Page 72 of What I Like About You

Chapter Twenty-Four

Zara awoketo the sound of the front door of the Lucky Star slamming shut. The plushness that surrounded her made her want to settle deeper into it rather than make any attempt to get up. Her body still felt heavy with drowsiness, and it wouldn’t be hard to slip right back into the dream world she’d been in.

The only thing was, she wasn’t quite sure that dream world was actually better than the one she was waking up to. To say last night had been a dream would have been an understatement. Never in her life could she have dreamt up a night like that. Last night had turned one of the worst events of her life into one of the best. Everything about the makeshift prom had been incredible, and she’d meant it when she’d told him that it was better than the first. But for that much fun to be followed up by a quiet movie night that was just them, like they used to have back in high school, was the cherry on top of the sundae. Oh, and the sex. How could she forget that?

Because it wasn’t just sex, was it? Sex was just two people getting their rocks off. Last night had been more than that. It was soul-reaching and life-altering. It was the kind of moment that you measured all others against, and Zara couldn’t help but wonder if making love to Dalton could be that good every time.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” he said, setting a tray on the cart where the movie snacks had been, before coming over and sitting on the side of the bed. He was wearing a pair of cargo shorts and a T-shirt, rather than his suit, so he must have just gotten back from his room. “Sleep well?”

“I did,” she said, her voice still sounding slightly drowsy. She pushed herself up and propped herself against the headboard, raising her arms in a long, slow stretch. She watched Dalton’s eyes linger on her bare breasts as they moved with her stretching. Butterflies fluttered in her tummy at the memory of his mouth on them last night and the pleasure he made her feel. The way he loved her body was something that she wasn’t quite used to, but it filled her with glee nonetheless.

“You were asleep pretty much the moment your head hit that pillow,” he laughed, kissing her forehead. “I had muffins and mimosas delivered.”

“Yummy!”

“You stay right there, I’ll bring the goodies to you,” he said with another forehead kiss. Damn, a girl could get used to those. “I also had a change of clothes brought over for you. I’m not really sure what was brought, so you might still want to run back to your room before our adventure today, but at least this way you don’t have to walk across the resort in your prom dress.”

He handed her a small plate with one of Miller’s magic muffins and a glass with a very pale orange liquid in it. Zara took a sip of the mimosa and relished it as the bubbles hit her tongue. What was it about the combination of orange juice and champagne that was just so wonderful? Leave it to Dalton to know just how she liked her mimosa.

“Adventure?”

“Yeah, I wanna take you somewhere. I know it’s the one day that Drea didn’t have you guys all booked up at the spa, but Antwan said you hadn’t really made plans, so I was thinking I could kidnap you for the day.”

“I can’t wait.”

After finishing up their breakfast, and a not-so-quick shower together that resulted in the need for separate, more productive showers, they made a quick stop at the Purple Rain to pick up a better outfit for Zara. As much as she loved the sundress that Antwan had sent along with her flip-flops, she was pretty sure it was not an outfit conducive for whatever “adventure” Dalton was going to take her on.

By midmorning they were on their way. Dalton borrowed a Jeep from the resort, and Zara loved the feel of the wind in her hair as they drove along the winding roads of the island. As they drove through Charlotte Amalie, she was surprised by how much of a regular town it looked like. She wasn’t sure why that surprised her—of course it was a regular town. But the thought had never occurred to her that there was a whole island past the resort and that people actually lived here.

“This is like, a real town,” she commented as they sat at a stop light. “That sounds crazy, I know.”

“No, I get it. When I first arrived it took a moment to wrap my head around too. But Drea and Lee grew up here, so they were a massive help in me figuring it all out. A lot of the stuff downtown here is still tourist-related—shops, bars, restaurants. The places the locals go to are a little farther out.”

“What was it like? Learning to live here?” she asked. She was so curious about this part of his life and how he made it all work. How did one live in paradise full time? As much fun as it was to imagine, she didn’t think she could actually do it. Although she was unsure why she was even allowing herself to imagine it. It’s not like once she got started working on the new show that she’d be able to be based here.

“Easier since I was able to live on-site and didn’t have to worry about finding an apartment or car. But life moves at a different pace here, especially on the resort. So much is the same week to week, but the people never are. We have weeks where the guests are amazing, and you’re sad to see them leave. We have this one couple who are just awesome—they come twice a year. And then we have weeks where certain guests just can’t leave soon enough. But even though the people are different, every Tuesday we have a bonfire, and every weekend The Casbah turns into a nightclub.”

“Doesn’t that get monotonous?”

“No, actually. We find ways to make it our own. You missed out on the bonfire, but we have our own little section we sit in every week. Drea and her uncles take bets on things they think will happen during the bonfire, and whoever loses has to wear this ratty old shirt they’ve been passing around for years.”

“Is that what she was wearing on the boat the other day?”

“That’s it!”

The smile on Dalton’s face was bright enough to light up the entire city. Zara could tell just by the tone of his voice that he loved his life down here and that he was happy. Just the thought of that, though, made the pit in her stomach start to grow. She was leaving tomorrow, heading back to her life in Atlanta. Her big, busy life, that was only about to get bigger and busier with this new venture. She loved her life, but she also loved Dalton. She wanted both.

Would he ever consider coming back? He’d had that argument with his dad the other night on the phone, but just because he returned to Atlanta didn’t mean he had to return to Southland Holdings. He didn’t have to agree to run the soccer team just because Big D has purchased the franchise. There were all sorts of things he could do. Any number of people would hire him based on his degrees and experience alone, much less his name. Hell, her own dad would kill to have him on staff at his company. But she couldn’t let herself think about all that now. She wanted to enjoy the day ahead and the little time she had left with him in paradise.

“Are you going to tell me where we are going?” she asked, changing the subject. They were winding through the hills now, with lush vegetation on either side of the road. Everything was so green and beautiful.

“Some place special,” he answered. “Almost as special as you.”

* * *

Pullinginto the gated community that led to the trailhead, Dalton couldn’t help but feel alive. The sun was shining, there were only a few clouds in the sky, and more importantly, his girl was here with him. The magical night they’d shared that had led into a pretty perfect morning had him buzzing like nothing he’d ever experienced before. He had no idea it was possible to be this happy. No wonder Kyle and Cullen had those dopey grins on their faces half the time these days. Knowing that the woman you loved returned those feelings could put that grin on anyone.

Looking at her now, in her leggings, T-shirt, and sneakers, Zara looked just as beautiful as she had the night before all dolled up. She could be covered from head to toe in mud and he’d still think of her as beautiful though. There probably wasn’t anything she could do that would change his mind on that, since no matter what she was wearing, underneath it all she was still her. Smart, loving, kind, quirky Zara. Those were all the things that had made him fall for her when they were younger, and they were all the things that had him falling all over again now.