I’m feeling quite subdued after my chat with Rachel. As I walk back to our rooms with Luke, he looks at me with concern.
“Is everything ok, Becca?”
I smile sadly.
“I’m not sure. Rachel is going through some stuff with her new husband which doesn’t sound good.”
I turn to look at him and smile sadly.
“It appears that relationships are complicated.”
To my surprise, Luke takes my hand in his and squeezes it gently. “I think you’re right. I mean, just look at my brother. It doesn’t stop us wanting one of our own though. Surely, it’s what life’s all about. Finding that special someone to build a life with. It may not always go according to plan but you would hope in the end you would be happy.”
I look at him in shock.
Goodness, not only is he drop dead gorgeous but a nice guy to boot. Maybe I should never let this hand go and hold onto him for grim death. I wonder if I could join the submarine service or whatever it’s called and be his right-hand woman? The thought of letting this hand go is choking me up inside.
We reach our rooms and he looks at me awkwardly, still holding my hand I am pleased to report.
I look into those seducing eyes and hold my breath. Something is happening and I hope to God it’s what I want it to be.
He pulls my hand towards his lips and kisses it gently.
“I’ve had a good time with you, Becca. When I saw you on that balcony last night something happened.”
I giggle nervously.
“You found out I was a crazy person who would become one of the X Factor rejects if she ever auditioned?”
He smiles slowly.
“No, although I wouldn’t fill out any applications for it if I were you.”
I pretend to look hurt and he laughs softly.
“No, I realised that standing in front of me was a woman I wanted to get to know, very much indeed. Even though you looked like you’d done ten rounds in a mud wrestling contest, I saw the most beautiful woman I have ever met.”
I hope they have a defibrillator handy because I think my heart just stopped. Me-beautiful? Those oysters messed with his brain and he was obviously hallucinating.
He draws me close and his mouth is inches from mine as he whispers.
“Can I kiss you, Becca?”
Resisting the urge to immediately crush his lips to mine and never let them leave, I just nod shyly.
As I close my eyes, I wait for the best moment of my life - it would appear this trip is riddled with them so far.
Before I feel the connection of lip on lip, I swear I hear music. In fact, I really do hear music. It’s the sound of some sort of guitar and someone is singing in a foreign language.
Surely, it’s not Luke?
I open my eyes in surprise and note the same expression in Luke’s as we look around us in surprise. Standing in the hallway is some sort of Mexican band. Three guys all wearing sombreros and little matador type suits. One is playing the guitar and one is shaking maracas. The third is beating on a mini bongo drum and they are singing some sort of love song beside us.
Luke grins and keeping a firm grip on my hand, pulls me into the Love Palace, closely followed by the three Amigos.
He pulls me down onto the waterbed and whispers,
“I’ve been expecting them. It’s all in the finer details of the package. Apparently, honeymooners get serenaded before dinner sometime during the week.”
I stifle a giggle as I watch the band filling the room and singing to their heart's content. Luke grins and pulls me up.
“Would you care to dance?”
I curtsey and smile sweetly.
“Thank you for asking kind sir.”
As Luke pulls me into his arms, we sway around the room to the sounds of god only knows what. If this is the song that marks the beginning of our relationship, I wouldn’t know what to Google on YouTube for our first dance wedding song. It doesn’t matter though because it could be the Birdy song for all I care. I am in Luke’s arms in a honeymoon suite being serenaded by a love trio. The fact that they interrupted the next best moment of my life doesn’t matter. I am just loving feeling his hard body pushed against mine as we spin around his decadent room. I shift even closer - shamelessly and allow myself to dream that this is our honeymoon and we have a whole life together to look forward to.
Then the miracle happens. Luke pulls back and looks deeply into my eyes. As if in slow motion I watch his lips lower towards mine and my heart races. This is it! It’s happening! Then I feel his soft lips claim mine in a toe-curling, life-changing moment of deepest joy. I sink into his mouth and never want to leave. It feels as if I’m home.
We kiss for ages, really, we do. The band left ages ago, but we didn’t even acknowledge them. Luke and I are locked at the lips and never letting go. I forget that I need air to breathe and just take my oxygen from him instead. Who knew kissing would be so good? If I did nothing else this week, I would be happy. However, as they say, all good things come to an end and he pulls apart and looks at me with a sexy gleam in his eyes.
“So, as first kisses go, that would be considered quite memorable - wouldn’t it?”
I laugh a little self-consciously.
“Yes, it would be difficult to top that one.”
He grins and tilts my face to his.
“I’m always up for a challenge. Let’s see if I can make this one even better.”
Then all praise to Aphrodite, we go at it again.
Reluctantly, I leave Luke and head back to my trashed room in a daze. I am in love. I don’t care that it has been five minutes, I know I am. Lust doesn’t come into it, ok well maybe a little, ok maybe a lot. The things is, I really do think I’m in love. Luke is everything I want in a man and strangely my heart seemed to know that the minute I saw him walk onto the plane. What I’m finding it hard to get my head around, is that he appears to like me too.
Taking extra care, I get ready for the evening ahead. Marcus will be shocked when he sees me with Luke. I’m not sure where he’s been today but I can’t wait to see the look on his face.
I dress in a clinging black dress that means business. I need Luke to see me as somebody that he must never let go, because submarine or not, he is going to feature in my future. I just know it.
It must be an hour later that I hear a knock on the door. As I open it, my heart flips as I see a washed and scrubbed up Luke filling my doorway. He smiles and I watch his eyes brim with lust as he takes in the sight of me. I’m sure my eyes must mirror his because he takes one step towards me and takes up where we left off an hour ago. Who cares that my lipstick must now be all over his face? I kiss him back like a woman possessed and shift closer just to feel that body against mine.
Pulling back, he whispers huskily.
“Sorry, Becca. You make the gentleman in me leave the building. I can’t help myself when I look at you, you’re gorgeous.”
I stop myself laughing hysterically. Me - gorgeous! I love him now, it’s official.
He pulls back, ruefully.
“We had better join the others before they send out a search party.”
Then he grins.
“You may want to re-do your lipstick first though.”
Grinning, I pull him into my room.
“Ok, I won’t be a minute.”
The trouble is, as soon as we get inside he pulls me towards him and we’re at it again. Now I have a man in my designer room and I’m out of control. I have become sex mad woman overnight and all of my usual standards have been chucked over the balcony. I am no prude but entertaining a man in my room is unheard of. I’m just not like that. It’s funny how morality goes out the window when natural urges take over.
Once again, we reluctantly pull apart. Moving across to the mirror I laugh at the red smear on my face. Luke joins me with an equally smeared face and we laugh at our reflections.
Handing him a wet wipe, we clear ourselves up. After a further application of lipstick - to my lips, not his, we head down to meet the others. We walk there hand in hand and very much an item, for a few more days, anyway.