Awake in Cheshire Bay

by H. M. Shander

  I turned and smiled up into Antonio’s face. “I was the lucky one to have someone so interested in hearing about my hometown and who let me go on and on.”

  Sorcha lifted a lone hard-shell suitcase with the Swiss Army logo on it. “We brought the luggage.”

  “What happened?” I was curious to hear the facts as it would be easier to put to rest the rumours I would no doubt hear in the bar.

  “We got a lightning strike, which normally doesn’t do anything, but this time, it fried our system. She’s all lifted and towed off the runway. We have a crew coming in early tomorrow morning to repair, priority one.” The Captain looked over at Antonio as he spoke. “Should be an overnight stay tops, although we can make the call to get you to Victoria and over to Seattle for your meeting. It would be my top priority and utmost pleasure, sir.”

  Antonio spoke his in foreign tongue, and I could only guess at what he was saying. Whatever it was, the stern tones weren’t meant for my ears or for me to understand. Until the words Sheshire Bay rolled out, I didn’t even figure it was anything about me.

  The Captain cleared his throat and straightened himself out. “If you are sure, Mr. Welsh? We can have you back on the mainland in a few short hours.”

  “I good.” He faced me and pointed to his jacket.

  “Oh, sorry.” I removed the warmth, shivering as the cold air rushed underneath the weight of the jacket.

  “Need keys.” He dug through the outside pocket and passed two over. “Give me moment.”

  He grabbed his suitcase and after scanning the key number, searched for the flight of stairs. In a heartbeat, he disappeared.

  “Is he always like this?” I laughed, hoping to break the ice.

  Neither spoke. Oh great, these two were as closed up as he was, and they were all on the same side too since they all spoke whatever language it was effortlessly. The Captain broke away and stepped off to the side, typing feverishly on his phone.

  Trying another tactic, I glanced around, avoiding the harsh glare from the first officer. “Have you eaten yet?”

  “No,” the first officer spoke but she avoided eye contact with me.

  Even from the side of my eyes, Ms. Sorcha Browne continued her roaming assessment of me. I’ve had less invasive visits from my doctor.

  “There’s a place up the road.” I pointed back up the hill just to hammer home my suggestion. “The Grill. It’s pretty decent western food. We had dinner there not too long ago. If you prefer something more ethnic, there’s a great sushi place near the entrance to town.”

  “Thank you, I appreciate the recommendation.” The inflections in her voice said otherwise.

  Sorcha was beautiful, the kind of lady I could picture Antonio having a relationship with. They were both about the same age and there was a confidence to Sorcha I found myself envious of, that and she had the most gorgeous auburn hair in a nice braid.

  In trying to keep my ambassador persona close, I spewed out a few tourist highlights, but they fell on deaf ears, just hard glares.

  “I’ll retire for the night and keep my eyes on things.” She tipped her head to the side and locked her hands behind her back, thrusting her chest out. “Tomorrow is a busy day. Mr. Welsh must be out of here before morning. This stayover is not productive.”

  I inhaled sharply and scanned the upper level, hoping Antonio would appear. Clearly these two were more than just his captain and pilot, but what else were they to him? Family, maybe? Perhaps Sorcha stared because she was a former lover? I wasn’t sure what her motives were, but I wasn’t about to ask either.

  “Come hell or high water, he’s lea–”

  Antonio’s heels clipped the wooden stairs, and all conversation came to a dead stop. At least between Sorcha and myself. As Antonio marched toward the three of us, he spoke rapidly and with a near angry tone as he spoke in his native language. It was quick though and ended with his crew stepping back, nodding, and plastering on a weak smile.

  I blinked and swallowed, unsure of what just happened.

  “Want to show off the bay?” Without another glance to his crew, he lifted his hand to me, palm side up.

  Curious, and without thinking, I threw a quick glance to the flight crew who quickly averted their gaze. “Ah, sure.”

  Silently, we descended the sidewalk to the start of the bay. It wasn’t until I could feel we were out of view before I let go of my breath. A thought crossed my mind, maybe they were more than just a flight crew, maybe they were bodyguards? Afterall, my mystery guest didn’t have an air of a normal person, he carried himself like he was borderline royalty.

  He stepped off the sidewalk and onto the sparse grass that eventually thinned and faded as the sand terrain gave beneath our feet.

  “Wait.” I shifted and removed my shoes and socks, rolling up the bottom of the pants. “I love the way the sand feels.”

  He stared as if assessing his options while he rubbed his chin. “Me also.”

  “Trying to experience everything we have to offer?” Our beaches were known to be top grade.

  “I want to see it all.” There was a smirk on the edge of his lips and a glint in his eye, which sent my heart soaring.

  My breath caught in my throat, and I shook my head to clear the mini fog. “Tell you what – we’ll watch the sunset tonight.” I looked toward the horizon. The sun was low in the sky but with the incoming clouds it wouldn’t be anything spectacular. “And in the morning, I’ll ring your motel room and show you a sunrise so you can tell me which, as a guest, you think is the most stunning.”

  Hopefully, he was still here. The way Sorcha phrased things, it was of utmost importance he be gone by then.

  “This idea I like.”

  We walked along the sandy beach, and I dug my toes into the welcoming coolness. It had been too long since I’d been on a beach barefooted, and a satisfied sigh escaped me. I set my shoes and socks on a large fallen tree acting as a permanent bench.

  “Want to dip your toes into the Pacific Ocean?”

  He nodded and paced behind me.

  “I’m warning you, it’ll be cool, as in slap you awake cold. But it’s so refreshing.”

  “Show me.”

  There was only two ways to enter the ocean – slowly and cautiously, inching in a section at a time to allow yourself to get used to it, or to just splash in, throwing caution to the wind. Antonio seemed like the first kind, so I let a smug smile cross my face and ran into the ocean, splashing as hard as I could, relishing the cool salt-water soaking into my pants. But for once in my life, I didn’t care. It was fabulously fun.

  I glanced back to the shore.

  Antonio stood on the edge where the ocean kisses the sand, just the tips of his toes touching. He shivered but a smile bubbled out of him. “That cold.”

  I splashed back over; sure Mr. Welsh had another pair of pants he’d be able to change into. I kicked a little water at his ankles and his eyes lit up with a wildness that was exciting to see. I kicked again and took off in a sprint, water jumping out of the way as I ran.

  But I wasn’t alone, at least not for long. Antonio was splashing behind me. I turned, not expecting him to be right there, and we collided. He fumbled to catch me as we both tumbled into the water.

  I started laughing, despite the shocking cold to tear through my body. My clothes were soaked right through and my skin was covered in goosebumps, but I hadn’t recalled a time I felt happier and freer. It had been a long while.

  Antonio rolled off me and laid defeated in the sand and water. Even sopping wet, he was sexy, and his expensive shirt was soaked like a sponge and plastered to his skin, the outline of defined abs evident and on full display.

  I took a look down at my own body - my shirt was stuck to me and the outline of the intricate lace detailing on my bra stood out. Embarrassed but resigned, I gazed over at Antonio, who wasn’t looking at my chest, he was scanning my face.

  He turned and lifted himself over me, his eyes dancing with delight. Slowly
he lowered his head, and with the softest of touches, he brushed his lips against mine. I pulled my head up and pushed into the kiss, the chill leaving my body the longer we stayed connected. His kisses were powerful, rendering me perfectly helpless to ever wanting them to stop.

  Finally, breathlessly, he stopped. I stopped. Our connection was broken.

  He pushed himself off me and sat in the water, and I rolled to a sitting position beside him as we stared out across the endless Pacific where the sun caressed the horizon with its own tender, yet penetrating kiss. The sky was partly cloudy, and not of the good variety. The clouds were too far away to make the sunset spectacular as they hid the faintly seen soft colours of twilight.

  “Oh, the sunset.” I leaned against him, shivering from the unexpected swim in the ocean.

  Antonio wrapped an arm around and pulled me close, his chest surprisingly warm. “We go.”

  “No, not until it’s done.” I tipped my chin towards the dipping sun. “You’ll need to be able to compare.”

  He obliged my weak request and took in the full sunset, which sadly, never lasted very long. Once the bottom of the disc kissed the horizon, the whole show was over in less than three minutes. And because the sky was littered with clouds, the spectacle wasn’t all that amazing. On the spectrum of zero to ten, it was pretty awful. I’d seen much better, but I hadn’t ever watched one sitting in my clothes while soaking in the ocean. So that was a first.

  “Sunset, nice.” Antonio gave me a meh sign with his hand.

  “Yeah, it wasn’t the best I’ve ever seen. Rather disappointing.”

  I pushed up onto my feet and became a quivering, dripping mess. So was Antonio but at least he had the decency to look sexy with his hair finger-brushed off his forehead and his clothes hiding very little to the imagination. I, however, looked like a drowned rat and my hair was clumped in unattractive strands. I pulled my wet shirt away from my chest and shivered as the cool ocean air breezed over me causing a whole new set of goosebumps to reform. Thank goodness the truck had vinyl seats and a good heater.

  The walk to pick up our shoes was long and silent, even though we were walking hand in hand. The whole way back, I kept questioning if he had really meant to kiss me, or was he swept up in the moment? Every couple of steps I’d check from the corner of my eye to see if he was looking at me, but he wasn’t. He was laser focused on the tree where our dry belongings sat.

  My shoes and socks hung from my fingertips as I stood on the sidewalk contemplating my choices. Get the shoes wet and walk without fear of impaling my feet on a stray jagged rock, or walk barefoot, slowly, and mad dash to my truck once I was on the pavement. Antonio wasn’t racing to slip into his fancy wingtips either.

  “No shoes?”

  “I right there.”

  Yeah, his temporary lodgings were fifty feet away.

  “Well…” I was torn on what to do. Going home was the only sensible option, but that wasn’t what I wanted to do. Weird how I spent a couple of hours with a strange guy and yet, somehow, felt comfortable enough to share more personal tidbits about myself than I had with some of my closest friends. How did I walk away from that?

  My heart pounded relentlessly, and my fingers tingled. Gripping my belongings tighter, I tried my best to be calm and professional. “Thank you for the evening. I had a great time.”

  “Me also.”

  I stood close, shaking like a leaf on a windy day. He unhooked the jacket dangling from his fingertips and went to wrap it around me. I pushed his hand away. “My truck is there, and I’ll warm up.”

  “Don’t go. Stay.” He bent down and reached for my hand. There was so much hope in his eyes, it was hard to be sensible and say no.

  “I can’t.” The words were out before I was able to comprehend, but the sadness covering his features was like a picture of a thousand words. “I want to, really Antonio, but I shouldn’t.” And if I didn’t leave now, I might not ever. “Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow?” I wasn’t working until the afternoon. “We could do breakfast before you leave.”

  “Yes, breck fest.”

  How I loved the way he spoke, but for my self-respect, I had to leave. I stepped back, pebbles pushing against the soles of my feet, and let go of his hand. Slowly, when there was distance between us, I pulled into myself and painfully crossed the road to my truck. My hand on the door handle, I checked on Antonio. His head was lowered, and he was climbing the rickety stairs.

  What was wrong with me? Here was my chance to live a little, to break out of my everyday rut, to be with someone new and exciting, and what was I doing? Crawling into my truck and leaving what was arguably the most fun I’ve had in a long time behind.

  Screw it. That person could wait. I needed the excitement. I needed something fun and different. I hopped out, sidestepping another rock.

  “Antonio, wait!”

  Chapter Six

  I climbed the stairs, staring into his eyes as I stepped one higher than him, so we were standing level.

  “You stay?” The dark blue eyes danced between mine, searching out the truth.

  “I’ll stay.” My heart was pounding wildly, but it felt like the right decision.

  To go home would’ve been a mistake of epic proportions, and I’ve made enough of those in my lifetime. Here was my chance to break free of my little world. Besides, it would all be over in the morning, and I’d be left with a wonderful memory.

  He closed the gap between us, and wrapped his arm around my waist, merging our soaked bodies, yet somehow, surprisingly, he was still warm. My breasts flattened against him and my chest heaved as I stared into his eyes, and let my gaze float down to his sweet, kissable lips.

  He did not disappoint, and the moment our mouths touched, electricity flowed through my body, joining us together in a kiss that could end wars. He lifted me, setting me on the landing. The strong hands caressed my back, and with his powerful, yet sensual kisses, he could’ve easily had his way with me. My body was on fire, my knees were weak, and I’d found a set of lips I enjoyed kissing and would continue to for the rest of his impromptu stay.

  Until the morning sun.

  “Go,” he urged, and he nudged to his room a few doors down.

  I grasped the hand railing to right myself, and stepped off to the side, allowing him to come up beside me.

  For a heartbeat, I froze.

  What the hell was I doing? I was following a stranger to his motel room. A stranger.

  And yet, no warning bells had been set off, my intuition locked on the grace and charm of this guy, seeing only what? What was I feeling? I searched deeper. Something whispered he was okay. It was just one night. I could be that person. I had nothing to lose.

  Stepping forward, my body made the decision my mind was slowly getting around to make.

  Together we walked to his room where he inserted the key and entered his 3.2 star rated room. The Hilton’s worst room would rank higher, but at least there was a clean bed and a dresser with a tv on it, unlikely to get the good channels judging by the rabbit ears above. I should’ve let him stay over to my place.

  Oh, what would my friends have thought if they knew?

  He closed and locked the door, pulling the rusty-coloured curtains across the window, sealing off the limited ocean view, only because anyone could walk by and easily see in. Motels offered little privacy in that regard. On the lone chair, he draped his coat and set his shoes and socks beside it.

  He sat on the bed, and unbuttoned the second from the top button, and then the third, all the while taking me in. “Come.”

  He beckoned with his finger, and my heart jumped another notch as my feet led me over to stand between his legs. A lingering finger trailed over my cheek and pushed a wet ringlet of hair away. “You are very beautiful woman.”

  I certainly didn’t feel it at the moment, and beautiful wouldn’t be the word either as I’d stolen a quick glance at myself while at my truck. I was a cold, shivering mess with my darkened hair plastered on e
ither side of my face, but I couldn’t deny how incredible he was. “You are so handsome.”

  One-night stands weren’t my thing. Not since becoming a grown up at least. However, I knew this was all this night was going to be. After the sun rose, I’d never see the likes of Antonio again. I could do this. I could give myself to him, right?

  With my trembling hand, I cupped his whiskery cheek, and he covered it with his own, pulling it away to plant a kiss in my palm. He lowered my hand and placed it on his muscular chest, the steady beat of an excited heart pumping beneath my fingertips. Lifting his hand, I kissed his fingers and, with trepidation and hesitation, placed them over my covered and damp chest, hoping he would feel my own racing pulse.

  “Scared?”

  I looked deep into his eyes and held my breath - it wasn’t fear, it was something else. Like apprehension and the sensation of things moving too quickly, and yet, on the flip side, of things moving in slow-motion. Sex had been off the table for quite some time. Days, that turned to weeks, which turned to months until eventually… Too much time had passed. Not since I’d fallen in with the wrong guy who’d done a number on me emotional, physically, and mentality. I hadn’t been ready to even think about men once I threw myself into my business. Until this tall chap walked into my pub.

  “Ember?” His soft voice cut through the haze and fog, and he removed his hand from my body and linked his fingers through my trembling ones.

  My throat was dry, my limbs tingled, and I had enough adrenaline coursing through my system to run a marathon but still, I shook my head. To prove I was okay, and to convince myself, I started undoing my own buttons down the front of my shirt. I searched the depths of his eyes where I was rewarded with a grin warm enough to melt my heart.

  I could do this. I could be this carefree woman.

  He pushed the wet clothes over my shoulders, kissing across my collar bone.

  Responding, I tipped my head back and inched closer, locking my hands around his neck to stop them from shaking. It had been too long since I’d been a willing participant in the love games. I wanted him, I just needed to get beyond the overthinking part and let my emotions take over.