Promises in Paradise

by Sandra Kitt

  “I don’t know.” Simon shook his head as they slowly headed to the exit of the hotel and the parking lot. “Life seems pretty laid-back down here. I could do this for a while.”

  “And what will you tell Mom about dropping out and becoming a beach bum? I don’t think so,” Diane said caustically. Everyone laughed.

  They stood around the open entrance, adjacent to the front desk of the hotel, and continued to chat in a hope that the rain would ease up. It did not. Finally, they decided to say good-night and be on their way. Simon and Katie left first, making a mad dash to Simon’s rented Jeep. They didn’t have far to go, since Katie was renting a small cottage just off of Great Cruz Bay.

  By the time Diane and Hale had gotten into his Jeep, wet and breathless from running, the rain seemed to have taken on the personality of an angry, torrential summer storm. They’d only gone a mile from the hotel on the approach to the marina and the road to Chocolate Hole when they were stopped by a roadblock of local police cars, their lights flashing, and several emergency and fire vehicles.

  A water tanker had run off the road on a steep and curving turn, totally blocking traffic in both directions. The driver had been hurt and had been loaded into an ambulance that was still parked behind the accident. It was going to be some time before the truck could be moved. The heavy rain was not going to make it easier.

  Diane and Hale sat for a minute, discussing their options, but it was Hale who made the decision. He used his cell phone and dialed the house. Hayden answered and at Hale’s request put Adam on the line.

  “There’s an accident just outside of Cruz Bay. We can’t use the road back to the house. It makes sense for Diane to stay down here tonight.”

  He glanced at her, not for consent but to make sure she understood. She silently nodded, the implications bouncing like sunbeams around her mind.

  “Yeah, we’ll be careful. I’ll drive her back up in the morning, assuming the road’s open.”

  When the call ended, Hale turned in his seat to face her, his hand on her shoulder while his fingers gently massaged her smooth skin. His gaze held hers.

  “Look, I think we can cut around this and make it back to the marina. We can take the Zodiac to the Paradise and stay there for the night. We’re going to get very wet and it’s going to be a bit cramped.”

  “Or?” she asked when he hesitated.

  “We can see if there’s a room at the hotel.”

  Diane blinked at him. The very first thought that came to her mind was that there’d be a real bed. A big bed. And they’d be able to share it for the whole night. There’d be a shower and a terrace…and room service. And comfortable privacy.

  “Let’s go back to the hotel,” she said.

  He broke into a slow, wide grin. Straightening in his seat, Hale carefully turned around to head back into town. There was enough traffic to make progress slow. What should have taken five minutes took nearly thirty. And, to their relief, there were a few rooms available.

  The room was on the third floor, overlooking Pillsbury Sound and St. Thomas in the background. But because of the rain there wasn’t much to see. They silently explored the nicely appointed room with its queen bed, love seat sofa, cool, tiled floor and ceiling fan.

  Alone in the room, it was the first time Diane had a true realization that they had become lovers. That they had begun an exploration of each other. But she was also aware, suddenly, that their knowledge was pretty much of a physical nature. She’d learned a lot about Hale since the holidays began, but it seemed he’d always known quite a bit more about her.

  She walked toward him because he was waiting and she needed to have his arms around her. She needed the reassurance that this was not a passing fancy or a mere tryst for either of them.

  The question was, where did she want it to go?

  Hale enveloped her in his arms, squeezing her against him as he kissed her forehead, her cheek, and searched for her mouth. She made it easy for him. She so liked kissing Hale; it felt like he wanted to please her, make her feel good.

  Nonetheless she now recognized that what she didn’t know about him could hurt her. That didn’t stop her.

  Diane kissed him back and it was as tender as it was arousing. He played with her lips and then released them.

  “How about some wine? I feel like celebrating.”

  She leaned back within the circle of his arms, their hips pressed together. She cupped his face with her hands. It was so strong and masculine. His eyes so…intense.

  “What are we celebrating?”

  “You staying with me for the whole night. No midnight run back to the house on the hill.” She laughed lightly with him. “I was beginning to feel like a teenager again, sneaking around behind your parents’ back. Waiting to get caught and trying to explain…”

  She frowned at him when he stopped. “Explain what?”

  Hale seemed to ponder her question and his answer. He finally shook his head slightly. “That I care too much about you, and them, to ever do anything to hurt you.”

  He stepped out of their embrace and went to the phone. He called to request a bottle of Shiraz and two glasses.

  While he did so Diane wandered out to the terrace, closing the sliding door behind her. She needed a moment to think about what was happening. Taking her teenage dream the full distance had been exciting and gratifying in the extreme. Far better than the dream, actually. She loved being with Hale. She loved making love with him. She no longer even pretended not to, although it was a little galling to have to concede her liking to her father and Eva. But so what? The fact remained, he wasn’t the least bit like she’d thought he’d be. Hale had grown up to be so much more of a man than she had imagined. And yet…

  And yet…

  The door slid open and closed behind her. She felt his presence without turning around. Then, his arms slipped around her waist as he stood behind her. Diane crossed her arms over her chest, extended her hands so that she could touch him. She let her head rest against his chest, let her eyes drift close.

  He did everything right.

  And yet…

  “Doesn’t look like it’s going to let up, does it?” he said in a deep, reflective voice.

  Her mind focused, came back to where they stood, with the rain pouring down beyond their haven. “Maybe it won’t. Maybe it will rain for forty days and forty nights.”

  “Shame. Then we’re stuck here in this room together.”

  “Are you complaining?”

  He squeezed her. “Does it sound or feel like a complaint?”

  “We could be trapped on the sloop, you know.”

  Hale groaned, burying his mouth in her hair. “It’s going to be so nice to make love on a bed that doesn’t rock.”

  She turned around, gazing into his eyes, pressing and rotating her hips and pleased by Hale’s immediate response. “Or a room that doesn’t sway.”

  “And to wake up in each other’s arms.”

  She caught her breath. That did sound…very nice.

  “I didn’t know you were married,” she said flatly.

  Her statement clearly caught him off guard. Hale sighed and frowned at her.

  “We were in law school together. Her background was not much different from mine. We both were lucky to get the chance to do better. We bonded. We were going to change the system. Do more for poor people. We fell in love. Bad reasons to fall in love.

  “She had a temper and she didn’t like to compromise. Her street creds kept getting in the way of her work and our marriage. I wanted to move beyond all that. She didn’t know how.”

  “That why you divorced?”

  He nodded. “That and other things. She told me I’d sold out. I said being a professional victim doesn’t play anymore. Adam taught me that.”

  Diane was surprised how moved she was by his story. Not that Hale’s marriage didn’t work out, but she totally related to how emotionally wrenching it was to be so wrong. It seemed that everyone she knew had had a
starter marriage. Not exactly something to be proud of, just a fact of life. It was just hard to get it right the first time.

  “Hale, I didn’t know…”

  He kissed her hard to make her shut up.

  “There’s a lot about me you don’t know. Don’t try to figure it all out tonight, okay?”

  Hale turned and went back into the bedroom. Diane followed, watching him. He didn’t seem angry so much as tired. She wanted to know about Carlyle, but he was right. Playing twenty questions was not the way to do it. Nor was it the best use of the time they had together.

  Diane went up behind him and circled him around the waist. She laid her cheek against his back. He was tense, but he covered her hands with his to hold them in place.

  “I hate that we have to go back day after tomorrow.”

  “Me, too,” he murmured. “It’s been a great holiday, Di. Because of you. And us.”

  She nodded. “I think so.”

  Hale pulled her around to stand in front of him. “Out with the old?”

  She smiled at him softly. “In with the new.”

  They slowly began to kiss, to vanquish history and childish misunderstandings. To forgive each other and forge new beginnings. They’d already made a significant head start, but Diane couldn’t help but wonder how anything would have changed if either one of them had not come to St. John for Christmas.

  Hale made swift work of removing Diane’s silk sheath. He cupped her breasts, massaging her extended nipples with his thumbs while his tongue danced with hers in a deeply erotic kiss. She was now stripped down to just a pair of black thong panties.

  Hale began to undress as Diane removed the floral spread and stretched out on the bed on her back. She lay, intently watching as Hale tossed aside the black shirt and stepped out of his slacks and shorts together. He was at full magnificent extension, boldly displayed. When she raised her gaze to meet his, his eyes seemed stormy and clouded with passion. He wanted her as much as she wanted him.

  Hale leaned forward at the end of the bed, bracing his hands and knee on the edge. He began skulking toward her, like a great cat about to ravish her. He straddled her hips, giving Diane the perfect opportunity to stroke and fondle him. He blindly searched for the lamp switch and turned off the lights, then lowered his body to lie full-length on top of her.

  Hale made no attempt to remove her pants, and Diane writhed beneath him in frustration, having to settle for his bewitching kisses, the gyration of his hips and hard penis against her groin and his hands everywhere. He rolled off to the side and, still kissing her, slid a hand beneath the flimsy band of her panties and began to rub and stroke between her legs.

  She gasped, letting out a heart-wrenching moan, and completely surrendered to his manipulations. All the while he was kissing her slowly, softly, teasingly. Diane felt invaded from top to bottom.

  There was a knock on the door.

  “Room service,” a young male voice with an island lilt announced from the other side.

  Hale continued administering to her as if he hadn’t heard. The knock came again, and the announcement.

  “H-Hale,” she panted. “The…door…”

  “What do you want?” he asked seductively. “The wine or this?”

  Diane moaned again, her hands gripping the sheets. She ignored the summons to the door and turned her face into the pillow as she was overtaken with a throbbing paroxysm of pleasure.

  Hale stared out over the spectacular vista. Even in the rain the landscape was lush and exotic. But the rain was finally slacking off and the sun was definitely breaking through. It was still early, but it was going to be another perfect day in paradise.

  He smiled at the irony of his thoughts. It had been nearly perfect. The only “but” in his mind was what to expect once everyone left St. John for home. Maybe better not to think about that at the moment. Enjoy what you have now, he kept telling himself.

  Why, when he’d already had every impossible dream realized? Why, then, did he feel like there was going to be a price to pay for his happiness?

  The door slid open behind him and then closed again. He didn’t move, but continued to stare at the muted gray colors produced by the rain. Finally, Diane stood behind him, her hands on his shoulders. She caressed them down his bare chest, leaning over to kiss the top of his head and then resting her chin there.

  Hale reached up and took one of her hands, holding on…as if he was holding on to life itself.

  “How’d you sleep?” he asked quietly.

  “Sleep? I don’t recall I got much of that.”

  “You complaining?”

  She sighed, rubbed his chest, came around to position herself across his lap. She had only a plush white towel for cover, saronged around her body after her shower. She looped her arms around his neck and grinned at him.

  “No. I’m not complaining, Hale. I was just thinking…”

  She stopped and he waited, but she only shrugged shyly and shook her head, as if what she was thinking wasn’t important. But he felt confident enough to guess what the unfinished thought was.

  It was so nice to wake up in bed together.

  Why couldn’t she say it?

  “I ordered breakfast.”

  “Oh, my God. You’re wonderful.” She sighed, kissing him briefly. “I’m starving.”

  Hale rubbed her shoulders, kissed her back. “I wonder why?”

  She giggled. There was a knock at the door for room service. He stood, gently pushed her off his lap and entered the room to answer.

  “Do you think it’s the same man from last night? Give him the empty wine bottle,” she called out.

  Breakfast was wheeled in on a service cart with a snowy-white table cloth, several covered dishes, a carafe of coffee and pitchers of ice water and guava juice. There was also a bud vase holding one bird-of-Paradise stem. By the time the service had been set up on the glass table on the terrace, the rain had stopped completely and the sun miraculously broke through a drifting cloud with sudden heat and light.

  Hale thought it best to keep breakfast conversation as general as possible. He admitted to himself that he didn’t want to explore feelings, his or hers, about what the night before had meant to them. But they did talk about their night together. For Hale, although he kept this to himself, it was as he’d always imagined but never had a hope of actually experiencing. As for Diane, he knew nothing of her expectations. He only knew for sure what he wanted. Her. Always.

  When breakfast was done they sat quietly, holding hands, totally peaceful. Hale recognized it was because they’d made an unspoken agreement to stay in the moment. It was easier this way.

  “Happy New Year,” he murmured, squeezing her hand and raising it to his lips for a kiss.

  She sighed. “No, not yet. Tomorrow will be here soon enough. Tomorrow…”

  “We go home.”

  “Yes,” she murmured, pensive.

  “Okay. How about, a very happy ending to the year?”

  “Yes, I like that,” Diane said.

  Hale turned his attention to the sea. He’d settle for that ending. For now.

  “I’m glad you came down for the holiday.”

  Diane smiled at her father as he turned her to the beat of the music. “I had a great time, Daddy. It was fun being with everyone.”

  “That include Hale?”

  She felt a swirl of some emotion in her chest, but knew it was too late to pretend she and Hale were still circling around each other like adversaries. Spending the time she had with him had been a bonus. She wasn’t going to deny it.

  “Yes, including Hale. You know, I’ve grown up. I don’t hold a grudge against him anymore.”

  “Forgive me for saying so, but you never should have in the first place. That said, I’m glad you two are getting along.”

  They maneuvered through the crowd of revelers on the dance floor of the Caneel Bay terrace restaurant. She caught a glimpse of Hale dancing with Courtney, and Simon standing and having a drink
with Katie. Her eyes searched until she found Hayden, slouched in a chair talking with his mother. Bailey was flirting with a very cute server behind the hors d’oeuvre table.

  Her father will not be amused, Diane considered, hoping Adam did not notice and take action.

  “So, my next question is,” he interrupted her thought, “what’s going on with my wife?”

  Diane missed a step, and her father smoothly led her back into the rhythm.

  “What? What are you talking about?” she asked, frowning at him.

  “That little ruse about going to see the cardiac facility at the health center didn’t wash with me. They don’t have one. If there’s more than a routine problem with heart patients on St. John they’re sent over to the Schneider Regional on St. Thomas, or maybe flown out to Puerto Rico.”

  Diane looked into her father’s face. His calm questioning belied the pointed way he was studying her, and she knew he’d catch her in any lie. That’s what parents do.

  “Well, it’s not like I really lied to you. I just didn’t tell you everything.”

  “You can tell me now.”

  “It’s okay, really. Eva was feeling uncomfortable and sort of knew it was a female thing. She wanted to talk to me about it. The fact that she hasn’t said anything to you means there was nothing to tell.”

  “Full disclosure, Diane,” he said firmly. “Tell me anyway.”

  He was not to be put off and she couldn’t blame him. It was only more proof, as if she hadn’t seen and heard enough in twenty years, of her father’s love and devotion to Eva. Diane didn’t want him to worry.

  “I took her for a sonogram. It showed Eva might have some cysts, maybe a fibroid. I told her to see her GYN when you return home. Trust me on this, Daddy. It’s not serious.”

  He listened intently and finally nodded, turning her again to the music. “Okay, if you say so.”

  “I say so. And don’t say that I told you. More than anything, Eva doesn’t want to worry you. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Adam said with a deep sigh. He looked into her eyes. “Have I told you how proud I am of you?”