The Cancun Trilogy, An Erotic Beach Romance (3 page)

“Nik, I’m afraid I don’t feel safe
being—”

“Just a moment,” he said. “Hold bike
up, please.” She held the bike as he went back and closed the gate
behind them.”

“I was starting to say—” she said when
he came back. “Just a moment,” he said, getting back on the bike.
“Here, get on and say to me.” She got on behind him and spoke into
his ear, “I feel like this is not—” He started the engine and they
took off, her words lost in the wind.

“Hold on,” he yelled back. The road on
the other side of the gate was smoother. He rode fast. She held him
tight. The ocean got bigger and bigger over his shoulder. The path
narrowed but stayed smooth until they came to a flat, grassy area
that looked out over a shallow ledge. He pulled the bike up to the
lip and killed the engine.

The view was breathtaking. It was a
wide bay, with white cliffs on one side dropping beyond vertical
into the sea, and a broad, sugar sand beach in the middle, with
tall palm trees scattered along the shoreline. On the other side of
the bay was a wood pier, with a sailboat at the end.

There was a structure on the beach; a
small white house, where the pier met the land, as if the pier was
built out of it. The water was as blue as a robins egg, smooth and
glassy in the late afternoon light. Colorful birds, brilliant
green, yellow and red, glided off the cliffs and drifted over the
water. Terra had never seen anything like it. It was like a glimpse
of what heaven might look like. She sat on the bike, her arms still
wrapped around him, in awe.

Growing up in the harsh Michigan
winters and depressing, sweltering summers, she never imagined
places like this actually existed.

Terra’s fear and anxiety drifted away
as she took it all in. Nik turned and watched her, more interested
in her than the beauty before them.

“It’s… It’s the most beautiful thing
I’ve ever seen,” she said. He smiled. “Is anyone allowed down
there? Is that someone’s house? I see a boat.”

“That’s my boat,” he said. “And that’s
my house. I built it.” He kicked the bike back to life.

He rode slowly along the ridge,
looking over the ledge that dropped into the bay. It looked too
steep for the bike. “When we go over, stand up on the pegs and flex
your knees,” he said, lifting off the seat in a crouch,
demonstrating.

“But…” she said, looking over the
ledge. “Here we go,” he said, driving over the lip at an angle. She
did as he said, gripping him so tight he thought she might crack
his ribs. He followed a rough path down the embankment, the bike
bouncing like mad beneath them. He switched back, following the
path in a zigzag. She looked over a steep section, then squeezed
her eyes shut and gripped him tighter.

Finally, they made it to level ground.
He pulled the bike into an area shaded by palm trees and turned off
the engine.

“Are you okay?” he asked as they got
off.

Here’s where I should say
something
, she thought.
Take me back. I don’t feel
comfortable. Something like that
. But she searched, and
couldn’t find any trace of the fear she felt before.

“Yeah, I’m good,” she said, looking
around.

He took her hand and led her over some
rough terrain until they were at the sand. He kept her hand in his
as he guided her toward the water. The first thing she noticed was
the silence. With no tourists, loud kids, or bar on the beach, it
was completely serene. The quiet was like a presence.

The sand was as fine as silk. As they
passed a palm tree, the silence was broken by a loud screech. Terra
was so startled she nearly jumped into Nik’s arms. He laughed.
“Spider monkey,” he said, pointing up at the tree. Terra looked up.
A monkey was running circles around the trunk of a palm, near the
top, making an awful racket.

Nik shouted up to the monkey. “Olla,
Spidey. Ella es una amiga. Ella está conmigo.” The monkey stopped
chattering. Nik turned back to Terra. “He is protective. Yes.
Always must know what is happening. He’s like a… what do you say, a
watch dog.”

“You speak Spanish?” she asked. “Yes,
among others,” he said. “Not many people here speak Greek.” The
monkey eyed her suspiciously, but kept quiet.

They stood at the shoreline and
watched the birds skim the surface of the sea. The water was so
clear that Terra could see the underwater pilings of the pier go
into the sand. A huge bird with wings as wide as a car dove in the
water and came up with a large fish in its bill. The monkey gave a
squawk of approval.

“Come,” he said, putting an arm around
her and walking her toward the house.

“Is that really your
house?”

“Yes. I do not own the land. Anna and
myself spent two summers working with the Mexican government to
open a dive sanctuary. Also will be research center. Here, in bay.
They say I can build house and pier. Part of agreement.”

“So this is—I mean—you actually
live
here?”

“Yes. This is my home.” He walked her
up some stairs that led from the sand to a deck that faced the
ocean. The house was much bigger than it looked from the bluff. The
whole front had roll-away doors that were open. Gauzy fabrics
dropping from the high ceilings.

He walked her inside. The house was
open and airy, with sanded wood surfaces and soft white furniture.
A huge kitchen opened up to the front room, which lead seamlessly
to the deck. A wide bowl filled with colorful flowers sat on a low
table in the center of the room, filling the place with a fresh
floral scent. She saw other feminine touches that told her Anna
likely had a hand in the decorating.

“Your home is gorgeous,” Terra said as
she looked around. “It’s really beautiful. Is it just you
here?”

“Yes. For now, while Anna gone. I
build all expecting to feed lots of hungry divers. Soon, I hope.
Have a lot of building to do.” He went into the kitchen and dug in
the refrigerator. Terra looked at the bookshelves that went floor
to ceiling along one of the walls as Nik opened a bottle of wine.
The books were in multiple languages; French, Italian, some even in
Latin.

She felt grimy from the ride. “Do you
mind if I use your bathroom?” she asked.

“No, of course no. It’s there. Through
there,” he pointed.

The bathroom was about the size of
Terra’s entire dorm room, with an open shower and a large,
claw-foot tub. A half wall opened to the outside so you could see
the ocean. A breeze came through, bringing in the smell of the
ocean. Terra was so overwhelmed by the beauty of it all that she
was shocked when she looked in the mirror. It was as if she
expected her own image to take on some of the beauty around her.
But her face looked blotchy from the wind. Her blue sweater looked
sad and needed a washing. No makeup. Boy tennis shoes. Her hair was
a mess from the wind. She signed in the mirror, shaking her head,
angry that she didn’t at least bring a hairbrush.

He was waiting for her in the living
room, a glass of wine in each hand. How is it possible that he
looked so perfect? Like he’d been kept on ice. “Do you drink
wine?”

“Yes, thank you.” He handed her a
glass and they walked out to the deck, where he’d set out some
food. He looked out at the ocean. She noticed he always seemed to
face the ocean, as if drawn to it. His whole house was built to
face the water. They looked out as the setting sun cast a warm,
orange glow on the calm surface of the sea. She sipped the chilled
white wine. It tasted like heaven.

“I’m glad you came,” he said. On the
table was a breadboard with cheese, olives, and big chunks of fresh
bread. He cut off a piece of cheese and held it out to her on the
end of the knife. “Me too,” she said, drawn again to his eyes, lit
by the soft, fading sun. He tore a piece of bread and handed it to
her.

They ate, watching the water. He held
an olive up to the light. “These are good olives,” he said,
admiring it. “For here. But in Greece, I grew up eating olives
fresh, right off tree, and big as kiwis. I miss that.” He handed
her the olive. She didn’t take it. He held the olive to her mouth.
She looked at him and opened her mouth. He put the olive on her
tongue, his fingertips lingering for a second, brushing her wet
lips. She closed her mouth, her lips briefly closing on his
fingertips as she looked up into his eyes.

He put his wine down and ran his hands
down the side of her face. He looked at her eyes, then at her
mouth.
He’s going to kiss me
, she thought as she set her
glass down. She could feel it. She wanted him to. She wanted him to
so bad she could hardly stand it.

He ran his hands down her back and
pulled her in close. She tilted her face up to him, trying to close
the gap. He pushed hair out of her face and leaned down, his nose
brushing hers. He paused, breathing her in. She pressed against
him, feeling the warmth of his body. She could feel his growing
excitement pressed against her belly.

“We’ll go for a dive, yeah?” he
said.

What?!
“What? Now?”

“Yes,” he said, breaking their
embrace.

“But—but, it’s almost
dark.”

“Yes, best time. Trust me, it like
nothing you ever see.”

Her heart sank.
Maybe he doesn’t
want to kiss me. Maybe he just needed someone to keep him company
since his sister went away.
She looked down at the deck,
picking up her glass of wine.
No wonder, I look like a
disaster.

“Come on,” he said. “Bring your wine.
Everything’s on the boat.”

The boat?

Chapter 7

The
sailboat was also bigger than it looked from the bluff. It was old,
but had been completely restored. Brass fixtures glowed in the
fading light. Being on board felt like stepping back in time, to
some bygone romantic era.

“This boat was my first project, even
before house. I bought it for almost nothing and spend two years
living on it while I restore.” The care he’d taken in restoring it
was evident. She noticed there was no wheel. He steered with an old
fashioned tiller.

“Have you named it?” she asked,
running her hand along the mahogany and ash inlays that ran along
the sideboards.

“No. That is American thing. You don’t
name your heart.”

At this point, Terra figured he was
just taking her out for a ride. Diving didn’t seem like an option
as she looked at the darkening water. He tacked the boat around the
white cliffs, moving parallel to the coast. They came around a bend
to a wide bay with an island in the center. He steered the boat
toward it. When they were just a few yards from the shore of the
island, he threw an anchor over.

It was nearly dark now. The island had
a sandy beach, with a tree line about twenty yards from the water.
In the fading light, it looked raw and wild, with the call of birds
and animals coming from the trees.

The idea of going ashore felt ominous.
Just as she was thinking that, a huge light went on. There was a
floodlight attached to the sail shaft. Nik turned on a second
light, instantly turning the island into a brightly lit, inviting,
mystical place. Birds squawked. Terra could make out their bright
colors fluttering in the trees, as if they were coming out to greet
them.

Nik opened a storage cabinet on the
bow and pulled out additional lights. He took off his jeans and
shirt, stripping down to his red swimsuit. He hopped off the boat,
into the waist deep water. He took one of the lights and dove under
water, swimming off shore. He came up and got another light and
went back under, then did it again.

Terra watched him, unsure what he was
doing. He took a deep breath and dove down again. One of the lights
went on. It was anchored to the sand about six feet below the
surface. She could see him swim to the next light, which he turned
on. Then the third. He swam up and broke the surface, treading the
water, watching her.

The lights illuminated about thirty
yards of water off the island, bright as mid-day. There was a reef
about twenty yards out. It was teeming with every imaginable type
of fish. There were huge swirls of color from schools of fish
fanning side to side. Clown fish, puffers, even sand sharks gliding
along the bottom. The coral was bright orange and yellow, with
vivid green seaweed lolling back and forth. The fish didn’t seem to
mind the light. It looked like a dream that had been woken
up.

Nik pulled himself back up on the
boat, water cascading off his body. Terra stood in wonder. “My God,
Nik. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“This small island has most
ecologically dense water around it I ever see, and I dive just
about everywhere.” He went back to the storage cabinet and brought
out diving masks and a wide disk with long tubes attached to it. He
adjusted one of the masks and handed it to her. “This is a surface
air tube,” he said, referring to the disk and tubes. “The disk
floats, and connect to tubes. It allows us to stay down. Great for
shallow dive,” he said as he threw it in the water.

“My backpack’s below,” she said. “I’ll
go change.”

“If you want,” he said, pealing his
swimsuit off. Naked, he jumped into the brightly lit water. He
surfaced and rolled on his back, looking up at the sky, his arms
splayed out.