and having fun. But he’d opened this can, so he was going to have to spoon out the contents.
“I think you hold him back. That you don’t let him do enough for himself. That you might be hindering his recovery.”
Her lips clamped tightly together, she turned and faced the water. She didn’t say anything for a long time, and he knew he’d pissed her off.
Way to go, Rafe. When would he learn to keep his thoughts to himself on delicate subjects like this?
Though, he’d told Carmen that he was always honest. Didn’t he owe it to her to be honest about this, too?
“You’re right,” she finally said, digging her toes into the wet sand, her gaze focused on the horizon. “I’m too close to my grandfather. I’m afraid he’ll have another stroke, or fall and break something, so I smother him with my attention and my medical knowledge to the point that I’m probably driving him crazy—and in doing so, I’m likely hampering his recovery.”
She finally shifted to face him. “Thank you for being honest with me.”
Okay, so she wasn’t mad. He picked up one of her hands and covered it with both of his. “I think you love your grandfather and you’d do anything to keep him safe. That’s not a bad thing. But yeah, you’re probably too close to the situation and you don’t see that maybe you’ve been keeping him a little too safe.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“Back off a little? Let him handle things on his own, like bathing and cooking and getting himself to bed. My guess is if there are some things he’s uncomfortable doing on his own, he’ll ask you to help him. But giving him some space will go a long way toward making him feel more independent and confident in his abilities.”
She nodded. “You’re right. I’ll start doing that.”
“I think you’ll notice a change in him right away, too.”
“I hope so.” She leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.” He got up and hauled her up to stand. “Now, let’s go clean up and have dinner and some fun tonight.”
She hit him with a bright smile. “I’m so ready for that.”
So was he. He intended to make sure he rocked her socks off tonight.
And he wasn’t just talking about dancing.
CHAPTER 20
AFTER SPENDING TIME IN THE SUN TODAY, CARMEN WAS exhausted. They went up to their room and took a shower together, enjoying each other’s bodies at length in the oversize stall. After Rafe gave her an explosive orgasm that left her weak-kneed and shaking, she lay down on the bed and ended up passing right out. When she woke, she felt disoriented, and it took her a minute to remember she was in this glorious room with the spectacular view. Rafe was snoozing next to her, so she rolled to her side and enjoyed the other beautiful view.
Awake, he was gorgeous. Asleep, he was equally devastating, his features relaxed, his long, dark lashes resting against his cheeks and his lips slightly parted. His breathing was slow and even. And, bonus—he didn’t snore. What more could a woman want in a guy?
She smiled at that and leaned in to brush a kiss against his brow. He blinked and opened his eyes, his lips curving. He didn’t wake up grumpy, either, another point in his favor. Instead, he drew her close to his body, making her wish they could just stay in tonight.
“You fell asleep,” he said, smoothing his hand over her hip.
“You fell asleep, too.”
“I laid down on the bed to be close to you. And then I was gone. You wore me out.”
She scraped a nail across his jaw. “Poor baby. If you don’t have the energy to go out tonight, we could order room service.”
Before she knew what was happening, he’d grabbed her and rolled her on top of him, his hands roaming down her back to cup her buttocks.
“I’ve got plenty of energy.”
She felt the hardness of his cock underneath her, sparking her own renewed energy. She dragged her clit against his firm flesh.
“Fuck yeah, babe,” he said, grasping her hips to roll her back and forth across his cock.
Despite their earlier fun in the shower, she was ready, and now. But she wanted him inside of her when she came. She slid off of him to grab a condom from the box on the nightstand, opened the package and slowly rolled the condom on his cock, enjoying the heated look in his eyes.
“Get on me,”