by KaLyn Cooper
“So did we have a nice nap?” Lilly asked Addison, who stared at the sand and the calm ocean. Back home, Jillian had taken her to the neighborhood pool almost daily during the summer, but the ocean could be overwhelming the first time you come face to face with nature’s greatest power, even at its gentlest.
“Pay.” Addi pointed to the boys, who were running trucks around a hump of sand.
“Let’s see if—”
Jillian was interrupted by her sister-in-law. “Boys,” Lilly yelled as only a mother of two sons can. “Let Addison play.”
Preston sank in ankle-deep soft sand on the way to the thatched roof palapa, bent down, and held out his hand. “Come on Addison. Let’s go play.”
She jumped up and down. “Pay.”
Not to be left out of the new play thing, Greyson kicked up sand as he tore to join his brother and took Addi’s other hand. Jillian was amazed at the instant connection the children made and how good the boys were with her.
“I’ve had enough sun for right now.” Lilly moved from the oceanside lounge to one under the shaded palapa. Jillian crawled onto the other and noted it was like a queen-sized bed that tilted up. The foot-thick mattress was covered in sturdy plastic under the pristine white sheets. The palapa’s layered thatch roof was held up by sturdy corner beams and jointed to form its conical peak in a centuries-old design still made with the same locally grown palm trees.
“There’s some fruit juice and water.” Lilly pointed to the table that sat between the two lounges.
“I’m good.” Jillian was pleased at the casual way Lilly included her.
“I understand that you have some work to do while you’re here.”
“Yes. I’m to meet a representative from the University of the Yucatan at Tulum tomorrow. And Jack is taking us to Isla Mujeres this afternoon.”
“I’ll be happy to watch Addi if you want,” Lilly offered. “I know how tough it is with little ones. It’s getting easier now that the boys are a bit older. Plus, their father has them some of the time.”
Not sure exactly what to say, Jillian stuttered, “I’m sorry about…about your…”
“The divorce?” Lilly sneered. “I’m not. He was a cheating SOB who belittled me every chance he got. I didn’t realize it until after he was gone just how much he controlled my life.” She stared out at the children all playing together. “I’m only concerned with the effect of the divorce on them. They love their father and practically worship him.”
“Did you know the divorce rate of first marriages in the United States is over forty percent?” That just slipped out. As an anthropologist, Jillian had studied societies and their intricacies. She’d recently graded a paper from one of her students on the subject of marriage failure. “It’s slightly lower when children are involved, but prevalent none the less. Your children are more the norm these days.”
“Guess my kids join their half-brother and half-sister from his first marriage.”
“Oh, you’re his second wife?” Jillian couldn’t stop her ramblings. “There’s a sixty percent chance of divorce in second marriages, and it jumps to seventy-three percent for third marriages.”
Lilly stared at her. “That’s amazing.”
Jillian blushed. “I’m sorry. Final paper from one of my students.”
Lilly nodded then grinned. “Jack told me that Jimmy was getting a degree in archeology.”
That opened the easy conversation the two women had for the next thirty minutes before too much fun in the sun created stress in the boys’ play. When Lilly took her children back to the pool house for some lunch and a time out, Jillian decided to introduce the ocean to Addison. She wanted to get Addi accustomed to the water before their snorkeling that afternoon.
Jillian would be glad when the day was over. She was ready to close that chapter of her life. It had been over two years, and she was sure she’d cried every tear her body and soul had for Jimmy. She would be strong. She couldn’t bear the thought of crying in front of Jack.
Chapter Eight
“You ladies ready?” Jack asked as he led the way to the dock next to the family’s secluded beach.
“Are you sure you have a life vest small enough for her?” The worry in Jillian’s voice was impenetrable.
“Yes, I’m sure.” He wanted to put her at ease. “We often get babies on the catamarans, and I insist while underway everyone wears a personal flotation device. Children must wear them at all times on the boats.”
“And you’re sure she can float behind us in that ring thingy?”
“I used it with the boys all the time.” He stopped at the side of the boat and reached for Addi. “I’ll hold her while you get in and settle all your gear. Then I’ll hand her over.”
He got a good look at Jillian and saw worry mixed with trepidation written all over her pretty face. “Have you ever ridden in a boat before?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes. Of course.” She sighed. “Just never with Addi. There’s no place for a car seat, and we’re so…exposed.”
Exposed was not a word he’d use for Jillian. She had on shorts and a sleeveless shirt, but he’d seen hints of a dark, one-piece bathing suit underneath. Not the bikini of his dreams.
“She’ll be fine. You can hold her.” Jack added, “I know these waters. I’ve been driving boats here since I was about ten years old.”
Jillian took a deep breath and handed Addi to him. “Fine.” She leaped onto the deck like a professional sailor. When she bent over and stowed her bags, Jack almost lost his breath. She had a world-class ass. When she turned, her breasts swayed and jiggled. The suit obviously didn’t hold her as tightly as her bra, and she was bigger than he’d thought.
Oh yeah. He’d noticed. The half-hard stage he walked around with whenever she was near decided to stand up and pay attention. Down boy, he ordered his favorite body part.
He bent over as she reached for her daughter, hoping she wouldn’t notice. Thankfully her gaze was pinned on the wiggling baby.
Under the late afternoon sun, the breeze from the boat ride to Isla Mujeres felt good. Jack loved the feel of the powerful inboard engines as he brought the thirty-foot boat up onto a plane and maneuvered it to a site he’d been to hundreds of times. It had always been Jack’s job to drive the boat while Jimmy and Gramps checked the GPS and landmarks to be sure they went to the designated spot. The two of them spent every evening reading old books and marking on maps worn by time and use.
Jack, well, he’d found lust in his early teen years, and there was always a girl willing to share the sunset and warm beach. As he got older, sometimes he shared the sunrise.
“The island is just ahead.” Jack pointed to the now-visible strip of land shaped like a cracked exclamation point, the dot filled with tall hotels. They approached from the south, where the stone remains of the Mayan temple to the goddesses still stood, ravished by numerous hurricanes and time.
“We’re going to the leeward side. That’s Cancun over there.” He gestured to the skyscrapers that lined a thin stretch of white sand on the mainland.
He slowed so she could get a good look at the island. “Most year-round residents live on the southern end and down the long broken strip of land on property owned for centuries by the same families,” Jack explained as he traveled to its north end, where tall hotels had endless views of the turquois ocean. He stopped near a six-foot lighthouse that stood on a rock surrounded by the sea. The island’s real lighthouse was several hundred feet tall and stood four miles away at the deeper southern end.
“Around that bend is Playa Norte, North Beach. We take tourists there to enjoy the sand and swim, but I need to warn you, it’s European standards, top optional. The beach at our house is much nicer and private.” Jack lifted a back seat and retrieved the anchor. The fetch current was always strong in this area, and chasing a drifting boat was not something he wanted to do that afternoon.
“The Madonna is about thirty feet in that direction.” He looked at Jillian th
en. “I’d like you to see the reef and what lies beneath the surface. It’s a beautiful place. I want you to be sure it’s…” Jack found it hard to speak as an invisible fist clenched his throat. He reached for the bottle of water next to the steering wheel. After a deep drink, he twisted the cap back on with more force than necessary. “I want you to be sure this is the right place.”
Jillian nodded. “Good idea.” With a hoarse voice, she added, “Now that we’re not moving, it’s really hot. Let’s cool off in the water.”
She grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her head. For a second, with her arms up in the air, Jack stared at her ample breasts that lifted as if in offering to him. He swallowed hard. And that wasn’t the only thing that was hard.
He quickly turned to dig out the snorkeling gear and the floating baby ring.
“Are you ready to go swimming, Addi?” she asked her child.
Jack looked over his shoulder as Jillian wiggled out of her shorts. Half-bare cheeks leaned back toward him as she bent and stepped out. He lowered his hands filled with diving gear to cover his cock, which stood at full attention.
Yep. She has a first-class ass.
When she stood, her back was bare to him. He could imagine running his hands down her spine and over that smooth butt before he spread her legs a little more, giving him better access. She’d be tight. He could practically see her arch her back as she came and screamed his name.
“Jack.” Jillian’s voice was normal, not gasping with desire.
Oh, shit. She really called my name.
Her gaze fell to his crotch. “That for me?” Oh, hell yes, that was for her, and he’d be glad to give it to her right now.
He glanced down and saw the snorkel sets in his hands…hiding his erection.
“Um, yes.” He purposely dropped one of the masks, hoping to give himself a minute.
She bent over to grab it and he got an up-close, but not personal enough, view of her abundant breasts. The bathing suit was a one piece, yes, but it had a low V in the front and rested high on her curvy hips. There was no disguising each and every curve of her luscious body.
There was also no hiding her peaked nipples. Could she be even a little aroused? It certainly wasn’t cold today with temps in the low eighties.
Her hand brushed his as they both grabbed the unopened package. As if she’d injected him with heat, warmth rushed through his body. His cock throbbed.
Fuck. He hadn’t been this bad off since he’d returned from his final mission as a SEAL. Back then he’d been without a woman for five months, a new record for him. It hadn’t been but a few weeks, and he was having a tough time controlling his cock. It just didn’t want to listen to reason.
A thud drew his gaze to the baby lying on the blue outdoor carpet next to the seat Jillian had vacated. Jillian was instantly up and bouncing the baby in her arms. “Oops,” she cajoled. “That didn’t work too well now, did it? You have enough problems walking on land. Sea legs are an acquired skill.”
While she persuaded Addi that she wasn’t really hurt, Jack decided the only way to get his body under control was to cool it off. Literally. He tugged on his fins, grabbed his mask, and jumped in the water.
“Jillian,” he called, kicking back toward the boat.
She leaned over the side. From his position in the water, he couldn’t see any cleavage. That could be a good thing.
“Throw me Addi’s ring then hand her to me.”
She tossed the hard circle with holes for legs and he caught it with ease.
Jack affixed the two climbing rings to his webbed dive belt and the other ends to the child’s ring. “Now, hand her to me, and then you get on your gear.”
Jillian hesitated. She held Addi near the edge of the boat and stared at him. This would take a lot of faith on her part to let go of her baby and trust him completely.
“I’ll take good care of her.” He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to either of you. I promise.” He reached out for his niece.
He saw the resolve in her eyes before she extended her arms toward him, giggling Addison kicking at air. With a strong flick of his fins, his upper body rose out of the water, and he filled his hands with baby.
It took a few seconds to maneuver the ring and to place her little legs into the holes. He heard a splash a few feet away and looked over to find Jillian’s blonde head emerge from underwater.
“Mommy.”
Soaking wet, long hair darkened by the water, she was beautiful. Stunning jade green eyes looked at him with glee.
“I love the water.” She beamed with delight. “I’ve always wanted to dive in crystal clear ocean like this. You got her?” She adjusted her mask and slid the snorkel next to her cheek, but she didn’t take it into her smiling mouth.
That leap from the boat was more than just into the Caribbean Sea. She’d taken a leap of faith, and he was its recipient. She trusted him with the most important thing in her life, her daughter.
Jack couldn’t withhold his smile if he’d wanted to. Not that he did. “Yes. Addi and I are just fine.”
“Mind if I…” She nodded toward the bottom.
She was having fun, and he’d do anything to make sure she kept smiling. She was more lively now. Less cautious. He liked this side of Jillian and wanted to see more of it.
“Go right ahead. Swim that direction, along the reef. We’re right behind you.”
“Thanks.” She faced Addi. “You be good for Uncle Jack. Mommy’s going to look for fish.”
Jillian took a deep breath around her mouthpiece and jackknifed, disappearing under the surface. Jack had to watch. He slipped his snorkel mouthpiece into place and dropped his face to the water.
She swam like a mermaid, golden red hair flowing behind her, over her back, long legs comfortable with the fins on her feet. She tried to look everywhere all at once. Fan coral swayed in the gentle sub-surface current. A massive elkhorn coral reached out from a rock mound. He could feel her fascination with undersea life, a sensation he’d lost years ago but was rediscovering with her. He’d forgotten how colorful the sea could be with its reds and yellows and shades of greens everywhere.
A two-foot parrotfish passed her shoulder as if it were racing her. She startled, and her bubbles rose to the surface. She followed them up.
She spit out her snorkel the second her mouth cleared the surface. “Oh my God. I’ve never been that close to a fish. He just ignored me.” She sucked in a breath. “I’ve seen fish like that in an aquarium, of course. I took Addi to the big one in New Orleans when I had a conference there, but it wasn’t like that. Oh my God.”
She was smiling ear to ear. So was he.
“Catch your breath and go back under.” Jack pulled Addi between them. “We’re having a good time up here. Keep swimming in that direction. Only a few more yards and you’ll see the Madonna. You can’t miss her. She’s perched atop a rock shelf that juts out a few feet.”
“Thank you, Jack. This is…wonderful.” He wasn’t sure if she’d reached out for him, or if her hand had brushed his arm while she was treading water.
“Go on,” he suggested.
When she dove back under, he pulled Addi to him and caressed her chubby cheeks. He wanted to check her body temperature. Adults had better regulators than children, and although the water temp was in the mid-seventies, it was much cooler than bathwater. She was fine. “Ready to go fast again?”
He positioned his mouthpiece and stuck his face in the water. The lapping of the water around him didn’t muffle Addi’s continuing giggles as he pulled her through the gentle surf.
He knew the second Jillian saw the Virgin Mother statue. She stopped swimming and pulled her feet under her, as if to stand back and watch. She floated in front of the three-foot tall Christian icon, releasing a few bubbles now and again. Finally, Jillian kicked her way to the surface and swam over to him.
“She’s…remarkable.” Jillian lifted her ma
sk and swiped the water from her eyes. He knew the salty water was from tears, not the ocean. He’d felt that same way the first time he’d seen the Madonna. The centuries-old, crudely carved statue almost seemed surreal in its watery surroundings. No matter one’s religion, she had an impact on everyone who had the privilege to see her.
An errant strand of hair had fallen across Jillian’s face. Jack reached over to move it out of the way, but Jillian tilted her head back into the water, effectively pulling it into place. He had no right to touch her, so the movement shouldn’t have hit him like a slap. But it had.
“There’s more coral over there. Let’s swim back to the boat farther away from the shore.” Without waiting for her, he shoved his face into the water. With the long, powerful strokes he’d learned in BUDs, his body cut through the water smoothly. He could have made it back to the boat in a single breath. He wasn’t viewing the formations that looked like a giant’s brain or colorful clown fish that liked to live in the finger coral. He was a man on a mission. He had to get away from Jillian…and temptation.
His mind registered the sound of a fast approaching boat, and he felt the rise and fall of a wake. He rode it out without a second thought. He’d swum through ocean swells six feet high and kept on swimming, the mission’s success his only focus. The tug on his waist brought all his senses to alert. He lifted his head and turned to watch Addi and the ring disappear behind a two-foot swell.
“Addison.” His voice was drowned by the roar of boat engines. He pulled on the ring, praying to the God who’d seen him through more firefights than any man should face. If anything had happened to her, he’d kill the son of a bitch who dared swamp them. Right after he saved her life.
Light giggling pierced through deep-throated motor noise as it backed down to an idle. Addi’s face was filled with a smile as she rode the crest of the next wave.
