He leans in toward me. “You look so lovely. I’ve wanted to kiss you all evening,” he says softly. “Is that okay?”
“Yes,” I say in a whisper. My belly quivers as I wait in anticipation for his mouth to descend. His lips brush against mine, like a feather at first. Shivers cascade all the way down to my toes. Then I feel the full shape of his mouth against mine. The warm wet meeting of our mouths sets my whole body on fire. His hands skim around my back as he pulls me closer. I melt into the magnetic pull of his body. He deepens the kiss and a groan of pleasure escapes my lips. The press of his hard, powerful body excites me. A bolt of desire moves through my body. Then, when I start to sense the swell of his arousal pressing against my thighs, he releases me. Slowly. Gently. He gazes at me and says softly, “I will see you soon, Jade.”
“See you soon,” I say to him as he disappears in the darkness. I stand there for a moment wondering what happened. And wishing more than anything he was still there.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Jade
The sea flows over my skin and I swim along the shoreline, urging my mind to relax, but it refuses to listen. I keep thinking about Luca. It’s been a week since he left. I gave him my number, but he still hasn’t called. Every time my cell phone rings, I check the caller ID to see if its Luca. Instead, it’s the office calling to let me know they need to turn the water off for two hours. Or Gabriela asking me to dinner. Each time I hear the phone and see that it isn’t him, despair washes over me. I miss him so badly.
I know I shouldn’t put my life on hold waiting for him to call. He told me he traveled a lot almost right after we met. I knew it would be like this. I don’t know why I expected it to be different. He’ll always be busy working, and I don’t want to be sitting around waiting for a call that will never come. This isn’t what I need now. I’m not secure enough not to be imagining the worst. One minute I’m thinking he hasn’t called because of my miserable family situation. The next I’m wondering if he’s talking to a gorgeous woman, resting his hand on her arm, gazing at her intently with those blue-green eyes like she’s the only one that matters—the same way he looked at me. It’s too awful to think about. Too shattering. I want to be the only woman he looks at. But how could I be? I’m so ordinary. Oh, God. All I wanted was to be able to live with myself, not to go back to picking myself to pieces all over again.
When I near my end of the beach I swim toward the shore and shuffle my feet through the shallow water. As I step out of the sea, I strip off my cap and goggles. My ears are filled with water, but I hear a man’s voice like I’m hearing it through a tunnel. I turn toward the source of the sound. If only it were Luca. But it isn’t. The man standing near me on the shore has pale skin and a lanky frame. He’s got a military-style crew cut and is wearing a polo shirt and khaki shorts.
“Hi, there.” His voice sounds whiny. Annoying. His lips are twisted into a disturbing smirk.
I instinctively don’t like this guy or the way he’s staring at my body. There’s something about him that rubs me the wrong way. And I’m in no mood for chit chat. “Hello.”
“Hi, I’m Justin. I can see you like to swim.”
Great. That certainly sounded stalker-ish. “I do, actually.” I don’t bother to tell him my name.
“I don’t know why you swim near those dolphins. They can be mean. How much do you weigh?”
“What?” Is this guy for real?
“They must be at least ten times your size. You’ll end up getting hurt.” His condescending tone instantly grates on my nerves. Why the hell are people always telling me what to do? Do I have a sign pasted on my forehead saying, I’m dying to hear your unsolicited advice?
I try to walk around the man, but he steps in front of me. I look up at him and give him my best hostile stare. “Thanks for the advice. I’ll bear that in mind.”
“You think you’re tough. But those animals are big. They could hurt you or even kill you.”
“But they wouldn’t. I know them. They’re my friends.”
A smirk curls up one side of his lips. “They’re wild animals. You’re so naïve. I read online that male dolphins sometimes try to rape female swimmers.”
I put my hands on my hips. He wants to argue? Fine, let’s do it. “Really? So your point is that some dolphins are aggressive and mean. So are humans. A lot of them can be much more dangerous than any dolphin I’ve met out in the sea. And some of them are just annoying.” I fall short of saying, Take you for example. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got work to do.”
“What kind of work do you do? Someone mentioned you stay here all year. There’s no money to be made down here.”
So he’s been gossiping about me with other people. Nice. God, this guy grates on my nerves. I try again to step around him, but he grabs my arm as I pass. “How about dinner tonight?”
When hell freezes over. “No, thanks. I’m busy.”
His laugh sounds sardonic. And cruel. “Busy. In this place? You’re joking. I’ve been here for two days because a coworker said she loved this place and already I’m bored senseless. I can’t wait to get back to my orthodontics practice. It’s very successful. I’m so busy I’m not even taking new patients.”
Like I care. Why won’t this creeper leave me alone? Isn’t it obvious I don’t want to talk to him? “Let me spell it out to you, then. I’m seeing someone else.” I twist free from him and storm up the beach.
“You’re making a mistake,” he calls after me.
“Yeah, right,” I mutter under my breath, fuming. I walk up the beach. Instead of feeling relief at escaping the creep, I feel a heavy sadness settle in my chest. What if the orthodontist’s right? What if the dolphins I hang out with aren’t the nice creatures I imagined them to be. Maybe once they get to know me, they won’t be so gentle anymore. Maybe they’ll play rough with me or try to sexually assault me. I tell myself it’s not possible. They wouldn’t do that to me. Not my dolphins.
I wish Luca were here. He’d understand my fears and be willing to listen. He’d help me get some insight into the situation. But he’ll be gone for two weeks. I wonder why he wouldn’t share more about his work with me? Maybe I’m being naïve about him too. I don’t really know him any better than I know the dolphins. I never even asked Luca his last name.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Luca
I’m in the limo with the guys. We’re on our way to Observatory North Park in San Diego, the site of tonight’s concert. Whenever I’m on stage, I think of Jade. She’s been on my mind ever since that night we had dinner together. I can’t stop thinking about that kiss we shared afterward. And how soft her skin is. But it wasn’t just the attraction flaring between us that’s been on my mind. She really listened to me. I see her smile and her heart-shaped face, framed in shimmering waves of chestnut hair, each night before I fall asleep. Every time I see her in my mind’s eye, a thrill of energy races through me.
“Is there anyone there?” My brother Lorenzo says in Spanish as he snaps his fingers in front of my face. He plays the saxophone in our band.
“Thinking about that girl again?”
“What made you think that?”
“Because you have that sappy look on your face. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?” He fidgets with his cross pendant and shakes his head.
I’ve always been honest with Lorenzo, but I wish he wouldn’t tease me so much sometimes. “I miss her.”
“Have you called her yet?”
“No. Our schedule’s been crazy. There never seems to be a good time.” The real reason I haven’t called Jade is I don’t know what to say. If she asks me about work, I might say too much. I really need to explain all this in person when we’re together.
“That’s not it.” Lorenzo scratches his beard and gives me a penetrating look. “Oh, I get it. She doesn’t know, does she. Who you are, I mean.”
I had to know he’d read it right on my face. “No, not yet. She was talking to me like a normal person. That
never happens with women.”
“What did you tell her?”
When I explain that I told her I’m a tech guy for concerts, he frowns and shakes his head. “You have to tell her.”
“I know. And I will. But it has to happen when we’re together.”
“I understand. Maybe you could call when you know she won’t be there and just leave a message.”
Of course. I could call Jade sometime while she’s out swimming. “Good idea. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.”
“Probably because you’re too busy thinking about her naked,” Lorenzo smirks.
“Stop it.”
“I can tell by that dazed look on your face that it’s true.”
“I’ve been thinking about the new song we’re performing tonight. Jade’s Song.”
“The audience will love it. You really outdid yourself with this one, brother. I can tell this woman has sparked something in you.”
“She has.” Will this song about my beautiful mermaid swimming with dolphins have relevance to people listening in our audience? I want them to experience the gamut of emotions that Jade makes me feel. To grasp the profound effect she’s had on me. She’s ignited my creativity and made me feel that it isn’t impossible for a woman to genuinely take interest in me. I know our relationship is new, and that maybe I’m getting my hopes up for no reason. But Lorenzo’s right. I have to tell her who I am. Soon. I almost told her before I left her at her door. But our kiss was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I didn’t want to ruin the moment.
Lorenzo grabs his cell phone from his pocket. “I need to return a call.”
All the guys seem to be absorbed in texting and surfing the internet on their devices. I wonder if I could Facetime her real quick. To let her know she’s on my mind.
I recall how patient she was with me during the swimming lessons. I almost said no to her offer of a second lesson. I felt guilty taking so much of her time, especially when she said she wouldn’t take any money. She had work to do. But I could tell she wanted to see me again, and that the attraction between us was mutual. That sizzling heat burned hotter and hotter the more we were together.
Her stroke suggestions made me see that even a small change would fix everything. The strange thing about her tips—they did make a night and day difference. Because she believed I could do it, it seemed possible.
I pull my phone from my pocket. Try to call Jade’s number on Facetime. I’ll tell her we’re on our way to an event, that I only have a minute. I bite my lip, anxiously waiting for her to answer, hoping she’ll be happy to hear from me and that she won’t ask too many questions. I can’t lie to Jade. She deserves to hear the truth from me when I’m there with her, not when I’m hundreds of miles away. When I get back to San Carlos, I’ll walk down to the beach and find her after her swim. And then we’ll talk. The line continues to ring, but there’s no answer. Feeling defeated, I disconnect and drop the cell phone back in my pocket.
My trombone player, Raphael slaps me on the shoulder. “We’re there. It’s almost showtime.”
I jump up from my seat. “Ready.”
Raphael laughs, his white teeth barely visible below his thick moustache. “It didn’t look like it for a minute there. You looked like you were in a distant galaxy.”
“Just running through the words to the new song, that’s all.”
The driver opens the door for us. Security at the venue keeps the fans from approaching the vehicle. Once we’re outside, we stride toward the back door that leads to the stage.
“And the girl the song is about, I’m sure,” teases Raphael.
“Jade, the dolphin woman,” Steve, my drummer, chimes in.
Obviously, they can’t resist ribbing me since they’ve never seen me this interested in any girl before. “You’ll never know.”
“Lorenzo already told us all about her.”
“Brother, I’m going to have to hurt you,” I say, punching him affectionately on the shoulder. Tonight’s the night I’ll be sharing Jade’s song with the world. She told me Mexico is the right place for her to be now. If only I can convince her that I’m the right man for her. Maybe she thought so that night we had dinner and shared that passionate kiss. But will she still feel that way when she finds out who I really am?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Jade
I leave my condo, geared up and ready to swim. There’s a plain envelope on my doormat. I frown. I wonder what it is. I pick it up and rip it open. How strange. Inside is a clipping from a newspaper. It’s a computer printout of an article from the San Diego Union-Tribune. Why would someone drop this by? I wonder who delivered it. My mouth falls open in shock when I study the photo accompanying the article. “No way,” I say out loud. Because I’m looking at a picture of Luca.
He’s holding onto a microphone, up on a stage illuminated by bright lights. Behind him are four band members. I read a few lines of text—about all the performances he’s given, the multiple Grammy awards he’s won—and then I have to lean on the door for support. This is the stage set up he’s been doing in California?
He never said a word about being a musician. Why didn’t he tell me he was a pop star? This is crazy. He tried to call me on Facetime last night, but I was at Gabriele and Martin’s house then and missed his call. I was ecstatic beyond belief to know he’d tried to reach me. I managed to connect with him later. He looked adorable on the video. And as always, he said heart-melting things. He said it would only be four days until he got back. That he couldn’t wait to see me. And I’ve been dying to see him, too. Until this. This is what I came to escape—the disconnect, the lies. It upset me when I didn’t hear from him for so long. Somehow, I forgot the sleepless nights the instant I found out he’d tried to reach me. But he intentionally lied to me. It’s just not right. Why didn’t he want me to know the truth about his career?
Last night when I asked him what venue he was preparing for, he said he was setting up the stage for a Justin Timberlake concert. Why couldn’t he have told me the truth? How hard would it have been to say he was a musician? That he was the one performing. I know he’s not the type of guy inclined to brag. He didn’t have to tell me he had record-setting crowds attend his performances. Or to tell me he’s one of the wealthiest men in Mexico, which he is, apparently, according to the article. But to leave me completely clueless? That’s just wrong. I don’t know Luca. I don’t know him at all.
I toss the printout onto the kitchen table and leave the condo. I stomp through the sand toward the sea, yank on my swim cap, and pull on my goggles with a frustrated huff. This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have let my emotions run away with me. Vulnerability is weakness, one I can’t afford to indulge in. Right now, I need the sea. My only sanctuary. Only the blue-green Sea of Cortez water can smooth away these miserable feelings, the anger and betrayal that threaten to cripple me. I rush into the water, desperate to escape. My normal protocol of shuffling my feet is forgotten. I cry out when a sharp barb of a stingray strikes my foot.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Luca
I’m back in San Carlos three days before Jade’s expecting me. I want to surprise her. I could tell by our Facetime conversation that she missed me. I can’t wait to see her. I keep imagining her bright smile, her golden-brown eyes lighting up with excitement when she sees me. I can’t wait to show her how I’ve progressed with my swimming. Pools were everywhere in California, so I was able to spend time practicing my stroke every day in addition to maintaining my regular running and weight lifting routines.
I’ve worked up to swimming twenty lengths of a hotel pool without stopping. Okay, maybe that’s not great, but it’s a big improvement over wearing myself out in only ten strokes.
I walk down to the beach at the time I usually see Jade swimming. I spot her immediately, out in the water, but I don’t see the dolphins. There’s something different about her stroke. She always looks strong and powerful when she swims. But now she’s swimmi
ng so fast. Like she’s racing or being chased by a shark. Maybe she’s training for a race? Her stroke looks almost angry. Could she be upset about something?
A man strolls toward me on the beach. His arms swing wide of his torso, the way a man with bulky biceps would walk. But this guy looks like his upper body never lifted any serious weight—he’s skinny and pale and his chest is slightly sunken in. His twisted grin irritates me. I nod and say, “Good morning” anyway to be polite. He doesn’t answer.
As he walks past, he turns toward me. Instead of offering a friendly greeting, he says, “You’re not going to try to swim with those crazy dolphins, are you?”
I resent the nosey question. “I’m thinking about it.”
“Don’t you have anything better to do?”
I like how people engage in casual conversation in this small town, but this guy is trying to bait me. I grit my teeth and try to be polite. “Not really. I’m on vacation. I’m here to enjoy the beach.”
“Must be a letdown after being on tour.”
I let out a nervous laugh. Que terrible. I was hoping I wouldn’t be recognized so soon in this one place I’ve found to relax. “I need a break just like anyone else.”
“I know—you’re here to see the girl? Too bad she found out who you are. She was so upset she went in to swim yesterday without shuffling her feet and got stung by a stingray.”
Jade hurt? My muscles constrict in anxiety. I turn toward the water, wishing she was here on the beach instead of way out there. I want to hold her, talk to her, make sure that her wound is okay and no longer hurting her. “Oh, no, that’s terrible. Was it bad?”
The man raises his chin in an arrogant way and nods. “I was on the beach when it happened. I rushed over right away to help her.” He emphasizes the word, I, in a way that makes me want to punch him. He was here when she was injured instead of me. Jealousy pierces me sharply in the chest. I don’t want to think about this mean-spirited man touching her foot or any other part of her body. But she was in pain and needed someone. Y yo no estaba ahi (And I wasn’t there). Even worse, I was the cause of her distress. If she hadn’t been overwrought, she would have shuffled her feet like she always does and wouldn’t have been hurt.
Jade's Song (South of the Border Book 2) Page 9