Sam glanced over at Daniel and smiled as they entered their hotel room. She kicked her shoes off and sat on the edge of the bed. Daniel began unbuttoning his shirt, which was virtually soaked through and caked with wet sand. Once he’d taken it off, he sighed, realizing that he still had sand – wet and dry – stuck to his skin.
“What’s wrong?” Sam asked.
“Looks like I was attempting to take part of the beach home with me,” he answered with a wry smile. “I think I might hold you personally responsible for that.”
“Sorry,” she said with a short chuckle.
“I’m going to go and wash up,” he continued, gesturing toward the bathroom. “I hate the scratchy feeling of sand on my skin. Plus, I think I even got some sand in my ear.” He tilted his head and wiggled his finger around in his ear.
Sam laughed again and shook her head. She looked down at herself and realized that she was almost as bad as he was. Her dress was wet, she had sand stuck to the back of her legs and feet, and her hair even felt a bit grimy from the saltwater, all as a result of their little romp. “Save the bathwater for me,” she grinned.
He grinned back and leaned over to give her a soft kiss on the lips before heading into the bathroom. Moments later, she heard the shower turn on and decided to use the opportunity to, for lack of a better word, prepare. She rummaged in one of the dresser drawers and found the ice blue, satin and lace chemise that she’d brought along especially for this trip. She stood in front of the large mirror and held it up against her. A faint blush started to work its way across her cheeks when she realized how short it was.
She looked once more at the open drawer in which she’d found it and saw the pair of matching bikini underwear lying inside. She picked it up and eyed it tentatively. Never before had she worn underwear like this. She felt the blush in her cheeks intensify as she realized what a big step she was taking. Sam the prude was to be no more. She berated herself for thinking this way. It had been the result of her long-held belief that she’d never find the man who was truly right for her; she’d now found that man in Daniel.
She let go of her insecurities and began to smile in anticipation when she heard the shower turn off, followed minutes later by the sound of the hairdryer. Daniel stepped out, wearing nothing except a pair of boxer shorts. He looked clean, refreshed, and happy. Sam went to him and ran her hands over his warm, smooth chest. He smiled back and kissed her again on the lips.
She turned away from him and picked up the chemise and underwear, holding them against her body and shielding them with her arms so that he wouldn’t catch a glimpse of them. Unfortunately, she was a bit too late and his eyebrows shot up as he gave her a meaningful glance.
“You didn’t see anything,” she said mischievously.
He chuckled and held his hands up in surrender before he looked tenderly into her eyes. “Don’t take too long, okay?” he asked.
“I won’t,” she replied as she kissed him on the cheek and finally made her way into the bathroom.
Several minutes later, satisfied that she had washed off all the sand and rinsed the seawater out of her hair, Sam stepped out of the shower and began to towel off. She rubbed her hair with a towel until it was mostly dry and ran her brush through it. She slipped effortlessly into the bikini underwear and chemise and her blush returned as she caught herself in the mirror. The lingerie presented a sexy shape that showed off her cleavage well – perhaps a bit too well. She bit back her slight insecurities again, reminding herself that she was on her honeymoon, a time for her and Daniel to consummate their relationship in full. As she surveyed herself in the mirror, she couldn’t help thinking that she looked pretty good. She only hoped that Daniel would feel the same way.
Speaking of which, Daniel seemed to be getting a little impatient. “Saaaaaaam,” he called out, a playful little whine in his voice. “Are you done yet?”
She rolled her eyes and sighed as a large grin found its way across her face. She turned the air vent off and finally made her way out of the bathroom. “Sorry I kept you waiting,” she smiled.
Daniel was lying on his side across the only bed in the room, reading one of the tour brochures. He lifted his gaze and, when he caught sight of Sam, absently threw the brochure down onto the bed, his eyes widening. This was the most revealing article of clothing he’d ever seen her in, and he marveled at the way it accentuated her cleavage. His hormones quickly overtook his thought process, and, for a moment, he wanted nothing more than to throw her down on the bed, rip that chemise off of her, and give her what they’d been holding out on for so long. His rational side took control again before he did anything he might regret and reminded him how much he respected her and that he did not want to defy her wish to take things slowly.
A tender smile formed on his face. “You look amazing,” he said softly.
She returned his smile but seemed slightly embarrassed as her cheeks became rosy and her eyes immediately found the floor. She slowly walked over to the bed and lay down next to him. Feeling a bit nervous, she smiled awkwardly and, when he pulled her close to him, she felt her heart rate speed up. He turned briefly to place his glasses on the night table. When his gaze returned to her, he noticed a tinge of uncertainty coloring her eyes.
“Sam? Something wrong?” he asked her quietly.
“Daniel, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while now. I just didn’t because it’s … um … kind of embarrassing to talk about and, uh …” A blush stained Sam’s cheeks and she lowered her head. “But now that we’re married, you need to know.”
Daniel’s expression turned sober, even a bit fearful. “Oh, no, Sam. Please don’t tell me you’re really a man who had a sex change, and you want to break it to me gently.”
She stared at him for a split second before a mischievous grin revealed that he was joking. “Daniel!” she exclaimed as she socked him lightly in the arm. She broke out in giggles before her expression turned serious once again. “It’s just that … that, uh … Well, you know how I said that I never had much time for relationships?”
“Uh huh.”
“Well, the … the truth is that I’ve never gone beyond having a few dates with a guy,” Sam finished in a small voice. She ducked her head, blushing furiously.
Daniel’s eyes widened as he realized what Sam was saying. “Oh,” he breathed. Suddenly feeling very nervous, he cleared his throat. “Um … okay.” Based on their discussion of past relationships and Sam’s previous behavior, Daniel had guessed that she hadn’t had a whole lot of experience, but her confession that she had no experience at all had totally taken him by surprise.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I really should have,” Sam mumbled, her eyes still cast downward.
Seeing how much this was bothering her, Daniel shook himself out of his daze and pulled Sam into his arms. “Hey, it’s okay, Sam. Really. Yes, I am surprised. You are so beautiful and wonderful that I just assumed some lucky guy would have …” Now it was Daniel’s turn to blush. “I’m sorry. I guess I shouldn’t have made that assumption.”
Sam’s lips briefly lifted up into a faint smile before she exhaled slowly. “No, no, it’s perfectly understandable. I mean, I’m 35 years old. Most people would assume that I’m not … well, that I’ve had … experience.”
Daniel tilted her head up to his and met her eyes. “Please, Sam. It really is okay. We can discover new, wonderful things together,” he smiled.
Sam fixed him with wide eyes. “You mean that you’re …”
Daniel shook his head. “No, but I’ve only been with one other woman in my life. Remember that girlfriend I told you about, that I dated when I was a grad student in Chicago?”
Sam looked him in the eyes and nodded.
“So, as far as experience is concerned, I can’t say that I have a lot,” he continued, looking into her eyes intently, “but believe me when I say that everything is going to be fine.”
Sam met his gaze without fear. “I do, Daniel.”
His lips lifted up into a tender smile as his eyes never left hers. He wrapped his arms around her and closed the small space that was between them as he covered her lips with his.
“I do,” she managed to repeat breathlessly before his lips formed a tight seal against hers and he initiated a slow, tender kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and innocently ran his fingers through her hair before caressing her bare back. Sam felt as if Daniel was just taking it nice and slow, pretty much what they’d done throughout their entire relationship. For the first few moments, she didn’t mind it and reveled in the kiss, her body shivering slightly as his cool hands slid over her warm flesh.
Suddenly, a quite familiar, wonderful feeling began coursing through her body. It was the same feeling she experienced on the park bench on her birthday, as well as in the hotel room in Egypt. It was warm at first like a campfire on a chilly evening and then it quickly grew hot, as if a firecracker had been ignited inside her. She took the lead and made the kiss more hungry and passionate. She tangled her fingers in his hair, as if to keep him against her. Daniel didn’t miss a beat and fully welcomed it as his tongue joined hers for a little game of Twister.
Still mired deep within the kiss, Sam untangled one of her hands from his hair and led it on a journey from his neck down to his chest. She stopped when she felt his hand begin a journey of its own down her back, ultimately cupping her left buttock. It was something he had done before with her, but the feeling she experienced here and now was very different. Back then, it was more tentative and even slightly overshadowed by guilt. Now, she didn’t feel any guilt at all and was thoroughly enjoying every bit of his touch.
Daniel’s lips pulled apart from hers and he began tracing a line of small kisses from her jaw down her neck. He took hold of the straps of her chemise and pulled them down off her shoulders, allowing more of her flesh to be exposed before he continued the kisses down to her breasts. The feel of his lips on her skin and the quick, calculated kisses gave her the sensation of being pricked by tiny, fiery needles. She tilted her head back slightly and shut her eyes.
“Oh, Daniel,” she breathed. There had been a small, hidden fear deep inside her about what she would feel and experience when she finally made love with Daniel. But that fear was quickly being consumed by the sensations that were coursing through her and by the knowledge that this was so very right. The love she and Daniel shared made it so. As the new feelings Sam was experiencing made her excitement grow, all thoughts of that former fear melted like ice on a hot skillet.
Daniel felt overtaken by flames of passion as he felt Sam’s hand moving up his inner thigh. He had not been this highly aroused in a long time, but Sam would never have known that from the way he responded to her. The meek, somewhat shy, rational young man suddenly left the building as Daniel’s intense feelings of desire overtook his mind. Ever since they began their serious relationship, he’d taken things slowly, even though, deep down, he had ached to share this experience with her. But, now, there was no reason to hold back, and all he could think about was how deeply he loved Sam and how very much he wanted her.
His deep feelings began to control his every move as he stroked and caressed every inch of her exposed flesh. He felt an overwhelming desire to see more of her and it resulted in him managing to slip the chemise off of her body completely. At first, she flushed at the notion of being entirely naked except for her bikini underwear. Once she caught Daniel eyeing her appreciatively with a tender smile, her slight insecurities eased up and she grabbed him, pulling him closely to her and mashing her lips up against his for another hungry kiss.
Neither one of them was willing to end the kiss, but Daniel suddenly did so, surprising Sam a bit. The sound of him panting softly drew her gaze to his. For a moment, their eyes met and unspoken questions, assurances, and feelings were shared. In Daniel's eyes, Sam saw that he wanted to be sure that she was ready to take the next step and that he was worried about hurting her. The fact that he cared so much made her love him even more. She gave him a smile that told him all he needed to know, that she was ready and wanted this more than anything. Though his passion for her was nearly making him lose control, the last thing in the world he wanted to do was bring her pain, so he vowed to take things slowly, just as he’d always promised.
A moment later, the last of Sam’s inhibitions flew out the window as Daniel slowly removed the final pieces of their clothing. He engulfed her in another passionate kiss, during which they resumed touching, stroking and fondling every inch of each other’s flesh. Sam uttered a soft moan and felt her breath being stolen away as a result of Daniel’s touch. Never before had she been so deeply aroused.
And then it happened. Sam grew still as she finally experienced the ecstasy of becoming one with Daniel, their bodies joined together in a union that felt to her as if it had joined their souls as well. Filled with the incredible pleasure of the feeling, Sam let out a louder moan, not even aware that she had done so. This was what she had waited all those years for, and now she was glad that she had. She knew that no one else but Daniel would have made it feel so wonderful. Daniel felt his heart cry out in joy at their union. Their full, complete expression of love for one another filled him with a warm sense of pleasure that went clear down to his bones.
Their lovemaking was slow and gentle, and Sam reveled in the ecstasy that accompanied it, feeling as if she was at last complete. That feeling was shared by Daniel, who was nearly overwhelmed by the intense emotions he was experiencing, never before having felt anything so incredible.
As their lovemaking continued, Daniel and Sam’s desire suddenly spread through them like wildfire, threatening to consume them as they reached their climax. Sam threw her head back and cried out Daniel’s name over and over again, her cries becoming something akin to a primal scream. If he was thinking clearly, Daniel would have been shocked. But the fire was still ravaging through him, and he did not notice that his cries of her name were being drowned out by her screams.
At last, they collapsed back onto the clammy bed sheets and lay in each other’s arms, a deep sense of fulfillment shared between them. Their eyes were closed as they panted softly, still overtaken by the pleasure that resulted from their lovemaking.
Sam finally met Daniel’s gaze when she heard him softly speak her name. His eyes seemed to bore into her soul, filling her with love, joy and happiness. After a moment, those eyes became tinted slightly with fear.
”Are you … okay?” he asked with a hint of concern in his voice.
His question was answered when Sam’s lips slowly lifted into a smile. It was a weak smile, as she felt that was all she could manage right now, but it was a smile nonetheless. Her body was experiencing such a pleasant, languid feeling now, yet she was also a little overwhelmed with the emotions of what had just happened. The strongest emotion of all, though, was her deep love for Daniel.
“I’m absolutely wonderful,” she sighed.
Daniel replied with a tender smile and lifted his hand to her cheek, stroking it gently. He then edged up slightly and kissed her softly on the forehead. Sam’s smile remained as her eyes began to droop, and, in short time, she had fallen into a deep sleep. Daniel took hold of her hand and gazed at her lovingly, his heart overflowing with happiness in knowing that he and Sam were now one. At last, they had fully expressed their love for each other, and it was the best experience Daniel could ever remember having. Yes, she was not the first woman he’d made love to, but she would be the last.
At that thought, he felt himself growing very drowsy. His eyes shut and his breathing slowed as he joined Sam in a deep, peaceful slumber.
Although the curtains were drawn, a small crack allowed a bright ray of sunlight to penetrate the constant darkness, attempting to wake the room’s dozing occupants. It partly succeeded, as Daniel whimpered softly and began to stir. Sam, however, was still dead to the world.
After shifting his legs briefly, he seemed to drift back to sleep. No, the sunlight had not done the trick. Outside, the sun became partially hidden behind the clouds for a brief time and the ray of sunlight diminished, almost as if in defeat over the failure of its plan.
A sudden, loud rap on the door seemed to work, however.
Daniel’s eyes flew open as his ears picked up the urgent knocking. The first thing he noticed was that he was lying on his back with Sam asleep in his arms. He looked down at her and smiled tenderly, memories of what took place the previous night still very strong. He recalled what a wonderful experience it was, how much it emphasized his true, undying love for Sam. The thought broadened his smile, and he was about to lean back down and kiss her when the knocking sounded once again.
Daniel had half a notion to try ignoring the loud interruptions, but the urgency and persistence of the knocking made him think that it was something important. He reluctantly decided to get up and answer the door, find out what the problem was, and send the offending party on their way.
He reached over and put his glasses back on. Then he drew the covers back and eased up off the bed, careful not to disturb Sam. He was halfway to the door when he blushed furiously, realizing that there was one tiny problem: he was completely naked.
He desperately looked around for cover and, upon not finding his boxer shorts, ended up wrapping a towel from the bathroom around his waist. Passing the bed, he regarded Sam curiously, wondering how she could sleep through that loud knocking. He padded nervously up to the door, still wondering what was going on.
He took a quick look through the peephole and spotted two men. He couldn’t quite tell from his vantage point, but their expressions did not appear very friendly at all. Daniel swallowed hard, hoping that he wasn’t in any kind of trouble.
He finally unlocked the door and opened it slowly. Standing in front of him was a large, familiar-looking man with a ruddy tan and light brown hair. Next to him was a shorter, fair-skinned elderly man wearing crisp clothes and a tweed cap. The large man regarded Daniel patiently, while the older gentleman appeared irate.
“Ah … yes?” Daniel asked nervously as he looked the two men up and down.
“Sir, I am Peter Kjeskold, hotel manager,” the larger man calmly replied in a slight Scandinavian accent. So, that’s why he looked familiar. Daniel thought he’d spotted this man in the lobby when they first checked in.
“I tell you, there was a loud ruckus the whole night!” the elderly man interrupted in a British accent.
“I … I don’t understand,” Daniel returned, his brows drawn together in confusion.
“Daniel?” Sam’s voice suddenly called faintly.
“Ah! And there’s the female offender!” the old man exclaimed.
“I’m sorry, what’s going on?” Daniel said, suddenly getting a bad feeling about this.
“Mr. Saunders and his wife are in room 223,” Peter began, gesturing to the room immediately to the right of Sam and Daniel’s. “He claims there were some loud … disturbances coming from this room beginning around 2 AM.”
“Ah … l-loud disturbances?” Daniel nearly choked out, growing more uncomfortable by the second.
“Aye, it sounded as if I was in the middle of a pornographic film! ‘Daniel! Daniel!!’ ‘Sam! Sam!!’” he screeched mockingly. “All bloody night!”
Daniel’s face was entirely drained of color and his mouth dropped open. “I … I,” was all he could utter.
Sam made her way up to the door, a sheet wrapped around her. “Daniel?” she asked again.
“Sam, we have visitors,” he squeaked out.
“I will admit that you weren’t the brunt of the trouble, my lad,” the old man suddenly said. He looked pointedly at Sam and stuck a long, bony index finger in her face. “But you have quite a set of pipes there, Missy!”
“Um … pipes?” she inquired.
“Sounded like you were bleedin’ Sheena, Queen of the Jungle with those primal screams! Near gave my Madeline a heart attack!”
Sam suddenly remembered her behavior during the events last night and her complexion quickly matched Daniel’s. “Oh, my God,” she breathed as she covered her mouth with her hand. She looked like she wanted to run and hide.
The newlyweds looked down at their very blatant covers and grew even more ashamed. “I … we … we are so sorry,” Daniel finally got out. “We were celebrating our honeymoon …” He trailed off lamely.
The old man scoffed as if he’d heard that excuse one time too many, but the manager regarded them sympathetically. “I figured that was the case,” he said. He then gave them a mildly accusing look. “Why didn’t you request the honeymoon suite?”
“Honeymoon suite?” Daniel asked, the color beginning to return to his face in the form of a blush.
Peter nodded. “It is vacant, you know. It’s on the top floor. Has a sunken living room, hot tub, panoramic view …”
“Oh,” Daniel said in a small voice, now joining Sam in wanting to run and hide. “I … w-well, I’m only a college professor, and finances are … ah …”
“I understand,” Peter smiled. “Would you settle for a little exchange – this room for the honeymoon suite, at the same rate?”
Daniel’s eyes widened as he considered the possibility that the manager was serious. “I … r-really?”
“Oh, just give it to them so that me wife and I can have some peace and quiet!” Mr. Saunders said bitterly.
Peter chuckled. “Come down to the concierge’s desk and they will have everything sorted out for you.”
Daniel and Sam stared at him, still in disbelief. “I don’t know what to say,” Daniel said awkwardly. “That’s extremely kind of you.”
“We’re so sorry about last night,” Sam added, blushing even more. “We’re not normally that kind of … people.”
Saunders’ stern expression softened slightly. “Reckon I can understand. Hell, Maddie and I were once newlyweds. Course, in those days, we didn’t operate on that frequency.”
“Of course,” Daniel said with a crooked smile, still blushing furiously.
“We were much louder!” the old man finished, his cloudy gray eyes sparkling. He chuckled giddily before making his way back to his room.
“I’m sure,” Daniel mumbled. Sam caught his comment and uttered a short, quiet laugh, which she seemed to instantly feel ashamed about, as she cleared her throat.
“Again, we’re really sorry for this,” Daniel told Peter.
Peter smiled and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. It isn’t the first time something like this has happened.”
“Still, I’m sorry it had to happen at all. I mean, I guess we can all get caught up in the heat of the … ah … moment,” Daniel coughed nervously as his eyes darted over to Sam, who ducked her head ashamedly. “But, it’s not like us to forget about other people, and for that we’re really embarrassed.”
The manager’s smile grew wider. “If only everyone had your humility, Sir,” he said. He chuckled softly upon witnessing Daniel’s deepening blush. “Ah, to be young again and experience the newness and excitement of being alone for the very first time on your honeymoon,” he said wistfully.
“Ah … we didn’t disturb anyone else, did we?” Daniel asked, a trace of hope in his still awkward tone.
Peter shook his head. “No. Mr. Saunders was the only guest who complained. The room to your left is vacant.”
Daniel and Sam shared a look and inwardly breathed a huge sigh of relief that their predicament wasn’t any worse than it could have been. Daniel met the older man’s gaze with some leftover shame. “I don’t know if we can accept this offer.”
Peter smiled and held his hands up. “Please, it is no trouble at all,” he said insistently. “We opened this hotel in 1972 and if it’s one thing we’ve always done, it’s giving our honeymooners royal treatment. Please accept it as our compliments.” He looked them over once more and smiled affectionately. “Congratulations.”
The young couple’s shame-faced expressions finally eased up and they regarded him with tentative smiles. “Thank you,” they said nearly in unison, still sounding a bit awkward.
The manager gave them a quick smile and, before he turned to walk away, he reminded them, “Come down to the concierge’s desk and they’ll take care of everything.”
Sam and Daniel nodded as they watched him walk off. Noticing that there were some people milling about the hallway, Daniel quickly shut the door. “Well, that was … extremely embarrassing,” he recounted miserably.
Upon not hearing a reply from Sam, he turned his head and curiously looked around before he noticed that the bathroom door was shut. He suddenly wondered if Sam, out of her utter embarrassment, had locked herself inside and was crying. He tentatively made his way up to the door and knocked softly. “Sam? Are you okay?” he asked gently.
There was no response. Daniel sighed heavily, thinking that perhaps she was so embarrassed and angry with him – angry for getting her into a position that rendered her helpless, as if her inexperience afforded her no choice but to suddenly transform into a screaming banshee. He knew that was silly and doubted that Sam would ever be that way. Still, he hoped that she wasn’t angry with him at all.
He was about to sit back down on the bed when the doorknob began turning and the door slowly opened. Sam emerged, wearing a bathrobe over her little chemise. She was no longer blushing furiously, but her face was still a nice shade of pink. She slowly made her way over to the bed and sat down, putting a bit of distance between herself and Daniel.
“I can’t believe I did that,” she said shamefully.
“Did what?” Daniel asked, hoping she wasn’t regretting their lovemaking.
“If I had known I would turn out to be a, a, screamer,” her blush intensified as she said the last word, “I wouldn’t have …” Finding herself unable to express her feelings correctly, she trailed off and avoided his gaze.
Daniel moved over so that he was sitting right against her. He cupped her chin with his hand and tilted her head up to his. “Are you saying that you regret what we did last night?”
Sam felt like inserting her foot, slipper and all, down her throat when she witnessed the hurt coloring Daniel’s eyes. She instantly felt very shameful of what she said, or, more correctly, in what she almost said. “No,” she stated baldly. “I enjoyed what we had last night, Daniel. I enjoyed every minute of it. Yes, the experience was very new to me, but there were some very familiar feelings there. I could feel your love for me, deeper and more complete than I’d ever felt and it made the experience very, very wonderful.”
The hurt quickly left Daniel’s eyes and his expression turned grateful.
“I just … God, I have to stop being embarrassed about every little thing,” she said ruefully as she looked away and raked a hand through her tousled, blonde hair.
Daniel smiled sympathetically. “Hey, it’s okay. You should have seen my face when I saw the hotel manager and our … ah … neighbor at the door.”
“I guess I know what I’m capable of now,” she said, emitting a quick, sheepish laugh.
Daniel laughed and pulled her close to him once more. “As long as you didn’t regret last night, I’m okay with that,” he said, tracing his finger across her jaw line but careful not to tickle her again.
Sam locked eyes with him and allowed a small smile to grace her lips. “No. Never.”
Daniel’s smile broadened before he embraced her and they shared a slow, tender kiss.
Twenty minutes later, Sam and Daniel were dressed and downstairs at the concierge’s desk, waiting to exchange their room for the honeymoon suite. After fifteen more minutes, they were upstairs on the very top floor of the building and inside the suite, staring with fish-like expressions at its grandeur.
As the manager had said, it was very spacious and
featured a
sunken living room and Jacuzzi. It also
featured a king bed, amenities like a mini bar and refrigerator, and a
panoramic view with a private balcony. Daniel
instantly felt as if he didn’t belong in there, as if he was
intimidated by its
opulence. Sam herself felt a bit
awkward, but she instantly took to admiring the colorful décor.
It was done in classic
After they put most of their things away, they ventured out onto the balcony and took in the glorious view of a Caribbean morning.
“I feel like we don’t really belong here,” Daniel said quietly.
Sam nodded. “I know. But, something had to have brought us here, didn’t it?” In more ways than one, she silently added.
Daniel nodded before he caught a quick glimpse of his watch and his eyes widened. “Oh, my God, it’s already eight o’clock,” he muttered.
Sam affected a sober expression. “Oh, that … that tour is what time?”
“Ten,” Daniel answered. “Look, Sam, are you sure you still want to go? I mean, are you still up to it after last night?” He wasn’t worried as much about losing money or about missing out on something he enjoyed as he was about her physical well-being.
Sam smiled widely. “Of course I am. I wouldn’t miss it for anything. And, before you ask, I’m feeling terrific.” She supplemented her words with a quick kiss on his lips.
The kiss made Daniel’s face light up. “Okay. I guess we’ll have some breakfast first, and then it’s off to the Cahal Pech ruins.”
Sam nodded and then affected a curious expression. “What does that mean, Daniel?”
“Cahal Pech? It’s Maya. It means ‘Place of the Ticks,’” he supplied.
“Oh,” she said thoughtfully, raising an eyebrow as
Daniel
began making his way back inside the room. “I hope we brought bug
spray,” she
said with a crooked grin as she followed him, a slight spring in her
step.