Page 111 of Here & Now

Suddenly he snapped back to life. “Sorry. I just didn’t expect this. I’m still in shock.”

“But you’re happy about it, right?”

He was doing a terrible job of expressing his feelings, but he wasn’t accustomed to it, and he wasn’t sure where to begin.

He held up his goopy hands. “Let me… Just give me a minute.” He turned and thoroughly washed and dried his hands.

When he faced her again, she was trying to put on her cover-up but was not having much luck.

He gently tugged it out of her hands. “There’s no reason to hide from me.”

“But…”

He placed a finger under her chin and lifted it. Her face wasn’t as burnt as the rest of her, probably due to her oversized sunglasses, but her nose was pink.

“I didn’t plan on doing this here and now, but here goes. I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am that you’re staying. I couldn’t stand the thought of you leaving.”

She searched his eyes. “You never said anything.”

“I didn’t want to influence your decision. It had to come from you. It has to be something you truly want.”

“I really do.”

He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip, which was trembling, and decided that he needed to be more convincing.

“I wanted to wait until this weekend, but I don’t think I can.”

She tilted her head and furrowed her brow. “Wait for what?”

“To tell you I love you and don’t want you to leave.” It came out in a rush, and by the end, he was out of breath.

Her eyes went wide, and she crashed into his chest and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. “I love you too… Ow, ow, ow!” She quickly let go and backed up, and they both laughed.

The aloe he’d so carefully applied was now smeared down the front of his clothes, but he didn’t even care.

“Ohmigod, I’m such a mess! Are you sure you love me?”

He leaned in with just his head and kissed her lips. “I’m positive.”

It wasn’t the perfect time or place, but it was perfect enough for them.

“I wanted to take you out to dinner tonight, but I understand if you don’t feel up to it.”

“I’d love to go to dinner with you, but there’s something else I want to do first.”

“Name it.”

Instead of speaking, her mouth split into a wide grin.

He blinked a few times, wondering if he was misreading the signal. “Here? Now?”

“Oh yeah.”

He gazed at her with surprise. “But you’re burnt.”

“Not everywhere.” She lifted her hands behind her neck and untied her bikini top. The material fell away to expose her breasts, which were still creamy white.

His desire flared as he took her in. “How are we going to do this?”

“Very carefully.”

God, how I love this woman.