She pulled in a breath and looked at him. Aiden winked and gave her a charming grin. Her body immediately heated in an unfamiliar way.
“Don’t worry, my beautiful wife.”
Shewasworried … about him calling her his beautiful wife.
“We’ve got a two-bedroom, two-bath villa, the room service staff have been generously tipped already and asked to leave all of our food requests outside on the front porch table, and we’ve requested no maid service for our stay. I know you can hardly wait to be alone with me for … an undetermined amount of time.”
She pasted on a smile as if all was well and pushed away the longing his words had produced. Would she ever have a honeymoon and a handsome husband? Her mom and Grammy Larue bemoaned she never would settle down and go home. Her path was different from her mom’s or grandmother’s and she rarely dwelt on a husband or any kind of home, but if she could have a husband like Aiden …
She snuck another glance, and he gave her his easy grin. Of course Aiden was teasing her and maybe putting on the façade in case there was anyone around. He couldn’t possibly want to be a on a honeymoon, even a fake one, with someone with dirty, stringy hair, a pale face with blood vessels burst under her eyes from throwing up, who probably reeked of puke and sweat. She couldn’t even stand the taste of her own mouth.
She rolled her eyes at herself. What did her looks or smell matter right now? She was running for her life and her virtue from the vile General Phillip. She wasn’t after some romance with the attractive and accomplished SEAL from back home. No matter how appealing and incredible he was. They’d get through this time and then he’d go back to active duty and so would she. Her stomach squirmed again, remembering the matter-of-fact words of that high-ranking officer on the submarine asking her to think about her family and what would happen if Aiden didn’t show up next time she was in danger, or if she got someone like Aiden and his buddies killed.
She didn’t want to think about any of it. She wanted to take a shower, brush her teeth, climb into clean sheets, and sleep until she could sleep no longer. Was that going to happen tonight? At least she had a fighting chance ofthatdream becoming a reality.
The dream of her and Aiden on a honeymoon? She didn’t let herself look at him as longing filled her. That dream wasnotreality. It was so far from reality they weren’t even in the same neighborhood, zip code, or continent, for heaven’s sake. She had to shut that dream down and quick.
They walked on the path for a while, going past a few trails with wooden plaques marking the number of a villa hidden in the trees. It seemed they were going to be a far distance from any neighbors or wandering eyes. That was good.
“There’s a high-voltage perimeter fence around the entire property and security guards monitoring the gate and the beaches,” Aiden told her. “Not that any of those guards have information about us, but they will provide an extra layer of security and information. Also, Papa hired someone to install security cameras and sensors inside and outside our villa with alerts sent to my phone and his.”
“That’s good. Papa thinks of everything.” She’d noticed the level of respect those high-ranking Navy officers on the ship the first day had given to Admiral Delta. Was Aiden’s grandfather still involved in the Navy, or had he called in favors for her? She appreciated him either way.
“Oh, you have no idea.”
She hoped they would have toiletries and clothes here at the villa or some way to buy them. She was definitely no spoiled girl. She’d lived in dirt huts and under the stars. She’d be fine without clean clothes; she could scrub these out and they’d dry while she slept. Washing clothes in rivers or lakes was commonplace for her. She might not survive without a toothbrush, though. Aiden had given her that military toiletry kit and found her clean clothes as often as he could. She’d tried to keep herself clean on the ships, but it had been rough. Sadly, she’d been so out of it that she’d left the kit on the last boat.
“How big is the property?” she asked.
“The specs I was given said four miles long and a half mile wide. There are twelve specialty restaurants, four buffets, seven bars, ten family swimming pools, four adult swimming pools, volleyball, basketball, pickleball, tennis, a movie theater, a bowling alley, a flow rider, a water park, a theater for singing and dancing performances, a fully equipped gym, an incredible spa complete with its own heated pool and hydrotherapy section, snorkeling, scuba diving, their own dolphin experience, kayaks, paddleboards, dancing lessons, more excursions to waterfalls, ziplines, rum factories, shopping, dining, sightseeing tours, and river rafting experiences than you can imagine … What am I forgetting?”
They walked to what looked to be the end of the trail. She’d noticed at each villa trail there’d been a wider road leading the other direction. They’d tried to hide the road by dense foliage and no lights; presumably the road was for housekeeping and room service vehicles to have access to the villas.
“It sounds like you have done an impressive amount of reconnaissance and this resort has thought of everything.”
He led her down the trail of villa #18. “It appears to be a gorgeous, well-maintained, and incredible resort. I read the brochure a few times while you were … recovering from throwing up.”
“Glad you had something to occupy your time.”
He smirked at her, not seeming the least put out that he’d had to watch her go through that awfulness. Aiden had been so attentive, patient, and unfazed by her puking disgustedness she’d think he had nursing training, not combat and special ops.
“Thank you again for … taking care of me every which way,” she said.
Aiden lifted his eyebrows. “It’s in the job description.”
“I have some money saved, but I couldn’t possibly pay what you’re worth. I might be able to repay Papa Delta for at least the cost of staying here,” she said, embarrassed. She made okay money because the owner of Health for All insisted full-time workers were paid, and she’d saved most of her money.
“Keep your money,” Aiden said easily, as if that was the least of their concerns. He gave her an appealing smirk. “Papa would be offended if you tried to pay him, and there are many benefits to this assignment for me that have nothing to do with money.”
Melene’s eyes widened. Did he think … what did he expect of her? They were all alone here, and Aiden was a good Christian man so she knew he wouldn’t pressure her, but … Her mind was racing.
He stopped walking and so did she. He squeezed her arm softly. “Melene, your brown eyes got very serious and concerned there. I didn’t mean … anything untoward. I was just saying it’s not a hard job being stuck with a sweetheart like you on a gorgeous island resort.”
“Thanks,” she managed. She appreciated him in so many ways, and she had no idea how she’d keep her distance emotionally or physically if she was healthy and he was so kind and appealing. She turned to look at their place.
The trees opened up and a quaint front porch complete with rocking chairs decorated the front of their personal villa. It looked a lot more spacious than she’d expected. The exterior had wide, clapboard white siding and bright red shutters framing picture windows.
“It’s so charming.” Melene clapped her hands together, the lingering nausea finally seeming to disappear in the face of this beautiful private oasis. She and Aiden, pretending to be newlyweds? She risked a glance at him, and he was smiling warmly at her. No, no, no. She could not let her mind keep wandering back to that idea. Far too tempting to forget this was very temporary and he was only here on assignment, no matter if he was much more charming than their cottage.