Sicilian Nights

Part 5: Beaches and Sunsets

A/N: Finally an update... sorry for the wait, again!

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Bradley yawned and lifted his head slightly, lazily observing the pristine white sand and the endless turquoise ocean that spread out in front of him; the sun was bright and hot but the comfortable, wide sun lounger was protected by white curtains, occasionally moving in the slight ocean breeze. He lowered his head back down, feeling incredibly relaxed after a brief nap; glancing to the side, he smiled, tightened his secure hold of his fiancée, gently caressing the soft underside of her arm. Stefani moved a little, mumbled something in her sleep but didn't wake and Bradley allowed his eyes to move along her smooth skin, still glistening with the sunscreen she had applied with his assistance before their nap, toned abdomen and slender limbs, a white bikini highlighting her slight tan. Jesus, she was so beautiful.

The island was unbelievably beautiful too, located somewhere in the Bahamas; they had arrived around noon after a two-hour flight from Florida, settled into their stunning bungalow. There were six of them but so far, he hadn't seen any other people apart from staff and the one bungalow that was within sight from theirs appeared empty; everyone was very friendly, very professional, the chef of the island's restaurant bringing over an absolutely delicious lunch made of local ingredients for them straight after their arrival. He wasn't that worried about them being seen by other holidaymakers, as their relationship was now public, but he really didn't want any photos secretly taken and leaked to the Internet.

Stefani moved again, awaking, stretching her legs and glancing up at him, a small smile flickering across her face. "Hey."

"Hey, gorgeous." Bradley pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head, leaned to kiss her softly. "Slept well?"

"Very well." She yawned, laid a hand on his bare chest. "This place is incredible."

He nodded, started to rub her head, his fingers gently loosening the platinum ponytail and she moaned in pleasure, drawing indeterminable patterns onto the skin of his chest. He watched the ring on her finger for a moment, smiled to himself, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead and closing his eyes again; it really was so relaxing here.

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The island brochure in their bungalow promised the most stunning Caribbean sunsets and the reality didn't disappoint, the sky turning into deep orange with some darker red, flecks of clouds drifting across and they watched the amazing display from the front porch, both mostly silent, only holding onto each other and admiring the sight. The bungalow had a fully stocked fridge and pantry and they decided to not utilize the restaurant yet; Stefani gathered together some items and they enjoyed a picnic dinner on the beach, the sky darkening slowly, stars appearing, glittering brightly high above and he shook his head, biting into the freshest, juiciest piece of pineapple he had ever come across.

"This is almost ridiculously romantic."

She laughed, selecting a red, plump strawberry from their dessert fruit platter. "I can't disagree with that."

"And the company of course makes it even more perfect." Bradley watched her, taking in her green dress that brought out the colour of her eyes even more, the long blonde hair caressing her shoulders. "You are so beautiful that it's unreal, Stef."
She flushed slightly, looking down. "B..."

"I mean it." He reached for a strawberry too. "You take my breath away. You did it at the benefit and when we first met properly; you did it every single day when we were filming the movie and when we were promoting it and now I'm somehow lucky enough to have my breath taken away by you every day for the rest of my life."

Stefani sniffled a little, reached to kiss him softly. "I don't know about luck; it doesn't perhaps sound very safe, to be robbed of your breath every single day."