Chapter 9 #3
“No one’s going to be scarred, I promise. Annabeth asked me about this, and I explained the sleeping arrangements. And Jonah’s so excited to be sharing the bunk beds with Annabeth that I can practically guarantee that he’s not thinking about us at all.”
“Maybe.”
“But we will make sure everyone’s asleep before we go to bed, and we’ll be extra quiet.
” He nuzzled her neck, and she let herself relax and enjoy the feel of him.
It had been weeks, and she missed him so much.
Those sexy lunches had kept her sane for a few weeks, so maybe she was a little needy right now.
Unfortunately, bedtime was several hours away. They still had to go and hit the water park and have dinner, so…
Turning in his arms, she kissed him—just a chaste kiss—before murmuring, “Let’s go and exhaust our children so they’ll go to bed early.”
His grin was positively wicked. “Sweetheart, that is the best plan I’ve ever heard.”
It took almost an hour to get everyone unpacked, changed, and ready, but it was the perfect kind of chaos. The kids were so excited and just hearing their joyful laughter and the way they were talking about all the things they were excited to do made Lexi’s heart happy.
She and Connor took turns getting themselves ready so that someone was watching Jonah and Annabeth at all times.
It seemed like a Herculean task to get out the door, but they finally did.
And after that, it was all water slides, splash pads, and basically frolicking in a variety of pools for a couple of hours.
When Connor announced that they had dinner reservations and needed to go back to the villa to dry off and change, Lexi was beyond relieved.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever felt more waterlogged,” she told him as they grabbed their things and practically had to drag the kids away from the water park.
“We’ve got all day tomorrow,” he reminded them. “So let’s work on behaving and drying off so we can have a nice dinner, okay?”
There were mumbled agreements, but the way her son and his daughter dragged their feet was almost comical.
Dinner was at the resort's premier restaurant, where they dined on burgers, mac and cheese, and finished it off with a warm cookie skillet with ice cream.
“Not exactly gourmet,” Connor murmured as he paid the check, but she knew he could be a bit of a food snob.
“But it was yummy,” she told him and smiled when he agreed.
Jonah was nearly asleep, so Connor carried him back to the villa, and she noticed that Annabeth was moving a bit slowly too. Tonight’s bedtime was going to be a breeze.
And thankfully, it was.
An hour later, the two of them stepped into the main bedroom, shut the door, and locked it. The sound of the lock was almost comically loud.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Nodding, she gently kicked her shoes off. “It feels weird to lock the door, but I know it’s necessary.” Sighing, she sat on the edge of the bed. “And I know they’re not babies, so we don’t need a monitor, but…”
Sitting down beside her, he took one of her hands in his and kissed it. “Believe it or not, I feel the same way. I’ve never had to lock my bedroom door because no one’s ever come home with me.”
That admission pleased her more than she thought it should.
It meant that he didn’t do this sort of thing. He wasn’t a player. She truly meant something to him.
And that was the best aphrodisiac.
Swallowing hard, she turned her head and met his gaze. “I kind of like that this is a first for both of us,” she whispered.
“Me too.” His voice was low and gruff and sent shivers of delight down her spine. “You know what else I like?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“The fact that we don’t have to say goodnight and go to separate rooms. That I can make love to you and then hold you in my arms all night and then go to sleep knowing you’re the first thing I’m going to see in the morning. I’ve waited a long time for this.”
“Me too.”
That seemed to be all either of them wanted to say because they slowly leaned in until their lips met.
It felt like she’d been waiting forever for this moment—the feel of his lips, the warmth of his skin, and the promise of an entire night together.
There was no reason to rush, just two people who could finally relax and enjoy getting thoroughly reacquainted with each other.
And it was glorious.
Connor broke the kiss so he could stand and undress. His shoes, his shirt, and his belt went first. Lexi loved looking at him. His physique was absolutely mouthwatering, and she couldn’t wait to touch him. When he was down to his boxer briefs, he reached out and gently tugged her to her feet.
“Your turn,” he murmured even as his hands slid under her shirt to help her take it off.
His hands were so big and a little scratchy, and she loved when they were on her.
When her shirt was over her head and on the floor on top of the pile of clothes he made, she took a step back to shimmy out of her capris.
Her eyes never left his and she loved the heat and need and desire she saw.
Straightening, she stood in nothing but her underwear. He’d seen her like this many times before, and she was finally getting used to not feeling self-conscious about her body. Obviously, Connor liked what he saw, and that was all she needed to know.
“Stay right there,” he told her before he turned and moved all the decorative pillows off of the bed and pulled the comforter and sheets down. Then he sat and scooted over before rubbing the mattress where he wanted her to be.
The giggle was out before she could stop it, and then she felt a little silly—like she was ruining the mood.
“Sorry,” she said as she slid under the sheet. “This is all just like a bit of a dream, and part of me still can’t believe we’re here like this.”
“The two of us?”
“The four of us,” she carefully admitted. “We’re here like a family, and…that’s the biggest dream for me. It’s what I’ve always wanted for myself and Jonah. But the fact that we get to have it with you and Annabeth? It’s almost too good to be true.”
Connor moved closer, resting his forehead against hers. “You said everything I’ve been feeling too. I feel like the luckiest guy in the whole damn world.”
Her heart did a little flip at that admission too.
She knew this man was good with words, but she also knew he was equally good with actions. And right now, she needed him to show her how lucky he felt, which is what she told him.
“Show me, Connor,” she said softly, her hand gently reaching around his shoulder and guiding him down to her. “Show me how lucky you feel.”
His grin was so damn sexy that it should count as foreplay.
But when his body covered hers and she slowly wrapped her legs around him, she knew there was so much more to it than just a smile, and she was here for it.
They had all night and, hopefully, the rest of their lives.
And it was all starting right now.
Three days at a water park had proven to be more exhausting than either of them could have imagined.
Thankfully, the fourth day was just for checking out and driving back to Harbortown.
They were going to take their time and stop at about the midway point to take a scenic train ride.
Connor knew how much Jonah liked trains, and he was thrilled when he found tickets for them to ride one.
“I know it’s only an hour, but I thought it could be fun. Plus, it means we won’t get back to the resort early enough for anyone to put us to work,” he explained.
That made her laugh. “Us? Um…no one’s going to need me for anything, but I can easily see you going up to check on the kitchen and getting sucked into doing something.”
He gave her a look that was so hot she had to clench her thighs together. “The only thing I want to get sucked into is sitting right beside me.”
“Connor!” she hissed quietly, thankful the kids were sitting in the backseat and too engrossed in watching their favorite shows on their tablets to really be paying attention.
“What?” he asked innocently. “Do you have any idea how much I want you? It doesn’t matter that we just had three nights to ourselves. I still want you. I don’t want to go to bed alone tonight. I’m not going to be able to sleep without you there beside me.”
That made her laugh softly. “Sleep? We got very little of that. I think I’m more exhausted now than before we left.”
He chuckled. “Yeah. Me too, but it was worth it. I’m so tired but also energized because we got to be away for a few days with nothing to worry about and no real responsibilities.”
“Mmm…that was nice.”
They drove in silence for several minutes before he spoke again.
“I’d like to ask Harlow to find us a house. Like…soon. Now. This week if possible.”
She knew how impatient he could be, so she simply patted his hand and gave him a serene smile. “We’re too close to the opening to deal with moving. Personally, I don’t think I could handle it.”
“O-kay…then what if we didn’t do that just yet,” he said slowly. “What if we…I mean…what if you and Jonah…moved into my cabin?”
“Excuse me? How could we…?”
Reaching over, he took her hand in his even as he kept his eyes on the road. “First of all, you know the cabin has three bedrooms. It’s one of the largest ones in our section.”
“I know that, but…”
“We saw over the last several days that we function well as a family. The kids get along as well as kids are going to get along. They have their moments, but that’s natural, right? No one gets along one hundred percent of the time.”
“I know that, but…”
“You already have a lot of your stuff in storage, and so do I. But for now, we can make the cabin our home. Ours. And once the resort is up and functioning, we can see about renting a bigger place. And in the meantime, we’ll meet with the architect working on the other house so you can have an input into the design. ”
“Connor…”