35|Romantic Kidnapping
"This is insane," I told Nate as he dragged me out of the taxi and guided us towards the hotel.
Last night, he spontaneously bought two tickets for us to go to Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean.
"No, it's not," he smiled as he headed to the front desk.
"Yes, it is," I said. "We're in the middle of preparations for the Perez trial."
He kissed my cheek. "Consider this a break then."
I rolled my eyes, but a smile stuck on my face anyways.
We quickly checked in and went to our room and it was absolutely beautiful.
The balcony doors were wide open, letting in a warm breeze that carried the scent of salt and hibiscus.
The view stretched endlessly from the turquoise waters meeting the horizon to the waves lapping softly against ivory sands.
I dropped my bag by the door, stunned. "Okay... this might be the most romantic kidnapping I've ever experienced."
Nate chuckled as he tossed his wallet on the dresser. "Exactly what I was going for."
I wandered toward the balcony, resting my hands on the railing.
"You're lucky I don't report you for obstruction of justice."
"Please," he said, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind. "You've been working nonstop. If anyone deserves this, it's you."
I leaned back against him, closing my eyes as the sun bathed my face.
"Thank you for this," I gratefully replied. "I really needed this."
He kissed my cheek. "We both did."
Suddenly, my phone started to ring in the background and I sighed before pulling away from Nate to grab it.
It was my mother.
On top of that, Kate had sent ten messages about work.
I stared at my mother's caller ID, remembering our last interaction.
How she slapped me across the face and put me down like she always did.
I'm sure this call would be no different.
Her words from this call would probably hurt more than her slaps ever could.
I suddenly felt my phone being pulled out of my hands before Nate powered it off.
"Hey, I need that," I told him and he shook his head as he powered off his own too.
"No phones this weekend," he said as he locked our phones in the safe.
I sighed, rubbing my forehead. "Nate."
"Don't want to hear it," he said, pulling me into a hug.
I melted into my husband's arms, letting him relieve the tension out of my shoulders.
"Your mom's not here this weekend," he said. "Neither is work."
"Just the two of us," he said.
"You deserve it, Partner," he teased and I couldn't help but smile from my achievement.
"Okay," I gave him. "But if I lose the Perez case, I'm totally blaming it on you."
He laughed as we released from our hug. "Deal."
"So what's the plan?" I asked. "Lay around all day and do nothing?"
He grinned. "Exactly. Hammocks, room service, maybe skinny-dipping if you're feeling brave."
I laughed. "You're ridiculous."
"And you love it," he said before squeezing my ass. "Now take off those clothes and head to the pool."
I raised my eyebrow, pretending to be scandalized. "Nate!"
He smirked. "What? I'm trying to help you to relax."
"You're trying to get me naked."
"Same difference," he said, opening our suitcases to grab our swimsuits.
I shook my head, taking the bikini from him. "You're lucky I like you."
"Correction," he called over his shoulder as I started changing. "You're in love with me."
My heart quickly skipped a beat after hearing the word love.
"Debatable," I murmured and he quickly turned to look at me.
He raised his eyebrow and before making slow steps towards.
I swallowed hard.
"Say that again," he ordered and the room suddenly became hot.
"Debatable," I repeated, my confidence extremely depleted.
He stopped in front of me, his fingers softly brushing against my shoulders.
His hand wrapped around my waist, pulling me in.
"Not when you look at me the way you just did," he murmured, his voice low and full of heat.
I felt my breath hitch as his lips hovered near mine, his eyes locked on me like I was the only thing he saw.
I stared at those soft, full, smug lips.
He knew exactly what he was doing, standing there all close and confident, waiting for me to break first.
And I did.
I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down, crashing my mouth against his.
It wasn't soft. It wasn't tentative.
It was heat and hunger and pent-up tension unraveling all at once.
His hands gripped my waist tightly, pulling me flush against him as our lips moved in sync like we'd been waiting for this moment far too long.
His mouth parted slightly, and I deepened the kiss, tasting him, losing myself in the way he kissed me back like he needed it to breathe.
He groaned into my mouth, one hand sliding up my back, the other tangling in my hair, angling me exactly how he wanted.
I let him.
I wanted it too.
I felt the edge of the bed behind me and I immediately knew if we didn't stop now that we would quickly progress to something more.
I pushed him away.
"Pool," was all I said before rushing out.
The cool air hit my flushed skin the second I stepped outside the room, but it did nothing to calm the fire he'd started.
I needed water.
Fast.
And distance, at least until I could think straight again.
The sun was beginning to dip, casting a golden glow over the water.
It looked like glass, but still blue and inviting.
I slowly dipped my feet into the water and it was perfect.
It was cool, but not cold.
Just enough to soothe the heat still buzzing under my skin from Nate.
I slid the rest of my body in, inch by inch, until the water hugged my shoulders.
A small gasp left my lips as I submerged, letting it wash over me like a reset button.
For a moment, I floated there, my eyes closed, heart still racing, but slower now.
The world was quiet under the surface, the only sound a gentle hum in my ears and the soft ripple of the water as I moved.
When I came back up, I brushed my wet, shrunken hair and exhaled.
I didn't hear Nate come out, but I knew he was watching me.
I didn't have to look to feel the burn of my husband's eyes on my skin.
I turned slightly and met his gaze across the deck.
"And you say I'm the one in love?" I teased him as I swam back a little.
He rolled his eyes as he stood there like he was on the cover of a damn magazine.
His abs were on full display.
His swim trunks sat low on his hips.
The man looked sexy.
I watched him unimpressed, even though his looks were doing wonders to my body to my body.
"Are you coming in or not?" I narrowed my eyes at him.
He laughed, then flexed his arms just enough to make a show of diving in.
The water exploded around me as he slipped beneath the surface, and a second later, he emerged right in front of me with his hair slicked back, grin dangerous.
I rolled my eyes. "Show off."
He smiled as he picked me up. "You haven't seen how much I can show off as yet."