"This place is truly paradise." Lenni leaned back, hands gripping the railing tight. "Want to go walk on the beach?"

"Sure, let me put something on first." The water in the pool splashed as Beckett got out. "Unless you don't mind?"

She looked him up and down. He was her boss; this was probably a bad idea, but she wanted to see as much as she could before they had to leave. "I don't mind at all. Hurry up though. I don't want to miss the turtle guy."

Beckett grabbed a pair of shorts. "It's too weird, right?"

"Why did you even waste time asking?" She grabbed his hand. "Hurry up. I've never gotten to pet a turtle in the wild before."

He laughed as she pulled him down the staircase. An entire villa just for them and a private beach with a pool and hot tub. This place was unbelievable. She was never going to forget this experience. She never thought she'd see the day that she'd be happy that a baby shifter got sick, but thank goodness it wasn't anything serious. Beckett and Jasper were going to come back anyway.

"I'm having a nice time." He squeezed her hand. "I didn't think it was going to be this nice."

She nodded. "Me either."

The last light-pink rays of the sun dripped off Beckett's rock-hard abs. It didn't matter if he was wearing shorts if there was nothing underneath. She could see him swinging in his shorts with each step. Definitely an inappropriate thought to have about your boss. She forced her eyes out to the water and tried not to turn back to her incredibly sexy and kind boss.

"I see the guy." Beckett waved his hand at a small, dark man down the beach who waved back.

"I know you." The man shook Beckett's hand as soon as he was close enough to grab him. "Mr. Hansen. I didn't know if you were going to make it."

"This is Lenni Belle, my partner for the evening."

Lenni smiled, but her attention was on the turtles in the sand behind the turtle handler. "Can I touch them?"

"Sure. But don't be too hard. Take it easy."

The sand shifted under her feet as she moved closer to the turtles. Her shaking fingers barely touched the nearest turtle's shell before she drew back like she'd touched a hot stove. She looked back at Beckett. "It's so hard."

"Well, that shell has to protect the old guy from all the elements. I'd hope it's very hard."

She reached out again and this time managed to touch the turtle's entire shell. She was fascinated by all the hairline cracks and imperfections. "How did all these bumps get here?"

"Each turtle has its own story," the handler said.

"I wish they were shifters," Lenni said. "I would love to hear all their tales. How long have all of these been alive?"

"Hundreds of years, much longer than myself."

"Are you a shifter?"

"I am." The old man gave her a toothless smile. "Can you guess what kind?"

"Some kind of fish?"

"Turtle," Beckett guessed.

"Correct, sir!"

"So how old are you then?" Lenni looked up and frowned. "Sorry. Is that rude?"

She couldn't remember the rules for asking a shifter's age. For some it was a very rude question, but some didn't mind. She thought that water shifters were more laid back than some of the land animals. She knew never to ask a wolf its age, but most bears were pretty cool too or would at least humor the silly human who asked.

"Not rude." He put his hands behind his back. "I am going to be 132 years old on my next birthday."

"Wow. Shifters are so lucky. I would love to get to see that much history. It must be great swimming in the sea too. Being one with your animal and nature." She rubbed the turtle's shell and she could almost feel what it would be like to slice through the waters with a fin.

"You could be so lucky too. You just need to marry a shifter. I think we might have one for you right here!" The man nudged Beckett and cackled until he had a coughing fit.

"Is it so funny that we would get married?" Lenni put her hands on her hip.

"You are a very beautiful woman," the man said. "But he introduced you as his partner for the weekend, not for his life."

"Good catch," Lenni laughed and tilted her head toward Beckett. "Guess that means you won't be granting me immortality anytime soon?"

"I'm a shifter, not a vampire." He checked his watch. "We're going to miss dinner. We can come back tomorrow if you'd like."

"Maybe." Lenni rubbed the turtle one last time. "Thanks for letting us see the turtles."

"Anytime." The man shook her hand.

She was halfway down the beach before she realized she never caught the old man's name. If she got a chance to go back, she wouldn't make that mistake again. "What are we having for dinner?"

"We're having the chef's special down at the restaurant on the beach. It's on the other side of the resort though. And you'll need to change. You did bring a dinner-appropriate dress I hope?"

She rolled her eyes. "I dress you every day. I can dress myself just fine, thank you very much. I'll only need five minutes."

Beckett took out his phone. "I'll start timing as soon as your door closes."

"You need to change too." She looked at this gym shorts. "And I hope that you have something appropriate. I don't remember packing anything for dinner."

"I have clothes that you don't know about, smartass. And the clock starts now."

She took the steps to her room two at a time. "You're cheating, but I'm still going to beat the clock."

Her dress was already hanging ready on a hanger. She pulled off her shorts, top, and underwear. She pulled on the first thong she found in her luggage and slipped the dress over her head. She didn't even need to wear a bra. It was an adorable blush wrap dress. It was a little too naked for a dinner back home, but it was perfect for dinner on the beach. Or dinner beach-adjacent.

"Ready," she called, sing-songing to Beckett, who wasn't out of his room yet. "Did I beat you getting ready?"

"Shut up." He came out of the room buttoning the last button on his shirt.

"Wow, you look great. I couldn't have picked better myself."

He was wearing a nice pair of cream-colored slacks and a rose shirt. He looked her up and down. "We match."

"We do." She twirled once to let him get a good look at her. "Do you have anything to say about how I look?"

His eyes traveled up and down her body twice. He cleared his throat once before answering. "You look very naked."

She threw her head back. "That's the point. We're in the tropics. I think naked is just the right amount of clothes for tonight. I could never get away with something like this at home."

"With that body, you could get away with anything." His voice was thick and his eyes burned.

Lenni had to look away. Unspoken need hung in the air between them. "We should go. I don't want to miss our reservation."

"We're in a private villa. We can't miss our reservation." He held out his arm to her. "Shall we?"

She put her arm on his. Heat radiated from his body. "We shall."

The drive over was tense. She couldn't think of a single thing to say without her tongue getting thick in her mouth. Everything sounded stupid in her head. It shouldn't be this hard to talk to him. She had been living at his house for the last two weeks. She'd seen him naked for goodness' sake!

But somehow it was weird. Not bad weird. More like the feeling before a thunderstorm happened in spring. Whatever was going to happen it was going to be fierce and beautiful. Her stomach was in knots. She didn't know how she was going to eat a bite.

She also didn't know if she was excited or scared. Maybe both. There was no way she was going to be able to sit though dinner like this. Whatever was going to happen, she wished it would happen now.

"Hold on," she said before he got out at the restaurant.

"What?"

She reached over and pulled him closer to her. The gear shift pressed against her stomach, but she didn't care. She pressed her mouth against his before she could have a second thought.

He met her kiss and pulled her tighter to him. He pulled back and looked at her. "What is this?"

"I don't know. It felt right. Felt like I had to do it."

He nodded. "All right."

He brushed a finger against her lower lip. "I'm starving."

"Me too."

So much meaning in those two words. There was so much more than food on her mind. She hoped he felt the same way.