Miss Pen

Chapter Twelve, Part Two

A/N: Picture of who I imagine as Weston on the side (Mathias Lauridsen). Please don't forget to vote if you like!

Part Two

An hour? More like fifteen minutes.

In less time than I imagined, we arrived at Rhode's 'surprise' location. Because the windows had been down, the smell of fresh salt water wafted through the car, tickling my nostrils. It was strong, crisp, and something I rarely had the chance to experience.

Wherever we were stopped, waves were rapidly crashing in the near distance while seagulls noisily squawked from above.

"Time to take off the blindfold." Rhode softly spoke, cutting the engine of his car.

Since the last time he said that was a bit of a disappointment, I wasn't as quick to remove the shield during the second time around. When I did, I was in awe, shock evident on my face. I felt my jaw drop as I took in the endless, dark gray ocean. Its color was a result from the storm clouds brewing above, rolling in the sky and causing the ripples in the water to pick up speed.

The shore, a few yards in front of us, was coated in white, fine grains of sand; something I wanted - no, itched - to sink my feet into. Flinging open the door to the Audi, I stepped out and kicked off my sandals, wincing when my bare feet made contact with the brown, multicolored pebbled surface beneath them. Not bothering to wait or look back at Rhode, I made my way over the assortment of various shades of smooth gray rocks that were lined in a long strip, separating the sand from the pebbles.

I crossed over the barrier, marching down the sandy hill and trudging though the white coating before it evened out and led to the ocean, briefly stopping to scoop up a handful of the powder and letting it run through my fingers. A smile never left my face as I watched the tiny granules fall, amazed at how soft it was on my skin. Beautiful didn't even scratch the surface of how the beach looked and felt, and the mild darkness from the weather only intensified it.

Walking further to reach the edge of the water, I came to a stop, gazing at the scene before me and letting the wind whip through my hair. When two strong arms found their way around my waist, I leaned back into them.

"Welcome to Rhode Island."

A deep voice purred into my ear, my eyes closing at the sound of it. We stayed embraced like that for a few moments before I pulled away.

"It's absolutely gorgeous, Rhode. Thank you for bringing me here." I replied, sighing in content.

"Yeah, you are."

Based on his light laughter, I knew he had been joking, but I still turned around to comment on his corny remark. When I did, my eyes doubled in size, making me lose my train of thought on what I had planned to say.

Up on the hill we just ventured from, sat two identical mansions. Though the fronts of the homes had leveled, manicured lawns, the backs were raised on stilts that elevated them above the water. Okay, maybe they were slightly smaller than mansions, but they were still bigger than any home I ever had the privilege of visiting. The only difference between the two houses was that the one on the right was more of a chestnut brown; the other being a dark chocolate.

Due to Rhode parking at the very end of the driveway belonging to the darker home - which stretched yards past the actual house - I hadn't noticed either of them, but they were more than visible now.

"I can't even begin to imagine how loaded you are." The comment blurted out of my mouth before I had the chance to process it.

Nice going, Aubrey. Now he's probably going to think you're some type of gold digger.