Cris walks to the bathtub, gazes out the window at the dark ocean, and then turns to me, a curious smile on her face. From there she checks out the sofa and a low coffee table where there is another vase and the dessert I promised.
“Donuts?”
“Chocolate-covered strawberries are cliché. Plus”—I join her—“these are not merely donuts. These are brioche donuts filled with vanilla crème.”
“They sound amazing. And unhealthy.” She bites her lip.
“You’re off the clock, coach.” I thumb her lip from her teeth. “Tonight you are my Firecracker.”
I take her hand and we sit on the sofa. I lift one of the donuts, crème filling dolloped on one end, to her mouth. Powdered sugar dusts my suit pants as I instruct, “Lick.”
She doesn’t hesitate, her eyes on mine when she sneaks out her pink tongue for a taste. My pants grow tight when she closes her eyes and lets out a low “Mm” sound.
“I hope to hear more of that tonight,” I tell her before taking a bite of the dessert I special-ordered for the evening. More powdered sugar falls on my pants. She tips her head back, spreads those lush lips, and laughs softly.
I take another mental photo. Click.
She swipes her fingers along the corner of my mouth. “You’re really something, Benjamin Owen.”
“I’m whatever you need me to be, Cristin Gilbert.” I offer her the donut, and rather than take a bite, she dips her finger into the crème and sucks it off the tip.
Sucks.
It.
Off.
Click.
And here I thought I was the one in charge tonight. She’s doing fine without my direction. I polish off the donut, and offer the plate holding the remaining four. She shakes her head and the curls framing her face, more having fallen out of her updo as the night droned on.
I set the plate aside and scoot so close our hips touch. My upper body facing hers, I tuck my hand under her jaw and tip her lips to mine. Our sugary kiss turns sensual and deep a moment later. The rustle of her dress against my shirt reminds me we have too many clothes on for my plans.
Before I’m done kissing her, she pulls away to ask, “We don’t have to take a bath first, do we?”
“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do tonight. This is about you. This is all for you.”
Her smile is appreciative. She stands and takes my hand. I stand with her and allow her to lead me across the room. Three wide steps lead up to a bed covered in a white bedspread. Rather than rose petals, I asked the concierge to leave something else for her. Something unique. Something she’s going to love.
She picks up the box, wrapped in white paper and tied with red ribbon. Her head snaps over to me as she clutches the box in both hands. She grins, her eyes flashing with gratitude, and she hasn’t even opened it yet.
Click.
“What are you waiting for?” I ask.
“You—”
“If the words ‘you didn’t have to’ come out of your mouth, I’m bending you over my knee. And trust me, Firecracker, that’s a few levels up from where we are.”
I wink. She blushes.
Click.
She tears open the box and lifts the lid, revealing a rectangular red velvet box. Inside is a delicate gold chain, and dangling on that chain a golden compass pendant with a diamond at the top. It’s timeless, delicate, beautiful. Like her.
“It’s…it’s… I don’t know what to say.” She blinks rapidly, her gray eyes misting over.
“Turn around.” When she does, I reach over her shoulder and remove the necklace. I drape it around her neck and snap the tiny lobster-claw clasp.
“This is your reminder that whenever you need guidance, you can trust yourself. You never let anyone down, Cris. Time to prioritize your own needs for a change.” I kiss the back of her neck. “You are your own true north.”
Fingers touching the compass, she faces me. “You know what I need, don’t you?”
Like she transferred her emotions to me, a lump forms in my throat. I swallow past it, which takes some doing. Steering us from the emotional quicksand and into sexier territory, I blink my eyes slowly and add gravel to my voice. “I do. Which is why you’ve chosen me for this particular expedition.”
I make an obvious show of checking her out, my gaze wandering down her body and up again while I rub my hands together. “I can’t decide which part of you to kiss first.”