Page 45 of Her Paramedic (Men in Uniforms #3)

S late pulled up to Talia’s house at a quarter past eight in the morning. Their destination was three hours away, and he wanted them to arrive before lunchtime. He knocked on the door and only had to wait momentarily before it opened.

“Hey, baby,” she greeted, rising on her toes to kiss him.

“Hey, gorgeous.”

She stepped aside to let him in. “I’m almost ready. I’m double-checking that I have everything.”

Slate didn’t mind. He’d told her they would leave at eight-thirty, so she still had time.

He followed her down the hall to the bedroom, where her suitcase lay open on the bed.

Leaning against the wall, he watched her finish checking that she had everything.

She zipped her suitcase before grabbing her phone charger and placing it into her purse.

“You have your EpiPen?” he asked.

“Yes. Pen and vial.”

Slate grabbed the suitcase off the bed. As long as she had that, he didn’t care if she forgot anything else. He could buy whatever it was.

They exited the house, Talia pausing to lock the door behind them. Slate loaded her suitcase into the trunk with his own before getting into the car. He’d just backed out of her driveway when Talia turned to put her purse in the backseat and paused.

“You brought your med kit?”

“I did. I wanted to have it just in case.”

She hummed, turning back around in her seat. “You don’t think you’re being a little paranoid. I told you I’d be more careful.”

“Sometimes it doesn’t matter how careful you are, baby. Accidents can happen, and I’ll be as paranoid as I need to if it means I can take care of you if something occurs.”

“Remind me to show my appreciation for you being so sweet when we get to…” she trailed off, and Slate chuckled.

“Nice try.”

“You know the signs will give it away.”

“Then when they do, you’ll know.”

Talia sighed. “Fine. What’s in the shopping bags back there?”

“Just a few things for the trip,” he responded. “You want to stop and grab breakfast before we get out of town, or wait?”

“We can stop,” Talia replied. “We can go to the donut shop before the interstate. They have the best boudin balls.”

Slate stopped fifteen minutes later at the donut shop, and then they hit the road.

The sounds of soft music filled the car, and he glanced at Talia to see her paying attention to which lane they were in.

Not that it would give her any sign of where they were going so soon.

He still found it cute that she was trying to figure it out before they arrived.

“I know Killian probably already told you, but he and Journee are doing Independence Day at their house,” Talia responded.

“Yeah, he told me. We take turns hosting it each year and have this ongoing tug-of-war contest. We’ve all already put in for the time off.”

“You’ve been taking so much time off lately, and I get it, but you’re never going to earn back all your PTO.”

Slate shrugged. “It isn’t a big deal. With PTO, I find someone to cover my shift, and I get paid for it. Without it, someone still covers my shift, and I don’t.”

Taking unpaid time off didn’t affect him. Being a silent partner in their security firm paid well. He made a lower monthly salary and quarterly dividends, which fluctuated depending on his level of activity.

“What do you think we should take?”

“Whatever you want to, baby, but remind me to get more gloves.”

“Gloves?” Talia inquired, turning in her seat to look at him.

“I need to get some new ones for the tug-of-war contest.”

“Okay. Maybe we can find you some when we get to…” she trailed off, and Slate chuckled.

“When we get to where we’re going,” he supplied.

“Baby,” she whined. “Why won’t you tell me?”

“Because that’s the whole point of a surprise. Besides, you said it yourself. The signs will give it away, eventually.”

“Exactly. So you can tell me.”

“I enjoy watching you try to figure it out,” he responded with a smirk, and she reached over and poked his cheek.

“Mean.”

Slate chuckled. “We’ve established that you like me mean.”

“Only in certain situations. Not when I’m trying to get my way,” she countered.

“I’ve clearly spoiled you too much,” he joked.

“You might be right, but that doesn’t mean you get to stop.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

W hen they arrived at their destination, Slate followed the signs to their cabin as Talia took in the scenery.

The property had a main chateau which contained fourteen suites and five cabins.

He’d mildly thought about booking a suite, but decided that would be inconsiderate because they’d keep up whoever stayed in the rooms next to them.

He parked in front of their cabin, and they exited the car. He went to the trunk while his girlfriend took in the lush nature around them.

“I’ve lived in Colorado my entire life, and I’ve never been to Grand Lake,” she admitted. “It’s so pretty.”

“We aren’t far from Rocky Mountain National Park, and the lake is about a quarter of a mile that way,” he told her, nodding in that direction as he removed their suitcases. “The property also has a small lake with a few gazebos.”

“We should check it out.”

They were going to. It was where he planned for them to have dinner that night.

The objective of their trip was to relax, and Slate hadn’t wanted to jam too much into the days they would be there.

It was also why he chose a serene place.

He wanted the atmosphere of it to carry over to their vacation.

Talia grabbed her purse and the shopping bags from the backseat, and they entered the cabin after he keyed in the code.

“You can put those in the kitchen, baby,” Slate instructed before taking the suitcases into the bedroom.

When he returned to the open floor plan, he found Talia unpacking the bags. She pulled out a container of strawberries, and he could tell she recognized the container they were in and knew he’d picked them up from the farmer’s market they’d gone to last month.

“Strawberries?” she asked, holding them up.

Slate took them from her, pulling her into his chest. “You wouldn’t let me try them the way I wanted to last time. What better time to remedy that than this weekend?”

“You’re insatiable,” she responded.

“Never said I wasn’t.” He kissed her. “Why don’t we relax for a bit, and then we’ll have lunch at the lake.”

“Sounds like fun. What else are we doing today?”

“Dinner, dessert, each other.”

Talia shook her head at him with a fond smile. “Sounds like a perfect day.”

“I thought so.”

Slate helped her finish putting everything away, and he pulled her over to the couch, handing her the remote. He didn’t need to pick up the order he’d placed until one-thirty, so they had a couple of hours to kill.

? ─ · ─ · ─ · ─ · ─ · ─ · ─ ?

T alia leaned against Slate’s chest, enjoying the breeze off the lake.

They’d enjoyed a lakeside picnic for lunch, and the weather was so nice she wasn’t ready to head back yet.

She expected it to be rowdy or for there to be more people than there were.

But she assumed most people ventured there on Saturday or Sunday, and there would likely be even more for the upcoming holiday.

“Are we going hiking tomorrow?” she asked.

“Tomorrow morning. Then we’ll head downtown later in the afternoon.”

Talia shifted, raising a brow at him when he didn’t continue. “What are we doing when we get there? And don’t say it’s a surprise because we’re here now.”

Slate chuckled. “Whatever you want to. There’s a go-kart track and different shops and restaurants.”

“Go-karts sound like fun. Are you going to cry when I beat you?” she teased.

“Mm…maybe.” He placed his lips to her ear. “But I’ll make you cry in a different way.”

Talia bit her lip briefly. “You can try.”

“Remember, you gave me permission later.”

She laughed, turning back towards the lake. She had trouble thinking when he was pleasuring her. They both knew she wouldn’t remember what she said, but he’d damn sure remind her.

They stayed at the lake for another hour before folding the blanket they’d brought with them and heading back to the cabin. When they arrived, Slate tossed the blanket onto the armchair and sat on the couch. Talia stretched out, laying her head in his lap.

“What time are we going to dinner?” she inquired.

“You can take a nap,” he responded, and she wasn’t surprised he knew what she was really asking.

Talia turned on her side, face pressed against his abdomen, breathing in the scent of his cologne, and allowing it to lull her to sleep.

T alia took herself in one last time before exiting the bathroom.

Slate hadn’t told her where they were going for dinner, but she’d seen him pull out a pair of slacks and a black button-up.

She’d only packed a couple of things to wear if they went out, and chose the one she thought best matched what he was wearing.

She didn’t want to be over or underdressed.

She exited the bathroom and found Slate waiting for her on the couch.

She took a moment to take him in. It didn’t matter that she got to look at him whenever she wanted to.

Her man was fine, and she would always stop to enjoy the view.

His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone.

“You look gorgeous,” he complimented, standing.

“Thank you, babe. You look quite handsome yourself.”

“Thanks, baby.” He looked at his watch. “We should go.”

Talia took his offered hand and allowed him to lead her out of the cabin.

They bypassed the car and headed toward the main chateau.

The sun was setting and would soon disappear.

She wasn’t sure how many other people were currently staying, having only seen the one couple on their way back from the lake.

She had noticed several cars parked in the main parking area of the chateau, and they’d passed a cabin with a car parked outside it on their way to the lake.

When they passed the chateau, instead of going inside it, she squeezed Slate’s hand to get his attention. “Where are we going?”

“It’s not much further.”

After another five minutes, they arrived at a gazebo beside the lake.

There were string lights wrapped around the post, and fairy lights hung from the dome, glowing softly.

The sun setting on the other side of the small lake cast delicate hues.

A table sat in the middle, the centerpiece a vase of beautiful white roses.

Talia turned to him, took his face in her hands, and pulled him down into a kiss.

Where had this man been all her life? He constantly surprised her with the things he did, and she knew it was because she wasn’t used to having so much effort put into the relationships she was in, if it wasn’t inside the bedroom.

Slate continuously showed her they were striving for the same thing.

Once they pulled apart, he pulled her chair out for her before taking his across from her.

She knew she didn’t have to say anything, knew that he was aware of how appreciative she was, and even if she said it, he would tell her she didn’t have to, but she couldn’t stop herself from expressing her gratitude.

“Thank you, baby. It’s gorgeous.”

“You never have to thank me for doing something I want to do,” he responded.

“I know, but that won’t stop me from doing it.”

Their conversation paused as a golf cart pulled up. The woman driving it greeted them before setting the table, pouring wine, putting the bottle in a bucket of ice, placing dishes in front of them, removing the cloche, and placing a few soft mints.

“Bon appétit!” the woman stated enthusiastically before getting back into the golf cart and driving away.

They enjoyed their dinner, watching the last remnants of the sun disappear and basking in the peaceful silence.

They were the only ones there, and Talia wondered if it was because others were having dinner in the chateau, were out on the town, or if it was by design. If her boyfriend had made that happen.

When they finished dinner, Talia took a mint and turned her attention out over the lake, watching the moon reflect on its surface.

A few minutes later, she returned her gaze to Slate.

She’d felt him staring at her and was used to being under his gaze, but this felt different.

He said nothing as he stood, extending his hand, and she took it, allowing him to lead them to the side of the gazebo closest to the water.

He pulled a small box from his pocket. Talia was familiar with them at this point and knew that it was a charm for her bracelet. She took it from him, opening it to find a pretty dove shaped out of moonstone.

“A dove?” she asked. All the other charms he’d given her were themed to her profession and platinum.

“You remember asking me if you said anything embarrassing after you had your tooth pulled, and I told you it was that I couldn’t kiss you?”

Talia furrowed her brow, not sure what that had to do with the cute little dove in the box. Unless she had said something embarrassing about them and he’d waited to tell her.

“I do.”

“You did say something else.”

“About doves?” she inquired.

Slate chuckled. “No. The dove is because I think hearts are cliche and overused. You asked me if I wanted to know a secret, and told me I loved you, but I didn’t know it yet.”

Talia did not remember saying that, but she hadn’t remembered telling him he couldn’t kiss her either. She wracked her brain for anything to say, but what was there to say when she didn’t even recall the situation? He took her face in his hands.

“Then I asked you if you wanted to know a secret and told you I did know it.” Talia’s eyes widened at his words. “But it was a secret that you didn’t remember, and I want you to remember this time. I also don’t want it to be a secret. I love you, Talia.”

“I love you.”

No sooner than the words were spoken, his lips were on hers, stealing the breath from her lungs.

They’d kissed plenty of times before, but this was different.

They were both pouring their sentiments into the action, showing and not just telling.

Talia decided that if she died right then from loss of oxygen, she’d be a happy woman.

When he pulled away, all she wanted to do was pull him back and get lost in him, but she reminded herself that, regardless of them being alone at the lake, they were in public. Though that hadn’t stopped them before.

Slate removed the charm from the box and placed it onto her bracelet, and Talia couldn’t help but smile at it. A dove made of moonstone. Both the animal and the gem were symbols of love.

“Do we need to wait on them?” she asked, gesturing towards their discarded dishes on the table. Her boyfriend shook his head. “Good.” She took his hand and began leading them back the way they came. “We’re having strawberries for dessert.”