Nothing Left to Lose (Guarded Hearts 1)

“Come on, I know you’re hungry, let’s go eat. You’ll need to build up your strength if you’re hoping to keep up with me on this trip,” I teased playfully.

The lustful look that crossed his face made my body tingle. “In that case, I’d better eat twice as much as normal if I’m going to be burning off a lot of energy,” he answered, smiling at me. I rolled my eyes, fighting to keep the smile off my lips, but failing miserably.

“Come on, before all the cocktails are gone.” I looped his camera over my wrist as we stepped out of the cool air conditioned room and into the fresh muggy air of paradise. His hand closed over mine as we walked along the little pathway towards the beach. The sun’s rays were bouncing off of the ocean making it glitter and sparkle.

The water sports hut caught my attention. “Want to try snorkelling tomorrow?”

He shrugged easily. “Whatever you want, Baby Girl.”

Of course, he led us over to the outdoor grill that the manager had mentioned. His eyes lit up like a starving man that had just been given his first meal in a year when he saw the array of foods being cooked on the four large open grills. It took a surprisingly long time for him to make up his mind, and once we had two enormous plates laden with food, we headed off to the side so we could sit on the beach and eat.

As I sat, he smiled down at me and held out his plate. “Hold this for me. I’ll be right back,” he stated, grinning. I frowned, confused, but took his plate anyway, watching as he strutted off towards a little beach hut about twenty yards away. His eyes never left me for more than a couple of seconds the whole time he was away from me. When he turned back to me, I smiled at the two coconuts in his hand.

“What’s that?” I asked, eyeing them curiously. Fruit skewers, curly straws and mini umbrellas poked out of the top of each one.

Ashton sat beside me and held one of the coconuts out to me. “It’s a cocktail. This one is called sex on the beach,” he replied.

I raised one eyebrow, holding my laugh at bay. “Seriously?” I took the drink, swishing the orangey-red liquid around with my straw.

“Yep.”

I giggled. “Well, I think I’m gonna like these.”

One of his eyebrows rose as he nodded and let his eyes slip down to the V at the front of my dress. “Me too.”

Trying to hide the blush that I could feel creeping over my cheeks, I took a sip. The sweetness of it made my taste buds tingle and my eyes widen in shock. It was delicious. “Holy crap, that’s good! Has it got alcohol in it?” I asked, taking another mouthful.

Ashton nodded and laughed, pulling the straw from between my lips. “Yeah, so slow down. There’s quite a lot of alcohol in it.”

While we ate, I pressed against his side and looked out over the sea as the sun started to set even though it was still very early evening. The sunset was so romantic and breathtaking that it made my heart throb. The dazzling colours in the sky were reflected in the ocean making it twice as spectacular. The whole time, Ashton’s arm was wrapped around me tightly.

Once the stars started to make their appearance, tinkering, tinny music caught my attention; the beautiful sounds floating down the beach towards us. I laid my head on his shoulder and sighed contentedly.

“Want to go check out that band?” he offered.

“Sure.” Without another word, he eased my head off his shoulder and pushed himself to his feet, holding his hands down to me. I smiled up at him, slipping my hands into his. “You’re so damn romantic, Ashton. Are you sure you’ve never had a girlfriend before?”

He grinned. “You’re my first and only,” he answered, looking into my eyes, making my heart melt.

We held hands as we walked to the largest building that Kyle had pointed out as being the hub of the resort. The reception was beautiful, rustic and entirely made of wood. The music was luring us in from the back, and we followed a couple of other guests through the reception to a door at the back signposted as the lounge. I gasped as I stepped outside. It was unlike any lounge I’d ever been in before; in fact, how it could be classed as a lounge when it was outside was beyond me. It was essentially a clearing in the trees large enough to fit about twenty candle lit tables. A little wooden staging area had been constructed off to the right, and a steel band were currently playing some gentle melody that brought a smile to my face. People swayed to the music on a makeshift dance floor that was made of decking. The whole place was lit by gas lamps that hung from the trees and fairy lights that had been wrapped around tree trunks. A little hut with a straw roof served as a makeshift bar, and I could see people sipping on coconut cocktails like the one I’d had earlier.

“Wow. This place is beautiful,” I murmured.

Ashton’s hands cupped my face gently before his lips claimed mine in a kiss that was so heartfelt and special that it even made the magical place fade into insignificance. “It’s incredible,” he confirmed. “In fact, the only thing I’ve ever seen that is more beautiful than this place, is you.” My heart melted at his words, and I bit my lip so I didn’t let my confession of love accidentally tumble from my lips. “Let’s dance,” he whispered, tugging me forward gently as he pulled me flush against him.

I beamed up at him, wrapping my arms around his neck as we stepped up onto the decking and started swaying to the beat of the music. His arms were looped around my waist the whole night, holding me tightly against him. His eyes seemed to have me hypnotised because, while we danced, everything else and everyone seemed to disappear, leaving only us in our own little island paradise. In Ashton’s arms, nothing else was important, and I knew it would feel that way for me forever.