take off this towel? It’s driving me nuts, but I don’t think I can put on a shirt let alone a bra.”
“Would you being naked in my bed bother me? Have we met?”
Rolling her eyes, she slowly moves to the bed and slips between the sheets, tossing her towel on the floor. I scoop it up, hand her the remote, and leave her alone while I go shower the day off myself.
A dinner of burgers and fries with two flavors of milkshakes behind us, we’re halfway through a classic romantic comedy of Celeste’s choosing when I notice she’s quieter than usual. Looking down to where she’s settled at my side, I find her sound asleep. Gently, I slide out from next to her and she turns to her side, hugging the pillow to her chest.
Quietly, I clean up our mess and use the bathroom before killing the lights and sliding in next to her, spooning her to my front. The heat from her sunburn is warm on my chest and a reminder of a weekend that has reset my soul. I have the woman in my arms to thank for that.
Chapter Twelve
Celeste
The warmth of the tropical breeze blows over my naked skin. It’s soothing and relaxes me in a way nothing in the city has for months. As I stretch out the kinks of a night of amazing sex and a good night’s sleep, I enjoy the bright sunlight shining in the room. That can only mean one thing… this day is going to be great.
No, that’s not right. It means something else. But what?
“OHMIGOD WE OVERSLEPT!”
Between my outburst and my Olympic track-and-field-like launch out of bed, Hunter wakes up.
He sits straight up in bed, eyes wide and assessing. “What? What’s wrong?”
“It’s eight forty-five! We have to leave for the airport, like, now!”
“Son of bitch,” he grumbles and slowly rolls off the world’s most comfortable mattress as if we aren’t about to miss our flight to Atlanta. I assume we’ll part ways for our connecting flights, but I don’t have time to think about that right now.
“What? Why aren’t you moving faster?” I ask as I pull on my bra, hissing at the sting of my sunburn as the clasp snaps in place. So much for my skin being healed by morning.
Picking up the phone, he presses the one for the concierge. Is he ordering room service? We don’t have time for this. “Yeah, we are running late for check out. Myself and Celeste Pump… Pumpa…”
“Pumperkin!” I yell.
“Right. What she said. I have a driver waiting for me downstairs. Can you please tell him we’ll be about ten minutes?”
Hunter gives them more information so we can check out quickly and then hangs up, turning to me. “There. Fixed.”
“That was so much easier than trying to catch the shuttle to the airport,” I admit, throwing clothes into my suitcase willy nilly.
“Stick with me, baby, and we’ll go places.” He waggles his eyebrows, apparently not realizing he just quoted The Lion King, not Casablanca. I’d find it cheesy. Instead it’s just another endearing part of this man I have enjoyed so much.
“While you have mad skills on getting our transportation cleared up, Hunter, it’s still a thirty minute drive to the airport and we have to check in, get through International security and find our gate. All in less than two and a half hours. Got a magic wand for that?”
The way he crinkles his nose makes me pause. He does, doesn’t he? The man is about to pull out some more magic, I just know it.
“We’re already checked in and have priority boarding. Plus the driver will have TSA waiting to escort us through the airport so we make it on time.”
I drop the shirt I just picked up off the floor. “What do you mean they’ll escort us?”
He shrugs sheepishly, and I don’t think the beginnings of a sunburn is pinking his cheeks. Nope. That’s a blush. “It’s sort of a celebrity perk. That way we can get in and out of the airport fast without having to stop and look at directions or signs. Keeps us from getting stopped by fans.”
“Well, well,” I say playfully. “Isn’t that a nice addition to this vacation. In that case, I’ll take the extra two minutes to actually fold my clothes instead of shoving them inside my suitcase.”
He smiles and gestures over his shoulder with his thumb. “I’ll use the facilities first and grab all my toiletries, then we can switch. We’ll make