Chapter 66

She leaned back against the railing and watched him quietly. What was he up to? Normally he was pretty talkative about all their plans, but this time he wouldn't so much as hint at where they were going or doing. And now he was hiding behind those dark glasses.

She wasn’t used to him hiding anything from her anymore. For all of thirty seconds she wondered if he was finding a place to say, "It’s been fun, but I'm bored now." She played with the strings of the front of her dress, watching the horizon. No, it couldn't be that. They’d been happier than ever the last few days. In fact, most of what he said to her bordered on possessive. She supposed it should have rang a few warning bells, but she liked how it felt. Heck, she loved how much he wanted her.

So what the hell was he up to and why wouldn't he tell her? Shit, for that matter, why drag her to another island to see a beach? They had a perfectly fine private one where they were. Dammit, she hated not being able to figure it out.

She loved surprises IF she could figure them out. It just wasn't fair to keep her in suspense. And now he was being all tall and growly and subdued.

The boat docked. He stepped away, wrapping his hand around hers again. He wasn’t sure if he was making the biggest mistake of his life or not. "This is us, darlin'."

"Lead on, Big Guy."

They were herded off the deck and he twisted through people, his grip ironclad until he found their parking deck. It seemed like such a good idea that morning when he’d made the plans, but now he was nervous. He’d called the hotel the night before to make sure they’d followed his plans to the letter.

When they finally were able to get back on the bike he saw the sign for Long Beach, he felt his belly tighten in anxiety instead of nerves. Was he crazy doing this now? Would he scare her off?

As her fingers clasped tighter over his waist, he closed one large hand over her smaller ones. He hoped to God he was doing the right thing. "Just a bit more," he said over his shoulder.

She pressed her cheek to his back, her mind still whirling. Maybe money wasn't a problem for him, but it seemed damned silly travel all this way to go to another beach. If he was taking her to a beach. Where else would there be sand? "Ok babe."

Normally he would have enjoyed the setting. The quaintness of the sea-air worn shops, the tide noises that seemed to bounce and rattle through the town, and the tropical blooms that seemed to grow everywhere, all of it was perfect. Sun baked streets kicked up powdery sand until all the chrome on the bike was covered.

He finally crested the hill and road gave way to sand, and the stone, then to the spiky grass of the beach. He caught a glimpse of the indescribably blue water on the horizon. Flowers popped against the washed out grey of what was probably a very pretty green framing the water.



She took in the crystal blue of the water and the poppy red of the tropical flowers that swayed in the light breeze. She couldn’t stop the sigh. Okay, so she was wrong. She didn’t think it was possible, but it was even lovelier than the beach on St. Maarten. "It's gorgeous, Richie."

He climbed off and helped her do the same. "Well, let's hope you like the rest of the surprise," he said and led her down the private beach. It was attached to a hotel on the island. He’d spent a small fortune to get access to it for the night, but it helped that it was sort of their off season. He parked the bike, jangling the keys in his pocket. "Time to go barefoot, shortie."

She slipped her heels off again and hung them from the handle bars of the bike. "You got it, Tall, dark and handsome." She leaned into him, the silk of his shirt warm under her cheek. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but it’s prettier than our beach." She peered up at him. “I didn’t think anything [i]could[/i] be prettier than our beach.”

"Well this is that crazy Robin Leach stuff, darlin'. I had to pull a few strings for it, but I hope it's worth it."

Her brow arched as the puzzle pieces doubled. What the heck did that mean? "You don’t have to spend money to make me happy."

He lifted their joined hands to his lips. He shifted her in front of him and placed his other hand over her eyes as they rounded the ridge. "I know, I don’t, but I like to surprise you.”

She giggled. "Richie, you better not toss me in that ocean."

“Nah,” he laughed, brushing his cheek against her hair. “Not this time.” He could feel her vibrating against him, and prayed that it was the good kind of excitement. He breathed a quick inward sigh of relief as her surprise came into view. He positioned her dead center and took his hand away.

A huge white tent sat a few hundred yards from the water to forgive the tide that would come in. Tiki torches surrounded the opening to the tent and a few scattered around the small seating area he'd requested.

A fire pit had been fashioned from stones and driftwood. As he walked her closer, he caught sight of the champagne chilling and the small cooler tucked in the front of the tent, out of the blistering sun. Flowers were arranged at the doorway and on top of a small table that was tucked under the mini-canopy that extended from the larger sleeping area.

Slim white tapers bloomed from crystal, fine China lay in a pretty setting, gleaming in the sunlight. Inside the tent, a huge king sized bed with mosquito netting and an explosion of pillows took over the entire space.

Her eyes widened as she searched for something to say. It was exquisite, each and every part of it. She opened her mouth to speak, to exclaim at length over the setting he'd obviously worked so hard to achieve, but the only word she could manage was a soft, "wow."

He brought her over to the small table, settling her into a seat. "Hungry?"

Her brow tilted upwards as her eyes fluttered to the bed and back again. "For food?"

He leaned down and bumped noses with her. "Food, insatiable one." He stepped back into the tent, flipping open the cooler. Silver and crystal greeted him there as well. He lifted out Seafood salads, both lobster, shrimp and crab. Crackers and toast points that were stored in tin foil. He grabbed two flutes with his long fingers and tucked the champagne into his arm. "Here we go," he said with a flourish.

She tried take it all in, but just couldn’t. The man was forever surprising her with big romantic gestures. She nodded to the huge bed inside. "Is that my dessert?"

He laughed. “Maybe.”

She watched him as he settled the food on the table and wondered for the thousandth time how she'd gotten so lucky that night in the amusement park. This big, gentle man with his unending surprises and generosity was more than she could hope for. She never wanted for anything around him.

He lifted a sparkling flute. "To a perfect afternoon."

She clinked her glass with his, the perma-grin stretched tight across her face. Did she ever do anything but smile around him? "Every day is perfect with you, this is just icing on the cake, Pony." She sipped the bubbly and giggled as it tickled her nose. "Thank you for doing all of this. You made a wonderful vacation, totally divine."

God, he hoped she still thought the same thing in a little while. He tapped the box that weighed heavy against his keys. "I like pampering you."

She reached out, her hand caressing his cheek softly, "As much as I love you pampering me, I love taking care of you more. You're a wonderful man, did you know?"

He nuzzled her hand, turning his face to kiss her palm. He refilled her glass. "Tell me what would make you happy right now, if you could have anything at all."

Her eyes sparkled as she tilted her head, her smile widening, "You, forever."

His heart started thudding in his chest so loud, he wasn't sure he'd heard her. "Just me?"