Page 89 of Designs on You

He leaned into her, and she gave a little laugh. The last thing he wanted was to upset her, so he was glad her mood could change so quickly.

They got the car and headed out onto the freeway, driving into Miami.

“It’s so beautiful here,” Natalie said as Eugene exited the highway. “And the views of the ocean are spectacular.”

When he pulled into the entrance to their hotel, she gasped and turned to face him. “Here? Really?”

“I figured if we were going to stay in Miami, we might as well get some beach time.”

The valet came and got their luggage, put it on a cart, and then Eugene handed over the keys to the rental while they went inside and checked in at the registration desk.

They took the elevator and Eugene slipped the card against the lock and opened the door.

“Oh. My. God.”

Eugene seconded Natalie’s comment. “That’s a hell of a view, isn’t it?” He laid their luggage down and walked through the room with her to the balcony, drew the door open, and stared out at the beautiful blue waters of the Atlantic.

“Wow. That’s just incredible.” She turned to him. “Thank you for this, Eugene. It’s exactly what I didn’t know I needed.”

Her statement hit him like a warm squeeze to his heart. He didn’t know how to react, so he gave her an easy smile. “It’ll be fun, right? And we have tickets to the afternoon game tomorrow.”

“Perfect.”

“Which means it’s warm, the sun is out, and we need to head to the water.”

“I agree.”

While Natalie was in the bathroom, Eugene grabbed his board shorts and changed into those along with a sleeveless tee. He dug out his sandals and slipped into them, then fished the sunscreen out of his bag. Now all he had to do was find his sunglasses and he’d be ready.

“Okay,” Natalie said as she came out of the bathroom. “I’ve got a bag packed with my hat along with sunscreen, sunglasses, and lip balm. Oh, and a book to read. Is there anything else you want to put in it?”

All he could do was gape at her because she stood there staring at him, no doubt waiting for him to answer, but he was pretty sure he swallowed his tongue. She wore a red bikini that showed off her incredible curves, her long, long legs, and the swell of her breasts.

“You look so fucking hot.”

She opened her mouth to say something, closed her mouth, then frowned and said, “Really?”

He stepped toward her and slid his arm around her waist, tugging her against him. “Oh yeah. Sure you want to go down to the pool?”

“I absolutely want to go to the pool. But just to let you know, I could get used to compliments like that, so thank you.” She pressed her mouth to his, but only briefly.

Damn.

They headed downstairs and outside, and he had to admit, itwas pretty perfect. The pool area was large and the staff accommodating as they found chairs to sit in and ordered drinks. Eugene ordered a beer and Natalie ordered a vodka with pineapple juice.

He looked over at her and she shrugged. “I feel tropical.”

“Tropical, huh? I guess our next trip should be to Hawaii. Maybe Jamaica?”

“Right. With all that spare time I have.”

“Hey, you’ve got to make the time to indulge yourself.”

She drew her sunglasses down her nose. “Uh-huh. Tell me that once you have a couple of kids.”

“You make a valid point. However, if I may counterpoint, you don’t have the kids all the time.”

“But—”

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