“Wake up, darling. You’ll sleep much better in your bed.”
What a way to be dragged out of a deep sleep, I’ll tell ya. I would pay good money for this man to be my alarm clock. Obnoxious beeping is a thing of the past!
I lean into his hand. “Alright. I’m awake.” I take a deep breath, turn my body and let my feet fall to the ground without realizing the rest of my body is following. Alex is there. Of course he is. I’m still wearing his coat he’d wrapped about me as we walked to the car, and I feel tangled in a mess of his arms and his coat. Not all tangles are bad.
“I’ve got you,” he says as he sets me back on my feet. “Are you okay to walk?”
I step away from the SUV and close the door. “Perfectlysteady. Nothing like a little tumble to wake you up.”
“You’re sure you don’t need me to carry you inside?”
I pat him on the chest. “As fun as that would be, let’s save that for another time.”
“Something to look forward to,” Alex says as he threads my arm through his and leads me into the small hotel.
We walk in silence to my room. He pulls my key from his pocket. He’d offered to carry my things, and I jumped on the opportunity. Plus, I didn’t have a fancy enough purse with me and, call me crazy, but I didn’t want to give him another reason to buy me something.
Alex unlocks the door and pushes it open, holding it for me to walk in. “Do you need anything?”
I shake my head, but then say, “Maybe just a goodnight kiss.”
“Haven’t had enough?” he teases.
You know the saying,too much of a good thing? I’m not sure that applies here.
“Not quite,” I reply.
He stands against the open door and extends his hand. I take it and he pulls me to him, keeping my hand. He lifts his other to cup my face, then kisses me with such tenderness I feel like the most precious thing in the world to him.
“Goodnight, darling.”
“Goodnight, sparky.”
He lifts his eyebrows in surprise or question; I’m not sure.Either way, I’m not sure I hit the mark with my impromptu nickname.
I yawn. “I’ll try harder next time.”
ALEX
Let me know when you’re up.
IVY
I’m up.
I’ve been up for at least twenty minutes, luxuriating in the soft sheets and snuggly pillow—which I’m going to have to ask about before we leave. I need one.
I hear my door unlock and realize he’d forgotten to give me my key last night. There's a little knock at the door and his voice comes through the crack. “Can I come in?”
I try to smooth down my hair and make sure my pajamas aren't twisted weird, then I pull up the covers. He's already seen enough flamingos on this trip. “Yes. Come in.”
Alex walks into the room in his cheap clothes, looking yet again like a million bucks. “Good morning, darling.” He's carrying a bag and two warm beverages. I really hope one of them is coffee.
“I've noticed you enjoying coffee the past couple of mornings, so I took the liberty. I wasn't sure how you took it, so there's cream and sugar in the bag with our food.” He sits the drinks on the nightstand beside me and opens the bag, handing me the cream and sugar.
“And what are we eating?”
“Fish and chips, of course; what else?”
