"Hey, Luke!" Bill shouted a greeting before turning to the bar, "He's one of us."
People clapped and Luke shook his head in embarrassment.
"Bill's soaking this up, isn't he?" she asked Savannah who rolled her eyes.
"Miss me?" Luke loomed over her chair, a question in his eyes despite the crooked grin.
"Terribly." She reached up and tugged on the hem of his shirt. She'd craved him since she'd woken up and he hadn't been next to her. "You've been missing all of the fun. Now kiss me and sit down."
He braced his hands on the back of her chair and leaned down to within a fraction of her lips. "I wasted an entire day sleeping, which means I missed out on spending time with you. That's not happening again, do you understand?"
"Yes, sir." She slipped her hands up his chest, desire snapping on at his territorial declaration. "Kiss me."
He kissed her as if he hadn't seen her in months, as if the he'd been starved for her taste. She clung to the front of his shirt, her body quaking in response, skin shivering with desire.
"I have plans for you," he confessed against her lips.
"Sounds sexy."
"I meant plans for tomorrow, but, sure, sex is on the agenda. Lots of it." He winked before claiming a chair next to her and looking at Savannah who stared at them. "Looks like you survived."
"Thanks for carrying me, Luke." Unexpected tears welled in her eyes before she focused on Bill who was bringing a tray of drinks to their table. "More stories to tell around the bonfire and all."
"Where've you been?" Bill asked after carefully placing the tray between them.
"Sleeping. I'm getting too old for near-death experiences." He grabbed a drink and leaned back in his chair. "I'm really confused about time now, though. It's all upside down for me. Sounds like I missed a lot."
"We're stars." Bill draped his arm behind Savannah's chair and kicked his legs out in front of him. Still unshaven, he looked like one of the men from the jungle village. "I bought six copies of the paper to take home. We're like legends."
Luke shifted, obviously uncomfortable being cast into the role as anyone's hero. "More stories are always a good thing. Hey, can you still go in a boat like that or are you supposed to take it easy?"
Savannah motioned to the bar at large. "I'm mobile."
"I made special plans for tomorrow, can you all meet us at the dock around ten?" He asked them all.
"What kind of plans?" she asked, frowning.
"It's a surprise." He winked, his smile contagious.
"I am not going back to Lamanai," Savannah said.
"We're not going inland. C'mon..." he looked at Bill, "are you up for a little adventure?"
"Adventure," she moaned.
"Oh, you're coming. You don't have a choice. I did it all for you." He grabbed her hand, smiling like a kid who'd accomplished a major coup.
"I'm in." Savannah looked at the others. "And so are they, right, guys? We're the amazing Lamanai Twelve."
"Technically, Lamanai Eight." Luke shrugged, smile still in place. "So you'll all be there? Bring snorkel gear, no diving, though, because Alyssa's not certified. Savannah can chill on the boat."
"I'll work on my tan. Sounds fun." Savannah perked up. "This will be good, whatever it is."
Luke snagged her hand, his predatory smile making her want to take him back to bed. "Dance with me, Aly?"
"A man who likes to dance...you're a dream come true." She couldn't wait to be back in his arms again, even if only on the dance floor.
She laughed against his shoulder when he held her close and kissed the top of her head. When she hadn't seen him all day, she'd thought...well, she'd thought the worst. Feeling silly for her doubts, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of his body pressing against hers in a slow dance to a reggae song.
"You look happy," he said against her hair. "I missed you when I couldn't find you."
She squeezed her eyes closed and held him tighter. She liked being missed more than she should. Tomorrow was New Year's Eve, after than she'd only have two more days with him before returning to Denver solo. That's thing with vacations...they always ended.
"I only came up here to find you. I'd like to get you alone or would that be rude?" He tilted her chin up to look at him. "I've shared you too much and we're running out of time. What do you say? Will you come back with me?"
"I'll come with you." An ache had entered her chest and she didn't want to analyze it.
Energy zapped between them like an electrical current.
"We're going to go," she told Savannah who looked at them with a strange look in her eyes. "Are you okay? Do you want us to give you a ride back to Ramon's?"
"I want a man to look at me the way he looks at you."
She glanced at Luke who stared at Savannah as if willing her to shut up. "Um, well, we'll see you tomorrow morning."
Savannah stared at Luke as if daring him to say something. "I know I'm right about what we talked about last night."
"I'll see you tomorrow, Savannah." Luke ripped his gaze from Savannah's and tugged on her hand. "Let's go."
Looking into his eyes, she saw conflicting emotions in the depth of those blue eyes. She didn't believe in love at first sight. Hell, when she'd come down here, she'd given up on the concept of love all together. But now, looking at him standing there with the ocean breeze tossing black hair into his eyes, a bruise the size of a golf ball on his cheek, and a hopeful smile on his mouth, she wasn't sure about anything anymore.
"I have something I want to show you back at the resort." He walked backward, pulling her with him toward the dock.
"I bet you do." She couldn't resist him.
In a sudden move, he yanked her against him. "Wasn't it supposed to rain all day?"
Hands still in his, she stood on her tiptoes and smiled against his mouth. "It did, stopped around four or so. I got on a massage on the beach, missed you."
He kissed her, eyes open in the moonlight. "I feel like I'm always missing out on the good stuff."
She had a feeling he wasn't talking about the day.
* * *
Chapter Ten
He enjoyed watching her lift her face to the wind and seeing her hair toss around her shoulders. She sat at the front of the water taxi, the hem of her white sundress flapping against her thigh.
Being Novocain for her broken heart suddenly didn't feel like enough.
"Maybe you had a concussion." She turned toward him, her eyes full of concern. "You slept for so long, you have a bruise on your face, maybe—"
"I don't have a concussion." He dropped his hand onto her leg. "I was out cold because I work too much and my family kept us on a steady schedule of activities while they were here. And then there was yesterday's brutal workout. I felt like I was about ninety years old when I first woke up. I needed sleep so I slept. Simple. Don't worry about me."
She turned back toward the sea and chewed her lower lip.
He leaned his elbow on the edge of the boat and looked at the houses mixed in with the resorts. He wondered what it would be like to have a second home here. He could see it, coming down here regularly, hanging out with Rosie and Dave the Gringo. It wouldn't be difficult rearranging his schedule so that he had a break every few months. Something about his lifestyle needed to change, he accepted that now more than he had a week ago. Too much work, too much conflict, too much negativity. He'd be an old grumpy bachelor before he knew what had happened to his life unless he made a radical change to his attitude.
He wrapped one of her wayward curls around his finger and smiled when she twisted her head to look at him.
Smiling, she slid onto his lap, put her hands on his shoulders, and kissed him slowly. Her tongue teased his lips open. He'd never tasted anything as sweet as her, doubted any other woman would ever compare to his Alyssa.
When the water taxi stopped in front of Ramon's, he paid the driver without looking away from her. If they only had days left, he planned on spending every hour wi
th her.
Hand-in-hand, they walked toward the resort, the dock boards creaking and the sound of the water slapping against the support beams beneath their feet.
Instead of going to her room, he steered her toward his. He lifted her off her feet and carried her through the door while kissing her neck.
Inside tropical flowers of bright pinks, yellows and reds had been thrown over the bed. In a hurry, he'd bought whatever he could find and tossed them around before catching the water taxi in search of her. Their scent overwhelmed the room. He laid her down on them.
"What did you do?" She pushed up on her elbows, eyes wide.
"Oh, there's more...wait until tomorrow. I made plans." He slid his hands beneath the hem of her dress.
"Why?" She looked shocked rather than happy.
He stopped his upward movement and met her gaze. "Do I need a reason? I thought you'd like it."
She grabbed his face, a look of awe in her eyes. "No one has ever given me flowers before, let alone done this. I don't know what to say."
"Say thank you." He kissed her. Later he'd think about her jerk of fiancé never giving her flowers, but for now he wanted her clothes off.
"Thank you."
"See how easy that was?" He pushed her dress up, his eyes feasting on her body and noticing the bruises from yesterday marring her skin.
"You make me happy," she whispered.
Satisfaction swelled his heart. Making her happy made him feel heroic, much more than anything he'd done yesterday.
She scooted further back onto the bed and removed her bra with a flourish that made him laugh. A wicked smile full of promise on her face, she grabbed one of the flowers and rubbed the petals between her breasts.
With her watching, he took his time removing his clothes. Shirt. Shorts. Briefs.
"I've never had a man do a strip tease for me. This night gets better and better."
"Do you trust me?" He kissed the inside of her ankle before crawling up her body like a predator about to devour his prey.
"More than I probably should," she admitted.
He grabbed a bottle of tequila from where he'd stashed it beneath the pillow and held it up to view once he'd reached her face. "I believe I owe you a tequila bath."
He kissed her slowly, savoring every nuance of her lips moving against his and absorbing the intoxicating scent of the flowers surrounding them. Her fingers skimmed over his face before moving down his back with a featherlike caress that created goose bumps on his skin.
He slid down to her breasts, poured tequila between them and licked from her abdomen up to each nipple until she squirmed beneath him. While his mouth savored her breasts, his hands pushed her panties down her legs.
He trickled tequila over her abdomen before pouring some between her thighs. He looked at her watching him and handed her the bottle. Bending his head, he lapped up the liquor, licked, sucked, and moved his fingers in and out of her until her hips bucked with urgency. He spread her legs further apart and used his tongue to bring her to climax.
"I need you, Luke." She tugged at his hair.
He licked the inside of her thighs, his hands moving over every inch of her as if worshiping a Goddess, before lifting to her face and kissing her breathless.
In an abrupt movement, she rolled them over and took command. Tequila in her hand she did to him what he'd done to her. She licked her way down his body. Her hand moved over his erection. She looked up at him, made eye contact, and flicked her tongue over the tip.
He couldn't take anymore. He rolled her onto her stomach and bit her shoulder.
He held her hips with both hands and thrust into her until she screamed with ecstasy. He wanted to go as deep as possible, claim her as his so she'd feel him long after they parted ways. He wanted her to think of him always. When he finally came, he lost himself in rolling pleasure.
He fell on top of her and heard her laughing against the flowers.
"You've ruined me for anyone else, you know that, don't you?"
"That's my plan," he gasped against the back of her shoulder.
He moved to her side and shoved hair from her eyes.
"What else do you have planned for me?" She caressed his lips with her thumb.
"You'll need to wait and see." He kissed her because that's all he ever wanted to do. Kiss her, make love with her, laugh with her, explore with her...only with her.
He hated that they'd never see each other again. He knew goodbye was inevitable. He could barely sustain a local relationship so there'd never be any hope for a long distance one. But for now...he could kiss her whenever he wanted to and he intended to do so every minute they had left.
* * *
Chapter Eleven
New Year's Eve Day, a.k.a. D-Day, the day she'd been thinking about for months. Now here it was and she couldn't be happier.
Reggie stood on the dock, his speedboat tied up and his son lounging at the stern.
"What did you set up?" she asked Luke who'd told her that she only needed a swimsuit, sarong and sunglasses for the day.
"You'll need to wait and see, just like everyone else." Dimples and sexy smile, they got her every time.
The Dallas group had already boarded the boat. Savannah sat between them all with her crutches at her side and a smile on her face. She waved to them.
"I can't believe I'm getting on this boat again," she said to the group at large, remembering how grateful she'd been to leave it.
"Clear skies, no worries." Reggie smiled before motioning to Bobby to untie the boat.
"Where are we going?" Bill leaned forward, anticipation and excitement in his smile.
"For the last day of this year, I thought this would be the perfect group to..." Luke paused for dramatic effect and scanned them all until Alyssa wanted to punch him, "swim with nurse sharks and have lunch on a private island."
The Dallas group applauded while she got hung up on the word 'sharks.'
"I called Reggie last night and he said he'd be happy to set this all up for us." He squeezed the captain's arm before sitting next to her, looking far too satisfied with himself.
"I'm not swimming with any sharks. I'll hang out with Savannah on the boat," she said.
"Nurse sharks are harmless. I'm sure their nastier cousins won't show up, although that would be kind of exciting." He slipped his sunglasses over his eyes.
"Nastier cousins, huh?" She couldn't stop the smile. The man knew how to say all the wrong things at the exact wrong moment.
He stretched his arms out along the railing, sighed, and lifted his face toward the sun.
When the powerful engines roared to life, she had a moment of anxiety. She met Savannah's gaze through the sunglasses and smiled. The entire group shared glances, obviously all thinking the same thing: they were all lucky.
"It's good to get back out on the water," Bill said with a nod.
She twisted on the seat, her back against Luke's side, and looked toward the calm sea. Amazing how it had been a nightmarish beast the other day and now looked as calm as glass. Full circle, she supposed.
She leaned her chin on her closed fist, closed her eyes, and inhaled the rich salt air. This was the perfect way to end the year and kick off the next.
She'd catapulted out of her comfort zone. In fact, she was so far out of it she had no idea what it even meant anymore.
Luke had turned, his hand resting on her thigh, his chin on her shoulder looking toward the horizon with her.
She knew he'd done all of this for her, to make this day so special she'd have no time to feel badly about the wedding happening back home. She tilted her head backward and kissed him. As far as she was concerned, she was in a far, far better place with the best man.
When Reggie stopped the boat, everyone stood and started pulling out snorkel gear. Savannah had gotten to her knees and looked over the edge, a look of regret on her face about being forced to stay dry.
"You don't have to get off the boat if you don't want to," Luke whis
pered against her ear, "but, if you do, know that I'll be by your side all the way."
She glanced at him, wishing they could stay here forever.
"Swimming with sharks isn't on my bucket list."
"Nurse sharks. Harmless." He handed her snorkel gear and shrugged. "You've been sleeping with a shark for four days now and you're still in one piece."
"Funny." She rolled her eyes and watched him walk toward the Dallas boys who were gathered around Bobby at the stern.
Surprisingly, Reggie ripped off his shirt and grabbed a set of fins. He grinned at her as she approached.
"I never got a chance to thank you for—"
"I've lived on the sea my entire life. She can get fierce but never malicious. I never doubted that we'd be okay. Sometimes you just gotta trust, know what I mean?" He winked and nodded toward the water. "Bobby's got some squid to lure the girls to us. Gotta live your life, lady. It's all good."
She bit her lip and watched the men go overboard one by one. When she looked over her shoulder, she saw Savannah leaning so far over the railing that it was a miracle she didn't fall.
She touched the beads of the bracelet Luke had given her when she'd first arrived, which seemed like a lifetime ago.
Inhaling a deep breath, she dropped the sarong into her bag, picked up the snorkel gear, and walked to the stern where a ladder had been dropped into the water. As promised, a dark shark shape slithered beneath the boat in the crystal clear Caribbean Sea. One, then another, they appeared.
Heart in her throat, she sat on the edge and put the swim fins on her feet. She couldn't breathe. Fear of the unknown and all that could go wrong—including the nurse sharks' nastier cousins—raced through her thoughts. Another shark shape shimmied into view.
Luke swam to her left, his snorkel out of his mouth and his mask pushed to the top of his head. "Are you coming in?"
She met his gaze through her own mask, terrified of taking the leap.
"Oh, for God's sake, go." Savannah pushed her from behind.
Free falling into the water felt like a death sentence. Immersed, she kicked to the surface.