Con had presented the ship’s credentials and passenger and crew passports to the harbor officials early that morning, and they were clear to go ashore. There were many things for the passengers to do on Cozumel, from extensive shopping opportunities to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and fabulous diving on the pristine reefs offshore. The Mayan ruins on the island were extensive and fascinating, as were the ruins of Tulum and Chichen Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula. He was personally looking forward to some diving and spear fishing. He would see if Barbee Baxter wanted to go along. At least that way he would know where she was and what she was up to.
* * * *
Cassie and Devon were enjoying breakfast on the top deck and were eager to start their first day in Mexico. Devon smiled widely when Sy sat down at their table. Cassie could see that her friend was very much interested in the good-looking stockbroker, or whatever he was, and she was happy for her. She was not quite as happy to see Beau join them. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Truce, remember?”
“Okay. Truce.” She had agreed to that yesterday and still thought that would be the best thing. It would only spoil their trip if she and Beau continued to snipe at one another, although she had not completely vented her spleen where Beaumont Bainbridge was concerned. The bile had been stewing inside her for fifteen years. One exchange with him was not going to make it all go away, but she was willing to try to be the bigger person, at least for the time being, provided he behaved himself.
“What are you ladies planning to do today? How about joining us for an excursion the ship has planned to some of the ruins on the island? They have arranged minivans for transportation.” Sy looked hopefully at them.
Devon jumped right in while Cassie hesitated. “That sounds great. I can’t wait to see some of the Mayan ruins. Maybe we will get an opportunity to shop for souvenirs in town later. There are tons of shops and a huge mall.”
“Okay. Mayan ruins it is, but I’d like to see some of the little shops later. We have enough malls at home.” Cassie was always interested in the handmade goods sold by the local people rather than the commercial stuff she could see anywhere, most of it made in China.
“We should be down at the tender garages by nine o’clock for the trip to the pier.” Beau smiled at her, but she didn’t smile back. She had had a day to absorb the information she had learned the previous morning about that prom night so long ago. She wasn’t ready to forgive him, but she had to acknowledge that maybe he had been just a stupid kid at the time and possibly deserved to be cut a little, and she meant miniscule, amount of slack after all this time.
* * * *
Beau knew he wanted to spend more time with Cassie now that the mystery of her intense dislike of him had been solved. He would like to be able to make it up to her if he could, even if just a little bit. He was just as interested in Cassie St. Clare now as he had been in Sandy Sinclair. And that was pretty damn interested if the action in the front of his trousers was any indication. The incident fifteen years ago had always bothered him. He knew he had not done the right thing back then, and he had broken up with the cheerleader a few months later when her demands had become more than he could handle.
Beau, Cassie, Sy, and Devon along with two other passengers loaded into the minivan for the short trip to the San Gervasio site located about eleven miles from downtown San Miguel, the main town on the island.
Cassie read the guide book provided by the ship and told the group at large, “‘The San Gervasio ruins are the largest on Isla Cozumel dating back to between 300 and 400 A.D. Although much smaller than those located on the mainland at Tulum and Chichen Itza, its archeological style appears to be modeled after the capital of the Itzas. The religious site contained several temples and statues dedicated to Ix-Chel, the goddess of fertility, medicine, midwifery, and weaving. They were connected by white stone roads. Mayan women journeyed to the site from the mainland to make sacrifices to the goddess. The site was already abandoned when it was discovered by the Spanish explorers.’ Hmmm. I wonder what benefits we would get if we sacrificed you guys.”
“Very uncharitable, Cassie. Would you really rip my heart out on the top of a Mayan temple?”
“Do not tempt me, Bainbridge.” Her harsh reply was tempered with a slight smile for his benefit, but still he wasn’t sure she didn’t mean every word. Women could be downright scary sometimes. If anyone looked like a fertility goddess, it was Cassie in the theme room the other night. The navy-blue shorts and white shirt she now wore with leather sandals looked crisp and comfortable. Her hair, tamed into the French braid he remembered, caught the rays of the sun in the golden strands. The big, dark designer sunglasses she wore hid the expression in her eyes, so he wasn’t sure what she was thinking.
When their vehicle pulled up to the parking area outside the archeological site, they all piled out. Beau extended his hand to Cassie to help her from the van, and while she hesitated for a moment, she finally put her hand in his and stepped down. He could see her delight in the ruins as she scampered up the path toward the largest temple building, snapping pictures with her cell phone as she went. She turned around quickly and snapped a picture of Beau and then Sy and Devon.
Beau was amazed by the state of preservation of the stone temples and outbuildings carved out of the jungle setting. It was beautiful. After about forty-five minutes of wandering the site, they climbed back into the minivan and headed toward El Cedral.
Cassie continued her guide book commentary. “‘El Cedral is one of the oldest Mayan sites on Cozumel, located in the southern central part of the island and dating back to 800 A.D. It was once the capital of Cozumel. The Spanish discovered it in 1518 and tore down much of the temple. More was destroyed to make way for the island’s first airport during World War II.’” The El Cedral site was much smaller than the San Gervasio site, but interesting nonetheless.
Beau was wondering how he could corral Cassie for an entire day. “I’d like to see the ruins at Chichen Itza and Tulum. They are supposed to be spectacular, but I think it’s really too far to visit from Cozumel in the short amount of time we have. How would you guys feel about some reef diving or snorkeling at Pez Maya and the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve on the Yucatan? We could get some food from the galley, rent a boat and some dive gear, and spend the whole day.”
“Aren’t there some great reefs right off of Cozumel?” Cassie didn’t look like she was too keen on spending a whole day away from the ship with him. That was disappointing. He had hoped she might be softening just a bit, but maybe that was too much to hope for so soon after their revelations.
“Yes, but the Sian Ka’an Biosphere is special. It’s over a million acres of protected coastal wetlands that are a breeding ground for all kinds of wildlife including water birds, sea turtles, manatees, and crocodiles. There’s a sixty-four acre preserve called Pez Maya that is now owned by The Nature Conservancy. It used to be a very upscale private resort. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System is one of the world’s most pristine coral barrier reefs—the second largest in the world. It runs from Isla Contoy on the north of the Yucatan Peninsula through Belize and Guatemala to the Bay Islands of Honduras.”
After some discussion, it was agreed that they would make the voyage to the Yucatan the following day. Beau was relieved that Cassie hadn’t put up too much resistance to the idea. Maybe he was making some progress with her after all. He didn’t know why, but she was important to him, maybe even more so than she had been before he knew who she was. He also had to admit that he really wanted to get her back into bed at the earliest opportunity if at all possible. He wasn’t sure he would be able to accomplish that goal given what he had learned about her real identity, but he was going to give it a good try.
When they returned to San Miguel that afternoon, they split up. The girls headed for the shopping areas, and the guys headed for Carlos & Charlie’s Bar for some Mexican cerveza and nachos.
* * * *
Beau had made arran
gements for a dive boat and equipment to be ready the following morning with the help of Casey Campbell, the ship’s purser. At six o’clock, the four took a tender from the ship to the dock in San Miguel. It wasn’t quite light yet. The GPS on the forty-two foot Yellow Fin had been programmed with the coordinates for the dive spot, so they took off for the Yucatan coast and Pez Maya. The sun was up when they reached the Pez Maya reserve and anchored offshore near one of the coral reefs, being very careful to avoid touching the living coral. The sun was sparkling off the beautiful blue water. Cassie’s golden blonde mane had been loosened from her braid by the whipping of the wind as they made their way across the channel from Cozumel to the peninsula in the open boat. It was cool in the early morning air, and Cassie was bundled into a loose white sweatshirt over her bikini. They enjoyed cups of strong, black coffee and pastries from the ship’s galley as Beau and Sy checked the scuba equipment carefully before helping the girls into their BC vests, weight belts, flippers, and masks. Then they assisted them in donning the heavy air tanks.
As Sy and Beau got into their own equipment, adding sharp dive knives and a spear gun, Beau said, “Are you girls certified? I probably should have asked that before. If not, we have snorkels. The water here isn’t too deep.”
Cassie smiled. “Both of us are PADI open water certified. And you?”
“I’m a PADI advanced diver, and Sy is open water certified, so we’re good. There is some excellent cave diving available on the Yucatan as well. I checked that out a couple of years ago on my forty-eight-foot sailboat, the Barefoot,” Beau responded. “I actually dived in one of the cenotes or black sacrificial holes while I was here. It was incredible. There were human skulls and pottery just lying on the bottom. Of course, I didn’t disturb any of the archeological stuff.” He looked sad for a moment. “I sold the Barefoot last year and joined a sailing club. I really didn’t have the time to enjoy her. Work has gotten a little crazy. I really miss her though, which is part of the reason I booked this cruise.”
* * * *
The four of them flipped backward over the side of the boat into the cool and protected waters over the reef and swam down. The reef, only about thirty feet below the surface at that point, was a panorama before them. Cassie’s eyes opened wide inside her mask when the wondrous vista of the bright and beautiful colors of the coral lit by dappled sunlight assaulted her. The sight was amazing. She had done a lot of diving, but had never seen water this beautiful or as full of amazing, colorful fish. She caught sight of a cruising barracuda out of the corner of her eye, and she instinctively swam a little closer to Beau. He had the spear gun after all. Surely that was the only reason she had immediately moved near him. Well, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
They weren’t deep enough to have to worry about dive time, but after about an hour of exploring the reef, Beau made the thumbs-up signal and they all swam to the side of the Yellow Fin, and one by one they clambered up onto the dive platform and into the boat.
After dropping their scuba equipment, Cassie said, “I have to say, Beau, even though I wasn’t sure about this trip that was just amazing.” She thought she probably had a dazed look on her face. “I’ve dived in the Keys and the Bahamas, but I’ve never seen anything this beautiful and unspoiled. Thanks for bringing us out here.” She was a little fatigued but excited by all she’d seen.
Devon was eating a cookie at the same time Sy was wrapping a huge Golden Dolphin beach towel around her shoulders. She nodded her head. “It really was amazing.” They had expended some serious energy under water, and Devon looked tired. “I think I could use a breather.”
“Why don’t we move the boat down the reef and a bit closer to the beach? We can wade ashore with lunch and lay out some blankets in a shady spot on the sand and just relax for a while.”
Beau had a gleam in his eye that made Cassie wonder what he had up his sleeve. Oh, that was right. He didn’t have any sleeves. Maybe down his swim trunks? She grinned to herself. Mr. Bainbridge was in for a surprise if he thought she was that easy. She wasn’t sure she wanted to go down that road with him again. Well, maybe a little way down the road. Maybe around the bend and over the hill. Who was she kidding? He made her knees weak, and her heart beat faster just looking at him. In nothing but his swim trunks with his glorious tanned chest and sculpted muscular arms on full display, he was a sight to behold—and she wouldn’t mind to be holding him. She giggled. When he looked her way, she gulped her laugh down and tried to look unaffected. She wasn’t sure she had succeeded, but she gave it the old college try anyway.
* * * *
Beau would give a lot to be able to read that woman’s mind. With her sunglasses perched on top of her head, she had a gleam in her eyes that could either be good for his cause—or not. He had no idea. When they had laid out the food and towels they had brought ashore from the boat, he said, “Let’s take a walk up the beach.” He threw a towel over his shoulder, grabbed two cans of soda, and took her hand as he headed for the point that jutted out into the water. Once they were around the point, they were out of sight of Devon and Sy. A little privacy was a good thing.
When Beau found a secluded spot on the lagoon under the lacy fronds of a cluster of coconut palms, he spread the towel down on the sand. He turned to Cassie. “Care to join me, my lady?” He popped the tops on the two cans of soda and handed her one. He took a deep swallow, and then he grinned as he dropped down on the big towel and stretched out. He knew he had left her no choice but to join him, stand there, or lay down right on the sand. He hoped she didn’t choose that option. The sand fleas, no-see-ems, and chiggers could be vicious, and he would hate to see her beautiful satin skin marred by bug bites. “Come on, babe. Don’t be stubborn.”
“I’m not stubborn. I’m just cautious.”
He could see the doubt in her eyes. “We won’t do anything you don’t want to do. Surely you know that about me by now.” He hoped she did anyway. He lived by the BDSM creed of “safe, sane, and consensual.” Actually, it applied to a lot more in life than just sex.
She laid down next to him, put one of her arms over her eyes, and sighed. “This is heaven. Thanks again. I really enjoyed the reef this morning. Those clown fish were amazing.”
“I can see you’re tired. Let’s rest a while, and then we can swim in the lagoon before we go back and join Devon and Sy for lunch.”
“That sounds good,” she said as her voice started to fade, and in a minute he could see that she was asleep.
That gave him the opportunity to just stare at her. God, she was more beautiful than she had been as a teenager. Her body had filled out in all the right places, and the bones of her face were more defined. She had lost that softness of youth, and it had been replaced by stunning beauty. She had arched blonde eyebrows that had not been plucked to a thin line but left natural. They enhanced the clear turquoise-blue eyes framed by thick, gold-tipped blonde eyelashes that had always floored him. She had high cheekbones, a straight nose, and full, soft, rosy lips that drove him crazy. He reached over and loosened her braid. Her mass of crazy, blonde corkscrew curls opened like a blossom around her shoulders. He had never seen her hair like this before the cruise. She had worn it straight back then or pulled back into a braid. It was magnificent. He gently ran his hands through the curls, feeling the silky softness against his rough skin. He wanted this woman, and not just for today, or tomorrow, or next week. He thought he might want her forever. What kind of sense did that make? He hadn’t seen her in fifteen years, had only spent a few days with her, but some things were just rooted in the gut…and the heart.
He couldn’t believe she’d never been married. The men in Savannah had to be idiots. But the more he thought about it, he began to realize that it was her, not the men of Savannah. That was pure animal instinct. No intelligence was required to spot such a stunning woman and try to corral her for oneself. He wondered if her reticence could be laid at his door. Had what he’d done to her all those years ago made her so
cautious that she just naturally shied away from relationships? He needed to know more, and he planned to find out. He thought he might have more to answer for than he had originally thought, much more.
When she rolled over and snuggled up against his chest, his heart began to beat in double time. He didn’t understand exactly what he was feeling for Cassie, but he knew it was something he had never felt before, and something he wanted to understand—needed to understand. Maybe God or the Universe was giving him a second chance here, and he didn’t want to mess it up—again. They might not have ever been more than friends in their younger years. They had both been too young then.
Who knew what would have happened if he had told Samantha to shove her demands, screw herself, and gone to Savannah for Cassie’s prom instead of buckling under to her sexual blackmail and demands. He knew he at least would not have felt like a total shit about it for fifteen freaking years. No, he hadn’t thought about it constantly. He had gotten on with his life, finished his bachelor’s degree, and then gotten his master’s at Emory in Business Administration and a second one in International Finance. But when he had remembered her and that night from time to time, he’d felt like a total asshole. He wondered why she had not been able to get over it. He couldn’t believe the damage he had done.
Cassandra's Revenge [Golden Dolphin 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 10
