“Okay, Ms... Kathryn.” It felt strange to call her that, but I liked it. It felt like we were friends. “I'll make sure you're out of bed by noon tomorrow for the meeting.”
Kathryn grinned. She had the enthusiasm of a college freshman going to her first frat party wrapped around her like clothing. I had a feeling it might be harder than I was expecting to get her up in time. “I knew it was a good idea to bring you.”
Kathryn giggled and hurried out the door. I went back to my own room and looked out the window again. The ocean was calling me. I was going swimming.
The water was even better than the pictures made it out to be. It was calm and clear, like looking into an aquarium. I stepped timidly out into the water and was presently surprised to find it warm. It was like bathwater. The water wasn't cold like Lake Michigan or sandy like the beach in Florida. It was exactly what I imagined a beach looked like in heaven.
I waded out to my hips before I stopped. I was slightly hesitant to get my brand new swimsuit wet. It was a deep burgundy halter top that fit like a glove with a bottom that looked like a very short skirt. I had been hesitant about wearing a bikini until Raoul put me in this one. The suit hid every flaw while still making it look like I was wearing something sexy. I never would have paid the three-hundred dollars for it myself, but it certainly seemed worth the price now that I was wearing it.
A fish darted past my leg and I giggled. I spun to watch it flit toward the shore, looking up to see a man standing on the beach watching me. He was tall with broad shoulders, wearing dark blue swim trunks and a megawatt smile. My breath caught. It couldn't possibly be, but it was. It was Aiden the Assistant. He waved and my heart went into overdrive.
With my back to the ocean, I didn't see the wave coming. It shoved me forward and knocked my knees out from under me. I felt like an idiot, knowing that Aiden was there, watching me fumble through the water like a drowned cat. That was not the impression I had been going for.
“You okay, Lena?”
He was suddenly there, holding my elbow and helping stand. I wasn't sure if I was happy or mortified. I loved the way his hand held onto me, and the fact that he remembered my name made me stumble again without the need of a wave.
“You remembered my name,” I said, determined to keep my feet underneath me this time.
“How could I forget it, Lena the Lawyer.” He hadn't let go of my arm yet and I hoped that he never did.
“Thank you, Aiden,” I whispered. I wasn't sure if I meant for helping me out of the ocean or for sending me dinner. Or both.
“Apparently, I'm memorable too,” he responded, grinning at his name.
“Very,” I told him. I knew I was blushing as deep a red as my swimsuit. “Actually, I never got a chance to thank you for dinner. I really appreciated it.”
He guided me out of the water and up onto the beach. As soon as the water no longer threatened to knock either of us over, he let me go. He turned looked me up and down with his eyes, inspecting me for damage. Having his gaze on me made my heart pound and I suddenly felt light headed.
“It was my pleasure. You sure you're all right?” he asked, taking in my wobbly, now light-headed wobbly stance.
“I'm better than fine,” I assured him. I could have been bleeding from every orifice and not have cared. Being around him was intoxicating and wonderful. “You keep rescuing me.”
“I didn't know carrying books counted as a rescue,” he replied. I blushed harder.
“It did that day.” I looked into his hazel eyes and found them just as mesmerizing as I did the first time. They had actually gotten even better. “I can't believe you're here. Are you with one of the law firms?”
Confusion crossed his handsome face for a second, but he quickly replaced it with an easy smile. “I'm with Travel, Inc.”
“Oh, that makes sense.” I hoped I didn't sound as ditzy as I felt. He had the ability to completely take logical thought straight out of my brain just by standing there. The fact that his shirtless chest was soaking up the sun right in front of me certainly wasn't helping my brainpower any either. I just wanted to stare at his body and drool. “It was really nice of them to have the meeting here.”
He nodded, and started making his way up the beach. I followed like a happy puppy. “This way the vacation counts as a business expense. Everyone but the accountants are happy.”
I laughed far too hard at his lame joke. “So what do you do at Travel, Inc. then?”
He stumbled on some sand, but recovered quickly. I smiled nervously. I didn't want him to get nervous and run off. Not after I had been thinking of him for so long
.
“Not much, really,” he said smoothly, as if he had never been caught off guard. “I just help out my brother.”
“You mean Ben?” I asked innocently, remembering the man from before.
“What about Ben?” He glanced away from the beach and up toward the resort buildings as if he expected Ben to jump out at him.
At that moment, I stepped directly on something sharp and let out a shriek of pain. All questions about Ben were forgotten as I hopped up and down, cradling my foot and balancing on the other.
“Are you okay?” Aiden asked, anxiously, holding his arms out to steady me. I gave sincere thought to falling just so that he'd have to catch me, but decided against it. I didn't want to be a complete ditz.