Page 67 of My Destiny

“How was that?” Logan asks, sliding his hands under my arms and lifting me down.

“Amazing! How did you organise this in such a small amount of time?”

“I have connections,” he says, shrugging.Of course he does.

“If you head that way,” the pilot says, pointing towards a line of trees, “you’ll find a track that will lead you to your final destination.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll pick you up in this spot in four hours.”

“Perfect,” Logan says, shaking his hand.

“Smell that fresh air,” I say, as he entwines his fingers through mine.

“Today I don’t want to think about anything but us.”

“You’re all I ever think about,” I say because it’s the truth. He consumes my every thought.

“You’re all I think about too, babe.” He pulls our conjoined hands towards his face, placing a kiss on my knuckles.

When we reach the end of the trail and step out from between the trees, I pause. “Wow!” I breathe as I take in the white sand and crystal-clear water before me.

“Our own private beach for the day,” he says, beaming. “You like?”

“I love it.”

He turns to face me and places the cooler bag on the sand before sliding his arms around my waist. His expression turns serious as he brushes a strand of wayward hair from my forehead. “Do you love it as much as you love me? Because I love you more than I’ve loved anybody or anything in my life?”

“You love me?” I can hear the shock in my voice as I speak. That’s the last thing I expected him to say.

“I do,” he says, dropping his gaze. “With every fibre of my being.” He pulls my face into his chest, holding me tight. “You don’t have to say it back. I just wanted you to know how much you mean to me.” He loosens his grip and draws back to make eye contact with me again. “I know we haven’t been together that long, and you may even think I’m crazy for saying it, but when you know, you just know. If that makes sense.”

“It makes complete sense.”

“When I’m with you, I’m the happiest I’ve ever felt, and when we’re apart, you’re all I think about.” The corners of his mouth turn up into a smile as he speaks. “If I’m honest, I think you stole a piece of my heart all those months ago back in Melbourne, but you belonged to somebody else back then, so there was nothing I could do about it.”

“Oh, Hot Stuff.” Reaching up, I run my hand tenderly down the side of his face. In my heart, I know I love him too, but I’m not ready to admit that just yet. Pushing up on the tips of my toes, I place my lips against his.

“If I’d known what awaited you the day you left the hospital, I never would’ve let you face that alone.”

“Let’s not talk about that today.”

“You’re right,” he says, looking down at his watch. “We have three hours and forty-two minutes left until the helicopter comes back.” He takes hold of my hand, leading me further down the beach. “What do you think of this spot?”

“It’s perfect.”

He places the bag down and unzips it. I see there’s a folded blanket sitting on top. He pulls it out, shaking it open. “Help me spread this out.”

I’m smiling as I reach for it. I hope he knows how much he means to me.

I open my mouth and take a bite of the plump red strawberry as Logan holds it out to me. Today has exceeded all my expectations. “We should’ve brought our swimwear,” I say. “The turquoise water looks so inviting.”

Pushing up, he stands. “Who needs swimwear?” Reaching behind him, he grabs the neckline of his t-shirt and pulls it over his head before dropping it down on the blanket. His shorts sit low on his hips, revealing his delicious ‘V.’ My gaze travels up his body, and over his sculpted abs. He’s a work of art.

My eyes widen when he pops the button on his shorts, before slowly pulling down the zip. “What are you doing?” I ask.

“Going for a swim,” he replies, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of his boxer briefs and sliding them down his legs.