He laughed. “Let’s go, milady.”
Some part of Lucas’s mind realized that he’d really let things go too far with her. They had nicknames for each other, for goodness’ sake, and he’d told her something that he’d decided he was never going to tell anyone. He didn’t know what he was thinking.
A stronger part, though, reminded him that this whole honeymoon vacation was only temporary. All too soon, he’d crash back into his life in LA and spend his days worrying about how to save Omegron, not about whether he was getting too close to a beautiful woman who made his heart race.
So, for now, Lucas would do as Kendra said and enjoy the vacation.
CHAPTER 16
KENDRA
They strolled along the beach. While they had been eating and talking, the sunset had given way to a velvet-black sky studded with millions of tiny stars. The night was completely clear, and the Milky Way was visible high above. Though they were close to the resort, the only sounds were the crash of the waves and their voices.
Kendra paused to slip off her shoes, holding them in her hand. It reminded her of the last time she’d taken off her shoes like this, while she was fleeing from her wedding. The memory wasn’t as painful now, though. She sank her toes into the sand and continued on.
“You know,” she said as they walked, “I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“Walked on the beach at night?” Lucas asked. He was teasing her, which made her smile.
“No. I mean, like this.” She swept her hand in a gesture that encompassed the beach, the resort, and the two of them. “Run off on a honeymoon and invited a stranger to join me.”
“Kendra, I don’t thinkanyonehas ever done anything like this.”
She nudged him with her shoulder. “But most people take risks and chances at least every now and then. For most of my life, I’ve followed plans and taken other people’s advice. I’ve so rarely done anything just for the fun of it.”
“I know about the marriage plan, but what else?” Lucas asked.
“Well, for instance, I always have a five-year plan,” Kendra told him. “And I have since I was ten.”
“Ten!” Lucas shook his head. “What was even on that plan?”
“Mostly, get good grades, meet a boyfriend in high school, and enter photography competitions.” Kendra smiled. “Only two of those worked out. I didn’t date much in high school, especially when I was fifteen.”
“What’s on your plan now?” Lucas asked.
“Let’s see. The planwastoget married, take a year to get to know my husband, then have our first child the following year. I was going to take about six months off from work to take care of the baby, then slowly start doing weddings again.”
Lucas whistled. “Wow. That’s a specific plan.”
“I know.” Kendra blushed. “Aaron even signed off on it, though maybe he had his concerns then, too. I probably sound pretty type A, huh?”
“Yes.” Lucas nodded. “But so am I. I don’t have five-year plans, but my whole life has revolved around Omegron since I was in college. And before that, my life revolved around getting into college. There were always so many plans, and it always felt like,if I missed even one step, everything was going to fall apart. Now I’ve missed a big one.”
“Me too. But maybe…” She stopped in front of Lucas, releasing his arm. “Maybe it’s a lesson. Maybe we’re supposed to learn to be more spontaneous.”
“Is that so?” Lucas took a step closer, and Kendra was suddenly aware of his warmth and his nearness. A light breeze blew past, lifting her hair off her neck and floating her skirt around her legs, and she shivered, though not from the cold.
“I think so.” Kendra nodded. She tilted her head back to meet Lucas’s eyes.
“What kind of spontaneous things would you like to do?” he asked, taking another step closer.
“I think planning the things kind of takes the spontaneity out of them.” Kendra laughed, but her heart was racing now. The spontaneous thing she really wanted to do was close the few inches that remained between them, throw herself into Lucas’s arms, and kiss him. She wanted to know if the butterflies she’d felt on Lover’s Beach were real. She wanted to know how it felt to kiss him properly, not for a picture, but because neither of them could hold themselves back any longer.
“I might have a way for us to seize the moment right now.” Lucas took her hands, and Kendra shivered again. It was happening. He was about to kiss her.
“Oh, yeah?” she asked, her voice coming out light and soft. His thumb skated over the back of her hand, making her whole arm awaken with sensation.
“I think,” Lucas said, bending his head toward hers. His lips were right next to her ear when he whispered, “We should swim in the ocean.”
