“Yes and no. I like to dive every chance I get, but I’m usually too busy.”
“That seems very sad to me, Rafe. Why don’t you take more time for yourself?”
“I think I will, Ari,” he said, while pausing to look in her eyes.
Something seemed to be changing in him — maybe, just possibly, they had a chance.
Ari watched him get ready; he looked pretty spectacular, she thought, in the skin-tight wet suit. She was led to an observation area, where she was able to watch him float around as he caressed the terrifying sharks. She could barely watch. Most of them were far bigger than Rafe, and though she was sure the hotel had ample precautions in place, all it would take was one good snap of their jaws to rip his head off. A shudder passed through her.
“The hotel has seven different species of sharks — sand tiger, nurse sharks, gray reef, and more. Also, there are a variety of fish and a few different stingrays inside. It’s a thrilling experience, but it can be dangerous at the same time.”
Ari turned to find out who was speaking — it was an employee standing right next to her. Why in the world would he tell her Rafe could be in danger? Was he trying to keep her blood pressure at an all-time high? Was she supposed to thank him for the information? She kept silent.
When Rafe gave her a thumbs up, then made his way to the surface, Ari let out the shallow breath she was holding and went to meet him by the changing area. She didn’t yet know whether she’d survive the day.
Luckily for her, the rest of the afternoon was a lot more mellow. They went to The Mirage and entered Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, where she picked up a picture painted by the dolphins with their noses. She’d treasure those memories forever.
As the day wore on, she was finding herself fading. The hours of shopping in the forum shops left her barely able to make her way back to the hotel. Nobody could say that Rafe wasn’t generous, and it made her incredibly uneasy.
When — if — she wasn’t with him anymore, she wouldn’t ever have a need to wear the abundance of fancy gowns and jewels he’d insisted on buying her. If and when that day came, she’d just have to leave it all with him. The thought of another woman having the items choked her up, but the guilt of keeping them would consume her.
When they finally entered their hotel and made their way to the elevator, Ari couldn’t even muster up the energy to smile in relief; she just blindly followed behind Rafe.
“I’m falling asleep standing up,” Ari said with a sleepy laugh as they entered the room. Her feet felt as if they were going to fall off, but the day had been more than worth it.
“Take a nap. I want you refreshed for part two.”
“There’s more?” she asked.
“Yes, and I want you rested.”
Rafe didn’t have to say anything further to convince her. She was so tired, she didn’t know whether she’d make it to the bed, but a couple of hours’ nap should refresh her. Ari lay down and nodded off immediately, but she did so with a smile on her face.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Put on the dress hanging in the closet and meet me by the front desk at eight.
Rafe
Ari looked at the note and forgave the ringing of the phone that had jolted her from her restful sleep. She hated wake-up service. The jerks didn’t stop ringing until you answered the dang phone. She’d been sacked out for two hours, and as she crawled from the bed and stretched, she felt rejuvenated. It was only six-thirty, so she had a little time to spend on making herself beautiful for an evening out. There was something about being in Vegas that made her actually want to dress up and put on makeup. She hoped she got back to her normal self once they returned to California.
When she opened the closet and saw the shimmering floor-length gown hanging before her, she couldn’t contain her pleasure. Nothing was going to get in the way of her enjoying all this attention to the fullest. When they returned to the real world, things would go back to the way they’d been before, but for this one magical day, she would feel as if she were in a real relationship and the man she was with wanted to make her feel like a princess. It was sadly funny, of course, that she had to be in a fairy tale to be in that real relationship.
Leaving the closet open, Ari put her hair up and jumped into the shower to rinse off the grime from their busy day traipsing through the city. She used her favorite coconut body wash, knowing that it was Rafe’s favorite, then rubbed herself from head to toe with its companion lotion. She now had costly French perfumes, but she chose this, knowing that the scent enveloping her would ring a little bell in his brain, starting a chain of reactions that would lead him to ravish her the instant they returned to their suite.
Not that their sex life was lacking — he was a magnificent lover, and she was more than satisfied in that department, even if some of his requests tended to frighten her. She still hadn’t been pushed into doing anything that had struck her as less than fulfilling.
Fear kept her from wanting to try new things, but Rafe was such a considerate lover that only escalating anticipation flowed through her veins whenever they set foot in the bedroom. She was starting to want to learn some new tricks of her own.
Maybe if she kept things exciting, they’d both get to enjoy each other a while longer. Hard as she tried to fight it, she couldn’t squelch that thought. She was enjoying Rafe’s presence more and more — when he acted the way he did today.
Taking extra time with her hair and makeup, Ari made it back out to her closet at seven-thirty. She’d barely have time to get into the dress and delicate shoes and still make it down to Rafe in time. But hey! If she happened to be a few minutes late, he’d survive. Wasn’t it a man’s job to wait on a woman? According to a popular country song, it was. The thought made her smile. Again.
Slipping into extra-sexy lingerie, Ari looked at herself in the mirror and shook her h*ps slowly from side to side, dipping lower in mid-sway. She’d never before considered doing this sort of dance for a man; now her ni**les hardened and her stomach clenched at the thought.
When she’d lost another five minutes moving her body in seductive circles, Ari frantically abandoned her dance practice and grabbed the dress. It fit her as if it had been tailored specifically for her body. How does he do that?
Sliding her shoes on last, she looked in the mirror again and decided she was as ready as she was going to be. She felt good — who wouldn’t in that dress and those shoes? Grabbing her small clutch, Ari headed for the door and walked quickly to the elevator. She was ready to see what else Rafe had in store.