Return to Me

by Jill Sanders

  Her eyes slowly closed and a little of the tension left her body. Using some of the shampoo, he slicked her skin and rubbed some bubbles into her hair. When he moved her so that her hands braced against the glass wall in front of him, she didn’t object, so he ran his hands over every inch of her back. He enjoyed watching her head roll as she moaned. She held her breath every time his fingers would brush against a sensitive area.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered against her skin. “So powerful, here.” He ran a finger over her ribs. “And here.” He brushed a finger lower and dipped into her again. She spread her legs a little more, giving him full access to her. The warm water was a steady stream between his shoulder blades.

  When he slid into her, this time it was much slower. “Look,” he said when he finally was fully embedded in her. “The sun is coming up.” He smiled at the view in front of them.

  She gasped a little and he felt her tense. He knew she was thinking about how they were fully exposed and was starting to focus on where they were standing.

  “No, don’t.” He moved, stroking her from the inside and he couldn’t stop his smile when she sighed and arched for him.

  “It’s all so…” She shook her head.

  “Beautiful,” he finished for her and watched her nod her head.

  When their movement quickened, her fingers curled as her breath hitched. By the time they both came to completion, the sun was almost blinding them.

  Chapter Eleven

  “I’m going to kill you, you know,” she said as her head rested against the clear glass. He was going to die, and she was going to die from embarrassment. As soon as she could feel anything on her body again.

  He chuckled and turned them until they were both under the full spray of the shower. “Reflective glass.”

  “What?” She pushed her hair out of her eyes.

  He smiled down at her. “It’s like a one-way mirror. We can see out, but no one can see in. I read all about it on the little card over there.” He nodded to the counter. “We get to enjoy the full view of the ocean without anyone enjoying the full view of our moons.” He chuckled.

  She frowned. “How long have you known about this?”

  He chuckled. “Since yesterday.”

  She reached up and punched him on the arm. He smiled and rubbed the spot, then nodded. “You really need to hit the gym a few more times.”

  She smiled. “I’m just saving up my energy.” Then she sighed and rinsed the bubbles from her hair. “I feel like climbing a mountain today, fake or otherwise.”

  He smiled. “First, some breakfast.” He leaned down and kissed her lightly. “We’re set to dock in Coco Cay this morning. We’ll be there all day so I was thinking maybe we could hit the beach?”

  Her excitement and smile grew. “Would those be white sandy beaches with crystal clear waters?”

  He nodded. “Some of the best.” He smiled.

  After finishing up their shower, rather quickly, she rushed through pulling on a swimsuit, tying her hair up, and putting on a dash of makeup. She was ready almost before he was.

  “Excited?” he asked as they left their cabin.

  She nodded. “I can’t wait to sink my toes into the sand.” She sighed and tucked her arm through his.

  They ate breakfast in one of the main eateries in the pavilion area. By the time they were done, the ship had already docked. She supposed that a lot of people would choose to spend an entire day on shore, but there was still so much of the ship she wanted to explore. She wanted to try her hand at the rock wall, and enjoy some of the shops along the pavilion before they hit the beach. Not to mention that she still planned on enjoying the casino later that night.

  She glanced across the table and watched Sean finish off his second helping of eggs. Smiling, she leaned back and watched him.

  “What?” he asked, looking up at her.

  She shook her head. “You must have been hungry this morning.”

  His smile was quick. “Starved.”

  Her stomach fluttered as her smile wavered a little. She knew what he meant. She’d been starving for him as well, even after last night.

  “So, what are we going to conquer first?” He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. She watched the muscles flex under his shirt. Shaking her head clear, she smiled.

  “Shopping first, then rock climbing. Then, maybe we can try the pool with the slide before we hit the beach around lunch time.”

  He nodded. “Smart. A lot of people will be at the beach, so the line for the slide should be shorter.”

  “Smart is my middle name.” She giggled.

  He chuckled. “No, it’s not, it’s…”

  She put up her hands to stop him. “Don’t you dare.” She looked around and frowned as he chuckled. She cringed at her middle name, maybe because she knew that it was her father who had given it to her, or maybe because she just didn’t like the sound of it. Either way, she’d never really enjoyed it and Nick and Sean had always known it.

  “Still don’t like it, huh?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know what my parents were thinking when they named me.” She shook her head. “They gave Sara a perfectly good middle name, but me…” She closed her eyes and sighed.

  Over the next hour, they walked from shop to shop in the large pavilion that ran down the middle of the ship. The whole place was impressive and, at times, she forgot they were on a ship instead of in a huge mall. They stopped at a little cupcake place called Sweet Eats and shared a very large cupcake.

  By the time they made it outside and up to the higher deck to try a turn on the large rock-climbing wall, she was feeling a little nervous.

  “It’s easier than it looks,” Sean said from beside her. The guides were helping them into their harnesses and had already gone over all the rules.

  “Really? Have you been before?” She frowned a little.

  “Standard training, but I’ve climbed a few times for pleasure.” He rolled his shoulders and started stretching his arms.

  “Hmm,” she said under her breath. She’d seen it done on television a lot, and there were currently very small children making it look easy on a different part of the wall. Taking a deep breath, she stepped up and gripped the first wall hold. It was brightly colored, reminding her of the weights that had deceived her earlier that day. Maybe these were going to be harder as well? She’d assumed that they would be gummy feeling, since they reminded her of a bunch of Gummy Bears, but instead, they were solid. Not quite hard plastic, but…

  “Are you going to analyze it all day, or use it?” He was already a foot off the ground as he smiled down at her.

  She reached higher and took hold of the highest grip she could and then hoisted herself up. She concentrated on each move she made. It was like a puzzle or a maze. Which route should she take? Which one would be easier or more challenging?

  By the time she reached the top, she was a little winded and completely in love with the sport.

  “Can we do it again?” She smiled over at Sean. She hadn’t kept track of his climb and didn’t know how long he’d been at the top waiting for her.

  “Anytime you want. Have you looked at the view?” He nodded down.

  Her heart skipped a few times when she looked down, but then she noticed what was around them. The ship was parked along a single long cement dock that was literally feet away from the white sandy beaches, which were filled with people. She could see people parasailing and instantly knew what she wanted to do next.

  “Can we try that?” She nodded to the boat and riders.

  He smiled. “It was on my list to try today.”

  “You’ve never been?” she asked, glancing at him.

  He shook his head. “Not yet. How about we head out?”

  She nodded and then watched him kick off from the wall. He held onto the rope while they lowered him down.

  She felt her heart skip as she let go of the grips and felt herself flying outward. By the time
she hit the bottom, she desperately wanted to do it all over again.

  *******

  Sean felt his heart kick as they loaded them into the harness. Climbing rock walls was one thing, but trusting someone with a parachute was another. His eyes ran over every cable, every connection.

  “Relax,” Becca said beside him, and then she reached out her hand and took his. “This is going to be fun.”

  “Oh, I have no doubt about that, but…” he looked over at their guides and frowned a little. The two men, including the boat captain, were all around their age. The three guys had a hard time keeping their eyes off of Becca, especially since she’d decided to just wear her swimsuit during the ride. Sure, he was shirtless too, but it was different. A lot different.

  “What?” She leaned towards him as the men finished connecting them into the parasail.

  “They’re a little young to be trusted with this kind of stuff.” He nodded to the men.

  She giggled. “Is that what the military told you when they trusted you to do your job?”

  He frowned. “No, of course not.”

  “How many times to do you think they do this in a day?” she whispered. He shrugged his shoulders. “Relax. Besides, we’ll be over water the entire time.”

  He nodded. She was right. He didn’t know what had caused him to worry in the first place. Maybe it was when he saw the guy tighten Becca’s harness over her breasts and his hand had spent a little too much time there.

  Finally, they released the parasail and hoisted them up slowly. He relaxed and enjoyed his time with Becca, floating over the crystal clear water as they watched the people below them on the beach.

  “The ship still looks so big from here.” She nodded and he looked.

  “Look, is that our shower?” He chuckled when her eyes zeroed in, trying to find the glass. Then she glared at him.

  “You’ll pay for that.” She smiled.

  “I look forward to it.” He reached over and took her hand.

  “I never imagined it would be so beautiful.” She sighed and started kicking her feet just a little. “I should have done this years ago.”

  “This?” He looked around.

  “Well, not this. But I should have at least gotten out of Oregon. It would have been a good first step.” She sighed again.

  “I like Oregon. Don’t get me wrong. Traveling is nice and I’m enjoying myself more than I have in…well, ever.” He smiled. “But home is better than any cruise ship or hotel you could ever imagine.”

  “I don’t know.” She smiled over at him. “At this point I have a pretty good imagination going.”

  He felt heat spread through his body at her low voice. Damn, was she always going to do this to him?

  “I want to spend the next few hours lying in the sand, soaking up some sun or splashing in that warm water.” She sighed again.

  He smiled. “That sounds perfect. As long as you add a little lunch in there.” He felt his stomach growl a little.

  She laughed. “I don’t understand how you can eat all the time and still look as good as you do.”

  “If we keep working out like we did this morning, I’ll need to add another meal to my day.”

  She laughed. “Oh!” She gasped and pointed. “Look, dolphins.”

  He looked off and saw a pod of them swimming a few hundred feet off the shore. “I had a close encounter with a dolphin once during a dive.”

  “Oh?” She leaned back a little, looking like she was totally enjoying the little trip.

  “I’ll tell you about it later.” He smiled and kicked his feet with hers. When she just kept staring at him, he chuckled. “He swam up fast and close and for just a moment, I thought it was a shark.”

  “You didn’t hurt it did you?”

  He laughed. “No, but it took a while for my heart to start beating again.”

  She smiled and chuckled. “I wish we could stay up here all day.” She sighed as they started pulling them back down towards the boat.

  “We can do this again in Nassau.”

  She smiled. “If we have time. I have a whole other list of things I want to try there.” She glanced at him as they landed back on the boat and he got the feeling she was talking about more than adventure items on the beach.

  Chapter Twelve

  By the time they left the beach almost two hours later, they were both completely relaxed.

  They had played in the water until they were both a little pruned, then had napped in the sun until, finally, they were both a little too warm.

  “How about cleaning this sand and sunblock off first, then a quick rest before we get ready for dinner and the casino?” she asked and then yawned a little as they walked into their cabin.

  “I could lay down for a while.” He reached over and wrapped his arms around her. “Are you sure you want to shower?” He smiled before he kissed her.

  “Pretty sure. Especially now that I’ve seen that there is no way possible of seeing into those windows. They look completely blacked out from above.”

  He nodded and started walking towards the stairs.

  “But”—she stopped him as she stood on the bottom stair—“I was actually thinking about enjoying those jets in that large tub.”

  His hands went to her hips as he pulled her closer. “Now that’s a great idea.”

  His fingers skimmed under her sundress and tickled her skin.

  Resting her head on his shoulder, she wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so very thankful that you decided to come along.” She sighed.

  “Me too,” he said, holding onto her.

  She’d never made love or tried to in a jetted bathtub before. It wasn’t difficult, just a little awkward. They ended up giggling and laughing more than anything, until finally Sean had pulled her out, dried her off, and taken her to bed where they stayed for the next two hours.

  When she woke, she could see that the sun was just setting in the sky.

  “The ship left dock,” he mumbled next to her. At first, she thought she was dreaming, but then he pulled her close and kissed her neck. “It woke me too. The subtle shift in the ship. It’s just past five o’clock.”

  She nodded and relaxed back against him. “If I wasn’t hungry, I’d want to stay right where I am for the rest of the trip.”

  He ran his hands over her. “So, let’s order in and eat up here.”

  She shook her head. “I’m also very desperate to try my hand at blackjack.”

  “Okay, but we have plenty of time.” He turned her over and started kissing her until she felt her hunger pains turn into desire.

  After a quick shower, she pulled out her blue dress and decided to pile her hair up in a messy bun. She was just finishing up when Sean walked in.

  “Please tell me you have something on under this one.” His voice was almost a growl.

  She giggled and nodded. “I’ll be good tonight.” She turned to him and rested back on the countertop.

  He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. “Good. That doesn’t mean that I have to.” He dipped his head and kissed her until her breath was knocked from her lungs.

  When he pulled back, she gave him a shaky smile as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Does that mean you don’t have anything on underneath your suit?” He chuckled.

  They chose to eat in the main dining room.

  A large stage sat in the middle of the three-story room. Since they’d taken their time getting out the door, they were pretty late and the place was almost completely packed.

  “We can see if there is a seat up there?” He nodded to the second floor balcony.

  “That sounds wonderful.” Instantly, she perked up. She imagined it would be like watching an opera or play just like in the old movies.

  They found a spot near the middle and sat down just as a waiter delivered a couple menus and glasses of water.

  “The show starts in five minutes.” He smiled. “I’ll give you a minute to look over the menus.”


  “Oh.” She smiled and sighed. “Look at all the wonderful stuff on this one.” Her eyes scanned the pages. “You know, I’ve never had Alaskan king crab.”

  He looked at her in shock. “You haven’t? What’s wrong with you?” He shook his head as he smiled. “Then it’s settled. We’ll both try it for the first time tonight.”

  She giggled and nodded. “This calls for champagne too. I’ve tried a few of the cheap bottles Patty gets in the store, but…” She made a funny face.

  “Then it will be nothing but the best for tonight.” He smiled and set down his menu.

  The waiter came back and he ordered for the both of them. Just as the waiter left, the show started.

  They ate their large crab legs, dipping them in rich butter sauce, and sipped their expensive champagne as they watched a mixture of comedy, dance, and music. She’d enjoyed herself more tonight than she had last night and knew that the evening could only get better.

  By the time they walked out of the dinner hall, she was itching to head into the casino.

  “You’re about to jump out of your skin. Is it that exciting to lose money?” He chuckled as they stopped just outside the casino.

  “I don’t plan on losing any.” She smiled. “I’m a huge fan of the Poker channel. I watch it as often as I can.”

  He shook his head. “It’s your dime.” He took her hand. “I think I’ll stick to the penny slots, if they have any.”

  She laughed as they walked into the room and then gasped with joy as she looked around.

  The lights, the sounds, everything about this place was wonderful.

  “Looks just like Vegas,” Sean said and led her farther inside. “Where would you like to start?”

  She shook her head. “Maybe over there?” She pointed towards the tables.

  “You might want to start out a little slower,” he suggested.

  She shook her head again. “No, I want to jump in with both feet.” She tugged on his hand until he followed her to the table she wanted.

  “Blackjack, huh?” He stood next to her and watched along with her as a few hands were dealt.

  “Are you going to sit?” he asked after a few minutes. She nodded, feeling just a little nervous. She’d only ever played against her friends and her sister before. Never at a professional table.