by Coralie Moss
The cool custard landed on the tip of her tongue.
“I’ll have that for breakfast,” she groaned, staying poised over the table to share another bite.
The breeze coming off the ocean lifted her hair away from her face. She wrapped the warm, soft shawl around her shoulders, slipped the last bite of flan between her tongue and the roof of her mouth, and sank into the wide back of the rattan chair.
“Is there anything else you desire?” Daniel asked. Anna could find no hint of anything suggestive in his tone. She indicated she was fine, and he waved at their waiter, mimed signing. He returned his attention to her once the waiter had cleared the dessert dish and waited for Daniel to sign the bill.
“Would you like to come up to my room?” she asked, keeping her voice light. “Jorge promised to start a fire, and I’d love to talk some more.”
There were those waves of emotion again, playing across Daniel’s face, down his arms, and into his hands as they squeezed the armrests. Anna turned away, sought comfort in the long line of white foam where the ocean broke against the rocks below. Her dinner partner’s seeming indecisiveness pained her. Their meal had gone so well she’d been lulled into thinking they might find a place to continue reconnecting, perhaps adding physical intimacy to the menu.
“I’ll go up with you,” he said, “but I think I’ll be more fun tomorrow if I get to bed soon. I’m still on East Coast time.”
“Oh, I’m sorry!” Anna had forgotten that detail. She let the time difference assuage her discomfort. Their waiter appeared again and drew out Anna’s chair so she could stand.
“Gracias. Me gustó mucho la comida.”
Jorge had helped her rehearse a few phrases. The waiter seemed pleased at her effort.
“Con mucho gusto, señora,” he said, bowing slightly. “You may take the shawl with you. Jorge will pick it up from your room in the morning.”
“Your accent is quite good,” Daniel complimented, offering her his arm. “A little exercise before bed?”
He guided her toward the wide path meandering through the resort, taking them between freshwater pools and outdoor seating areas. The breeze coming off the ocean picked up the long fronds of the palm trees and swished the strands over their heads. Anna’s ears picked up the dull thud of a coconut hitting the ground.
She pointed to a cluster of tall trees leaning away from the beach. “Good thing they hang over the gardens and not the walkway. Makes you wonder if a guest has ever been hit.”
Daniel laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I feel like I’ve been hit.”
“What do you mean?” She took hold of both sides of her shawl with one hand and slid her freed arm around his waist. The sensitive skin of her inner arm tingled.
“Years of searching for you, wondering what I would do if I ever found you. And here we are. I’m used to feeling in control of my universe, and right now, I’m not.” He rubbed both hands over her upper back, up and down and across, squeezing to emphasize his words. In the distance, another coconut hit the ground.
“I think the trees are telling us to stay on the path,” she said.
He released from their embrace and threaded his fingers through hers, tugging her toward the main building. “I think we should head back.”
They took the open-air stairs and arrived at the fourth floor without further conversation. Daniel waited while Anna found her key card. She hesitated before opening her door, long enough for him to cup her face in his palms.
“I’d like to kiss you,” he whispered. His thumbs traced her cheekbones.
He brought his mouth to hers, and Anna gave in. She’d been waiting for this kiss, practicing for this kiss. She was inwardly hoping a kiss or two would provide her with a stronger indication of what might be going on underneath Daniel’s meticulously maintained exterior.
Daniel took her bottom lip between his and shifted the angle of his head. His tongue followed, probing, their mingled breath tasting of earthy red wine and sweet caramel. Her mouth responded, closing over his upper lip. Her hands found his waist, tried to draw him into her body. His resistance was slight, lasting for half a heartbeat, but she felt it.
Anna sank her heels to the cool tile of the floor and broke away.
“Sleep well,” she said, pushing down on the handle to the door to her room.
Flickering light on the balcony welcomed her in, drew her past her bed and onto the outdoor sitting area ceilinged with stars. She resisted the urge to fling herself on the expansive mattress and beat at the covers in frustration. Instead, she dropped her dress to the floor, slipped off her underwear, and lowered her body into the warm waters of her dipping pool.
Her attentive personal attendant had prepared a tray. On it, a bottle of mescal wore an intriguing label. Two shot glasses nestled at its side. Jorge also provided an unopened glass bottle of mineral water, a bowl of lime slices, two tall glasses, and a full ice bucket ready for her and any company.
If she used only one glass, he might observe she’d spent the night alone and not with the man who was paying for this trip.
Anna soaked, watching the sky for shooting stars and airplane lights. Ocean waves rhythmically crashing against the beach provided the loudest sound coming from below. Under the watery susurration, a low murmur of voices layered one over the other. She caught a whiff of tobacco and the occasional burst of music from a neighboring hotel. Lifting herself to the edge of the pool, she tried to peer into the balcony directly below.
Daniel’s room was dark.
Liam was probably in his tent, bundled in a sleeping bag with his knit hat pulled to his eyebrows. If he were here, he’d be in the pool. With her. He’d be caressing her or wrapping his long legs around her, unafraid of being skin to skin. Unembarrassed to be skin to skin.
She leaned away from the edge of the pool. Her breasts floated, full orbs lit by the glow from the fire. Liam would be saying admiring things about her body. He wouldn’t have said goodnight at the door and left her to enjoy these sensual pleasures on her own.
A low growl vibrated in her throat. She wasn’t going to get anywhere with Daniel if she kept allowing thoughts of Liam to intrude into her days at the resort. Anna blew out a long breath and blamed her mixed feelings on her newly awakened hormones. Which only got her picturing Liam in the pool.
Naked. Again.
Time to stop that line of thinking. Her foot found the lowest wide step, and she emerged, dripping over the sandstone tile. She took a towel from the chair and padded to her palatial bathroom. The moisturizer supplied by the hotel smelled faintly of coconut and a woody spice she couldn’t place. She applied it to her feet and legs and the rest of her body, slipped a long, satiny camisole over her head, and brushed her teeth. The white cotton sheets enveloped her in their cool embrace, floating her toward sleep.
Floating her between one man and another.
Chapter Thirteen
Anna rose early, visited the gym, showered, changed, and made appointments for them to have side-by-side “Siesta” massages in the early afternoon. Hungry and in dire need of caffeine, she picked up a hotel phone and left a message for Daniel to let him know she was having breakfast in the restaurant that hugged the beach.
As she waited for her coffee and her companion, she pulled a fresh journal from her bag and sharpened a fresh drawing pencil. Inspired by Liam, she wanted to try her hand at sketching. The plant life on this part of the Pacific coast was wildly different from her island’s offerings, and she toyed with the idea of printing her original designs on the durable cloth used in most sailboats.
The waiter placed an assortment of sliced tropical fruit in front of her while she tried to match the right shade of pink with the bougainvillea blooming in the pots that formed a colorful barrier between the café and the beach. Daniel came in from the other side at the same moment. He kissed the side of her head and left an offering beside her plate.
“Good morning,” he said, lifting his sunglasses as he gre
eted her. He took the empty, wide-armed wicker chair and moved it next to Anna.
“Good morning,” she said, thrilled to see him. “How’d you sleep?”
He stretched his arms overhead, almost losing his glasses as he lifted his face to the sun, and smiled wide. “Very well, once I got used to the sound of the waves.”
“What’s this?” She pointed to the gift bag he’d placed between them. A bouquet of brightly colored miniature paper flowers decorated the handles.
“Just a little offering.” Daniel draped one arm over the back of the chair, turned his torso toward her, and crossed one leg over the other. The tightly wound man who’d arrived the day before appeared to be in a slightly looser mood.
Her reflection bounced off his glasses. She couldn’t see his eyes, but she could see the smile teasing the corners of his mouth. She turned her attention to the bag, spread the tissue paper, and lifted out a bracelet. Pieces of muted green sea glass dangled from a delicate silver chain.
“This is lovely!” she exclaimed.
Daniel reached for the ends and gestured for her wrist. “It’s a little something to remind you of the beach. Let me do the clasp.”
His fingertips were warm against the cool skin at her pulse point. Anna was touched at the gesture. The bracelet wasn’t extravagant, but it meant he was thinking about her. It was also a very nice way to start their day together. A kiss would work too.
She leaned over to him and pecked at the side of his mouth. “Thank you.”
He grinned, turning his face enough to catch her in a quick, coffee-flavored meeting of the lips. “You’re welcome.”
Anna picked up her fork, delighting in the weight of the silver chain and pieces of salt water-softened glass sliding on her wrist. Securing a piece of papaya, she offered her utensil to Daniel. “The fruit is amazing,” she said, “so fresh. And they squeeze lime juice on everything. Here, try it.”
He drew the succulent, bright orange fruit into his mouth, chewed, and agreed. “I’ll order a plate too.”
She put down her fork and picked up her coffee cup. She would wait to finish eating until Daniel’s food arrived. “I was up early. I checked out the gym and the spa and made reservations for massages this afternoon. I hope that’s okay?”
“A massage sounds great.” He removed his sunglasses and rubbed his eyes. “I probably should have booked one for the minute I arrived. Maybe I would have been better company last night.”
They smiled at each other. Some of the defenses Anna had erected hopped from her shoulders and headed off to frolic on the sandy beach. “What else would you like to do while we’re here?” she asked. “I was reading through some of the brochures in my room, and there’s a snorkeling trip I would love to go on, if you’re up for it.”
“Snorkeling? I haven’t put on a pair of fins in years, but why not? Shall we make a reservation for tomorrow, since today’s theme seems to be relaxation?” There was no denying the flirtatious tone to his voice and the desire dancing at the corners of his eyes and mouth.
“Yes!” Anna grinned and caught herself before she bounced out of her seat. She was thrilled. The diving company all but guaranteed they would be swimming with manta rays and other denizens of coastal Baja California.
Daniel’s food arrived, and Anna returned to eating her fruit.
“Did you order enough?” he asked, looking from his full plate to her disappearing selection of sliced fruit.
She lifted a dripping piece of pineapple to her mouth. “Mm-hmm. This is perfection on a plate.”
They were each sipping a second cup of coffee as their waiter cleared away the remnants of their breakfasts. Leaving the oversized chairs was going to take a dedication to exertion neither appeared inclined to initiate.
Daniel broke the comfortable silence. “What would you like to do? Would you like to explore the beach some more?”
“We could stay here and wait for them to start serving lunch,” she suggested.
“I’d be okay with that.”
More quiet grins and sips of coffee.
“Yes,” she said.
“Yes, what?” he asked, slightly startled.
“Yes, I’d love to walk the beach, but I’d like to put on my bathing suit first.”
“Then let’s do that.”
Anna gathered up the gift wrappings and her journal and tucked everything into the woven shoulder bag purchased the day before at the resort’s well-stocked boutique. Daniel stood, moved her chair, and left his hand on her lower back as they strolled toward the stairwell.
They paused outside her door.
“May I come in?” he asked.
She felt for her key card, finding it sandwiched between two pages of her book. Her body flushed, releasing a light mist of sweat over every inch of skin. Last night, she’d felt emboldened by their reunion and disappointed when Daniel didn’t follow her into her room.
Today? Today, the caution she’d tossed to the wind greeted her—arms crossed and one foot toe-tapping—when she opened the door to her room.
“Sure.”
She grabbed her bathing suit and an oversized, button-down shirt in beachy blue-and-white stripes and stepped into the bathroom to change and brush her teeth. Adjusting her breasts into the built-in cups of the one-piece, she paused. Daniel was on the phone with someone. She couldn’t hear much more than a low murmur. He ended the call when she entered the sitting area of her suite.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“My assistant had a question about a job I’m due to begin when I get back.”
“Do you ever get to shut your phone off when you’re on vacation?”
Daniel shrugged. “Not unless—and until—every client has been seen to. I don’t remember the last time I wasn’t in the middle of at least two or three major projects.”
His smile went tight. Anna stepped over to him and looped her arms around his waist. Now that she’d had some practice, she liked how her curves molded into a man’s hardness, especially in the belly area. And the chest. Daniel had a light spray of dark brown and silver chest hair, which matched the hair on his head and he smelled…expensive. He was a handsome, elegant man, and her body was beginning to connect memories of their long ago naked playtimes with the more mature person in her room.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, a surprised flash in his eyes.
“I’m remembering the Daniel I knew and getting to know the Daniel in front of me.” She wanted to be honest and not hide anything she found pleasing. Or distressing, or confusing.
“And?” A twinkle lit his eyes again.
“I think you’ve aged really well. And I think we’re in danger of not saying the things we both want to say. Like before.”
He nodded his agreement, drawing her into a full body hug and resting his cheek against her head. “How do you suggest we begin?”
“Let’s go to the beach. It’s easier for me to talk when there’s lots of space around.”
“I like that idea.”
Once their feet hit the sand, she was ready to dig in into the timeline of events that brought them together. She slung her bag over one shoulder and across her body and found Daniel’s hand as she asked her most pressing question, the one he hadn’t fully answered in either their emails or phone calls.
“So, what inspired you to track me down and send that email?”
“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?” Daniel tugged at her to stop. He spread out his beach towel and invited her to sit. He unzipped his linen pants and stepped out, careful to not drop anything out of the pockets.
Anna planted her hands in the sand behind her, ready to stay in place and on topic. “I’ve thought about you, throughout my life, but never to the degree I felt compelled to track you down and see you again, Danny. I mean, I couldn’t think that way when I was married, and after Gary died, a big part of me shut down, I was focused on grieving. And making it through one day at a time. It didn’t occur to me to loo
k for another man to be with, let alone look for you.”
Between Elaine’s gifts and Liam’s, she might have become emboldened to look for Daniel once her fling with the younger man was over. She’d never know.
He adjusted his new Panama hat and leaned back on his elbows, one finger flicking out to toy with the pieces of sea glass adorning her new bracelet. His legs were already tanned, his leg hair perfectly distributed over his thighs and calves.
“The short answer,” he began, “is I wanted to know if I had made a mistake by not pursuing you more when we were in school together.”
His admission startled her. There was nothing in their last goodbye, the summer after he graduated, that spoke of future…anything. Not that she could recall. “How would your life have been different?” she asked. “I mean…I’m not sure what I mean.”
Daniel pondered the endless ocean in front of them. “I might have become a father, for one thing.”
“Has that question never come up in the relationships you’ve had?”
“It’s come up in most every single one of them, to some extent.”
“And you’ve always said no?”
He stopped fiddling with her bracelet. “The first time the question of becoming a father ever came up, I wasn’t given the opportunity to answer.”
“What do you mean?”
Daniel paused for an entire set of waves, twelve or fourteen by Anna’s silent count. She studied his profile, the brim of his hat creating shadows over his eyes. He’d stopped fiddling with her bracelet and had buried his fingers in the sand.
“When we were at school, you and I were never exclusive.” He looked at her for confirmation. She nodded. “I don’t ever remember us having a conversation where we even talked about being in a boyfriend-girlfriend thing. We just…started.”
She nodded again. At that time in her life, new experiences were her priority, and she was as drawn to his bed as she was to his creativity and insight. “You’re right. We weren’t exclusive, and we never had that conversation, but you were my number one.”
