and flirtatiously toss my hair to the side.
“Don’t do that.” Ben whispers, “Every time you toss your hair like that I want to fuck you.”
“Why do you have to be so vulgar?” I whisper.
He laughs and tugs on a few strands of my hair, “Just be there.”
I tap my foot on the ground and we hold an intense gaze for a few moments, “Where are you taking me?”
He flashes me a wicked grin and glances down at his phone, “You have approximately forty-five minutes to put on that tight jean skirt of yours and get your ass down to the lobby. Don’t make me come and find you.” He scolds, kisses the top of my head and walks off in the other direction.
By the time three-thirty rolls around, I am the only one patiently waiting in the lobby before Ben pops out of nowhere from a hidden hallway.
“Where were you?” I tease, “It’s three thirty five.”
“Getting these,” Ben says and dangles a set of keys in front of my face, “We’re taking a little drive.”
“Off the resort? Without a tour guide?” I ask as fear rises in my voice.
“Oh relax.” Ben laughs, “Don’t you trust me?”
I cross my arms in front of my chest and pop my hips to the side, “I want to know where you think you’re taking me?”
“It’s a surprise” Ben says and starts to walk away. “Are you coming or what?”
I roll my eyes and chase after him as a valet service pulls up with our car.
An hour or so later Ben pulls into Marino Baulas National Park. He gets a giddy child-like aura about him, and turns off the car. He grabs his phone from the middle console and shoves it in his pocket.
He looks over at me before he opens his door, “Are you ready to be amazed?”
I inhale sharply, toiling with the uncertain, leaving my trust in Ben. He still has yet to tell me what we are doing here, even though I begged him a million times during the car ride to spill the beans.
When I get out of the car and inhale the salty ocean air, it is like a dream. The park is gorgeous, lush greenery, bright tropical flowers, and a white sandy beach. We walk toward the ocean, watching the sunset fall into the horizon and waves crashing against the sand.
“Why did you bring me here?” I ask.
A smile spreads across Ben’s face when he grabs my hand and gently squeezes it, “We are at the largest nesting colony of leatherback turtles in the Pacific ocean.”
I smile and feel an insane amount of emotions running through my veins. I look at Ben, feeling so grateful he brought me here. He knows how much I love everything about nature and animals. This is like a dream come true and definitely the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me.
“Aren’t you excited?” he asks, waiting for my response.
I nod and bring both my hands up to my mouth. I am worried that if I speak, tears will sting my eyes. He wraps his arms around my tiny shoulders and gives me a tight hug. “I had one of the guys from the resort come out here earlier today and mark some nesting holes.” Ben proudly says. He smiles down at me and pulls me along the back end of the beach letting the sand trickle between our toes.
Within no time, Ben shouts out that he found one. Sure enough, when I look down, I see a hole in the sand full of golf ball-sized eggs. I startle and squeal when I see the little creatures squirm by my feet. The little hatchlings scamper and begin their mad scramble towards the sea. Ben bends down and watches them in awe. I can barely breathe when one of the tiny leatherback turtles crawls over my toes and takes its first precious steps of life.
He smiles at me, and everything feels surreal. He pulls out his phone, stands up and pulls me backwards into his chest. He puts the phone out in front of us and tells me to smile. He takes a picture with his arm under my chin and the golden sun falling into the horizon, emitting a soft pink glow. He checks the shot, kisses my cheek and lets me go.
Chapter 13
Ben snaps about a million pictures and videos of the tiny turtles. Then he takes it upon himself to sneak in shots of me, even after I press my