Anonymity (15 page)

New year, new me.

* * *

"This has been the best day."
Alyssa hugged her knees to her chest on the chaise lounge, a plastic cup filled with Rosie's special concoction dangling from her fingertips, and blonde hair blowing back from her face in the steady ocean breeze.

He settled in behind her and leaned all the way back. "Sharks aren't so bad, are they?"

She looked over her shoulder at him and arched an eyebrow. "I'm rather fond of them, actually."

"What exactly is an art curator anyway? Wasn't Indiana Jones some kind of—"

"No, he was an archeologist or anthropologist or something with an 'ist'. I'm nothing like Indiana Jones."

He smiled, enjoying teasing her. "I'm not so sure. I saw you
wielding that axe the other day...and then today you were bonding with nurse sharks. Maybe I'll call you Indy."

"You're ridiculous." She looked away from him and sipped her drink.

He sat up and brushed his hands over her bare arms. "We have three more days. Do you think it can get any better than this?"

She laughed without looking at him. "Finally! Now that's the kind of question you need to ask the Universe. Can it get any better than this? Oh, hell ya."

He smiled against her shoulder. For a self-proclaimed cynic, he was starting to believe her theory.

Boats loaded with fireworks were setting out near the reef.
People lined the beach, some on towels, others on chairs like they were.

"Say what you want, but I know true love when I see it." Savannah appeared with her crutches and big smile. She sat down next to them and looked at the bonfire. "
Thanks for today, Luke. That was much needed by all of us. It was good."

Bill appeared—as usual—two steps behind her carrying drinks.

"You all leave in the morning?" Alyssa asked.

"Six AM flight," Savannah said.

"We had an idea, not sure how you two will feel about it, but we think it would be fun to make this an annual trip, sort of like a Lamanai Twelve reunion every New Year's Eve." Bill sat cross-legged on the beach, barely recognizable now that he'd shaved off his beard. "I know Savannah has Alyssa's contact information so...we'll stay in touch."

He swallowed hard at the idea that she'd shared her personal details with everyone except the man she was currently sleeping with. Shrugging it off, he sighed.

Alyssa looked at him and caught her lower lip between her teeth. Firelight illuminated her skin and hair, making her look almost ethereal. "What do you think?"

The optimist that struggled to survive within him thought, 'hell, yes'! The cynic, however, reminded him of all that could happen in a person's life within a year.

"I think the idea of a rendezvous sounds great," he said. "We should do it. Next year, same time, same place, no snake bites."

Savannah
raised a glass of Rosie's special drink in a toast. "Here's to the Lamanai Twelve, may the New Year be filled with adventure, love, and no snake bites!"

They all clicked their plastic cups together and laughed at the idea of a reunion, even though he doubted it w
ould ever happen. Real life often interfered with the best of intentions.

When the fire works started, he leaned back on the chair with Alyssa on his lap, new friends ooing and ahhing at his side, and a bonfire snapping on white sand. He couldn't remember ever feeling so content.

"Happy New Year, Luke." She turned, her palm against his chest and smiled. "Best. New Year's Eve. Ever."

"Happy New Year, Aly.
" He curled a strand of her hair around his finger and poured all of his heart into their kiss.

* * *

Chapter Twelve

She stared at the buoy with
trepidation. Okay, so maybe a week of mind-blowing sex could convince her to do anything. She'd admit that now that she was a mile off shore in a kayak.

Who'd known she could kayak? It was official.
She had lost her mind and didn't miss it at all.

A series of white buoys lined the reef at random intervals so boats could tie to them. Aside from that, it was just wide-open ocean. Her arms shook from the physical exertion on the paddles, but she'd never felt more alive.

"Tell me again why this is a good idea," she said.

He flashed her his infamous smile while securing their boats to the buoy.

She looked over the edge into the turquoise water. "I suppose there are reef sharks."

"Scared?"

"Nope." This new version of Alyssa McNeil could bluff; maybe she'd book a trip to Vegas. Snorkel mask on top of her head and fins on her feet, she slid into the water next to him.

He pulled her close, their legs tangling in the water, bodies sliding together with the motion of the ocean, and kissed slowly.

"Don't worry. I have your back," he said before moving her mask over her eyes and winking from behind his own.

Intense affection
tugged inside her heart when he carefully put the snorkel mask over her eyes, held her hand, and guided her away from the boats. She swam with him, watching him point out an eel, all the while keeping her close.

She'd brought the engagement ring with her and intended on leaving it here on the reef.
A new year had begun. Time to let the past go.

She watched Luke's long, hard body as he free-dived to the bottom and scooped up a shell. The fact that he could hold his breath so long fascinated her.

The ocean current lifted and moved her body. Bright orange fish darted in and out of the reef. Barracudas hovered at a safe distance with their creepy smiles and silver bodies.

When he kicked to the surface with something in
his hand, she lifted her head and pulled the snorkel out of her mouth.

"What'd you find now?" she asked when his head popped up.

"More treasure." He lifted up a gold necklace with a diamond encrusted palm tree dangling from it.

"You did
not
find that down there." She snagged it from his hands, knowing full well that he'd planned this, too.

"I don't want you to forget me. Now you won't." He swam behind her and slipped the necklace around her neck. Their legs tangled together as they treaded water.

She touched her finger to the palm tree as it slid against her skin and fought back tears. This was their final day together and everything felt bittersweet. She wouldn't need a necklace to remember him; he'd already etched himself on her heart and in her mind.

"It's beautiful," she said.

"Not as beautiful as you."

"I swear, everything you say sounds like a
pick-up line."

"You've said that to me a few times now. I think you kinda like it." He kissed the back of her neck before slipping back beneath the water like some sexy Merman.

Still treading water, she reached onto her finger where she'd put on her former engagement ring this morning and yanked it off. Looking out toward the endless blue on the other side of the reef, she tossed it as far as she could.

It felt good. Freeing.

Pulling the snorkel back into her mouth, she shoved her face in the water and sought out Luke who was once again on the bottom lifting up shells. She made eye contact with one of the ever-watchful barracudas and winked.

She liked this new version of herself...who maybe wasn't new at all. She'd begun to think she'd always been like this,
but had forgotten somewhere along the way.

She kicked along the reef, doing her own exploring, with her new pal the barracuda following closely. When Luke snagged her hand and led her toward the tied kayaks, she wished she hadn't tried to
act so cool with her proposition of anonymity.

* * *

He could look at her forever, wished he could indulge in doing that exact thing. He ran his hands over his naked back before sliding them around to cup her breasts as the shower washed the salt water from their bodies.

Last day. That's all he'd been thinking since he woke up this morning.
He had the first flight off the island tomorrow, their bags were already partially packed, and time wasn't slowing down.

Neither had spoken about it being their final day together. Sometimes words simply got in the way.

He trailed kisses down the back of her neck. She flattened her hands against the tile and surrendered to his touch. One hand on her breast, he moved the other to between her thighs. With every touch, he felt as if he were memorizing her body.

She turned within the circle of his arms, her hands sliding up his thighs and moving over his erection. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you, too."

"I hate admitting that." She kissed the center of his chest, hands working magic on his hard-on.

"Aly..." He wanted to break their deal, find out everything he could, plan on meeting once a month somewhere...but stopped himself because reality simply didn't work that way. Closing his eyes, he dropped his forehead against hers. He felt physical pain at the thought of never seeing her again.

"Why did I have to meet the
best
man so far from home?" she asked against his shoulder.

"That's the problem...it's all an illusion. I'm not this guy."

"I think you are."

"If that's true," he dragged his mouth up her neck to claim her lips, "take a chance on me."

He grabbed her thighs
, lifted her up, pressed her against the tile, and thrust inside her. He reveled in the feel of her mouth on his skin, her nails sinking into his back, her thighs wrapped around his hips.

"You're the closest thing to love I've ever felt," he whispered against her ear.

"Not fair," she said with tears slipping from her eyes. "Don't say that to me, it's not real."

An orgasm ripped him to shreds
as he kissed her to silent her words. He didn't know what exactly this was, but it was definitely
real
. Panic about running out of time pushed him to say what he needed to say, to hell with the consequences. But right now he didn't want to hear her denial.

Her body shuddered; her hands clung to his shoulders.

"Why can't it be real?" He gasped, staring into her shimmering eyes.

"
You're ruining everything." She untangled herself from him and stumbled from the shower.

Dazed from the orgasm, he shut off the shower, stepped out for a towel, and shoved hands through his hair. He needed to finish what he'd started. No going back now.

"I want complicated." He couldn't believe his own words so understood her look of disbelief as she wrapped a sarong around her wet body.

"We weren't supposed to fall in love," she said. "My plan was simple, don't you see? Uncomplicated fun, that's us. Temporary. Why can't you stick to the plan?"

"My name is Luke Picket and, up until six days ago, I thought—"

"Stop." She held her hands over her ears and turned her back on him. "Long distance doesn't work, you an
d I both know it. We've had fun, but that's it. Just stop."

She
bolted for the door, soap running down the side of her face.

"You're being ridiculous, Alyssa." He followed her onto the sand, still wrapped only in a towel. "We need to talk about this
. I know you feel the same way."

She spun around and looked at him, hands on her hips and
tears on her face. "You're fresh off a week of mind-blowing sex and a near death experience. You have no idea what you're talking about. Shut. Up!"

A mother with two small children gaped at
them as they walked past the cabanas toward the pool.

"I'm too practical for that, at least that's what people tell me. I know exactly what I'm saying and what I'm doing."

"We had the perfect day." She shrugged and looked away. "It's all been perfect and now this. I can't do it, Luke. I did a lot of things this week that I didn't think I'd ever do, but this," she motioned between them without meeting his gaze, "I don't have it in me."

He saw fear on her face and hated that he'd put it there. He shook his head and sighed. They'd had an agreement, one he'd readily and eagerly accepted,
but he'd broken his part of the deal.

"So this is it? This is where we end?"
He couldn't believe her reaction. What he'd said to her, he'd never come close to saying to another woman.

But maybe she was right. This had all been a fantasy, play time, as far from real life as they could get. That
's why it was called a vacation. They'd vacated reality for a time and now it was over. He'd been an idiot to let it go too far.

"This is it. The end."
Chest heaving in the thin sarong, face flushed with satisfaction, and eyes full of tears, she looked heartbreaking.

He held up his hands in mock surrender and stepped backward toward his cabana. "Fine. This was always your story and I w
as just a bit player, wasn't I?"