For just a little while, she forced the past from her mind. She forced thoughts of the future away as well. All she focused on was the fact that she was with Ryan and he was acting as tender and loving as he had when they’d been together.

She went to sleep with a smile on her face.

As they prepared to land, Ryan shook her awake and raised her seat back up. She was so relaxed and lethargic that she sat there quietly while the plane touched down.

Fifteen minutes later, Ryan wrapped a protective arm around her as they exited the plane. He seated her in the waiting car while he saw that the luggage was loaded and then they drove away.

They checked into the lavish hotel that was situated directly on the beach, and Ryan jokingly informed her that when his partnership’s resort was built, it would make the one they were staying in look like a two-star hotel instead of the five stars it boasted.

Kelly found that hard to believe when they were ushered into a sprawling suite that was many times bigger than her apartment in Houston.

She sank into the couch, that looked out the sliding patio doors to the private expanse of beach beyond. Ryan put away their luggage and then knelt in front of her, slipping her shoes off to inspect her feet for swelling. He began massaging the souls, moving up to the instep and arch. A moan of absolute pleasure escaped her lips.

“Feel good?”

“Oh my God, does it.”

He continued his ministrations, watching her silently. Her hand crept to her rounded belly and she smiled as the baby rolled beneath her fingers.

“Is the baby moving?” Ryan asked.

She nodded and he stopped rubbing her feet.

“Can I feel?”

She brought his hand to her stomach and placed it over the spot where her hand had been. He jerked in surprise as her stomach bumped beneath his palm, and his expression was akin to awe.

“That’s incredible. Doesn’t it hurt?”

Chuckling, she said, “No. It isn’t always comfortable, but it’s certainly not painful.”

He kept his hand there a few more moments and then rose, a regretful glint in his eyes. “Would you like to have dinner on the patio or do you want to go eat in the restaurant?”

“Here, please,” she replied. “I like our view and it’s private.”

He nodded his agreement and went to phone in their room service order.

Thirty minutes later the meal was wheeled in on a serving cart and the attendant set the table out on the patio. The two ate in silence, enjoying the setting sun and the sound of the waves crashing in the distance.

As they finished, Ryan suggested she go to bed; but she wasn’t tired. She was quite rested actually and felt an eagerness to explore their secluded cove. When she expressed the desire to take a walk along the beach, Ryan hesitated at first, but agreed to accompany her when she was adamant about going.