“Definitely different. Not bad, just different.”
“Which do you prefer?”
“I think East Coast. But I’m not fussy. I’ve decided the beach is my happy place.”
“Really? And that’s a new revelation?”
I nod. “Definitely. Probably because I never had the chance to spend a lot of time at the beach when I was growing up. Now that I have, I realize I’m much more relaxed when I can hear the ocean. I think I’ve always known that part, but now it’s like…real. Essential.”
Now he nods. “Interesting. Those first few nights at Vanessa’s house, the sound of the ocean was unnerving. It was so loud and almost thunderous, even when we were inside. Sometimes I’d wake up and wonder what I was hearing.”
“But you obviously got used to it.”
Another nod. “I did. Now, it’s peaceful for me. It was comforting last night.”
Scooting closer, I rest my head on his shoulder. “I thought so too. Kind of wish Raleigh were closer to the beach.”
“Mmm…that would be nice. We’ll just have to make more of an effort to go to the coast more often.”
“Agreed.” We sit in companionable silence before my curiosity gets the better of me. “So, what are you doing here? You’ve only been gone for like…two hours. Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
“I was, but when I got there, the office manager explained that they were having some major company-wide meeting today and couldn’t afford any downtime on the computer system and asked if I would mind starting tomorrow.”
“It would have been nice if they called you earlier so you didn’t waste time going all the way there.”
He shrugs. “Maybe. But then you wouldn’t have had some time to yourself to just sit out here and enjoy the view. You looked very peaceful. I hate that I disturbed you.”
“You could never disturb me. I was just having a little time of reflection.” I don’t elaborate because the conversation I had with Matt—to Matt?—is private. “When I looked up and saw you, it made my heart very happy.”
“That’s exactly how my heart felt when I found you sitting here. I had already searched the hotel and figured this was the next logical step.”
“My next stop was going to be the pool area for lunch, but the beach was calling me.”
“If you’d like a little more time to yourself…”
Pulling back, I meet his sincere gaze. “I want to be with you, Ash. I wasn’t going to leave the hotel because I wanted to explore the town with you later on after work. I’d still like to wait until later and just have a lazy day here together.”
“That’s sounds like heaven.” He kisses me softly and I melt against him. His kisses are addictive. When he sits back, I’m wildly disappointed, and I pout. This just makes him smile. “So, what should we do first? Are you ready to head back to the hotel? Would you like to walk on the beach a little more?”
“Hmm…good question. I think walking back to the hotel will satisfy my walking on the beach for right now. Then we’ll scope out some lounges by the pool and see if we can get lunch delivered to us out there. I thought the concierge said that was possible when we checked in yesterday, didn’t he?”
He nods again. “Yup. He did and we both agreed it was a nice perk.”
“So let’s do that. Relax by the pool, eat a little lunch, go up to our room afterwards and make love, and then get ready to walk around downtown Carlsbad and see where the late afternoon and evening takes us.”
“I love the way you think, Liv.”
I hum happily as we get to our feet and I’m already looking forward to all of it. I know it’s not going to be like this every day, but I kind of love that it’s like this today. Some stops on his work tour are definitely in big cities with zero ocean views, so I want to enjoy every minute of this while we can.
Hand in hand, we slowly stroll. We discuss the color and texture of the sand before walking closer to the water and letting it wash over our feet, giggling like two little kids. It’s a moment of pure joy.
Ash runs a few feet away and wades farther out into the water and he looks like it’s the best thing he’s ever felt. It makes me look up at the sky again and whisper, “You did this, Matt. This is all thanks to you.” And again, I blow a kiss heavenward.
When Ash jogs back toward me, he’s soaked. “We’re going to need to run up to the room so I can change into something dry and less…um…sandy.”
“We can do that,” I assure him.
He pulls me close and kisses me again. This time it’s slow and deep and seductive. I wrap myself around him as the waves get a little more aggressive, and soon I’m just as wet as he is.
