“What?” Kendra let out an incredulous laugh, but Lucas was already pulling back. He removed his shirt in one quick movement, kicked his shoes to the side, and began undoing the zip of his pants. Kendra forced herself to tear her eyes away from his hands. “Are you serious?”
“Very serious.” Lucas pulled off his pants and stood before her in nothing but his boxers. They were still more covering than the swimsuits he’d worn, but it felt different seeing him like this. “Take your clothes off.”
It wasn’t exactly how Kendra had imagined Lucas saying those words, but she obediently undid the zip of her dress and let it fall to the sand. At least she was wearing cute underwear, a lacy white bra and matching panties.
For a moment, Lucas froze, his gaze drifting over Kendra, making her blush. Then he turned away.
“Race you to the water!”
And he took off running. Kendra followed him, their footprints forming twin trails across the wet sand until they splashed into the water. It was cold enough to make Kendra shiver, but not so cold that she couldn’t go further. She followed Lucas into the ocean, the water brushing her legs, her hips, her bare stomach, and finally her ribs.
Lucas stopped and turned to her. He was grinning, and Kendra found that she was, too.
“This is wild!” She laughed, throwing her head back to look at the stars above them.
“Would you call this spontaneous?” Lucas asked.
“Definitely!”
“And how about this?”
In an instant, Lucas closed the gap between them. He wrapped his arms around Kendra’s waist, pulling her against him. She draped her arms over his shoulders, her heart hammering so hard that she was sure he could feel it. He was so warm compared to the chill water around them. The waves nudged them, as though pushing them closer together, and Kendra met Lucas’s eyes in the moonlight.
“This is spontaneous, too,” Kendra said. She tilted her head back. “How about this?”
And she bridged the final few inches that had separated them, lightly brushing her lips against Lucas’s. He kissed her back, gently and tenderly, the same way he had when they’d posed for the picture. It felt like the romantic fairy-tale kisses Kendra had read about as a child, kisses that promised hope and a new beginning.
But it wasn’t enough. She wanted more than a sweet fairy-tale kiss. She wanted him.
Kendra pressed closer against Lucas’s chest, and he deepened the kiss. One hand slid into her hair while the other skated across her back. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around him in the water as he kissed her passionately. He wanted her just as much as she wanted him.
“Should we go back to the room?” Lucas whispered in her ear.
“Yes!”
So, they released each other. Lucas kept hold of Kendra’s hand as he led her back toward shore. They stopped to get dressed again, laughing as their clothes stuck to their wet, salty skin, then continued toward the resort. Lucas took her hand again, urging her on, and soon they were practically running. Kendra had never felt so light and free before.
They were going to their room, to the bed they’d shared on opposite sides of a wall of pillows like children on a sleepover. And just as their walls had come down over dinner when they’d finally shared what had brought them to Cabo, that wall would come down, too.
They got a few funny looks crossing through the resort, dripping wet, with Kendra’s hair a mess and their clothes clinging to them.
“Ignore them,” Lucas whispered to Kendra. “They’re just jealous.”
She laughed.
They went into their building and crossed straight to the elevator. The moment they stepped inside, they were kissing again, Lucas gently pushing Kendra up against the wall. Warmth and sensation flooded her. The only thing she wanted was to be close to him. Each brush of his hands against her back made her shiver. Each touch of his lips awakened something deep inside her.
The elevator doors dinged open, and Lucas swept her into his arms, as effortlessly as if she weighed no more than a feather. Kendra laughed, surprised, as he carried her down the hall.
“What are you doing?”
“This is a honeymoon, right?” he asked. “So, I should carry you through the door.”
Kendra wrapped her arms around his neck. This felt like a fairy tale, too, especially when he paused to kiss her before unlocking the door and nudging it open with his shoulder. They entered their darkened room and paused.
“I’m a little salty,” Kendra said, gesturing to her skin and hair. “Maybe I should take a shower.”
“Right. Of course.” Lucas gently set her down. Kendra started toward the bathroom. As she went, she undid the zipper of her dress, letting it fall to the ground. When she glanced back, Lucas was watching her, and she smiled — then undid her bra, letting it fall, too. He made a low noise behind her as she slipped off her underwear. In the doorway of the bathroom, she paused.
