Perhaps I would never have realized this if we hadn’t been thrown together in these circumstances, but now I knew.
I tenderly combed the still damp strands of hair off his forehead, and softly stroked his cheek. I raised my hand up to wipe the tears from my face and in the moon’s light, I saw something dark and wet on my hand. There was a gash over his right eye.
Greg opened his eyes. “Why are you crying?” he whispered. He reached up and touched my cheek. When I didn’t reply, he asked, “What’s happening here, Deeann? Do you know who those guys are?”
“They’ve been following us for a long time. I saw one of them on the flight to Los Angeles, and twice more after that. And then, the other man was the one dressed as a pirate on the boat. They seem to think we have something they want.”
“Why didn’t you tell me were being followed?”
“Because I wasn’t sure. I thought you would think I was paranoid and then you got so...so...”
“Sick?” He half-smiled sheepishly.
“Let me help you up,” I said. I was able to get him up off the floor and over to the bed, but then he accidentally pressed against my sore wrist and I pulled back and gasped in pain. Greg tried to keep me from falling as I teetered backward, but he was still unsteady on his feet, and we both toppled over onto the bed.
My arms were pinioned beneath him, my face only two inches from his. I felt as though I was in one of my romantic novels in which suddenly, “time stands still.” So it really does happen, I thought. Greg stared into my eyes but didn’t say anything. There was so much emotion on his face. I hoped it was all for me.
I thought of that girlfriend back in Seattle, but since I seemed to have a bad habit of this —I kissed him.
I was so surprised and embarrassed at what I’d done, I pulled away. But he drew me back toward him. I could feel his heart thumping wildly—or maybe it was mine. His arms tightened around me, and he kissed me. His hand cupped the back of my head, and his lips were warm and smooth. It felt so good.
“Greg…”
“Uh…huh…,” he mumbled as he nibbled a trail to my neck.
“You have a girlfriend.”
“No I don’t,” he continued to nibble.
“What?” I started to pull back again, but he reached up and pulled me to him. When we finally broke apart, I said, “We have to get out of here before they come back. Just as we started to rise, the key scraped in the lock. The door opened. I didn’t recognize the two men at the door, but behind them, stood Ricardo.
“Ricardo?” I mumbled. “Can’t anyone be trusted?”
****
Ricardo motioned and I saw the pirate and the other man pulled past the door and out into the street. They were followed by the manager who appeared to be cursing in Spanish as her captor led her out.
Ricardo pulled out a badge. “I’m a detective, not an accountant.”
Greg took it, looked it over and then handed it back, as Ricardo explained:“When you failed to show up at the cocktail lounge as usual the night before, we inquired about you at the Holiday Inn’s front desk and learned that Brenda was sick and you went to Taxco. The more I got to know Brenda, the more I doubted that any of you were a part of this—you were dragged into a large diamond theft without your knowledge.
“Diamond… what?” I asked
“We checked into your background. After I befriended you, I knew all of you weren’t involved in the theft, but then you disappeared. We were worried that you were in harm’s way.”
“How did you find us?” I asked.
“If it wasn’t for my cousin, Rosario, who rented her car to you, we may not have found you. When we asked the hotel manager to open Greg’s room, and found it ransacked, we realized you were in danger. “We’d already apprehended Laura Wilson who double-crossed her conspirators when she planted imitation diamonds in Greg’s backpack and kept the actual jewels for herself.”
Greg wiped a hand over his brow. “I assume Laura Wilson was the blonde at the airport back in Seattle, who claimed she lost her contact on the floor?”
“Yes. That was how she transferred the diamonds.” The detective nodded and continued. “When the thieves searched Greg’s room, they found only the fake diamonds. They assumed you kept the real ones on you and followed you to Taxco. You fell right into the foxes’ den. They figured when they got the real diamonds they could break them down to sell. You spoiled Pidalgo’s plans once by not going to the silver mine—which he owned— and then when Greg got sick. He’d sent you to the old motel which wasn’t actually in business anymore. His wife posed as the manager and had your bags searched. When they failed to find the diamonds in your luggage, we knew they would come back and kill you if we didn’t get here first.”
We’ll take a short statement and then the two of you are free to go.”
I knew my knees were shaking by the time we gave our statements and the police left. Greg wound an arm over my shoulder and gave me a squeeze. His body felt warm and safe and I curled against him.
I looked up at him. “Let’s get you to the hospital.” I touched the cut on his head. “I think you might need stitches.”
He took my hand and gave me a sweet kiss on my knuckles.
****
Greg was released from the hospital, with a big, square bandage on his forehead and looked...adorable.
When we got outside, he motioned to me with this finger. “Come over here, will you Dee?”
As I stood in front of him he said, “There’s something I’d like to ask you. Well, it’s kind of embarrassing, but...was I dreaming, or did you kiss me when we were in that place last night?”
I felt my cheeks flame. “How much do you remember?
“It’s all a bit spotty, but I definitely remember a kiss. Did I kiss you back?”
“Yes,” I admitted quietly, “you did.”
“Good. Would you mind if I kissed you again? I’d like to know if it was as good as I remember.” When I nodded, he pulled me close and his mouth captured mine. When we finally broke apart, he added, “I just wanted to make sure it was all real.” He grinned.
“So, tell me about your girlfriend? First you said you had one, but then you said you didn’t. So what is it?” I asked. I wanted to hear what he had to say now that we were out of danger.
“I don’t have a girlfriend.″ He looked at me sheepishly. “I, uh, made her up.”
“You made up a girlfriend?”
“Brenda was in on it. She knew how much I liked you, but that you only had eyes for Mark. She told me to be patient and suggested the fake girlfriend because then you wouldn’t suspect my real motivation for coming on this trip. I wanted to spend time with you and see if it could work between the two of us. She told me not to give up hope and then when you kissed me before we left...”
“I gave you hope?”
“Brenda convinced me to go on the trip.”
“You’ll have to thank her for that. You got sick and almost killed.”
“But I got to kiss you again.” He smiled, and then frowned. “What about Mark?”
“Oh, I’ve moved on.” I smiled to remind him of the words he’d spoken to me when I’d first kissed him for all the wrong reasons. “I realized how much time I wasted with Mark, when the right guy is standing here, now, in front of me.”
Without Brenda’s pushiness, I may never have seen the light through the trees. I’d finally figured it out—Greg was the only man for me.
****
When we got back to Seattle, we fell back into our old routines—and some new ones. I was in the middle of checking a passenger in, when I heard Brenda suck in a breath and say, “Uh-oh.” A group of pilots stood around the ticket counter as usual chatting with her, but suddenly it got quiet, and when I looked up, I saw why: a few steps away from our counter, was Greg. He walked up and grabbed my arm, then kissed me right there at the ticket counter for all the world to see.
“Greg!” I protested, but I smiled as I said it. “
Everyone will see us.” I heard people laugh, but for the first time in my life I didn’t care.
“They just did.” He kissed me again. “So, when do you wanna go away with me to Acapulco?”
“Make it Hawaii and you’ve got a date.”
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