Island Heat: Love Is Forever: The Templetons

by Rebecca Day

  She threw her arms behind his neck, and then it was her turn to pull him closer. Their mouths met, and her body began to move with his. Suddenly, it became imperative that they get their clothes off, even though they were only wearing their bathing suits. The same thought must have come to Wyatt, because he began to feverishly pull at the spandex of her suit.

  When they were free of the clothing, their bodies met, again. Janie parted her legs, and let him lie between them. The pressure of his manhood on her was heavenly, and she squirmed under him, encouraging him to move as well.

  Wyatt kissed her long and deep and held her in his arms while his weight continued to tease Janie. Impatient for him, she took his member in her hand and guided him to her. At the touch of her, Wyatt inhaled sharply.

  Then they were joined and it was all Janie could do not to float away. Their bodies moved together until they reached their fulfillment, but they stayed joined, and they remained joined through the night as they slept.

  Janie’s eyes opened to see Wyatt staring down at her. He leaned on one elbow, freeing the other hand to stroke her hair.

  “Good morning.”

  “Good morning,” she replied, covering her mouth with her hand.

  “What are you doing?”

  “My breath must be horrible.”

  Wyatt smiled and gently moved her hand away from her mouth. He kissed her deeply. I can get used to this every morning, Janie thought, moving in closer to the kiss. Their bodies came together naturally, strangers no longer. Wyatt’s leg wrapped around Janie’s, and he pulled her on top of him.

  The kiss was long and passionate and…minty fresh. Janie broke off the kiss and slapped him on his arm. “You brushed your teeth!”

  Wyatt smiled from ear to ear. “I had really bad breath.”

  Wyatt grabbed her close again and began to kiss her. Janie pulled back again.

  “That’s not fair. My breath must be awful, and worse because yours is so good.” Janie tried to lift herself off him, but he held her tight.

  “Where are you going,” he demanded.

  “I am trying to go to the bathroom to brush my teeth or at least get some mouthwash.”

  “No. No. Your breath is great. Trust me.”

  Janie struggled to get free of him. Since his hold was impossible to break, she wiggled her body in order to slip out from his embrace, but it only served to get Wyatt more aroused.

  “I like this,” teased Wyatt. “This is new. We should have tried some of this last night.”

  “Wyatt, please.”

  Wyatt broke the embrace. “Your wish is my command, my queen.”

  Janie walked naked to the bathroom.

  “This is good, too,” Wyatt said. Janie turned to see him lying back on the bed, his arms up, under his head. “Best view in the house.”

  Janie turned crimson. Ridiculous, she chastised herself. This isn’t the first time he’s seen me naked. But his blatant admiration for her nude body made Janie squirm with embarrassment, and she realized, made her feel like the most beautiful woman on the planet.

  She found some toothpaste. With her toothbrush in the other bathroom, she used her finger to do a basic brushing job. The mirror told a harrowing story. She looked indecently disheveled. If anyone saw her, it wouldn’t take them too much imagination to realize what she had been doing all night.

  “Woman, are you trying to kill me? Watching you brush your teeth is lethal. It should be illegal to tease a man like that.” Wyatt came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He nuzzled her neck.

  “Very funny.”

  “You think I’m joking? You drive me crazy.” His kisses on her neck were driving her crazy. Soon, she was swept away in the erotic haze that she was growing accustomed to when she was with Wyatt.

  Wyatt pulled away from her. “One second.”

  “Don’t go away.”

  “Just for a second. I want to turn on the shower.”

  While the water warmed up, Wyatt continued to nuzzle her neck, lightly pushing her hair away to find the other side.

  “C’mon. Let’s take our morning shower.” He took her hand and guided her into the shower. The hot water beat down on them, and for a long while, they stood under the spray in an embrace, his head resting on her shoulder, her head on his chest.

  Janie had never taken a shower or bath with a man before. No one had ever offered her the experience. So, she had nothing in her memory to compare this moment with, but she knew that she wished it would never end.

  “May I wash your hair?”

  Janie turned her back to him, and he lathered up the shampoo in his hands before running them through her hair. “I love your hair. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. The first time I saw you, I was blown away by your hair. Well, that and everything else about you.”

  “Ha! I don’t remember our first meeting like that. I remember you being a little impatient with me.”

  “Really? I remember seeing you and nearly swallowing my own tongue. You blew me away.” Wyatt turned her to let the water rinse her hair. He turned up her chin with a finger. “You’re the woman men write songs about.”

  It was Janie’s turn to nearly swallow her tongue. But then Wyatt was soaping the rest of her body, and Janie found herself shamelessly lifting her leg up around his hip, and soon they were making love again.

  Hair wet and half of her clothes bundled under her arm, Janie tiptoed out of Wyatt’s room, quietly closing the door behind her. It took a lot of convincing to get Wyatt to let her leave. Honestly, she didn’t want to go, either. But the day had to start, and it was unseemly that they had been in bed so long.

  Wyatt admitted to her that he had left before dawn to check on Cindy and to feed the dolphins. He was very happy to report that Cindy was doing great. He gave her another dose of antibiotics, and he was sure that she would be completely normal within a couple of days. It was a great relief to Janie. She had gotten so close to everyone in the short time she was there, even the dolphins.

  Janie let go of the doorknob, and it clicked into place. She turned to go to her room and was stopped by the sight of Sam staring at her in the hallway. Sam looked at Janie and then turned her attention to her father’s bedroom door and the bundle of clothes under Janie’s arm. A great smile grew on Sam’s face, and she inhaled as if building up to an excited scream.

  Janie waved her arms in panic to stop Sam from uttering a sound. She ran to Sam and quickly herded her into her room, closing the door.

  “You and Dad! You and Dad! I’m so happy!” Sam jumped up and down. She stopped only for a moment in order to hug Janie. “I knew it! I knew it the first moment I saw you. We’re going to be a happy family, just like I always wanted.”

  Janie grabbed Sam by her shoulders. She wanted more than anything to make Sam happy, but the sooner she let her know the real situation, the easier the disappointment would be for her.

  “Sam, your Dad and I. We’re not…well…I’m going back in a few days, and your father has made it clear to me more than once that he does not want a relationship with me.” Janie paused and regained her composure. It was hard for her, herself, to accept the reality. We may have dated a couple of times, but we are not serious.”

  Sam looked at Janie. She did not wear the expression of disappointment that Janie had expected. Instead, she looked completely dubious. “Janie, Dad has NEVER had a girlfriend before. Never. He loves you. I know it, and I’m going to make sure you guys stay together.”

  Janie took Sam’s hand. “Sam, this is beyond your control. There’s nothing you or I can do. Please don’t talk to your father about this. It would upset him.”

  “okay. Sure,” Sam promised almost too quickly.

  Janie hoped that Sam would keep her promise. It would be hard enough for her to leave in a couple of days. She didn’t want to upset the whole family before she had to go.

  Chapter 11

  Janie found an ancient waffle maker in the dark recesses of a bottom cabinet,
and she was teaching Sam how to make waffles. Miles, for some reason – perhaps because of the promise of homemade waffles – was staying home for breakfast. It was the first time in at least six months that Wyatt could recall his father-in-law eating breakfast at home.

  Wyatt poured himself a tall glass of orange juice and placed it on the table while he zapped some bacon in the microwave. While it was cooking, he turned to take a sip of juice and found Miles chugging it. Wyatt watched as Miles emptied the entire glass. “I know I’ll have to take an antacid, but it sure was good to drink orange juice again,” Miles said and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt.

  “That was my juice, old man.”

  “Silly of me to think that you would pour me a glass. Would you like me to move my old body, unbend my arthritic knees and struggle to the fridge to get you some more juice?”

  “Sorry I mentioned it.” Wyatt poured himself another glass. The microwave beeped, and he gingerly took two slices of bacon and put them on a plate in front of Miles. He kept the rest for himself, which he ate one by one while sitting on the kitchen counter.

  “Are you trying to kill me? I can’t eat bacon!”

  Wyatt practically roared in frustration. He hopped down from the counter and moved to retrieve the bacon from Miles. “Sorry. I thought I was being nice.”

  Miles shoved a slice of bacon in his mouth. “Just kidding. I love bacon,” he said with his mouth full.

  Wyatt pictured punching Miles in the face. The image was very satisfying, but he refrained from going through with it. As much as Miles was a royal pain, he would do anything for Wyatt and Sam, and he knew it. So, Wyatt put up with his antics.

  “Hey, Sam,” Miles called out between bites. “What have you got planned today? Anything special?”

  Sam poured syrup over some prepared waffles and handed them to Miles. “Well, I was thinking. Janie is leaving in a couple of days, and she hasn’t really gotten to do any tourist things.”

  “You know that’s true, Sam. I hadn’t thought of that,” Miles announced, loudly.

  “That’s okay, Sam. I’ve had a great time. I don’t need to do anything touristy.”

  “But it’s fun! We could go to Waikiki and buy some t-shirts and souvenirs and stuff. Dad would come too, of course.”

  Janie glanced over at Wyatt. She looked like she needed saving. “Sam, I think that’s a great idea, but we’re all very busy. I’m sure Janie will survive without an ‘I love Hawaii’ t-shirt.”

  “But it would be fun. We could walk around Waikiki and get some shaved ice.”

  The idea of shaved ice and a walk around Waikiki with millions of tourists was not attractive to Wyatt, and Janie looked doubtful, as well.

  “You know what, I think that sounds like a great idea,” said Miles.

  “What?” Miles was the last person that Wyatt thought would extol the virtues of a night of tourist activities. Normally, he hated tourists and was loud about his distaste for them. In fact, he hated people, in general.

  “You heard me. I think you guys deserve a night out on the town, and it sounds like a lot of fun. Sam, I could really go for one of those ‘I love Hawaii’ t-shirts. Do you think you could pick me up one when you’re out?”

  “Sure!”

  “Wait a minute,” Wyatt interrupted. “What do you mean you want a t-shirt? What do you mean, ‘it sounds like a lot of fun?’ You don’t like fun.”

  Sam gave Wyatt her best puppy dog look. “Dad, I’m not allowed to do anything I like since I got that concussion surfing with you. Wouldn’t you please go with me? I think it will be fun.”

  Wyatt couldn’t resist his daughter’s puppy dog look. He glanced over at Janie, who looked like she was ready to crack, too.

  “okay. We can go,” Wyatt said.

  Sam turned to Janie. “Is that okay with you?”

  “Of course, I should probably get some presents to bring back to people at work, anyway.”

  “Great. Let’s leave around six tonight.” Sam sat down and took a big bite of waffles. “Oh, these are yummy!”

  It wasn’t nearly as bad as Wyatt had thought. The crowds were not out of hand, and the excitement of people on vacation in paradise was infectious. Wyatt could feel himself getting lost in the simple joy of walking down the street with his daughter and the woman he was crazy about without a care in the world except the need to find cheap, tacky souvenirs.

  Sam wanted to be the conductor of the evening, and Wyatt and Janie allowed her to take the reins. She seemed to enjoy playing the tourist, and Wyatt wondered if she had secretly wanted to do this for a long time. Perhaps she used Janie as an excuse to spend a night in Waikiki. Wyatt made a mental note to spend more time with Sam, doing things she chose.

  It wasn’t a shock that she was tired of night-after-night at Keiko’s Café. If she wanted to do other touristy things, he would do it with her. After all, she was growing up, and soon she wouldn’t want to do anything with him. At least that’s what he always heard about teenagers. They hated to be with their parents. When Wyatt was a teenager, he had no time for anybody. He was already deep in his own studies about marine life and was counting the days until he could get away to college.

  Wyatt took a long look at his little girl. She walked arm in arm with Janie, her face upturned and discussing something in some secret girl language that was foreign to him but perfectly understandable to Janie. The sound of Sam’s flip-flops slapping her heels as she walked counterbalanced the chatter and the occasional giggle.

  Sam wore her usual uniform of shorts and a t-shirt, a tank top this time. He noticed that it was pink, another message to Wyatt that she was growing out of her tomboy stage. He didn’t know how he felt about that.

  “Look, a photo booth! Dad, I’ve never gone in one of those. Can we?”

  Wyatt took out his wallet. “Sure. Go ahead and get in.”

  Sam entered the booth behind a black curtain, but after a second, she peeked out. “Aren’t you guys coming in?”

  Janie caught Wyatt’s eyes with a questioning look. He hadn’t thought of them all in the booth, but he was willing to go along with it if Sam wanted to. Wyatt put his hand out, waving Janie in. “Ladies first,” he said.

  Inside the booth, the three hovered around a small stool. There was little room for the group of them. Sam sat in the center, and Janie and Wyatt stood over her, their faces smashed up against each other. A flash went off.

  “I guess this isn’t too bad,” Wyatt said. He carefully maneuvered his body so that he could hold Janie’s hand. Another flash went off.

  Janie turned to him. “It’s a good thing I brushed my teeth,” she whispered, her face up against his.

  “Not to mention the shower,” he whispered back. He longed to kiss her, but with Sam there, he managed to hold himself back.

  “Aren’t these pictures the best?” Sam held up the strip of photos. “I especially like this one,” she said, pointing to the photo of Janie and Wyatt looking into each other’s eyes and thinking about their morning.

  “What’s next?” Janie asked, deftly changing Sam’s focus.

  “How about a lei?”

  Sam picked out the tackiest and largest leis in the store, but since they were only $3.00 (because of age and ugliness), Wyatt didn’t protest.

  “Let’s show her how it’s done, Dad.” Sam placed a lei over Wyatt’s head, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “okay, Janie. Now, you do me.” Janie copied Sam’s technique. She placed the lei over her head and gave her a kiss. “Now you, Dad.”

  Wyatt gave Sam a hard look. It was starting to dawn on him what the evening was all about. He had the sneaking suspicion that his only daughter didn’t want to have quality time with her father. Instead, she was trying to manipulate him, and he didn’t appreciate it.

  Wyatt placed the lei over Janie’s head and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Sam looked ecstatic, but Wyatt was fuming. Janie looked uncomfortable, as well.

  “I think we deserve a drink on Waikiki B
each. I hear it’s very romantic.” Sam practically skipped in the direction of the luxury hotels on Waikiki Beach. Wyatt and Janie followed at a slower pace.

  “Sorry about this, Janie.”

  “It’s not your fault, Wyatt.”

  “She’s my daughter.”

  “And a great daughter, she is, too. I think we should just follow along and let her have her fun.”

  “If you say, so.” Wyatt didn’t think they had much of a choice, but he worried how the evening would end. Sam’s little matchmaking attempts were increasing in size and impact.

  Sam walked directly to The Love Nest bar at a five-star hotel directly on the beach. The bar was large and lit only with Tiki torches. Impossibly loud make-out music played in surround sound. An entire side of the bar was completely open to the beach, letting in the ocean breezes. Bamboo and rattan furniture covered the interior, making walking difficult. Scantily dressed young people roamed the bar, either in couples or as singles, looking to become couples. A few people had their mouths locked together, and they looked like they were getting a jumpstart on their night. Wyatt felt the urge to cover Sam’s eyes.

  As if reading his mind, she turned to him without breaking her stride through the bar. “We’re almost there.”

  “Oh?” Wyatt asked. “You come here often, young lady?”

  Sam ushered them out to the beach to a rather isolated table and chairs. “I think I heard Uncle Morgan talk about this place before.”

  “And he reserved a table for you?” Wyatt picked up the reserved sign from the table and waved it in front of Sam’s face. The color drained from her cheeks.

  “Gosh. I think I’m ready for a pina colada,” Janie said, taking her seat.

  “That sounds good,” Sam said, sitting. “I’ll have one, too.

  A waiter arrived before Wyatt could give Sam a piece of his mind. “A pina colada for the lady, a virgin pina colada for the other lady, and I’ll have a beer. Whatever is on tap.”