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"This whole trip has been fun," Tuck chuckled lifted his eyebrows at the sight of the dress. Damn. "Ain't sure I can wait to see you in that," he dipped his head at the dress, a pleased smile lifting the corners of his mouth.

He kind of froze when she asked about the shower, clearing his throat.

"I'ma take a quick shower, long enough to rinse the grime from the beach an' s**t offa me. That hour long shower gonna wait til tonight," Tuck dipped his head to press his lips to Heidi's.

"Else we gonna be late for dinner."

Tuck very briefly deepened the kiss before breaking away - and stepping away, for that matter.

She made him so crazy.

"You're bad," he chuckled. Rubbing his hands over his hair, he couldn't help but grin before starting towards the shower. He closed the door partially and started it up, leaving the water cool and tepid for more than one reason. Not only did it feel good on his skin, but. Heidi, goddamn, okay?

The soap that the hotel provided wasn't too girly smelling, and the towels were soft, and Tuck allowed himself to enjoy his cool shower. Deus showers weren't bad, but they weren't this nice, either.

Ten minutes later he emerged, towel wrapped around his hips.

"Your turn. Lemme know if you need help reachin' any of them.. hard to reach places."

He grinned at her lecherously.

"Well, you are."

It was so hard not to follow her into the bathroom. How easy would it be to fling that damp towel aside and just..

Nope. Nope.

Tuck stood where he was after she'd kissed his arm and disappeared, forcefully ignoring his weapon's urges to just march in there and ...<********, clothes were safe. Tuck cleared his throat and dug around in his bag so that he could see if his pants and shirt were wrinkled - thankfully, they weren't, because he sure as ******** didn't want to have to iron them. He did show some kind of self-preservation when he put his boxers and pants and socks on. Tuck grunted and rifled through his bag, carefully removing the white box in the very bottom. It was slipped under the bed as discreetly as possible.

That finished, he took care of his other toiletries - deodorant, cologne - before kicking back on the bed as he waited for Heidi to finish her shower.

Tuck had been doing his best to space out, staring at the ceiling from his position on the bed. His legs were crossed at the ankles, and both arms were tucked behind his head. He'd never once been on a more comfortable bed, and it was a good thing that Heidi made her way out when she did because he was absolutely almost half-dozing when she slipped onto the bed next to him.

Tuck let out a low rumble of appreciation when Heidi snuggled up close, and he wriggled just enough to press a kiss against her forehead before he glanced at the bedside clock.

"Almost six. What time should we leave? An' what I mean by that is how long's it gonna take for you to get ready?"

He grinned up at the ceiling, glancing at Heidi out of the corner of his ********, he loved her. Nothing had ever felt so right before. After feeling ******** shattered and broken for the longest time, he almost felt complete. Normal.

It was pretty amazing.

It was nice to just be able to sit without saying anything. That companionable silence was something that Tuck had had with his brothers back before everything turned to s**t. It had been something he hadn't had since then - part of Tuck had always felt as if he needed to present a sort of facade, a little bit of strength for those who needed to draw from it.

It was exhausting.

He didn't feel like he needed to do that with Heidi. He didn't feel as if he had to put on a front. If he was upset, he could tell her and they could talk about it. She'd never judged him, and she'd never done anything or said anything to make him feel like he wasn't enough. In fact, she'd always looked at him like he was something special.

Tuck didn't want to ever feel regret when it came to Heidi. Their relationship was something so sweet and simple, and he wanted to protect that. He wanted to nurture it, and he wanted to enjoy each moment he spent with her. Despite that, there was something that tasted like fear that lingered on his tongue, something that held him back, something that made him feel uncertain.

The inner turmoil felt ******** stupid and really goddamn ridiculous. He wasn't the dramatic sort, never had been.

Tuck just had to trust that he'd know when to say it. There would be a moment so perfect and it would just roll right offa his tongue.

"Mmm. This's nice." Tuck cleared his throat. "What kinna food do they serve at that joint?"

Italian sounded good, something really rustic - not spaghetti and meatballs or lasagna or anything else Americanized - something with fish and local herbs and spices, something really...

Sometimes Tuck wondered if Heidi knew how much he really wanted her. He wondered if she knew that it hurt deep in his stomach, that there was an ache in his teeth. He wondered if she knew that even having her pressed close to his side made him hyper-aware of everything about her. The texture of her hair. The contour of her lips. The green of her eyes.

Sometimes he wondered if she knew that he felt like he was losing his mind.

So. ******** it.

<Yes, good.>

Tuck cupped her jaw and prevented the undoubtedly tender kiss that Heidi had planned to press against his lips. He waited a split second, only until he was sure that he had her attention.

His eyes locked on hers. His mouth opened, and those three little words were right ******** there.

And then he pussied out.

"What time is it?"

<Idiot.>

Tuck deserved that, he knew it. He was acting like a twelve year old, and it was getting pretty ******** ridiculous. Every time he garnered the courage to say it, those little self-doubts came swirling up like bile.

It's too soon. We haven't been together that long.

We've never really talked about the future, what if she doesn't feel the same?

What if she thinks I'm saying it just because I want to have sex with her?

It was a vicious circle, and every time he surfaced from that particular emotional whirlpool he was dragged back under, suffocating on his own self-doubt. He'd never considered himself a p***y before, but he was starting to feel like one now. Tuck grit his teeth and cleared his throat before rolling off the bed. He lifted a broad hand to rub against the tattoo on his shoulder before he spread his arms wide.

"I ******** love you. I've wanted to say that for a long while now, an' I wanted to say it just now, but I'm a ******** wuss or some s**t, I don't know. I don't want you to think I'm sayin' it because I want something from you, an' I don't want to keep worryin' that if I say it you ain't gonna feel the same way."

Tuck started to pace. The dam was opened, and he was going to get everything off of his chest. Sorry, Heidi.

"I know that we ain't been together real long, but we ain't got the longest life expectancy in the world. An' it's okay if you don't feel the same, but y'know, maybe someday you might. I just wanted to tell you 'cause I ain't never felt this way about nobody else, an' I ain't gonna feel this way again."

His cheeks were ruddy from the blush that bloomed high on his cheeks. Tuck shut up long enough to brush his hand down his face, and then he was going again.

"An' you are so goddamn sexy, Heidi, an' it drives me crazy." His tone was slightly accusatory. "So you should know that too."

Tuck's voice turned gruff and he grabbed his shirt from the hanger in the closet he'd placed it on. He didn't make eye contact with her while he slipped it on over his broad frame, and it wasn't until he finished buttoning it up that he finally glanced over at her. Tuck cleared his throat and rested his hands on his hips as if to say well, the end, can we eat now?