"Mine too. I'm sorry. I couldn't help leaving. I needed to think. Please understand it's nothing against you, Joe. The problem's within me."
"I just happen to be the one here?"
"There could have been no other, Joe. Not the way I feel!"
"How do you feel?" Joe's sigh was heavy and audible. "Are you ready to let go of him, Maria?"
"I don't know."
"I won't compete with him. I'm selfish. I want you all to myself." His voice was low and strained with emotion. He didn't want to lose her now, especially because of something beyond his control. "But I can tell you exactly how I feel. I've never been so attracted, so absolutely drawn to anyone as I have to you. I've never felt so sure about a relationship. And after last night,” he paused to kiss her palm, “I'm even more sure than ever."
"I appreciate what you're saying. And I'm grateful you feel this way because I do, too. Oh, Joe, it isn't you. It's me. I just..."
"Feel guilty."
"Yes."
"Don't do that to yourself. You're young, Maria. You can't stop living because your husband did."
"I know."
"You can't stop loving, either."
Love? Or lust? She didn't dare ask out loud, but her expressive eyes revealed her doubts.
His response was low. "Maria, I only know that when I hold you, it's right. And last night was wonderful. No, more than that. Words are inadequate."
She smiled and agreed softly.
"I just want to know one thing from you, Maria. Any regrets?"
"No." She spoke with conviction. "No regrets."
"Isn't that enough for now?" he implored her. "I can show you happiness if you'll let me."
"I agree with your logic. I just wish it were that easy."
Joe took a deep breath. "I may regret this, but I think we'd better get it out in the open. Hiding and pretending doesn't work. Let's talk about him. Tell me everything about him."
"Thomas Wayne Eden."
"I really don't know anything about him. Was Wayne killed in an accident?"
"No. His death was the result of a rare virus that attacks the heart muscle. He became violently ill and died within two weeks. He was on life support for—" She paused and blinked her eyes rapidly.
"This is too much for you." Joe felt his stomach knot as he listened to her pain. "You don't have to tell me."
"I want to. You're right. You should know. I should say it." She took a deep breath. "He was on life support for the last few days and we finally realized... It became obvious that he wouldn't last."
Joe pressed her hand to his pounding heart. He wanted to take her in his arms, to hush her message with his lips, yet he couldn't. He could only listen to her tortured story. When she finished, his arm went around her shoulder and he pulled her to him.
She laid her head against the security of Joe's chest and listened to the rhythmic beating of his heart. It seemed to relate more than he'd been able to say. And words weren't required. His strength, his presence, his sincerity all combined to let her know his sentiment. Finally he spoke in a low voice. "I want you to know that I care about your feelings. And about you, Maria. But I won't intrude."
"You haven't, Joe."
He struggled to say the next words and even doubted for a moment that he could. "I'll walk away if that's what you really want. Until you're ready."
She sat up and looked at him in alarm. "Don't do that. Please don't leave me now, Joe." She leaned forward and kissed him. "I need you."
"I won't leave. I need you, too. Oh, Maria..." He groaned as their lips met again, and he hauled her closer. Whenever they touched, the magnetic powers between them were spontaneous. After only one night he couldn't imagine ever being without her again.
Finally he lifted her chin. "Maria, it’s okay to have a life. To live. To be happy. To love."
She nodded and clutched his hand as they made their way down from the lava boulders.
"Here it is!" He pointed at a sandy slope between two rocks. "It's your perfect whelk!"
Putting their heads together, they examined an orange-toned shell on the sand. Suddenly it started to move.
"It has an occupant," she said, laughing. "A hermit crab is using it as his home."
"It's a beautiful shell. Looks perfect. Do you want it? We can get rid of that crab."
"No, he found it first. He—or she—deserves it." She slipped her hand into Joe's and smiled. "There'll be others. Anyway, I have about all the perfection I can handle right now."
He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his warm body. "Oh, I don't know. I figure you're just about perfect, and I can't seem to get enough of you."
"See, it's not impossible to find perfection, if you look long enough. And you don't lose hope." She pressed herself against him, loving the way their bodies molded together. "Did I tell you last night was terrific, Joe?"
"About a dozen times." He chuckled. "I don't know if we're really perfect together, but damned close."
"Damned close," she repeated as his lips closed over hers.
Chapter Seven
"My goal for today is to beat you at tennis," Joe announced later after a meager breakfast of coffee and fruit with Maria. “Then chase you around the pool and—"
"Whoa! Don't I have anything to say about this?" Maria smiled at his enthusiasm. She knew he was trying to make her feel better – happier - after their talk on the beach earlier.
"Unless you want to concede defeat now. With a breakfast like this, it's a wonder you don't collapse for lack of nourishment."
"It's plenty for me. You could have ordered more."
"No, I'm watching my waistline. Goes along with improving my image. Didn't you say cameras add ten pounds?"
"Sad fact," she said with a nod. "If we play tennis every day, I'm afraid we'll lose too much time, Joe. You realize, of course, that we have a lot of ground to cover. We’ve barely started."
He drew an imaginary line down her nose with his finger. "Wrong. We only just begun. Us. We. You and I. Maria and Joe. We won't lose anything. We’ll gain everything by being together. And we won't play tennis every day. Just today." His finger traced her mouth, then he kissed her lips. "And work later. Promise."
She settled into the comfortable circle of his arms. "You're very persuasive, you know."
"Smart girl. I knew you'd see it my way."
Maria was able to relax and enjoy playing with Joe. Playing, for the first time in years. Years. She beat him soundly at tennis, which did nothing for his game. But he outswam her by ten laps, at least, which she blamed on the weather. They ate a hearty lunch and raced back to the room. He won, being the runner, and teased her unmercifully when she stumbled into the room, gasping for air.
But when she caught her breath, Maria tantalized him until he soon became breathless, too. She fussed that he gave up too easily, but quickly forgot her objections when she ended up in his arms.
During the late afternoon they spent a few hours on communication preliminaries, such as listening to others and revealing oneself.
That night Joe lured her to his casita. Like new lovers who can't get enough of each other, they made love until they were exhausted and fell asleep nestled together like two spoons.
Breakfast the next day was a carnal affair, held in the middle of his king-size bed. She snuggled in her fluffy yellow robe. He wore only a towel around his waist.
Maria fed him guava-marmalade muffins, daintily dabbing the corners of his mouth after each bite. Joe fed her huevos rancheros, eggs served on corn tortillas and topped with salsa fresco.
He dribbled salsa on her chin and right down the middle of her chest.
"Joe!" she shrieked.
He pressed her backward on the bed until she was lying on her back. "Sorry, let me get that." He leaned over her and lapped up every bit with his tongue. "Hmm, this is the part I like best."
"You did that on purpose!" She giggled and grabbed a napkin.
He seized her wrist and pus
hed her back against the pillows. "Is there any other way? Hold still and I'll get it all." His kiss left no doubt about his interest in all of her.
"Hmm, nice, but your breakfast is getting cold."
"But we're getting hot. Now which is more important?" He planted kisses all over her face.
"Well, when you put it that way..." Her fingers traced the strong lines of his face.
"We only need to eat enough to keep up our strength," he murmured. "I can't get enough of you, pretty lady."
Slowly he stretched alongside her, not losing eye contact during the process. He moved closer until their lips touched and his tongue reached inside to the sweet moisture of her mouth. Her tongue met his, sparring playfully. With a low groan of pleasure he raised his head to gaze at her.
"When you look at me like that, I get butterflies inside, Joe."
"You with butterflies? You teach people how to chase them away. Sorry, but I can't keep my eyes off you, Maria. You're a beautiful, sensuous woman. I still can't believe I'm really holding you and this isn't all a big dream."
"It's no dream, Joe. Touch me and see."
He swallowed hard and desire lit up his ebony eyes. Both hands stroked her tousled hair and framed her face, then moved down to the lapels of her robe. Slowly he pushed back both panels to find her alluringly nude. Releasing a pent-up breath, he voiced a guttural, "Beautiful... so sexy. This – you – are all I want for breakfast. "
She smiled sensually at his obvious approval. "Good thing I’m hungry." She took his hand and kissed the palm and ran her tongue down its middle, then placed it over one breast.
He pressed both copper-brown hands against the soft pliancy of her creamy white breasts, the center of his palms against the prominent pink nipples and his fingers splayed against her bosom. Ever so gently he began to massage, generating a quickly mounting passion within her.
She writhed beneath his hot hands, then gasped for joy as he sprinkled kisses liberally over her breasts. Her skin tingled with delight, and she felt his breath in hot little spurts as his lips moved erotically over her. She couldn't get enough of his passionate display of affection.
"Oh, Joe, touch me everywhere." She wriggled in anticipation of his response to her command.
As his tongue created moist trails down her belly and to the sensitive area on her inner thighs, Maria felt aflame all over. She'd never known such strong passion, had never felt so alive when making love. She made soft purring noises as his hands teased her body, and gasped aloud when he pressed the center of her womanhood. Long, firm strokes stimulated her to the brink of ecstasy, and her whispers urged him to finish what he'd started. Quickly.
When he straddled her writhing body, the towel around his waist came off, revealing his full aroused glory. He paused long enough to make their lovemaking safe and she watched him, arching her back, encouraging him to hurry. Her hands were everywhere, assisting, tempting, begging. When he was ready, she murmured, "Don't make me wait, Joe. I want you..."
He slid his large hands beneath her hips and lifted her to meet him, his desire hard and vigorous as he drove into her softness. There was no holding back for either of them. He filled her completely with slow, deliberate moves, then with a growing force beyond his control.
Joe knew that as a man, his first attraction to her had been her beauty. But now his feelings—not just his lust—for the lovely woman he was beginning to know were expressed in his physical lovemaking. He wanted her, wanted to satisfy his own sexual urges. But he also wanted to satisfy hers. And his need for her was rapidly going beyond sexual.
Maria vibrated with the impact of his body on hers, in hers. Looping her legs around his hips, she clutched him, riding with each plunge to new peaks of pleasure. Amazingly her sexual needs seemed to mirror his, and she was consumed with only one thought, one frenzied act to be fulfilled. Again and again. Going from nothing for so long to everything all at once put her on overload. Her physical need for him was acute, her undulating motion tirelessly matching his, as she moaned in ecstasy and begged for more.
But in her heart Maria knew she couldn't be this free with any man, even one as sexy as Joe, unless her feelings went beyond the physical. He was becoming a part of her heart as well as her body.
Maria peaked in a climax that she thought would last forever, taking him with her. A wild kind of joy exploded throughout her body, and she felt an emotional high that whisked her ever upward, swirling, whirling, floating in the rapture of a foggy heaven. For a moment she thought she'd cry with the surge of emotion and adrenalin. Desperate to retain the euphoria, she held on to him fiercely, murmuring, “Joe... my love... never felt so good..."
Joe relished her praise, loved making love to her, but wondered if she really knew what she was saying, or if this was just gut instinct. Deep inside he wished it were so. He knew he wanted her more each day and of course, wanted his affection returned.
Finally he shifted, kissing her tenderly. "I wish this could last forever, my sweet Maria, but truth is, I’m exhausted."
“Too bad. I’m ready to go again," she murmured and kissed his smooth, broad chest. "You and I seem to get better each time."
"Which proves the adage about practice." He chuckled as he rolled away. They could hear dishes clinking, and Joe groaned. “Forgot about the breakfast tray."
"Just don't spill the coffee."
He moved his leg, then halted abruptly with a low curse.
"What's wrong?"
"I think I stuck my foot in the huevos rancheros."
She rolled over laughing. But finally, she helped him clean up the mess. Everything they did together was wonderful and funny and full of fun. Even the second shower of the morning.
When Maria emerged, dressed in shorts and a purple tee, Joe had already made a fresh pot of coffee in the kitchenette. He poured them each a steaming cupful. “Just to prove I’m here to work, too.”
She smiled at him as she crossed the room. He looked fantastic and fit in white shorts and a red knit pullover. And definitely more relaxed than she'd ever seen him. Maria wondered if she looked different, too. She only knew she was happier than in years.
"Thanks.” She inhaled. “Smells wonderful.”
He kissed her lips lightly. “So do you.”
“Breakfast in bed was a great idea. But now, time to earn my keep.”
"My dear, you’ve more than earned it already. I have another idea. Lunch." Standing, he gulped the coffee, then set the cup back on the table. "I'll be back within the hour."
"Joe, what are you up to now?"
"People to see, plans to make." He brushed her forehead with his lips, then decided on a lingering kiss on her lips before leaving.
When Joe returned, he discovered the note she'd left for him. Jogging next door, he found Maria huddled over papers and notes scattered over the kitchen table. "What's this? I leave your side for less than an hour and you go berserk."
"It's called work, Joe. We'll never get done if we don't get going."
"Right." He watched her impatiently for a few moments. "Uh, could we work on this later, Maria? Our rented boat and picnic lunch await."
"What?"
He pulled her to her feet and kissed her quickly. "Swimsuits and sunscreen. Everything else is taken care of."
Maria trudged behind Joe to the pier lugging a food basket and the flat briefcase she'd insisted on bringing. Joe carried a cooler full of iced drinks and a brightly colored Mexican blanket. He'd vowed to help her hunt for perfect shells on a different beach, and they'd agreed to launch the next phase of Speechcraft, which included her evaluation of him.
She smiled at his jaunty gait. He not only looked happy, but he also walked happily. It pleased her immensely to think she had something to do with that.
They piled everything into the motorboat Joe had rented. With a sense of adventure they left the security of the San Carlos Harbor, waving at the children playing outside little pastel houses along the way. They passed elegant villas built h
igh on the cliffs overlooking the Sea of Cortez and private beach clubs designed to lure work-weary tourists. Finally Joe steered them to a deserted sandy beach almost hidden by rocky cliffs that jutted out into the sea.
When they reached shallow water, Maria stood up in the bow and shaded her eyes. In a strange combination both cacti and palm trees grew near the beach, and bright orange and blue bird-of-paradise flowers blossomed in proliferation. The whole place looked like a fantasy movie set, specially designed for a lovers' rendezvous. "What a beautiful spot, Joel! How in the world did you find it?"
“Talked to the right people," he said with a pleased grin. "Actually, I wanted an island, but there weren't any handy. Only a deserted beach, just for us. Nice, huh?" He lifted her out, then hauled the boat up on the beach.
"Joe, you're absolutely amazing." She helped him unload the boat, then they left their things in a pile on the blanket and began exploring the tiny protected cove. It was a half-mile crescent of pure white sand, bordered by rocky brown hills on one side and crystalline water on the other. Aside from the motor of an occasional fishing boat, the only sounds were seagulls.
"They say when the tide comes in, it sometimes brings loads of shells. And they get trapped here because of those cliffs." He took her hand as they walked, lacing their fingers firmly, not letting her get very far away from him.
She liked to feel the power of his muscular arm entwined with hers, as if he could give her some of his strength. Occasionally the back of her hand brushed his bare leg, triggering erotic thoughts of those strong, masculine legs rubbing hers, seeking what she had to give. "I'll bet this place is magnificent after a storm," she said.
"Or during."
"You are adventurous, aren't you?"
“It seems to be protected here." He swept his hand in an arc to encompass the surrounding cliffs.
"Well, I, for one, wouldn't like to try it out."
He laughed. "You wouldn't like to hide out with me?"
Speak to the Wind Page 10