Author's note. Once again so many thank yous for all the feedback. I hope I've managed to contact you all personally - it means so much to me.
There may be a teeny break before the next, and final, chapter is up! This chapter is quite short...but a cliffhanger may be involved!
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Chapter 5
Donna kicked off her sandals to feel the warmth of the sand. She swapped the bag she was carrying from one hand to the other and picked up her shoes, raising her other hand to shade her eyes from the setting sun. She looked around for a suitable spot.
"There?" She pointed towards a couple of palm trees at the edge of the beach where it became grassy scrub. The sea had turned and was on its way out; she'd watched the waves begin to move down the shore from the balcony earlier while Josh showered and she prepared their dinner. She considered that CJ would probably have killed her for being far too domesticated, but there was something comfortable about it all the same.
"Sure, looks good," Josh agreed, taking a rug from under his arm, shaking it out, and spreading it on the sand. Jacob had leant them everything they needed for a picnic on the beach, including a corkscrew and the rug.
Donna couldn't help but be amused at the sight. He looked up at her from where he was straightening out the corner of the rug and raised his eyebrows at her wry grin. "What?"
"I'm not entirely sure. I think it has something to do with the continual amazement at being on vacation, you know, with you."
Then only response was a roll of his eyes.
"That's better. I was starting to think you'd gone soft."
He just ignored that altogether.
She sat on the rug and began to take the food out of the bags.
"Donna, this all looks very green."
That was the closest he'd come to whining all week; he got points for making it this far. She passed him the corkscrew, along with a bottle of wine.
As he took it from her, she bit back a sensitive system jibe, mostly as she was quite looking forward to getting a bit tipsy herself. They'd had a quiet, relaxing, and solemn day all in all, not counting the sex on the table, so maybe it was time for a bit of silliness.
The champagne from the first night hadn't been touched, and the second bottle of wine the night before hadn't been finished, so maybe she should start on this one. There was something about drinking in the open air that always made her get drunk faster so that was to be avoided. Of course she wasn't normally a red drinker but today was ok for an exception; Red wine was better than warm white.
He poured two small glasses of wine, clinking his against hers. She smiled and took a large sip, instantly remembering she ought to take it slow for now. It was a light meal; they'd both worn their swimsuitsintending to go for a night swim.
They ate slowly, the conversation sliding towards work and again, she found she didn't mind so much. It was a common part of their future and without being stuck in the middle Washington, they found they could be excited about the prospects that lay ahead. They were bouncing ideas off each other as equals; it affirmed her self-esteem every time he chose to ask her opinion about an issue. They were their own worst enemies and harshest critics, but at the same time each other's most loyal supporters. These days she could tell him exactly what she thought without him dismissing her, he'd take her opinion with weight. She'd worked hard for it.
It did, however, remind her of the morning in his apartment when, after she'd gone over specifically to bed him, he had crept out of said bed to work on the Education Initiative. She knew that he was going to get immersed in his new role, but then so was she.
After a while she could see frowns start to form on his brow as his amazing and complex mind went into overdrive, but to her relief it was Josh who waved the conversation off. This boded well, she surmised, and having finished her salad a while back, Donna decided it was time to bring the entertainment portion of the evening. Standing up, she unceremoniously pulled her dress over her head. Josh raised his eyebrows, and slowly looked up at her, not hiding how much he was enjoying sudden change of subject.
"C'mon. Let's get wet." She wasn't above obvious innuendo.
Not needing to be told twice, Josh jumped up and stripped his t-shirt off.
Coming to the Caribbean in November had its perks; they were utterly alone, at least a mile from the hotel and in the opposite direction from town.
The sun was quickly heading for the horizon as they splashed into the warm water. The scene was so beautiful that she couldn't help but giggle; it was yet another cliché they were acting out. As long as they didn't end up rolling in the surf necking, she might be able to hold it together.
Josh let go of her hand and dove under the breaking waves, the powerful muscles on his back flexing as he went under. Dammit if she couldn't just watch that all day. She finally stopped staring and followed him; she submerged her body, surfacing beyond the breakers. They'd been here three nights and this was the first time she'd swum. She saw him stop and stand up, wiping the hair back from his forehead and turning to face out to sea.
There, in the ocean, as deep oranges and reds of the sunset reflected off the water and on to his face, all thoughts of cliché vanished. Donna realised she was privy to the last side of Josh she had never seen, possibly a side he hadn't shown to anyone.
He looked serene, totally at peace, and seeing him continue to let down his guard in front of her, Donna felt whole. Needing to touch him, to be with him, she swam over to him.
…………….
Josh heard Donna approach. He reached out for her as she swam alongside him, but she shied away slightly. "What?"
"I thought you were going to dunk me."
"You don't like being dunked?" He grinned.
"Does anyone? Seriously, I hate it."
"Okay, c'mere. Trust me?" She didn't look like she trusted him at all. Of course he had been planning on dunking her, but she didn't use that particular "I'm not kidding" face often so he forgot about it. Instead, he clasped her arms, drawing her through the water towards him until she had no choice but to wrap her legs around his waist.
"Josh!"
"What? There is no one around, we haven't seen a soul for hours."
"We're not doing it in the sea."
He pouted at her.
"Josh. We're really not."
"You spoil all my fun."
"If by fun you mean drowning."
"We wouldn't drown!"
Donna raised an eyebrow.
"Come on, give me a chance to convince you," he said, dropping his voice and octave and nibbling her neck. Resisting, she pushed against his chest and tried to escape, but he tightened his arms on her legs so she couldn't pull completely away. Donna swept her arms out at the side, keeping her chest above water, unable to stifle her laughs.
"No."
"Let me at least touch you?"
"Josh, when has the whining ever worked on me?"
"Since I told you I love you?"
"You know, your voice got all high at the end there."
"Yeah, it's something I'm working on. Seriously, Donna, are you trying to kill me?"
Obviously, deciding it was time for payback, she winked at him and slowly leaned back, his arms supporting her as he tilted forward and let her float in the water. She kept her thighs around his waist and propelled her arms through the water to keep her torso afloat.
As Josh held her there in the warm ocean, gazing at her closed eyes and content smile, watching her beautiful hair float in a halo around her face, he fell in love with her all over again. Utterly in awe of this woman, suddenly clear on how much wanted to cherish her and support her. Now, when considering the future, he wasn't thinking in terms of him alone anymore; her plans, opinions, and location mattered to him and again, the normality of that revelation shocked him.
He made another silent vow; he was certainly wracking them up this week. A particular question would be asked this evening that hopefully would make the chances of this surviving and thriving become a whole lot better.
Stirring him from his reverie, she arched her back and he raised her body towards him. Closing the space between their chests, they kissed gently. She unwrapped her legs from his waist to a barely audible groan at the loss of contact.
The amazing thing about equatorial latitudes was how brief dusk was. It wouldn't be long before the stars would be visible, so maybe if he was going to get all serious on her they should get back to dry land. But first, actual swimming.
"Race you to the buoy and back," he nodded, indicating with his head an orange float about 300 feet away.
"I'm not racing, but you go for it. I'll follow."
"You just want to watch my ass."
"I just want to make sure that when you pull up with cramp, I can tell the coast guard which direction your body floated in."
"Nice!"
"Go on, you go for it. I'll take it slow." Knowing watching him swim seemed to be great foreplay Josh leaned across and gave her a kiss on the cheek, fighting the urge to splash her as he swam away from her.
It only took a few minutes to reach the marker, when he stopped and turned to see where she was. He could just about make her out, floating on her back, kicking every now and again to glide across the surface of the ocean. He swam to her side and tugged her hand. "Ok, Donna?"
"Sure, want to go back?"
He nodded and they swam for shore.
……………………
Settling themselves back onto the blanket, Josh poured them both large glasses of wine and they drank quietly, watching the colour drain from the sky. Half an hour after the sun dipped below the horizon the stars were out in force, lighting the sky.
Laying here, Donna beside him, Josh felt the intense stillness creep over him again. Sleep and exercise today had been just what he needed, so he added both to the list of things to ensure he did after inauguration. Sleep might not be so easy to force, but exercise was something he should be able to manage.
Talking about their work earlier had been fine to a point, but he didn't want to get too far into it. Avoiding it entirely wasn't going to work, nor was it healthy. He needed to form a strategy to deal with everything; he'd been so busy getting everything in place that, once again, he'd fallen into the trap. He hadn't realised that the methods he was employing were not working.
Leo's strategy, which involved projecting a veneer of coolness and calm at all times, had worked for Leo. It didn't seem like an achievable system for Josh, but it was something to aim for.
Exercise did come in a number of forms, and some of the avenues that were opening to him now were very appealing. He took a large swig of wine and hugged Donna closer, pressing his lips to the side of her head.
…………………..
"So, you took the Chief of Staff Job then?" He asked somewhat rhetorically. She assumed he was going somewhere with this so she just nodded and let him continue. She was getting a little fuzzy headed from the rich wine and was enjoying the feeling. Draining her glass, she slipped out from under his arm and laid her head on his lap. She luxuriated in his soothing touch, closing her eyes as he tenderly stroked her hair and forehead.
He continued. "Not going to do much for our dating schedule."
"Not really." She sighed, sharing his apparent unease. "It's going to be complicated, but we'll work it out." She looked at him intensely, hoping to provide him some reassurance.
………………
He took a deep steadying breath as he caressed her soft skin, and watched her eyelids flutter shut. "So how about we make it less complicated?"
"Hmmm?"
"How about we make it less complicated?"
"What do you mean?"
"You remember when I said things come out of my mouth, not always the right way and at the right time?"
She shifted her head in his lap to look at him again, one eyebrow raised.
He sighed. "Yeah, ok, so maybe I didn't need to tell you that."
"No, you really didn't."
"Ok, so when we get back to DC, move in with me."
She sat bolt upright and turned to look at him, with utter shock on her face and he couldn't help it, he laughed.
She wasn't quite sure she'd heard him correctly; there was no way he'd said what she thought he'd said. Maybe she was further gone than she thought. What had he just asked? No, stated rather than asked.
She needed it repeated. "Say that again?"
"Move in with me?"
Oooh a cliffhanger! And just when I've said there may be a little delay! I'll be with you as soon as I can for the final part of this story. BTW - you know what to do, a click on the lickle button works wonders for my soul!