She lifted her head from his shoulder. “I’m glad we did this early because it’s already getting hot. Maybe we can take a dip in the pool when we get back.”
“Absolutely. This is the nicest time I’ve had in a long time. Thanks for coming with me.” He lifted his hand and cupped her face, taking her lips once more, this time keeping the kiss soft and gentle. After a moment, he stood and assisted her to her feet. With hands linked once again, they hiked back down the trail to the casino.
Once in their room, they quickly changed for the pool and headed back out. Finding two loungers together, they dropped their towels into her bag. He immediately jumped into the water, the temperature of the water feeling warm compared to the sometimes icy conditions he had to swim in. Turning around, he spied Lynn sitting on the side, with only her feet and shins dangling in the water. Swimming over to her, he stood, his powerful torso on display, and placed his hands on her thighs.
She shivered and said, “Oh, my God! Your hands are freezing!”
Throwing his head back in laughter, he dropped down into the water before thrusting back up again. Shaking his head, he slung water droplets over her. The sound of her squeals met his ears. “Freezing? Babe, this is like a sauna compared to what I’ve had to swim in.”
“Well, I’m not a crazy SEAL! I’m a normal person who has to slowly acclimate to the temperature of the water.”
“Slowly acclimate? What does that mean?”
“It means I’ll start with my feet and then my legs and then slowly ease in until my tummy can get used to the water. And then I’ll dip a little bit further until it gets up to my shoulders. Once I’m completely acclimated, then I can dip my head in.”
Eyes wide, he shook his head. “And how long does that acclimation process take?”
“Um… about thirty minutes.”
Barking out a laugh, he placed his hands on her waist. “Oh, hell no, babe.” He lifted her into the air, and she squealed.
“Don’t throw me in!” she cried, her hands grasping at his shoulders.
Throwing her in had crossed his mind, but the feel of her hands on his skin changed his mind. He pulled her tightly against his chest and slowly walked out into the water, away from the edge. “I’m not going to throw you, babe. I’ll keep you warm while you get a chance to get used to the water a little quicker. It’s my own personal acclimation process. Don’t worry, you’re safe with me.”
Safe with you? Lynn knew what he meant by those words, and she believed them. Except for my heart. I know he would keep me safe, but nothing can keep my heart safe from him.
The early morning hike through the mountains with him had been perfect. She had remembered a time as a child when she was hiking with her parents and a young couple passed by, hand in hand. She was probably only about twelve, but even then, she remembered thinking how romantic that seemed. And this morning had proven it was just as romantic as she could have imagined.
He had been sweet and attentive, listening as she babbled about the mountains, and so careful on the craggy overhang to not get close to the edge. And now, gliding through the water in his arms, she could not imagine anything more perfect. Occasionally, her gaze would snag on their wedding rings, still in place in case they ran into Errol, and the sight would score straight through her heart. She only prayed that this experience would not diminish the importance when she finally wore a wedding ring for real. And yet, she knew that she would always remember Nolan’s ring on her hand.
“Are you ready?”
Startled out of her musings, she looked around and discovered they were in the deep end of the pool. “Ready for what?”
“This!”
He bent his knees, and with his arm still around her, they dunked under the water before he quickly shot them back to the surface. She gasped and spluttered, shivered and shook, and could not hold back her laughter.
By then, she was completely used to the temperature of the water, and they swam and played for a while. Several times their faces were so close she wanted to lose herself in a kiss, but with families and children all around, they kept their actions PG.
Climbing from the pool, they weaved their way amongst others to their loungers and let the sun warm their bodies and dry their suits. She rolled her head to the side and enjoyed the view of his muscular form on display. It had not passed her attention that he garnered quite a few looks, from teenagers to older women. She fought the urge to shout ‘You can look but don’t touch!’ but just smiled as she realized he ignored all other women and only focused on her.
“What do you want to do for lunch?”
He smiled and shoved his glasses onto the top of his head. “We probably should eat light for lunch and hit the huge dinner buffet later on. We can get a sub to share and take it up to the room. I know you wanted to get some work done before dinner.”
“That sounds perfect. I even thought about a videoconference with Nancy just to let her know what I was finding out, but I may wait until tomorrow morning to do that.”
Standing at the same time, they grabbed their towels from their loungers and dropped them once more into her bag. They left the outdoor pool and headed into the resort. As was becoming another habit, their hands simply came together, linking fingers as they walked. She felt his eyes on her and continued as he made their way to the elevator. “This weekend hasn’t turned out to be anything like I thought it would, but it’s been really
