While she was looking around, Marshall had walked over to a wall to her left. He pulled the curtains back—and Kenna could only stare in disbelief at the view he’d exposed. She walked as if in a trance toward the balcony. She knew Marshall was grinning like a boy with his hand in a cookie jar, but she ignored him. He opened the door for her, and she walked outside.
There was a breeze blowing in from the ocean and it made her hair ripple as she gripped the railing. There were a few lounge chairs on the balcony, along with a table and six chairs. The space was huge, but Kenna turned her attention back to the ocean in front of her.
She felt Marshall come up behind her. He put his hands on the railing on either side of hers and leaned in close.
Kenna took a minute or so to study the view. She could see the beach where they’d spent the day, the umbrellas looking tiny from this vantage point. There were sailboats out on the water, and she could even see a large cargo ship in the distance. It was absolutely beautiful, and Kenna could suddenly understand the appeal of an ocean view. If she had a view like this at her place, she’d spend all her time on her balcony enjoying it.
“It’s amazing,” she said in awe.
“This is the main reason why I stopped fighting my parents about this place. It’s pretentious and over the top, and way too fucking expensive. But this is my favorite place to hang out with my friends, or after a hard mission. You should see it when a storm moves in. It’s like you’re in the middle of it.”
“I bet.”
“You want to see the rest of the condo?” he asked.
Kenna shook her head. “Nope. I’m staying right here. I think I’m moving in and I’ll sleep and eat and do everything out on the balcony.”
She felt more than heard him chuckle against her back. “It might be hard to waitress from here.”
“Don’t care.”
“And you haven’t seen my bedroom yet,” he added suggestively.
Kenna smiled, then turned in his arms. “True. Tell me you have a king-size bed.”
“I have a king-size bed.”
“And that the master bathroom is to die for.”
“It is,” he agreed. “Rain shower, huge claw-foot tub, double sinks, heated tiles on the floor, and the toilet is in a separate little room with a door.”
Kenna burst out laughing at that. “And that’s a plus?” she asked.
“Of course. I like my privacy when I’m doing my business,” he said with a straight face.
“Hmmm. I think maybe I would like to see your room then. But if it doesn’t compare to this balcony, I’m coming right back out here.”
“I think you’ll be pleased,” Marshall said mysteriously. “Come on.” He took her hand in his and led her back into the living area of the apartment.
Kenna let him tow her down a small hallway toward a door at the end. She caught a glimpse of a guest bathroom on her way that was bigger than her master bathroom back at her apartment.
Marshall didn’t hesitate to throw open the door at the end of the hall, gesturing for her to enter.
Kenna was about to make a joke, something about a spider and a fly, but her words stuck in her throat when she walked into the room.
The entire wall next to the bed was windows. Floor to ceiling. It was almost like being out on the balcony, but without the breeze. “Holy crap,” she whispered.
“Told you you’d like it,” Marshall said smugly.
Kenna looked up at him. “It’s incredible! But doesn’t the light bother you when you’re trying to sleep?”
In response, Marshall walked over to a panel on the wall next to the windows and pushed a button. The windows went from clear to black within seconds.
“What? How is that possible?”
Marshall shrugged. “No clue. They’ve got some sort of mechanism in the glass.” He pushed another button and the windows changed once more to a light gray, letting in some light, but still muted. He then pushed one last button, and the glass cleared again, letting in the afternoon sunlight.
“Wow,” she said after a long pause.
“You’re speechless,” Marshall joked. “I’m impressed.”
“No, I’m impressed,” Kenna told him.
“Wait until you see the bathroom.”
She followed him to another door and had to admit that it was pretty damn spectacular. Again, it was fancy as hell, but his toiletries were spread over the counter, along with a hand towel sitting next to one of the sinks, instead of hanging on the rack nearby. Another towel barely clinging to a rack on the wall made the space seem less hoity-toity.
She couldn’t help but imagine her and Marshall inside the huge shower stall. There was a small bench inside that she knew they could put to good use.
“I see your mind working,” Marshall said.
Kenna grinned. “Yup,” she said without embarrassment.
“So, you like?”
“I like,” Kenna told him. “And if I had the money, I’d totally want to live here.”
Marshall nodded, then grabbed her hand and started pulling her out of the room.
“Where’s the fire?” Kenna asked on a laugh.
“Just think it’s a good idea we get out of my bedroom,” Marshall said.
Kenna laughed harder. Being with him was…easy. Fun. She genuinely enjoyed the man’s company. “So, what are we going to do to pass the time until dinner?” she asked. She wasn’t trying to make an innuendo, but when Marshall turned and raised a brow at her, she laughed again. “I mean, other than the obvious.”
“You want a tour of the property?” he asked tentatively.
“Yes.” Kenna wanted to know everything about this man. And that included seeing where he lived.
An hour and a half later, after seeing the pools, the workout room, the sauna, the spa, the restaurant, the lounges, and being introduced to just about every single person they passed, they were back up in his condo, sitting on the balcony. She was in a lounge chair, with Marshall in another. They were close enough that Kenna could reach out and touch him. It felt intimate and cozy. And she still couldn’t get over how perfect his view was.
Kenna was nursing a glass of wine while Marshall had a glass of tea.
“I’m impressed that you know so many people here,” she said.
Marshall shrugged. “I don’t know-know them,” he said. “I don’t know anything about their lives or their work, but we’re all friendly when we see each other.”
“I really was rude when I said that rich people stayed inside their apartments and didn’t talk to each other,” Kenna blurted, feeling the need to apologize again, having met a few of the residents.
“No, you’re right. I’d guess you know everything there is to know about your own neighbors. The relationships are more superficial here. But if someone needed something, I’d happily help them out.”
“I know you would,” Kenna told him, reaching for his hand. He took it without hesitation and squeezed reassuringly.
They talked about nothing important for a while, but then the conversation turned to Carly and her ex. Marshall wanted to know how she was really doing.
“I think she’s okay. She struggles with feeling safe still, I think. She’s hardly going anywhere, basically to work and back.”