He was wearing her down. There was no way to deny the heady feeling that overtook her whenever he said things like that or looked at her in that particular possessive way. Tonight, before they returned to their real lives and whatever awaited them there, she would make love with him. She couldn’t wait to be close to him like that again.
Ella rushed through her shower and dried her hair until it hung in waves down her back. The tropical humidity would undo the work of the straightener, so she didn’t bother, leaving it to curl naturally. She dressed in a floral halter dress and slipped her feet into a pair of wedges. A coat of lip gloss finished off her outfit. She emerged from the bathroom to find Gavin dressed in a yellow polo and plaid shorts. He was so handsome, and despite the ups and downs they’d encountered, he still took her breath away.
“Wow,” he said on a low whistle. “You look amazing.”
“So do you.”
He held out a hand to her. “Shall we?”
Ella took his hand and followed him from the room. The sun was still an hour or more from setting, but the beach was largely deserted except for a few late-day sun worshipers. They walked a long way down the beach, almost to the end of the resort’s property.
“Come check this out,” he said, nodding to a cabana that had been erected on the beach. Gauzy curtains fluttered in the breeze, ready to seal off the occupants from the outside world.
“What is it?”
“You’ll see.”
Inside the cabana, a member of the resort staff awaited them. “Mr. Guthrie, Ms. Abbott, welcome.” Beside a double lounge chair, a bottle of champagne chilled in an ice bucket and a tray of fruit, cheese and crackers was on a table. “I trust everything is to your liking, sir?”
“It is,” Gavin replied. “Thank you so much.”
“My pleasure. Enjoy.”
“You did this?” she asked when they were alone.
“Yep.”
“When?”
“Today when I was supposedly golfing.”
“You didn’t play golf?”
“Nope. I did this, among other things.”
“What other things?”
He gestured to the lounge. “Have a seat, make yourself comfortable and I’ll tell you.”
Burning with curiosity, Ella did as he asked, kicking off her shoes and sitting on the lounge.
Gavin popped the cork on the champagne and poured glasses for both of them before joining her. “Snack?”
“Sure.”
He placed the tray on the canvas cushion between them.
Ella ate a strawberry and a piece of pineapple. “This is nice. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Are you going to tell me what else you did today when you were supposed to be golfing?”
“I went shopping.”
“You . . . you did what?”
“I went shopping,” he said again, amusement dancing in his eyes.
“For what?”
He slid a hand under one of the pillows and produced a small velvet box that he handed to her. “For this.”
Ella’s heart kicked into overdrive as she studied the box he’d put in her hand. “W-what is it?”
“Open it and see.”
“Gavin . . . I don’t know . . .”
He placed his much larger hand over hers. “Open it, Ella.”