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“You know the man is supposed to be the one to plan fun dates, right?”
“Oh, please. Don’t be old-fashioned. I wanted to do something nice for you. This is it. Now stop complaining and enjoy, will you?”
He laughed and continued to row. “Not complaining. Just thinking I’ve got to up my game.”
“You rented a whole damn cabana. Calm down and see what’s up my sleeve first.”
“It’s you, Kaia. It’ll be amazing because everything you do is amazing.”
They followed along the shore. Una had been right. Paddling along the shore like this gave them a great view of the horizon but also of the resort and its strange geography. There really was something for everyone. Kaia even thought she spotted people skiing down one of the higher mountains. There were other hotel guests in all kinds of motorless watercraft along the beach. The sound of laughter was never too far off.
Finally, Kaia spotted the big rock. It was one of the landmarks Trei gave her to navigate them to their destination.
“Not long now,” she announced.
They rounded another wide turn in the shoreline, but they heard it before they spotted it.
“I know that sound,” Grey said animatedly. “That’s a …”
The sound of the rushing waterfall cut off the rest of his sentence. It was just big enough to send a fine, cool mist their way. They banked the canoe into a small alcove and got out. Kaia grabbed a black cooler bag from the bottom of the canoe and swung it over her shoulder. Greyson tried to take it from her, but she shook her head. “You’re just trying to sneak a peek inside the bag.”
“I can smell the food from here,” he said just as his stomach growled. “I don’t need to look inside to guess what’s in it.”
“This is what happens when you hang out with shifters, huh?” she teased.
“Yup.” When he reached for the bag this time, she let him take it.
They made their way through the underbrush and tall grass to settle close enough to the waterfall to feel the mist off the water but far enough away that they could chat without shouting at each other. They lay on a small blanket that some demon or imp had thoughtfully packed for them.
“I bet it’s a Portia touch,” Kaia laughed.
“Maybe Una,” Grey offered.
“Definitely not Lou,” they said together before chuckling.
“If Lou had packed this basket, we would have all kinds of booze and maybe sex toys, but definitely not a blanket andthis.” Kaia pulled out huge sandwiches, clearly made to satisfy a shifter’s significant appetite. Grey tucked in immediately. “Wow, your parents must have almost gone broke when you were a teenager if that’s how you eat.”
Grey swallowed his big bite and grinned. “Shifters have an insanely fast metabolism. It’s not my fault.” He shrugged with a smile before taking another bite from his meal.
“Good thing I made sure to tell Una the basket was for a dragon, or I might have been in danger of becoming your lunch.”
He placed his sandwich down and rubbed the back of his hand against her leg. “Never,” he assured her with a serious tone. “But you will definitely be my dessert.” To prove his point, he settled above her, pushing her onto her back. Grey kissed her softly, cupping her face in his hands. “This is a very sweet activity, love. Does seem like you’re trying to make a memory before we have to say goodbye.”
She looked away. The look in his eyes was too intense for her. It made her long for things she didn’t know she could have.
“Kaia,” he said, raising her chin to look into her eyes. “This isn’t goodbye. You have to know that.”
“We’ve both been avoiding what happens when we leave Hellscape Holiday Resort,” she pointed out. “You want to be the CEO and alpha to your people, and I would never stand in the way of that.”
He nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but he stopped himself. He sat back and took another bite of his food instead. Kaia sighed and picked at her own sandwich.
“You couldn’t be in the way of anything, Kaia. I want to be with you. I’m a dragon. My wing span is pretty big, and it lets me travel long distances in very short amounts of time.”
“I live in New Hampshire, Portsmouth, to be exact.”
Grey smiled. “Convenient. I live in a small town not too far from Nashua.”
She returned his smile. “New Hampshire too?Veryconvenient.”
