“It’s so cute.” She looked around as Beck paid for them. There was a little gift shop she’d like to check out after. They headed down some wooden steps. She eyed a hand-printed sign. “When something says enter at your own risk, that makes me nervous.”
“I got you, baby, don’t worry.” He followed her down the stairs, close enough that they were touching. They entered cool, damp darkness lit by lamps at intervals along the way. Another sign warned them of the low ceiling, and Beck, being tall, was careful to duck. Hayden shivered.
Beck reached for her hand. “Nervous?”
“Um, no. Okay, a little. It’s safe, right? It won’t collapse on us?”
“Totally safe. Well, barring an earthquake, of course.”
“Beck!”
He grinned. “Are you claustrophobic?”
“No. This doesn’t bother me.”
They emerged into the cave from the tunnel and she gazed around in awe as they walked along the wooden deck toward the bright opening of the cave onto the ocean.
“The best way to see it is by kayak,” Beck said. “We’ll do that next time. Have you ever kayaked?”
“No. Though I’ve always been a little curious about it.”
“Then we’ll definitely do that. And we can see some of the other caves.”
“Kayaking seems tame for you.”
His smile was warm and white in the dim cave. “I don’t have to seek out thrills every minute of every day.”
“No?”
He tugged her closer and his hands slid over her hips to cup her ass and bring her up against him. “I kinda get a thrill just from being with you.”
“Oh, you sweet-talker, you.”
He bent and brushed his mouth over hers. “Yep.”
She got a thrill just from being with him, no doubt about that.
“How about snorkeling? We can rent snorkel equipment and go in the water too.”
“I’ve snorkeled,” she said. “But it was a long time ago, when Mom and Dad took me to Thailand. And in Mexico.”
“Hey.” He studied her face. “You’ve traveled a lot. Thailand? That’s pretty cool.”
“It really was. But I was fifteen years old, so it was a while ago. And after Dad got sick, we didn’t have any more adventures.”
“Ah.” He kissed her again, his lips warm and firm on hers. Something fluttered deep in her belly. “Well, then. Here you go.”
A soft heat expanded in her chest as they separated and she looked around more. Beck pointed out fossilized shell and water-level marks that indicated how long the ocean had been boring its way into the rock and sandstone. “The colors are mineral deposits and vegetable matter,” he added.
“Okay, this is fascinating. Red iron oxide.” She studied the black, gray, and yellow colors, which were vegetable matter. “I love that purple color. Iodine, from kelp.”
“You’re so smart.”
She gave him a quick look. Was he making fun of her?
He caught the look and his smile faded. “What?”
She pressed her lips together. “Sorry. When people say things like that to me, I assume it’s an insult.”
He set his hands on her waist. “Why would that be an insult?”
She dropped her gaze to his chest. “When you’re smart and nerdy and not into the same things the other kids are, they can be mean.”
He went very still, then said, “Ah. Well, yeah, kids can be mean. But baby, I totally meant that as a compliment.”
She lifted her eyes and met his, and the warm admiration eased her affront. He really meant that. Her heart turned over in her chest. “Thank you.”
He gave her a little squeeze, then released her. “This tunnel took two years to dig. It was used to smuggle Chinese immigrants, and contraband whisky during Prohibition.”
“It’s cool to be able to access the cave this way.”
“There are other caves, but this is the only one you can access by land.”
“Isn’t the ocean amazing?” Hayden tipped her head back to look up at the rock ceiling. “Carving this out of rock over thousands and thousands of years?”
“Yeah.” His voice was a little gruff and he gave her ponytail a tug. “Amazing.”
“Sometimes I get so impatient about things—my research and my goals. But when you think of how long it took to create this, it makes me realize maybe I need to slow down.”
“I like how your impatience drives you.” He kissed her nose. “But yeah, sometimes slowing down and just appreciating the things around us is important.”
They wandered along the wooden platform. Hayden ran her fingers over initials and words that had been carved into the railing. Beck moved up behind her and pressed his big body to hers, trapping her against the railing. “Look.” He spoke in a low voice in her ear. “Out at the ocean.”