He moved across the room and wrapped her in his arms. “You’re right. I am yours,” he said, seconds before he lowered his mouth to brush against hers. They slid into a long, slow kiss that seemed to go on forever.
When Cora finally broke the kiss, they were both breathless. A look of infinite regret on her face, she said, “As much as I hate to stop you, dinner is ready.”
Jamie stroked a finger down her cheek and said, “We’ve got time.”
A little over an hour later, Jamie leaned back against the one of the jets and let it work at a knot in his lower back. Cora curled against his side and said, “This is awesome.”
“Yeah, it is,” he agreed as he wrapped his arm around her waist and moved her so she sat on his lap.
He leaned her forward, so she perched at the edge of his knees and then dug his thumbs into her shoulders. When she let out a soft groan, he continued to knead her neck and shoulders. He let himself momentarily enjoy the feeling of her lax shoulder muscles before he worked his way down between her shoulder blades.
Eventually, when he reached a point where he couldn’t massage any further where they were, he pulled her back against him.
She settled back against him comfortably. Her voice was almost slurred when she said, “That was amazing, Jamie. Thank you.”
“Thank you,” he responded. “For this. I didn’t realize how much I needed to get away. I can’t remember the last time I felt this relaxed.”
“I feel like cooked spaghetti right now,” Cora said.
“Mm,” Jamie said, tightening his arms around her. “You do look good enough to eat.”
He pressed his lips to her neck and then laughed when she only gave a slight wiggle. It seemed that hot tub debauchery would have to wait for another time. Judging by the way that Cora slumped against him, she had to be exhausted.
He shifted and said, “Sweetheart, I’m wiped out. Let’s go rinse off and go to bed.”
“‘Kay,” Cora agreed, sleepily.
As they dried off, shivering in the cool sea breeze, Jamie wrapped his arms around her. Pressing his chest to her back, he propelled them quickly toward the sliding glass door. They ran, shivering, up the stairs and into their bedroom.
They stripped out of their suits and clambered toward the huge bathroom. Jamie opted to heat up the shower rather than fill the tub. Cora was a little more alert now, but she still swayed on her feet.
As he twisted the knobs until the water was warm but not scalding, he asked, “When did you get up?”
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Cora gave a yawn and said, “Five this morning. I had to grocery shop and take everything into the office, then ran out here on lunch to deliver it and get the keys from the realtor. I squeezed in a half-hour phone session with a patient having a panic attack. I’m glad you ran a little later than you thought you’d be. Today was busy.”
“Aw. Come here, baby,” he said, directing her under the warm spray. He dug quickly though his toiletry bag and got out his shampoo and soap. When he looked back at her, her chin was resting on her chest. He decided she’d be okay with smelling a little manly for an evening.
He stepped into the huge shower and squirted some shampoo into his palm. Carefully, he tilted her head back and washed her hair. She reached up and made a token protest, but gave up when he said, “I’ve got it. Just relax.”
Fifteen minutes later, no longer itchy from the chlorine in the hot tub, they both slid under the covers. Next to him, Cora let out a small sigh of contentment and said, “Night, baby,” as she curled up next to him.
“Night,” he said, and then pressed his lips against her temple.
* * * *
Jamie poked the center of the steaks on the grill. They were getting close, but weren’t quite done yet. He glanced into the kitchen, where Cora was baking potatoes and making a salad. He couldn’t help but grin when she spotted him watching her and then blew him a kiss.
Today had been incredible. He’d gotten up early and made breakfast for them both, and then they went walking on the beach. They must have walked at least three or four miles. He could feel tightness in his calf muscles already.
They had stopped at a little Tiki hut on the beach and had lunch. He’d also managed to get in the swim he had wanted. It had been fucking cold. His boys were only just starting to creep back out of his body and it had been a little over an hour. Swimming had been a bad idea.
Cora had stood on the shoreline laughing. She told him there was no way in hell she was getting more than knee-deep in the water. Despite his attempts to coax her into the water with him, she’d stayed firm. Smart girl.
He gave the steaks another poke and decided they were ready. Leaning over, he cut the gas from the grill off and then put the steaks back on the plate. Once again, he was starving.
After they enjoyed a leisurely dinner out on the patio, they sprawled out on the deck chairs and listened to the ocean for a while. When the sea breeze kicked up, he moved out of his lounge chair and stood next to hers. He held out a hand and asked, “Wanna go inside, baby? It’s starting to get a little cold out here.”