Page 61 of A Mile of Ocean

Satisfied with his handiwork, Trent went to find Savannah at the main house, a nervous excitement building in his chest. He found her sitting on the porch, gazing overhead at the evening sky stretching above them. She turned as he approached, a smile lighting up her face.

“Hey,” she said softly. “Where’ve you been hiding?”

“Hey, yourself. Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?” Trent replied, trying to keep his voice casual despite the butterflies in his stomach. She looked radiant, wearing a simple turtleneck and a pair of jeans, her long hair pulled back in a sexy Frenchknot with little strands wisping around her face. “I’ve been dealing with a lot of craziness. I have a surprise for you.”

Savannah’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as Trent held out his hand. He led her through the garden and back to his office, gestured for her to enter first.

Her eyes widened in amazement at the sight before her as she stepped into his office. He had transformed this little apartment into a cozy retreat, illuminated by the soft glow of candlelight flickering around the room. The smell of vanilla and lavender wafted in the air. She spotted the vase of freshly picked sunflowers entwined with smaller white verbena in the center of a small table. When she glanced upward, she noticed the skylight and the sky’s deep purple hue with the stars beginning to twinkle overhead.

“Trent, this is... you’ve outdone yourself,” Savannah’s voice trailed off, unable to find words to express her surprise.

“I wanted to make good on my promise about dinner under the stars,” he explained. “For now, this is the best I could do.”

Savannah’s eyes widened in realization. “I can’t believe you took the time to do this. This is incredible,” she managed to say as he pulled a chair out for her at the table.

The day’s stress began to fade when Trent poured them a glass of red wine. He picked up Dolly’s basket of goodies. “Let’s see what we have for dinner. She’s made a vegetable quiche with a Caesar salad.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Savannah replied, not caring about the food. She held her glass of wine to her lips and studied the man across from her. “We’ve had an interesting week leading up to this point, haven’t we?”

“That’s an understatement if I ever heard one,” Trent assessed as he sliced the quiche, filling their plates with the salad before handing one to her. “We deserve to spend a couple of hours with each other without anything blowing up.”

“I could use a couple of days of things not blowing up,” she joked before taking a bite of the quiche, savoring the flavors while stealing little glances at Trent. The way the candlelight flickered across his face made her heart flutter like a schoolgirl’s. It was as if the chaos outside had faded away, leaving them in the safety of their little bubble.

Across the table, Trent saw her eyes shimmering in the dim light, a smile playing on her lips as she savored each bite. The anxiety of the last few days seemed to melt away, replaced by a sense of calm.

When the playlist switched to a different melody, he reached out his hand. “Care to dance?” his voice barely audible.

“I’d love to,” she whispered.

They stood up as his arms went around her. Her body pressed against his, each little step sending sparks through their fingertips and down their spines. His hand rested gently on the small of her back, guiding her with a firm yet tender touch. Her hand fit perfectly in his, their fingers intertwined as they moved together.

Their faces were inches apart, illuminated by the soft glow of candlelight flickering in each other’s eyes.

His gaze drifted down to her lips. He ran his fingers over the subtle curve and fullness he had always found so enticing. He began to fiddle with her hair, trying to dislodge the knotted twist of curls. “Let’s try letting your hair down tonight.”

Her lips curved as she reached up to release the pins holding her hair in place. The strands fell around her shoulders in long, soft layers, allowing him to run his fingers through her curls.

She watched him lean in closer, his eyes locking onto hers with an intense gaze filled with warmth and longing. His lips looked soft and inviting, and she couldn’t help but anticipate their feeling on hers.

As their lips met, his eyes darkened with desire. They savored each other, moving in perfect rhythm. She tasted a hint of mint and wine lingering on his breath as he moved still closer, his scent adding to the exhilaration rushing through her body.

The kiss was like a gentle urgency between two dancers finding each other on a crowded dance floor, moving in perfect unison as if they had practiced this dance a thousand times before. The warmth of their breath mingled, a sweet and heady music that swirled and whispered around them, creating a cocoon of blissful intimacy. With each kiss, they tasted the promise of forever, and for a moment, there was nothing else in the world but the touch of their lips and the beating of their hearts.

His lips were soft and warm against hers, the pressure gentle yet insistent. She could feel the slight scrape of his stubble against her chin as his hand cupped the back of her neck, deepening the kiss.

She felt a surge of electricity coursing through her body as his hands gently cupped her face, his thumb tracing her jawline. She ran her fingers through his hair, reveling in its softness.

It was a merging of two souls, a dance of lips and tongues, a symphony of breath and passion. The world melted away, leaving only the charged connection between their bodies and the sweet taste of each other’s lips. In that moment, nothing else mattered.

“Are you ready for this? I don’t want you to think I’m rushing—”

She put her fingers to his lips. “I’ve been wanting this since I first met you.”

“So have I.”

He led her into the small bedroom while the music faded into the background. With a shared unspoken agreement, theyabandoned all pretense of restraint, giving in to the pull that had been building between them since their first meeting.

“Savannah,” he whispered, his voice laced with tenderness and desire. His fingers traced the line of her jaw, his touch leaving a trail of warmth in its wake. Her eyes fluttered closed at his gentle caress, her breath hitching slightly as she leaned into his touch.

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