The edges of the counter dug into her hands. Her face was so close to the mirror that her breath fogged the glass.

They had an hour left until they reached Cozumel & it was driving her crazy being in such close proximity to him. She had finally slipped away to the bathroom, glancing behind her as she got up, flushed. She hadn't locked the door behind her.

When she realized he wasn't following, she slumped over the sink. The memories of the first time were never far & her breath hitched as she thought of the feel of his hands on her thighs. She needed to compose herself when all she wanted to do was lose herself.

He smirked at her as she returned to her seat. "Everything okay?"

"Mhm, fine," she replied, trying not to catch his gaze. She slipped her seatbelt buckle back into place, her hands falling to either side of her.

It was only a moment before she felt his fingers brush against hers, almost hesitant before he took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. Beth turned her head toward him, her eyes trained on his. They were lit up in a smile, dancing as he quickly looked down at her lips before meeting her stare again.

"You don't want to join the mile high club," he told her. She huffed in response, but before she could say anything he said, "I have plans for you & they require much more time & room, darling."

Her body clenched in response. He let out a small laugh as he leaned in closer to her.

"It'll be worth the wait, yeah?" he whispered.

xxxxx

When he had asked if her passport was still valid she had assumed it meant Canada. She was surprised when he slid a plane ticket across the kitchen island. One ticket, she noticed, not three.

"Mexico?" she asked.

He nodded his head.

She looked at the print on the page. Her maiden name. It was strange, she thought, how long it was taking to get used to the name that had been hers from the start. She had given up so much more than her name when she got married, although she had started taking those things back before the divorce.

Then she noticed the dates.

"A week? What job could possibly take a week?"

"That's for me to know," he replied.

She walked over to the desk in the living room, quickly pulling out her calendar.

"That's Dean's week with the kids," she said.

"I know." He was standing behind her now, his face so close that he could feel his breath on her neck.

"What about Annie & Ruby?" she asked.

"I only want you."

She closed her eyes. The kids were in school, so it was just the two of them alone in the house. She wondered if he could feel how badly she wanted him, the way it seemed like the air between them was so heavy with tension that there surely would be an explosion if he closed the distance between them, like it would trip some wire. God, she would deal with the carnage gladly just to get rid of the ache deep inside of her. But before she could turn around he was gone. The curtains on the kitchen door fluttered after the door shut. She pulled the desk chair out & sat down, wondering what she was getting into this time.

xxxxx

Rio gave his name at the hotel reception desk & Beth leaned into him, her right hand resting on his chest.

"We're on our honeymoon," she gushed to the front desk clerk.

She looked up at Rio & he grinned at her, his hand drifting up to push the hair out of her eyes.

"Congratulations!" the clerk said. "I see you have the presidential suite booked. We'll send your bags up to the room while the staff arranges something for you in celebration. It'll be just a few minutes."

They thanked her & walked into the lobby. Rio sat down in one of the chairs, taking Beth's hand in his as he saw the clerk look their way.

"You're too good at lying," he told her.

"Good thing for you," she said.

He toyed with the bare skin of her ring finger. She perched on the arm of his chair, slinging her arm around his shoulder. She glanced around the lobby, admiring the lush decor. Immediately she clocked the security cameras. The guard who had greeted them at the door remained at his post.

They sat in comfortable silence. It had been an early morning & a long day of travel. However, the heat of his touch was spreading through her, making her anything but tired. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the front desk clerk walking their way & she took the opportunity to rest her forehead against his.

The front desk clerk quietly cleared her throat. "The room is ready when you are."

Rio waited a beat before making any move to get up.

He kept hold of her hand as they strode toward the elevator.

xxxxx

The suite was expansive & there were views of the ocean from every room. Both of their suitcases were set on a rack at the foot of the bed. They could easily share the bed without touching at all & she was pretty sure there was at least one other bedroom in the suite. She had gone into the room to freshen up in the bathroom. There were two plush bathrobes hanging on hooks. There was a bottle of champagne chilling next to the tub, two glasses waiting.

It's hard to remember the last time she went on an actual vacation, somewhere she wanted to go herself, when she could unwind. She wasn't so sure this would be it either, but maybe she could enjoy the gratuities anyway.

She walked back out of the bedroom & found Rio in the kitchenette. There was another bottle of champagne along with fresh fruit on the island. She ran her hand along the smooth granite as she walked toward him.

"Plans," he said.

She sighed. She had no idea what they were doing here, hadn't been able to get any information out of him about the job, & part of her had been hoping maybe he wouldn't say anything until tomorrow. She didn't look back, but the image of that bathtub looked really good.

He looked really good too. He was wearing jeans & a button down shirt, & he wore it well. She tried not to squirm as she remembered what she was hoping would happen in the plane bathroom, & when she remembered the way he squeezed her hand before letting go when they had reached the suite door.

Before she could ask what those plans were his mouth was on hers. He picked her up & placed her down on the kitchenette island. He fumbled with the buttons of her dress. She was wearing that damn red dress that she had been wearing at the bar. He had wanted to follow her into that airplane bathroom, he had wanted to follow her into every bathroom in every establishment they had been in ever since that first time. There were so many things that he wanted to do.

He halted the assault on her mouth so that he could properly undo the buttons of her dress. She was panting already & he smiled as he dragged his eyes up her body, up to her face. Her eyes pooled with desire.

Her dress was open up to her navel now & he leaned down to kiss her stomach as he pushed her legs apart. She had one hand on the counter & the other was in his hair. He trailed his mouth down her skin, stopping when he reached the material stretched across her hips.

"I've always wanted to fuck you on your kitchen island," he told her.

"Oh?" she managed to say.

"I think I'm going to eat good on this trip," he said as he pulled her underwear down.

xxxxx

Her head rest on the pillow attached to the edge of the tub. She could hear the waves crashing outside. The rhythm relaxed her. She tipped the champagne flute back & felt the bubbles hit her tongue. She thought of Rio's tongue, the way it felt as he pleasured her. He was skilled, she couldn't deny it, & giving.

By the time she finished replaying their encounter the water was getting cold. She considered adding more hot water, but she opted to drain the tub instead.

The bathrobe was more comfortable than she had imagined.

She left her hair up & didn't bother with the pieces of hair that had fallen & gotten damp; they curled against her neck. She padded into the bedroom, her eyes set on the sight of him lounging in bed. The covers had been turned down, but his legs laid on top of the sheets. He had put on a pair of boxers & the ceiling fan was turning above him.

At the sound of her feet he looked up from his phone. He tossed it on the night stand & licked his lips.

Suddenly she couldn't take the suspense anymore. She sat down on the bed facing him.

"What are we doing here?" she asked him.

"I thought I made myself clear."

"When? You've been dodging my questions. I thought we were past this." She tried & failed to keep the hurt out of her voice.

She had proved herself. She had earned her spot, to be included in on details. And it was frustrating to be kept in the dark. She had done that for too long. She couldn't go down that path again.

"Maybe I shouldn't be here," she whispered, more to herself than him.

He pushed himself up so that their eyes were level.

"What do you want, Elizabeth?"

"I want us to be real with each other, okay? I'm done with the games, the lies, the rivalry."

"Real," he laughed.

"If you ca-" He cut her off by putting his hand up. She glared at him.

"How's this for real? The reason I haven't told you about the job is because there is no job."

She must have misunderstood him.

"This is a vacation, not some cover," he told her.

"What?" She didn't understand. "Why... Why didn't you just tell me then?"

"What would you have said if I had asked?" He tilted his head as he spoke.

She looked down at her hands in her lap, her fingers still pruned from soaking in the bath. She rubbed her thumb & index finger together as she thought.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," he said.

"It's not like that," she retorted. She looked back up at him. There was something in his expression, in the way that he was looking at her, that felt like a punch in the gut.

"Do you know what I want, Elizabeth?"

He was right in front of her then, a hand on either side of her face. His knee bumped against her leg. All she could do was look into his eyes.

"I want you," he rasped. He moved his hands down to her neck, his fingers finding those damp curls. "I want you," he repeated.

Her breathing was heavy as she worked through everything. This wasn't what she was expecting. She ran her hands over his forearms, letting them come to a rest at his elbows.

"I want us to be real, too," he said. "I don't want to be an escape from your little cookie cutter facade, I don't want to be your one night stand or your fuck buddy."

His eyes flickered back & forth as he looked at her, really looked at her. He saw her for who she truly was behind it all.

"I'm done with the games & the lies, too. That includes you & me, so either we do this or we walk away from it," he said.

"Okay," she said.

"Okay?"

"Do you want to make a blood pact, or get matching tattoos," she laughed. "Yes, okay, I'm in."

He rocked forward & kissed the tip of her nose. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

"What if I do want matching tattoos?" he asked.

"Well, I'm sure as hell not getting a throat tattoo." She pressed her lips against the edge of the lines there.

"No, no, we don't want to ruin your image," he chuckled. His hands drifted down to the knot securing her bathrobe. "I'm going to have to search to find the perfect place."

"It might take a while," she said. "Maybe even all week." She smiled, realizing she really was getting a vacation.

"I told you, I have plans for you."