney will be assisting Dom via video call as needed, all I have to do is jot down important things in a notebook, so I don’t really understand my role in all this. I feel more like decoration than anything else, and pretty ignored. Honestly, this all seems a little unnecessary, if you ask me.

Around eight in the evening, I return to our suite, only to find Nic still in his room. I can hear his voice, speaking formally on the phone, so I knock gently on his door to let him know I’m back.

Nothing.

I shrug, leave his dinner on the table with a little note that reads: Eat, I’ll be at the beach.

I read the note again and, thinking it’s missing something, I add a small heart at the end. Satisfied, I smile and head down to the beach.

I’m not surprised to see plenty of people out, enjoying the sea breeze. Even though it’s night already, the heat is still unbearable—over thirty degrees Celsius—which feels like hell compared to London.

I take a dip in the water, and once I’ve cooled off a bit, I lie down on the towel, letting myself rest and soak in the cheerful atmosphere around me. It’s nothing new to see that almost everyone here is with someone—it usually doesn’t bother me. Traveling alone is something I’ve always enjoyed. But today, knowing that I’m not really alone, makes me feel a little sad.

Not being alone, but feeling like you are—that’s a new feeling for me.

I reach for my phone under my clothes to take a photo for my parents, but I’m surprised to see several missed calls from Nic, followed by a dozen messages in all caps asking where the hell I am—his exact words.

I roll my eyes at the sky and toss the phone aside, determined to ignore him.

I think I’m starting to understand Nic. Ever since I told him what happened to me, he’s become a little too overprotective. I suspect this trip was his way of keeping me from spending the night with strangers. But I’m not a child—I’ve been taking care of myself for years. I’m not going to let one event define my whole life, and aside from the bed thing, I won’t let fear rule me. I can’t live that way.

“There you are!” he shouts, and even though I can’t see him yet, I hear his angry, breathless voice.

I close my eyes and keep resting, ignoring him.

“I’ve been looking for you for hours, Summer!”

“I left you a note.”

“And this beach is huge—it’s not easy to find someone!”

“Nic, why are you yelling?” I finally look at him and feel both surprised and moved to see how genuinely worried he is. His hair is a mess like he’s run his hands through it a hundred times, his clothes are disheveled, and his face looks frantic.

He seems to only now realize how worked up he is, so when he speaks again, his voice is softer.

“You can’t just wander around a city you don’t know.”

“But I do know it.”

“You… what?”

“I’ve been here before. Alone. You didn’t have to worry.”

“You…” He stares at me like he’s trying to piece together parts of me he never knew existed. “Jesus, Summer, how are you still alive?”

I roll my eyes, stand up, and walk angrily back toward the sea.

He can’t treat me like this. He’s more suffocating than the heat. Not even my parents tried to control me like this, so Nic is mistaken if he thinks he can dictate what I do. When I wished for his company earlier, I wanted him as an equal—not as my protector. I don’t need protecting.

“Summer,” I hear him follow, but I ignore him and wade deeper and deeper into the water until I dive under and block out the sound of his voice.

I come back to the surface once I’ve calmed down and need air, only to find him in front of me, looking so furious the only thing I can do is laugh.

So that’s how you get him into the water—by making him mad.

He even jumped in fully dressed.

I chuckle and instinctively step closer to him, starting to unbutton his shirt one button at a time. When I realize what I’m doing, I’ve already exposed half of his chest, and my hands tense up at the realization.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, my hands still on his shirt. “I…”

“Finish what you started.”

I lift my gaze to his, surprised to see he’s not angry… just calm.

“Mmm?”

“Go on, Summer.”

Oh. The shirt.

“Right. Of course.”

I finish unbuttoning it, my hands submerged as I undo the last ones. My fingers accidentally graze his skin, and we both shiver at the contact. I bite my lip, suddenly nervous, until I finally finish.

“There.”

“Good,” he whispers, then takes the shirt from my hands and uses it to cover me.

“Nic,” I try to step back, avoiding what he’s doing, but he grabs the sides of the shirt and pulls it closed, making me crash into him. “Why are you like this?”

“Like this?” He starts buttoning up, one by one, doing the exact opposite of what I did to him.

“So paranoid.”

He leans back, clearly offended. “What?”

“You’re so paranoid. Nothing’s going to happen to me—I’ve been traveling solo for five years,” I remind him. “This overprotection is seriously over the top.”

He doesn’t say a word—he just finishes dressing me in his shirt, buttoning it all the way up so it covers my entire chest. I grumble and undo a few buttons, but he gives me a deadly look and fastens them again. We go back and forth like that two more times, until I let out a louder groan and slap his hands away, leaving the buttons undone. The shirt falls open at the sides.

“Are you insane?”

“You’re going to catch a cold. It’s nighttime.”

“Get lost, Nic.”

[1/2]