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“Yeah, I’ve seen your sketches.”
“Wait, when did you see those?”
His hand clutched hers as if he was trying to draw strength from her skin. “You’ve left me alone in your place a few times.”
Skye blushed. “So you were snooping?”
“No, not snooping, but you’ve left a few of your drawings out by the spreadsheets.”
“Oh, that’s nothing. Those are doodles. It’s the way I clear my head when I’m trying to come up with campaign slogans.”
He grinned. “You are hard to give compliments to. I think it’s art. I like your doodles.”
“Thanks.” He was right. It was hard to take a compliment, especially after the weight he had shared. Her soul felt heavier than before.
Ben tucked the dog tags through the collar of his shirt. “What do you think about getting ready for dinner?”
She wasn’t quite ready to leave the rocks. She could stay and talk for hours about Riggs, but she didn’t know how much a heart could be pressed until it didn’t beat anymore. It seemed Ben struggled with the words to tell her about Riggs. It had to be hell to lose your best friend.
She smiled. “I think that sounds perfect.”
He led her off the rocks and back to the surf where the icy water circled their ankles. “I don’t know about dinner, but I’m pretty excited about dessert tonight.”
Skye kicked sea foam in his direction. “Someone’s pretty confident.”
“Always, baby. Come on.” He started to jog toward the hotel.
Little black dresses were supposed to be the key to a successful date night. At least that was something Skye had put in an ad campaign once. Her hand was on the doorknob, ready to show off this little black dress she had purchased yesterday. She looked at her feet. She might like the heels more. They added inches to her height. Ben probably wouldn’t look past the cleavage show she was about to put on.
She whipped open the bathroom door.
“Holy shit.” He whistled.
“Is that a good thing?” She pulled her shoulders back and walked to the center of the suite.
“Sorry, I meant to say you look beautiful. Stunning.” He traced her collarbone with his fingertips and followed the dip of the dress until they hovered between her breasts.
Skye swallowed. Breathe, she reminded herself.
“You look pretty good yourself.” She always liked him in button down shirts. Tonight was a pale blue that matched his eyes.
“We better go or we’ll miss the sunset.” He tucked her hand in his and led her to the door. “If we don’t head out now, I think I might try to convince you to miss dinner altogether.”
Skye wasn’t opposed to the idea, but this was part of the entire process. Date, dinner, romance, then sex. Sex. Her throat clamped.
“You ok?” Ben pulled the door behind them.
She nodded. “Mmm…hmm.” She scolded herself. It wasn’t like she was a virgin, and he definitely wasn’t. Part of her wished they had already slept together, then it wouldn’t be weighing on her all night. It was like the elephant in the room, sitting on her chest until she could barely breathe.
The hostess escorted them to the farthest table on the veranda from the dining room. It was under an awning, jutting into the lawn of the hotel. Skye inhaled the ocean air as Ben held her chair.
“Perfect. We made it right before sunset.” He sat next to her.
“What’s so great about the sunsets?” She picked up the wine list. Wine was definitely on the menu tonight.
“You’ve never seen a Coronado sunset? How is that possible?”
“I’ve never stayed here overnight, and the only time I’ve come is for brunch. How is it different than the other sunsets?”
