Page 65 of Blame It on the Bikini
"Checkout isn't until eleven," he said, putting his phone on the nightstand. "We have a couple of hours."
"Really? I thought you were a man who always put work first."
"I thought I was, too. But when I'm around you, I'm different."
"Different good?"
"Different great."
She liked the way his eyes suddenly sparked. "What do you want to do with those hours?"
"I have a few ideas. None of them involves leaving this bed."
She picked up the tray of their empty dishes and put it on the dresser, then she got back onto the bed. "I'm in." She leaned over and kissed his lips, tasting coffee and possibilities. He pulled her against him, the robe sliding off her bare shoulders, and she stopped thinking about everything except him and the delicious way he whispered her name as his hands ran down her body.
They left their cozy cabin just after eleven, and Lexie was sorry to leave, but they couldn't put off the rest of their lives any longer. While conversation flowed easily for most of the trip, as they neared Ocean Shores, the easy intimacy of the morning began to splinter. The constant buzzing of Grayson’s phone filled the silence between them, each vibration fraying the edges of the cozy cocoon they'd been living in.
“Someone is desperate to reach you,” she said lightly.
He pulled into the parking lot at Ocean Shores and picked up his phone, his expression hardening as he took a quick look at the screen. "The Singapore deal is falling apart."
"What happened?"
"I took my eye off the ball. That's what happened."
She jerked at his tone. "It was your idea to stay in the cabin after you got the first call, not mine. I told you we could leave."
He dragged in a breath, regret filling his gaze. "I know. I'm sorry. It’s just months of work falling apart. But those few hours aren't why this is happening."
"I understand. So, go fix it." She got out of the car, grabbed her camera bag from the back, and shut the door.
As she came around the car, he caught her arm in the parking lot, his gaze softer, almost pleading. "I didn't mean to ruin anything, Lexie. Yesterday, last night, this morning—it was good."
“It was," she agreed, happy with his words. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “The most fun I’ve had in a long time."
"I feel the same way, Lexie."
As their gazes clung together for far too long, she finally forced herself to pull away. "Good luck with your deal. I'll see you later."
She moved into the courtyard, pausing by the table where her aunt was working on a crossword puzzle while Grayson headed up the stairs to his apartment.
"You're back," Josie said, a curious gleam in her eyes. "I thought you were coming home last night."
"The highway was blocked by an accident. We had to find a motel."
"That sounds interesting."
She let out a sigh as she sat down at the table. "I feel guilty."
"Guilty? Why?"
"Because I deliberately tried to forget who Grayson is and how he holds our future in his hands. It was more fun to pretend the sale of this building wasn't an issue between us."
"You don't have to feel guilty for having fun, Lexie. Maybe your time together will help him change his mind."
"I don't know about that. He seems determined to keep business and personal separate. And to be honest, I was having such a good time with him that I didn't even try to talk to him about it. I feel like I let our community down."
"You didn't let anyone down, and you don't know what's going to happen." Josie gave her a sympathetic smile. "It's okay to like him, Lexie. As far as I know, he's a good man. He's intelligent and successful."
