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So why then, when he thought of honeymoons, did his mind automatically go to Abby?
He stepped down into the water and knew he had some important calls to make.
Flowers, check. Church, check. Hundreds of candles, check. Music, check.
Abby went through her list as she did every morning. All the plans were coming together quicker and easier than she’d thought. But when the bride couldn’t care less about details, planning a wedding could be done with ease.
God knew she’d worked with her fair share of Bridezillas in the past. If Cade weren’t the groom, Abby would be enjoying planning this wedding immensely.
Unfortunately, Cade was the groom and some other lucky woman was the bride.
Abby saved the changes to the menu items on her laptop and shut it down. She was dressed and ready to go snorkeling with Cade. They hadn’t spoken since yesterday when he’d practically devoured her, then abruptly sent her on her way.
But she couldn’t fault the man. He was probably torn in many directions now and Abby knew with all of her heart that he wanted to do the right thing. He just didn’t know what that was anymore. And sometimes, neither did she.
She grabbed her orange beach tote, slipped some cash and the room key in the inner pocket and zipped it shut.
With a deep, courageous breath, she went and knocked on Cade’s door. She hoped he’d had a sleepless night in that big bed. Hoped he’d tossed and turned and wondered what she was doing.
She knocked and stepped back, waiting.
When he opened the door, Abby had to bite back her smile. He looked exhausted. Good, that meant he was thinking.
“All ready to go?” she asked in her perkiest voice just to tick him off.
His eyes raked over her aqua tank and white shorts with her bright yellow bikini straps tied around her neck. He’d put on his navy board shorts and gray T-shirt that pulled gloriously across his chest.
“You sure you want to go?” he asked.
Even though she felt like throwing up due to all the nerves in her belly, she smiled. “Of course. I’ve never done this before. I’m excited.”
His brief hesitation alarmed her, but then he returned her smile. “Let’s go, then. You’ll love it.”
“I suppose you’ve been?”
He closed the door behind him, checking to make sure it locked. “Several times. I love the water.” He held out his keycard. “Can I put this in your bag?”
Abby slid the card into the side pocket, held on to the straps of her bag over her shoulder and walked with Cade down the dimly lit hall. Surprisingly, she wasn’t as uneasy about seeing him as she thought she’d be. Granted, she wished he would’ve pulled her into the room and said forget snorkeling, but at least he wasn’t avoiding her, either.
A driver was waiting at the front entrance to take them to the docks where a catamaran awaited them.
“It’s a beautiful day for your first snorkeling adventure,” Cade said as he assisted her onto the gleaming white boat.
She took a deep breath of fresh ocean water and fresh, masculine Cade. Once they were on board, the guide informed them that they would be going out to the second largest coral reef in the world. Seeing as how Abby had never seen the largest, she was sure to be impressed.
There were two of everything—snorkel masks, life jackets, flippers. As the guide continued to explain all the fish and plant life they might encounter, Abby pulled her tank over her head and dropped it into her bag.
Just as she unbuttoned her shorts and hooked her thumbs in to slide them off, she caught Cade’s heated glare.
Keeping her eyes on him, she slipped out of her flip-flops and pushed the shorts down her legs. With the edge of her foot, and her eyes still on Cade’s, she scooted her belongings off to the side.
When packing for this trip, she’d tried on every suit she’d owned. She wished she’d had the extra money to purchase a new one, but she hadn’t. In the end she’d chosen her favorite—the one that enhanced her curves.
The yellow two-piece was simple and plain, save for the bright red flower on her right breast. The top was two triangles and strings, the bottoms tied on her hips with little red beads dangling on the ends.
“You can’t get in the water like that,” she joked with a grin, motioning to his still fully clothed body.
But the joke was on her when Cade pulled off the gray T-shirt he’d worn with his navy and white trunks. To say the man was ripped would be a vast understatement.
She’d gotten glimpses of him yesterday during their massage, but now that they were facing each other, she got a full, agonizing look at him.
The sun beat down on his bronzed shoulders and Abby wanted nothing more than to toss their guide over the side and let him go snorkel while she explored all those nice ridges and planes on Cade’s body.
