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Tension built where their bodies touched. “I’m going to miss you when this ends.” She couldn’t believe her inner thought spewed out of her. When his brows furrowed, she didn’t know what to say. Instead, she stepped out of his arms and braced her hands on the boat’s railing.
A moment later, Drew was standing behind her, pressing his chest into her back. Caging her in with his hands on either side of her, he placed his mouth near her ear. “I’ll miss you too.” A sudden sense of loss hit Lacey square in the chest. The thought of never feeling his lips on hers wasn’t a pleasant one. Drew turned her around to once again face him. “I enjoy spending time with you, Lacey. Our titles may be fake, but my feelings aren’t. Getting to know you has been the high point of my year, and considering it’s December, that says a lot.” Drew kissed her temple. “Plus, you’re my bracelet buddy, so I’m sure we’re sort of stuck with each other.”
With those words ringing through her head, Lacey shrugged off her cover-up while Drew stripped off his shirt, leaving him in a pair of board shorts that hung low on his hips. She couldn’t help but stare at every nuance and ridge on his torso. When her eyes met Drew’s, he winked and she could feel herself blush. “I do like being your bracelet buddy.” She smiled at him, loving his optimism, the way he embraced all life offered. “Sort of stuck sounds good to me.”
Drew nodded as if her words were just a formality and something he’d known all along. “I thought you might feel that way.” Hisconfidence made her heart feel lighter, and for the first time in over a year she didn’t feel weighed down by her past.
Seconds later, James appeared with life jackets, flippers, goggles, and a tube for breathing. Once he was done demonstrating how to use the equipment and they were suited up, Lacey did her best not to trip before lowering herself into the water. Drew followed, and they glided through the open sea, studying the beauty below the waves.
When they resurfaced, their bodies bobbed in the crystal-clear salt water. Drew snatched Lacey’s hands and pulled her close; without another choice, she wrapped her legs around his waist, and her arms around his neck, almost knocking his goggles off. She couldn’t help but giggle as the scalloped edges of her rubber-tipped feet poked through the water.
“That was amazing, Drew. I can’t believe all the colors. Thank you for bringing me here.”
“Your beautiful smile is all the thanks I need.”
Lacey couldn’t remember the last time she had smiled so much. “Well, you put it there.” Their eyes locked and no other words were necessary. A pure tenderness shone in Drew’s eyes, and if it weren’t for the unexpected wave from a passing speedboat, Lacey could have stayed there, lost in his cobalt irises all afternoon.
The pair laughed as they were doused with salt water. “Come on.” Drew took her hand. “Let’s get back on the boat. Your shoulders are getting red.”
They giggled at the awkwardness of trying to climb the PVC ladder while wearing flippers. A couple of failed attempts later, and with Drew’s palm on her backside, Lacey finally made it on deck. She reached down and gave Drew a hand, but he’d removed his fins.
“That’s what I should have done,” Lacey said, laughing.
“Nah, then I couldn’t have touched you, and I quite enjoyed it.” Drew winked. “By the look on your face, I’d say you did too.”
She shrugged. “A lady never tells.”
The rest of the day was spent with Drew showering her with tender kisses and gentle touches. Deep down, she knew all his attentiveness would end up making it worse when they parted ways, but for now she’d simply enjoy it.
They finished dinner just as the sun was about to set, and as the waves darkened, Drew surprised her with a single tiered birthday cake decorated with one candle in the middle. “I wasn’t sure how old you were…”
“Twenty-nine,” Lacey said.
Drew lit the candle, and rather than belt out the traditional song, he simply said, “Happy birthday, Lacey. I wish you all the best that life has to offer.” Her eyes shimmered with tears. “Make a wish.”
For once, she wasn’t sure what to wish for. Normally, it would be a promotion or to land a big client. That was what it should have been, but this time she wished this vacation didn’t have to end. And as she stared into the candle, she silently resolved to throw caution to the wind and enjoy life one day at a time. Closing her eyes, she blew out the flame.
When she opened her eyes, it dawned on her she didn’t know his birthday. “When’s your birthday?”
“June fourteenth.” Before she could ask her next question, he added, “I’ll be thirty-two.”
June seemed so far away. Would they still be in contact with each other? Lacey wasn’t sure, so she relit the candle. “Just in case… happy birthday.”
Drew’s brows furrowed, understanding what she was doing. He quickly extinguished the candle in one swift breath. “I’d rather wait until the actual day.” He cupped her face with his warm palms. “I don’t plan on letting you go.”
When the boat docked, and they were back on solid ground, Drew and Lacey walked hand in hand back to the resort. She glanced up at him in the moonlight. Just like when she’d met him, his baseball cap was backward on his head. She tried to picture him in asuit, making financial deals. She imagined the way his shoulders would fill out a tapered suit jacket, how a crisp white shirt underneath would enhance the golden color of his skin.
She could picture it as clear as day. Questions of whether or not her visions would ever become reality swarmed in her head. Just then, Lacey’s phone vibrated in her purse; she silenced it without checking who was calling. Now wasn’t the time for the outside world. They had only a few days left together, and if she could spend each second with him, then that was what she would do.
Chapter 8
Drew didn’t want their night to end, yet he didn’t want what they had to turn into a vacation fling or, worse yet, a one-night stand. He needed to be with Lacey. To feel his body connect with hers, but he didn’t want to push.
“This is me.” Lacey’s face flushed a pretty shade of pink as they came to a halt in front of her hotel room door.
Every instinct told him to snatch the plastic keycard from her hand, slide it through the lock, and carry her into her room. But instead he stared into her eyes. “I had a great time tonight.”
“I did too.” She slid the card into the door, and a high-pitch beep came from the lock. “Would you like to come in?” Lacey pushed the door open.
