Chapter 18
JAXON
Ihadn’t slept next to a woman in years. Yet I’d slept next to Lindsay for two nights in a row, and one of them hadn’t even been in a post-coital haze.
For once, I was awake before her and had already showered by the time she opened her gorgeous eyes. She frowned when she saw me dressed and ready for the day, her gaze flicking to the window before she brought it back to mine.
“What’s the time?”
“Hey, that’s my line,” I teased, leaning over to kiss her cheek before motioning to the coffee I’d already made her. “It’s only seven, so you can relax. I was planning on waking you up soon anyway. I didn’t want you having a cardiac event if you only came to mid-morning.”
Groaning as she rolled over and pulled the covers over her head, she lifted her arms out from underneath them and stretched. Her back arched as she did, pushing her breasts up as if she was offering them to me.
My dick stirred, but I ignored it and focused on her instead. “Come on, sleepyhead. We’ve got places to go and things to see. Chop chop.”
I grinned when I repeated her words from earlier in the week back to her, and her head popped out from under the covers just enough to show me her eyes as she glared at me. “Very funny. Keep the coffee for me. I’ll be right out.”
Taking that as my cue to give her some privacy for her morning routine, I left the bedroom and heard the shower starting to run just a few seconds later. It was ridiculous how refreshed I felt, considering how early it still was, but sleeping next to her seemed to do that to me.
I heard her humming when she got out of the shower and smiled, seriously thinking about going back in there while she was still naked. It was a day without a plan, my day, and spending it in bed with her still seemed like a really good idea to me.
Too bad she’d never go for it. I let out a sigh, but I couldn’t really say I was disappointed. So far, every day on this island had been incredible. Loathe as I was to admit it, she had a point about getting an early start and making use of every hour of the day.
There was no beach party tonight as far as I knew, so perhaps we could spend the night in bed instead of the day and order some room service instead of going out for dinner. Win-win.
Lindsay finished up and came out of the bedroom dressed in another pair of linen shorts, a black, low-cut tank top, and sneakers. She gestured down the length of her perfect fucking body with a crease appearing between her eyebrows.
“Since I don’t know what we’re doing, I didn’t know what to wear. Is this okay?”
I nodded, clenching my fingers into fists around the sheets of the sofa bed until my knuckles were white. There was nothing I wanted more than to drag her back into that bedroom to discover for myself what she was wearing underneath those clothes, but I held myself back.
Because I also wanted to just fucking spend time with her. It was exhausting constantly having to fight against such strong, conflicting urges. It’s no wonder there are so many bachelors in the world.
“I’m assuming you noticed I was wearing sneakers too?” I asked instead of insisting she get back inside the bedroom and wait for me—naked.
“Yeah.” She smiled. “I figured I couldn’t go wrong if I wore something similar to you. Care to fill me in on what we’re doing?”
“Nope.” I relaxed my hands and got to my feet, jerking my head toward the door. “You ready?”
“I guess so.” Nerves skittered across her eyes, and I knew she was thinking back to parasailing and swimming with sharks. But then she blinked and there was nothing but excitement staring back at me. “Let’s go do this thing.”
I chuckled as I led her to the door, then locked it once we were outside. The air was already hot and thick, but I was getting used to the humidity, and it really didn’t bother me much anymore.
“The first thing on our program for the day isn’t massively exciting,” I warned as we walked toward the outdoor dining area, “but we’re going to need our strength. Strenuous physical activity in this heat without eating would be a terrible idea.”
“Are you telling me we’re just going to breakfast?”
“Yep.” I whistled under my breath as we walked, and she shot me an incredulous look.
“I won’t argue because the food the other day was divine and the breakfast they served at the spa yesterday was delicious, but I won’t lie about the fact that I’m a little surprised. I thought maybe you’d insist on grabbing local cuisine from a cart on the street or something.”
“That’s not a bad idea. Let’s keep it in mind for another day. I think I’m in love with the way this place cooks their bacon. I just can’t get enough.”
“How do you look the way you do with the way you eat?”
I gave her a one-shouldered shrug. “We’re on vacation. Cutting loose is kind of the point, isn’t it? Besides, I think we’ve been plenty active enough to burn it all off. Someone wouldn’t just let me laze around all day.”
“Someone who obviously cares about your health.” She batted her eyelashes innocently at me.
I laughed and hugged her from the side. “Aww. I knew you cared about me.”
“As if,” she muttered but her words definitely lacked any punch behind them.
When we walked into the dining area, Big Mac was already there, standing behind one of the massive stoves fitted in the outdoor kitchen. He saw us entering and broke into a wide grin, his lips moving as he must’ve told one of his lackeys to take over.
I cocked a brow at him when he came to say hi. “How are you already cooking? Don’t you ever sleep?”
“There’s no time for sleep when there is food to be cooked.” He gave both of us a quick hug before patting his massive belly. “What are you guys up to today? The resort does packed lunches if you want us to put something together for you.”
“We’re going for a hike,” I said. “You’re welcome to join us, and yes, please. We’d appreciate that.”
“I talk. I don’t walk,” he said with another grin gracing his round face.
Lindsay had told me at some point last night that she thought he had kind eyes, and I had to agree.
There was real warmth in them when he looked at us.
“I’ll put something together for you. Hiking in this heat without any provisions is a big no-no. ”
“Much obliged.” I inclined my head, but the big guy enveloped me in another hug.
“You’re welcome, friends. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, any couple like you who comes through our doors deserves only the best. Plus, you’re always friendly to the staff. Most people here ignore us.”
“Then they’re assholes,” Lindsay said, surprising me but I nodded my agreement.
Big Mac beamed at her. “Right you are, but we always keep smiling. It’s the job, and we love it.”
He left us alone shortly after that, promising us a freshly cooked meal even though there was a buffet table overflowing with food. Fresh coffees were delivered, and we both sipped them gratefully, seeing as how we hadn’t finished the mugs we’d left in the room before heading out.
“Do you think they know we slept in separate beds?” Lindsay asked quietly after taking her first few sips. “The staff here seem to be a lot more observant than we thought before.”
I shrugged. “Probably. Since the rooms are serviced, someone had to have noticed but maybe the cleaners don’t talk. Or maybe it’s not as uncommon as we think. Besides, it hardly matters anymore.”
She held my gaze for a long second before dipping her head in a nod. “I suppose they probably see way weirder things than newlyweds in different beds for a night or two. What’s this hike we’re going on?”
“It’s a nature trail about an hour or so away. I read about it on the flight over here, and it’s one of the things I really wanted to do. Do you mind hiking?”
“I love it.” Leaning forward, she propped her elbows on the table and fixed me with a serious look. “Is it one of those with the caves and waterfalls?”
“That really wasn’t where I thought you were going when you looked at me like that.” I nodded my thanks to the waiter who delivered our food and I popped a piece of fruit into my mouth to let her stew for a minute as payback for looking at me the way she had.
She smiled sweetly. “You know how seriously I take the sights I wanted to see, and it just so happens that those hikes were on my list.”
“Well, now I don’t think we should do them anymore,” I teased, but she didn’t buy it.
Shaking her head, she picked up her silverware and calmly started eating.
She polished off one of her eggs before calling my bluff.
“You and I both know we’re still going for a hike.
We also both know that the trail you had planned is one of those, so you’d really only be spiteful if you refuse to do it now. ”
I snapped my fingers, pretending to be disappointed. “Darn. You caught me.”
She rolled her eyes, but I saw the slight crinkling at the corners of her eyes as she tried to hide a smile. “I’m your wife, honey. Of course, I know you better than that.”
Big Mac came by to hand us paper bags with our lunch in them once we’d finished breakfast, telling us he’d included a bottle of water each but to make sure we stayed hydrated.
After a quick stop back at our hotel room to pick up a backpack with our supplies, we got into the taxi I’d ordered for us earlier.
The trail was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. The dense forest it was cut into made it impossible to see much beyond the path, but the towering trees, the birdsong, and the views as we ascended made it a truly unique experience.
Unlike some other hikes, there wasn’t only one way up this mountain. Several different paths branched off from the main one, and Lindsay and I chose one of the quieter ones. It was well enough signposted that we wouldn’t have to worry about getting lost.