~ Hawaii, The Royal Sunset resort ~The Royal Sunset resort is an exclusive resort for members only.
Other than enjoyment on a private beach covered in the soft white sand, the resort offers luxurious rooms and a twenty-four hour room service, a full spa, seven restaurants, five swimming pools, numerous boutiques and shops which sell anything from clothes to jewelry and sweets, and an extensive number of other amenities and activities available only for the guests.
The Anderson family booked seven single bedroom and two two-bedroom suites. Single bedroom suites are for Nathan and Madeline, Sabrina and Jackson, Max and Liz, Hunter and Mia to share, and Oliver, Lewis and McKenzie got one each. While two-bedroom suites are one for Ashton and Jake, and the second one is for Derek and Mike. Ashton, Jake, Derek and Mike would prefer to be in one suite because they are inseparable, but the resort does not have regular four-bedroom accommodations, and the four men didn"t want to get Andersons to book for them one of the exclusive suites for larger groups, so they agreed to split into two.
All suites are in the building which is closest to the beach.
Our group of fourteen arrived at the resort and got inside their rooms.
They had a six hour flight, but due to the time difference, it"s only 6:45 PM.
Nathan made dinner reservation for 7:30 PM.
The room 312 is a one bedroom suite for Mr. Anderson and Ms. Williams (Max and Liz).
Their room is on the third floor and it"s facing the ocean.
Liz is standing on the lanai (how Hawaiians call a balcony) and enjoying the view below after her shower.
The always-present warm breeze is helping to dry Liz"s damp hair and is also swaying large leaves of the palm trees and descending sun is lighting up the blue ocean surface with warm yellow colors.
On the left and right are lanais from other rooms, they are only partially enclosed in order not to obstruct the gorgeous views, and guests can have privacy while outside only if they sit down and the neighbors are polite enough not to peek over the half-wall.
Max got out of the shower and silently observed Elizabeth while her expression told him that she is enjoying the view.
The ocean sparkled around her alluring figure and the breeze made her white summer dress flutter and he found himself frozen in her enchantment.
"She is beautiful… She is beautiful...", the thought was on repeat in his mind.
Max was not sure if he is breathing or not, but it appeared that the whole world was affected by the magnificence in front of him and everything moved in slow-motion.
Unaware of the Max behind her, Liz saw glimpses of a colorful garden with an elegant fountain on the right and she was curious to see more of it.
Liz leaned over the rail to see the fountain fully when a strong arm wrapped around her shoulders from the back and she found herself in Max"s embrace.
"Careful… What will I do if you fall down?", Max warned her gently.
Liz almost screamed when she felt the force pulling her back, but in the next instant she relaxed when she realized that it"s Max. She was touched by his concern for her safety. It sounded that if she gets hurt he will be the one to suffer.
Liz turned to face him and leaned into his embrace. She took a deep breath, enjoying his fresh-after-shower scent.
"Done with the shower?", Liz asked the obvious.
He hummed in confirmation and ran his fingers through her damp hair. "What do you want to do? The day is still young."
"Do you have any plans?", Liz responded with a question.
"Other than spending my weekend with you… no."
Well, he hopes that their relationship progresses further, but he will keep that part to himself.
Liz has something on her mind since she saw the schedule of events and available activities which waited for them in the room, but she was afraid that it might sound childish. She knows that Max"s standards when dating a woman are… different. But he asked her what she wants to do, and he is looking at her, expecting an answer.
"Hmm… after dinner, can we go to the beach?"
Max was surprised with this choice. Liz always wanted to curl up on the sofa in front of the television, and now she is asking for an outdoor activity? Max does not mind, but he wanted to confirm: "Bonfire?"
Liz thought about this mini-vacation intensively (for the last few days) and concluded that this weekend is the perfect opportunity to relax, have fun and be romantic.
This is her first vacation with a boyfriend! Her boyfriend! And they are not kids to only hold hands and exchange light kisses. Well, that is as far as she ever went, but she is aware that Max can"t be satisfied with just that much, and that he is being considerate for her sake. That is why Liz is determined for his sake to go further and experience what other grownup people in a relationship do, even if it makes her dizzy and out of breath and nervous as h.e.l.l… but at the same time she trusts him and he makes her feel safe and she is confident that he knows what he is doing. After all, he had so many girlfriends and as much as she hates the thought of thousands of women enjoying his intimate embrace, at least he should know how to treat a woman.
As a strong and independent woman, Liz will not allow Max to shoulder all the burden of creating a romantic situation, however Liz is aware that her experience with romance is practically non-existent, so she did her research and created a list of good-for-romance spots. And the beach at night is one of the top five spots where the romance happens between young couples on a vacation: the darkness, stars in the sky, sand below them, sound of the ocean mixing with crackles from bonfire… perfect.
Liz looked at Max with sparkles in her eyes and nodded enthusiastically, confirming her interest in bonfire.
"Can we? I"ve never been close to bonfire…" Liz paused and ended in a small voice while lowering her head to hide her face: "…with a… boyfriend."
"Sure." Max looked at Liz dotingly and kissed the top of her head before tightening his hug.
He can see that she is stepping out of her comfort zone, and he is grateful for that. Max wanted to tell her that there is no need to rush anything, even calling him her boyfriend can be delayed because he will wait for her to adjust and move slowly. But if he says that at loud, it might add to her current embarra.s.sment. Well, the fastest way to lighten up the mood is a distraction.
"I was here more than once, but I never realized that the rooms are so big."
Liz didn"t understand his sudden the change of topic. Why is the size of a living area important on a three-day long vacation? And who complains about having too much s.p.a.ce? "I think they are OK for a one-bedroom suite."
Max chuckled. "You missed my point. I wish that the rooms are smaller."
His expression told her that he is up to something, but his words didn"t make much sense. "Why?"
"So that we need to squeeze closer."
Liz blinked. Isn"t he squeezing her in his hug? How much closer does he want them to be? "I think this is fine."
Max exhaled in a semi-frustration. Can"t this woman realize that he is flirting? Ah, this is Elizabeth, he needs to be more direct.
His gentle smile became mischievous. "No, this is not fine. Let me show you... and there is still that promise from the plane I need to fulfill."
In one smooth move, Max lifted Liz and carried her inside.
His sudden action made Liz yelp in surprise and then giggle. Liz knows that Max will not drop her, but she still clung onto him tightly.
The two lovebirds didn"t notice that from the lanai of the room 308 (the second lanai to the left) a pair of light brown eyes looked at them dejectedly.
McKenzie was elated to find out that she is only one room away from Max.
She got out of the shower and sat on a lounging chair on her lanai to air-dry her hair while thinking about possible conversation starters that might be interesting to Max.
McKenzie was deep in her thoughts of how Max will find her remarks engaging and funny... when she heard Max"s voice. At first, she suspected that it"s just her imagination (it would not be the first time), but with every pa.s.sing second, she was more confident that it"s him! She bolted to her feet and to her dismay, she saw Max holding Liz.
McKenzie could see only their upper half, above waist, but he was definitely hugging her, and the way Max looked at Liz made McKenzie"s insides churn.
McKenzie scolded herself. How could she forget that Max is with his girlfriend, sharing a room?
She wanted to call out and "greet" the couple with a hidden agenda to spoil the obvious romantic mood, but then she saw Max scoop that woman and carry her inside! Ah, how she wishes that was her.
Her fists tightened when Liz"s giggles reached her ears. How horrible! Does she need to listen to this?
McKenzie swiftly went inside her suite, plopped on the bed and pulled the pillow over her head. She knows that she can"t hear Liz anymore, but Liz"s laughter was echoing in her mind, and she hoped to block it somehow… unsuccessfully.
The thought how right now, two rooms away, Max is hugging and kissing that woman was driving McKenzie crazy. She needs to stop it! She needs to find a way to push that woman out of the picture and make Max hers!
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