I nod. “What’s the benefit of being on ground level?”
She spins and points to the king-sized bed. “Look at that bed.”
“Yeah, I think I might like that.”
She laughs. “Couples probably need a cup and a string so they can hear and find each other.”
I laugh at that, and she grins. “This is hardly roughing it. I’m sure they could find more modern technology and believe you me, I’d have no trouble finding you if you were in that bed.”
Once again, her cheeks turn pink, and okay, maybe that was my purpose all along. Why not let her know how much I want her, why not lay it right out there, and see if she picks it up? We’re consenting adults on vacation. So why not have some fun, and we can each go our own way when we’re done. She gets to crawl into bed with an NHL player—that’s what the girls want from us guys, right?—and I get a gorgeous fisherwoman who can totally handle life on her own, but that doesn’t mean this weekend she has to.
She walks to the ladder and climbs it, and I can’t seem to take my eyes off her ass. She makes a grunting sound as she drops her bag onto the bed, and starts to open the dome. Warm sunshine falls on us, and I take another look around, totally impressed that Charlie put this all together. Honestly, I’ve been camping, but I’ve slept on the ground. This place has a small kitchenette, a spacious bathroom, a big comfy bed and a reading chair. It’s amazing, really, and tonight I’m anxious to get in the hot tub and enjoy the view of the ocean.
I walk over to the small fridge and pull it open to find it fully stocked. “Do George and Roxane take care of the place for you?”
“They do. Are you hungry?”
“Always.”
She comes back down the ladder, and she has a pair of shorts and a T-shirt in her hands which kind of sucks because I like seeing her in my clothes. “Did you want to do the picnic lunch?” She narrows her eyes. “Jules and Rider haven’t surfaced yet. Do you think we should check on them, see if they’re interested in a hike and a picnic at the lighthouse?”
I grin at her. “They haven’t had a lot of time to themselves since having Sophie, and this is sort of a honeymoon for them, so I say we leave them a note, and if their fridge is stocked like ours, I think they’ll be fine.”
She frowns, her eyes unsure. “I want to make sure they get the full experience.”
I laugh, and it comes out sounding like a snort. “Believe me, they’re getting the full experience.”
She whacks me. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Wait,” I tease. “You mean...” I jerk my thumb over my shoulder, and like an asshole, say, “What’s going on next door isn’t part ofmyfull experience?”
Her head does some strange bobbing thing, which looks adorable. “Oh, you can have that all you want.”
I angle my head and give her a second to continue, anxious to see where she’s going with this. She reaches for my arm, flattens my fingers and shoves my palm to my chest. “Have at it, Hatfield.”
I burst out laughing. “You’re killing me, Charlie.”
She disappears into the small bathroom, and I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and crack it. I take a long pull and try not to imagine her in here naked, but fail drastically. My pants have a bulge in them when she comes out, and dammit, she looks sexy in her frayed shorts and T-shirt. I turn so she doesn’t see my bulge, but she goes straight to work pulling meats from the fridge.
“Let me help.”
She waves me away. “I’ve got this.”
“I’m not useless.”
“I never said you were, but this trip is all about you. It’s all about the guest experience.”
“Okay, then. I want to help, and you can’t say no because I’m the guest and it’s what I want. The guest gets what the guest wants, right?”
She pauses and puts her hands on her hip. “Hmm, I guess when you put it like that, you’re right. Okay, grab the bread and squirt on some mustard. You like mustard, right?” she asks, but my thoughts are already racing. If she’s saying yes to me helping, because it’s all about my experiences, what else will she say yes to when I pose the question like that? That makes me laugh because I only want her in my bed if she wants to be there, but what a fun way to make it happen.
She crinkles her nose, worry in her eyes. “Are you sure we shouldn’t check on Jules and Rider?”
“Their place is locked up, Charlie. They basically have a do not disturb sign hung. They’re fine, I promise, and it’s really nice that you’re taking such good care of my friends.”
“I like them.” She opens a package of sliced turkey, and exhales. “It’s been nice hanging around Jules, actually. My friends have all moved away.”
“That’s what it’s like here. It’s hard to get anyone to stay. Sometimes I feel guilty that I didn’t stay to work the farm, take it over when Mom and Dad retire. It’s the way things are done, and without brothers and sisters, the farm either shuts down or it goes up for sale.”