(Now) Kinsley: My Family is Crazy

"Mmm, that feels good," I said, dropping my head onto Damien's chest.  His thumb was stroking up and down the length of my spine and I relaxed against him.  When it came back up, it pressed into the base of my neck and rubbed the tight muscle there.  After a minute, he slipped out from under me and sat up.  "Where are you going?" I asked, starting to sit up.

"Nowhere," he replied.  He tapped lightly on my shoulder.  "Lay back down."  I did, and he began massaging my back.  I sighed happily, enjoying his touch.

"Keep doing that and you could talk me into just about anything," I said.

"Hmmm, in that case..." Damien said teasingly.  I laughed.  Several seconds later, he said, "Actually, I might need to talk you into something."

I tried to turn my head to look back at him but he gently turned it back and kept working on my tight muscles.  "What?" I asked warily.

"My sister's grad school graduation is next weekend," he explained.  "I know we've been seeing quite a bit of my family lately, but will you go with me?  My mom is throwing this fancy dinner party afterwards."  I was glad he couldn't see the face I made at the mention of his sister.  Adrienne was actually his stepsister, and was the baby of the family.  She was a whiny, spoiled snot.  Everyone else in the family, including Damien, seemed to be completely oblivious to that fact, which made it worse.

"Of course I'll go with you," I responded, even though the idea of an entire day dedicated to his sister made me want to vomit.  We had been seeing a lot of his family lately.  Family was really important to him, which I respected completely, but I could do just fine with a little less family time.  But I really liked his parents, and things were going so well.  I was scared to rock the boat by declining any of his family time invitations, even though he always gave me the option to not join him.

He finished rubbing my back a few minutes later and laid back down next to me.  By this point, I was completely ready to sleep and I rolled onto my side and snuggled against him.  He chuckled.  "It wasn't long ago that you were anti-cuddling and anti-spending the night.  Now look at you, you're like a whole new person."

"I'm a changed woman," I joked.  "Now I have morals and values and shit."

He burst out laughing at that.  "Okay, maybe not a whole new person."

"But you wouldn't have me any other way, right?"

"Definitely not," he agreed.

We settled down and I rolled out of his embrace and fell asleep quickly.  He was right, it was amazing how completely comfortable I was with him now.  I still wasn't a snuggly sleeper; I needed my space for that.  But I loved cuddling right up until I was about to fall asleep.

I woke up early the next morning to his phone ringing.  I could sympathize with Liv--Damien needed to be accessible at all times, pretty much.  His phone didn't interrupt us nearly as often as Brody's did, but when it did, it was always bad news and he was always tied up for days, if not longer.  I felt the mattress move as he rolled to the edge of the bed and answered groggily.  He spoke briefly: one word responses to the person on the other end, then hung up without saying goodbye.  His gruff, short detective persona was something I was glad he didn't bring home with him.

He rolled back over to me and wrapped an arm around me before nestling his head into the crook of my neck.  "I have to go, baby," he said softly.

"I know," I replied, my voice hoarse from sleep.  He kissed my cheek and rolled out of bed.

Once up, he quickly pulled on his clothes while I double checked my alarm to make sure it was going off when I needed it to.  I watched Damien walk into the bathroom.  He came out a few minutes later and sat on the edge of the bed.  I could smell the minty toothpaste on his breath as he kissed me.  "I'll call you."  I nodded sleepily, then listened to him slip down the stairs and out the door.  I rolled over and fell back asleep.

I had dinner with Liv and Lauren that evening and vented about Damien's sister.  It felt good to get it off my chest, because I knew I could never say any of those things to Damien.  It was his sister.

Damien called me late that evening to tell me they would hopefully wrap things up tomorrow afternoon and asked if I wanted to have dinner with him tomorrow evening.  I said yes without hesitation, then marveled at myself.  We'd spent more nights together than apart at this point.  I still had some moments of panic where I struggled to be open, and found myself not telling him things that I should tell him, or wanted to tell him, but it kept getting better.  I'd dated older guys in the past, and they loved to lord their age over me as if they were so wise to the ways of the world, but Damien was patient with me in way that was so far from condescending that I sometimes didn't believe it was real.

On Tuesday, Damien insisted on picking me up for dinner.  I changed into a dress after work, and put on a lacy bra and underwear set, because it had been a few weeks since I'd made an extra effort to look nice for him.  He always appreciated it and never expected it, so it was fun to do it sometimes.  Way more fun than when putting on lingerie was a chore because it was expected or demanded.

I was upstairs touching up my makeup when my doorbell rang.  Damien was always on time (or early, ugh) and I was always late.  I gave up making excuses for it long ago; I just can't get to the places I need to be on time.  People just expect it of me at this point.  Every once in awhile I'm on time, but it seems like those are always the times that other people are late.

"Hi, I'm sorry, I suck," I said hurriedly, finally answering the door after leaving poor Damien standing out there for probably close to two minutes.

He smiled.  "It was worth the wait, you look amazing," he said.  I probably could have let him stand out there for 15 minutes and he wouldn't have batted an eye.  We left and he drove us to the restaurant we'd chosen, which was packed.  But of course, because he thinks about these things, he'd made a reservation and we were fine.  I never would have thought of that.

Over appetizers, he said, "So I was thinking since we've been spending so much time with my family, maybe we should do something with your family soon."

I shrugged noncommittally.  I didn't want to spend time with my family.  My parents got divorced two years ago, and my dad was engaged now--to the woman he was probably cheating on my mom with.  My mom's mental health was already pretty fragile, and after the divorce she had been out driving one night when she shouldn't have been (she wasn't drinking or anything, but she had taken her anxiety meds, and I think she had taken maybe a few too many) and wrecked her car.  Her moods came and went, and I never knew what kind of mood she'd be in.  I'd seen her as much as I could until about a year ago when she lost it and screamed at me, blaming me for the divorce, for her accident, and for all the bad things that had happened to her since.  After that day, we'd both just pretended it hadn't happened, and I spaced out my visits more and more until I was only really seeing her on Christmas and her birthday.  Go ahead and judge me, but I think we're both better off this way.

So I'd taken Damien to my dad and his fiancee's house for dinner once to meet them, and I'd taken him and my mom out for dinner once, and that was enough for me.  I hadn't told him much about them.  He'd asked, but when I gave a little information and changed the subject, he hadn't pried.

"Mother's Day is on Sunday," he continued.  "We could take her out for brunch or something."

"Don't you want to see your mom on Mother's Day?" I asked brightly.

He gave me a funny look.  "We'll see her the day before.  She'll be fine for one Mother's Day without me, if you want to see your mom.  I mean, if you'd rather just do something with just her, that's fine too.  I'll understand.  Just tell me what you want to do."

To my horror, I felt my eyes start to fill with tears.  I looked down at my plate and swallowed hard around the hard lump in my throat and shook my head.

"Kinsley?" he said, and the concern in his voice was enough to push me over the edge.

I stood up from the table abruptly, choked out, "I'll be right back," and booked it to the bathroom.  Once there, I stared at myself in the mirror for a solid half minute before I even realized my mascara was smeared a little under one eye.  I carefully wiped it away and took several deep breaths before I walked back to the table.

Damien looked up, worried, as I sat back down.  "Are you alright?" he asked softly.  I nodded.  Our food had appeared while I was gone, and I picked up my fork, eager to move past this part of the conversation.  "Kinsley," Damien said.  I looked up at him.  "What's going on?"

"Nothing!" I snapped, much louder than I had planned.  A person at the table next to us looked over in alarm.  "Sorry," I said to her, my cheeks getting hot.  Then I turned back to Damien.  "I'm sorry.  That was...Can we just eat?  And go?  I promise I'll tell you about when we leave."  I regretted that promise instantly, but I needed to get him off my back so I could eat my meal without dripping tears and snot all over it.

"Of course," he replied.  "Do you want to take the food to go?  We can ask them to box it up if you want."

I shook my head.  I wanted to put off real conversation for as long as possible so I could get my shit together.  "I'm fine," I insisted.  I even smiled to prove it.  The look on Damien's face said he saw right through me, but he let it go, as he always did.

I ate slowly, way slower than usual.  I couldn't put it off any longer though, and took my last bite.  I had hoped our server would get lost and not come to bring the bill for awhile, but she appeared as soon as I set my fork down.  "Can I get you anything else?" she asked cheerfully.  I considered asking for dessert, but I didn't think I could eat another bite.  I shook my head and Damien requested the bill.  She produced it immediately.  Why are they never that prepared when you're in a hurry?

Damien allowed me sulk in my silence all the way to the car.  Then, he said, "My house or yours?  Or...what do you want to do?"

"Mine?" I asked.  My house was closer to both our jobs, and it worked better for weekday overnights.  If he still wanted to spend the night with me, that was.  I suddenly felt awfully foolish in my dress and my lacy underwear under it.

When we got to my house, Damien sat down on the couch and watched me as I sat, then stood and fidgeted with something, then sat again.  "Kins, will you tell me what that was all about?" he asked, finally.  His voice was gentle but I could see the frustration in his face.

"I don't want to see my mom on Mother's Day," I blurted out.  I stood again.  Why was it so hard to just tell him things?

"But it's Mother's Day," he responded, clearly confused.  I stared at him.  He was not ever, ever in a million years going to understand this.  Family was everything to him.  My own anxiety and frustration built and I felt myself teetering on the brink of irrationality.

"Not everyone likes their family as much as you do," I managed.

"Well, that's true," he acknowledged calmly.

I decided to sit again, but instead of sitting on the couch, I sat on the floor and leaned against it.  "My family, unlike yours, is crazy.  And I prefer to just...let them be crazy without me."

"That's fair," he said.

"Argh, you're infuriating!" I snapped.  He continued to level the same calm gaze at me.  "I hate how you're so calm all the time!"

"Because...?"

I huffed out a frustrated breath.  "Because you're always calm no matter what.  Always.  And so when I'm not calm, I feel like a crazy person, because you're all 'this is no big deal' and I'm all 'this is the worst thing ever'!"

He stood, and my heart sank.  I was pretty sure I'd pushed too far, and he was leaving.  I was surprised when he came over and sat next to me on the floor.  "I act extra calm--infuriatingly calm, apparently--when I'm not sure what the best response is.  Generally because I'm not sure how to read the person I'm talking to, or I'm worried about upsetting them.  I've had years of training in deescalating people, and talking to them, and asking them questions, and you are one of the hardest people to read and react to that I've ever encountered.  Hold on, don't look at me like that.  That's not a bad thing, necessarily.  It is frustrating sometimes, especially when I know there's more but you're not telling me.  But I'm nervous to push most of the time, because I've worked so hard to earn the trust I do have."

"You think I don't trust you?" I asked, shocked.

He shrugged.  "I don't know, I guess.  It's hard to tell.  Most of the time I think...no, I know that you do.  I mean, hell, you've spent so many nights with me that I lost track a long time ago.  You told me that that was the most vulnerable you could ever be.  But then there are things that you are clearly not telling me, and I wonder a little.  Like tonight.  I wish you'd just tell me why you got so upset at dinner.  I didn't mean to upset you, but I don't even know what I said or did."

"Oh," I said quietly.  "I had no idea you thought that maybe I didn't trust you.  I do.  I just...there are some things that I don't know how to explain, and I worry that you won't understand, and you'll think I'm...." I trailed off.

"Crazy?" he supplied wryly.  I nodded.  "I deal with crazy every day.  If I thought you were even close, we wouldn't be here right now.  There are many things that I think you are.  Crazy is not one of them."

I smiled a little.  "What things do you think I am?"

"Smart," he said immediately.  "Beautiful.  Headstrong.  Willful and stubborn.  Untrusting.  Funny.  Opinionated.  Hard to read.  Caring and compassionate--"

"Okay," I said, laughing.  "Got it."

"You sure?  Because I can keep going."

"No, I'm good.  You're running out of positive things and I don't want to hear the negative ones," I joked.

He smiled and slid an arm around my shoulders.  I leaned against him.  "Tell me about your mom, Kinsley."

So I did.  I told him all the sordid details of my family.  Well, not really.  But I gave him a few of the tamer tidbits and some general information.  He listened silently, squeezing my shoulders occasionally.  "Well," he said when I finished.  "I can see why you have a hard time sharing that with people, and why you don't spend much time with your family.  I don't know if I would either."

I sagged against him, and a few relieved tears escaped my eyes.  He pushed me gently away when he heard me sniffle and looked at me with worry clear on his face.  "I've never seen you cry before, and now I've made you cry twice in the last hour," he said, frowning.

"I'm not crying," I protested.

He raised one eyebrow, then he brushed his thumb over my cheek and held it up.  "Then explain the liquid on my thumb," he prompted, before he wiped it on the tip of my nose with a half smile.

I scrubbed at my cheeks with the heels of my hands.  "I'm just relieved.  It actually feels really good to tell someone, and you didn't walk out or call me crazy.  I've never told anyone that shit."

"I feel so lucky," he said, chuckling.  "I'm not really the walking out type, you know.  I don't like to just leave things up in the air.  I'd rather stay and sort it out--or fight it out, if that's the case--than walk away, even just to take a break, and risk someone not coming back.  That's maybe not a good thing all the time either, but at least you know now."

I nodded and we sat in silence for close to a minute before I yawned.  It wasn't even late, but I had apparently exhausted myself talking about my family.  "Are you spending the night, or going home?" I asked Damien.

"I thought I'd spend the night if that's alright," he replied.

"As long as you don't make me talk about my family anymore," I said with a laugh.

He shook his head, smiling as he stood and pulled me to my feet.  "I'll try to refrain.  And hey, as long as we're being honest, I know you don't like my sister."  I looked at him in horror, but he was still smiling.  "What, do you think you're the first?"

"Well, I mean, I thought maybe it was just me...Everyone else seems to think she's..." I stuttered, trailing off nervously.

"She's a total diva.  I know.  I love her, but I don't expect you to.  We don't have to stay for the whole day on Saturday, if you don't want to."

"Can we play it by ear?" I asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

He nodded.  "Sounds good.  We can come up with a signal."  He made a weird face and stuck his finger in his ear.  "Like that?"

"You look like a moron," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Oh good, you should have no problem pulling it off then," he replied, then ducked immediately as I chucked a throw pillow at him.    I ran at him and he ducked around the couch.  "Gonna chase me in that short little dress?" he teased  "At least you took those heels off."

"Too bad," I replied, faking to my left and sprinting to my right.  "They make good projectiles."

Damien pretended to run from me then spun around so I ran right into him.  "I don't think you'll be throwing anything else tonight," he said with a laugh as he wrapped his arms around me, pinning me helplessly against his chest.  We were both out of breath from our pathetically short sprint around my living room, and we collapsed onto the couch.

"And I thought I was crazy," I muttered.  "Turns out you're just as bad."

"Then we make a good pair, don't we?" he asked, tugging me closer to him.

"I guess we do," I replied.

(Now) Lauren/Alex: Lessons in Being Spontaneous

Lauren

“What do you want to do today?” Alex asks me.

I throw my arm over my face to block out the bright sun that my blinds aren’t stopping.  “I hate when you ask me that,” I grumble, rolling over.

He chuckles.  “Well, I guess we should start with you going back to sleep, because it’s clearly too early for you.”  I grunt in response.  “Okay, well I’m getting up.  Maybe I’ll think of something to do while I’m waiting for you to sleep the day away.” 

“Noooo,” I whine.  Have I ever mentioned that I am the furthest thing ever from a morning person?  I’m awful in the morning.  I feel bad for anyone that has to deal with me in the morning.  “Stay with me.”

Now he groans.  “I can’t lay here all morning like you can, Laur,” he says gently. 

“I’ll make it worth your while,” I solicit him.

“Oh, really?” he asks.  Of course that gets his attention.  He snuggles up against me, running his hand up my leg.

“In an hour,” I finish. 

He groans again, but stays pressed against me.  “Fine, you have one hour.  I’m timing it.”  I relax against him and smile sleepily to myself, knowing he'll never actually time it.  

Sure enough, when I open my eyes again and reach for my phone to check the time, it's almost an hour and a half later and Alex is sound asleep next to me.  I turn over carefully, and he stirs but doesn't open his eyes.  I slide my hand over his hip and stroke him through his shorts.  He stirs again, rolling onto his back.  "Wake up and take these off," I say, continuing on my mission.  

"Mmm, okay," he mumbles.  Without opening his eyes, he manages to push his shorts down his hips and kicks them away.  "You're so bossy," he adds.  I pause briefly and he opens one eye.  "What?  I didn't say it was a bad thing.  I'm not awake.  Don't believe anything I say."  I continue and he shuts his eye again as his hand slides up my leg.  "Why do you have clothes on?"  I stop what I'm doing to pull my shorts off and shift one leg so he can have better access.  I sigh as his hand moves back up my leg and makes it harder for me to concentrate on what I'm doing.  He has no more complaints once I move to get on top of him.

He's more than happy to keep laying in bed when we're finished, which I find amusing.  He presses his face against my hair and inhales, then says, "Lauren, I..."  I don't prompt him to continue, because I'm not sure if I want him to.  "I'm glad I stayed," he finishes after a long pause, leaving me to imagine what he was originally planning on saying.  I decided to not acknowledge it.  

"Me too," I agree.  "Now I can go back to sleep again."

"No!" Alex protests.  "You have to get up now.  It's been way more than an hour!"

"Relax," I tell him, rolling my eyes.  "I'm just kidding."  I roll away from him and stretch, then sit up.  I feel and hear Alex doing the same on his side of the bed.

"Share the shower?" he asks.  I never would have pegged Alex for the shower-sharing type but he actually would rather shower with me than us shower separately.  It's sort of weird for me but I try to indulge him.

"Yeah," I reply, standing and walking towards his bathroom.

We decide to go get lunch and see a movie.  After the movie, we stop at a local park and walk around on the paths for awhile.  "I wonder if Liv and Brody are having fun in Mexico," Alex muses as we walk.

"I can't imagine that they're not," I reply.  "I'm sure they're sad that they have to come back tomorrow."

"We should go somewhere soon," Alex suggests.

I consider this.  "Like where?  I need to plan pretty far ahead to use my vacation time."

"What if we went somewhere nearby, for the weekend?" he asks.  "We could go soon."

"If I don't have to take off work we can go whenever you want," I reply.

"Okay," he says.  "We'll plan something."

He doesn't bring it up again and I forget about it.  It's not until Tuesday when he says, "I booked us a room for this weekend," that I even realize he was serious about it.

"This weekend?" I squeak.  "Like, the weekend that is 3 days away?"

He grins.  "Yes, the weekend that is 3 days away," he confirms.  "Let's be spontaneous.  I promise it won't hurt."  I look at him skeptically.  Spontaneous is not in my vocabulary, and he knows this.  I have no idea what to say, but I know I should be grateful.  "Relax," he says gently, sliding an arm around my waist and brushing his thumb across my cheekbone before he kisses me softly.  "It'll be fun, I promise."

Of course, being me, I insist he at least tell me where we're going and where we're staying.  He's booked us a room at a lodge in the mountains with a spa and golf course and horses to ride on the trails.  I have to say that this maybe decreases my anxiety just a hair and increases my excitement.  But just a little.

Alex

I knew Lauren would hate me for booking the last minute trip.  What I didn't know was that she'd keep her mouth shut about how much she hated it.  I was actually impressed.  She was clearly completely thrown off but she took it fairly well.

I hadn't actually been planning on booking it for this weekend, but there was one room left so I figured I'd go for it.  I had been wanting a weekend away for awhile, and the weekend at Brody's cabin hadn't exactly been the relaxing weekend I was hoping for.  I booked the whole weekend carefully, leaving no room for Lauren's controlling tendencies to take over.  I spent a lot of time on the phone, making sure it was perfect.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lauren asks.

I chuckle.  "Honestly?  I'm making sure I'm ready if you decide to throw something at me for springing this on you."

She makes a face and says wryly, "You know me so well.  But I wouldn't risk that pretty face of yours. I'm far more likely to do this."  She sends her fist flying at my chest, and I catch it easily in my hand.

"Pretty face, huh?" I tease.  "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Her other fist flies at my shoulder, and I catch that one as well.  Neither fist came at me particularly hard, and I see a hint of the smile she's fighting.  "You're lucky," she says, trying to pull her fists out of my grip.

I quickly shift my hands so I'm holding her wrists, and I cock an eyebrow curiously at her.  "Am I?"

"Yes, you're the only person who could possibly get away with this."

I tug gently on her wrists, pulling her closer to me.  "And why is that?  How am I so lucky?"   This question throws her off, and I watch her face carefully.

"Must be that pretty face," she replies eventually.

"Hmmm, I was hoping it was my unparalleled skills in the bedroom," I toss back with a smirk.

"Unparalleled?" she snorts.  "Good word, pretty boy."

I pull her closer still, and she's now practically in my lap.  I give her a mock wounded look and say, "Hey, I think you of all people should know that pretty and smart aren't mutually exclusive."

"Mmm."  She nods in agreement.  "You're on a roll, brainiac."

I laugh.  I love the way she flirts.  Some people would probably hate it, and to others it might sound like we're being rude to each other, but this has always been the way we work.  I'm glad it hasn't changed now that we're actually together.  Our banter is seamless, and I often can't remember who started it.  It wouldn't be quite as great if we weren't able to be serious, but I think we balance that well.

She interrupts my thoughts by saying, "Are you just going to keep holding on to my wrists and chatting me up, or are you going to do something useful with your perceived power?"  She's smirking at me and it's hot.

I shift my weight and quickly have her on her back, wrists pinned at her sides.  "What's that you were saying about 'perceived power'?" I ask, raising my eyebrows and looking down at her.

She tests my grip and quickly realizes she's stuck.  "Now what, pretty boy?" she asks.

"Now you get to enjoy my unparalleled skills in the bedroom," I reply.  I adjust my grip on her wrists and move them so they're over her head and I'm better balanced.

"We're not in the bedroom," she points out.  She starts to say something else but it quickly turns into a hiss of pleasure as my mouth finds the spot on her throat that turns her legs to jello.

"What was that?" I ask, gently scraping my teeth across her collarbone.

"Shut up," she snaps, wrapping one leg around me and pulling me tighter against her.  I'm glad to comply.

Lauren

I have to admit that the lodge that Alex had chosen is gorgeous.  The room is spacious and nicely decorated, and the bathroom is huge.  Once I resign myself to being spontaneous, I'm able to relax a little bit.  Kind of defeats the purpose of being spontaneous, but that's exactly the point.

"Well?" he asks, coming up behind me.  He pulls my hair back from my face and and combs it over my shoulder with his fingers, then massages my neck.

"It's beautiful," I say.  Alex's fingers work their way from the base of my skull down to my shoulders.  I sigh softly and enjoy the massage.  He keeps going, his hands moving down my spine.  I groan when his thumbs press into the muscles of my lower back.

"It's a good thing I booked us a couples massage for tomorrow morning," Alex says.  "You need it."

"That's because being spontaneous is stressful," I point out.  "A massage sounds really good though.  What else do you have planned?"

He wraps his hands around my waist and kisses my shoulder.  "You'll find out in good time."

I groan again and lean back against him.  "You're cruel, and I don't appreciate it."

He chuckles and suggests we go get some dinner.  That's a plan I can appreciate.  We head down to the lodge's restaurant and are quickly settled into a corner table.  Our meal is good and I loosen up more and more as the evening goes on.  I mean, the bottle of wine we share doesn't hurt either.

"You look beautiful, by the way," Alex says, as we're finishing our meal.  I can't help it, I laugh.  He gives me a look.

"I'm sorry," I say contritely.  (And contrite is not something that I am very often.)  "Thank you.  I didn't mean to laugh, it's just that sometimes it still feels weird to hear you say things like that."

He shrugs and takes a sip of his wine, eyeing me over the rim of the glass.  When he draws it away from his lips, he smiles and says, "It doesn't feel weird to say it."

I keep a straight face but melt a little inside.  I love how confident he is about this.  Not to say that I have doubts, because despite my overwhelming fear of everything commitment, and my anxiety to lose my friendship with Alex, this has probably been one of the best decisions I've ever made.  When Liv pointed out that having a solid friendship with Alex would only help things, as he already knew what I was like and knew my quirks (ha, that's putting it lightly), I thought she was crazy.  But it's turned out to be true.  That fight we'd had over our relationship status?  Probably could have been a relationship ender with someone that didn't get me.  With Alex, it was just a bump in the road.  I smile, thinking about the strange relief I had felt when I had called Alex after that fight and told him I was done being crazy and wanted to make our relationship official.

"What are you thinking about?" Alex inquires curiously.  He's watching me, his long fingers resting lightly on his fork, which is sitting against his plate, waiting patiently.

"Nothing," I reply hurriedly, grabbing my fork and taking a bite of my dinner to ward off any more questions.  He nods, clearly not believing me, but not pushing me either.  "This is really good."

"It is," he agrees, an amused smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

After we finish our dinner and our wine (which I realize Alex only had one glass of, what is he trying to do, get me drunk?) we head back to the room.  Alex had quickly declined our server's offer of dessert when he came to take our plates away, which was interesting.  He usually gives me the choice.  When we get to the room, Alex asks, "Do you have a jacket or sweatshirt?"

"Of course I do," I scoff.  "I knew we were going into the mountains.  Lucky for me, you allowed me that bit of information, so I could pack accordingly."

He just laughs and says, "Good, grab it."  He eyes my bare legs and adds, "You might want to change into pants too."

"Where are we going?" I ask, knowing he isn't going to tell me.  He smiles and points towards my suitcase.  I huff out an exasperated breath but follow his directions even though I don't like this.  I have no control, I have no idea what we're doing, and the whole situation is enough to send my anxiety through the roof.

After I change and grab my jacket, Alex takes my phone out of my hand and throws it on the bed.  I've had about enough and I open my mouth to protest.  Alex silences me with one finger against my lips.  His other hand pushes a wayward piece of hair out of my face and then rests against my jaw and neck.  "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do," I say immediately, feeling guilty for being so worked up about this. I bring my hand up and gently grip Alex's forearm, keeping his hand against my skin.

"Good," he replies, smiling.  "This isn't a big deal, we're just going on a little field trip.  I know this entire trip is pushing you out of your comfort zone, but don't let this small outing push you over the edge."  I nod, my anxiety easing slightly.  My need to be in control still nags at me and I unconsciously tighten my grip on Alex's forearm.  "We can be back in an hour, if you want.  And if you really, really don't want to go, we don't have to."  His concerned eyes study my face as I bite my lip.  I realize that I have no idea what I'm so worried about, and that Alex wouldn't plan anything crazy.

"I'm sorry," I say finally.  "I'm fine, I don't know why I'm being so ridiculous.  Let's go."  He grins and kisses me, a soft, lingering kiss that makes my pulse pick up slightly.

We walk out of our room and down the hall hand in hand, and I'm now less anxious and more curious about what he has planned.  When we get outside, we walk up to a black Jeep that's idling near the front door.  I know better than to ask, because I know I won't get an answer, so I just follow Alex.  Alex opens the back door for me and I get in and slide over and he follows.  "We good?" he asks the young man behind the wheel.

"We're good," he replies with a grin.

"Alright, let's go then," Alex commands.  The Jeep pulls away from the lodge and turns down a rutted dirt road.  We drive up into the mountains, in the car for over 15 minutes.  Alex reaches for my hand,  and I take it, shivering as he runs his thumb across my palm.  When we finally stop, the driver gets out, pulls open my door and lets me out, then opens the back and leans in to grab something.  He hands a large bag to Alex and they confer quietly for half a minute before the driver gets back in, turns around, and heads down the road.

I eye the bag suspiciously in the growing darkness and look towards the receding tail lights.   "You could have just killed me in Denver.  You didn't need to go through all this trouble," I quip, trying to lessen my anxiety with a joke.

Alex clicks a small halogen lantern on and spreads a blanket on the ground.  I continue to watch him, my anxiety growing again.  He grabs my hand and pulls me over to him, asks me to sit, and pulls some more things out of the bag.  Out comes a bottle and a small box.  Then glasses and forks.  He pours from the bottle into a glass and hands it to me.  I take an experimental sip.  Sparkling wine...a very good one, at that.  "Mmm, thank you," I say softly.  My voice feels incredibly loud out here.  "Umm, is he...gone?" I ask finally.

Alex chuckles, and I jump.  "Sorry, no.  He just went back down the road a little way to give us some privacy."  He pours his own glass of wine, then hands me a fork and opens the box.  "Dessert," he explains.  I look into the little box and see a variety of delicious looking tiny cakes and tarts.  The man is a keeper, even if he had to drag me out into the wilderness to feed me.

"Why are we having dessert here?" I ask.

"You and your questions," he responds, but he moves a little closer to me and points.  "Look up."

I do, and I blink in surprise as I noticed the stars.  I can't believe I hadn't noticed them sooner, but I was so wrapped up in trying to figure out what we were doing and if I should be worried.  "Holy shit," I breathe.

"Yeah," he agrees.  "We don't have stars like this in Denver.  That's why I couldn't just kill you in Denver.  You'll have a better view here with your last breaths.  You're welcome."

I can't help but smile and I lean over and kiss him on the cheek.  "I'm sorry I'm such a pain," I say.  "It's amazing out here."  I look up again, and Alex points out that it's dark enough that we can even see the Milky Way.  "I can't even see the Milky Way in the middle of nowhere in Wisconsin," I admit, appropriately impressed.

"You like it?" he asks, and I realize that despite his outward confidence, he's worried too--but for a different reason.

"I love it," I reply.  I lean towards him and kiss him.  His hand finds its way into my hair and holds me there, kissing me back deeply.  When we break apart, before I can even process what's happening, I whisper, "And I love you."


Alex

I don't say anything at first, because I'm not sure I heard her correctly.  Then, by the light of the small lamp I'd had the kid from the lodge bring, I see the panicked look on her face, and I realize I definitely heard her correctly.  This is not something I'd planned on happening, but it's certainly a pleasant surprise.

"Um, I mean..." Lauren is trying to do damage control, but she really threw herself off.  I realize part of what's throwing her off is the fact that I haven't responded yet.

"Lauren, I love you too," I say, as soon as I realize that it's been an uncomfortable amount of time since the words came out her mouth.  (But really, with a first "I love you" any amount of time without a response over a nanosecond is uncomfortable.)

"You...you do?" she stutters.  Lauren is completely out of her element--on a last minute trip that she didn't plan, on a nighttime activity that she had no control over, and now saying words that are absolutely terrifying to her.  As much as I hate to see her uncomfortable, her vulnerability at this moment is endearing, and I feel a surge of protectiveness and fondness.

I set my wine glass to the side and carefully pry her fingers--which are hanging on for dear life--off of hers, setting it aside with mine.  I slide over to her and wrap both arms around her.  "Of course I do," I respond.  "Lauren, I've been in love with you since college."

She pulls away and looks at me in shock.  "You have?" she asks, her voice shrill and sharp in the quiet darkness.

"Shhh," I say gently, a finger on her lips.  "Yes, I have."

"But why haven't you said anything?" she demands, but in a voice much better suited for our surroundings.

I can't help it, I laugh.  She's glaring at me, and it's so Lauren-like for her to be angry that I feel the same way she does.  "What would you have done if I had?" I ask reasonably.

She frowns, considering this, then answers honestly, "Freaked out, probably.  Just like I have every other time I wasn't ready."

"Yes," I agree.  "Aside from me wanting to define our relationship, this has all moved at your pace.  I've waited this long, I was ready to keep waiting as long as you needed me to.  I promised not to push you into anything you didn't want.  Spontaneous weekend trips don't count, of course."

"You've really been in love with me since college?" she asks, and her voice is close to a whisper again.  She looks confused.  "I'm that clueless?"

"You're brilliant," I argue.  "You're just not always the best at reading people."  I fight my smile, but when I see hers, I let it happen.

"Did you plan all this to make me tell you I love you?" she asks, suddenly suspicious.

I gave her my best 'are you kidding me?' look.  "No, Laur, of course I didn't.  I'm just as surprised by it as you are.  I planned all this because I wanted to spend a relaxing weekend with you, I wanted to show you that it could be fun to be spontaneous.  And I wanted to show you that I care about you."

"Well, I knew that," she replies, softening again.  "This could have all backfired horribly, you know," she continues, and she's smiling again.

"I know," I agree.  "It was a risk I was willing to take."  She shivers and I become aware of the chill in the air.  She doesn't even protest as I take off my jacket and wrap it around her shoulders.  We're done talking for now, and we enjoy a comfortable silence as we drink our wine and finish our dessert.

When the dessert is gone and I've poured two more glasses of wine, I move to sit behind her and pull her back against me.  With her back resting against my chest and my arm wrapped tightly around her, we're both warmer.  We talk about the stars, each of us pointing out constellations that we know.  We can't remember most of the legends that go with them, so we make up our own.  They get more and more ridiculous as we go, and soon we're wiping tears of laughter from our cheeks.

Finally, we decide we'd better get back.  I text our driver, hoping he hasn't gotten bored and driven back to the lodge.  He appears in minutes and we settle in for the drive back.  I thank the kid and slip him the cash we'd agreed on, plus an extra $20, and Lauren and I head back inside.

"Well," she says as we get in the elevator.  She's smirking and she tucks herself against my side, under my arm.  "Did this work out the way you planned it?"

I tilt her head up and kiss her.  "Better," I reply, when I finally break away.  "Much better."

Busy

Eeek!  Sorry guys.  I thought I had this scheduled to post this afternoon but apparently I did not.  I didn't even realize it until I got home.  

I'm baaaaaack!  Let's be real, I never actually left.  If you don't know what I'm talking about (because you believed me when I said I was out for a couple weeks), you'll want to scroll on down.  I posted 3 posts randomly during my break (plus an author's note or two)--some Liv backstory, and two regular storyline posts.  You'll definitely want to read those before continuing on with this post.

Also, we're going to hit 500,000 views this week, eeeee!  That's crazy to me.  This little blog isn't even a year old yet.  So, as I mentioned a couple times, this week is reader's request week!  Here's what I have planned:  Today, Wednesday, and Saturday's posts will be regular story line.  Monday will be Lauren's perspective, Tuesday will be Kinsley's perspective, and Thursday is TBD at this point--but will probably be Brody's perspective.  Friday will be the first in a 3 part series of some of Liv's college years.  

Thanks to every one of you for helping me make this blog amazing.  You're all awesome!
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When Brody warned me that he'd be crazy busy when we got home, he wasn't kidding.  Monday morning he was gone by 6am.  I rolled out of bed around 9, started some laundry, and did a little cleaning.  Then I headed into town, went to the gym, then picked up some groceries.  I decided I'd been productive enough for the day and parked myself on the couch with my Kindle.  About 45 minutes into reading, I decided to take a nap.  I felt a little guilty taking a nap while Brody was already back at work, but there was no sense in me not enjoying my last day of vacation.

I got up in time to get ready for dinner.  I was meeting Lauren and Kinsley in town to eat and catch up on their lives.  I was the first one to the restaurant we'd picked, so I got a table, texted them, and waited.  Kinsley showed up just a couple minutes later, and we ordered drinks while we waited for Lauren.

I noticed Kinsley looking at my hands a few times and finally said, "What are you doing?"

She grinned guiltily.  "Lauren thought there was a chance you'd come back with a diamond on your left hand," she admitted.  "But I didn't want to say anything, because I knew you'd look at me exactly the way you're looking at me right now.  So I was trying to be subtle, but I clearly failed."

"Subtletly is not one your strengths, Kins," I said with a laugh.

"No fucking kidding," Lauren said, appearing at the table.

Kinsley cocked an eyebrow at me.  "Speaking of subtlety..." she quipped quietly, and we laughed.

"No ring?" Lauren asked, her gaze on my left hand.  I rolled my eyes.  Kinsley shook her head.  Lauren frowned.  "I was so sure," she muttered.

"Sorry to disappoint," I said wryly.

"Would you have even said yes?" Kinsley asked.

I shrugged.  Honestly, the thought of Brody proposing while we were on our trip hadn't even crossed my mind.   "I wouldn't have said no," I replied finally.

Lauren gave me a weird look.  "What does that even mean?  So if you don't say no, isn't that a yes?"

"I guess so," I said, shrugging.  "I don't know!  It's not something I had thought about.  If he had proposed, I would have been blindsided and I don't know what I would have done."

"Well, tell us about what you did do!" Kinsley broke in, saving me from having to come up with a better response than that.

I flushed slightly, and Lauren laughed.  "Apparently they had a lot of sex," she said to Kinsley.

"Jesus, Lauren, you have no tact at all," I snapped, but I was laughing.  I told them that I didn't have much to tell, since we spent pretty much the entire time in the room, on the terrace, at the beach, or at the pool.  "We considered wandering around the closest town one day, but in the end we were too lazy.  Next time I definitely want to get off the resort and explore some more, though."

"And you weren't bored?" Lauren asked skeptically.

"No," I replied.  "It was easily the best trip I've ever been on.  He didn't check his email or talk to work or about work a single time.  It was amazing."

Lauren looked impressed.  "I didn't think he had it in him to actually disconnect from work for a whole week," she said.

"Neither did I," I admitted.  "But he did it.  I'm sure he'll pay for it this week though."

We chatted through the rest of dinner.  Lauren talked about getting settled her new (my old) place, and Kinsley talked about Damien's family.  She had been spending more time with them lately, but she wasn't getting along very well with Damien's sister.  Lauren and I empathized with her and gave her some ideas for winning her over.

Then Kinsley asked, "Have you heard from Cassie?"

I had put Cassie and that whole incident out of my head and I frowned.  "No, and I hope I don't."

Lauren, reading my nonverbals, quickly changed the subject, and the rest of our dinner was pleasant and positive.  We lingered after we ate, ordering dessert to share, and continued to catch up.  It felt good to be able to sit with them and talk about things that weren't just how awful everything had been.

We finally parted ways around 9, and I got home at 9:30.  Brody still wasn't home and I sighed.  I already missed seeing him all the time, but it was nice to have time to do my own stuff and hang out with Lauren and Kinsley too.  I started to get ready for bed and by the time I was done, Brody had appeared, looking exhausted.

"Hi, beautiful," he said, yanking his tie off and kissing me.  "The house looks nice, thank you for cleaning and getting groceries."

"You're welcome," I said, thankful that he had noticed.  "Should I even ask how your day was?"

He chuckled and sat down on the bed to pull off his shoes.  "It wasn't too bad, considering I was gone for a week," he replied.  "Just long."  He pulled his jacket off and laid down on the bed.  I laid next to him and he pulled me close.  "This week is going to be crazy, but once I get caught up, it should get better."  I nodded, and we laid like that for a couple more minutes before Brody got up to finish getting ready for bed.  I fell asleep almost as soon as he came back and snuggled up behind me, wrapping an arm around me.

It was tough to go back to work on Tuesday.  It took me forever to feel fully awake and engaged in what I was doing.  Once I got back into my routine, though, it felt much easier.  Brody got home around 9 that night and warmed up the food I'd made for dinner, then we cuddled on the couch for about a half hour before we both went to bed.

On Wednesday, Brody texted me that he'd be really late.  Like, "don't wait up" late.  I frowned as I read the text.  I was disappointed, because I was hoping we could at least have a late dinner together tonight.  I stayed later than usual at work, finishing up some paperwork before heading out.  On my way out, I decided I'd pick dinner up instead of cooking; that way I could drop something off for Brody, at least.  I got food for myself and food for Brody and drove to his office.

When I got up to his office, I was surprised to find the receptionist still there, even though it was nearly 7.  She seemed to recognize me, though the recognition didn't warm up her chilly face at all.  "Miss Saffiano?" she asked, as I approached the desk.  When I nodded, she picked up her phone.

"Wait," I said.  "I know he's super busy, I just want to drop this off for him."

She pursed her lips and sighed before saying, "I have very specific instructions to call him if you ever come in. No matter what he's doing."

"I really don't want to bother him," I protested.

"And I really don't want to piss him off," she replied icily.  She picked up the phone, hit a button with more force than was necessary, and successfully avoided my gaze.  "Miss Saffiano is here," she said curtly.  "Okay."  She hung up the phone and looked up at me.  "He's in his office.  Do you know the way?"

I started walking before she even finished talking, eager to get away.  "I do, thanks," I said over my shoulder.  When I got to Brody's office, the door was open just a crack.  I knocked and nudged it open a little more.

"Come on in," he called.  He was typing but he stopped, stood, and walked towards the door.  "Hi," he greeted me with a tired smile.

"Hi," I replied.  I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him.  "I'm sorry, I tried to just drop this off for you," I said, holding up the food.  "But your lovely receptionist insisted on calling you."

"That's because she follows directions," he said with a grin.  "I'm glad she did.  Will you stay and eat with me?  I can take a quick break."

"Sure," I said, smiling back.

Shortly after we got settled on his couch with our food, someone knocked on the door.  Brody frowned and looked at his watch.  "Come in!" he called.  The door slid open and a harried looking man walked in with an iPad.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said, sneaking a curious look at me, "but this needs to go out and I need you to approve it."  He handed the iPad to Brody.  Brody took it and looked it over.  While he looked it over, the man turned to me.  "Hi," he said, extending his hand.  "I'm Pete."

I smiled.  "Olivia," I introduced myself, shaking his hand.

"Of course," Pete said, returning my smile.  "Did you have fun in Mexico?"

"I did, thanks!" I replied.  "It was nice to get a break."

"Good to hear," he said.  "We're awfully glad to have Brody back though."

"I'm sure," I said, chuckling.  Brody looked up and handed back the iPad.  He made a suggestion for a change and then Pete said goodbye to me and hurried back out.  "You've got everyone working late," I teased Brody.

"You have no idea.  It's been awful today.  Is it a full moon tonight or something?  I don't know how else to explain it."

"Nope," I said, shaking my head.  "Just one of those days, apparently."

He sighed.  "Well, if I'd like to get home while it's still today and not tomorrow, I should get back to it.  Thank you for dinner, and I'm sorry I'll be here so late.  I'll try to be home at a more reasonable time tomorrow."

"Don't apologize," I said firmly.  "You're welcome."

He stood and stretched and said, "I'll walk you out."  I tried to protest but he insisted he needed to stretch his legs anyway.  He kept one hand on my lower back as we walked out.  When we got to the desk, Brody nodded at the receptionist.  "Go ahead and go home, Arlene," he said kindly.  "Thanks for staying this long."

"Of course, Mr. Adler," she purred.  "Do you need anything before I go?"

"No I don't, thanks," Brody replied politely.  "Have a good night."  He walked with me to the suite doors and pushed one open.  He slid his other arm around my waist and pulled me close to him.  "Drive safe," he said softly.  "Call me if you need me."

I smiled. "I will, and I will," I assured him.  "I love you."

"I love you too, Liv.  Goodnight."  I said goodnight and headed towards the elevator down.

Try as I might, I couldn't get comfortable when I went to bed that night.  I felt weird in Brody's bed without him.  I tossed and turned and finally dozed off after about an hour.  I woke up again when I felt the mattress sink slightly next to me.  In the darkness I could just make out Brody's shape, settling onto his side with his back to me.  I scooted closer and pressed my body against his back, wrapping my arm around him.

"You should be asleep," he said softly.  "I'm sorry I woke you."

"I hadn't been asleep for long.  It felt weird without you."

In the dark, his hand found mine and he wove his fingers between mine.  "I'm sorry," he said again.

"I feel like our trip made things worse for you."  The words were out before I could even fully process the thought, and I instantly regretted it.

"No," he said firmly, his voice too loud in the quiet room.  "Not even close.  I needed that time off.  I needed to spend it with you.  I'd work ten 17-hour days for another week off with you.  Today was particularly heinous, but it would have been just as bad if I had been in the office all last week, I promise."

"Okay," I said, pressing my forehead against his shoulder.


When I got to work the next day, Katelyn, our receptionist, smiled broadly at me.  "There was a delivery for you about 10 minutes ago," she said brightly.  "I put it on your desk."

I looked at her curiously.  She just smiled wider.  "Okay," I replied.  "Thank you."

When I got to my office I saw a gorgeous bouquet of flowers on my desk.  I grinned.  I was reading the card (which said, "Because why not?  I had the most amazing week with you.  Thank you for being so patient and understanding.  I love you.") when I heard Josh's voice behind me.  "You guys haven't been back a week and he's already screwed up badly enough to warrant a bouquet that size, huh?"

I gritted my teeth and forced a polite smile onto my face.  "Actually," I replied, "Sometimes people send flowers just because."

He snorted.  "Of course," he replied.  "Flowers don't really say 'I'm sorry I fucked up,' when you're worth as much as he is.  I'm sure you get diamonds when he's really sorry."

I laughed.  "Oh no, diamonds are 'just because' too," I said snottily.  "I get houses when he's really sorry.  I hope next time he only fucks up a little, because I'm good on houses now, but I'd love a new car."  Then I turned my back to him and shifted the flowers to my window sill.  When I turned around again, he was gone.

I managed to avoid him for the rest of the day.  After work I went to the gym and then headed home, where I was pleasantly surprised to find Brody already.  I threw my arms around him and greeted him happily.  He laughed and hugged me back, then made a face at me.  "You're sweaty," he complained.
"Sorry, I was just excited to see you already home," I apologized.  "I need to shower quick, and then I'll make something for dinner."

Brody grinned and kissed me, then said, "I picked something up, so go shower and then we can eat.  I waited for you."

I headed upstairs and took a quick shower, then pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.  When I got downstairs, Brody was taking out silverware and putting Thai takeout on the table.  "Ooh, that smells good," I said happily, sitting down in the chair Brody pulled out for me.  "Thank you.  How'd you manage to get home so early?"

"I'm the boss, remember?" he said, grinning.  "I wanted to see you while we were both actually awake tonight.  And I couldn't focus anymore, I had to get out of there."

"Well I'm definitely not complaining," I said.  "This week has been just as bad as you warned me it would be."

We chatted as we ate, and Brody told me his idea of having some of his employees and their significant others over for a cook out next weekend as a thank you for working so hard while he was gone.  I thought it was a good idea and told him I'd help plan it.  I was also eager to meet some more of his employees.

As we cleaned up together after dinner, I asked, "What's this weekend going to look like?"

Brody frowned.  "More of the same, unfortunately.  I'll probably work late tomorrow night and all day Saturday.  Sunday I'll work from home in the morning.  I'm on call, so I can't make any promises, but we can try to spend some time together Sunday afternoon."

"I'd like that," I said.  "I think I'll make some plans with Lauren and Kinsley for Saturday."  I picked up my phone to send them a quick text, but Brody grabbed it.

"You'll have to wait to make those plans," he said, cocking an eyebrow at me.

"Oh really?  Why's that?"

"Because you're busy right now," he replied.

"I am?" I asked.

"Yup."  He set my phone on the counter and pushed his hands into my hair, kissing me hard.  I guess I was busy after all.

Unwinding

Alright gang, last random post before I come back for real on Sunday!  Sunday will kick off a full week of posts.  I love everyone's requests and will do my best to accommodate as many as possible.  I'm really excited about a three-part series of some more of Liv's backstory that I'm working on, so you have that to look forward to.  There will be lots of perspective posts next week, and a few regular storyline posts as well.  Then things will fall back to normal with 2-3 posts a week.  I haven't decided yet if I want to/can go back to 3 posts a week regularly, but we should be good to go for at least two a week.  And let's be real, posting bonuses is pretty much my favorite thing to do.
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We ended up falling asleep like that, stretched across the bed sideways.  I don't even know how either of us could be tired enough, but being out in the sun will do that, I guess.  When we woke up, it was midafternoon and we decided to check out the pool closest to our room.

We dropped our stuff in the last empty shaded spot next to the pool, and I pulled my dress over my head.  I followed Brody over to the pool and down the stairs.  I was surprised to find the water was pleasantly cool.  Just cool enough to be refreshing without being shockingly cold.  I stepped off the last step and took a few steps forward before bending my knees to submerge myself to my shoulders.  Then I ducked under the surface quickly and bobbed back up, smoothing my now wet hair away from my face.

We stayed in the water for about a half hour, then got out and dried off.  It was ridiculously hot and I was glad to have snagged a shaded spot as we settled down in our chairs.  Brody and I people watched and chatted for about a half hour before he got back in the pool and I pulled out my Kindle.  We hung out by the pool until it was time to get ready to go have dinner.

I showered, dried my hair, and put on just a little makeup before searching through my suitcase for a dress.  When I was finished getting ready, I wandered out to the sitting area, where Brody was flipping through the TV channels randomly.  He stood up and smiled broadly when I came into the room.  "You look beautiful," he said, kissing me.

I blushed, my stomach fluttering like it still did from time to time when he looked at me like that and told me I was beautiful. "Thank you.  You look pretty good yourself."  He chuckled and brushed his thumb across my warm, flushed cheek.

We walked hand in hand across the resort to the restaurant we'd chosen for dinner.  It was a little late for dinner, so they weren't too busy anymore and we got a table after just a short wait.  We sipped our drinks while we waited for our food, and discussed what we wanted to do that evening.  The resort had several bars, including a sports bar and a club-type bar, plus various live entertainment, but we decided tonight we'd just head back to the room.  Neither of us were feeling terribly social.  In fact, I think we were both probably still unwinding a little.

The service at the restaurant was agonizingly slow, but I didn't mind much.  We didn't have anywhere to be, after all.  When we left the restaurant I was surprised to find it was nearly dark.  We took a detour down to the dark, deserted beach and wandered back slowly.

When we got back to our room, Brody kicked his shoes off and sat on the couch, then tugged me down next to him.  He slid his fingers along my jawbone and then curled them around the back of my neck, pulling me towards him.  I kissed him hungrily.  Maybe the ocean air was an aphrodisiac, or maybe it was because we were both finally relaxed and without distractions, but I couldn't get enough of him.

He clearly felt the same.  He traced his fingers over my shoulder and across my collarbone, then dragged them lightly over the tops of my breasts, which were barely accessible with the fairly modest neckline of my dress.  I shivered slightly and leaned into his touch.  His hand slipped around to the back of the dress, looking for the zipper.  When he didn't find it, he pulled his lips from mine and said, "Take this off."  I was happy to follow that direction, and I stood and pulled down the zipper that was hiding under my arm.  "That's a terrible place for a zipper," Brody said, smirking as I stepped out of the dress.

"No, it's a great place for a zipper, because I can actually get dressed without help," I pointed out.  He shrugged, clearly not interested in zippers that I could zip by myself when it meant it impeded his ability to undress me.  I reached behind my back to unhook my bra but he shook his head and pulled me down onto his lap.

"Hold on, not fair," I quipped, reaching for the buttons of his shirt.  He let me unbutton them then he leaned forward slightly and pulled it off.  I ran my hands over his chest and shoulders before leaning forward to kiss him again.  His fingers slipped across my skin, tracing the outline of my bra before he finally unhooked it.  I shook it off my arms and dropped it to the floor.  I flushed as Brody's eyes left my face and drifted over my body before he kissed me again.

He shifted me to the side and I laid across the couch.  He hooked his fingers under the lace of my thong and dragged it slowly down my hips and thighs.  I pulled my legs out of it and kicked it to the side.  He knelt between my knees and his gaze traveled the entire length of my body again.  I shivered when he ran his hands up my legs and then stood to take his shorts off.  He left his boxers on and settled back between my knees, lowering himself above me to kiss me.  He avoided my lips and instead kissed my cheek, along my jaw, and down to my neck.  "You're beautiful," he said softly near my ear before sucking gently on my earlobe.  "It was torture looking at you in that bikini all day and having to keep my hands to myself."  I sighed and turned my head to the side so he had easier access to my neck.

Brody continued kissing and nibbling on my neck as his fingers brushed across my breasts.  His lips were making their way back up to mine as he slid one hand down my side and to my hip.  I winced when that hand found its way between my legs.  Even with as turned on as I was, my body was still protesting the idea of having sex for the fourth time in just over 24 hours.  Brody must have been watching my face, because he immediately withdrew his hand and brought it back up to my breasts.

I groaned in frustration, but my frustration didn't last long because he quickly shifted towards my feet and scooted to the end of the couch.  He settled between my thighs and trailed light kisses from my right knee up to the top of my inner thigh.  His tongue moved gently over my skin and I moaned softly.  "Better?" he asked, looking up at me.  I nodded and he returned his tongue to me, increasing the pressure until I was moaning and squirming under him.  After I recovered, I gladly returned the favor and we cuddled on the couch until Brody suggested we try the hot tub on the balcony.

I wrinkled my nose.  "Do you know how many people have probably had sex in that thing?" I asked him.

He laughed.  "Do you know how many people have probably had sex on this couch?" he retorted.  I considered that for a second, and then he said, "At least they probably clean the hot tub."

"Good point," I replied.  That was enough to get me off the couch and into a (dry) bikini.  Brody called room service and ordered a bottle of wine to the room, which was a pretty sweet perk, even with the "delivery fee".  I let Brody figure out how the hot tub worked, and quickly pulled a robe on when there was a knock at the door.  I was surprised at how quickly they arrived with the wine--it had only been about 15 minutes.    They delivered our requested Pinot Grigio chilled and with two wine glasses.  The employee showed me the bottle and when I nodded approval he opened it and poured me a small sample.  I took a sip and smiled.  "It's great, thank you," I replied.

"Very good," he replied.  After he left, I grabbed both glasses and the bottle and headed out to the balcony.

"That was quick," Brody commented, nodding at the wine.  I poured two glasses and handed them both to him after he had climbed into the tub.  I climbed in after him and took my glass from him after I got settled.  "You're too far away," he complained.

I looked at the 4 or 5 inches of space between us then back up at him.  "You're not tired of touching me yet?" I teased, closing the tiny gap between us and settling against him as he put his arm around me.

"Not yet," he replied.  "Maybe tomorrow, though."  The wind had picked up a little, and while we were sheltered from it here on our balcony, the waves were louder than they had been earlier.  I relaxed against Brody and enjoyed my glass of wine.  When we had finished our glasses, Brody climbed out of the tub and brought the bottle back over.  He filled up both our glasses and set the empty bottle back on the small table.

When we finished our wine, we got out, dried off, and went back inside.  The air conditioned air was cold on my damp, bare skin, and I shivered and pulled the robe back on.  Brody wasn't ready for bed and I didn't want to go bed by myself, so I joined him in the living room of the suite after we'd both changed into dry clothes.

He turned the TV on and found VH1 was playing late 90s and early 2000s music videos (in English).  I laid on the couch with my head in his lap and we made fun of the boy band fashion.  I freed my hair from its topknot prison and Brody's hand immediately went to my head, his fingers massaging my scalp and sliding through my hair, pausing to carefully untangle any knotted strands.  Soon his fingers were sliding easily through my hair without hitting any tangles, and my eyelids got heavy.

I woke up in the bed and was reasonably certain I hadn't gotten there under my own power.  Brody was asleep next to me and I rolled over to face him and moved my arm over until it rested against his.  Then I fell back asleep.

In the morning, I woke up before Brody.  I resisted the urge to run my fingertips across his cheekbones.  My eyes fell to his exposed torso, and I read the words of the stanza of the poem dedicated to his sister across his ribs. I thought back to the first time I'd really read it: the morning after the first night we spent together. Little had I known that I'd be waking up next to him in a luxury suite in Mexico nine months later.

When I let my eyes drift from his tattoo back up to his face, I saw he was awake.  He was watching me with sleepy eyes, those strange and beautiful light green eyes that I loved.  "Good morning," I said softly, smiling.

He smiled back, sleepily, and shook his head.  "Not morning enough," he said.  He rolled onto his side and motioned to me.  I scooted over and rolled onto my side, relaxing against him as he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me in close to him.  I wasn't sleepy anymore, but I was content to lay here for a little longer.

We didn't feel like getting dressed and going out to get breakfast, so we ordered room service.  We laid in bed until our food arrived.  Then the rest of the day was spent in a similar fashion to the day before.

"Are you getting bored?" Brody asked me later that evening.

"No," I replied truthfully.  "Are you?"

"Not at all," he said.  "We could think about doing something off the resort at some point though, if you wanted to."

"It honestly doesn't matter to me," I said.  "I might change my mind in a couple days, but for now I'm perfectly happy to lay by the pool or on the beach most of the day."  He agreed and we decided to play it by ear.

On Thursday Brody decided he wanted to find something to do, so we booked a snorkeling trip.  We spent the afternoon snorkeling in the clear water and once I got over my fear of everything that moved, it was a lot of fun.  When we got back, we took a lazy nap in the hammock on the terrace together, then went to dinner.  After dinner we decided to check out one of the resort's bars.  It was crowded and we didn't stay long, but we did have a conversation with a young married couple from Miami.  It was fun to watch Brody get excited talking about the city he'd lived in for so long.

As we walked back to our room, I asked, "Do you ever wish you still lived in Miami, or want to move back?"

"What?" he asked, sounding surprised.  "No way.  Why?"

I shrugged.  "You just looked really happy talking about Miami.  I was curious."

"Ah," he replied, nodding.  "I loved Miami; I still love Miami.  But now I just love to visit.  Miami and I don't really fit well together anymore."

"More of a bachelor city?" I asked with a smirk.

"Yes," he agreed, laughing.  "Definitely more a bachelor city.  Plus I always missed the changing seasons, and even the snow.  And the mountains."

When we got back to our room, Brody flopped onto the couch and said, "I can't believe we only have two more days.  I'm not ready."

"Shhhh," I said.  "If you don't acknowledge it, it won't happen." I climbed onto the couch, straddling his hips and looking down at him.

He grinned up at me, then sat up and rested his hands on my waist.  "And this is one of the reasons I'm not ready," he said, his voice low.  "I'm thoroughly enjoying having sex with you whenever we want."

"Who said we're having sex?" I said innocently.  "You're just taking up the entire couch and there's nowhere for me to sit."  Brody looked around the room, his gaze lingering pointedly on the two arm chairs and the three chairs at the table.  "Oh, right," I said.  "Well, since I'm here..."  I leaned forward and kissed him.  He wrapped his arms around my back and laid back down, pulling me down with him.  His hands slid down my back, over my ass, and down my legs.  Then they slid back up the backs of my thighs, slipping under my dress as they went.

"I like all these dresses," Brody said as his fingers brushed along the edge of my underwear.  "It makes things so easy."

"Except when you can't find the zipper," I said with a smirk as his lips moved to my neck.  I laughed as he playfully nipped my neck, then groaned as his fingers got closer to where I wanted them.  We had playful, fun sex, then shifted around so we could lay next to each other on the couch.

"It's going to be really hard to go back to work and being busy," I said. "I'm really enjoying spending all this time with you."

"I know," Brody said.  His hand found mine and he wove his fingers between mine.  "I am too.  And it's probably going to be crazy when I get back."  I nodded and tried to press myself closer to him.  He tightened his arms around me and we laid there for a long time, quiet and relaxed.  We went to bed not long after.

The last couple days of our trip were as awesome as the rest had been so far.  We briefly discussed leaving the resort again to do something but our laziness won out and we stayed, spending our last couple days at one of the pools, on the beach, or on our terrace.  By the end of the week, I felt so relaxed it was like everything with Brody's dad and with Cassie hadn't even happened.

"I'm not sure I even remember how to do my job," Brody joked, as we waited at the airport for our flight back to Denver.

"Hmmm, you might have to quit then, bummer," I teased back.  I leaned back in my seat and sighed happily.  As great as this trip had been, I had to admit that I was ready to get back.  I missed ourbed and having more than 4 TV channels in English.  I was even starting to miss cooking and going to the gym.  I was surprised that I didn't miss my cell phone or my laptop, though.  Even though our resort had free WiFi, we'd agreed at the beginning that we'd both avoid our phones completely.

After a long flight, a longer customs line, and the drive back, I was ready to eat, shower, and go to bed.  "It feels good to be home," I said as we walked in.  Brody grinned.  "What?" I asked.

"I'm happy that you called it 'home'," he replied.  I smiled back at him.

We ate the food we had picked up then took turns showering.  When I got out of the shower, Brody was sitting on the edge of the bed with his phone to his ear.  He seemed to be listening to voicemails, but he watched me get dressed.

After he hung up, I asked, "How many were there?"

"17," he replied, making a face.  "And 42 text messages.  I'm not even going to open my email tonight, otherwise I know I'll be up all night working.  I'm going to enjoy my last little bit of vacation before I have to go back in the morning."

"You're going to be really busy this week, huh?" I asked, sitting next to him.

He put an arm around me and nodded.  "I probably won't get to see much of you this week."

I frowned.  "That's going to be a hard adjustment after having you all to myself for a week."

"I know," he replied.  "And I'll be on call this week too.  But I meant what I said about Sundays when I'm not on call.  No work.  No phone.  We'll figure out a way to make more time for us, okay?"

"Okay," I replied.  And I knew we would.

Author's Note: Requests

Hey guys! Just a reminder to get your requests in if you have them and didn't already comment with them.  I have bits and pieces of a bunch of posts in the works (I rarely write one post at a time) already but want to make sure I'm not missing anyone for readers' request week!  (That will happen the week of the 24th, when I come back, in celebration of hitting 500,000 posts.)

So far I'm working on something from Brody's perspective, some Lauren and Alex (from Lauren's perspective), some Kinsley and Damien (from Kinsleys perspective), and some normal storyline posts.

I have a Kendra backstory post started per a request, but it's harder than the rest and probably won't happen the week of the 24th. It'll happen soon, though.

I also plan to do a series on Liv's backstory at some point in the near future. Man, this blog is like a living creature sometimes.

Anyway, if anyone has any other requests, put them here! I cannot promise they'll happen the week of the 24th, but you guys know I always do my absolute best to write what you want to read.

Thank you all so much for being patient, supportive, and amazing readers! I love you all!

No Distractions

Oh hey, another post.  I've been doing a little bit here and there to keep myself sane now.  I still don't plan to be back on schedule until the 24th, but I finished another full post and thought I'd post it for you guys.  Thanks for being so patient, I'm excited to get moved and settled and be able to be back regularly!  If you need a refresher, you can re-read the last regularly storyline post here.
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We did end up moving to the hammock, and we laid cuddled together for more than a half hour until the sun went down.  I yawned and closed my eyes, the long day of travel catching up to me.  Brody's thumb stroked small circles against my shoulder, and the combination of his touch and the sound of the ocean lulled me into an almost hypnotic state.  "Bed?" he asked softly.

"Mmm, it's probably not even 9:00," I mumbled.

Brody chuckled softly.  "It's not," he replied.  "But you're clearly ready anyway."

"That's true," I agreed, yawning again.  Between traveling, my post-sex stupor, the stress of the last few weeks, and the bottle of wine we'd shared, I really was ready to fall asleep at any second.

"Come on," he prodded me gently.  I rolled my head to the side, thinking about it.  Brody slid his arm out from under me and stood.  He stretched, then offered a hand to me.  I took it and got up.  We made our way down the stairs carefully in the near-darkness, and I blinked at the harsh light when Brody flipped a switch back in our room.

I brushed my teeth, changed, and got into bed.  Brody followed a few minutes later and fit his body to mine, his chest against my back.  "Are you going to bed too?" I asked.  He seemed much more awake than I was.

"No, just wanted to lay with you for awhile," he replied.  I was enjoying it far too much to point out that he had just laid with me for nearly an hour.  I closed my eyes and realized I could still hear the waves faintly.  I tried to let them lull me to sleep, but quickly realized that my trip down the stairs had woken me up a little too much.

I didn't feel like actually getting up though.  Instead, I wriggled out from under Brody's arm and rolled over to face him.  "What's wrong?" he asked, brushing a piece of hair out of my face.

"Nothing," I replied.  "I'm just a little too awake now."  I leaned towards him and kissed his throat, and I was rewarded by him gripping my hips and pulling me closer.  His hand traveled over my ass and down the back of my leg, pulling it up and over his leg.  His other arm slid between us and he tilted my chin up so he could kiss me.

He pulled away long enough for me to pull my shirt off.  The hand that had been on my leg immediately went to my breasts and he rolled my nipple gently between his finger and thumb, causing me to moan softly.  He rolled me onto my back and lowered his head to my chest, teasing me with his tongue.  I gasped and arched my back toward him when he tugged gently on one nipple with his teeth.  Brody pulled at my shorts and I quickly wiggled out of them while he took his off.  I moved on top of him and lowered myself onto him.  I started off moving slowly but his hands on my hips urged me faster and it wasn't long before I came, my legs shaking like crazy.  He gave me some time recover before he lifted me off of him, turned me away from him, and pushed into me from behind.  He used his fingers against me to help me orgasm again before he finished, and we both collapsed onto the bed, breathless.

I laid on my stomach and turned my head towards Brody.  I smiled at him, dazed and sleepy again.  "Now are you ready to sleep?" he teased gently, pushing my hair behind my ear.  I nodded.  "Me too."  He shifted and pulled me closer to him and I moved over until my head was on his chest, my body pressed against his side.  One of his arms wrapped around my back.  That hand settled on my waist while his other hand stroked my arm lightly.  I let my hand rest on Brody's upper arm, feeling the muscles contract and extend as his hand traveled up and down my arm.  I was completely relaxed for the first time in what seemed like months.

Brody kissed my forehead and said softly, "I love you, Liv."

"I love you too," I mumbled back sleepily.  This time, I fell asleep easily.

I woke up hours later, shivering as the air conditioning brushed across my bare skin.  I extracted myself from Brody's sleep-limp grip, wrinkling my nose when our skin, which had been damp with sweat when we fell asleep, stuck slightly before separating.  Brody didn't even move.  I got up and walked carefully to the bathroom.  When I returned, I pulled the sheet and blanket up over both of us.  Brody stirred and rolled onto his stomach as I settled on my side.  I fell back asleep quickly.

The next time I woke up, the room was light.  I squinted at the clock and saw that it was 6:02am.  I shut my eyes again before I processed what had woken me up: Brody was kissing the back of my neck.  I almost rolled away in protest of the early hour, but his patient work on my neck and shoulder was having the desired effect.  What is it about vacations and hotel rooms?  Our lazy morning sex happened quickly and without any words exchanged, and then I fell back asleep one more time, my body still pressed against Brody's.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw a much more reasonable 8:37 on the clock.  Considering we had originally fallen asleep before 10pm, I wasn't surprised to find that Brody was no longer in bed next to me.  I heard the shower running as I rolled onto my back and stretched.  I laid there, slowly waking up, until the shower shut off and Brody walked back into the bedroom area, a towel around his waist.  "Good morning, beautiful," he said, grinning at me.  I smiled back, then let my eyes roam his lean, muscular body.

He turned his back to me to grab some clothes and said, "I went for a walk this morning and checked out our breakfast options.  There are two restaurants that are open for breakfast, otherwise there's the buffet."  He told me the restaurant choices and I picked one as I sat up and thought about getting in the shower.

"I figured you'd be hungry right away," he continued, his voice muffled as he pulled a shirt over his head.

"Weird," I joked.  "It's like you know me or something."  He rolled his eyes and threw his wet towel at me, which motivated me to get up and get in the shower.  I showered quickly.  I was frowning at my bag, trying to decide what to wear, when Brody said, "It's already really hot and humid.  I was thinking after breakfast we could wander around a little and then go check out one of the pools?"  I agreed and pulled out a bikini and a sundress and quickly put them on.  I braided my hair and we headed out of our room towards breakfast.

Brody slid an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to him as we walked towards breakfast.  Despite the heat, I was enjoying his touchy-feelyness.  I had felt so disconnected from him the last couple weeks with him being gone so much and everything being as crazy as it was.  It was a welcome change to be with him without interruption.

We reached our breakfast destination and were quickly shown to a table against a wall of glass, looking out over the beach.  A waiter quickly brought us glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice.  We looked at the menu for a few minutes and then placed our order.  After we ate, we wandered around checking out the resort.  It was huge, and there were 6 pools, including a small lazy river that wound its way around the spa building.

"Pool or beach?" Brody asked, after we completed our self-guided tour.

"Beach," I answered.  There was a small area of beach that was only for people with the upgraded rooms, and we decided to head over there as it was far less crowded than the rest of the beach.  "I need to go put more sunscreen on first," I said, frowning at my pale shoulder.

We went back to the room and grabbed some water and sunscreen and my Kindle, and then we went down to the beach.  We found lounge chairs and I immediately threw my towel on mine and laid down.  "You're not going in?" Brody asked.

"I will in a little while," I assured him.  He shrugged, pulled off his shirt, and walked down towards the water.  I watched him for awhile before picking my Kindle up and turning it on.  I read for awhile and then looked up again.  Two girls in tiny bikinis were talking to him.  I grinned as I watched.  His body language was completely uninterested.  He was half turned away from them, looking at neither of them, and seemed to be barely responding to their efforts.  After about a minute, he said something to them, waved, and walked out of the water towards me.

I smirked at him as he approached.  "Don't say a word," he said before I could open my mouth.  "I couldn't get out of that situation fast enough."  I laughed.  I watched him dry off and stretch out on the lounge chair next to mine.  Then I set my Kindle aside, shifted around to get more comfortable, and closed my eyes for awhile.

Several minutes later, he said, "When are your parents' birthdays?"

"Huh?"

"Your parents' birthdays.  When are they?" he repeated.

"My mom's is June 29th and my dad's is July 7th," I replied, looking at him curiously.  "Why?"

"Wow, they're so close together.  That's convenient.  I was thinking we should go visit them, and it seems like the weekend of the 4th of July might be a good time.  I'm sure they'd both love to see you for their birthdays."

"You were thinking we should go visit them, huh?" I asked, the corners of my mouth twitching up in a grin.  "Because you miss them?"

He laughed.  "They're nice, I liked them.  They're so normal compared to my family.  But really, my mom and sister love you so much, I feel like I need to work harder to win over your parents."

"Are you kidding?" I said.  Brody gave me a weird look.  "My parents adore you already."

"They do?"

"Yes!  After Lynn's accident, my dad would not shut up about 'the initiative you took' looking up his number and calling him when you couldn't get a hold of me, and how you couldn't get a flight into Madison, so you flew into Milwaukee and drove.  And my mom was so floored that you left work to be with me--and she didn't even know that I had been an asshole and we had fought before you left for Texas.  She would have been even more impressed had she known that.  And don't forget that you made it possible for them to spend Christmas with me, because I wasn't going to go because of the ticket prices."

"Oh," he said, dumbfounded.  I tried not to laugh.  He was so surprised about all those things being important, and I loved that he didn't realize the impact.  He had done it all without a second thought.

I rolled my eyes and said, "And I think they finally believe I've found someone that can take care of me in their absence.  My mom flipped when I told them I was moving to Denver.  I'm pretty sure she was worried I was going to die out here with no one to protect me from life."

Brody snorted.  "Little do they know, you'll do anything in your power to make that job difficult for me."

"Oh no," I assured him.  "They know all about it.  I'm sure they'd be happy to commiserate with you.  I gave them just as much trouble as I give you.  Though at least you let me hang out with my friends."

He furrowed his brow.  "They didn't let you hang out with your friends?"

I shrugged.  "For awhile.  On and off, probably depending on whether my biological father was in or out of prison."  Brody gave me a weird look that clearly said "more information, please."  So I told him the story of how I'd come to find out my parents were worried about him showing up and kidnapping me.

When I finished, he was staring at me in surprise.  "What?" I asked.

"I can't believe that's something you decided to just...not share," he said.  "So many things about you that I haven't understood make perfect sense now."

"Aside from why I don't like to be protected, what else makes sense that didn't before?" I asked.

"I get why you insisted for so long that what happened with Jordan was not a big deal.  I get why you were so upset at me for not giving you any say in what would happen to us when I went to Miami to do my dad's bidding.  I still don't understand why you freaked out so much when I initially wanted you to move in, but now I at least understand why you were willing to put your own life in danger to get out of a situation where you felt pressured."

I cringed thinking about all those situations.  I struggled to think of a good response, but I had nothing.  Luckily, we were interrupted by a resort employee stopping by to take drink orders.  We gave him our drink orders and I looked back at Brody.  He was still looking at me as if he had just had an earth-shattering revelation.  I guess he had.

"I don't know why it never occurred to me to tell you about that," I said, finally.  "It's not something I spend a lot of time thinking about anymore.  I didn't purposely not tell you."

"No, I know that," he assured me.  "I didn't think that was the case at all.  I'm just glad to know now."  The employee came back with our drinks and Brody spared me from that conversation by saying, "So would you want to go visit them?"

"My parents?  4th of July weekend?  Sure," I replied.  "Are you sure you still want to, now that you know they already love you?"

He laughed.  "Yes, I do.  It'll just really solidify it.  And also, I really want another normal holiday with a normal family, even if it is just the 4th of July."

"Alright," I agreed.  "Let's do it."

At lunch time we wandered along the sand to the beach grill that served lunch and snack foods all day.  We sat at a table and ordered a few things to share.  "I need to get out of the sun for awhile," I announced, inspecting my shoulder again.  I was worried that I would burn, even with my SPF 50 every hour.  The sun was intense, and my fair skin wasn't a fan.

"It's really hot," Brody said.  "I wouldn't mind going back to the room for awhile."  So after we finished eating, we headed back to the room.  I jumped in the shower for a couple minutes to rinse off the stubborn sand that was clinging to my skin, then pulled my dress back on and flopped across the bed.

"We should just move here," I said.

"Here to this resort?  This room?" Brody teased.

"Sure, why not?  I could live here."

Brody grinned.  "We could always buy the timeshare they tried to sell us when we checked in."

"There we go.  Then we could come whenever we wanted."

"If you want a timeshare in Mexico, I'll buy you a timeshare in Mexico," he replied.

"Of course you would," I said.

He stood from where he was sitting on the couch and came over to me.  He stretched out next to me, sideways across the bed.  "I would," he said, running his fingertips lightly down my arm.

"I know you would," I replied.  "Please don't buy me a timeshare in Mexico."

"Fine, I'll just buy me a timeshare in Mexico," he retorted.  Now he was teasing me again and I shook my head.  I caught his hand as it started a path back up my arm, then brought it to my lips and kissed his knuckles.  "I might even let you come with me sometimes."

"I only want a timeshare in Mexico if it means we get to spend more uninterrupted time together," I said softly, rolling onto my side to face him.

He smiled and traced his fingers over my cheekbone and jaw and down my neck.  I shivered when they skated lightly across my collarbone.  "I think we just need more of that anyway, with or without Mexico."  I nodded.  "I'd like to be able to have just one day a week where I don't check my work email, or take a work call, or worry about work all day.  We haven't even been here 24 hours and I already feel so much better.  I really needed this.  We really needed this."  I nodded again, closing my eyes as his fingers slid over my shoulder and down my arm.  He stroked the inside of my wrist, which raised goosebumps all the way up my arm, then slid his fingers between mine.

"I love how driven you are and what you've created for yourself," I said, opening my eyes and looking at him.  "But I hate seeing the way it takes over your life and stresses you out day after day.  I know it's not avoidable, and it's just part of owning your own successful business, but it's still hard to watch.  And selfishly, it's hard for me to give up that time with you, but you know that already."

"An entire day every week without any work is probably not realistic right now, especially with having to be on call every three weeks," he said.  I nodded.  I knew that.  "But what if we did half a day every week I'm not on call?  Sundays from noon to midnight, I'm all yours.  I'll turn my phone off completely.  We could go out and do something or stay in and watch a movie, it doesn't matter.  I need to get better at doing that sometimes for my own sanity, and spending the time with you will be a great motivator."

"I love that idea," I said, smiling.

"Good," he said.  "I love you, Liv."

I scooted closer to him and pressed my forehead to his.  "I love you too," I replied.  He kissed me; a soft, sweet kiss with no pretense, just a kiss.  When we separated I shifted and moved lower on the bed so I could press myself against him.  I burrowed my face into his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around me.  I'd known this trip was going to be good for both of us individually, and for our relationship, but I'd had no idea how much closer I'd feel to him just by getting rid of the distraction of work.  In that moment, I would have been content to stay here forever.