"Don't worry about it. You hungry? How about breakfast?"
Quickly I stood and started walking back down the beach. He caught up to me and grabbed my hand, stopping me. I didn't look at him. I couldn't look at him.
"Lilli, please?" I still kept my eyes off of his, choosing to look at my feet. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable this morning, and I...hell, I just couldn't control myself and I got carried away."
"It's fine," I said quickly. "Don't worry about it." Smiling halfheartedly, I started walking again, Aidan's hand slipping from mine.
The rest of the day there was slight discomfort between us. We were both very aware of each other’s bodies at all times. I sat on the patio, trying to get over jet lag, my eyes drifting to Aidan. I watched the muscles in his back flex as he was picked up wood for the fire he was building.
Aidan started the fire. I lay back on a lounge chair to read my book while he typed away on his laptop and talked to people back in his office. Once the sun completely set, I laid my book across my chest and stared into the fire, watching the flames dance and flutter.
~
The next morning we woke in a better position, though most of the king sized bed was going to waste. We weren't tangled up in each other's limbs this time. Instead, I lay stomach down with half of his body covering me and his arm curled around my body.
I quietly sighed, slid out from under Aidan, and headed to the kitchen. Once I got there, I started the coffee machine and began pulling out the ingredients necessary for French toast and sausage. After creating the egg mixture and placing the pieces of bread in a pan, I set it in the fridge.
Once the sausage was started, I went out to the patio and grabbed my book from the cushion I’d left it on last night. Sitting down at the breakfast bar, I read while sipping at my coffee.
"Good morning," he yawned out.
I looked up, prepared to smile and respond, but, F my life, he was stretching his arms over his head, rubbing the back of his head. His shirt rode up, revealing the toned section dipping into his low riding pajama bottoms. Burying my eyes back into my book, I mumbled ‘good morning’.
"So, what do you want for breakfast?" He leaned on the bar next to me.
"Oh," moving away from his delicious scent, I stepped toward the refrigerator, "I already started. Just waiting for you to wake up."
Grabbing the prepped bread from the fridge, I sat it on the counter and turned on the griddle.
"What are you making?"
Heat and minty breath washed over my body. Damn him! He knew what he was doing.
"French toast." My words a bit more curt than intended, I was feeling a little irritable, "You may want to move unless you prefer getting splattered with hot food."
"Sorry," he grumbled and moved away from me.
Aidan pulled out some orange juice and filled two glasses while I finished cooking. Setting the plates at the breakfast bar, Aidan sat one glass in front of me.
"Come on," he said grabbing his plate and walking outside. We sat at a table on the patio and ate breakfast.
"Mmm..." Aidan's eyes were closed. "This is really good." He smiled.
"Thanks," Smiling, I put another bite in my mouth.
When he was finished he sat back in his chair with his hands folded over his stomach.
"So, what do you want to do today?"
Chugging the rest of my orange juice, I gave a small shrug.
"I have an idea." He perked up, getting my full attention.
"Let's get dressed," he stood, collecting the plates and the glasses. "You'll need clothes good for touring the island." The dishes clang as he put them in the sink.
Once in the bedroom, I grabbed some clothes and headed into the bathroom. After showering, I slipped into some long cargo shorts and a tank top. Pulling my hair up into a loose knot at the back of my head, I stepped out and Aidan took his turn getting dressed.
He led me to a small, white, wooden shed. Once open, I glanced in and saw an off-road vehicle. He walked in and started the quad, pulling it out of the shed.
"Hop on." He shouted over the noise of the engine, holding a helmet out to me. Securing it to my head, I straddled the seat behind him. "Hold on!" I wrapped my arms around his waist.
He gunned it and I tightened my arms. Burying my face into his back for a minute, I finally got the courage to peek over his shoulder. It wasn’t the quad scaring me. It was my lack of self-control.
Stopping at the top of a large cliff, we looked over the horizon. It was beautiful. He continued to drive until we came upon a small waterfall and large creek of fresh running water. We took our shoes off and submerged kneed-deep into the natural spring. The water was refreshingly cool, but the rocks lining the creek were slippery. Taking a step deeper into the water, Aidan slipped. I reached to catch him, but his weight took us both into the water.