Page 15 of Awake in Cheshire Bay

I blinked and swallowed, unsure of what just happened.

“Want to show off the bay?” Without another glance to his crew, he lifted his hand to me, palm side up.

Curious, and without thinking, I threw a quick glance to the flight crew who quickly averted their gaze. “Ah, sure.”

Silently, we descended the sidewalk to the start of the bay. It wasn’t until I could feel we were out of view before I let go of my breath. A thought crossed my mind, maybe they were more than just a flight crew, maybe they were bodyguards? Afterall, my mystery guest didn’t have an air of a normal person, he carried himself like he was borderline royalty.

He stepped off the sidewalk and onto the sparse grass that eventually thinned and faded as the sand terrain gave beneath our feet.

“Wait.” I shifted and removed my shoes and socks, rolling up the bottom of the pants. “I love the way the sand feels.”

He stared as if assessing his options while he rubbed his chin. “Me also.”

“Trying to experience everything we have to offer?” Our beaches were known to be top grade.

“I want to see it all.” There was a smirk on the edge of his lips and a glint in his eye, which sent my heart soaring.

My breath caught in my throat, and I shook my head to clear the mini fog. “Tell you what – we’ll watch the sunset tonight.” I looked toward the horizon. The sun was low in the sky but with the incoming clouds it wouldn’t be anything spectacular. “And in the morning, I’ll ring your motel room and show you a sunrise so you can tell me which, as a guest, you think is the most stunning.”

Hopefully, he was still here. The way Sorcha phrased things, it was of utmost importance he be gone by then.

“This idea I like.”

We walked along the sandy beach, and I dug my toes into the welcoming coolness. It had been too long since I’d been on a beach barefooted, and a satisfied sigh escaped me. I set my shoes and socks on a large fallen tree acting as a permanent bench.

“Want to dip your toes into the Pacific Ocean?”

He nodded and paced behind me.

“I’m warning you, it’ll be cool, as in slap you awake cold. But it’s so refreshing.”

“Show me.”

There was only two ways to enter the ocean – slowly and cautiously, inching in a section at a time to allow yourself to get used to it, or to just splash in, throwing caution to the wind. Antonio seemed like the first kind, so I let a smug smile cross my face and ran into the ocean, splashing as hard as I could, relishing the cool salt-water soaking into my pants. But for once in my life, I didn’t care. It was fabulously fun.

I glanced back to the shore.

Antonio stood on the edge where the ocean kisses the sand, just the tips of his toes touching. He shivered but a smile bubbled out of him. “That cold.”

I splashed back over; sure Mr. Welsh had another pair of pants he’d be able to change into. I kicked a little water at his ankles and his eyes lit up with a wildness that was exciting to see. I kicked again and took off in a sprint, water jumping out of the way as I ran.

But I wasn’t alone, at least not for long. Antonio was splashing behind me. I turned, not expecting him to be right there, and we collided. He fumbled to catch me as we both tumbled into the water.

I started laughing, despite the shocking cold to tear through my body. My clothes were soaked right through and my skin was covered in goosebumps, but I hadn’t recalled a time I felt happier and freer. It had been a long while.

Antonio rolled off me and laid defeated in the sand and water. Even sopping wet, he was sexy, and his expensive shirt was soaked like a sponge and plastered to his skin, the outline of defined abs evident and on full display.

I took a look down at my own body - my shirt was stuck to me and the outline of the intricate lace detailing on my bra stood out. Embarrassed but resigned, I gazed over at Antonio, who wasn’t looking at my chest, he was scanning my face.

He turned and lifted himself over me, his eyes dancing with delight. Slowly he lowered his head, and with the softest of touches, he brushed his lips against mine. I pulled my head up and pushed into the kiss, the chill leaving my body the longer we stayed connected. His kisses were powerful, rendering me perfectly helpless to ever wanting them to stop.

Finally, breathlessly, he stopped. I stopped. Our connection was broken.

He pushed himself off me and sat in the water, and I rolled to a sitting position beside him as we stared out across the endless Pacific where the sun caressed the horizon with its own tender, yet penetrating kiss. The sky was partly cloudy, and not of the good variety. The clouds were too far away to make the sunset spectacular as they hid the faintly seen soft colours of twilight.

“Oh, the sunset.” I leaned against him, shivering from the unexpected swim in the ocean.

Antonio wrapped an arm around and pulled me close, his chest surprisingly warm. “We go.”