What they had wasn’t a temporary respite.
He had to keep reminding himself that this was real. He loved Libby Lamb. They’d opened their hearts to each other on a white sandy beach, and now she was his. Their love was real—as real as the sun in the sky and the ocean that had gifted them with a peaceful soundtrack for the last three days. The tide would come in, and it would go out, but Libby’s magic remained constant. Her spirit kept his demons at bay like a barrier of protection.
“I think Sebastian will adore this, don’t you, Raz?” Libby commented, then reached into the bowl of Gummy Bears and popped one into her mouth.
He reclined in his chair and gazed at the woman who had stolen his heart. Sitting across from him, she twisted a lock of her dark hair as she focused on the items spread across the jet’s table.
“This sketch of the island reminds me of the sketches Sebastian does in his book. I saw it, and I knew it would be a perfect birthday gift for him. It’s not quite what he wished for when he shared his birthday intention with me.”
“You never mentioned Sebastian made a wish.”
“He made a couple. He wants to keep the donkeys, and he also wants…”
“Let me guess,” he said. “He wants to keep you, his Mibby.”
She twisted her jade bracelet. “Yes, something like that. He shared it with me on the trail. And he wants you to be happy. That was the first intention he set the day he arrived in Denver.”
He bit back a grin, keeping his features neutral. Sebastian’s first intention had come true in spades. He’d found happiness and love. Still, he wasn’t ready to reveal what else he had up his sleeve regarding that second intention. But if all went to plan today, they’d be celebrating more than Sebastian’s birthday.
She set the image on the table and studied the other trinkets. “Can we talk about the gift situation?” she asked, switching gears.
He leaned forward, assessing the lot. “I’m not sure if you bought enough stuff,” he teased.
She waved him off. “Penny, Char, and H will love the jewelry,” she said, moving on from the Mibby topic. “These shell bracelets are gorgeous, and we’ve got bags of coffee for the guys, and then we’ve got shirts for my brothers. The scarves are for Madelyn, your grandmother, Maud, and Luanne, and do you think your sisters will like the lava bead necklaces? It’s so nice of them to fly in early to help with Sebastian with the fight five days away.”
Five days.
A prickly sensation worked its way down his spine.
He knew the fight was only days away. Of course, he did. But he hadn’t let his mind go there. With the Ass-in-Nine and the Moloka’i getaway, he’d blocked it out.
He inhaled and exhaled another slow breath. He would be fine. He had Libby by his side. This twist of anxiety was simply pre-fight jitters.
He forced a grin and surveyed the table. “My sisters will love them. Everyone will love their gift.”
“And don’t forget these,” she said, popping out of her seat and retrieving two enormous leis from a pile of colorful flowers from Shandra’s family’s plumeria farm.
He needed her to slow down. He needed the world to slow down so he could savor these last minutes of having her to himself. It wasn’t that he didn’t miss Sebastian. He did. But the lad was in good hands. Between his granny and his sisters and their friends, as long as Phoebe Gale didn’t challenge the kid to a hot dog eating contest, the boy would be fine. No, more than fine. He’d never seen Sebastian so happy. Colorado and one raven-haired woman had done a number on the Cress men.
“Come here, plum,” he said, feasting his eyes on her.
She held up the lei, appraising the size, and padded over to him. “I think it will fit over Beefcake’s head. He does have an enormous head, though. Must be a trait with beefcakes.”
Now, he couldn’t stop himself from smiling. In a flowing sundress with a white plumeria tucked behind her ear, even standing in the middle of a jet, she looked the part of an island goddess. The apples of her cheeks and the tops of her shoulders held a touch of pink, sun-kissed from days spent on the beach; their limbs tangled together as the crash of waves mingled with their moans of pleasure.
She set the lei on the table and eyed him warily. “You’re not thinking about leis, are you?”
“Oh, I’m thinking about leis,” he replied, gathering her onto his lap.
She straddled him and gave him a wicked grin. “I believe you’re envisioning a very different type of lei.”
Damn right he was.
“How do you do it?” he asked, touching the flower in her hair.
“Do what?”
“Look right through me and see everything?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and rolled her hips. “I don’t need to see anything to figure out what you’re thinking. I feel it, beefcake.”
He ran his hands down her back, and Libby hummed her satisfaction. She dipped her head, pressing a kiss to his lips.
“Thank you, beefcake,” she whispered.
“Already thanking me, pre-orgasm? Then again, I am bloody amazing at making you tremble and bringing on the Os. It is only proper to show your gratitude.”
She kissed his cheek and smiled against his stubbled skin. “I’m thanking you for these last three days.”
He closed his eyes, inhaling her sweet scent. “No, plum, I’m the one who should be thanking you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
She sighed and sat back, her amber eyes awash with love.
Bloody hell, he was a lucky man—lucky Briggs had pulled off the Moloka’i getaway and even luckier that, when he’d professed his love, she’d accepted it, welcomed it. They’d hidden away, basking in ecstasy and the giddiness of having nothing to do but each other. With Libby in his arms, his worries evaporated. Her energy washed away his pain and wrapped him in a blue-violet blanket of love. His petite yoga pro shielded him from the heartache of his past.
“We’ll have to come back to Moloka’i and bring Sebastian with us. He’d love the farmers’ market with the Hawaiian vendors and so much food. I’ve never seen so many tropical fruits. I couldn’t even identify half of the produce. I’m glad we decided to put on clothes and check it out.”
“You certainly didn’t hold back,” he teased, glancing over her shoulder at the gifts she’d purchased.
She scoffed, mock-outrage written on her face. “We couldn’t return empty-handed. And don’t think I didn’t notice you sneaking off.”
Shit.
He couldn’t let her know what he’d gotten up to.
“I didn’t sneak off. You ran into Shandra, and the two of you started talking yoga. It gave me time to wander.”
He wasn’t exactly lying.
“You came back with that look on your face,” she said, watching him closely.
“What look?”
“The very-pleased-with-yourself beefcake smirk.”
“This one?” he asked, curling his lips.
She sighed, dreamy-eyed. “Yes, it seems to have quite an effect on me now.”
“The desire to bang your gong is gone?” He leaned in, ready to let the beefcake in him kiss her into oblivion, but she pressed her fingertips to his lips, thwarting his efforts.