“Married for forty-five years. My mom is retired and volunteers at the local hospital. My dad is a judge in district court. He’s planning on retiring in a couple of years—or sooner if my mom has anything to say about it. She wants to travel, especially in the winter. We, my siblings and I, keep telling them to get a place down south, but they refuse to leave Illinois, since that’s where we all are.”
“I don’t blame her. Family is important.” Drew squeezed her hand and brought it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on her fingers. She sensed he felt the deep sadness she carried, the reality that her parents would never have the opportunity to do any of what his did. Maybe the reason for holding her hand wasn’t because he needed the connection but because he felt she did.
Changing the subject, Lacey looked into his eyes before returning her attention to the star-strewn sky. “Thank you for bringing me out here tonight. It’s beautiful.”
Of all the years he had spent in this tropical paradise, Drew had never once sharedhisspot.The hotel had various places like this scattered throughout the property, but this was Drew’s favorite. Thanks to his hotel connections, any time he stayed at the resort, this area was his.
“I was starting to forget what the stars looked like. You’re lucky to see a handful in the city.” Lacey’s voice was full of wonder. He’d felt the same way when he first came to the island.
“I think so too.” He pointed straight up. “That’s Orion’s Belt.” Drew glanced at Lacey; she’d furrowed her brows. “Do you see it?”
“Yup.” She tilted her head to the left, then the right, making Drew laugh.
“Do you really?”
“Nope. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She laughed along with him. “Would it help if I squinted?” Adorably, her eyesnarrowed toward the sky.
Rather than try to explain where it was, Drew pulled his phone from his pocket, tapped the screen until his app opened, and pointed it toward the sky. He passed his phone to Lacey. “See?”
Drew watched as Lacey’s eyes went from the image on his phone, to the stars, and back to his phone again. “Oh, wow! That’s incredible! I need that app.”
She reached into her purse and pulled out her cell. A gasp made Drew look at her screen. Lacey’s finger scrolled up, displaying several text messages. The only one he read was,Did you shave your legs?
He chuckled, and Lacey tilted her phone from his line of sight. “Sorry, my friend was just checking in.” Instead of asking about what he read, he let it go and told her which app to download, which she did, quickly, before tucking her cell safely back in her bag.
Drew showed Lacey a few more constellations before he rolled onto his side, propping his head up to get a better view of her. “I meant what I said at dinner about getting to know you better. But if you came here to be alone, I can respect that. I’m not sure if you’ll get it because if it isn’t me, I’m sure another man will try to sweep you off your feet.”
Lacey turned her head, the nighttime breeze catching her hair, lifting it off her slender neck. God, he wanted to kiss her again. “Is that what you’re trying to do? Sweep me off my feet?”
“Well, if you have to ask, then I’m doing it wrong.”
Her lips curled up into the prettiest smile. “I’m not going to lie and say I wasn’t looking forward to some quiet time, but as far as anyone sweeping me off my feet…” She glanced down before looking up at him. “I think you’d be difficult to beat.”
It would be so easy to cover her body with his. To ravish her like no one ever had, but instead, he asked, “Can I kiss you again?” When she hesitated, he added, “We need to keep up appearances. Plus, the more we practice, the more comfortable and convincing we’ll be.”
He watched Lacey consider her words before she nodded. “Yes, you can kiss me again.”
Unlike earlier, this kiss started off with one chaste peck, then two, until their lips came together in a gentle, unhurried motion, becoming a banquet of the best kisses he’d ever experienced. His free hand cupped her cheek, and when her hand grasped his wrist, Drew didn’t want it to end, but it had to. When their mouths broke apart, they both smiled at each other. Words didn’t need to be spoken. Drew rolled onto his back, and Lacey tucked her head into the soft spot between his shoulder and his neck. Her floral perfume invaded his senses, and a sense of calm washed over him.
Drew wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he knew it was getting late. Everything had happened so fast, yet for some reason it didn’t feel that way. He was sure Ethan was waiting for him at the bar, as he always did after his shift.
“Would you like to go get a drink and meet Ethan?” Lacey worried her bottom lip. “We don’t need to. I can text him and tell him I’m not coming.”
She sat up. “No, you go, but I’m tired. I think I’m going to call it a night. It’s not that I don’t want to meet him, because I do, but I think the day’s events are catching up with me.”
Drew stood and took her by the hand, helping her up from the lounger. “I forgot you just flew in today. You must be exhausted. Traveling plus the heat can do a number on your body. Be sure to drink a lot of water; it will help.”
Lacey smiled. “Thank you, I will.”
After Drew walked her to the elevator, he kissed the back of her hand. “If you still want to, I’ll take you shopping tomorrow. You know… since you’re my girlfriend and all.” He winked.
She let out a small yawn. “I do want to get the kids something, but let’s play tomorrow by ear. I’m sure I’ll see you on the beach. You might wake up thinking this entire thing is insane.”
“Not a chance. Plus, there’s a certain gratification watching your ex’s ego deflate with each encounter.”
“Yes, thatisa major bonus. Thanks again for everything.” She rolled onto the balls of her feet and kissed him on the cheek. “See you tomorrow.”
Although Drew wanted to say so much more, he merely noddedand watched her disappear through the brass sliding doors before he went to meet Ethan.