[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Candy's eyes closed in pleasure as the heavenly dessert sent her taste buds into overdrive. She loved sweets and pastries, and not only were the tarts visually pleasing, they tasted heavenly as well!

"You always make the best food" she stated, pausing for a moment to smile at him over her next spoonful.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Crax returned her smile with a lighthearted chuckle, though he couldn't help the way his chest swelled with pride at her declaration.

"I always aim to give you the best" he answered, with a cheeky grin stretched over his face. "After all, you have such good taste" he joked, using his spoon to gesture at himself.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Candy giggled, and licked a bit of sugar off her lower lip, quirking her eyebrow and holding his gaze as she did so. She loved to tease him, and they both had a good laugh about it.

Crax took the now empty plates to the sink to wash up, while Candy leaned on the island to watch.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"So tell me," Candy asked, breaking the comfortable silence which had descended between them once the dishes had been stacked on the drying rack. "How did you find this place? I'd have thought it would be impossible to rent one of these out in the off-season, and especially so high up the mountainside."

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Crax leaned back against the counter and shrugged his shoulders lightly, meeting her gaze with a grin.

"You know me, princess, I have a knack for finding perfection. The, uh, classified ads in the newspaper I hid from you two weeks ago may also have helped a bit" he replied, cheeks turning a light shade of pink though his grin didn't waver.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Candy gasped in mock affront. "I knew you were hiding it! You swore that it simply hadn't been delivered, and if it weren't for the fact I've been so busy at work, I would have gone and complained. Honestly!"

She smiled to show she wasn't really angry, and was rewarded by a light chuckle from Crax as he ruffled his hair with his fingers.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"You know, after that light lunch I'm in the mood to sit down on the sofa with a good book and put my feet up. Care to join me?" Crax asked, nodding his head towards the doorway that lead to the living room. The journey to get there had been a long one, and he felt like being lazy.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Candy grinned, and stood up. "That sounds like a great idea! The best part is there's a sectional couch in there - we can both stretch out and still cuddle!" she declared, twirling around in excitement and walking towards the door. Crax shook his head in amusement at her enthusiasm, and followed at a more leisurely pace.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

As they chose their books from the vast fully-stocked oaken bookshelves decorating the walls of the living room, Crax glanced over at Candy's happy smiling face and sighed; he really did love going on vacation with her, even though it didn't happen nearly as often as they both wished it would.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

As they sat on the sofa with the sunlight pouring through the large windows behind them, Crax could feel nothing but content with Candy stretched out beside him, leaning against him so her hair fanned out over his waist. The book lay unopened on the back of the sofa as he lazily ran his fingers through her curls.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"You know you make me sleepy when you do that" Candy breathed, closing her eyes as the soothing sensation of his long fingers in her hair washed over her like a warm wave at the beach. She rested her open book against her chest, and breathed in time with Crax as she felt her body relax against his.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

A few hours later, Crax opened his eyes to see the room being bathed in glorious shades of autumn reds and golden yellows. He yawned, and gently removed his fingers from where they were tangled in Candy's curls, which still lay across his chest. They had dozed off, and now the sun was setting, and she was missing it.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"Wake up sleepyhead, we're missing the sunset" Crax whispered gently into her ear, as he carefully brushed a lock of hair away from her face. Candy responded with a yawn, and sat up, stretching as she opened her eyes slowly. A sleepy smile spread over her face, and with eyes half-closed she whispered "It's beautiful".

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Crax grinned, and slid his legs off of the couch. "I'll bet it's even more beautiful from the terrace" he said, standing up and stretching his neck and shoulders. "Come on, we can watch it go down and then freshen up for dinner" he said, holding out his hand to help her up off the sofa.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Candy grinned sleepily and let him help her up, smiling as he took her hand for the walk up the stairs. In truth, she still felt sleepy - she had been so comfortable using him as a pillow that she had fallen deeply asleep, and was already looking forward to going to bed that night.