I stared out the glass doors of my room in awe. Outside the ocean sparkled in blue jewel tones against pristine white sand, rolling and dancing together like lovers. Even through the glass, I could hear the song of the sea, calling me like a siren's song. The bright blue sky stretched out into infinity. It was possibly the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life.I looked down at the schedule in my hand. I was going to get some good time in with that perfect turquoise water. The schedule looked more like a vacation than a conference. There was barely a meeting a day and never for more than a couple of hours. Most of the items on the schedule were for fun events like wine tastings and dancing. Alexa and Calvin could suck it in Texas while I vacationed with Kathryn in the Caribbean. I sent Alexa a silent thank you for taking my spot. She was going on thankless coffee runs while I sunbathed.It wasn't just the vacation that was making me happy. It was my job. In just two weeks, I
“Wear the silver dangling earrings. They look better with the dress,” Darcie told me. I held them up to the computer screen and she nodded. Ever the saint, she helped me get ready from thousands of miles away via my laptop's web-cam. It perched up on the dresser so she could see the full ensemble.I wore a pale blue sundress with a lace overlay. I had loved it from the moment I saw it in Raoul's selection of dresses. It was flirty, sexy, and elegant all at the same time: all the things I wanted to be for tonight. I put the earrings in and stood back so Darcie could see.“Stunning,” she informed me with a smile. “You have some cute shoes, right?”“Of course I have cute shoes,” I exclaimed, putting my hands on my hips. She raised her eyebrows and popped a potato chip into her mouth. She knew me well enough to know that shoes were not my thing. “They're silver and strappy and it doesn't matter that Kathryn bought them. I still have them, okay?”A knock on the door took my thoughts off sh
Aiden took my hand in his as we left the restaurant. The night air was still tropically warm and the ocean breeze ruffled my skirt. This truly was paradise.“Walk on the beach with me?” Aiden asked, pulling me gently toward the sound of water. I would have followed him willingly into a volcano. A moonlit walk on the beach was better than I could have dreamed.“That sounds great,” I agreed. It only took us a moment to reach the sand. My heels immediately sank and I knew I would twist an ankle if I stayed on them. “Hold on, I need to take my shoes off to walk in the sand.”“Barefoot again?” he teased gently as he also removed his shoes. He finished nearly as soon as I did, standing beside me in the sand. “How tall are those heels?”“Tall?” I shrugged. I had no idea the actual height, just that they were taller than my usual selection of heels.“I like you this height better,” he told me. A warm flush went through me. No one had ever said that to me before. I always thought I was too sho
Warm yellow sunshine and a soft breeze off the ocean woke me. I kept my eyes closed for a moment, afraid that the night before had been nothing but a wonderful dream. When I did finally open my eyes, I was relieved to see it wasn't. Aiden lay in bed next to me, his soft hazel gaze as warm as the sunshine. He had his phone out and was typing on the slide-out keyboard, but he was definitely paying more attention to me than his phone.“Were you watching me sleep?” I asked, drowsily.“Maybe.” He smiled and set his phone to the side. “You just look so peaceful and happy.”“Probably because I am.” I stretched my arms up over my head, keenly aware of his eyes taking in the seductive motion. “What time is it?”“A little past eleven,” he said, checking his watch. “You want some breakfast?”Panic woke me from my happy, lazy morning slumber. “I can't! I have a meeting and Kathryn asked me to make sure she's prepped!”I stumbled out of bed, pulling the bed sheet with me and wrapping it around my
I hurried back to my room, hoping to find Aiden still stretched out naked on my bed. The meeting had been relatively quick, and now the idea of walking in and jumping on the bed with him had me practically sprinting.I stepped into the room with a huge grin on my face, only to have it fall off. The bed was made and he was gone. I had only been away for a little while and the meeting had gotten out early. Maybe he did go find another barefoot lawyer. My shoulders slumped.The room phone rang and I shuffled my feet to answer it. Probably just housekeeping asking if I wanted turn-down service. “Hello?”“Lena?” Aiden's voice crackled across the line.“Aiden?” I hoped the almost absurd amount of happiness in my voice didn't scare him off.“You want to go fishing with me?” he asked.“Fishing?” I repeated, making sure I had heard the correct word.“Do I have to answer in the form of a question?” I could hear the smile in his voice. “Yes, fishing. I have a boat at the docks and the weather is
I sat on the edge of the boat, my feet dangling in the water and my head resting on Aiden's shoulder in complete bliss. I didn't care if we caught a single fish for the rest of the day-- I was having a fantastic time.I could see a boat in the distance, but I didn't pay them much attention until it was clear they were headed straight for us. For a moment, I wondered if they had somehow heard my screams of pleasure and thought I needed rescuing.The boat was slightly larger than ours, but with more storage and less speed. A man with aviator glasses and jet black hair was steering while a woman in a wetsuit gave him directions from the on-board computer. They silenced their engines to a throttle as they came alongside ours.“I'm going to need to see your fishing licenses,” the man asked. I didn't see any official emblems on their boat, but I supposed they could be with the coast guard. I hoped Aiden had the appropriate documentation needed.“And I'm going to need to talk to your supervi
Laying out on a blanket with Aiden on the beach, my throat was sore from laughing so hard. I stared up at the night sky and wished on every star up there that we would always be this happy. Aiden made me laugh without even trying, and when he did try, I was completely unable to stop. He had quickly discovered that I would snort if I laughed hard enough, which he thought was hilarious. He then, or course made it his mission in life to make me snort.I hated snorting, but I loved how hard it made Aiden laugh when I did. Once he started laughing at my snort, I would laugh even harder, causing me to snort again, and the two of us would be lost to an unending laughing loop until we couldn't breathe. My ribs ached and my face was sore, but I had never been so happy in my entire life.The remnants of our dinner sat back on my porch, and we were now enjoying an evening of whispering under the stars. Aiden had selected a fabulous bottle of white wine for the two of us, and I had lost track of
“Vacation agrees with you,” Kathryn commented, startling me out of me out of my day dreams.“What?” I could feel a blush blaze across my cheeks and I wondered if she could read my thoughts. They were certainly blush-worthy.“You've been staring off at the water with a happy smile plastered on your face for the entire meeting,” she informed me.“Sorry. Did I miss something important?” I couldn't even remember what the meeting was about. “I wasn't sure if I got the projector set up properly--”“Everything was fine,” she assured me, with a smile. “I'm just stating that you look very happy. That assistant must be very good for you.”I relaxed and grinned. “He is.” She had no idea just how good. He was beyond good.“I'm guessing you have dinner plans tonight, then,” Kathryn said with a knowing smile.I starting packing up the laptop and notes from the meeting. “Not if you need me. You brought me here, so you have dibs on me.”Kathryn laughed and shook her head. “I don't need you tonight. I