Her lips purse. Her shoulders turn rigid in my grasp. “You ass-hat!” Ripping off her cap, she slaps Brendan with it several times.
He only laughs, curling his arms up to block her hits.
“I should –”
“You should what?” He wiggles his eyebrows.
She slaps him one more time before running her hands through her hair and sliding her baseball cap back in place. “Go fuck yourself.”
“It’d be better if you did it with me.” With a wink, he darts up the trail ahead of us.
I shake my head, holding in my own laugh. It’s nice to see Brendan so excited. I can’t remember the last time he felt this way toward anyone. Probably high school. Beside me, Asra puts both hands on her hips and huffs. He was right earlier, she is sexy as hell when she’s mad. Before I can contemplate if she’d bring that same fire to the bedroom, we turn a corner.
The trees open, revealing a clear plateau. Beyond the cliff, the beach looms in the distance. A vibrant sunset spans the waves. Bold golds streak the sky with deep navy and orange.This outlook is why I chose this spot, but all the photographs online don’t even do it a cent of justice.
“Wow.” Asra brushes past me. Walking almost to the edge, she stares in awe. Her silhouette glows with the setting sun, like a goddess on Mount Olympus.
Leaning against a tree, I watch her. My ribs seem to constrict around my organs. Jeans, T-shirt, and baseball cap on, she’s still the most breathtaking thing I’ve ever seen. Real. She’s real, not fake or pretentious. Even with her disease, there’s a vibrancy to her that permeates every molecule of her being. I wish she could see it. That she is more than porphyria, that she doesn’t have to hide because of it.
Beside me, Brendan leans against another tree, the same expression on his face. We share a look. He nods.
Swallowing, I push off the tree and make my way to our girl.
“It’s absolutely breathtaking.”
“Yes, it is.” But I’m not looking at the sky. “Hungry?”
"Yeah, I suppose so. You?"
“Starving.” Although, I don’t want anything I packed.
“So, what goodies did you bring?” She stands up on her tiptoes and peers over my shoulder at the black picnic bag.She’s so close, I can smell her soft, floral perfume. Like a siren’s song, it beckons me closer.
I want to hold her in my arms, that scent saturating every molecule of my being, our limbs tangling and connecting until we are one, yet I know she hasn’t eaten at all today. As much as I want her, her needs come first. She will always come first.
There’s something primal about feeding and providing for someone. I smile at the thought as I take her hand and lead her to the center of the barren plateau. Slipping the case off my shoulders, I pull out the picnic blanket first.
“Seriously?” She raises her eyebrows.
“See. What’d I tell ya, princess?” Brendan jokes as he finally joins us.
“Whatever.” It’s not that girly. The bag is black and looks like any other backpack. The blanket is mostly black with a maroon and forest flannel pattern and an outdoor, waterproof shell on the bottom. It’s not like I’ve been toting around some wicker basket with pink lace on it all evening or anything. I just don’t like sitting my ass on a bunch of dirt or mud. And I would prefer to use actual plates and silverware rather than creating a bunch of garbage with disposable ones.
I fan out the blanket and watch as it falls to the ground. After kicking out all the corners until it’s spread evenly, I grab my bag and start unloading the containers.
“Wow, what is all of this?” Asra asks, dropping down beside me.
“Mixed fruit, an olive and roasted pepper antipasto, potato salad,” I point to each container, “BLT sandwiches on a ciabatta loaf, because I wanted to show you that I can, in fact, cook bacon. And,” I slide out the last container, “key lime pie.”
“You made all this?”
“I bought the pie. Baking’s not really my thing, either.” Icancook. Grill, roast, chop, sauté, those are my things. Meat and vegetables. Butbaking and breakfast, anything that requires detailed measurements or directions, has never been my forte.
“Still,” she stares at all the containers, “you didn’t have to do all of this. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches would have been fine.”
I lean in close to her. “I wanted to. I know you are more than capable, but let us take care of you.” I almost kiss her. Almost. Her lips are right there, so plump and soft. My pulse races through my veins, blood rushing right where I least need it.
Her stomach growls, breaking the tension while reminding me that she hasn’t eaten yet today.