Chapter 10
JAXON
Iwoke up to the smell of coffee and the sound of cabinets opening and closing. Cracking open an eye, I lifted my arm to check the watch on my wrist.
Five o’clock in the morning? What the fuck is going on?
“What are you doing?” I asked, sitting up with a groan. “It’s five a.m. We’re on vacation. Why are we awake?”
She turned where she was standing in the small kitchenette that was really more of a counter with a basket of fruit and a coffeemaker on it. There was a tiny sink that was probably only there so one could rinse the fruit and a few cabinets underneath with the basic cutlery and crockery.
I’d heard Lindsay washing her clothes in the bathroom after we’d gotten back from dinner, and then I’d spent an hour trying not to think about the fact that she was sleeping naked only feet away from me before I’d eventually drifted off. That felt like it’d only happened five minutes ago.
Her clothes had obviously dried overnight because she was wearing them again, clutching a mug as she stared at me with wide eyes. “I didn’t mean to wake you. Sorry. Go back to sleep.”
I rubbed my eyes, shaking my head before stretching and letting out a yawn worthy of a lion. “I’m up now. Again, though, why exactly is that?”
“I have a whole list of things I want to do today. I want to get the most out of this trip, see everything I’d planned on seeing, and that won’t happen if I spend all day in bed.”
“It’s five a.m.,” I repeated. “Sleeping for another hour or two would hardly count as spending all day in bed.”
She shrugged, lifting the spoon out of her mug and rinsing it in the sink before setting it down on a plate. “If I get an early start today, I’ll fit in more of the sights I want to see.”
“You do realize that nothing is going to be open at this hour, right? You’re going to have wait until the attractions open before you can actually see them anyway.”
“Some of the things I want to see aren’t the ordinary run-of-the-mill tourists’ attractions. I’m sure I’ll be able to find a taxi and I’ll ask the driver to take me where I want to go. Simple.”
She smiled.
I slammed my back down on the sofa-bed and grabbed a pillow, covering my face with it while I yawned again. “It’s unnatural to be awake this early in the morning when you’re not working, wifey dear. Go back to bed and I’ll get you a taxi myself in a few hours. Just relax a little, would you?”
“Nope. I didn’t come here to relax.”
I frowned and yanked the pillow away, rolling over to face her and propping myself up on my elbow. “What are you talking about? You came here on your honeymoon. What else were you planning on doing?”
Her smile turned into a smirk. “Do you really have to ask?”
“When you decided to come by yourself, I meant.” I cleared my throat and thanked my lucky fucking stars the sheet was still covering me from the hips down. “Didn’t you come here to rest and relax?”
Why is the word come coming up so damn much in this conversation? It was way too early for this shit.
Lindsay’s eyes were trained on mine, like she was also trying to force herself not to look anywhere she shouldn’t be looking—or thought she shouldn’t be looking anyway.
“I chose Fiji because there were so many things I wanted to see and do here. I would still like to see and do it all. Rest and relaxation can happen later.”
Our gazes remained locked. “Are you sure I can’t coax you into staying in bed a little bit longer?”
“I have a schedule and I’m sticking to it. Plus, I’ve already showered. There’s no way I’d be able to fall asleep again now, and if I’m awake anyway, I might as well make productive use of my time.”
It was clear she wasn’t going to cave, so I gave in. “Fine. I’m ready then. Just give me a minute to brush my teeth and grab a clean shirt.”
“I wasn’t trying to get you to come with me. You’re more than welcome to stay in bed.”
“No, you’ve convinced me. Let’s have a proper sightseeing adventure.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’ve got five minutes, and if you’re not ready to go by then, I’m leaving without you.”
I climbed out of bed, stretching again, and nodded. “You got it, boss lady.”
“You’re going to make an excellent husband to some lucky lady someday. So well trained already.”
Wadding up the T-shirt I’d worn last night, I tossed it at her head and walked into the bathroom to the sound of her laughter ringing out as she pulled it off. “What? You know it’s true, husband dearest. Now, chop chop.”
“Is this what people mean when they talk about how much wives nag? Just let me have a shower. I’ll be out in a minute.” I closed the door behind me, but I could still hear her through it.
“First, it was just brushing your teeth. Now it’s a shower. What’s next? Shaving?” She laughed again. “Don’t make me come in there and drag you out.”
“You can come in here anytime, but consider this your only warning. I’m already naked.” I pushed off my sweatpants and grinned when she didn’t reply. “What? Cat got your tongue?”
“Yeah. Nope. I mean—” I chuckled softly as she stammered. “Just hurry up.”
I did what had to be done before I realized I hadn’t brought clean clothes into the bathroom with me. Knotting a towel around my waist, I wondered what her reaction was going to be. Unfortunately, it seemed like she’d decided to wait outside.
After getting dressed and grabbing my stuff, I found her standing at the hedge separating the garden from the beach. She turned around when she heard me shutting the door. She glanced down at her watch when I stepped onto the grass.
“That wasn’t bad timing actually. Ready to go?”
“The sun hasn’t even risen yet.” The sky was awash in navy blue but was no longer the starry, inky black of night.
“That’s part of the point. I want to watch the sun rise from the Tavuni Hill Fort. We don’t have much time to get there, so you’re going to have to move that lazy butt.”
“This lazy butt only wakes up after two cups of coffee,” I grumbled but fell into step beside her. There were very few people around at this time of the morning, but I took Lindsay’s hand anyway as we made our way through the lobby and greeted the few staff members around.
She tensed when I wound my fingers around hers but quickly caught on to what I was doing and wrapped her arm around my waist as she leaned into me. Once we were out of the hotel, there was no need to keep up the charade but neither of us let go.
I flagged down a taxi a few minutes after we walked out of the lobby, and the driver happily agreed to be our guide for the day. Once we were on our way, I turned to the woman nestled into my side on the backseat.
“Have you always been such a planner?” I’d seen her list while we were on our way out, and it was meticulous.
She nodded, pulling back to look up at me. “I’m a big fan of structure. I like knowing what’s going to happen and when.”
“Don’t you ever just let things happen?” I frowned. “Structure is fine and all, but it can also be pretty damn boring.”
“You should meet my friend. Ember keeps telling me exactly that. I’d have thought you’d be better at structure, considering your time in the service.”
I laughed at her comment. “I can do structure perfectly well when I have to. When I’m on my time, I just prefer to do what I want, when I want.”
“That sounds terrifying.” A visible shudder ran through her. “I’d be lost without a plan for the day.”
“It’s not so bad. You should try it sometime.” I peered into her eyes, curious to see how she would react to the suggestion I was about to make. “In fact, let’s do it tomorrow. Today can be your structure day, but tomorrow, you have to do what I want.”
She hesitated before nodding, taking in a deep breath through her nose. “Okay. Fine, but you better move it when we get to the fort. We’re five minutes behind schedule already.”