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“Really, Alex? Do we have to talk about this tonight? Can you give it a rest and let us enjoy dinner?” I plopped down on the lounge chair and grabbed my wine, sulking.
“Okay, sorry. I’ll let it go. My bad. What would you like to talk about?” He stood with the grill to his back, looking at me, his hands in his jeans, shirtless.
What came to mind was how damn good his abs looked with the glow of the orange sun descending for the day, highlighting them. “I don’t know. What are the plans for tomorrow?”
“We could go over to Jockey's Ridge if you want. We can have dinner there and come back across after?” A slow smile started to form on his face as he turned to check on dinner.
“Why do I get the feeling this is already planned?” I stood up, walked over to him, and eyed him closely, my eyes squinting in focus as the evening grew a bit darker.
“Maybe I thought it would be something you’d like to do. I also hired a private instructor to teach us hang gliding, and I hired someone to bring us back to the island later than the last ferry run so we can enjoy a nice dinner on the water, all dressed up after we shower at the hotel I might have reserved just for that reason.”
I stood there and listened as he told me his plans. I went from surprised to charmed, then from worried to amused as I wondered what Victoria thought when she received those bills. My face must have shown my surprise, since started to chuckle.
I took a sip of wine, buying time to gather my thoughts. As I savored the taste, I tried to come up with the right words. “So, what do you think Victoria will say about all these receipts for tomorrow night?”
“Why don’t you let me worry about that? Steak’s ready. Are you hungry?”
I wondered if that was a deliberate subject change. Oh well, I needed more wine anyway, so I followed him into the kitchen and got us both some more wine as he prepared our plates. We decided to eat at the living room coffee table in front of the fireplace, where a fire was crackling and warming the room from the dropping temperatures.
“Umm, this is so good. Thank you. I’m typically not a red meat person, but if I had this, I’d certainly consider it more frequently,” I said as I savored another bit and closed my eyes while I chewed.
“You’re welcome,” he said, then cleared his throat. He sounded a bit uncomfortable, and I felt the couch beside me move just enough to warrant opening my eyes.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes, I just need more wine. How about you? Need me to top yours off?” he asked, looking at the floor.
I looked at the glass I’d barely touched. “Um, no, I’m good. Thanks.”That was certainly odd,I thought as I continued to eat my steamed broccoli and cauliflower while he retrieved more wine.
He came back into the living area and took a seat next to me. “Want to go get some ice cream after we eat?”
“I’ll have to let you know. It’s chilly out, and I’m feeling stuffed already,” I said as I rubbed my stomach.
“You’ve barely touched anything.” He observed my plate and laughed.
“Okay, so it’s still a little hard to get down red meat, I’ll admit. However, it was delicious; that was not a lie. And I am getting full. That’s true as well,” I said, giving him my famous eye roll.
We finished what we could of dinner, he cleaned his plate, and I ate a few more bites–mostly to please him–then we settled in to watch a movie. As we scrolled through the guide to see what we could agree on, I pulled the throw resting on the back of the couch across my feet and legs to ward off the chill.
After what felt like forever, we agreed to watchThe Meg,of all things. We didn’t have many choices, and we’d argued over everything fromDirty DancingtoDie Hardand came to an agreement overThe Meg. The moment when the little girl turned around and saw the largest shark I’d ever seen, the shark tried to break the glass–or whatever the underwater station window was made of–and the little girl screamed, I jumped and hid my face in Alex’s neck. I was terrified. I hated moves like this and now wished I had fought harder forDirty Dancing,damn it.
Alex started laughing and paused the movie to get more wine. “You scared? It’s only a movie. I guess, even after all this time, I hadn’t realized you don’t like scary movies,” he said as he returned with our glasses. He sat next to me and wrapped the blanket around us. The fire crackled and the warmth circled us for a perfect movie night.
Once again scared, I turned into his arms, and this time when I looked up from covering my eyes, they met his. He was looking at me in a way I’d not seen before. There was a hunger there, something deeper, an undeniable desire. Our lips met. At first it was gentle; we explored, feeling things out and seeing where it might lead. He put his hand on my cheek, and his tongue found mine for a deep, passionate kiss. Once we came up for air, his eyes were dark with desire.
“Alex, I–”
“Shh, we can stop.”
“No, that’s not what I was going to say. I was going to say that I think you’re on the remote.” We both burst out laughing as we turned to the TV, the screen was moving forward at Godspeed.
“Well, the movie is over. Want to make out?” he asked as he kissed my forehead.
“Mm, yes. I’d like that.” I moved toward him on the sofa, and then he suddenly picked me up and carried me toward the bedroom upstairs.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Alex said as he brought me a cup of coffee.
I lay there in his bed, surrounded by pillows as soft as clouds, feeling like I was on top of the world. My health was back; I’d had amazing sex last night, and today promised to be gorgeous for our excursion to Jockey's Ridge.
