I set the basket of food on a dresser and walked to the alcove, pressing my hands against the glass, expecting it to be cold. "It's warm." Maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised.
"The water's nearly eighty degrees year-round here."
The water in Puget Sound was more like forty-five on a warm day.
I peered into the deep. The dark water was stirred up and full of shadows of debris. The one thing I didn't see were…
"There are no fish." I frowned. "Where are all the fish?"
Eli came up next to me, staring into the water with me with a look of concentration on his face.
"What?" I said. "What? Is that bad? Are they hiding?"
He frowned. "The water's too dark and murky to see them. Let's watch a movie."
"A movie?" I wasn't really in the mood. But what else was there to do? Maybe it would take our minds off the danger we were in. Though it was doubtful. If only I'd thought to bring popcorn.
"Something like The Perfect Storm or Life of Pi should be cheery," I said. "The Finest Hours? Possibly Into the Storm or Twister, but those are a little landlocked for my tastes, though they go nicely with the storm theme we have going around us."
"At least you have a sense of humor," he said.
"What do you mean, at least?" I kicked off my shoes and plopped onto my stomach sideways on the bed to get a good view of the TV, glad to be able to finally collapse. The long day of travel and excitement was taking its toll. I made myself comfortable, thinking he would take one of the chairs.
Instead, he grabbed two bottles of beer from the bar by the spa tub, and the TV controller, and plopped down next to me. He opened a beer, handed it to me, and began flipping through movie selections. The room was cool with the air conditioning going full strength.
I was wearing only a thin cotton sundress. I shivered, resisting the temptation of his body heat next to me. As if my awareness of him wasn't extreme before, it was heightened now. His presence was oddly comforting and the chemistry between us undeniable. Not that his strong arms could save me if this wall of glass shattered. But at least I wouldn't die alone.
I let him choose the movie. He picked a benign sports film about some guy overcoming all odds to win a championship. I sensed a survivor, beat-the-odds thing going on. If he was trying to encourage me, he was failing. But the beer was a nice touch. I drank it, even though I didn't need more alcohol. It settled pleasantly over me, calming my ragged nerves.
As the movie wore on, we sank into the plushness of the bed, sagging closer and closer to each other until our shoulders touched. He watched the movie with rapt attention. Though I didn't find it that thrilling or engaging, I liked being next to him. Way too much.
Halfway through the movie, something thumped against the window with a bang that made me jump. I screamed and covered my eyes, ready to take my last breath. How long could I hold my breath? Where were those oxygen tanks?
Eli jumped up and ran to the window. He let loose a string of curses. "Fuck." He smacked the window with his palms. "Fucking storm."
I opened my eyes to find him staring at the shadow of a large sea creature pressed against the glass.
"It's a manatee." His voice shook. "A pregnant manatee. She's dead." He rested his head against the glass.
I set my empty beer bottle on the floor in front of me, switched the TV off, and went to him. I came up behind him and hugged him, leaning my head against his back. It was a bold move, but he looked so sad and upset about the manatee. "Sorry. It's sad."
"It's worse than sad." He spun around and caught my face in his hands, looking deep into my eyes. His were lit with excitement and something fierce. "If these were your last minutes on earth, what would you do?"
"You mean here? With you?"
His breath smelled pleasantly of hops and beer. His cologne was totally sexy. And the way he looked at me: intoxicating. He was back to being the hot guy in the bar, the one with so much promise. The one who would definitely call and maybe be my next boyfriend. The one who just might be the one.
That's why I was so mad at him for not calling. He'd blown all that promise. Shattered dreams that had only just begun.
He nodded.
"Hypothetically?"
"Naturally."
"Since I first saw this room, I fantasized about making love in it beneath the sea. It’s kind of on my bucket list. Since you're the only other person, and a guy, which is handy, and I'm dead in a few minutes anyway. Yes, I might go for it." My heart nearly broke out of my chest it was pounding so hard. I didn't tell him I'd been fantasizing about him since that night in the bar. I swallowed hard. "What would you do?"
"Making love underwater is on my bucket list, too." He clasped the back of my head and lowered his lips to mine.