Leaving the beach house a mess after not accommodating my mother’s plans is sure to catch her attention. Normally, I’d be reveling in the rebellion, but right now, all I can think about is getting Elijah settled and medicated. I hate that our fun, carefree evening has been ruined, but I’m grateful he’s okay. He waited in my car while I grabbed a pack of Benadryl at a gas station, then we ordered curbside pickup from a local steakhouse.
“At least it wasn’t a shark,” I point out as we settle into his bed with our to-go trays. At home, I would have sat at the table and got out real dishes for the food, but he settles against his pillows with a disposable fork like this is nothing.
He peeks into my box, eyeing my dinner. “So, how is your steak cooked?”
“Is this a test?”
“It sure is.” He nods, motioning to his own steak—rare, as he requested. “I do have standards, you know. No well-done meat in my hotel room.”
“So, you’d kick me out if my steak was well done?” I ask, keeping my face perfectly still. “Even with what I plan to do to you in the morning when your meds wear off?”
His face falters, a small grin tugging at his lips. “It’s not well done, is it?”
Laughing, I shake my head. “I am a medium-well girl. I hope that’s acceptable.”
“I suppose it’ll do.” He mixes sour cream and butter into his baked potato. We finish our meal in companionable silence, and then I pass him the box of Benadryl.
He pops the pill into his mouth, and by the time we’ve cleaned up our trash his eyes are bleary. “You probably should shower before you pass out.” I suggest. “Come on. I’ll hop in with you, so you don’t drown yourself.”
He perks up at this suggestion, stripping off his swim trunks as he follows me to the bathroom.
“You clean up first,” I say once we’re underneath the spray. “Then you can lie down faster.”
He scrubs up in record time, holding his stung leg out from under the water. A few times, I’m sure he’s fallen asleep, but he surprises me by cracking a joke or splashing me.
“Can you make it to bed without me?” I ask as I lather up my hair, listening to the normal sound of him brushing his teeth.
“I’ll be fine,” he says, tapping his toothbrush on the sink. “I’m heading in there. I’ll see you in a minute.”
The click of the door closing behind him is followed by a loud groan as he sinks onto the bed. He holds me up on a pedestal, and I just know I’ll fall off soon and disappoint him. He thinks I’m this go-with-the-flow girl but doesn’t realize I’ve never been like this until I met him yesterday.
Though it doesn’t feel like I just met him. The familiarity between us grows by the minute; so much so that he fed me a bit of his raw steak from his fork, and I had no second thoughts. It wasn’t bad, either. I told him next time I’d try medium for my own and he kissed me furiously, the bloody taste in my mouth almost erotic.
When I slip on my pajama shorts and tank top and make my way to the bed, I find Elijah curled up on his side, fast asleep. The man was right, he can’t handle his allergy medicine.
Waking up in Elijah’s bed this morning is better than the entire vacation combined. I’m still cocooned against his warm chest, his face tucked into the nape of my neck, and my ass pressed firmly against an impressive piece of morning wood. Last night, I insinuated a morning surprise, but I hate to wake him if he needs the sleep.
When I roll over the next morning, the sunshine blasts me in the face, and I realize we slept with the curtains wide open. At least his apartment is a few stories up. Glancing down at his sleeping face, I go back and forth. Letting him sleep would be nice of me, but I’m sure he’d appreciate the way I plan to wake him up.
After sneaking out of bed, I slip on my shoes and search the table for keys and head out the door. I check my phone before I start my car, surprised to see I have a shit ton of missed notifications from my mom and Alex.
Mom: Remy, where are you?
Mom: Aren’t you coming home?
Alex: Remy, please call your mother. Thank you. Alex.
Who the hell signs a text like that? My goodness.
I dial my mom’s number as I exit the hotel, heading down the boardwalk to my favorite place.
“Remy,” she answers after barely a whole ring. “Thank goodness.” She mumbles to Alex in the background. “She’s fine, dear. Remy, we were ready to call the police if we didn’t hear from you soon.”
“Call the police?” Surely not. My mother has never worried about me a day in her life. “I’m fine, Mom. I was asleep.”
“You didn’t come back. I was worried. Everything was a mess here. You could’ve been in an accident or anything.”
Huh. Maybe she does notice what I do more than I thought. “I’m fine, Mom, I promise. I had a date.”
“A date? Oh.” She falls silent, clearing her throat.
“I’ll call you later.”
“Okay,” she finally replies. “Love you.”
Staring at my phone after I hang up, I shake my head and continue my mission.