Page 26 of Awake in Cheshire Bay
Antonio stirred beside me, and I reminded myself it hadn’t been a dream. It had been reality, one I never thought I’d have.
“Shh,” I whispered and patted his strong chest. “Go back to sleep.”
“You leave?”
At this hour, even a whisper seemed to echo off the walls.
“I’m going to go make coffee and take you out to meet a sunrise.” I planted a kiss upon his whiskery cheek.
“Time?” He was fading in and out.
“It’s 4:51 in the morning.”
A half grin appeared on his face as he lifted his head off the pillow. “For sunrise?”
“It rises at 6:05, but I figure if we leave here in twenty minutes, we’ll be able to catch the whole thing.”
He grunted and rolled over, but reluctantly got out of my bed. How sweet was that? I actually had a man in my bed. It finally happened. Cedar would be so proud.
Cedar!
I grabbed my phone and scrolled through the messages. Her concern in where I’d been all night was fun to read, and I suspected all she did was stare at the various locations while Antonio and I walked all over town. The tracker stayed on my home as the last stop, but it was time to turn it off. Keep her in the dark, just a little. I’d explain it all to her later.
Coffees ready, I tossed on a sweater and a good pair of runners. Antonio had no qualms about doing the proverbial walk of shame and damn if he didn’t look amazing in his expensive suit jacket and beige pants.
The best viewpoint to watch the sunrise was on southernmost tip of the peninsula, so we drove through the sleepy town and parked in front of his motel. From the parking lot, it was a leisurely walk.
“Did you need anything from your room?”
He shook his head, his blinks long. There hadn’t been much sleep between us, an hour or two tops.
“Grab your coffee and let’s go.” I, too, should be way more tired than I was, but I was pretty sure I was jacked up on adrenaline and a little something else. The caffeine in the coffee would surely keep me jumping.
Dawn was brewing as the sky started to lighten. I jumped out of the truck and over to Antonio’s side. Before another breath could escape my lungs, he bent down and tipped up my chin, planting a sweet, passionate-fueled kiss upon my lips. I melted on the spot as the heat grew and a warmth spread across my cheeks.
Darting my gaze around the desolate parking lot, unable to shake off a feeling of being watched, I turned to scan the motel. And my heart skipped a beat when I spotted her.
Sorcha. Leaning against the stairwell again. Didn’t the woman sleep?
“C’mon.” I tugged on Antonio’s hand, and refocused on the reason for being here. Soon, she would have her claws back in him, but for now, he was mine. “Let’s go watch the sunrise and you can give me your best visitor impression. Sunset verses sunrise.”
“Lead the way.” He was slowly waking up, as the gravelly sound was fading.
We walked hand in hand through the darkened forest. It was eerily silent as the only bird awake was a hooting owl in the distance. The air was damp and scented with a whiff of coffee whenever Antonio or I had a quick taste. The treetops heavy with dew thinned out to the light inky stain of sky, brightening with the oncoming sunrise.
“Do you want to walk out to the point?”
The lighthouse sent beams of light out across the fog-filled bay. If ever there was a morning to witness the birth of a new day, I was grateful Antonio would see this one. It all had the makings of a perfect, Cheshire Bay sunrise. One for the books.
“Ja, sure.”
I swallowed down another gulp of coffee, although I’d never felt more awake nor more alive. Sharing something as personal as a sunrise was a new one for me even if it was with someone who was on his way out. Then again, the past few hours had been a series of new adventures.
The walk was easy going, a musical melody of waves crashing against the rocky escarpment, the air heavy with sea mist, and the far away cry of a gull out on the bay.
“Isn’t it amazing?” My voice a bare whisper. To me, anything louder would shatter the beauty.
Antonio glanced around. “No sun?”