by Amy Sumida
His tongue took the opportunity to invade her mouth. Searching and stroking, he acquainted himself with every crevice. He sucked gently on her tongue causing her to moan and grind her barely covered pelvis into his. Need more. He pulled his mouth off hers and trailed his lips down her neck as he hitched her higher, trying to relieve the mounting tension. His lips hit the hollow on her neck.
She threw her head back as her eyes drifted closed.
Chad’s lips continued their sensual dance over her skin towards the hollow below her ear. His lips grazed over her pulse. He felt the rapid flutter of her heartbeat. The speed of it overrode the need playing havoc with his body and his brain jumped into professional mode. His ears picked up the quick pants coming from her chest, dousing the fire in his veins. Fuck. What am I doing? He slowly finished his kiss with a couple small closed mouth kisses travelling the distance to her lips.
Aria opened desire darkened eyes to meet Chad’s. “Wow.”
“I agree. Wow.” Chad slowly lowered Aria back to the ground after she dropped her legs from around his waist. “How are you feeling?” Her chest still heaved against his.
“Like I just visited heaven.” Aria tilted her back to look him in the eye, lust still swirling in hers.
Chad smiled and bent down to kiss her nose. “I agree.” He let go of her waist and took her hand, leading her back to her room.
Chapter Thirteen
— Jason —
Jason felt Aria stir within his arms. Sometime during the night, she crawled into bed with him. Sleep evaded him. He tossed and turned throughout the early portion of the night, but then she arrived. Her body nestling into his relaxed him, her lavender and vanilla body wash soothing his mind. All served to allow him the best night of sleep in years. He lifted his hand from her waist and stroked her hair. “Shh, love. Relax and go back to sleep. It’s early yet.”
Aria snuggled in, reaching up blindly for the hand stroking her hair and bringing it down to her mouth. She slowly kissed each one of his fingers.
His leg hooked over hers drawing her closer. He could feel her grin beneath his fingers.
She opened her eyes slowly. Tilting her head, she glanced at the clock. “Sorry, Jason, but I need to get back.”
“Just a few more minutes,” he whispered into the back of her head before his lips met her head. “Please.”
“Okay.” She rolled onto her back and turned her head. Her lips met his in a sweet sleepy kiss as his hands trailed down her ribs.
He tilted his head to lean against her forehead. “So, a boat trip without us, huh? Please be careful, love.”
A small smile crossed Aria’s face. “I will be careful, I promise.”
“No snorkeling without me, promise?” Concern bled through his voice. When her nose furrowed, he explained, “I don’t know the training the leaders have. I don’t know their safety procedures or even what equipment they have on board. I’ve heard some bad things have happened when people have required medical assistance.”
— Aria —
Aria tilted her head back staring into his emerald eyes. The concern and worry they contained constricted her heart. She noticed a little fear as well and wondered what it was about. “I promise.” She reached up to give him another kiss. “Now, I really need to go.” She slid the covers down and climbed out of bed. She looked over to the second bed and found two pairs of sleepy eyes on her.
“Darling, are you girls eating in the restaurant?” Doug held out a hand to her.
She took his hand and walked to the side of the bed. “I’m not sure. It depends on how fast we can get ready.”
Doug gently tugged on her hand, bringing her closer. As soon as her knees hit the side of the bed, he gave a quick tug pulling her onto the bed and depositing her between himself and Chad.
Aria gasped as the guys chuckled. She stuck out her lower lip and pouted.
“What? We wanted a good morning kiss, too.” Doug hovered over the side of her before dropping his face to snag her lips in a quick kiss. A smirk revealed itself on his face as he pulled away.
“Where are you meeting the rest of the group and at what time?” Chad rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his bent arm. His eyes drawn to her lips as he waited for her answer.
“We’re meeting by the courtyard bar at 9:30. I guess the boat picks us up on the beach.”
Chad nodded before leaning in to take her lips in a searing, but quick kiss.
Wow. I could get used to this. Aria glanced between Chad and Doug. Her nose started to wrinkle as she took in their grins. Aren’t they supposed to be jealous? As their grins continued, she decided to shrug off her concerns. Now wasn’t the time to deal with them anyways as she needed to get back to her room before the girls woke up.
“I’ll see you all later?” Concern laced her voice.
What if they find other women today? Is this our last time together?
“Most definitely. We all have supper plans with you.” Doug smiled as he rolled her across his chest and deposited her feet on the floor. “Later, darling.” He smacked her butt as she headed to the door.
“Later.” The door closed behind her, echoing in the early morning stillness in the hall.
~
Returning to her room later than normal, Aria snuck into her room making sure the door closed silently behind her. She tiptoed across the room to the bathroom, looking over her shoulder to watch the girls sleep. Closing the bathroom door behind her, she breathed a sigh of relief. She made it. Starting the shower, she stripped out of her sleep clothes while waiting for the water to warm. After a quick pee, she hopped into the shower using lots of her body wash to remove any lingering scents of her guys on her skin.
Knock. Knock.
“Aria, are you in there? Because I have to go pee.” Shona started to open the door.
“Give me a sec. I’ll be right out.” Aria shut of the water and wrapped a towel around her. Grabbing a second one for her hair, she made her way to the bathroom door. “It’s all yours.” She grinned widely at Shona as she passed.
Things had been tense between the two of them and Aria missed her best friend. For the last two and a half years, contact between the two of them was almost daily. If they didn’t see each other in person, they talked on the phone. They never, in the history of their friendship, experienced this type of strain. It wasn’t even this bad when Aria first met her ex and Shona acted as if there was an instant dislike.
Aria shook her head as she walked towards the dresser to pick out her bikini for the day. She didn’t know what to do to heal their rift, but maybe the girls’ day today would help.
Slowly, the other girls woke up, showered, and got dressed. Room service delivered them breakfast, which Aria ordered for them when she realized they wouldn’t have time to eat otherwise. The girls ate on the fly as they packed their bags for the day.
Their excursion sounded interesting. They all enjoyed their time out on the water earlier in the week and this trip planned to circumnavigate the whole island of Antigua from the water. Swimming, snorkeling, and a barbeque lunch were also on the schedule. They heard drinks flowed freely on these trips, which made three of them very happy.
Aria rounded up the girls. She wanted to get to the meeting place early in case the guys came to see them off. With minimal prodding, she was successful in getting them to the staging area by the courtyard bar with minutes to spare.
Her eyes lit up as she took in the sight of her three guys sitting at a table waiting for her.
“What are they doing here? I didn’t think they were able to get on the trip.” Trish looked between the girls.
Jennifer shrugged. “I don’t know. I know Derek said it was completely full when he tried as well.”
Shona smiled as she pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head and threw her shoulders back. She added more sway to her hips as they changed their direction to head towards the table. “Morning, boys.”
The men all turned at the sound
of Shona’s voice. Smiles graced each of their faces as they met Aria’s eyes.
Aria’s skin heated under their gaze. She chose to wear her nearly transparent cover-up over her black bikini, hoping they would be there to see them off. For some unknown reason, she felt the need to give them a view to remember in her absence.
I’m not jealous, she kept repeating to herself.
“Morning girls. Aria.” Chad stood and moved towards Aria. “Can I see you for a moment?”
Aria wanted nothing more than to roll her eyes, but at the same time her heart fluttered. She knew he wanted to double check her before they left and the concern was heartwarming.
“Sure.” She smiled as he took her bag, handing it off to Doug.
They walked a few feet away. Chad kept his back to the rest of the girls, not allowing them to see his actions, but his position allowed Aria to view Jason and Doug as they waited for her return.
He took her hand, his fingers on her pulse. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m good, Chad.” Her body swayed towards him as his fingers brushed across her palm. Wanting to reassure him, she decided to inform him of her promise to Jason. “You don’t have to worry. I won’t do anything risky. I even promised Jason I wouldn’t snorkel.” She stuck her lower lip out.
Chad chuckled at her pout. His muscles relaxing as the tension bled from his body, relief evident in his eyes. “We will always worry.”
She took his hands in hers, holding them between their bodies. “Thank you.” She rubbed her thumbs along the back of his hands. “I have my phone so you can text me if you get worried.”
He squeezed her fingers as his eyes lit up. Leaning forward, he brushed his lips across hers. “Thanks.” The water in his eyes sparkled in the sunlight. He let go of her hands. “I should get you back before Jason and Doug lynch me.” Smiling, he motioned for her to walk in front of him.
“Circumnavigation 360 tour. Follow me please. Have your tickets ready.”
Aria smiled at Jason and Doug as she held out her hands for her bag. “Thanks for coming to see us off.”
“No problem, but we’ll walk out to the beach with you. Jason wants to swim for a bit before his last diving session.” Doug stepped up beside her, holding out her bag, but not letting go. “Just grab out your ticket.” He raised an eyebrow.
This time Aria did roll her eyes. They were going overboard on this whole protection thing, but she wasn’t going to complain or stop them. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her ticket and followed her girlfriends into the line while the boys waited off to the side. Handing in her ticket, she received the token pass she would hand to the crew member in order to board. She followed her girlfriends out onto the beach as the boys trailed behind.
Doug deposited her bag on the sand by her feet as she bent down to take off her flip-flops. She plopped them into her bag and pulled out her spray sunscreen, which she handed to Jason.
“Good choice for today.” Smiling approvingly, he sprayed the back of her legs and then her back as she pulled her cover-up over her head. He helped her to pull it back down when he finished.
The group talked as they waited for the boat to arrive. As soon as it did, the girls followed the group wading out into the water to climb on board. The guys all waved goodbye after giving Aria a hug.
The girls climbed the stairs and found seats on the outside near the front of the ship. “We’re going to have lots of fun girls. Let’s par-tay.” Shona swivelled her hips in time to the music blaring over the loudspeaker.
The three girls laughed at Shona and shook their heads, but each agreed they were going to have fun together.
The first part of the tour took them around the island to the north. The warm sun made the breeze moving over the powered catamaran refreshing. Each of the girls pulled their hair back into loose buns in place of the ponytails they wore. Shona handed them each a rum punch glass a member of the crew brought around.
Aria’s wrinkled nose.
“Come on, Aria. Today is supposed to be a fun day.” Shona reminded her. She raised her glass with one hand as the other held onto the railing. “To living life.”
“To living life,” they echoed and clinked glasses.
Aria took a sip of the punch. A shudder tore through her chest and she started to cough. “Holy shit. That’s strong.” She took another sip, this time slower to see if it would stop the coughing.
“Lightweight,” muttered Jennifer before they all started to laugh, including Aria.
While the crew made announcements over the terrible PA system, most of them sounded garbled, but occasionally some came through with clarity. The girls concentrated on watching the beauty of the island go by and enjoyed the warm sun.
“On your left is the largest and richest of the outer islands called Long Island. It is home to some British royalty and Robin Leach of the Lifestyles of The Rich and Famous. It is also rumoured that Oprah Winfrey has a house there as well.”
Jennifer and Trish rushed to the other side of the boat with their cameras ready to take pictures of the houses on the island. They returned, nudging each other with huge smiles on their faces. Holding up their cameras, they showed their pictures to Shona and Aria.
The boat continued out into open water where the ride became rougher. The crew, diligent in ensuring no one seated too far forward in case they hit a wave wrong, watched the laughing girls with grins. The girls held on to the side and drank from new glasses of rum punch crew members kept bringing over while Aria continued to sip hers.
Her phone chimed a few times with incoming texts as the guys checked in. The third time Aria pulled her phone out of her bag, her face already sported an eager smile. Anticipating a text from Jason, she hoped this one was it even though he was most likely still teaching. Glancing down, her face lit up as she spied Jason’s name.
Jason: Hello, love. Just checking in. Missing you already and it isn’t even nap time. What am I going to do?
Aria chuckled as she quickly replied. She looked up to find the girls staring at her. “What?”
“Just wondering who’s texting you and putting that smile on your face.” Trish giggled, happiness written all over her face.
“Bet you it’s Jason.” Shona winked and tried to do pelvic tilts while seated on the hard bench.
“Look girls, she’s blushing.” Jennifer snatched the phone out of Aria’s hands. “It’s from Jason.” She wiggled her eyebrows and leered. “Ah, he misses her and wants to know about nap time.” She placed the phone back in Aria’s outstretched hand.
“Aww,” Shona and Trish said in concert.
“So, what’s going on between the two of you?” Shona pursed her lips and crossed her arms. None of them held on tightly as the boat crossed back into calmer waters.
Unsure what to say, Aria opened her mouth anyways, hoping something would come out.
“For those of you who plan on snorkelling, we ask that you move to the front to receive your mask, snorkel, and lifebelt. You must wear the lifebelt if you are snorkeling. We will be docking in just a few minutes.”
Thank you. Aria’s shoulders dropped as the people started to move around to pick up their gear. Spared the inquisition for the moment, she knew she would not be able to avoid it for long.
They stood and moved forward.
Not wanting to argue with her friends, Aria accepted the equipment. She would tell them her decision not to snorkel once she was on the beach. It’s the best way. Her decision not to snorkel was tied together with her feelings about the guys. Avoiding their question the first time was pure luck, but her luck wouldn’t hold out for the rest of the day. She needed to figure out what to say. A difficult task as she didn’t understand her own feelings. She liked all three guys and couldn’t choose between them. Never had she heard of someone being in a relationship with more than one person outside of those strange religious groups. Something like this wasn’t done. It didn’t seem normal.
But really it’s more like I’m da
ting them in a sense. Don’t people date more than one person all the time? It’s not as if any of them have even asked me for a relationship. Besides, we’re all leaving in a few days.
“Those of you snorkeling, please meet on the beach to the right. Those swimming can swim on the left.”
The boat pulled up close to the beach and dropped its stairs. Aria followed Shona down the stairs and up towards the sand as Jennifer and Trish followed her. Shona turned right, but Aria hesitated.
“Come on, Aria. Let’s get our gear on.” Jennifer nudged her from behind.
Aria stood still and bit her lip. Indecision paralyzed her. She loved to swim and snorkel, but her promise to Jason weighed on her. She stepped forward, up onto the dry sand. She closed her eyes. “I’m not snorkeling.”
Her three friends stopped and stared.
“What do you mean you’re not snorkeling?” Shona spun, her hands on her hips as she stared wide-eyed at Aria.
She opened her eyes and returned Shona’s stare, squaring her shoulders. “I promised Jason I wouldn’t.”
“What?”
Chapter Fourteen
— Aria —
Shona’s hands dropped from her hips. They curled into balls at her side as she took a step forward. “What the fuck, Aria? Why would you do that?”
Aria looked around, noticing their raised voices were drawing eyes. She stepped closer, lowering her voice. “He asked if I would consider not snorkeling as he wouldn’t be here. He gave a number of sound arguments that I listened to.” At the disbelieving expressions on her friends’ faces, she continued. “What? He knows his stuff and was worried. Giving him this to ease his concern isn’t a big deal.”
“But you love snorkeling and swimming.” Jennifer shook her head as she put the lifebelt around her waist.
“I do, and I have done both with Jason, which is why I trust his arguments.” Aria dropped her lifebelt, mask, and snorkel onto the sand.
