Page 85 of Into The Light

“Wow.” I breathed. “It’s more beautiful than I imagined.”

“I never even thought to imagine something this beautiful.”

“Not a bad view, huh?”

“I’ve got the best view in the world.”

With one glance, I realized his eyes weren’t staring out into the ocean with mine... they were fixated on me. My stomach flipped for the umpteenth time beneath his gaze. His talent in coaxing those little flutters from me was unprecedented, and I hoped they would never stop.

I leaned up to kiss him, but a knock on the door interrupted my attempt.

“Our bags,” I said, and he slid me down to the ground.

We greeted the valet and stepped aside while he carried our bags into the bungalow. Another man came in carrying a tray with two glasses of champagne and a platter of sushi.

“Sushi! I love sushi!” I said. “You can put it out on the table on the deck.”

They hurried through our bungalow and left after Aiden slipped them a hundred-dollar bill.

“There. Now it’s just the two of us until morning.” His sexy smiled caused my heart to squeeze in my chest.

“Sushi, Aiden. Your first bites of sushi. You’re going to die.”

“Isn’t that raw fish?” he asked while I pulled him out to the table for two propped on the edge of the ocean.

“Yes, wrapped in rice and nori.”

He grimaced while he sat down and stared at the colorful little rolls. “I grew up on lox and I hated it then. I don’t think raw fish is my thing.”

“This isn’t lox. This is sushi. Trust me; you’ll love it.”

I showed him how to mix his wasabi into his soy sauce and how to use the chopsticks. When he picked up his first piece and dipped it in the sauce, I held my breath and watched while he slid it into his mouth.

“Well?” I asked while he chewed.

“Mmmmm,” he murmured and closed his eyes. The happy sound deepened the longer he chewed.

“Good, right?”

After a big swallow, he opened his eyes and nodded. “So good! I had no idea raw fish could taste like that!”

I smiled and grabbed a piece myself. After dunking it in the soy I popped it in my mouth. My own sounds mimicked his while I savored the best sushi I had ever eaten.

“I love when you make that sound,” he said before inhaling another piece. “You also make it when I do that thing with my tongue you like so much.”

I almost choked on my sushi. With my mouth full, I couldn’t respond.

“What? You do.” He flashed that sly smile, and I felt the familiar roller coaster drop in my stomach.

I grabbed my glass of champagne and took a sip to wash down the sushi.

“Is this champagne?” he asked, fingering the stem of his flute.

“It is. Haven’t you tried it yet?” I was thoroughly enjoying experiencing all these new tastes and this new world with him. Everything was so fresh and new, and it made me stop and appreciate things even more. I felt like I was seeing everything again with fresh eyes.

“When you drank it in New York, I was so curious what it tasted like.”

“Well, now’s your chance.” I held up my glass and clinked it to his. “Cheers.”