Epilogue
The sound of Leo’s voice down the hall woke me up. Someone was at the door. From the cracked blinds, I could tell the sun had just come up. I yawned and reached for the blankets, pulling them around my bare chest.
This would be night two at our bed and breakfast in Merritt Island.
I’d planned this vacation as a chance to explore Leo’s hometown. We’d barely left the room since we’d got here. My cheeks warmed a bit at the realization. Leo went on a few food runs but outside of that, this bed had been our sanctuary, which was to be expected after six months apart.
“Did the door wake you?” Leo came around the corner with a tray in his hand. He was still shirtless —thank god — with a disappointed look on his face.
I smiled and nodded. “It’s okay, I needed to get up anyway. I’m wasting daylight.”
“You’re not wasting anything,” he murmured as he set the tray of food on the table and crawled back into bed beside me. “I was hoping it didn’t wake you so I could do it myself. Getting you up has become my favorite part of our routine.”
My laugh quickly turned into a moan. Leo kissed my neck as his fingers trailed down my body. He brushed a thumb across my nipples, sure to get them to perk up. After they were hard enough to his liking, he moved on to more exciting things. I spread my legs a little to give him easy access.
“The food will get cold,” I warned around a sigh when he found my clit. He stroked me slowly, taking his time like he always did.
“We can always order more. This will be worth it,” he whispered into my ear. “Trust me.”
He tugged my underwear to the side. Instead of continuing with his fingers, Leo dipped under the covers, giving me the ‘good morning’ he’d been spoiling me with for the past couple of days. I let myself be as loud as I wanted because he liked it and as far as I could tell, we didn’t have neighbors on either side of us.
“Worth,” I said in a breathy voice once I’d recovered.
“It always is.” Leo grinned and gave me a final kiss before going to clean up.
He listened to me ramble on about sightseeing while we ate breakfast. While I talked about my plans for us to catch a ferry and go dolphin watching, he played with my braids and pressed kisses on my jawline. Even after a year of dating, I was still weak under his touch. Leo knew as much too because he convinced me again to relax and let him eat me out. This time, I sat in a chair in front of a window overlooking the ocean. Once I came, I turned around and bent over to hear him make some noise too.
“You’re not working today,” he whispered once we hopped in the shower after sex.
“Just a few pages.” I lathered up my washcloth and wiped it across my chest. Leo was distracted by the soapy foam on my boobs for a brief moment. I grinned because that had been the goal.
“Few pages is hours of work for you,” he protested as he took my washcloth from me under the guise of helping me get clean. “You’re supposed to be running away with me, which means no outside world, Kira. This trip is just me and you. I want you all to myself.”
I gave him a look. “Please? It won’t take me long. Kelly’s vouching for me back at the studio. If I finish this early, she’ll be even more impressed.”
He sucked his teeth but I could see he was on the verge of letting me have my way.
“Kelly, Kelly.” He sighed and pulled me close so my chest pressed against his. “Your mentor works you too hard.”
“I want that junior writer position bad.” I wrapped my arms around his neck. “And I’m close, I can feel it.”
Leo groaned with a smile. “Fine. But you’ll have to compromise, remember?”
“Of course, of course. I wouldn’t expect any less.”
“In exchange for any work-related activities, you’ll have to go swimming with me,” he said. “In. The. Ocean.”
My smile dropped. “Ocean? Leo, you’re not cleared to swim in a pool.”
Leo had pushed himself too hard during his semester back on the team. His re-injury resulted in him being forced to slow down. After many late night talks, he finally decided that what was best for him was taking a step away from swimming professionally. Even after his shoulder healed, he wanted to explore new options. His new option had to do with teaching.
He was good at it. Patient and able to break things down in a way anyone could understand. After a quick major switch, Leo was on his way to becoming an instructor. He had a mind for biology and currently, set his sights on teaching at a university level one day. I’d never seen him happier than when he told me his shift in goals over a video call.
“My physical therapist cleared me for recreational swims.” He massaged soap onto my back as he spoke and snuck a handful of my ass as he did so. I laughed when he hummed in approval.
“You promise you’ll keep it recreational?” I raised a brow.
He held up his pinky and I frowned.
