“If I’m going to kiss you, I’m not going to worry about using your utensil.” He held the fork up, took the last bite, and gave her a wink before he carried the plates to the sink.
She wanted to offer to help wash them, but she thought she might look silly since there were so few dishes. When he finished cleaning up, he came and sat with her, and they talked for hours. He told her stories of living in Kenya, being raised by his grandma there after his parents had died. She told him about her job at the hospital, growing up in Dover, and details of her argument with Jenny.
Chapter 10
Dominic watched Sammie’s animated expression as she described the events on the ship and how’d she felt alone. The woman had led a safe life, and it had made her more than a little naive. But the way she told the story, it sounded as if maybe she had learned something about herself. He wondered if she knew how remarkable she was.
He was happy she’d asked Charles for help, except that now he would have to let her go. Every moment he waited for the phone to ring, hoping the service wouldn’t stay down for long. He knew Sammie was worried about missing her friend’s wedding.
“So, do you not like this Molly girl?” he asked her.
Sammie sighed. “I kind of don’t. But not because she isn’t nice. She is nice, and sweet and funny.”
“I see what is going on here. You are quite possessive of your best friend, aren’t you?”
Tears sprang to Sammie’s eyes. “I am,” she confessed.
“It’s good you are honest about it.” Dominic nodded, trying to hide his amusement.
“When you meet Jenny, don’t ever lie to her,” Sammie said. “She can’t stand liars, and I mean not even little lies most people don’t care about.”
“I don’t know when I’ll ever have the chance to meet her. I hope she’s half as pretty as you, then, because if she is ugly, it may be difficult to compliment her,” he teased.
Sammie burst into laughter. “Fortunately, she’s gorgeous. No worries there. And she’s just incredible...” She teared up again. “I just miss having her to myself. It’s selfish of me, I know. I don’t like to share. Does that make me the worst friend ever?”
Dominic scooted over and pulled Sammie close to him. She rested her head on his shoulder. He ran a hand up and down her arm in a soothing motion, kissed her hair and whispered sweet things to her in Creole.
Then she hiccupped, and he realized she was giggling. “What?” He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back so he could see her face. “I t’ought you were crying.”
“I know.” She laughed so hard, tears came to her eyes. “Oh, now my stomach hurts.”
“You are a crazy woman. What are you laughing about?”
Sammie took a deep breath. “I was just thinking about what you must think of me. I whisk in here begging for help and cause more chaos by asking you to rush me to the ship. Now I’m taking up space in your flat and I’m crying on your shoulder. I’m just a complete mess. Poor Jenny! Poor you! For the record, thank you. For everything.”
Dominic gazed at her. So beautiful. He loved her candid nature. She didn’t try to hide or pretend. He loved the way she fit under his arm, at his side. He could imagine seeing her face every morning, making her hash and eggs, and eating what she didn’t finish.
How could he possibly feel this way when he’d only known her for one day? He would never speak his thoughts to her. She would be gone soon. He hoped he wouldn’t miss her for too long. Maybe the attraction between them would fade away as quickly as it had come.
The giggling stopped suddenly as Sammie met his eyes. She studied him as if she were trying to read his thoughts. For a moment, he almost wondered if she could. When she brought her hand to his face, the simple touch sent a sizzle through him. She moved her hand to his hair and ran her fingers down his locks, then chose one and held it in her fingertips. The girl had no idea what kind of kindling she was adding to the flames.
He ran a hand up her back and into her mass of curls. Gripping it, he gently pulled her head back to expose her neck. He dropped one kiss at a time, following a necklace pattern, finding her pulse. Feeling rapid heartbeats against his lips, he hovered there.
“This is not good,” Sammie whispered.
Dominic could feel her breath on his cheek. “I should stop?” he asked as he pressed another kiss against her temple.
“Never.” She placed a hand on his chest, tugging on the front of his T-shirt.
The untamed thoughts that crossed Dominic’s mind could never be shared. He wished he could turn them off, turn down the heat, and suffocate the passion. This was a woman who could hurt him. If he finished what he’d started, would she regret it? Would he? But she was here now, waiting for him, expecting any second for his lips to cover hers, to taste her. He wanted nothing more than to...
The phone rang. Then rang again.
They were still in the same position, Sammie holding on to his shirt. “I have to answer,” he told her. “It might be the Port Authority.”
She closed her eyes and sighed, but she let him go. He stood and picked the phone up on the fifth ring. “Hello.” He turned his back to her, not wanting her to see his flushed cheeks and heated eyes. “One moment, please.”
Sammie stared at Dominic curiously as he handed her the phone. “Hello,” she said, not taking her eyes from him. “Yes, I understand.” She continued to listen and then said, “That’s fine.” Another pause. “Thank you for all your help.” She clicked the button to disconnect the call.
“What did they say?”
“They found the person with my wristband. She also had my ID, but none of my credit cards or cash. She’s being detained and will be handed over to the authorities at the next stop. Jenny’s husband, Owen, is arranging for me to be helicoptered to the ship. It’s the easiest way, since my passport is still onboard. Luckily, this cruise ship has a landing pad. I guess it helps when your bestie is going to marry a billionaire.”
“Quite an entrance you’ll be making,” he said with a soft smile.
“Leave it to me to add to the drama,” she said without a hint of humor.
“So, where and when do you meet the helicopter?”
“Sometime tonight. They’re making arrangements now and will call back. They’ll have to bring the ship to a stop so the helicopter can land. I’ve caused so much trouble!”
Dominic chuckled and shook his head. “Sammie, if anyone is worthy of a helicopter entrance on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean, it is you.”
“Come with me,” she said suddenly.
Dominic laughed but stopped when her face fell. “I’m sorry. I thought you were joking.”
“Oh, I was. I know you can’t leave your business.” She smiled at him, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
The phone rang again. “You answer first,” Sammie said as she handed him the receiver.
Dominic answered, spoke briefly, and gave the phone back. “It’s for you.”
After a short conversation, she ended the call. “Castries airport tomorrow morning at six a.m. They couldn’t pull it together before dark tonight.” Sammie gave him the receiver again. “Any chance I could stay one more night?”
“I don’t t’ink that will be a problem.” Dominic gave her a lopsided smile and walked the receiver over to the table. Placing it in the charging cradle, he said, “I have an idea.”
“What?” Sammie pushed herself up off the sofa, obviously curious.
“I’m going to show you around the island. I want you to have a good experience before you go.”
Sammie walked right up to him and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her and tried not to think about how well she fit in his arms.
“You are my good experience,” Sammie said, tilting her head up to look into his face. “I wish we had more time.”
Dominic placed a kiss on her forehead, then glanced at the clock. “Let’s add to it. We have today. We should have fun.” He put a hand on his chin, debating
what to show her first. “I’m going to make a quick call.”
He picked up the phone and dialed. He only spoke in Creole when the call went through. After he hung up, he turned to Sammie and said, “Let’s go.”
Chapter 11
For a welcome change, Dominic wasn’t driving crazy. In fact, he was on the quiet side, which gave Sammie too much time to think. She wished she knew exactly how he felt. It seemed like he didn’t want her to go, but on the other hand, he seemed reluctant to discuss the possibility of their seeing each other again. Pressing him would likely backfire. Maybe, like her, he was wondering what might have been had they met under different circumstances. Neither one of them could afford a long-distance relationship.
Sammie thought about the minutes before the phone had rung for the first time. The interruption had been for the best. Why complicate her departure with a physical involvement, even if it would be amazing? Or her feelings, for that matter. Besides, was it natural to feel this strongly about someone she barely knew? People spoke of love at first sight, but she’d never believed that was possible. However, lust at first sight certainly was. Perhaps it was only the drama of her experiences that had caused her to think Dominic might be “the one.” She needed to set her mind straight and face reality. But her unusually strong feelings were keeping her from taking advantage of a perfect opportunity with a mouth-watering man.
“It’s so beautiful here,” she said, setting aside her conflicting thoughts. “Everywhere you look is like a picture on a postcard. Do you think you ever take it for granted? It would be easy to do when you see this every day.”
“No, I love the beauty of my island. I work so much that I often feel as if I don’t get to enjoy it properly.”
Sammie rested her head against the seat. Then she turned toward Dominic. “What do you do in your spare time when you’re not driving stupid people around?”
“Hey!” he chided. “You’re not stupid.”
“That’s not what you thought when Charles brought me into the bar.”
Dominic glanced at her before returning his eyes to the road. “Do you want to know what my first thought was when you came in?”
“Yeah,” she said, just loudly enough to be heard above the traffic.
“I thought you were the most beautiful American girl I’d ever seen.”
Sammie grinned. She felt an urge to lean against his side while he drove, but she resisted, knowing it wasn’t safe.
Dominic reached over and grabbed her hand. “Do you want to know what I think now?”
“Of course I do.” Sammie smiled. “Tell me.”
“I think you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met. Inside and out.”
Sammie’s smile dimmed.
“Aw, now,” Dominic said. “Don’t go all quiet on me. I told you my first thoughts. Now tell me yours.” Sammie eyed him for a moment, and he watched her curiously. Finally, he said, “What in the world are you t’inking?”
“Well, I immediately thought you were hot, of course,” she said. “But when you spoke...” She fanned herself. “Whew!”
Dominic shot her a mischievous look. “I like your accent too,” he told her.
“I don’t have an accent,” she replied. “But then you started showing off in front of your friend and acting like a jerk, and I admit the attraction faded a bit.”
“I’m sorry for that,” Dominic told her. “It wasn’t nice.”
“Don’t apologize,” she said with a hint of humor. “You’ve more than made up for it.”
When Dominic parked, Sammie gazed around. “Are we going into the rainforest?”
“As long as you’re okay with it.”
“Of course I am.”
Over the next several hours, thanks to Dominic’s friend who ran a tourist guide business, Dominic and Sammie hiked, rode bikes through the forest, and even zip-lined through the trees. She liked how he took every opportunity to touch her in some way. He’d openly ogled her when she stepped out in her gift-shop swimsuit, and she did the same seeing him bare-chested in swim trunks. He looked like he’d stepped out of a catalog with those abs.
They swam in unrestricted areas and stood under a waterfall, holding each other close while the water cascaded around them. Sammie enjoyed every minute with Dominic. After all, when would they ever have this chance again? The next day, she’d be back in her cabin on the ship, and he’d be back at his bar.
Exhilarated and a little tired after all the fun, Sammie hopped into the car and checked the time. “What’s next?”
“Shopping,” Dominic said as he started up the engine.
“Shopping?” Sammie scrunched her nose up and then held on as he whisked them off to an area full of street vendors. After perusing several racks of clothing, he bought her a tropical print dress that flowed down to her ankles. In a nearby restroom, she changed into the dress and placed her shorts and top in the bag.
“It suits you, bél,” Dominic said as she stepped back out wearing the dress. He ran a finger across her bare shoulder, giving her goosebumps in spite of the blazing sun.
“What does that mean? You’ve called me that before.”
“It means beautiful. Like you.”
Sammie dipped her chin and peered up at Dominic from under her lashes. “Thank you.”
For the next hour, they walked and talked about everything under the sun. They stopped to listen to reggae street music on one block, danced to calypso on another, and visited a variety of shops.
At one point, a young boy with a Polaroid camera ran in front of them. “Say cheese!” the boy commanded. Sammie and Dominic smiled as requested.
“Take another,” Dominic told the boy, hugging Sammie to his side. She was looking up at him, grinning, when the second flash went off.
Dominic paid the boy for the photographs, and they sat at a nearby table waiting for them to develop.
“I want this one,” Dominic said, gazing at the second photograph. “I like the way you’re looking at me.”
That was fine with Sammie. In the first photograph, the boy had caught Dominic mid-laugh. She would keep that one.
Dominic checked his watch and announced, “I’m hungry. You?”
Sammie nodded. “Food sounds great. I worked up quite an appetite back there in the rainforest!”
“I know just the place,” Dominic said, then led her to a tiny island restaurant called The Coal Pot. “I t’ink you will like it here. Order whatever you want.”
“Do you know these owners too? Sammie asked.
“I don’t know everyone on the island.” Dominic laughed. “But I know many.”
“Let’s eat over there,” Sammie said, pointing to an empty table in front. A brightly colored umbrella rose from the center. Then she excused herself to use the restroom. “Be right back.”
“What do you want to drink?” he asked her.
“Just water,” she called back.
After washing her hands in the restroom sink, Sammie looked at herself in the mirror. She was a hot mess. Curls jutted out every which way, and she didn’t even have a tube of lip gloss. Still, she looked good. The sun in St. Lucia could cook a critter, but fortunately, she’d put sun screen on the day before. It had kept her from turning into a lobster.
Was it really just yesterday that she’d walked off the ship alone? And now, less than twenty-four hours later, her heart felt consumed in a way she’d never experienced before. She couldn’t make sense of anything. It would be ridiculous to think she could have fallen in...
Unable to even think the word, she shook her head. Insane, she thought. I’ve lost my mind. He’s simply the one who helped me through a crisis, and now I’m overreacting.
She wet her hands, then flipped her head upside down and scrunched her curls. Standing up again, she dabbed and squeezed them into place. Much better. She exited the restroom with extra bounce in her curls and in her step.
Chapter 12
The waitress set two glasses of water on the tabl
e.
“More time?” she asked. “Should I wait for your lady friend to return?”
“One order of scallops, please,” Dominic said. It seemed a safe bet that Sammie would enjoy the scallops, which were wrapped in bacon. Didn’t all Americans love bacon?
Dominic watched the waitress walk away, already anticipating sharing the scallops with Sammie when she returned from the restroom. He was about to take a sip of water when suddenly a hand covered his eyes and he heard his name.
“Guess who,” a woman’s sing-song voice said. Her other hand slid into the front of his T-shirt and stroked his chest.
Angrily, Dominic grabbed at the hand on his chest, but he couldn’t catch it firmly through the fabric of his shirt. “Natasha, stop now! You cannot do whatever you want!”
He gritted his teeth as he tried to push her away, but she moved too quickly. Taking his hand, she spun around as if they were dancing. A second twirl and she’d rounded his chair and now stood in front of him. Her breasts were bursting out of a strapless midriff top.
Still holding his hand, she curtsied in front of him. “What is it I could do for you to make you mine, Dominic? We belong together.”
Dominic stood up, furious. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but I am not having it. And, if you don’t mind, I’m with someone, so you can just move on to throw yourself at someone else.”
Ignoring him, Natasha reached out and stroked his cheek, and he batted her hand away.
Dominic drew back. “You are a crazy person, Natasha. Go away! Now!”
“I don’t like to be told no, Dominic. I’m willing to let you do whatever you can dream of to me.”
“My dreams do not include you, Natasha.” Dominic lowered his voice. She was embarrassing him, but he didn’t want to make an unnecessary scene. “You might have a beautiful exterior, but your inside is ugly.” Something flashed in her eyes, but he didn’t care. “As our youth fades, our bodies will reflect our choices now. You should make peace in your life. Now, go away. I am busy.”
As Natasha straightened up, Dominic caught a glimpse of a familiar dress and realized Sammie was standing nearby, watching them. The stunned look on her face spoke volumes about what she thought she had witnessed.
The Conflicted Maid of Honor (The Conflicted Love Series Book 2) Page 6