Return to Me

by Jill Sanders

  “Do you like that?” he asked, and she could hear the humor in his voice.

  Nodding her head, she bit back a plea as he brushed his fingers over her again.

  “Tell me, Becca. Tell me what you want. Anything. I’ll do anything you ask.”

  She moaned as his hands rubbed over her skin, heating her from the inside.

  “Touch me, Sean.” She sighed when he did. “Push your fingers into me.” Her voice hitched when he moved quickly to obey her. “Now, move.” Her hips pumped, showing him what she wanted.

  “Anything,” he whispered next to her ear.

  “Kiss me.” Her body moved with his as his mouth trailed down her back, her sides. “Lower. I want your mouth on me.” She sighed when he finally reached her goal.

  “Open for me darling,” he said against her skin. “Spread your legs wider.” He nudged her knees.

  She bit the comforter when his tongue rested on her lips and then dipped inside her for a taste.

  One of his hands was pressed against her lower back, keeping her glued to the bed as he pleasured her, doing everything she asked.

  Then, when she felt herself building quickly, he gently flipped her onto her back and continued using his mouth and hands to bring her to her breaking point.

  Only when she cried out his name did he come to her. She wrapped her legs around his hips as he slid slowly into her heat. She held on as he took his own pleasure, letting her build up faster and faster until she felt herself tense, just before he growled her name in her ear.

  *******

  That was it for Sean. It was all over. At that exact moment, he knew he was in love with Becca. Hell, he’d probably fallen in love the second he’d seen her crying in his clubhouse outside his childhood home.

  But his mind hadn’t caught up with his body until just that instant. Not that his mind had been in control a moment ago, but at that second he just knew.

  Like she’d said, once you know what you want for your future, you’ll just know. Well, he knew. He wanted Becca. No questions asked.

  He could hear her breathing slowly next to him and knew that she was asleep. With a busy day in the water planned for tomorrow, he knew he needed his own rest, but his mind refused to shut down. Not with the new enlightenment screaming in his mind.

  So many questions ran through his head. How could he get Becca to feel the same way about him? Did she already? Would she?

  He ran the same questions through his head for half an hour, and then he finally drifted off as he held the woman he loved.

  The next morning, they were right on time getting to the docks. They were loaded down with the scuba equipment they’d rented. Stan and Ronny helped him load it onto the boat. There were three crew members, but they were busy loading the other equipment that they would need for the day.

  Becca and Barbara chatted as they pulled away from the dock, so Sean talked to the men about fishing and scuba diving. Stan told him that Ronny had been certified when he was eleven.

  “We used to live in California before I retired.” Stan shook his head. “Couldn’t get out of the Valley fast enough. Course, Ronny here took the move the hardest.” He nodded to his son who was busy checking out the chest full of fish bait. “Well, up until he met a girl earlier this year.” He whispered and smiled. “Now of course he doesn’t want to even go on vacation with his folks without being attached to his phone.”

  Sean smiled. “I was wondering why he wasn’t glued to a phone or game yesterday.”

  Stan laughed. “We took it away the first night. Actually, we put all our phones away for the entire trip.” He nodded to the camera around Barbara’s neck. “We all agreed that we’d take the pictures on that and upload them each night. But the day and our time is for seeing the world, not a small screen, chatting with people we can talk to when we get home.”

  Sean nodded. “It takes guts for a kid his age to give up anything electronic.”

  Stan smiled. “Yeah, he’s a good kid, if not a little wild every now and then.” He sighed. “He’s been having a hard time at the new school. His grades are suffering and he’s been reprimanded for fighting. Twice.” He shook his head. “It took a lot of smooth talking to convince the school not to kick him out.”

  Sean looked over at the kid and thought back to the few fights he’d gotten into when he was his age.

  “Teenage hormones,” Sean said and patted Stan on the back. “It’ll all settle down sooner or later.”

  “Well, we hope so.” Then he smiled. “Looks like we’ve reached our destination.” He nodded and saw that there were already other boats with scuba divers preparing to dive in. “Let’s get ready, shall we?”

  They had brought extra tanks along, so they all decided the first trip would be their shortest, staying down for only twenty minutes. He glanced at his diving watch and looked over at Becca, who looked a little nervous.

  “You got this?” he asked, reaching out for her hand.

  She nodded. “Piece of cake.” She smiled, but he could still see the worry that she tried to mask.

  “I’ll be right there the entire time.” He smiled and squeezed her hand. “Ready?”

  She nodded and he watched her flip off the side of the boat and into the water like a pro.

  He followed her and when he hit the water, instinct kicked in. Diving was like breathing to him. He knew everything there was to know about it. He loved it. He lived for it. And, for the second time in the last twenty-four hours, he knew what he wanted to do with his future. He hadn’t thought that teaching would be his lot in life, but teaching something he loved, just fit.

  He followed her as she moved downward, heading to a larger crop of coral that the guides had talked to them about.

  Her camera was out and flashing as she spotted a school of fish. He pointed out a green eel poking its head out near the bottom, and she moved a little closer to snap a shot.

  He kept his eye on his watch and when it was time, signaled for her to head towards the surface. When they broke the water, he had to admit, he was impressed with her skill.

  They loaded in the boat and she started to remove her gear, smiling at him the entire time.

  “Did you see the striped fish and the yellow ones?”

  “Banded butterfly fish are the striped ones. The yellow ones are reef butterfly. Beautiful, weren’t they?”

  She nodded. “I hope my pictures come out alright.”

  He smiled. “They should; the flash was bright enough.” He chuckled. “Did you feel okay in the water?”

  She sighed and smiled. “Like a fish.” She turned to him. “You looked pretty comfortable yourself.” He smiled as he watched the Hammond family climb back aboard. “Yeah.” He shook his head and felt a sting behind his eyes. “It’s what I’m made to do.” He took her hand. “I think I’ve decided what I want in life.” He tugged on her hand and wished more than anything that they were alone.

  “Have you see Ronny?” Barbara asked them as she looked around. “We gave him the signal to come up, but well, I guess we beat him back to the surface.” She frowned as she glanced over the side of the boat.

  “He still has air left; maybe he’s just taking his time,” Stan said, sitting down and removing his own tank.

  “Stan, please. Could you just…” Barbara nodded towards the back of the boat.

  “I’ll go.” Sean stood up and grabbed a fresh tank. He made his way towards the back of the boat.

  “We were over by the big arch in the coral. He had spotted some crabs he wanted to look at,” Barbara said, biting her bottom lip.

  “Don’t worry; I’m sure I’ll run into him on the way up.” He smiled and checked his mask and his tank before flipping back into the water.

  He thought for sure he’d meet the kid on the way up, but he made it to the bottom and started heading towards the coral area without seeing him. When he got there, he looked around and still no kid. He looked everywhere. Not until he knew the kid would be close to maxing out his
oxygen did he finally spot him snapping pictures of an octopus. Just as he got to Ronny’s side, the thing let out a big plume of ink in the kid’s direction. He chuckled a little as the kid started whaling his arms around, trying to get the ink to clear.

  Wrapping his hand around the kid’s skinny arm, Sean pointed upward and then at his watch. Ronny nodded that he’d follow, but Sean made sure to keep his hand locked around the kid’s arm as they started to make their way upwards.

  They were almost a quarter of the way up when Ronny started tugging on him quickly. He looked over and the kid started giving him the sign that he’d run out of oxygen. Taking a breath, he handed him his regulator just as a big burst of hot water rushed between them. The kid went one way, Sean was pushed another. The only thing holding them together was his hand locked around the kid’s skinny arm.

  Sean’s lungs screamed for a breath since it had just been knocked out of him. But he held still and was thankful when the world righted itself that Ronny had gotten the regulator into his mouth and had been sucking on air during the whole ordeal.

  He smiled at the kid and gave him a thumbs up sign. The kid nodded his head. They swam upward for a while, sharing the oxygen as they went. He knew they would be coming up far from the boat, but a little swim above water couldn’t hurt.

  They were almost halfway up to the surface when Ronny tried to hand the regulator back to him and another wave hit Sean full force in the chest. This time panic set it as they were pushed apart more quickly. He watched, almost in slow motion, as Ronny let go of the regulator. He watched in horror as the kid was pushed away from him so quickly, he didn’t have time to react.

  Sean swam with all his might, fighting against the strong currents as they threatened to pull them even farther apart. He knew that any distance, even the smallest could easily mean death for the kid. Using every muscle he had in his legs, he kicked as hard and fast as he could until he was inches from the kid’s ankle.

  When his fingers wrapped around Ronny’s skinny bones, he gripped it as tightly as he could. The kid wasn’t kicking and Sean could tell that he’d lost consciousness. Just then, Sean felt another wave of hot water pushing him again from behind. This time, however, there was nothing that could cause him to loosen his grip on the kid.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Becca sat with Barbara and tried to calm the mother down by telling her how good Sean was at his job. She asked her questions about Ronny and where they were from, but when her husband signaled that Ronny would soon be out of oxygen, even Becca began to panic, and the women gripped each other as the captain made the calls for help.

  Stan grabbed a fresh tank and, along with two of the crew men, jumped in the water and started the search.

  Minutes seemed like hours, hours seemed like years as they sat on the boat waiting. The time came and went quickly for Sean’s tank to run out of oxygen.

  Even though it was in the high nineties, Becca couldn’t stop her body from shaking. Blankets were wrapped around her as she was asked question after question by the Coast Guard, who had arrived less than ten minutes after being called.

  She, Barbara, and Stan were shuffled onto another larger boat and taken back to shore. She had objected but hadn’t been able to put them off

  Somehow, night had set in without her noticing. She didn’t even remember the sun moving. She was handed food and water and alongside the Hammonds, she ate.

  She was walked up to her room and was asked to stay put, in case word came. She nodded to the female officer and shut the door behind her.

  She collapsed against the door as complete and utter terror shook every bone in her body. She didn’t know how long she lay there, but she finally got up when the ringing of her phone jolted her to awareness. She rushed over, hoping that it was good news.

  “Hello?” Her voice sounded hollow.

  “Becca!” Her sister’s voice sounded desperate. “Are you alright?” She nodded feeling a little deflated. “Answer me!” Sara almost screamed it.

  “Yyy…yes.” She closed her eyes, but when an image of Sean’s face popped up in her mind, she opened them again on a wave of pain.

  “We received a call from the Coast Guard. Sean’s parents are here; they want to talk to you.” When she didn’t answer, Sara continued. “Becca, are you up for this?” It was a whisper.

  She shook her head, no, but said yes.

  “Becca? Are you okay?” Lori Farrow’s voice was laced with concern.

  “Yyy…yes. I’m fine. I wasn’t in the water with them. I was already on the boat.”

  “Oh, thank god! Honey, don’t worry. Charles and I are on the next flight down there. Just hang in until we get there. Can you do that, sweetie?”

  She nodded her head as more tears escaped her eyes. Then she realized they wouldn’t be able to see her answer. “Yes.” It came out as a whisper.

  “Good, now, here’s Charles. He needs some information from you.”

  She nodded again. “Yes.”

  “Hiya there, champ.” Sean’s father’s voice sounded like he was forcing it. “Um, we have your itinerary for the trip, but I just wanted to make sure you were still at the Lux.”

  She nodded and then answered, “Yes, room 404.”

  “Great. We should be there by eight. Becca, make sure to eat something and get some rest. I plan on joining the search and hope that you’d slap on a suit and do the same. The more eyes, the better.”

  She straightened up. Why hadn’t she gone back in the water to help? Her heart started racing. She could have found him.

  “Becca?” Her sister’s voice broke through the string of self-scolding. “Don’t do anything stupid. You’re in no shape to go anywhere right now. Just wait for the Farrows to get there.”

  Becca looked down at her hands and realized they were shaking so badly that she wasn’t even able to hold the phone steady.

  “I…I won’t. I’ll stay put for tonight.”

  “Good, I wish I could—”

  “Don’t. You stay there and keep my nephew or niece safe. But I could use your husband.”

  “He’s booked on the same flight as Sean’s folks are.”

  Becca nodded. “I’m going now.” She closed her eyes and just wanted to curl up on the bed.

  “Okay, get some rest. Don’t worry. We’ll find him. I love you, sister.”

  She nodded and disconnected the line. Then she walked over and, since she was still shaking with cold, turned on the hot water and stripped naked. When she stepped under the spray, even the almost boiling water did little to heat her.

  *******

  She must have slept. When the pounding at her door woke her, she wrapped a robe around herself and opened the door to three very worried faces.

  Allen stepped in first and wrapped her in his arms. “Are you okay?” He ran his hands down her hair.

  She’d thought she’d cried all she could last night, but more tears easily came. Her knees must have buckled because the next thing she knew, Allen was carrying her to a chair, where he sat down and held her close as she cried into his shoulder.

  “I’ve ordered us some breakfast.” Lori’s voice broke in her thoughts.

  When she glanced up through puffy, red eyes, she noticed Sean’s folks were sitting across from them on the sofa. They both looked like she felt. Their eyes were red and Lori was wiping a tear away from her face with a tissue.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, using the robe to wipe away her tears. “I…” She stood up from Allen’s lap.

  “You don’t have to apologize,” Charles broke in. “Go ahead and get it all out.” He smiled.

  Lori walked over and took her in her arms and hugged her.

  “I’m going to head down and see about joining the search party this morning.” Allen hugged her again. “You’re staying put today.” He gave her a stern look. “Got it?”

  She nodded, knowing she wouldn’t be any help in the state she was in.

  “We’ll come down to the docks after
we clean up.” Lori patted Allen on the cheek and Becca could see a tear in her eye. “Go. Help find my boy.”

  He nodded, turned, and then walked out. A few minutes later, a large tray of food was delivered.

  “Here we are now.” Lori walked over and motioned for the woman to set the tray down between them in the sitting area. “Let’s get some hot food in us and then you can shower and we’ll head down stairs.” She wiped her eyes and blew her nose, then smiled over at Becca.

  Becca nodded. But when she lifted the cover, nothing smelled or looked good. Actually, her stomach did a little roll and before she could blink, she was racing to the bathroom and getting sick.

  “Here now, it’s okay. It’s just the shock,” Lori said, patting her back gently as she hunched over the toilet.

  She nodded her head as the woman handed her a cool washcloth.

  “Maybe a nice shower first, then you can try to eat something.”

  Becca nodded her head again and closed her eyes as she listened to Sean’s mother start her shower. “I’ll leave you to it. I’ll be right outside.” Lori smiled down at her.

  The shower helped a little. It washed away the salty tears and caused her head to clear a little more. When she stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in her robe, she quickly grabbed her bag and went to dress for the day. She pulled her hair up and brushed her teeth.

  When she stepped out of the bathroom again, she felt like she might be able to eat some of the eggs and toast that had been delivered before.

  “There now. How are you feeling?” Lori asked. Becca could see that the woman had been crying again, but was trying to put up a front for her sake.

  “I’m fine.” She walked over and gave the woman a light hug. When she started to pull away, the woman just held onto her as she felt her body shake with tears.

  “I’m sorry; I guess it’s my turn to lose it.” She looked over at her as she finally pulled away.

  Becca nodded. “It’s okay. It’s a good thing the men aren’t here to witness it.” She smiled a little, but felt completely hollow inside.

  Lori nodded. “Eat something, and then we can head down and see what’s going on.”