CRUISE TO ROMANCE (20 page)

“How in the world . . .” the
Captain began.

“Whoever did this must have
thought the tastes of the spices and hot sauce would blend with the rum.” 
Jennifer felt confused.  “Who would be clever enough to disguise the hot sauce
with the rum?  Why?  Why would anyone want to ruin such a nice dinner?”

“Why, indeed!”  The Captain stood
and motioned to the maître d’ before bowing slightly to Jennifer.  “Ladies,
have a good evening.  I will get back to you on this sometime tomorrow.  Right
now, it’s time for me to visit the galley.”

“Don’t worry, Jenn,” Helga told
her as they rose from the table.  “Everything’s going to work out fine.”

“No.  It’s not,” Jennifer
insisted.  “Ryan is going to hate me.”

Sheila put her arm around
Jennifer’s shoulder and grinned.  “Look at the bright side.  At least you are
getting what you wanted.  He’ll probably never speak to you again.”

Jennifer gasped.  That was so
insensitive, even for Sheila.  “Ooooooo . . .”  Jennifer gritted her teeth and
stomped off feeling quite indignant.  But not quite fast enough.  As she
hurried away she could hear Sheila laughing and telling Helga that the sparks
were really going to fly this time.

*    
*     *

Helga leaned against the railing
of the Sun Deck and watched as waves broke away from the bow of the ship
creating iridescent crests and a trail of fluorescent foam glowing in the
moonlight.  The ocean was dark and mysterious tonight---and so very lonely. 
Helga sighed heavily.  The breeze chilled her and she shivered slightly. 
Before she could step back to go inside the ship, strong arms encircled her.

Mike held her against him and
whispered close to her ear, “I came to say good-bye.”

Helga closed her eyes tightly and
held back her tears.  It wouldn’t do to let him know that she was hurting.

“Look,” Mike began.  “I know that
I have teased you unmercifully, baited you, and aggravated you.  But I just
wanted your attention.”

“Well,” Helga said with a quiet
laugh, “you certainly managed that.”

“Yeah.  I guess I did.”  Mike
rubbed her arms gently.  “I know that you think you are too old for me.  God
knows, you’ve certainly told me enough times.  But I can’t help but think how
wonderful we would be together.”

Helga smiled to herself, but
didn’t answer.  She leaned more against him and rested her head against his
shoulder.

“Helga . . . I only have
tonight.  Tomorrow we’ll be in Eleuthera and you’ll be on duty all day.  I’ll
have family and friends all around me.”

“And?”

“And I want you so much that it
hurts.”  He turned her in his arms.  “Helga, please.”

Helga smiled up into his face. 
“I could give you this night, Michael Treymont, then you will say good-bye.  What
are you thinking?”

“That I’ve finally found the
woman I’ve been searching for,” he said earnestly.  “Somehow we will work out
the details.  I’m serious, Helga.  Please let me love you.”

“Then you will come back to me?” 
Helga slipped her arms around his neck and settled against him.  “You will find
a place in your life for me?”

“I will,” he promised, then
gently kissed her lips before leading her away.

*    
*     *

Jennifer straddled the big yellow
banana boat and grasped the handle in front of her.   The boat was really a
large inflated tube shaped like a banana.  She was thigh-high in water where
her legs and feet dangled over each side, making it nearly impossible to grip
the slippery banana with her legs.  She could see how easy it would be to be
bumped off.   In her mind it didn’t matter if she fell off first, she wasn’t
going to spend any time with Ryan.  Nope.  None.  Even if he actually wanted to
after last night.

Seeing him board the
ship-to-shore tender with Mike this morning had been a shock.  She hadn’t been
expecting to see him or the closed look he gave her.  Now he sat quietly behind
her as if she were a stranger.  Well, let him give her the frosty treatment. 
As Sheila pointed out, he would probably never speak to her again anyway.

Mike and Sheila sat in front of
her, joking and laughing like a couple of kids, while they waited for the speed
boat to tow them into deeper water.

“You okay back there?” Mike
called.

“I’m fine,” Jennifer answered. 
“Just don’t rock the boat!”  She placed her hands on his waist and leaned
forward.  “Whatever you do, don’t turn around,” she ordered.

“Yes, ma’am,” he countered with a
laugh.  “Here we go!”

People yelled and others cried
out encouragement as the speed boat took off trailing the passenger laden
banana boat behind it.  Jennifer gripped the sides of the banana with her legs
as tightly as she could.  The banana boat bounced and bucked with each swell it
encountered.  The passengers laughed and called out to one another as the ride
gained momentum.  Jennifer felt herself being bounced up and down, but she
could handle that.  It was the sideways roll that had her worried.

Suddenly, the speed boat turned
and the banana boat was forced to cross its wake and almost immediately
re-cross it.  In the turmoil and flurry of cries, she could feel herself
slipping off, but a firm hand from behind caught her waist and steadied her. 
Once she was back in place, she wiped her wet palms down her bathing suit
trying to dry them as best she could.  No sooner than she gripped the handle in
front of her, the boat began buck up and down in a series of staccato bumps and
rolls designed to unseat even the most agile.  People screamed around her.  She
could hear the sounds of water splashing as person after person went flying
into the ocean.

Both Sheila and Mike were missing
from their seats in front of her.  Oh, no!  The realization struck her that
only she and maybe Ryan behind her were left on the back of the boat.  The
banana boat careened to the right and she felt Ryan’s hands holding her waist
as she became airborne.  Within a few seconds she was plunging into the water,
plastered against a hard unyielding body.  Ryan held her tightly against him,
taking the brunt of the impact, as the water splashed around them.  She held
her breath and tried not to struggle while speed and weight carried them deep. 
Then she could feel Ryan’s powerful body propelling them toward the surface. 
Her mind urged her to kick her legs, and kick she did, joining Ryan in an
intimate and lifesaving underwater dance.  When they broke the surface she
gasped for air, delighting in the feel of it filling her lungs.

“Are you all right?” Ryan asked
between pants.

“Oh, yes.  Are you?”

Ryan laughed—a low throaty laugh
that reassured her.  “I’m fine.”

Jennifer turned toward the island
and began swimming back to shore with slow, confident strokes.  Ryan joined
her, keeping her pace.  Within a few minutes, she was able to stand on the
bottom and walk the rest of the way in.  Jennifer wondered at Ryan’s silence. 
He seemed satisfied to walk along with her.  As much as she didn’t want to
admit it, she loved him and his presence threatened her composure.  She knew
the best way to handle the situation was to go off on her own.  But first she
wanted him to know she hadn’t tried to ruin his meal last night.

“Ryan,” she began when she
reached the hot sand, “about last night.  I didn’t tamper with your food.  I
don’t know who did or why, but it wasn’t me.”

“I know.”

“You know?”  Jennifer headed for
her beach bag under the palm trees.  “How?”

“Mike and I had a little
impromptu meeting with the chef.  He confessed that he put cayenne pepper on my
ginger dolphin and some spices and hot sauce in my brûlée.”

“Chef Ruscelli?  But why?  Did he
tell you?”  Jennifer grabbed her bag and towel and waited impatiently while Ryan
searched through the mountain of Mike’s belongings.  When he retrieved his
gear, they walked off together, oblivious to Mike and Sheila waving to them
near the volleyball net.

“The hot-tempered chef wanted to
teach me a lesson.  It seems he did it because you told him that I had a
fiancée and that I was just playing with you.”  Ryan scowled.  “If it wasn’t
for what you told me about European men being lovers, first and foremost, I
would have flattened him.”

“Ryan, no!”  Jennifer was
horrified.  Two grown men were fighting over her.  What a strange twist of
events.  Poor Chef Ruscelli.  Oh, good grief.  She’d had no idea.  “The poor
man.  What’s going to happen to him?”

“Nothing.  Apparently the Captain
has had to deal with his temperamental chef on more than one occasion.  He’ll
take care of this episode too.  Chef Ruscelli won’t lose his job.”

For a while they walked the beach
in silence, enjoying the peace and beauty of the island.  Then Ryan led her to a
sheltered area, isolated from everyone.  Fronds from tall palms swayed in the
gentle breeze casting shadows, giving relief from the sun.  “Let’s rest here,” Ryan
suggested and spread his beach towel.

Jennifer really didn’t want to. 
She was afraid she would give into him because she wanted and needed him so
much.  She looked at him sitting on the edge of the towel.  He was smiling up
at her, flashing that cute dimple at her.  Her eyes raked his magnificent body,
now dry from their walk in the sun.  He was truly Mr. Gorgeous.  Would it hurt
too much to have him one more time?  Would she be giving away a piece of her
heart?  At the moment, it would hurt even more to deny him.  But deny him she
would.  “Say whatever you have to say, Ryan.  I want to get it over with so I
can go for a swim.”

“I never intended to hurt you,
Jennifer.  When I met you, my whole world changed.  You made me realize that
what I felt for Diane was not nearly deep enough.  I couldn’t resist you,
Jennifer.  I fought it, but finally knew that I had to have you.”  Ryan stood
up and walked toward her.  “Please believe me, I told Diane there was no future
for us.”

“Then you’re not engaged?” 
Jennifer watched in fascination as he walked up to her and caressed her cheek.

“No.  Even if you walked away
from me now, I wouldn’t go back to her.”  He leaned down and lightly kissed her
lips.

Jennifer stepped back.  She
didn’t know what to believe.  If she accepted what he just told her as truth,
did it matter anyway?  He still didn’t love her.  Feeling confused, she wheeled
around and ran for the surf.  As she splashed into the shallow water, she could
hear him coming in behind her.  Then his hand grabbed her arm, pulling her
back.  She twisted loose and pushed, causing him to fall backwards into the water. 
As he fell, he grabbed her, forcing her to fall on top of him.

Jennifer squirmed against him
trying to find her footing at the same time, but only ended up straddling him. 
He had a death grip on her bottom that she knew she would never break.  Besides,
she wasn’t sure she wanted to.  She could feel his arousal at the center of her
sex, arousing her with each wiggle and squirm she executed.

Suddenly his hand clasped behind
her neck and forced her head down to his parted lips.  At the first touch of his
mouth on hers, Jennifer relaxed, her willpower deserting her.  “Oh,” she
breathed, and clung to him, ravenous for his touch.  Touch her, he did.  His
wonderful hands caressed her everywhere and his mouth heated her skin as they
rocked gently with the ebb and flow of the waves.

Without breaking their kiss Ryan
made quick work of their bathing suits, and ignored them as they floated away. 
He finally had her in his arms, warm and willing, and nothing was going to keep
him from seeing this through.   If he didn’t slip inside her soon, he just
might go crazy with need and drown them both, here in the warm shallow waters
of Eleuthera.  “Now, Jenn,” his voice more plea than demand.  He could feel her
guide him in, and in that moment, he shuddered from the pure pleasure of her
tight embrace.

Jennifer felt Ryan tremble, then
watched as he closed his eyes and eased his head back, giving himself over to
the ecstasy of the moment.  She gloried in her ability to give this man
pleasure, to arouse him instantly, and to make him shiver with need.  Never had
she felt more like a woman than when Ryan stood them up, held her against him
still joined, and walked to the edge of the surf, where he lowered her beneath
him.

Ryan’s lips found hers and his
kiss danced the way he danced within her, with joy and caring.  Jennifer could
feel the power and excitement build until that ultimate moment when their
bodies, minds, and spirits joined and became one.  Jennifer lost all thought
and felt herself meld into him.  She held on for dear life taking her strength
from him, loving him, cherishing him.  Sounds of the surf dimmed and silence
enfolded her.  Love flowed through her, filling her with warmth and beauty.

At first, she wasn’t aware of his
breathing, of him gently calling her name, but he finally got her attention.

“Jenn, you are so precious to
me,” he rasped.  “Please marry me.”

She must have misunderstood. 
Surely he didn’t say what she thought she heard.  “What did you say?”