Chapter 115: Test Run
** Harper **
Harper giggled out loud as Eli swiveled on his heels and gaped at her in almost horrified shock.
He obviously didn’t expect her to be here. Probably didn’t even expect her to want to talk to him at all, if his quietness around her all day was anything to go by. But that was precisely what she came here to fix.
Resisting the urge to stare at his half naked body too flagrantly, Harper offered a smile as innocent as she could manage and scanned their surroundings. "You promised to show me the presidential suite, so I invited myself," she explained. "And here I thought rooms couldn’t get more impressive than the one I have ... Thanks for the room upgrade, by the way, but now I see what truly stretches the standard."
She took her time to admire the space in front of her. Having been thoroughly blown away by the size and decor of her own suite, the shock was more subdued this time, but the luxury was still palpable. Her eyes lingered on the aquarium centered upon the near wall, the fresh floral arrangements towering over the dining table, the grand piano gracing the far corner behind the sofa. Then she savored the view outside the sliding glass doors — despite overlooking the same stretch of coastline and beaches as her own suite, these doors led to a different world with a full-sized courtyard. Palms lined its low fences, curving elegantly around a private swimming pool walled with stones.
Was that what he stripped down to get ready for when she snuck in?
"Um ... Would you like a tour?" Eli asked after a short silence.
He sounded a bit ... uncomfortable, as if uncertain how to interact with her in private for the first time since the episode on Saturday, or worried that she might ask for something along the lines of "a tour of the bedroom". Harper wanted to simultaneously sigh and laugh, though she held back both so that she wouldn’t alarm him even further.
"How about just a tour of the pool?" she offered. "Looks like that’s where you were about to go? Must be a great treat to be able to take a cool dip in the comfort of your own room, with a full view of the coast at that."
"Oh ... Sure, if you’d like." Another short silence before he turned around to show her the way. "Did you know there’s also an infinity pool in the clubhouse? It’s beautiful, with tall glass windows all around and a fountain at the center. You should give it a try at some point."
Harper raised an eyebrow behind Eli’s back. Knowing him as well as she did, she couldn’t miss the unmistakable hint that practically screamed "go there instead". Way too obvious an attempt at trying to avoid seeing her naked in the water in front of him ... What a stubborn idiot!
But too bad, she knew exactly the right thing to say to convince him. "Not sure if I feel like swimming in the shared clubhouse though ... as lovely as the place sounds." She kept her voice contemplative. "It’s a common area for the whole resort. Who knows who I might run into or who might be watching?"