Page 19 of A Mile of Ocean (Pelican Pointe #19)
T rent persuaded Dolly to make up a picnic basket that didn’t include sandwiches. After picking up the food and grabbing a hot shower, he quickly made his way to the office, his mind already racing with ideas on how to make this the perfect romantic evening.
As he entered the room, he glanced up at the skylight, a plan forming in his mind. With quiet determination, he started to move things around, clearing a space beneath the skylight for a small table and two chairs. He added a crisp white tablecloth and set the table with brightly colored dishes borrowed from Dolly’s kitchen. He lit fragrant candles around the room, creating flickering shadows that danced off the walls. He put on music, a playlist of piano tracks that Tate had given him, promising it would create the ultimate romantic mood.
Satisfied with his handiwork, Trent went to find Savannah at the main house, a nervous excitement building in his chest. He found her sitting on the porch, gazing overhead at the evening sky stretching above them. She turned as he approached, a smile lighting up her face.
“Hey,” she said softly. “Where’ve you been hiding?”
“Hey, yourself. Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?” Trent replied, trying to keep his voice casual despite the butterflies in his stomach. She looked radiant, wearing a simple turtleneck and a pair of jeans, her long hair pulled back in a sexy French knot with little strands wisping around her face. “I’ve been dealing with a lot of craziness. I have a surprise for you.”
Savannah’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as Trent held out his hand. He led her through the garden and back to his office, gestured for her to enter first.
Her eyes widened in amazement at the sight before her as she stepped into his office. He had transformed this little apartment into a cozy retreat, illuminated by the soft glow of candlelight flickering around the room. The smell of vanilla and lavender wafted in the air. She spotted the vase of freshly picked sunflowers entwined with smaller white verbena in the center of a small table. When she glanced upward, she noticed the skylight and the sky’s deep purple hue with the stars beginning to twinkle overhead.
“Trent, this is... you’ve outdone yourself,” Savannah’s voice trailed off, unable to find words to express her surprise.
“I wanted to make good on my promise about dinner under the stars,” he explained. “For now, this is the best I could do.”
Savannah’s eyes widened in realization. “I can’t believe you took the time to do this. This is incredible,” she managed to say as he pulled a chair out for her at the table.
The day’s stress began to fade when Trent poured them a glass of red wine. He picked up Dolly’s basket of goodies. “Let’s see what we have for dinner. She’s made a vegetable quiche with a Caesar salad.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Savannah replied, not caring about the food. She held her glass of wine to her lips and studied the man across from her. “We’ve had an interesting week leading up to this point, haven’t we?”
“That’s an understatement if I ever heard one,” Trent assessed as he sliced the quiche, filling their plates with the salad before handing one to her. “We deserve to spend a couple of hours with each other without anything blowing up.”
“I could use a couple of days of things not blowing up,” she joked before taking a bite of the quiche, savoring the flavors while stealing little glances at Trent. The way the candlelight flickered across his face made her heart flutter like a schoolgirl’s. It was as if the chaos outside had faded away, leaving them in the safety of their little bubble.
Across the table, Trent saw her eyes shimmering in the dim light, a smile playing on her lips as she savored each bite. The anxiety of the last few days seemed to melt away, replaced by a sense of calm.
When the playlist switched to a different melody, he reached out his hand. “Care to dance?” his voice barely audible.
“I’d love to,” she whispered.
They stood up as his arms went around her. Her body pressed against his, each little step sending sparks through their fingertips and down their spines. His hand rested gently on the small of her back, guiding her with a firm yet tender touch. Her hand fit perfectly in his, their fingers intertwined as they moved together.
Their faces were inches apart, illuminated by the soft glow of candlelight flickering in each other’s eyes.
His gaze drifted down to her lips. He ran his fingers over the subtle curve and fullness he had always found so enticing. He began to fiddle with her hair, trying to dislodge the knotted twist of curls. “Let’s try letting your hair down tonight.”
Her lips curved as she reached up to release the pins holding her hair in place. The strands fell around her shoulders in long, soft layers, allowing him to run his fingers through her curls.
She watched him lean in closer, his eyes locking onto hers with an intense gaze filled with warmth and longing. His lips looked soft and inviting, and she couldn’t help but anticipate their feeling on hers.
As their lips met, his eyes darkened with desire. They savored each other, moving in perfect rhythm. She tasted a hint of mint and wine lingering on his breath as he moved still closer, his scent adding to the exhilaration rushing through her body.
The kiss was like a gentle urgency between two dancers finding each other on a crowded dance floor, moving in perfect unison as if they had practiced this dance a thousand times before. The warmth of their breath mingled, a sweet and heady music that swirled and whispered around them, creating a cocoon of blissful intimacy. With each kiss, they tasted the promise of forever, and for a moment, there was nothing else in the world but the touch of their lips and the beating of their hearts.
His lips were soft and warm against hers, the pressure gentle yet insistent. She could feel the slight scrape of his stubble against her chin as his hand cupped the back of her neck, deepening the kiss.
She felt a surge of electricity coursing through her body as his hands gently cupped her face, his thumb tracing her jawline. She ran her fingers through his hair, reveling in its softness.
It was a merging of two souls, a dance of lips and tongues, a symphony of breath and passion. The world melted away, leaving only the charged connection between their bodies and the sweet taste of each other’s lips. In that moment, nothing else mattered.
“Are you ready for this? I don’t want you to think I’m rushing—”
She put her fingers to his lips. “I’ve been wanting this since I first met you.”
“So have I.”
He led her into the small bedroom while the music faded into the background. With a shared unspoken agreement, they abandoned all pretense of restraint, giving in to the pull that had been building between them since their first meeting.
“Savannah,” he whispered, his voice laced with tenderness and desire. His fingers traced the line of her jaw, his touch leaving a trail of warmth in its wake. Her eyes fluttered closed at his gentle caress, her breath hitching slightly as she leaned into his touch.
In that moment, there was no need for words. Their bodies spoke a language all their own, a silent sonata of longing and love as clothing fell to the floor in a frenzy of passion.
As he leaned in to capture her lips again, she responded eagerly, her hands finding their way to his back, pulling him closer. The kiss deepened, a beautiful crescendo of delight and desire echoing throughout the room.
His hands roamed over her body, memorizing every curve and dip as if committing her to memory with a hunger neither wanted to stop. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. “So petite. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’m not a delicate flower, Trent,” she murmured, urging him on.
He worshipped every inch of her skin with tender kisses and caresses, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. Savannah arched to his touch, with little moans escaping her lips as he brought her to the brink of ecstasy again and again.
In turn, her hands traced the contours of Trent’s body, feeling the strength and warmth beneath his skin. Every caress, every kiss was a declaration of her love and longing for this man who had captured her heart and imagination from that first day.
Her heart fluttered as his lips met hers, his hands tangled in her hair while their bodies moved together in a rhythm as old as the universe. Entwined in that beautiful dance, skin glistening and glowing from love, everything around them faded away. It was simply two souls coming together.
It unfolded like a delicate flower blooming at the first touch of sunlight, each petal revealing a new layer of beauty and desire. In that small bedroom, with the scent of vanilla and lavender lingering in the air, they created a world of their own making, where time stood still and only the echoes of their shared longing and lust filled the space.
Time stretched out the seconds into eternity while squeezing hours into mere heartbeats. Every kiss, every caress was a testament to a silent promise of something neither wanted to say. Their hunger bordered on desperation where only they existed, and life was a lesser gamble.
But their cocoon was too short-lived.
As they lay in bed, Savannah spoke first. “I don’t want to leave and go out into the cold tonight. I want to turn over, cover up my head, and never leave this spot.”
Trent’s gaze locked on hers, his eyes blazing with a raw intensity that made her heart race. “I want you to know that I’ve never felt this way before about anyone else,” he breathed, his voice husky with emotion.
A shiver ran down her spine at his declaration, her own feelings bubbling to the surface. “I was afraid that what I felt wasn’t real because it was too soon, much too soon,” she confessed, her voice barely audible as she ran a hand through his hair.
He tugged her closer. “I never thought I’d feel this way about anyone. I’ve heard guys talk about falling hard for a woman, but never had it happen to me.”
“Did Tate confess she played a little bit of matchmaker? She kept talking up this brother of hers like he was a combination of Brad Pitt and George Clooney.”
Trent’s face turned red. “You’re kidding.”
“Okay, maybe I made that last part up, but in my mind, I kept seeing those two men repeatedly.”
He sputtered with laughter. “Did I mention you have a wicked sense of humor? I like that about you.”
She gazed at Trent with adoration, her eyes shining with love and mischief. “Well, I figured if Tate was going to go through all that trouble to set us up, I might as well give you a chance,” she teased, her fingers playing with the hairs on his chest.
“You realize we need to get dressed,” Trent mumbled.
“I know, but I’m trying not to think about it.”
As they prepared to step back into the outside world, Trent was the first to crawl out of bed. Savannah watched him dress, feeling a surge of gratitude for this man who had walked into her life like a beacon of light in the darkness.
As she scooted closer, Trent brushed a gentle kiss against Savannah’s forehead as she leaned into him, savoring the warmth of the embrace and the steady beat of his heart against her own. In that moment, surrounded by the afterglow of lovemaking, both knew they were about to abandon their bubble of contentment for the angry, outside world.
“We’re running late again,” Trent said, glancing at the numerous text messages on his phone. “Hawk wants to know if we’re still doing the patrols.”
“We could call it off,” Savannah replied, hopefully. But she knew they had to endure the pretense at least one more night. “I don’t know why I said that. We need to keep this going and make it look like our last patrol in case he has a partner.”
“I’m sorry to put you through this again. If tomorrow night is successful, maybe we’re rounding the last bend.”
“It’s okay. I volunteered, remember? If everyone pretends to leave, he may think he’s won, and the trap will work.”
“But you didn’t know what you were signing up for? No one did,” Trent said as he finished getting dressed and pulled on his boots.
When they finally made their way back outside, the chilly night air nipped at their skin, a sharp contrast to the warmth that still lingered between them. Savannah shivered slightly, prompting Trent to wrap his coat around her shoulders protectively. They walked side by side, their steps in sync as they made their way to the stables where everyone waited.