Erin woke up the next morning feeling more relaxed than she had in months. Stretching widely, she let her hand come in contact with Spencer's still form beside her. Smiling deeply, she scooted closer to him, welcoming his warmth. Slowly, his eyes blinked open and he smiled in return before capturing her lips in a soft kiss. "Good morning, Erin," he said lowly and she smiled before giving him another kiss.
"Good morning, Spencer." She began to turn shy, lowering her gaze to his chin as a soft blush began to spread across her face and down across her chest.
"Hey, why are you turning all shy on me? You don't regret what happened, do you?"
She shook her head quickly before pressing her lips against his jawline. "No, you were perfect, Spencer. There's, well, can I be honest with you and not have you telling tales to anyone? Not even Derek?"
"Of course, Erin," he said lowly before bringing his hand up to drag his fingers through her hair. She arched into the light touch, relishing the sweetness of the gesture. "So, why are you turning shy?"
"Because I'm not perfect," she whispered, feeling her heart catch in her throat. He smiled sadly at her before leaning in to kiss her once more. "What?"
"You don't have to be perfect, Erin. You just have to be you." He slipped out of bed and held his hand out to her. Hesitantly, she clasped it and let him tug her out of bed, leading her over to the verandah. Opening the sliding glass door, he guided her out onto it. Everything in her body screamed for her to escape back into the room, but Spencer's arm tightened around her waist, as if he knew how she felt.
"Spencer," she said lowly, turning into him, trying to use his body as a shield.
"You'll be fine, Erin. The walls extend out enough that no one will be able to see us. Let the sun seep into your skin and fill you with the gentle promise that we are alive and we are meant to be in this space. I don't regret a single moment of last night. Do you?"
"No. It was so lovely, to be held and cherished once more. We fit together so well, and I hope you don't mind if I say that I want to experience more of where this is heading. Are we still up for taking the train to Casablanca today?"
He nodded before dropping a kiss to the top of her head. "That is the plan, Erin. Do you want to shower while I pack up a few bags for us? I sort of want to go around the country, from Casablanca to Fez to Marrakech and then back here. Would that work for you?"
"As long as we can be together, I think that sounds perfect." She sighed before looking up into his eyes. There was a twinkle there that told her everything she needed to know. "And you can join me in the shower if you wish. Sometimes it's more fun when you aren't alone."
Spencer let out a loud guffaw of a laugh before swinging her around, his lips capturing hers in a passionate kiss. "I never knew that you were so naughty. Is that something Rossi taught you? Or is that all you?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" she purred out before running her hand down to clasp his, tugging him back into the hotel room and over to the bathroom. "We can pack while we dry off." Finally, he nodded and she smiled before stepping into the shower and turning the water on. Erin loved the feel of the warm water hitting her skin, and then Spencer was joining her, wrapping his arms around her waist as he turned them so that both could stand beneath the spray.
"Is there anything in particular that you want to see while we're there?"
Erin bit her lip a little as she looked down at their feet. "You're going to think that I'm a typical bubble-headed woman, Spence, but I really want to visit the Morocco Mall."
"But you're not going there for the shops, are you?" he asked as he began to work shampoo into her hair, his fingers so gently massaging her scalp as she gave a small nod. "So, what do you really want to do there?"
She lifted her head and grinned up at him. "The aquarium. I've found something so soothing about watching fish, and I've made it a point to visit as many aquariums as I can with my children. This one is special, though, since you can ride down into the aquarium and have the fish surround you. It sounds like an absolute dream."
Her lover smiled and nodded before turning her so that she could wash the shampoo out. She watched his wash his own hair before working conditioner into her wet tresses. While that was setting, she quickly lathered up a washcloth and washed her body, feeling his eyes on her the entire time. "I suppose that could be our first stop today. And then tomorrow, we can explore the Hassan II mosque. We'll have to head there early so that we can get a spot on a tour, since that's the only way Westerners are allowed to explore it, at all."
"Oh, that does sound lovely. What else do you want to do?"
"Other than that and the medina? Just walk around with you and get to know you better. I think that fate had it in mind for us to come together in this time and place. As if they knew, when they were weaving our threads into the tapestry of life, that our broken pieces would mesh together so well."
"Has anyone ever told you how perfectly you weave metaphors? I love listening to you paint pictures with words. I was never the best at that, I've always been more analytical. You must have gotten that trait from your mother. She holds a doctorate in English literature, right?"
He nodded as he turned the water off and stepped out of the shower to grab them towels. "She is. We lived in books when I was growing up, and so I breathed language in and out as if it was oxygen."
"There you go again," she sighed out as she let him wrap the towel around her body. His hands naturally paused to cup her breasts and she leaned back against him, enjoying the way that his fingers mapped her skin. "But we're going to have to get going, aren't we, if we want to make the train?"
He nodded before kissing her shoulder. "As much as it pains me, I have to agree. I'll pack while you dress, and then you can pack while I dress."
"Okay." Erin wondered why it was so easy to agree with him, why she felt like she could trust him enough to take control, but she found that she didn't really want to focus on that at all when she could be focusing on how free she was feeling. She made her way over to the closet and pulled out a long skirt and light cotton blouse. "I don't want to travel with the clothes you bought me, Spencer. Those are meant for here and home. Is that all right?"
"Perfectly fine, Erin." They smiled at each other as they set about their tasks, and Erin found herself relaxing as she fell more and more in love with Spencer by the moment.