Undercover Lovers

He held back a chuckle as he started the car. “Damn. Just barely a newlywed and already I’m kicked out of the marital bed.”

THEY FOUND the place easily enough. A hacienda with faded pink stucco tucked into a hill overlooking a secluded bit of the ocean.

The setting sun gave the building a warm, sensual glow, and Carter felt a twinge of regret that he wasn’t really there on a honeymoon, because surely this place was made for lovers.

“Wow.” Her soft whisper startled him, and Carter realized she was having much the same reaction. “It’s beautiful.”

He nodded, curt and firm, not wanting to reveal that his mind was already conjuring images of the two of them on the beach, in their room, in bed….

“Come on.” He yanked open the door even as he yanked himself away from his sordid thoughts.

They headed into the building and were checked in by the owner’s son, a lanky teenage boy who showed them to the top floor and their room.

“It’s the honeymoon suite,” he said, stopping outside the closed door. “Best in the house. You’re lucky. Usually it’s booked up, but the couple who was supposed to have it decided to come only for the weekend.”

He pulled an old-fashioned skeleton key out of the front pocket of his khakis, then pushed open the door. Tori stepped through first, and he heard her gasp. She turned to face him, and he saw something unrecognizable reflected in her eyes. Wonder? Fear? He didn’t know, so he followed her into the room.

As soon as he saw the layout, he knew exactly what she was thinking.

The cozy room was absolutely beautiful. A perfect lovers’ paradise with one wall of windows that overlooked the ocean, a connecting bathroom featuring a claw-foot tub, a stiff-looking wing chair and, right there in the middle of the room, the one thing that had brought the gasp to Tori’s lips.

A bed.

One queen-size bed draped with white netting.

An ice bucket and a bottle of champagne finished the décor.

“It’s perfect,” Carter said to the kid, even as his eyes continued to scan the room.

“Absolutely,” Tori agreed. Her eyes caught his, and he imagined a deer caught in the headlights. He knew exactly what she was thinking, because he was thinking the exact same thing.

The room might be perfect for real newlyweds, but for them, it was anything but.

Because the room lacked one very important essential.

The room had no couch.