buffeted by pounding waves and the center piece that is Haystack Rock.
The hotel is composed of a main building plus a few little cabins. To my surprise, we have one of the little cabins, which includes a private hot tub in the front overlooking the beach.
I practically squeal when I see it, then I remember I didn’t pack a bathing suit. Though there is a privacy fence, I still don’t know if I want to go in my underwear.
“Ta-da,” Dex says, unzipping his bag and whipping out a red one piece that I own. “I thought ahead for once.”
That settles it. I give him an appreciative kiss then quickly get changed.
We soak in the hot tub for what feels like forever, both of us facing the beach, listening to the rhythmic pounding of the waves, smelling the sea salt mixing with the chlorine. The fog drifts over us, putting us both in a spell of sorts. I float and I feel at peace. I honestly never want to get out.
But eventually we do, my skin seriously pruney. Dex says he made dinner reservations at the hotel’s fancy restaurant, so I take my time in the shower and getting ready. Though I’d forgotten the bathing suit, I did manage to pack a nice black dress. Nothing fancy, just long-sleeved with a sweetheart neckline that showcases my waist (and my boobs, obviously), a dress that reminds me of the one Kim Novak wore at the end of Vertigo. Of course, she didn’t pair hers with black leather knee-high combat boots.
When I step out of the washroom, Dex is sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at a show on TV, wearing black dress pants and a black button-up shirt.
“We’re going to look like a goth couple,” I lament, taking a few steps toward him.
He looks at me, brows raised appreciatively as his gaze skirts over me from head to toe. “Wow. Baby…” He gets up, slowly sauntering over to me, running his hand over his jaw. “You look fucking incredible.”
I blush and do a little curtsey. “Feels good to dress up, to be honest.”
“And you look beautiful while doing it,” he says, sliding his hands over my waist and pulling me to him. I rise onto my toes and meet his mouth with mine, the kiss warm and sweet. “Maybe we should make a plan to do this more often,” he murmurs.
I smile against his lips then place my hand on his chest, knowing he’s seconds from getting carried away, and as much as I don’t mind the sexy times, especially since I passed out last night, I’m also absolutely starving. “Let’s go eat.”
“Don’t tempt me,” he says with a smirk, his voice getting husky.
I grab his hand and tug him toward the door, slipping on my coat.
The restaurant is located in the main hotel, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows with what would normally be a stunning view of the beach. It’s pitch black outside now, but the walls of the restaurant are all wood, with a giant stone fireplace, giving it an extremely cozy vibe.
There’s even space in the middle for a dance floor, and a DJ in a tuxedo in the corner, where a few older couples are swaying to Billie Holiday.
“We’re the youngest ones here,” Dex says to me as the waiter gives us our menus. My hangover has subsided enough that we order a bottle of expensive red wine (I mean, it’s all expensive here).
“I can only hope that will be us one day,” I say, admiring the couples dancing in their finest. “They all look so happy. Except for that one guy. He looks constipated.”
Dex chuckles and reaches for the bread bowl the moment the waiter puts it down. “You’re right though.”
“That we’ll be like that one day?”
“Yes.” He tears off a large chunk of bread and spreads an obscene amount of herbed butter on it. “We definitely will be, hopefully minus the constipation. But I meant in that we should do this more often. We just work so much and it’s just the two of us, and I think we forget we need to just…live a little. Get fucking wild. Do something reckless.”
I can’t help but smile. His passion makes my heart skip a beat, and the fact that he looks insanely handsome at the moment only adds to it. “I never thought you’d tell me that we’re boring.”
The whites of his eyes shine. “Boring? Baby, we’re not fucking boring.”
“I know,” I tell him, putting my