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As we spread my soft blanket and pulled various items out of the wicker basket, a sense of peace settled over me. For the moment, with Ronan at my side and the beauty of the cove surrounding us, my worries and fears melted away. I could let myself just be.
Ronan chuckled when he spotted the LED candles. The light was growing dim, and they cast a pleasant flickering glow that lit up his face. I leaned back against a well-placed driftwood log and offered a ham sandwich with artisan cheese.
He sank his teeth into it and then proceeded to share one of his dreams. "I've always dreamed of traveling the world. I don't mean for work or being sent anywhere by anybody else. It would be merely for the sake of exploration and immersing myself in new cultures and experiences."
"That's exciting. I love travel, too, although I've not done a lot. If money were no object… oh, wait, I guess it really isn't." We both chuckled. "So, if you had the time, where would you go first?"
Ronan's brow furrowed as he considered the question. "Egypt, I think. The pyramids have always fascinated me. It's so hard to believe that people built those without the aid of modern machinery. I want to see it up close. Something about the majesty of it all calls to me."
I grinned as in image of him ducking into shops along the dusty streets of Cairo came to mind. Then I thought about him as one of the small team Great-Uncle Ian sketched in his journal. "It makes sense. I can definitely see you standing at the base of the Great Pyramid with one hand resting on the stone, like you're touching history itself."
He leaned in, touching his shoulder to mine. "And you would be right there with me, sharing the adventure."
Being included in his dreams of future adventures made me smile and eased some of my fear.
With our stomachs full, we sipped the last of our wine and lay back on the blanket. Our bodies naturally fit together like two puzzle pieces. Ronan, lying on his back, draped one arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer. I rested my head on his chest and listened to the steady pounding of his heartbeat. The sky above was empty of clouds, and stars twinkled like a million faces winking at us.
My feelings of love for Ronan surged up so powerfully that I could barely breathe. I leaned over his body and captured his lips with a searing kiss. He responded with equal passion, his hands sliding up my back and pulling my body to him, eliminating the remaining space between us.
I tangled my fingers in his hair, marveling at the softness while I tilted my head to the right, deepening our kiss. His tongue pushed against my lips, and I parted them. A soft moan escaped me as our tongues touched and then danced.
Our existence in the world shrank to a bubble of our own making. We were oblivious to the sounds of nature around us. All that mattered to me was Ronan—the intoxicating taste of him, scent of his cologne, warmth of his body, and the reassuring thump of his heart beating against my chest.
His hands began to wander, running over my shoulders, down my arms and then coming to rest on my hips. I rolled over onto my back and pulled the weight of his body on top of me. His touch at my waist sent shivers of desire racing up my spine. I arched my body up into him, feeling our cocks press together.
Ronan broke the kiss and planted his lips on my jawline, delivering kiss after kiss and leaving a trail of sizzling fire until he reached my throat and Adam's apple. I pushed my head back, nestling into the soft sand beneath the blanket. I closed my eyes, lost in the sensation of Ronan's kisses.
Reaching out, I began to unbutton Ronan's shirt while his fingers started to toy with the button on my jeans. Suddenly, a strange flicker of light caught my attention. In a few seconds, it disappeared. At first, I thought it was nothing more than the reflection of moonlight on the water and returned to concentrating on Ronan.
Then, the light came back. It seemed even stronger and more insistent. I couldn't continue to ignore it.
"Ronan," I breathed. "Do you see that?"
He had his face buried in the crook of my neck, alternately kissing and sucking. He muttered, "Hmm?"
I pushed myself up on my elbows. "The light." It was gone again, but then it came back. "Over there, on the other side of the cove. There's a beam of light. It moves across the sand and then hangs for several seconds."
Ronan rolled over onto his side and followed my gaze. His eyes opened wide when he saw it. "What the hell?" He looked up toward the bluff. "Did you notice that? I think it's coming from the direction of Great-Uncle Ian's house. This might be the same light Maggie maintains."
We pulled apart and sat up, watching the mysterious light beam. It moved slowly across the sand like it was searching for something. Then, it stopped and hovered shining over one specific spot. It was like a spotlight for a singer taking the stage.
I gripped Ronan's shoulders. "What do you think it means?"
He shrugged beneath my hands. "I don't know, but I bet it's important. Do you think we should dig there in the sand? When the light swept over the sand at the other cove, it never stopped in one place like this."
We silently watched the light as it returned again, hanging, like it was trying to deliver a message to us. All we needed to do was pay attention.
Then, as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, leaving the cove in the pale, silvery glow of moonlight. "Should we… should we check it out?" I asked. I started to climb to my feet.
Ronan reached up to stop me. "I think I've got a better idea. It's late, and it's dark. Why don't we mark the spot with a small arrangement of stones and come back in the daylight, armed with shovels?"
He was right. There was no need to hurrry over and start digging with our bare hands. "That's wise. I'm just incredibly curious, but yeah, I can wait."
As we packed up our picnic, I wondered what Ian wanted the new piece of the puzzle to reveal to us. I thought we were getting close.
We silently walked back to the marina, while the excitement of our new discovery mingled in my mind with the bittersweet realization that our idyllic time together might be coming to an end. As I drove back to Ronan's hotel, I tried to focus on the present, on the feeling of his hand resting on my thigh and the sound of his breathing beside me.
When we arrived at the hotel, I walked him to the entrance, with a heavy sensation in my chest. At the top of the steps, we paused and faced each other. Without a word, Ronan pulled me into a fierce embrace, his lips finding mine in a burning kiss.
