A Wonderful Kind of Love (Kinds of Love 2)

The room phone rang and I shuffled my feet to answer it. Probably just housekeeping asking if I wanted turn-down service. “Hello?”

“Lena?” Aiden's voice crackled across the line.

“Aiden?” I hoped the almost absurd amount of happiness in my voice didn't scare him off.

“You want to go fishing with me?” he asked.

“Fishing?” I repeated, making sure I had heard the correct word.

“Do I have to answer in the form of a question?” I could hear the smile in his voice. “Yes, fishing. I have a boat at the docks and the weather is beautiful.”

I thought about it for a moment. I had never really understood the appeal of putting worms on a hook and hoping something ate one, but the idea of spending the afternoon out on the water with Aiden sounded absolutely fantastic. “Sure! Let me change and I'll be right there.”

“Okay,” he said, sounding excited. “Dock two. I'll see you soon.”

I hung up the phone and did a happy dance across the room. I had the rest of the day to play with my new favorite person. I quickly changed into a cute, red two-piece with polka dots, a pair of board shorts, and a light t-shirt. Sunscreen and a towel went in a bag and with a pair of sandals on my feet, I was out the door in no time.

I easily found the dock on the water's edge. Aiden waved to me from the bow of a speed boat and I hurried over to him. The boat was painted a sparkly, deep blue and had two leather seats in the front and a larger square area in the back where we could sit and fish.

“Ahoy, matey,” Aiden called out as I came over. I grinned.

“Ahoy,” I repeated, feeling like a pirate. “Permission to come aboard?”

Aiden grinned and reached a hand out over the boat. “Permission most certainly granted.”

I took his hand, soaking in the warmth and strength as he helped me up onto the boat deck. My sandals slipped on the smooth surface of the deck, but he kept me up. I gave him a bashful grin.

“It's easier if you just go barefoot,” he advised. I noticed he wasn't wearing shoes either, so I slipped them off and tucked them into my bag. “Ready?”

I nodded and together we sat down in the two leather seats in the front of the boat. The engine purred to life and he carefully navigated us out into open water.

“Where'd you get the boat?” I asked, pulling my hair up into a ponytail. “It's nice.”

“I rented it from the resort,” he explained. The water was darker as we went out further, but still just as clear. “I know a great little fishing spot not too far from here. Ready?”

“Sure,” I replied, peering down at the water. It looked like I could reach out and touch the bottom of the ocean the water was so clear, but I had a feeling that it was far deeper than I could reach. “I hope you're not spending all your money on me.”

“Don't you worry about what I'm spending,” he chastised. “It all gets written off by the company anyway. Just enjoy yourself and don't think too much.”

Aiden revved the engine and the boat took off. I squealed in delight at the sudden speed as we zoomed across the water. The wind and spray of the ocean were exhilarating. I giggled as he zigged and zagged through the waves, turning tight circles and catching air off some of the waves. My hair streamed out behind me and my eyes watered from the speed, but I didn't want him to stop. I loved it.

All too soon he slowed the boat to the original slow putter before stopping it completely. I could just barely see the faint outline of the island on the horizon. Other than some birds and the fish, the two of us were completely alone in a world of blue sky and sapphire water. It was suddenly very quiet without the roar of the engine and the wind rushing past my ears.

“That was awesome,” I said breathlessly. My face hurt from smiling so wide. “Where did you learn to do that?”

“One of the guys I went to college with had a brother who was really into sailing. I spent a lot of time out on the water with him.”

“This isn't exactly a sailboat,” I said, looking at the very important lack of sail on our speedboat.

“I know,” Aiden replied with a grin. “His brother and I would specifically take out a speedboat just to piss him off.”

Aiden stood from the driver's seat and went to the back of the boat. I followed him with my eyes as he lifted one of the seat cushions in the back and pulled out a picnic basket. “You hungry?”

My stomach growled, answering for me. “I guess so,” I replied with a laugh.

I moved carefully to the back of the boat to sit on the bench next to Aiden. He placed the basket on the floor and began to pull out food. There were sandwiches, chips, several cans of soda, cookies, and a big bowl of fresh fruit.

“I didn't know what kind of sandwich you would want,” he told me as he pulled out more sandwiches than we could possibly eat. “So I got turkey, PB&J, and ham. Condiments are all on the side.”