Last night, I was smiling like a goof when given the green light to call him by the same name his friends do. A monumental step in our relationship, if I do say so myself. And today will be another one, because I’ve planned the best day for us.
“I’m ready when you are.” Tony stands by the patio door in navy swim trunks and a white linen button-down shirt. I think this is the first time I’ve seen him without a freshly shaven face, and yeah… it’s doing things to me. It takes all my willpower not to bite my lip and fan my face at the sight of him.
“Yep, ready to go,” I croak out. I walk past him, ignoring the way his gaze roams my body.
“Wait, don’t you need a swimsuit for the day?”
“I’m already wearing a one-piece suit under my sundress. And I have everything else we need in my bag.” I wave him over to leave the bungalow. Once we’ve closed up, we hop on a waiting golf cart that’ll take us to the resort lobby.
“So what exactly are we doing today?” he asks.
“It’s a surprise!” I dance in my seat.
He shakes his head and chuckles. “Oh man. I’m sure this will be a treat.”
We make it to the lobby and find Frobish waiting for us. “Ms. Nikki, are you sure you want to go off site? I assure you that we can accommodate any excursions you may be interested in here on the resort grounds,” he pleads.
“No can do, Frobby. We’re off for the day. And we won’t be back for dinner, so no need to wait around for us.” I pat him on the shoulder. He looks at the spot I touched, as if I wiped a germy hand on him.
“Wait, we’ll be gone all day? Don’t I need to bring a dinner outfit?” Tony asks.
“Aww, look who’s turned into quite the fashionista.” I pinch his cheek playfully while he rolls his eyes. “The place we’re eating at is very… casual. So what we’re wearing now is fine,” I say as I turn back to Frobish.
“Very well, then. The boat is waiting for you on the dock, ready to take you to your next location. Just text this number”—he hands me a business card—“and we’ll have you picked up within thirty minutes.” He nods as he points to the waiting speed boat at the end of the dock.
“Thanks, man.” Tony pats the same spot I did, and poor Frobish looks like he’s about to have a dry-cleaning crisis. “I really hope you know what you’re doing by taking us off the property,” he whispers into my ear.
I wave him off. “Come on, it’s going to be so much fun. Will you just live a little with me, Tony?”
He looks at me for a moment. Like really looks at me. Then gifts me with a warm smile. “Yeah, I think I can, Nikki.” He pulls me into his side for a hug and keeps his arm around me as we make our walk toward the boat.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” Tony sighs with his muscular arms folded across his broad chest. “Do I look like the kind of man who wants to go swimming with dolphins?”
I bend over and laugh at the look of pure devastation on his face. I’m really not trying to torture the man, but sometimes it’s just too easy. “Relax, we’re not going to an unethical aquarium where they keep them in captivity. We’re joining that catamaran tour that’ll show us places along the coast where we’re likely to spot them. Then we’re free to jump in the water if we want to get a closer encounter with them.”
“You know what else we can have close encounters with out there? Sharks.” He huffs.
“I never took you for a wuss, Tony.” He gives me a stern look. “Besides, I’m sure you’ll punch any shark that comes near me,” I joke.
He grunts. “Then stay close.” He pulls me to his side again as we get in line to board the catamaran.
He’s been doing that a lot ever since last night. I didn’t anticipate Tony being so touchy-feely with me, but you’ll hear no complaints from me.
None. Zero. Zilch.
“This is an all-day tour. We’ll go along the coast, looking for dolphins and maybe do some swimming. Then they’ll take us to a sandbar for a buffet lunch and drinks. On the way back, they drop us off at a cave entry where we can do some cave diving. Then, finally, we enter the restaurant side that’s built into the cave for dinner. It sounds fancy, but trust me, it’s not. It’s plastic tables and chairs with the Presidente logo on everything.” I smile triumphantly. After so much pompous pretense, I figured we’d both enjoy having a no-frills evening. And the look in Antonio’s sweet eyes tells me I just might be right.
18
Antonio
WatchingNikki light up as she spots another pod of dolphins is the highlight of my trip so far. Her blond hair whips around wildly in the wind as she squeals and points to the aquatic creatures following our boat. Every time she sees anything exciting, she squeezes my forearm in an attempt to direct my attention to what she’s discovered, but I’m perfectly content just staring at her.
We stayed on the catamaran while others jumped in the water. Turns out Nikki wasn’t so adventurous once she saw the size of the dolphins zipping through the water at high speeds. “I’m fine watching them from here. Besides, I heard dolphins are super horny, and I don’t want to get rammed by one of those big boys.”
I spit out a bit of my water at her blunt statement, biting back every sexual rebuttal I have on the tip of my tongue. “Noted.”
She eyes me curiously. “You know, you seem different today. Like you’re actually letting yourself relax for once.”
