Chapter 34
Jalen sat in the passenger seat of Rohan’s car, looking at the passing scenery.
They were on their way to Sedona for her birthday weekend.
They’d dropped off her sisters at Vivian’s, and Kodi decided to stay with them to help out.
She’d deduced from the signs where they were going, and when she did, Rohan told her their destination was Enchantment Resort.
It was the first time Jalen would take a vacation without her sisters. She’d been off Thursday and taken Friday through Monday off. She and her sisters spent the day together on Thursday, since it was her actual birthday, and continued all the traditions they’d had over the years.
She’d taken the next four days off because Rohan wanted to leave Friday morning, and she wanted to give herself a day after getting back Sunday evening.
They’d been in the car for an hour and a half, and Jalen knew they were getting close. She was excited to spend the weekend with him and take part in the activities offered by the resort.
“Are Kodi and Mikal excited to go stay with Vega next weekend?” Rohan asked.
Jalen turned her attention from the window to look at him. “They are. Mikal’s already packed and repacked a few times. They’ll be staying for two weeks, and then the three of them will fly back together for the Fourth of July.”
“How are the twins and Landon taking it? I know they’ve all gotten attached to him.”
“They want to go, and Vega said he’d be more than happy to have them all, but I felt this first time should just be Kodi and Mikal spending time with him. When he’s here, they share him with the others, and I know they don’t mind, and he doesn’t mind, but they need quality time with him.”
“That makes sense, and I’m sure they understood once you explained it to them.”
She nodded as he glanced at her. “They did, and I agreed we could go during Thanksgiving break when school starts. Though none of them have ever flown before. Mikal’s excited about it.”
“That’s a good idea. If you’re up for it while they’re gone, we can take the twins and Landon mini-golfing and to Illusion Land on a couple of your off days. That way they don’t feel like they’re missing out on an adventure.”
She smiled at him before stretching her seat belt to lean over and kiss him on the cheek. It truly touched her that he always thought of not only her but also her sisters. That he wanted them to have fun as well, and not feel left out, meant a lot to Jalen.
Constantly, she was reminded of how good a man Rohan was, how lucky she was to have been Alynn’s nurse, and even to have him waste his coffee on her.
She’d only had two other relationships that she would consider somewhat serious, but neither of them took much interest in her sisters, which was why it ultimately ended.
“That sounds like a great idea. I’m sure they’ll love it. We should bring Alynn along with us. Maybe make it a sleepover depending on our schedules.”
He nodded, and she turned her attention back out of the window, seeing the sign that told her they were fifteen miles away.
When they pulled up to the resort, Rohan found a parking spot, and Jalen stepped out, looking at the building in front of her.
It was beautiful. She knew little about architecture, but she knew this was worth noticing, and a lot of work had gone into it.
The resort was situated at the base of a canyon, making it the perfect backdrop for the resort.
He pulled both of their suitcases from the trunk, and she reached for hers only to have him move it out of her reach. She should have known he wouldn’t give it to her.
They entered the building and were greeted by a friendly smile from the front desk clerk. Rohan gave them his name, and they were given their room key. A bellhop came, took their luggage, and led them to their room.
Jalen tipped the bellhop after they’d entered their room.
They’d stepped into a small kitchen area with a fridge, a two-burner flat top, and a dining table that would seat four.
The kitchen opened up into the combination bedroom and living room.
It was large with beautiful furnishings that stuck to the native theme.
Jalen went into the bathroom through the open door, and the first thing that caught her attention was the glass shower. It would easily fit both of them, and there was a bench inside it. Just like the rest of the room, it was beautifully decorated and spacious.
When Rohan told her he’d rented a studio suite, she hadn’t expected it to be this big. Since it was a studio, she figured it would be comfortable enough to fit the two of them, but realistically, it could accommodate two more with no issues.
He was putting their suitcases in the closet when she exited the bathroom and walked over to him. Jalen wrapped her arms around his neck, rising onto her tiptoes to kiss him.
“This is beautiful. Thank you for bringing me,” she told him after pulling away.
“You don’t have to thank me. This weekend is about you. So, I want you to relax and enjoy it.” Rohan kissed her again. “Why don’t we go have lunch, then we can come back here and relax until this evening.”
She removed her arms from around his neck, nodding. He took her hand in his and led her out of the suite. They followed the signs to one of the restaurants, and he gave them his name. When the hostess found it on the reservation list, they were led to a table.
He pulled her chair out for her, and Jalen picked up the menu in front of her. Everything sounded delicious, and she knew she was going to have a hard time choosing.
????????????
Rohan sat across the table from Jalen and found himself staring at her. They were waiting for the lemon cake she wanted to try. She was looking out the window with a view of the canyon, and he enjoyed seeing her like this, at ease and not thinking about the things she had to do that day.
He’d texted his mom as they’d waited for their food to let her know that they’d made it. He was sure Jalen had texted Kodi. When she turned and caught him looking, she smiled at him and picked up her drink.
“So, what’s on the agenda for the evening?” she questioned as she waited for her cake.
“I thought we could relax in our suite, have dinner under the stars, and then I’d give you your birthday present.”
“Are you going to tell me what you got me?”
“You’ll have to wait and see, baby.”
Jalen pouted at him briefly, and Rohan couldn’t help but think how cute it was. “I guess I can wait a few more hours.”
“Thank you for your patience,” he playfully responded.
Their server returned with Jalen’s piece of cake and a to-go container. The slice they’d brought her was big enough for three people. He took a drink of his tea while Jalen took a bite of her cake. She let out a little moan, and he raised an amused brow.
“This is delicious, but I won’t be able to eat it all.”
“I don’t think they expect you to,” he responded, gesturing towards the container.
She took a few more bites of the cake before placing the rest in the container. He left a tip for their server and stood, going around the table.
Rohan took her hand, and Jalen asked if they could take the long way back to their room. He didn’t mind; it would give them a chance to look at more of the resort.
As they walked hand in hand, they saw what looked to be a couple painting with an instructor.
Jalen got excited and asked if they could look into doing that tomorrow.
He’d call and see if they had any open times.
He’d reserved a couple’s massage for them for tomorrow afternoon, and then a wine tasting before dinner.
So, he was sure they could fit it in tomorrow or Sunday morning before they left.
When they arrived at their room, Jalen placed her cake in the refrigerator before going and sitting on the couch. He took her shoes off, placed them by the closet, and sat beside her.
“Why don’t you choose something for us to watch,” he told her, handing her the remote before pulling her feet into his lap.
She turned, getting more comfortable as she flipped through the television channels, and Rohan rubbed her feet.
He didn’t know when he’d started doing it, but any time they were together at either of their houses, he did so.
He knew she was on her feet more often than not when she was working, and while he knew she wore comfortable shoes, he’d wanted to help with aches. Now, it was an unconscious action.
Jalen settled on HBO, and Rohan looked up when the opening scene of the movie played. He’d seen it a few times.
“This is going to be gory, baby.”
He knew she was fine with your average horror movie or psychological thriller, but they’d watched a few gory movies together, and she spent most of them pushing into his side and hiding her face in his neck. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t mind them watching it.
“I know,” she responded, those brown eyes shining with mischief.
Rohan smirked at her as he continued to massage her foot, turning his attention back to the television.
When he switched to her other foot, they were ten minutes into the movie, and Jalen had already voiced her discomfort with the scene that was currently taking place. He’d only been massaging her foot for a few minutes when she pulled it from his grasp and moved into his lap.
They watched several more minutes of the movie, and she hid her face in his neck as a character was being disemboweled. She kissed his neck before turning her attention to the screen as the screams ceased.
They went on for the next half hour in the same fashion. When something would happen on screen, she’d hide in his neck, kiss it a bit, and then turn her attention back towards the television when she thought it was over.
This time, however, as she hid, she kissed him several times before she bit his neck, shifting purposely on his lap, and Rohan smirked as he grabbed the remote, turning the television off.
They wouldn’t finish it, so there was no point in leaving it on.
He stood, her legs going around his waist, and went to the bed.
He laid her on it, kissing her before speaking against her lips. “If you want me to take care of you, just tell me.”
He knew she preferred to hint rather than to say exactly what she wanted when she wanted to have sex with him. Rohan thought it was cute, but he also couldn’t deny that when she told him what she wanted, spoke the words, he found himself impossibly hard.
“I want to feel you as deep as possible,” Jalen said against his lips, and he groaned in the back of his throat. That had not been what he’d expected her to say, but he damn sure was going to give her what she wanted.