Disclaimer: I don't own anything Scorpion
So I've been trying to get this chapter edited for days but kept getting distracted with ideas for one-shots and I'm like that dog in Disney's UP….. I see a squirrel and I lose focus instantly... And these days if I don't write down what comes into my head immediately it's lost forever.
This chapter became a bit of a monster so I decided to break it into two… so this story will now be 4 chapters instead of 3.
Next chapter up tomorrow night and the final one sometime over the weekend.
For my readers who keep inquiring about Breathe Again, thank you for reaching out. I haven't forgotten about it and I will get back to it. I appreciate your patience.
It's late here and although I've proof read this chapter twice, please excuse any typos. I'll reread tomorrow when I'm more awake and fix anything that is glaring.
Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing and following.
Enjoy!
Gauguin – Chapter 2
"We're here."
Paige's eyes fluttered open as she felt Walter shaking her gently.
"Already?" she yawned softly and arched her back as she stretched. "I thought you said it was going to be eight hours."
"It has been," he said absently as he shoved his laptop in his bag. He promised her no work this weekend but, due to the nature of their jobs, he never went anywhere without his laptop and tablet. And in the time she had been sleeping he was able to finish two projects. "You've been asleep for almost four."
"What?" Paige sat up and swayed slightly as everything around her spun.
Walter frowned as he saw her sway and he grabbed her forearm so she wouldn't topple forward.
"Hey, are you alright?"
She shook her head to clear it and then nodded. "Yeah. Just a head rush. I sat up too fast. Why did you let me sleep so long?"
He shrugged as he watched her closely. "I tried waking you once but you swatted my hand away so I just left you alone."
Paige unbuckled her seatbelt before reaching over to push up the slide that covered the window.
"No," Walter reached for her hand to stop her.
She looked over at him and rolled her eyes. "Why not? We're here. I should be able to know where we are now."
He chuckled at her petulant tone. "And you will in less than two minutes."
"Mr. O'Brien," the flight attendant said as she walked up to them. "Here are your passports. You've been pre-cleared through customs. Your luggage is at the bottom of the stairs and when you enter the terminal turn right and you will find a concierge waiting to process your rental car."
Walter stood and took the documents from her and nodded his head.
Paige stood beside him and shook her head imperceptibly before thanking the woman herself.
"Have a pleasant weekend and we will see you on Monday morning," the flight attendant said with a smile before she walked toward the back of the plane.
"How did she get my passport?" Paige asked as she reached down to grab her purse, which was tucked into the pocket between the seats.
"I got it out of your purse," Walter replied motioning to the item in her hand. "I tried asking you for it but, like I said, you swatted at me like I was a fly. You were also snoring lightly throughout most of the flight. That's a new and recent development."
"Really?" she looked genuinely surprised. "I haven't snored in over fifteen years." He looked at her curiously, wondering what she was trying to convey. "I did it the entire time I was pregnant with Ralph or, at least, according to Drew I did."
Walter made a face at the mention of Drew, the way he always did, and Paige just laughed at him before she continued. "Sorry about that. I hope it wasn't too obnoxious."
"It wasn't bothersome," Walter assured her. "It was very light like when you're coming down with a cold. Are you feeling well?"
"I feel fine. Maybe it had something to do with the altitude. Lucky you, I guess," she teased as she rubbed his arm gently.
"You ready?" He motioned toward the now open door of the plane.
The bright sun was streaming through the door and Paige could feel the heat outside. It was clearly warmer than Los Angeles, and more humid, but not oppressive.
She looked at him and he grinned. There was a combination of excitement and apprehension in his eyes and Paige wondered what could make him apprehensive but, instead of asking him, she decided to tease him. She stepped closer and just barely brushed her body against his as her lips ghosted across his cheek.
"I'm always ready," she breathed against his ear before she stepped back again.
Walter's eyes widened and hew swallowed reflexively before his eyes darkened. Paige smiled triumphantly before grasping his hand and tugging him toward the door.
She stepped through and took in the lush tropical scenery. At the bottom of the stairs were their two suitcases and her shoulder bag. Off to the right, across the tarmac was the ocean and off to the left was an expanse of green mountains. The highest peaks were wrapped in clouds that looked like large tufts of floating cotton.
Paige released his hand and tilted her head back, closing her eyes as she breathed deeply. "Where are we?" she asked after a few seconds of enjoying the sun on her face.
"Tahiti," Walter replied and he grabbed her elbow because she was standing precariously at the top of the stairs, too wrapped up in enjoying the sun to notice she was about to overstep the top step. "Be careful," he muttered as he pursed his lips.
She opened her eyes and looked at him, again, as her lips curved into a wide grin. "What are we doing in Tahiti?"
His fingers remained on her elbow as they carefully descended the stairs. "You said once that Gauguin's paintings of Tahiti were mind blowing so I thought you might like to see it yourself."
When they both reached the bottom, he released her and reached for the suitcases. Paige grabbed her shoulder bag before she turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Thank you, Walter," she whispered with a wide smile.
Her smile still had the ability to stop him in his tracks and make him lose his train of thought. She was the only person who could do that to him.
"You're welcome," he replied as he stood somewhat stiffly next to her. Although, over the years, he'd gotten better at accepting her affectionate touches in public, as long as they remained innocuous, it still made him uncomfortable. In private he let her indulge in all the affection she desired and, for a man who had once despised physical contact, he found he not only enjoyed her attention but he craved it as well.
Before she could ask him anything else, Walter stepped back and motioned for her to walk ahead of him and into the terminal. Once inside, he looked to his right and saw a young Polynesian woman standing off to the right holding a sign with his name.
"I'm Walter O'Brien," he said as they approached the woman.
"Welcome to Tahiti, Mr. O'Brien," she said with a smile. "Please follow me."
This time Walter led as they followed the woman toward a counter along the far wall. The small airport was fairly crowded but, as it was an international airport it, was not surprising. They wove their way through dozens of other travelers who were waiting around one, of only two, luggage turnstiles in the airport.
"Why are you getting such special treatment?" she asked quietly as they stepped up to the counter.
Walter handed the woman his driver's license and credit card. "Richard had his travel coordinator call ahead and make certain arrangements so we wouldn't have to wait."
"He's sure going out of his way," Paige said casually with an arched brow. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me more about what this coding work you did for him was?"
Richard knew how important this weekend was to Walter. When the genius had asked him for the use of his plane, in lieu of payment, he told the billionaire the reason he wanted it. And, as Richard was fonder of Paige than any of the other team members, he agreed.
Walter shrugged casually. "The coding work I did would have cost him twice as much if he'd paid me for it so he insisted on having his travel coordinator make all the arrangements."
Walter insisted on making the arrangements for their accommodations, personally, but was more than happy to let Richard do everything else.
"That doesn't answer my question. What exactly did you code for him?"
Fortunately Walter was saved from answering Paige's question by the rental car agent.
"Mr. O'Brien," she said his name and he turned to focus his attention on her. "We have two options for your car, white or sliver?"
But Paige wasn't fooled by Walter's avoidance. Nonetheless, she decided to let it go for now because he clearly went to great lengths to make this trip happen and he did it for her.
"Why does the color matter?" Walter asked confused why the woman would think he cared what color their car was.
"Some customers have a preference," she said as she handed him back his license and credit card.
"It's a rental car. I don't care what color it is," he replied as he returned his cards to his wallet.
The woman looked a bit taken aback by this abrupt reply and Paige sighed. His people skills had improved over the years and sometimes were so good… but others not so much.
"We'll take the silver one," Paige said as she stepped around Walter to speak to the woman. She gave him a sharp look and he pursed his lips as the woman nodded.
"Please just sign here," she said as she slid the paperwork across the counter.
Paige signed Walter's name and slid it back to the woman. He arched a brow at her, noting how meticulously she reproduced his signature. She ignored his look as the woman handed Paige her copy of the contract.
"It will just be a few minutes to bring your car around to the front. You can wait outside those double doors."
"Thank you," Paige said as she tucked her hand into Walter's elbow and led him him away.
"When did you learn to forge my name?"
"I've known for years," she shrugged like it was no big deal. His look told her that wasn't the answer he was looking for. "When you didn't want to be bothered signing the contracts with clients, and asked me to do it, I started signing your name for you."
"Why didn't you sign your own name?" he asked curiously.
Paige pushed the glass door open and stepped out into the heat again. "Because I'm not an officer of the company."
"You sign the checks," he pointed out as they came to a stop next to the curb. He released the handle of the suitcase and felt Paige slip her hand into his. Holding her hand in public was something he was fairly comfortable with and he rubbed his thumb softly against the back of her hand.
"But you're the only one legally authorized to sign contracts," she insisted as she laughed. Why were they even having this conversation?
"Hmmm," he mused impressed with her ingenuity. "We'll have to rectify that then. You need to be able to sign in my absence."
"Why would you ever be absent? Besides, I have no problem forging your name," she tossed his words back at him as she grinned. "God, the heat feels so good. Aren't you hot in that shirt?" she asked as she motioned to his standard long-sleeved oxford.
"My sleeves are rolled up so-," he replied but the look on her face stopped him midsentence. "Why do you have that look on your face?"
She looked at him wide eyed. "I'm just remembering I let you and my son pack my suitcase for me."
"And your point is?" he frowned wondering what the problem was.
"I'm just wondering exactly what I might have to wear this weekend," she said hesitantly.
"I assure you, there are adequate outfits for our destination and my plans," Walter scoffed evenly.
"What plans? Aren't we just going to relax and lie on the beach during the day and make love under the stars at night," she purred as she stepped closer to him.
He grimaced and she chuckled, stepping back again, under no illusions that either of those two things would be happening. Well… one of them wouldn't anyway. Walter believed it was a waste of time to just lie lazily in the sun and not do anything productive. He disliked the beach even though he had indulged Megan before her death by taking her there regularly because she liked it so much.
He'd also indulged Paige, a handful of times over the years, when she wanted to spend time at the beach, but he hated the feeling of sand under his feet and on his body so all he did was complain until she finally got fed up and insisted they leave.
Walter also despised when sex was described as making love. It didn't offend Paige because she knew the intimacy they shared together was making love, whether or not he was willing to use the words the describe it. He did, however, have a penchant for sex out in the open. They'd had sex on the roof of the garage, more than a handful of times, over the years. Despite his distaste for the words, he very much enjoyed the act and had a little bit of a kink for taking her out in the open, so long as they were alone and in no danger of anyone seeing them, for which the roof of the garage was perfect.
"So, did you know there is a Gauguin museum here on Tahiti," she said conversationally, changing the subject, as a swarm of people exited out the doors around them.
Walter nodded and he pursed his lips when several people bumped into him.
"Is that why you brought me here?" she asked as she switched places with him so he was further away from the exiting tourists.
Walter nodded, again, before he answered. "You love his paintings."
Those four simple words said it all. The fact that she loved Gauguin's art was all Walter needed to know. And it was all Paige needed to know, to know he loved her.
"We read about his museum years ago in my class. It's basically just a hut, you know. In fact I heard it's closed," she said quietly, as she looked at him, not wanting to put a damper on his surprise, but it wasn't like him to fail to investigate something like that in advance.
"It was," he replied as he held her gaze. "The museum was originally just a Japanese style, open air, hut connected to some other outbuildings by covered walkways. It didn't house much of Gauguin's work either. It only had some minor paintings, and some of his sculptures and carvings but that was it. It was more of a memorial to his life once he moved here and was quite disappointing to anyone who visited it. It eventually fell into disrepair and closed sometime in 2014."
Paige smiled softly as he spoke. She never should have doubted that he would have done his homework.
"In 2003, to coincide with the one hundredth anniversary of his death, the Paul Gauguin Cultural Center opened on the Marquesas Islands, which is where he spent the last 3 years of his life. It's a replica of the two story house he built for himself, which he called The House of Pleasure. With that name I suppose it's no surprise he died of a body ravaged by alcoholism and syphilis."
"You've done a lot of research on Gauguin," she mused softly with a light chuckle and Walter paused to see if she was going to say any more. He wanted to tell her it was the efficient thing to do for the plans he made but when she just smiled affectionately at him he continued.
"It's still open but the Marquesas Islands are not as popular a destination as Tahiti so it doesn't receive many visitors." Another group of tourists poured out of the doors behind Paige and she was jostled forward into Walter.
"Oh," she said as she gripped his arms to steady herself.
He gripped her hips and turned them around again so she would be out of the path of the exiting tourists before he took her hand in his again.
"Two years ago a French billionaire purchased the museum from the Tahitian government and he renovated it from the bottom up, enclosing the buildings to keep the artwork preserved and adding exterior gardens around the property. He spent over five hundred million acquiring every privately owned Gauguin painting of Tahiti that he could locate. In addition, he arranged a twenty year loan of over two dozen of Gauguin's paintings from a Russian collector as well as loans of pieces from museums around the world like the MET and the Louvre. Of the assumed sixty eight paintings Gauguin painted of Tahiti, the new museum houses forty two of them."
Paige's smile widened with anticipation. "So the museum here on Tahiti is open."
Walter shook his head and her eyes flashed with disappointment.
"The re-opening reception is tomorrow night." He brushed his thumb over the back of her hand again. "And we're going."
"But you don't like Gauguin's paintings," she breathed overwhelmed with love for the man in front of her. The man who, still, to this day claimed he had no feelings but somehow managed to show her over and over again that he did.
"I don't like any art," he stated honestly. "I've tried but I just don't see what you see in it, Paige." His eyes softened as he looked at her. "But you love it and it makes you happy. And I'll do anything to make you happy."
She hiccupped softly and stepped closer, slipping her fingers out of his as she lifted both of her hands to his face. He tilted his head back with his eyes wide.
"Are you going to kiss me out in the open here at the airport?" he asked in a horrified tone.
A delighted chuckled escaped her lips. "Yes I am. So brace yourself."
Her fingers slid over his cheeks gently and around to the back of his head where her fingers laced together through his short curls.
He looked at her and his hands instictively lifted to rest on her hips, his fingers flexing as anxiety poured off him in waves. He released a long breath. "Okay," he muttered, drawing the word out, as he exhaled and he looked like he was trying to psyche himself up for what was to come.
And in that moment, although she didn't think it was possible, Paige Dineen fell a little more in love with Walter O'Brien.
The kiss was brief and chaste, but the second her lips touched his, Walter's fingers flexed again and pressed into her hips as he automatically clutched her closer.
Paige sighed happily as she pulled away and was pleased to see disappointment flash across his face just as a sliver convertible pulled up beside them. She stepped back and Walter's lips curved down into a frown.
"Your hotel is programmed into the GPS," the driver said as he handed Walter the keys and held the passenger door open, so Paige could get in, as Walter put their luggage in the trunk.
Walter climbed into the driver's seat and fastened his seatbelt before looking over at her. He held his hand out to her.
"You ready?"
"What did I say on the plane?" she teased as she slipped her hand into his again. She lifted their joined hands to her lips and brushed her lips over his palm.
Walter's eyes darkened as she reminded him of her teasing barely thirty minutes earlier.
"You shouldn't tease a genius, Paige. Don't you know that by now?"
Paige let out an amused chuckle but didn't answer him as she settled back in her seat, ready for whatever adventure he had planned.
#############
They arrived at the Le Méridien Tahiti less than fifteen minutes later. In that time Walter planned half a dozen different ways to have Paige naked and beneath him before dinner. It was just after three in the afternoon local time and that would give them a good three hours before the reservations he'd made for dinner.
Paige was unaware of his decadent plans for her as she fiddled with the radio trying to find some music that she knew Walter could tolerate. He pulled up in front of the resort and handed the car over to the valet before he led Paige into the lobby.
"Oh, Walter, this place is breathtaking," she gushed as she looked around the luxurious lobby toward the open air restaurant and ocean side bar toward the back. She walked across the lobby to the large tropical fish tank in the center and looked at the fish, thinking that Ralph would have loved it.
"Welcome to the Le Méridien Tahiti," the man at the check-in desk greeted as Walter walked up. He gave his name and reservation number, along with his passport and credit card, to the man as Paige strolled over to him smiling.
"Ralph would love that fish tank."
Walter asked her for her passport and gave it to the clerk before he responded. "He would find it illogical to trap those fish in a tank when the ocean, which is their natural habitat, is less than thirty feet away," Walter said before he could stop himself.
"Well if you'd gone over and looked at it with me, you'd see that the tank is open to the floor below it, to the ocean floor to be exact. The fish can come in and out freely," Paige responded with soft shake of her head. Sometimes he was just such a killjoy.
"Then what is the point of the tank?" He shrugged and turned his attention back to the clerk who was speaking to him.
"Per your request, Mr. O'Brien, you are in the overwater bungalow at the far end of the dock. That will afford you maximum privacy."
"What's an overwater bungalow?" Paige asked curiously.
The clerk smiled at her before pointing through the dining room to the exterior of the resort beyond it.
"Do you see those bungalows all along the length of those docks? Those are the resort's luxury accommodations. You'll find them to your satisfaction, I assure you, Miss Dineen."
He handed Walter their passports and Walter slipped them both into his pocket.
"Aisake will escort you to your bungalow. Kike will follow with your luggage," the clerk said as he pointed out the other young Polynesian man who had just walked up with their luggage from the car. "Enjoy your stay."
The man handed Walter the keycard for their bungalow and they followed Aisake through the lobby and across the back deck to the docks just beyond.
Paige slipped her hand through Walter's elbow but he kept his hands in his pockets as they walked. It was the only way to keep from reaching for her, which is what he was suddenly dying to do.
"My god, Walter, what have you done?" Paige asked as she realized the thatched roof, overwater bungalows were on pylons that rose up out of the clear blue water. Each one had three hundred and sixty degrees of deck and terrace wrapped around the bungalow with uninhibited views of the resort on one side and the open ocean on the other.
"I thought you would like it," Walter said, his brow furrowed, as he slowed their pace slightly so they could speak privately.
"I do," she assured with a smile and then she bit her lip hesitantly. "It just must cost a fortune."
"Paige, don't ruin this by obsessing over the money," he said evenly. They'd argued in the past about the amount of money he spent on things for her and Ralph. Those arguments never ended well for him because he almost always lost them. But she couldn't understand that money meant nothing to him. It typically meant nothing to geniuses, but him particularly. It was a means to an end for him and if doing something with it made her happy then he didn't think twice about it.
Paige looked at him for a long moment before nodding her head, not wanting to appear ungrateful for all he'd done to surprise her this weekend. But she slipped her hand out of his elbow and walked ahead of him. He sighed and followed behind her silently for the several minutes it took to reach the bungalow at the farthest end of the dock.
"I will be your personal attendant for the time you are here," Aisake said as he opened the door and allowed Paige and Walter to enter before him. Paige gasped as she took in the luxurious space. The room featured woven palm walls, timber floors, a canopy bed, and a Polynesian style bathroom with open views to the reef. In the center of the room, there was a glass floor and, as Paige walked over it, she saw a coral garden beneath with more of the tropical fish she'd seen in the lobby, swimming freely and leisurely throughout it.
"If there is anything you need, don't hesitate to hit number one on the phone and it will connect you with me," Aisake said as he motioned for Kike to place their suitcases on the foot board at the end of the bed.
"Thank you," Walter said and Paige's lips curved, glad his people skills seemed to be coming back, at least a little, before she walked through the French doors and out onto the back terrace.
She leaned on the railing as Walter finished with Aisake and Kike and just took in the view of the bluest water she'd ever seen.
A minute later Walter walked up behind her. "Are you upset with me?"
She smiled softly before she turned and hurled herself at him, sliding her arms over his shoulders as she pressed her lips to his. Walter stumbled backwards as he caught her, shocked by her assault, but he quickly recovered as he wrapped his arms around her and clutched her closer. He opened his mouth when her tongue traced along the seam of his lips seeking entrance. She moaned softly as her fingers slid into his hair and she kept urging and pushing him backwards until they stumbled through the French doors.
Paige's hands frantically tugged on Walter's shirt, removing it from the waistband of his pants as she fumbled with the buttons. Their kisses were desperate and frantic and Walter groaned her name as she gave up on his shirt and dropped her hands so one could tug on the button of his pants, while the fingers of her other deftly lowered the zipper.
Walter grunted into her mouth as the back of his legs hit the bed. She pushed him down onto the mattress and grabbed the waistband of his pants, tugging them impatiently down over his hips.
"Paige," he gasped as he pushed up on his elbows and looked down at her while simultaneously lifting his hips to assist her as she stripped him naked.
It took a minute or so of struggling as he kicked off his shoes before she could yank the offending fabric off his legs and toss it away.
He reached for her but she just slapped his hand away and shook her head.
His eyes darkened in response as he watched her drop to her knees on the wood floor and her dark eyes met his. He knew her intentions, instantly, and the look she gave him shot right through him as his body reacted instantaneously.
When they'd first started engaging in sexual intercourse, Walter refrained from letting her perform fellatio on him. It wasn't that he didn't want it or he didn't like it. He'd allowed all the women he was with previously perform it on him quite readily. And Walter had absolutely no qualms about putting his mouth on Paige. A lot. In fact, whether it was a result of her enthusiastic response to it or the intensity of his feelings for her, Walter found he, willingly, spent quite a bit of time with his head between her thighs. But there was something about the notion of having her on her knees for him reminded him of the escorts he'd been with and the very little regard he had for them as he only used them for his own personal pleasure.
And for once in his life, Walter's eidetic memory was his downfall.
It took Paige over a month to convince him to tell her why he didn't want it, and then another two before she convinced him that there was nothing disrespectful about it, that she wanted to reciprocate and she would absolutely enjoy it. When she finally convinced him to let her pleasure him that way, Walter, literally, thought his head was going to pop off.
Now he never stopped her. He never stopped her from anything she wanted. In truth, Walter O'Brien was a bit of a control freak, but the one person, he freely gave up control to, was the beautiful woman who was currently licking her lips above his very painfully, aroused body.
She smiled at him and pressed one soft hand on his stomach as she wrapped the other around his shaft and stroked him from base to tip.
"Paige," he said her name again in a strangled tone as she pushed his shirt up and then lowered her mouth to him. As her smooth lips wrapped around him, Walter's head fell back and his eyes rolled back in his head. Her hot mouth surrounded him and he bucked his hips as his body surged, lengthening and hardening even more.
He reached down and his fingers slid into the soft strands of her hair. This was not what he planned on the drive to the resort but he couldn't seem to form even one coherent thought as her tongue swirled and flicked over his aching flesh. His fingers curled into her hair and he fought to keep his hips still as her mouth rose and lowered over him.
Paige slid her hand from his stomach down to wrap around the base of him as the other slid up and down his hard flesh, tugging firmly as she bobbed her head. She repeated the motion slowly, taking him deep, then sliding back up and swirling her tongue around the head, before plunging down and encompassing as much of him as she could take in her mouth again.
Walter choked out her name again, the sound guttural and deep, and his thighs shook from the effort to hold back. She tightened her lips around him, sucking harder, as her tongue flicked against the underside, just below his head, and that was always what did it.
Walter's body jerked and he groaned as his hips lifted off the mattress. Paige gagged a little at his head hit the back of her throat, but as she felt him twitch and throb against her tongue she tightened her lips again, hollowing out her cheeks as she sucked him harder.
Walter's entire body shuddered with pleasure as his orgasm tore through him. He tightened his fingers in her hair and his shaft pulsed between her lips as his seed erupted from his tip and filled her mouth.
She swallowed quickly, breathing through her nose, as she waited for him to cease pulsing. Walter panted harshly above her and she could feel the rise and fall of his body as he continued to shudder in the aftermath. Paige loosened her lips and reached up to remove his hands from where they were still gripping her hair as she released him from her mouth. As she stood on shaky legs, feeling her knees crack, she made one last swirl of her tongue over his still twitching head, and his entire body jerk in response.
She pressed her lips to his pelvis and let her lips ghost over the still quivering muscles of his abdomen.
"Holy hell, Paige. What was that?" he gasped and panted as she slowly made her way up his body.
Her lips brushed over his stomach and she smiled, murmuring, "That was thank you."
Her fingers slipped the buttons of his shirt through the holes and her lips followed the path behind her hands as inch by inch his shirt opened revealing his still heaving chest.
Her lips continued their ascent up his body and she crawled onto the bed, straddling his legs. His hands gripped her thighs and sank into the soft flesh and she smiled against his skin as she reached his neck. Paige pressed down on him as she kissed the hollow of his throat and his arms wrapped around her as he rolled them so she was on her back beneath him. He took her lips in a slow deep kiss.
Paige arched her back beneath him and his hand tugged her shirt out of the waistband of her pants and slid up under her shirt. He cupped her breast over the lace of her bra, as his thumb brushed over the protruding nipple in the center. He had it, along with the rest of her clothes, off her in a matter of minutes, and had her moaning and mewling and trembling beneath him just as quickly.
And when his body had recovered enough he sank into her and thanked her right back.
###########
Several hours later, they'd missed their dinner reservations but neither of them cared. However, they were both extremely hungry so they decided to venture out and see if one of the restaurants would sit them for a late supper.
After separate showers, because they knew they'd never make it out of the room if they shared one, Paige stood in front of her suitcase, wrapped in a towel, with a wary look on her face.
Walter was already dressed and sitting on the sofa across the room as he tried to connect his tablet to the Wi-Fi so he could check the hours of the Botanical Gardens that were across from the Gauguin museum. Paige wanted to visit them the next day before they attended the museum's opening.
"Why are you looking at your luggage like it might bite you?" he asked when he noticed her in his periphery.
"I really am worried about what I might find in there."
"Well, the only way to face your fears is to just jump right in there, or so I've been told," he said with a wry smirk and she shook her head and shot him narrow glare, which only made his smirk widen. He was still a man who didn't, as a general rule, feel fear and Paige wished she had something handy to throw at him for being a wise ass.
Instead, Paige unzipped her suitcase and looked inside. To her relief there were several tropical climate outfits including shorts and summer dresses, casual short sleeve and sleeveless tops and sandals. Ralph must have pulled her summer bins out of the closet and picked out the outfits he'd seen her wearing most often. But the majority of what filled the suitcase was from one particular drawer of hers and Paige chuckled softly.
"What's so funny?" Walter asked absently as he focused on his task. "Did we not pack the right things?"
She looked over at him and smiled. "Actually the two of you did well. But there is more lingerie in here than actual clothes.
He looked up at her with a sheepish grin. "Uh, yeah, that was me. I wasn't sure what you'd want so I just pretty much dumped the entire drawer in there."
"I can see that," she chucked again as she sifted through the silk and lace until she found a pair of black panties. She dropped her towel and slipped them up her legs.
Her actions did not go unnoticed by Walter but he kept his focus on his task, otherwise they weren't going to make it out of this bungalow at all tonight.
"I hope you did it after Ralph had packed his part of it," she added as she slid a floral skirt up her legs. "It's a little creepy to think of my son seeing all my underwear."
Walter snorted softly and then he pursed his lips because it was a little creepy, probably more so for the young boy than Paige. No teenage boy wanted to see his mother's underwear, especially if it was sexy lingerie, although, truth-be-told, that was really all that Paige owned. Not that Walter minded one bit.
And speaking of….
"You don't mind Ferret Bueller seeing your underwear," he said as the Wi-Fi connected and he quickly brought up the site for the botanical gardens. "You let him sleep in your drawer, in fact."
"I don't let him," Paige retorted as she slipped a matching bra on and then pulled a peach blouse on over it. "I can't help that he knows how to open drawers."
"But that's the only drawer he sleeps in," Walter said trying to make a point as he noted the hours for the botanical gardens.
"Actually he sleeps in your underwear drawer more often than mine. You just never catch him."
"Eww." Walter grimaced and Paige laughed.
"Please tell me you packed me something to wear to this reception tomorrow night. How fancy is it?" she asked as she dug a little deeper into the suitcase.
"It's not black tie, thank goodness," Walter said as he tossed the tablet onto the sofa and stood up.
"What are you wearing?" she asked and he grimaced again.
"I have a suit."
She laughed again at the disgusted tone of his voice. He hated wearing suits.
"There are a couple of dresses in there, under all the lingerie," Walter said as he grinned unrepentantly at the mention of all her unmentionables.
At the very bottom of the suitcase she found and pulled out a short black cocktail dress and a mid-length, chiffon, cream one.
"These are both nice."
"You can thank Happy for that," Walter shrugged and he slipped his hands into his pockets as he walked over to her. "We had to seek her assistance with those choices. Are they okay?"
She nodded her head, impressed with Happy's options. "Yes. But why do I need two of them?"
He hesitated a moment, debating how to reply. He decided the best course of action was the truth.
"Because tomorrow night is only my second surprise for you. You'll need a dress for Sunday night too."
She lifted her brow as delight filled her eyes.
"What is that look for?" he asked her for the second time in ten minutes.
"I'm just surprised," she replied as she reached over and rubbed her fingers against his forearm below the, once again, rolled up sleeves of his button down.
"Why is the concept of surprise so difficult for you?" he pursed his lips and she could see the genuine perplexity on his face.
"I'm just not used to it," she answered honestly with a soft smile to let him know she wasn't complaining.
His frown deepened before he replied seriously. "Yes, I know I do lack the spontaneity and skill of being romantic, usually. But I try."
"I know you do," Paige stepped closer to him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "And I wouldn't have you any other way, Walter," she added as she reached up and rubbed her lipstick from his skin.
He seemed pacified with her response and she gave in to temptation and pulled his mouth down to hers. "I love you," she whispered against his lips as his arms came around her.
"I know," he murmured as his hands slid down and he pressed his fingers into her ass, holding her against him. "Now let's go before they stop serving food and we have to starve all night."
To be Continued...
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