Chapter 18: Chapter 18

Leo

I could tell I was breaking down her walls. Her guard was falling. She was scared, terrified even, of letting herself trust me. But, right now, today, she was giving in to her desires. I wasn’t going to question it or worry about it or think about what tomorrow would bring. I was just going to live in the moment.

Austyn and I walked hand in hand down the boardwalk admiring the souvenir shops, art galleries, clothing stores, and all the tourists who bounced in and out of each of them. Austyn giggled as she jumped out of the way of a pair of bicyclists. She jumped right into me and I savored the feeling of her in my arms.

“Let’s go in here.” I said, dragging her into one of the souvenir shops. I suddenly had the urge to remember this moment with a trinic. Austyn followed after me eagerly, taking in the scenery.

We browsed the store and I watched as Austyn’s eyes lit up at all the silly souvenirs. I picked up a snowglobe that had an insert for a picture. It had Newport written on the bottom with the year.

“We need to take a picture to put in here.” I said, taking the snow globe to the checkout counter. Austyn took the snow globe from my hand and admired it before handing it over to the cashier.

“What’s that for?” She asked.

“So we can remember this day.” I replied.

“Oh, I’ll never forget it.” She said as the cashier handed over a bag and my change.

“Come on, I saw a photo booth out here somewhere.” I pulled Austyn alongside me until I found the photo booth. I nearly pushed her inside as she started to protest.

The booth was meant for one person, so she was forced to sit on my lap. Believe me, I wasn’t complaining. She shifted uncomfortably and that only made the situation worse. I stifled a groan and started poking away at the screen. It started to count down and we posed for four pictures.

Austyn threw herself out of the booth dramatically and I waited for the picture to spit out of the machine. I laughed at Austyn’s tense expression in the first picture, but it slowly relaxed as the camera shuttered. By the last picture, she was grinning from ear to ear with her hand on my face as I rested my chin on her shoulder.

“Oh, these are definitely keepers.” I said.

“I’m sure.” Austyn rolled her eyes, clearly not believing that she could look good in a photo.

“I’ll show you tonight.” I winked, coming up with another plan. I pulled out my phone and sent off a quick text. She eyed me dangerously,

“What are you doing?” She snapped, but her tone lacked venom.

“You’ll see. Let’s go for a walk on the beach.” We kicked off our shoes and left them sitting on a bench near the wall that separated the boardwalk from the beach.

“I’ve never been to a beach before.” Austyn said suddenly, surprising herself and me.

“Really?” I asked in shock.

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve never really been anywhere. The packhouse and the boarding school in Nevada, that’s it.” She shrugged.

“I’ll show you the world, Austyn-Rose.” I purred, turning her to face me as I stopped walking. I held her in my arms and ducked my head to meet her eyes. She shuttered against me but didn’t move. Her hazel eyes were alive and swirling with emotions I couldn’t name.

“You already have.” Her voice was barely audible. I held her face in my hands, stroking my thumb over her cheek.

“I love you.” My tone was deep and sultry. Austyn blinked at me, unable to respond,

“Now and forever, I will love you.” I promised her. She licked her lips and I nearly fell at her feet.

“I can’t say it back, yet.” Austyn whispered.

“That’s okay, I’ll wait forever.” I smiled.

I couldn’t help myself any longer, I had to have her. I pulled Austyn’s face to mine, crushing our lips together. I moved against her mouth urgently, my hands dropping from her face and snaking up her back. She reacted to my touch, coming undone. Her lips responded to mine, her hands wrapped around my neck.

When we finally broke apart, she was breathless and I was light headed. She pressed her forehead against mine, controlling her breathing.

“I can’t say it back, but I can say this: I trust you.” Austin spoke in a breathless whisper.

I grinned wickedly while Quinn howled in my head. I wrapped my arms around her waist and swung her around in a circle. Her giggles filled my ears and I relished in the sound.

“That’s the best thing you could’ve said to me.” I told her, sitting her back down on the sand.

We continued our walk for another hour before it was time to get ready for dinner. I drove us to the hotel and checked us in. We rode the elevator to the top floor, the penthouse suite. Austyn gawked at the room as I carried her bag in and threw it down on the bed.

“I’ll be in the room next door. It’s exactly the same.” I said, nodding towards a door that connected the conjoining rooms.

“Did we each really need a room this big? That’s a little overkill, Leo.” She sighed at me.

“Nothing but the best for my girl.” I said shamelessly,

“I’ll leave you to get ready. We have to leave in an hour.” I walked out of her room and into mine.

I got a quick shower and changed in the bathroom. I was wearing a black Armani suit with a red, satin tie and white dress shirt. I finished tying my dress shoes and looked at myself in the mirror. I straightened my hair and determined that I was suitable for my mate. I would be dull in comparison to her no matter what I wore, anyway.

After about 45 minutes, I knocked on the door that connected our rooms.

“Come in!” Austyn’s voice beckoned me. I opened the door and saw a glimpse of her in the bathroom. She had just pulled the dress up over her black, strapless bra.

“Can you help me?” Austyn asked, strutting over to me. She was holding her dress up at her chest, unable to zip it on her own.

“Of course.” My mouth was dry, I could barely speak. She turned her back to me and I admired her. My hands were actually shaking as I reached towards her dress. My fingers brushed her bare skin as I slowly pulled up the zipper. Quinn howled in my head, begging us to mate and mark her. I licked my lips, eyeing her bare neck.

I shook my head and shoved Quinn to the back of my mind. I gripped Austyn’s shoulders and turned her around to face me. She looked breathtaking in her red dress. Her lips were painted in an equally striking red, her eyelashes stained darker than normal. She left her hair natural, the tips of it brushed the top of her shoulders. It was dirty blonde, darker in some spots and lighter in others, with a loose curl to it.

I brushed a few strands of hair from her face and lightly ran my fingers over her cheek.

“You’re so beautiful.” I whispered.

“Not so bad yourself.” Austyn mumbled, her face turning a bright red.

I took the opportunity to kiss her again. It was physically impossible for me to get enough of her. When I started to deepen the kiss, Austyn gently pushed me away.

“Your lips are red.” She giggled, plucking out a few tissues and handing them over. I scrubbed my lips, sure enough, the tissues were the same color as her lipstick.

“I’ll proudly wear your lipstick, my love, if it means I get to kiss you whenever I want.” I purred. Austyn rolled her eyes at me but she couldn’t hide her adorable little laugh.

“Ready to go?” I asked, offering her my elbow. She nodded, shyly biting her lip as she grasped my arm.

We walked downstairs where another surprise was waiting for Austyn. I took her behind the hotel where the garden and gazebo were delicately lit up with fairy lights and decorated with flowers. Austyn’s hand fluttered to her mouth,

“What’s this?” She whispered.

“I told you I was arranging something. You didn’t want to see yourself in our photo booth pictures. You don’t see how incredibly beautiful you are. We’re going to have some professional photos done so we can always remember this night and how enchanting you looked.” I wrapped my arm around my mate’s waist as I pushed her towards the gazebo.

“Oh, Leo, that’s so thoughtful but….” Austyn started to complain but I shushed her,

“No buts. This is happening.” I chuckled at her as the photographer stepped in front of us. She began shuffling us around, positioning us in various poses.

First, she had me stand behind Austyn in a prom style photo. Then, we kissed, to which Austyn complained loudly and blushed the entire time. I tried to lighten the mood by tickling my mate and dipping her back for another kiss. The photographer ate it up.

Next, she had us stand on the gazebo steps for some shots and then lean on the railing. Austyn sat on top of the railing while I stood in front of her, straddled between her legs. We kissed some more.

After nearly an hour, the photographer announced that she had enough shots and the session was over. Austyn audibly sighed in relief. I chuckled at her discontent but I could tell that she really was looking forward to seeing the final results. The photographer promised to edit and deliver our pictures within two weeks.

Finally, it was time for dinner.