by Jo Leigh
After making sure his wallet was in his pocket, he stood at the top of the stairs, listening for signs that she was up.
He heard footsteps, so he went down. She smiled as she saw him, and the look of her in her snug blue dress, with her hair cascading in waves around her face and onto her shoulders, almost made him groan. God, the dress was strapless, and it emphasized the length of her neck, her toned arms, to say nothing of her long, slender legs.
“I was just coming to get you,” she said, her voice filled with excitement. “It’s so beautiful out there.”
“My thoughts exactly,” he said. “A perfect time for a walk to the hotel.”
“I brought a wrap. Do you think it’ll get much cooler?”
“I don’t think so, but this is my first time here, so…”
“You’ll keep me warm.” With that, she went out. No purse, no wrap, nothing but the woman and the little strapless dress.
He watched as she stepped over to the edge of the balcony, how her dress curved over her ass as she walked. All that stuff about waiting for her to make the first move?
Not gonna happen.
5
“WELL, HELLO THERE.”
Alex and Meg turned toward the bungalow just down the boardwalk to find a woman leaning against the railing, her filmy scarf wafting in the breeze. She was in her mid-fifties, and dressed in a bright resort ensemble. Her hair was short, her earrings big, and her smile was a bit too wide.
She pushed off the rail and walked toward them. “I’m Tina Lester,” she said, holding out a manicured hand. “I see we’re neighbors.”
Alex took her hand. “Hi. Alex Rosten. And this is Meg Becker.”
Tina smiled at Meg. “How are you enjoying the island?”
“It’s great so far,” Meg replied. “Haven’t been here that long.”
“We saw you check in this afternoon. You’re going to love it. There’s so much beauty and tranquility. So good for the soul.”
Meg smiled. “Right.”
Tina looked behind her just as a man walked out of their bungalow. He was in a Hawaiian shirt that wasn’t too garish, and khaki shorts that showed off his fish-belly-white legs. “And this is Walter. Darling, this is Alex and Meg.”
“How you doing?” Walter said, sans smile. He did, however, perk up when his phone rang. He retrieved it from his pants pocket and flipped it open. He turned toward the bungalow and in seconds he was involved in an argument that had him close to a bellow.
Even Alex could tell these two were not on a second honeymoon. He looked to Tina, whose lips had pressed together. She closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, she seemed more resigned than angry, and yet the tension was thicker than the scent of the sea.
Walter turned back to them as he closed his cell phone. He still wasn’t smiling, and didn’t seem in the least pleased to meet their bungalow mates.
“Hi, Walter,” Meg said. “It’s nice meeting you. I’m sure we’ll run into you again, but please excuse us now. We’re late for our spa appointments.”
Tina opened her mouth, but Walter spoke first. “Unless you’re shopping, you’re not likely to run into her. You two have a nice night.”
“Thanks,” Alex said, hurrying Meg down the stairs. They made it to the path unscathed, clutching each other as if they’d escaped from the lion’s den.
He steered her toward the path that would lead them to the hotel. “Whoa. That was interesting.”
Meg leaned in close and whispered, “I heard them arguing earlier. I couldn’t make out the words, but the tone was clear enough.”
“Well, we don’t have to socialize. This is our vacation and we can do whatever we want.”
“Right,” she said, “but just so you know? With the windows open, voices carry.”
He tried to remember if he’d said anything while he’d been in the shower. He didn’t think so, but maybe he’d groaned or something. Nothing he could do about it now, anyway. He pulled Meg closer with his arm around her waist. “Did you get any sleep?”
“Eventually. Actually, I slept wonderfully once I could finally relax. All this travel and excitement. I’m not used to it.”
“How far away is that mountain of yours from the beach?”
“About an hour, but that doesn’t mean much. I hardly ever go.”
“Yeah. I can see how it would be tough to find the time.”
“Rule for tonight,” she said. “No talk of work. None at all. Everything else is fair game, but we’re on vacation and I don’t want to give up even a minute of it.”
“Deal,” he said, more relieved than he could say. If he could just stop thinking about the chaos he’d left in D.C., he’d be the happiest man on the island.
She looked again at the sea, at the clouds, at the emptiness of the beach. “Wow.”
“You can say that again.”
“Wow.”
He winced. “Okay, you get that one. But only that one.”
She laughed, but her expression turned serious as she studied his face. “Tell me about her.”
“Her?”
“Ellen.”
“Ah. Not much to say. We were together for about eight months. Then she got the job in Paris,” he said.
“Weren’t you two engaged?” Meg asked.
“I suppose you could say that,” he said.
“Did you ask her to marry you?”
“Yeah.”
“Trust me, that counts,” she said.
“It wasn’t as serious as all that. I thought we were good together. She had her own life, I had mine and we met in the middle. It was easy. Neither of us had to do much. It sure as hell wasn’t a great romance.”
“So it was more an engagement of convenience?” Meg asked.
“That’s one way of putting it. I hate dating. I’d rather face a firing squad than start from scratch with a new woman. I’m desperately tired of my story, and I can’t remember the last time I was interested in hearing anyone else’s. With one notable exception, of course,” he said with a smile.
“Thanks, I think.”
“Maybe it’s because of how we met. I was predisposed in your favor. After all, your taste in music is impeccable.”
“I don’t think it was because of the way we met. I think it was because of the ground rules,” she stated.
They reached a rough-hewn path and turned away from the sea toward the hotel and civilization. His steps slowed. He liked having Meg to himself. Selfish, but true. “What ground rules?” he asked.
“Until your little surprise, there was never any expectation that we’d be more than online friends. No chance the chemistry wouldn’t be there, because we weren’t going to meet. I never tried to impress you,” she said.
“Never?”
“Okay, maybe once or twice, but it’s not the same.” She tugged at his hand. “You know what I mean. There’s the whole mating ritual dance. Everyone does it. I’m severely out of practice, but I vaguely remember the moves. We just talked. Like people.”
It was his turn to laugh. “Right. Like people.”
“Am I wrong?”
“Nope. I think you’re brilliant and astute and you’ve hit the nail on the head. Which begs the question…” He paused.
“Yes?”
“Have I blown it? Is this little surprise going to wreck it all?”
She stopped walking altogether, pulling him around to face her. “I don’t think so. But I’m not sure. This is very new territory.”
“Okay,” he said slowly. “Let me ask you this. What do you want?”
“World peace?”
“Cute.”
“Okay, okay. I’m soft-pedaling here because I don’t know that I have an answer,” she said.
“You must have some idea,” he insisted.
“Aside from enjoying the island?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she just shifted so that they were holding hands and started walking again. No
t that far ahead, there were people. Couples. Walking, mostly, but two were on bicycles, and there were a few of the golf cart jobs. Everyone seemed young and tan and attractive.
While Alex waited for her to answer he thought about his own expectations. Yeah, he’d wanted to get out of Dodge before the shit hit the fan, but that was secondary. It had cost him a fortune, and he hadn’t given the money a second thought. He’d wanted this vacation, and he’d wanted it with Meg. No one else. She’d been a critical part of his entire decision, even though she didn’t know it. He intended to thank her in every possible way.
“You know what surprises me most?” she asked.
“What?”
“I figured the moment we met face-to-face it would all be okay. As if we’d known each other for ages. That I’d be completely relaxed, and it would be nothing but easy.”
Her grip had tightened and he could tell that while her voice was light, the subject wasn’t.
“But…”
“Not that it’s been difficult. It’s just not what I expected. There’s a whole level of not knowing you that I wasn’t prepared for. Which is kind of stupid, but there you have it,” she said.
He stopped and turned toward her, wanting to see her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Physically,” she said. “Meeting in person changes things. I’m a lot more self-conscious than I anticipated.” She lowered her eyes, but only for a moment. “I want you to like me, and up until I decided to come here, I didn’t worry about it. I knew you liked me,” she said.
“Well, I do.”
“That’s not what I mean,” she stated quickly.
“I know that, too.”
She frowned. “Do you?”
“I’m astoundingly attracted to you,” he said, brushing the side of her face with the back of his hand
“Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Because I’m here or because I’m me?” she asked.
He had to grin. “Subtle, Meg. Real subtle.”
“I’m on an island a gazillion miles from home for five days with a man I’ve never met before. And you want me to tiptoe?”
“No, no. Not at all. I want honesty. Nothing less,” he insisted.
“And still you haven’t answered my question,” she said.
Alex looked Meg straight in the eye. “You. Because you’re you. And because I want to know more. You’ve been the one thing that’s completely right in my life. As soon as I see your name on the computer, I relax. And what’s a vacation supposed to be, if not relaxing? So, again, I say, it’s you. Just you.”
Her smile came slowly, but when it hit, it was a dazzler. “Good answer.”
She shifted her weight, leaning forward just enough for her body to touch his. Her breath, sweet and slightly cinnamon, brushed his chin. “Just so you know? I was thinking about our plans for the evening. You know, drinks, dinner, disco.”
“Is there a problem?” he asked.
“No, not at all. It sounds great. Almost perfect,” she said.
“Almost?” he asked, hoping against hope she was leading to the one thing that would make the night a total hit.
“You forgot about dessert. In the brochure it said the Trade Winds has the best key lime pie ever.”
“Ah.” He tried his damnedest to keep his disappointment in check. “Lucky for us, our reservations are at that very establishment.”
“Excellent.”
A couple on a tandem bike rode by and waved. Meg waved back.
Alex just kept thinking about the next four days. There were four nights, too, and now that she’d voiced her reservations, he couldn’t possibly press, but with luck…
“Oh, wait,” she said, turning back to face him. “Did I mention the whole having sex part?”
His heart thudded as his feet stopped. The last time he’d felt that very sensation was when he’d missed hitting a drunk pedestrian by about eight inches. It had taken him a long time to calm down from that spike of adrenaline. He doubted he would be so quick to recover from this.
“I meant you and me,” she said brightly. “In case you were wondering.”
“That’s good. That’s a really fine plan. I can honestly say I’m all in favor of doing each and every one of those things.”
She smiled and the breath across his chin came a little more rapidly.
He smiled right back. “However, and this is simply as a fallback position, not that I want to skip any of those activities, but if things happen and we’re forced to let one or two or four things slide, I do have a preference.”
“Really?” she said.
He nodded. Jesus, he was getting hard. And she was close enough that if this conversation went on much longer, she’d be sure to notice. Maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. “Yeah.”
“And what would your preference be?” she asked.
“Dinner. That key lime pie sounds great.”
She pinched him. Right on the ass. He hadn’t even felt her arm move around to his back. “Ow.”
“Tell me you didn’t deserve that,” she said.
“If I admit culpability, will you stop pinching me?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Do you want me to stop?”
“I’m not sure. Although, if you think about it, there are other things one could do to show one’s displeasure that wouldn’t involve pinching so much as kissing,” he teased.
Meg laughed. “You do something naughty, and I’m supposed to kiss you?”
“I call it gentle correction.”
“You’re completely full of shit, aren’t you?” she said.
“Not about the gentle correction. Oh, yeah.”
“I see,” she murmured.
“Now I have a question.” Alex moved just that tiny bit closer. Close enough that she would clearly understand his condition. “Why are we standing on this sandy path, when we have so very many intriguing things to do tonight?”
She pressed her body into his. “You’re suggesting we get it in gear?” she asked.
“I am,” he said firmly.
“I’ll take it under advisement.”
He raised his brows, wanting so much to pull her tighter against him.
“After,” she said.
“After what?” he asked.
“This,” she whispered, as she rose up to kiss him.
Jesus, it was worth the wait. Her mouth was soft and teased him with possibilities. How in hell was he supposed to get through dinner, dessert, dancing? How was he supposed to get through the next three minutes?
When she pulled back, her face was flushed a sexy pink, her lips were moist and her eyes…They were full of all kinds of mischief.
Then she took his hand and continued walking. Easy for her. He, on the other hand, had to do some discreet adjustments. Which didn’t help. Thinking of baseball scores didn’t, either.
Walking to the hotel had seemed like such a good idea.
MEG HAD TO WORK at not laughing. Not because she had teased Alex so unmercifully, but because she’d forgotten how this felt. She was on fire. Alive. And so turned on she could probably light up the whole island. They’d had banter. Actual banter. “Wow,” she said.
Alex looked at her, a little confused. “The beach?”
She shook her head. “Us.”
“Oh?”
“It’s like when we’re online,” she said happily.
He slowed his step as he nodded. “Yeah, it is.”
“That’s very cool,” she said.
“Very,” he agreed.
She gave him a little hip bump. “Tell me what we’re doing first.”
“I thought we’d go to the activities desk and get our schedules,” he suggested.
“Good thinking,” she said.
“And what time is dinner?” he asked.
“Eight.”
“Which means we have three hours to find interesting things to do with ourselves.” He bumped her back with his hip. “We could always go back to the bungalow
.”
“Um…”
“Kidding. I’m kidding,” he said.
“No, you’re not,” she countered.
“Hey, when I mentioned honesty, I didn’t mean that honest,” he protested.
Meg laughed, and bumped him once more. She liked this. She felt more relaxed now, with the cards on the table. They were going to have sex. Cool. Just not right now. “You mentioned drinks, yes?”
“I did. There’s a bar. Actually, there are several bars, and they serve many wonderful tropical drinks,” he told her.
“Mmm,” she said, sounding a lot like Homer Simpson, “tropical drinks.”
“Banana Cows. Tropical Jade. Between the Sheets. Parcha con China. And the ever popular Sex on the Beach,” he said.
“Ooh, that sounds good.”
He laughed, and the sound made her tingle in interesting places. “Which one?”
“The last five,” she answered.
He pulled her close as a guy on a bike swooped past. She doubted she’d been in any real danger, but Alex’s protectiveness was a delightful surprise.
His arm moved smoothly around her waist, and it was so nice, she did the same to him. They continued walking, passing some other vacationers, a few at first, then more. She couldn’t remember seeing so many people smiling. Just smiling.
The hotel came into spectacular view, and it was more impressive than she’d remembered from earlier. “It’s like a postcard.”
“Especially with all those attractive people running around. Have you noticed?” he asked.
“It’s hard not to. I wonder if they prescreen,” she said.
“Or maybe everyone’s not that attractive. Maybe they’re just happy.”
She squeezed him tighter. “You are such a romantic.”
“Am not.”
“Ha. You think I’m not on to you, buddy? I so have your number,” she said.
He squeezed her right back. “You know what? You do. And that’s just fine with me.”