When she’d asked Torin about having the entire day off, he told her to be ready at eleven. He’d also said to bring a swimsuit, sunscreen, towel, change of clothes, an appetite, and a sense of adventure.
Since that list was varied, Nova was dying to know where they were going and what they were doing.
She’d tried to get more information out of Torin, but all he would tell her is that they would be out all day and probably into the evening.
Considering Nova’s love of adventure, it was like waving a bag of gummy worms under the nose of a sugar addict. She was on pins and needles, trying to figure out where they were going and what they would be doing.
As Torin was a selkie and confessed his love of water, she knew the swimsuit meant they would be at a lake or river somewhere. She doubted he would settle for a swimming pool when there were several lakes and rivers within a short drive.
The appetite was self-explanatory. Torin loved food almost as much as he loved the water, so they would definitely be dining somewhere with amazing food and hopefully a wonderful atmosphere.
The change of clothes even made sense, especially if they were going to be out all day and into the night, so Nova packed a cute summer dress, a gauzy shirt that could be tied at the waist over the dress, and comfortable sandals that also looked great with her outfit. Tucked away in the bag were her toiletries, a little make-up, sunscreen, hat, towel, and sunglasses.
Yes, she had a vague idea of what they would be doing, but she didn’t have an itinerary. With Torin being so organized and anal, she knew he had an itinerary. He just wasn’t sharing it with her.
Last night at work had been so busy that Nova was falling asleep over her wine with Torin. He’d nudged her awake, kissed her at the door, and gone to his own apartment. She hadn’t had any trouble sleeping after that, but she woke up early and immediately started getting ready for the date that wouldn’t begin for four hours.
She finished preparations at ten and spent the next hour trying to read a book. When that didn’t work, she turned on the TV. It couldn’t keep her attention, so she settled for playing a game on her phone.
Even that couldn’t keep her attention and she ended up pacing around her apartment the last fifteen minutes, waiting for Torin to show.
Just when she was about to cave and text him, telling him she was ready early, there was a knock at her door.
She forced herself to walk over and open it in a calm, normal manner. Torin stood on the other side, his hair damp, and smelling of soap and coffee. He stepped inside and dropped a bag on the floor just inside her door.
“Great. You’re ready early.”
“Yep,” Nova replied.
“Have you eaten anything?”
Since she hadn’t, Nova shrugged. “You said bring an appetite.”
He grinned at her. “Then, I guess we’d better have an early lunch. Where’s your bag?”
She walked over to one of the stools at the bar and picked it up. Torin took it from her and shook his head when she tried to argue.
“Nope. I’m carrying our bags. You can bring your purse.”
“What did I say about being bossy?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
“That we could negotiate?” he replied.
Her eyes narrowed. “Only in certain cases. This is not one of them.”
Torin’s mouth twitched. “You’re feisty today. Let me guess, it’s driving you crazy that you don’t know where we’re going or what we’re doing.”
She walked to the fridge and grabbed a couple of bottles of water. She hadn’t been thinking earlier, but if they went swimming, they’d be out in the heat and they would need to hydrate.
“Maybe,” she admitted as she walked over to him and tucked the water bottles into the front pockets of her tote bag. “But the sooner we leave, the sooner I can find out what you have planned.”
Torin hadn’t picked up his bag yet, so he had a free hand. Which he used to hook her by the back of the neck, tug her closer, and plant a warm, firm kiss on her lips.
He tasted of coffee and mint with an underlying tang of the sea. Yummy.
“I guess I should get you out of here, then, before you explode.”
Torin released her and she walked over to the island to grab her purse and cell phone.
