Kat rested her glass back on the table. “They only make the croissants on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
He chuckled, then nodded to the jam and hazelnut spread. “Is that giving you your fix? I mean, I could probably arrange to have fresh croissants delivered every day we’re here if you’d like.”
“That’s tempting,” she said with a laugh. “So what should we do today? We’ve got the whole day to ourselves.”
Boy, did he like hearing that. “Yes,” he said. “We do. I was going to ask you that same thing. And since I’ve already been to the Maldives, how about you choose.”
Kat sighed, slid her plate to the side, and propped her elbows on the table. A dreamy look came over her pretty face as the wind swept her blonde locks with the breeze. “You know what I’d really like to do, just once?”
Zander held her gaze, mesmerized by the depths of her gorgeous brown eyes. “What?” It came out in a whisper.
“Go to one of those private islands. I’d love to just…be on one. Have it all to ourselves for a while.”
Zander gave that some thought. Today would be the only day to make that possible, with the production crew taking a break. He nodded, feeling like a younger version of himself suddenly. Planning a date for the girl he liked.
“Okay,” he said. “Give me five minutes. Maybe ten. I’ll see what I can do.” Perhaps if things went well, he could tell Kat who he really was.
The very idea sparked a contrast of emotions—terror and relief—to clash within him. On one hand, Zander felt the need to tell her right away. The longer he’d gone on fooling her, the worse the betrayal might feel. And as dumb as it might seem, he wanted her to know it was him—the guy she’d chewed out for rescuing Milton and Brewster.
But the fear outweighed that desire in spades. At least for now. Because if Zander wasn’t careful, if he didn’t tell her in just the right way at just the right time, he could lose his chances with her forever. And now…well, now that mattered because he actually did have a chance with her. Duke had given him the green light.
No, for now, he decided while dialing up the front desk at the resort, Zander would have to bide his time. He needed to make sure she actually had feelings for him before taking a risk like that.
Chapter 15
This was the life. Lounging on the beach with Duke by her side. Soaking up all the warmth as they rehashed some of yesterday’s highlights.
“What about that striped fish,” he said with a laugh. “Could you believe that his little eyeball was striped too?”
Kat thought back on the fish he’d pointed out while snorkeling. “Yeah,” she said. “That was crazy, because the eyeball stripe wasn’t always lined up with the rest. Every time he looked around the stripe moved out of line.”
They chuckled in sync and sighed at the same time, causing yet another laugh.
“This feels amazing,” she said. Her eyes were closed, but after she said it, Kat felt him scoot a little closer until the length of his arm glided along hers.
“Yes,” he agreed, voice low and even. “It does.”
Warm tingles sizzled over her skin at his touch, his scent, his sheer closeness.
The large sunbed they lay on was made more comfortable by an array of throw pillows of all shapes, colors, and sizes.
There were half a dozen other sunbeds placed along the beach, some in the heat of the sun, others—like the one they’d picked—tucked beneath green bowing branches that shielded them from the sun.
If they got tired of being in the shade, they could simply hop over to a different seat, seeing that no one else was there to occupy them.
Kat had been certain that it couldn’t get better than staying in an over-the-water bungalow in the Maldives. But she had to admit that this—having a private island all to themselves—took the cake. Especially since their island stay came with one very beautiful, very luxurious beach house.
Upon making arrangements, Zander informed Kat that they’d be staying the night on the island. He’d checked with Marsha, who gave him the okay, and they weren’t needed back until noon the next day.
In truth, it was like a vacation in the midst of their vacation. It would give them the privacy she longed for.
Like the bungalow, this place came equipped with state-of-the-art appliances, gorgeous décor, and glass walls for that uninterrupted view. But unlike their bungalow, there were no neighbors. Not for miles.
Jamal, the island’s owner as well as their water taxi driver, had motioned to a spot of clouds in the distance during their trip there. The Maldives didn’t see much rain in February, he’d said, but it looked like they might get a bit of it later that afternoon.
Kat lifted her face as a breeze swept in. She didn’t mind the idea of rain. As it was, they’d spent most of their time soaking up sun and sand. Tomorrow, and the days following for that matter, would offer more of the same.
So if she and Duke spent part of their time tucked inside a stunning resort on a private island while the rain poured down…well, she couldn’t think of anything more romantic.
