Sue waited for the bellman to leave before giving Jack her full attention.

Noticing her scrutiny, he shifted on his feet and looked around uncomfortably. "What?"

"I'm trying to decide if I should let you get some rest or just send you packing now."

"What?"

"You came here under false pretenses. Why should I let you stay?"

"What?"

She smothered her smile, thinking how adorable he looked when he was unsure of a situation, as he was now. "Are you here as a dog or as a light bulb?" she asked.

"What?" he automatically repeated before grimacing at the joke. "I guess I had that one coming with all my 'what's'. But I've done a pretty good job at being Levi. You can't complain there," he tried to reason.

"Levi doesn't have selective hearing like you seem to have," she challenged, waiting for his intelligent response.

"Wh...Huh?"

Laughing, she plopped down on the couch. "What happened back at the airport? Why didn't you tell me Keoni was calling my name?"

"I didn't notice," he replied, his complexion turning ruddy under the stress of his lie.

"Lucy said he called my name repeatedly."

"Lucy exaggerates. You know that," he explained with a casual shrug.

"So you didn't tell her and Daryl to just keep walking?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sitting across from her, in the oversized plush chair, he rubbed his face in resignation. "Okay, I was aware and chose not to tell you. I was trying to save you from his obviously rehearsed lines. I bet he greets all the gorgeous women that way. Believe me; I was doing you a favor."

Biting her lip at the thrill of pleasure his words brought, she averted her eyes, only then becoming aware of their luxurious surroundings. "Look at this place, Jack. It's...it's...," she commented before jerking her eyes back to his. "Where is your room?"

"I'm staying with you," he stated carefully. "I'm your hearing for the week, remember?"

"But...but...you can't...we can't...it's not..." she trailed off, stopping in front of him when he stood. "I don't think it's a good idea."

"How else can I let you know if someone is at the door, or answer the phone for you, or wake you up in the mornings? We've stayed together before, Sue. What's the big deal?"

She bristled at his casual attitude. "The big deal is, I've never stayed with a man before in a hotel room. The last time we stayed together we were undercover. That was different. I'm sorry if I'm not as relaxed about it as you, but...,"

He shushed her with a finger to her lips, surprising her into silence. "I'm not casual about it either, but I came here to help and I can't do that from another room. This suite is plenty big enough for the two of us."

Her eyes darted around uncertainly as she waited for him to remove his finger, wondering why her lips were tingling from such a simple touch. Her gaze met his briefly before he zeroed his focus on her mouth and his finger resting there. She watched in fascination as his eyes darkened mysteriously before he slowly dropped his hand and took a step back.

"Where will you sleep?" she asked, hoping her voice cooperated.

Watching his smile become playful, she waited for his reply. "Doesn't Levi sleep curled up on your bed?"

"No," she chuckled, "He sleeps on the floor. He only gets on the bed to wake me up."

"Ah," he nodded, his tongue poking the inside of his cheek. "I think I'll sleep on the couch if you don't mind. But the way he wakes you up sounds promising," he added with a waggle to his eyebrows.

Snorting, she turned to investigate the rest of the suite with Jack trailing behind her. There was a half bath off the sitting area as well as a wet bar with a discreetly hidden refrigerator and microwave. Stepping through the open doorway, Sue gasped at the enormous bed that took center stage in the bedroom. Walking to it, she felt its downy softness and sighed with pleasure. "You may never get me out of this bed," she quipped. "It feels heavenly."

He groaned at the mental image that raced through his mind at her words and turned to check out the bathroom, stopping inside the doorway to gape at its opulence. A huge jacuzzi tub was nestled in the far corner, with several clusters of candles scattered about the ledge. A glass encased, two-person shower was in the opposite corner. A separate room housed the toilet and a long, marble vanity with double sinks covered one wall. He was still rooted to the spot when he felt Sue peek over his shoulder and gasp in delight.

"This place is wonderful. Have you ever seen such a magnificent bathroom, Jack? Forget the bed, you may never get me out of the tub!"

His quick intake of air caused him to choke, sending him into a coughing fit. Sue hurriedly fetched him a glass of water, watching with concern until he quieted down. "You okay?" she asked.

"Um, yeah. I think I just need some fresh air."

"Oh," she giggled, "Do you need to go outside? Let me see, did you come with a leash?"

"No, but if you whistle, I promise to come running," he replied, hoping she didn't realize how true the words were. "Come on, let's check out the lanai."

"The what?" she asked, scrunching up her face.

"L-A-N-A-I," he spelled. "You know the balcony or veranda, whatever you want to call it." Walking to the windowed wall, he drew back the curtains and opened the sliding glass door. Since the hotel sprawled out instead of up and they were on the third floor, he had no trouble walking to the edge of the balcony and leaning on the rail. He heard her quiet gasp and felt her hand on his arm as she came to stand beside him. He watched her put her other hand over her mouth before unconsciously sliding it down to cover her heart.

Despite the darkness of the hour, the beach was clearly visible under the soft light of the tiki torches that rimmed the perimeter of the sand. Soft, gentle waves washed up on shore before withdrawing to gather their force and rush again toward land. The full moon reflected off the water which reached out forever in front of them and the stars that filled the sky sparkled brightly.

"We have an ocean view," she whispered in awe. "I've never seen the ocean before," she admitted quietly. Glancing his way, she saw him frown.

"You've lived in DC for three and a half years and haven't driven to the sea?"

"Have you been to the ocean since I've been in DC?" she countered, waiting for his reply.

"No, but I've been to the beach before. Why haven't you gone?"

She shrugged, her expression dimming somewhat. "I guess my mom influenced me more than I realized. I had grand illusions when I was a young girl of living by the sea, whiling my days away laying in the sun and learning to surf. I watched too many Gidget movies, can you tell? Anyway, my mother always talked down the idea saying the beach was no place for me, that surfing certainly wasn't a sport I should try, and that there were too many things that could happen to a young, innocent girl on the beach. Seems silly now that I actually think about it." Her gaze moved yearningly from him back to the ocean.

Unable to stop himself, he drew a gentle finger down her cheek, gathering her attention. "Wanna go for a walk down by the water?" he asked, watching her entire face light up.

"It's not too late?" she asked, glancing toward the room. "Do you mind if I change? I want to wear some sandals so I can take them off and walk barefoot. I can be ready in five minutes if that's not too long to wait or I can go just like I..."

His finger once again slowed her rush of words. Smiling indulgently, he answered her questions. "It is late, but a walk will probably help us wind down so we can come back and sleep. I don't mind if you change. I'll do the same and wait for you in the other room. Okay?"

She nodded and turned excitedly, hoisting her suitcase onto the bed and tearing into it as he departed. Less than five minutes later she stepped out in the living area, gave him a brilliant smile, and headed for the door, stopping short when he didn't follow. "Are you coming?"

He nodded, his eyes trailing the length of her legs, exposed to him for the first time in a pair of shorts. He'd known her legs were long, but he'd had no idea they went on for days. She had changed into a collegiate t-shirt and a pair of grey running shorts and slipped her feet into a pair of flip-flops. Her hair was tied back into a loose pony-tail and she looked adorably sexy. Clearing his throat, he shook himself out of his daze and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile before following her out into the night.