The next day, Jonathon and Octavia found themselves back on Lanikai Beach. Sitting across from each other, they ate pancakes, turkey bacon, and scrambled eggs. Octavia lifted a glass of water to her lips and took a sip. This morning she’d awakened feeling deliciously sated, still buzzing from their all-night marathon. Never had she felt so utterly absolute around another person. Ever. It was so easy to roll over in his arms and kiss on his face then fall back into another love session. Pealing herself out of the bed had been her biggest challenge yet, and Octavia wondered where their relationship would go from here.
“It’s such a beautiful day,” Octavia said.
Jonathon nodded. “I was just thinking the same.”
“The atmosphere here is so different. Living in a place like this must be paradise.”
“For the locals, it’s not that big of a deal. To them, it’s the way of things.”
“You say that with definition. Do you come here often?”
An easy smile graced his face. “I wouldn’t say often but enough to know some of the locals.”
“Hmm,” Octavia said. “I’m always learning something new about you.”
“Ditto.” Jonathon smiled. “Do you plan to open your home back up this weekend for the volunteers?”
“Yes,” Octavia replied. “It’s a shame they haven’t found Ayana. I hope she’s okay.” She pulled at her bottom lip with her teeth.
“Hey,” Jonathon said, “we will keep searching. My team has been there all week, and most of the stations were able to remain open.”
“It should’ve been me, too,” Octavia said.
“You had to work.”
“Doesn’t look like I’m doing much working,” Octavia mumbled.
Jonathon watched her for a long moment. “If you’re looking for someone to blame, blame me. Your intentions were to work the week, mine were to get you out of your element.” Jonathon rubbed his jaw in thought. “Octavia, I’ve always wanted to ask you a question but didn’t, hoping that when you were ready to disclose certain things you would just tell me.” He paused. “But that has since changed after finding out you were keeping your nightmares from me.”
Octavia braced herself for whatever he would ask.
“Do you blame yourself for your parents’ deaths?”
The table became quiet, and even the patrons around them couldn’t be heard in Jonathon and Octavia’s world. Breathing evenly, Octavia processed his question and although she wanted to respond no, it stalled in her throat. A crease on her forehead formed when she hesitated.
“You do, don’t you?” Jonathon said. The question wasn’t a query at all. More like a confirmation.
“I um.” Octavia was uncomfortable. Not because the question had been raised but because her answer hadn’t been swift with a definite, of course not.
Jonathon leaned across the table and reached for her fingers, taking her hands in his. “Baby,” he spoke, his voice warm and drumming. Octavia’s focus never left his as she swallowed. Jonathon felt a slight tremor when they touched. “Is there any reason why you’re no longer seeing Dr. Cooper?”
Octavia shifted slightly. “I stopped going to my appointments because I felt better. My nightmares thinned out before they stopped altogether. I assumed, for lack of a better word, that I was cured.” Octavia smiled tersely.
“You should reach out to her and make an appointment. I’m sure she will be glad to see you and know that you’re okay, and I’m sure she would like to pick up where you left off.”
Octavia pressed her lips together in thought. She shifted her weight again and placed a light squeeze on his brawny hands. “Thank you. You’re right and I will.” Octavia smiled softly. “Will you go back out with the search party?” Octavia asked, switching gears.
Jonathon sat back against his chair and went with her flow. He would check later in the week to find out if she’d made the appointment.
“Unless you want me to stay at station three with you.” They both laughed when Jonathon used the label Octavia’s house had been given while the search was underway.
“I would love for you to stay,” she said.
“Why do I feel a but coming?”
A sly smile slipped across Octavia’s mouth. “But, I can’t be stingy with you. I know how important you are with everything that you do. I know being in the field with your team is important for them just as much as it is to you. It’s in your spirit to lend a helping hand, and I would never get in the way of that.”
Jonathon leaned back in to reach for her once again. A warm smile covered Octavia’s face as she sat forward to sit her hands in his. When their fingers linked, the solemnity Octavia had felt moments ago vanished as his touch only heightened the buzz they both still shared from last night, and at this point neither of them could foresee this chemistry going anywhere anytime soon.
“Come here,” Jonathon said.
Octavia leaned forward meeting him halfway across the table for a seared kiss that was soft and refined. Their mouth’s taste of syrup and fluffy buttery pancakes. It was becoming natural for their make out session to become extended like that of a long tune from a violin. It was Octavia that finally pulled back, but it was only to gather herself before going back in for another round of juicy lips. She loved kissing Jonathon. It was so electrically charged to the point that she felt swept away the longer their mouths mixed.
When they pulled apart, Jonathon was the first to speak. “We should get out of here. Since I know you didn’t get much sleep last night,” he said with a smirk, “you can get some rest on the jet, but before you do, I want you to do one thing for me.”
Octavia arched a brow. “Oh yeah, what’s that?”
Jonathon’s gaze lowered. “Let me kiss you. For as long as I want to, unrestricted. I promise not to exceed twenty minutes.”
Octavia coughed up a laugh. Jonathon’s wide smile was a sexy open mouth presentation.
“Did I say something funny?” he mused.
Octavia shook her head as her laughter died down. “Twenty minutes is pretty lengthy, don’t you think?”
“I said I promise not to go longer than twenty minutes.”
Octavia laughed again. “Mr. Rose, why do you feel the need to kiss me,” she paused with a smirk, “no longer than twenty minutes?”
“Because our souls connect when we’re together like two streams of a river finding their home when they meetup in the ocean.”
Octavia’s smile evaporated, and immediately, she was covered in chills. A sudden flame rode over her skin and nestled between her thighs. She didn’t know how to respond to such a statement and was rather shocked by his analogy.
“Don’t you feel it, too?” he questioned.
Octavia’s heartbeat knocked against her chest. “Yes,” she said simply, “I do.”
A swell of tenderness wrapped around Jonathon’s heart, and he stood from the table and went to claim Octavia’s hand.
“About that thing I asked of you,” he said.
Octavia accepted Jonathon’s hand, and he pulled her to her feet.
“That’s easy,” she said, “I’d love to kiss you, Jonathon.” Octavia’s was on the verge of asking Jonathon where he would like to indulge in such a kiss when he wrapped her in his arms and captured her mouth.
His warm lips slid over her soft lips as his tongue invaded her mouth. A curl of hot nerves bounced around, pouring down their face, neck, and shoulders. Instantly, they were covered, completely in a saturation of incredulous need. Their tongues mingled, and their breaths waved a smooth course of heat as they sucked on each other with satisfied pleasure. Jonathon and Octavia kissed for the better part of ten full minutes. Completely unaware of activities going on around them, they shared in the joy of their new love, never taking a moment to regret it.