"You’re welcome, Firefly." He smiled, letting go of me to lift himself out of the hot spring, helping me out before he lifted me up. I hooked my arms around his neck, resting my head against his shoulder.
"You okay?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.
I nodded against him, pressing my lips lightly on his shoulder blade – his markings caught my attention. "Ya. I'm really tired," I whispered.
"You haven't gotten a good rest since we got here," Daniel suggested, beginning to walk back towards our room after slipping into his slippers.
"I'm scared to rest. I don't want to waste time that could be spent with you," I replied.
"There's always time for us, Makoto. I'll always make time for you. Even if things get chaotic when we reach Heila, I'll make sure that we see each other whenever I can. But, you need to sleep. I like to sleep, so we can count it as quality time. What do you say?" he asked.
I opened my eyes to look at him; his smile reached those enchanting gold eyes I loved.
"Okay. Just...this time," I whispered; my eyes began to close as I relaxed in his arms. My head returned to rest on his shoulder. I didn't stop myself from drifting off; the swaying movement and Daniel's low exhales calmed my once troubled heart.
We'll figure it out...and if all else fails, I'll give him space till he's ready.
Chapter Eight
Day 3: 10:00 A.M.
MAKOTO
"Marc – mhm." I smiled against those smooth lips, tightening my hold around his neck as he continued to hold me securely off the ground. He broke the kiss, giving me a wide grin.
"Stop trying to prevent me from kissing you," he mumbled.
"We're on a public beach with little shifter children!" I argued.
"So?" he countered.
"Think of the children! You're dirtying their innocent minds. Now, set me down."
"No," he mumbled.
"Ugh, you're so stubborn," I complained.
"And you're fucking hot in this bikini, Firefly. If this was a nude beach, you wouldn't be wearing one, and we'd be doing more scandalous things than talking and kissing," he whispered into my ear, kissing my neck.
It took everything within me not to moan, stifling the sound in my throat. "There's no such thing," I whispered, my voice low and needy.
"Oh, trust me, Firefly. There is, and I'll make sure the next time we come down here and it's warmer, we'll go to one," he whispered, kissing me.
I didn't stop the moan that escaped me; my body tingled all over at the thought of fucking on the beach. The sand would be a pain in the ass.
"That's what beach towels are for," Hope suggested.
"Out of all of us, I would have never expected that suggestion from you, Hope," Lexi commented.
"Just because I'm an angel, doesn't mean we don't like to be a little adventurous once in a while," she defended.
"I bet Hope was a stripper in her past life." Rose laughed.
"She would ride that pole, nice and slow," Lily sang.
"You guys are so noisy," Midnight complained, yawning.
Couldn't agree more.
Myself, Marcus, Junho and Scarlet decided to have a beach day, waking up early and heading to a small beach resort with Christian driving us.
I felt bad that he'd been driving us everywhere since we met, but he reassured me that he didn't mind. He'd rather drive his friends and know we arrived safely than deal with a random UBER and traffic.
Now, we were enjoying the lovely sun and soft waves of the vast ocean. I was impressed that this place was able to make the beach private, having a wait list of six months to get a chance to experience the luxurious scenery.
Of course, Junho was friends with the CEO and had gotten us VIP tickets for the morning. Marcus and I were supposed to be 'waiting' patiently for Scarlet and Junho who were getting the rest of our stuff from the car; Christian stated he'd chill around the resort.
Junho said we had to pass by one of his dealerships to check out a test model of some motorcycle with a long, complicated name and have the privilege to be one of the first to assess and drive the new model for cycle 5033.
I didn't understand how it was only mid-Solace, and they were already bringing the end of the cycle cars for the showcase. I thought it was silly, but humans did a lot of silly things in my opinion. Marcus thought my dilemma with the human culture was amusing.
Marcus finally set me down; my feet enjoyed the softness of the sand below. He continued to keep me captive in his arms as he pulled me into another kiss.
"At least wait till we reach the private area before you do have sex on the beach," Junho announced, chuckling.
We pulled apart; both of us breathless as we turned towards Junho and Scarlet who approached us, hand in hand. They both had wide grins on their lips.
"The poor helpless children are getting their innocence robbed by you two having a kissing storm down here," Scarlet joked.
I blushed, pointing at Marcus. "I told him that! He said 'so.' I knew we'd ruin the poor shifter children's innocence." I slapped Marcus' chest, causing him to laugh.
"Firefly. They're joking. Don't get feisty." He grinned; his arms locked around my waist.
"I don't like you. Go away," I mumbled.
He kissed my neck yet again, causing me to giggle.
"Stop that," I laughed.
He chuckled.
Scarlet sighed. "You two are hopeless." She smiled.
"Admit it. They're cute together," Junho whispered.
Scarlet pulled her phone out, taking a picture before either of us could protest.
"There we go. I'll get Ethan to print them out," Scarlet revealed.
"Print them out? Them, as in you've been taking pictures?" I asked.
"YUP! Cece and EliaseAnne suggested it! You need lots of memories to put on your phone and around your new room when you reach Heila," Scarlet replied.
"You'd do that for me?" I asked, confused.
"We're all friends, Princess. You don't need to question why we would do anything for you. Aside from the fact you’re royalty, we'd do anything to make you smile," Junho announced.
"Even though I was about to say that; he's right you know," Marcus whispered.
"Thank you, guys," I whispered, feeling touched by their words. I still couldn't imagine that my dark wish in that dimly lit cell would have led to my five star knights who I cared dearly for. Now I had them and new friends who loved and supported me.
"Let's go have some fun," Marcus announced, releasing me from my hold to grab the stuff Scarlet had brought. He and Junho took the lead while Scarlet and I followed.
"How did it go yesterday?" Scarlet asked as we hooked arms.
"It went well. I may not have found out everything I needed to, but I feel a little reassured now that we talked. I'm going to give him a little more time," I explained.
"Good. And if anything?" Scarlet hinted.
"Give him space and let him come running." I giggled.
She smirked, looking at the vast sea as we continued to walk. "I was in a relationship for five years before I met the boys," she confessed.