Eva’s anger was just enough to last one full day, and it kept her away from Hawksnest and the possibility of seeing Adam Maxwell. By the end of the second day, it had burned itself out, but she remained home nonetheless.
Milly Decker stopped by to see how she was doing in the hillside house and stayed most of the afternoon to visit. That evening Eva drove into Cruz Bay for a lone dinner at one of the small, open-air, unpretentious restaurants and stayed to watch the feature film, which began at eight o’clock. It was about a hijacked New York City subway train. Eva thought the story, at worst, absurd, but it was entertaining and kept her from thinking of other things.
Twice during the evening local men made attempts to gain her attention, but she was unresponsive and aloof, remembering how Maxwell had accused her of picking up Deacon Butler in St. Thomas. It annoyed her to some degree that she would restrict her responses based on what Maxwell thought, even though she doubted that the men were just merely being friendly. She certainly was not of a mind to be anything more. So she ignored them.
When the movie was over, Eva followed the small crowd of people out of the restaurant. Some walked to nearby residences, while others headed for their cars or taxi services. It was as the crowd was thinning that she noticed Adam Maxwell. Eva immediately looked to see if Lavona was with him but could only pick out the small child frame of Diane walking next to her father.
Eva had not seen them enter the restaurant and wasn’t really sure they’d even seen the movie, but she wasn’t prepared to face Maxwell yet. Eva slowed her steps to a stroll and moved in the shadows of the palm trees until Adam and Diane had climbed into their Jeep and headed out of town.
The next day she played her radio very low and sat curled on the sofa of the gallery reading. A number of times there was a car on the road below her. She’d stiffen momentarily, half expecting one of the cars to be Adam’s. But it never was. So the following day when she was prepared for more of the same solitude, she was truly surprised when a car did stop below and there was the sound of footsteps climbing toward her.
Eva was seated at the circular counter space drinking iced tea and writing a letter when Maxwell reached the gallery. She turned her head at his approach and then was on her feet in total wonder. Maxwell stood before her in a pair of white drawstring pants of a lightweight cotton and a royal-blue tank shirt with white piping around the sleeves and neck. The whole length of his muscular arms was exposed, as well as a band of his stomach, visible below the hem of his shirt. They stood for a moment silently watching each other, Eva now self-conscious in the black halter swimsuit she wore under a pair of very brief white shorts. Her round feminine curves were shown off to their best advantage in the black suit, and the brevity of the shorts made her legs seem longer than they were. She’d not bothered curling her hair since her first few days on the island, and the short haircut was now layered straight and flat, pixie fashion, down her forehead and the sides of her face.
“Hello,” Eva opened with a false lightness, as her heart thudded once against her chest. Maxwell did not respond with a greeting.
“You sound as if you’re surprised to see me,” he commented, tilting his head a little to the side and looking her up and down rather slowly. Eva crossed her arms in what she hoped was a casual movement.
“I am.”
“I told Diane you were probably busy since we haven’t seen you.” He came forward to lean against the counter with his hip, also crossing his arms over his chest. She realized he now had the advantage since she had to tilt her head in order to see into his face. It was also not lost on Eva that apparently only Diane had missed her presence the last several days.
“I was,” she answered, trying to seem indifferent.
Maxwell’s lightly browned eyes looked into hers, searching over her features. “Doing what?” he asked softly.
“Laundry,” she improvised quickly, “visiting with Mildred Decker…” Which was the truth.
Maxwell held her gaze for a second longer. Then his eyes dropped to the half-finished letter on the counter next to him. He looked up at her, quirking a questioning brow. Defensively Eva put the letter face down under a nearby fruit bowl. “Letter to someone you left behind?” he asked mockingly.
Eva raised her chin. “Yes, as a matter of fact. My mother!” She moved then to put some space between them. “Why are you here?”
Maxwell stood straight and put his hands into the pockets of the light pants. The fabric gave way under the force of his large hands and the pants slid from his waist to his hips, showing even more of his stomach lightly covered with hair. Eva’s imagination suddenly went wild, wondering if he had on swim trunks or anything under the pants. She lowered her eyes to her bare feet.
“I’m going over to Coral Bay. It’s the other side of the island. Diane thought you’d like to go. Have you been there yet?”
“No.” She shook her head.
“Okay…then why don’t…”
“Maxwell…” Eva interrupted “…considering how we last parted company maybe…well, maybe I shouldn’t go.”
He seemed to think about that for a moment, frowning. “How did we part company?” he asked blandly. Eva was infuriated by his calm and apparent dismissal of the evening. Did he take nothing seriously?
“I’d say angrily,” Eva answered stiffly.
“I wasn’t angry,” Maxwell said, turning away from her.
“Well, I was!” Eva almost exploded in exasperation.
Maxwell had one foot on a descending step. “I know. Are you coming?” he finished.
Eva stared openmouthed at him. She was right. He had just brushed the whole episode aside. She finally let out a sigh of resignation. “Yes, I’ll come.”
“I’ll wait in the Jeep,” he said and disappeared. Eva stared silently at the space he’d just occupied, wondering if she would ever understand him.
Eva went to retrieve a white cotton sweater. She got her tote and filled it with things she thought she’d need if she was gone all day. All the time she wondered about the mercurial changes in Maxwell’s moods. They hadn’t seen or spoken to each other in almost four days, and then he just shows up as though nothing had happened. That she had thought about him for those four days, imagined him in the arms of Lavona Morris, didn’t for the moment enter into her thinking as she went to meet him.
Eva climbed into the front passenger seat and immediately he started the engine. She looked around her. “Where’s Diane? Did you leave her at the house?”
Maxwell backed up and turned the Jeep around, shifting gears quickly. “Diane’s not going with us.”
Eva frowned in confusion. “But you said she suggested…”
“That’s right. But I never said she would be coming with us.”
Eva looked at him, trying to figure out what this meant. He cast a quick look in her direction and back to the road.
“Want to change your mind? I’ll take you back…”
“No! No…it’s okay.”
Maxwell nodded and continued driving. Still confused and also surprised now, Eva settled into her seat for the journey. Somewhere in her mind she worked out that Maxwell was not the kind of man to have anyone for company just for the hell of it. She reasoned finally that she was here because he wanted her to be. Her spirits began to lift.
“Where is Diane?” she asked.
“With Dory Hamilton. Dory and two of her brothers are in the parade next weekend for Carnival. There’s still work to do on their costumes. Diane’s going to be with them until Wednesday.”
“I’m surprised she didn’t want to come with you,” Eva commented.
Adam shrugged. “I’m glad she’s made friends here. It’s no fun being with me all the time.”
“Diane used to think so. What happened?” she asked with some concern.
“I don’t know for sure. Maybe she realizes that I’m always going to be here for her. She doesn’t have to worry about losing me.”
“So it makes it easier for her to find other friends,” Eva concluded.
“Yeah, I guess so. Anyway, she says she’s having a great summer,” Maxwell said.
“I’m very glad to hear that.” Eva relaxed. “But then…why did she tell you to ask me along?”
Maxwell turned his head to regard her, his eyes squinting, his jaw looking very square and strong, jutting into the breeze. “She said, so I wouldn’t be lonely,” he said evenly. “She said you’d make a good assistant in her place.”
“What about Lavona?” Eva couldn’t help asking in a low voice. Adam looked away a bit impatiently and took his time answering.
“She had other plans,” was all he said.
They followed the Center Line Road through the National Parklands of St. John, passing scenic views and old ruins. Coral Bay was a very small town on the other side of St. John with a beautiful harbor lined with a number of small sailing crafts. Maxwell parked the Jeep near the pier and they walked from there. If Cruz Bay was a tiny town, Coral Bay was tinier still, with only a handful of shops and restaurants. Eva walked beside the towering form of Maxwell, feeling oddly complacent and safe with him. People called out to him, waving, and it surprised her that so reticent a man would have friends here.
They finally came to a stop outside a green-painted cement hut. Maxwell knocked on the door, and after a bit of muffled movement the door opened to show an elderly black man, his tightly curled hair all white, his teeth clamped on a very worn pipe.
“Hey, man. You make it after all!” he said in his musical tongue, opening the door for them to enter. Maxwell had to duck into the very low door frame. Once inside he could stand straight again, but Eva was sure there weren’t two inches to spare between the ceiling and the top of Adam’s head.
“This is Lito Varrick,” Adam said to Eva. “Lito, this is Eva Duncan. She’s vacationing here from New Jersey.”
Lito nodded politely, his white teeth even and brilliant in his shiny dark face. “Yes, yes! It’s good to see you, man. How you like St. John?” he asked Eva.
She was always amused at the local use of the word “man” to describe just about anyone and anything. She smiled at the gentleman. “Oh, I love it here! It’s a beautiful, peaceful island.”
“That’s good!” Lito beamed at her. “Many continentals they say it too hot, man. Nothing to do.”
Eva’s smile widened, aware that Adam was watching and listening to the exchange between her and Lito. “I’ve only been here for a short time. But I feel as if I’ve lived here for years!”
Lito laughed. “That’s good. Adam find woman who like it here, too.”
Eva raised her brows in an ironic gesture at Maxwell and then back to Lito. “Well, he didn’t exactly find me,” Eva inserted caustically. That sounded too much like he’d just picked her up somewhere, and she was still somewhat sensitive to that kind of reference. For another thing Lito made it sound as though it was all Adam’s doing, and she’d had no part in deciding whether or not to be with him.
Eva looked again at Adam, but his attention was now focused on a large tank on a table, filled with plants and shells. He had his hand in the tank almost up to his elbow, poking through the growth. Eva grimaced ruefully and turned back to Lito. “That’s what’s really important to him…” she whispered, nodding toward the tank.
Lito laughed softly around his pipe stem. “Maybe. But I not so sure,” he said mysteriously.
“Lito, what do you have for me today?” Maxwell’s voice broke into their quiet conversation, and Lito walked over to stand next to Maxwell and talk. The conversation was obviously on fish and sea plants, so Eva left them alone, not wanting to interfere, and not able to contribute.
She found a comfortable low chair covered in a bright flowered pattern and sat in it. Eva looked around the room. It was very neat and clean but lacked most definitely any female touches. Lito Varrick was either a bachelor or a widower.
After turning her head around the room, Eva noticed a sleeping gray cat across the back of her chair. The cat lazily opened one eye halfway, gave her a disinterested look, and went peacefully back to sleep. She smiled at the action and turned back to the two men, listening to their low voices.
The conversation was technical, all about fungus and water temperatures, phosphate levels and oxygen contents. She’d always been impressed with Maxwell’s knowledge of such things, and it was clear to her now that he had also made the best use of his time by becoming acquainted with someone who lived here, knew the waters and the islands, and could teach him more. Eva watched the concentration on Maxwell’s face, the wide mouth pursing or forming questions, the jaw tensing thoughtfully, the hands gentle with the fragile sea life. What a study in contrasts he was.
The gray cat behind her padded silently down the arm of the chair and onto Eva’s lap, taking the liberty of curling up into a furry ball and going back to sleep. Eva idly stroked the soft thick fur, thinking more about the enigma that was Adam Maxwell.
Half an hour later, the two men turned away from the tank, drying their hands on towels.
“Well, that helps.” Adam sighed. “Now I see what I did wrong.”
“Not too bad, man. Next time remember to place your samples in salt water, not fresh.”
“Okay, Lito.” Adam nodded. Eva had never seen him defer to anyone else before. He respected and liked this older gentleman.
They both now turned to see her with the cat.
“Ahhh…Pepper likes you! That good. Pepper scratch Miss Lavona on leg last time, eh, Adam?”
Adam was watching Eva and lifted a brow at Lito’s observation, but he made no comment and held no apology to Eva for having brought Lavona here also. Eva didn’t expect any from him. They said good-bye to Lito and left the small hut.
Adam suggested lunch, and they stopped at the Sputnik. Over their lunch of fried fish and salad, Adam explained that Lito was a retired fisherman who was often called on by the Park Service for his expert advice on the sea world. He was always available to help Adam when he ran into a problem with his research. After lunch Adam continued to conduct Eva on a Jeep tour around the island.
She liked being with him like this, when he was informative and easy. Not closed in and careful. They stopped at Chocolate Hole, a different side of the island that was rocky coastline and no sandy beaches, where the water crashed to shore and where the sun rose on a flat low horizon. On the drive back they circled past the Annenberg ruins, an old sugar mill, but Adam said that tour was for another day since the sun was already going down.
Back at her house, Eva invited Adam to have dinner with her. He hesitated, but then shook his head no. “Not tonight. I have things to do.”
“Oh,” was Eva’s response, not realizing yet her disappointment. “Thank you for letting me come today. I enjoyed it very much.”
“Good. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning…”
“Tomorrow morning?” Eva questioned. He’d said nothing all day about taking her with him again.
“I thought you were going to be my assistant in place of Diane?” he said, frowning.
Eva shrugged. “I—I thought you were only kidding. I don’t know how I can help.”
“I’ll show you how,” he said smoothly, once again starting his engine to leave.
Eva gestured helplessly. “Well, okay. If you’re sure…”
“I’ll pick you up at seven.” He waited.
“Fine. I’ll be ready,” Eva said a bit breathlessly. Already she was looking forward to it.
When Maxwell picked her up promptly the next morning, he was wearing the same loose-fitting pants and another tank shirt, this one a deep green. Eva chose to wear the same black swimsuit, worn under a one-piece short denim jump suit. There was almost no talk between them as Maxwell got them to the sailing vessel and quickly under sail. Occasionally he’d yell an instruction to her, and she’d follow it even though she was afraid she’d pull the wrong line or get something twisted.
The breeze was good and steady, and the vessel didn’t lurch nearly as much as it had the week before. The ship held its course, and Maxwell was able to lock the tiller into one position, freeing him to move around the small ship. He stripped off his shirt and light drawstring pants and stood before Eva in his brown swim trunks. The color was not that much darker than his own skin color, and for a weird moment with the sun behind him he seemed naked. Eva drew in a sharp breath at the image which for a quick second proved extremely provocative and enticing. She knew an instant warming flow throughout her body.
Adam came and sat next to Eva taking hold of lines, lowering one sail, and raising another until the ship seemed to be sailing itself. He turned his head to find Eva staring at him with her almond-shaped eyes.
“You okay?” he asked, squinting against the bright sun.
Eva nodded, but she wasn’t okay at all. Something was happening inside her that was different from any other time she’d been with Maxwell. It went beyond a lot of earlier feelings and reactions to him. She was beginning to feel intimidated, threatened, unsure all over again in his presence. She was sensing again his overwhelming maleness and virility, and part of her was struggling in its natural response to him.
“Who taught you to sail?” she asked in a queer, broken voice, diverting her thoughts to something safer.
Adam tied off another line. “I started learning in high school…picked it up again while in college. Troy Hamilton and Lito Varrick taught me the rest. They showed me how to handle the small-masted ships like a cutter or sloop when I first came down here.”
“How long have you been down here?”
“A little over three years.” He braced a muscular leg against the side of the ship as he shifted a sail and the ship rolled. Eva tried to smooth down her wind blown hair with her hand.
“But why down here? Whom do you work for?”
Adam didn’t answer right away, but then he turned to give her a quick, brief look of impatience. “What is this…Twenty Questions?”
But Eva continued to wait for an answer. When he did choose to answer, it was almost with indifference.
“I’m with the research department of the National Oceanographic office in Washington…on loan from the Naval Department.”
Eva raised her brows appreciatively, and Maxwell gave a short chuckle. “It’s not as impressive as it sounds. You see what I do. It’s not glamorous at all.”
“But it’s fascinating. And looks like fun. And it’s probably important work,” Eva reasoned. Maxwell gave her a long thoughtful look.
“It is.”
The ship rolled in the opposite direction. Maxwell changed his seat, moving opposite Eva, and bracing his leg in reverse. Salt spray washed coolly over the side and splashed them lightly. Eva tilted her head and looked again at Maxwell. “What are you in the Navy? An ensign?” she asked, naming the only naval title she could remember.
Maxwell found the question amusing and laughed briefly, his teeth making a white slash in his brown face. “Not even that. I don’t have a position with the Navy. I’m a civilian employee.”
“I guess you must like it down here. It’s been a long time.”
Maxwell’s grin slowly faded and his expression became guarded. “It’s all right. No one bothers me down here.”
“Are you hiding from someone?” Eva quipped teasingly, but the tensing of Maxwell’s jaw suddenly alerted her to the lack of humor he found in her question.
“I can get another assignment anytime I want to. Right now, I don’t want to. Being here suits me.”
Eva hesitated a moment. “Maxwell, if you had an assignment stateside, you could see Diane more often,” she pointed out. There was a long silence while he looked out to sea.
“I know,” he answered her shortly. No doubt he’d already thought of his trade-off for being down here. But Eva didn’t believe that the decision he’d made and held to was necessarily the right one…or an easy one for him.
“What about the rest of your family? Do you have any?” Eva could see the impatience with which he continued to view her questions, but still he answered her.
“My father lives in Boston. He’s retired and spends all his time fishing. My mother died when I was eighteen. I have an older brother who lives in Colorado Springs with his wife and two sons. He teaches math at the Air Force Academy. End of questions…end of answers,” he finished pointedly.
“It sounds as if you came from a military family. Were you a Navy brat?”
Maxwell sighed at her persistence. “No. Just a brat,” he said caustically. Eva smiled at the comment, believing it.
Adam began dropping some of the sails after a few hours, and they were just off the cove of a small key. Eva remained on board as Adam spent an hour in the water with the launch to catch small silvery pencil fish, sometimes diving to gather sea life from the sandy bottom.
She was coming to understand that Adam was not one for a lot of talk. The long silences with him were less awkward, and she did not take them or his glaring looks so personally. And there was also the undisputable knowledge that she wouldn’t be here if he didn’t want her to be. She was beginning to anticipate his moods and actions and sometimes even what he would say. Knowing all of this made it more fun to be with him.
And, too, Maxwell was not one to play games and waste time. He was very direct and straightforward but also much more sensitive than Eva had first given him credit for. It helped her in knowing and understanding him, even as she recognized that Maxwell would not give a damn what anyone thought of him.
When he finally surfaced for the last time, Eva was bending over the side with a widemouthed bucket attached to a line, ready to lower it to him. He put in his last catch and, as Eva pulled the bucket up, made his way to the launch and climbed in. Eva transferred his samples gingerly into the proper water-filled containers Adam had left for her. She expected him to come back on board, but when he didn’t appear, Eva went back to lean over the side. Maxwell was standing up in the slightly bobbing dinghy, hands on his hips.
“Come on down, we’re going to shore…and take off your jump suit. We’re swimming in.”
It was on Eva’s lips to protest, but she said nothing. Apprehensively she did as she was told, climbing down the ladder into the launch. Maxwell’s hands reached up to circle her waist and lift her the rest of the way. Goose bumps raised on her arms at the contact of his still damp hands.
“Maxwell…” she began, frowning at him, “I don’t think I can do this. I can’t swim!”
“Yes you can,” he said positively in his firm deep voice. But he did see the concern on her face and reflected in the wide, appealing depths of her eyes. He squatted down next to her. “Look. We’ll snorkel in. Remember all you have to do is breathe through the air hose and kick your feet. I’ll hold on to you.”
Eva took a deep breath and nodded. With shaking hands she put on her equipment and climbed over the side with Maxwell into the suddenly cold water. He held her tightly around the waist checking her mask and hose. Then he took her hand and pulled her gently away from the security of the boat. Together they headed toward the shore. Eva clutched convulsively to Maxwell’s large hand, and every now and then he’d squeeze hers in reassurance. Her heart pounded in her chest, but slowly she began to relax, realizing that she was not going to sink even though the depth of the water had to be fifteen feet.
They were almost into shore when something rasped over the skin of Eva’s neck and shoulder, causing a sudden burning sensation. Some sound came through her mouthpiece as she reached with her free hand to the tender spot. Maxwell, seeing that something was wrong, began kicking harder until he could stand in shallow water with her.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, pulling off his mask.
Eva gasped for air, pulling off her mask and hose as well. “I—I don’t know. Something scratched me…here,” she said, rubbing her neck. Maxwell pulled her hand away.
“No…don’t rub it. Come on. Let’s get out of the water.”
Once on the sandy beach Adam examined the injured area. His fingers probed gently and slowly, untying the straps of her suit to better reach the skin. Eva held her hand to her chest to keep the loosened suit in place.
“Looks like a jellyfish sting,” Adam murmured, running his fingertips over the slowly rising welt on Eva’s skin. “You okay?” he asked her softly.
Eva nodded, trying to hold the suit up and brush her hair from her face at the same time. Adam moved to stand tall in front of her. He took his own hands to brush her wet hair back.
“You sure?” he persisted.
“Yes, I’m fine.” Eva smiled. She looked up at him so close to her and went still with the look of concern that quickly crossed his face.
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” he said in exasperation. Eva recognized that it was not directed at her.
“Maxwell, I’m fine,” she said firmly. “It doesn’t even sting so much now.”
Nonetheless, he continued to search her face, and when he was finally assured that she told the truth, he patted her cheek. “All right…let’s sit for a while.”
They moved with their equipment up from the shore into the shadow of nearby low-lying palms.
“Leave that untied…” Maxwell pointed to her when she would have adjusted her suit. “It’ll irritate the sting.”
Eva nodded, holding the suit tightly to her chest, aware now in some embarrassment that her nipples were erect against the latex fabric. She sat on fallen dried leaves, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them to her so that her knees held the suit against her body. Maxwell stretched out beside her, leaning back until his powerful torso was supported on his elbows.
“You did okay out there,” he said, without looking at her.
“Not bad for someone who can’t swim,” Eva joked nervously. “I must have been crazy to let you talk me into that!” But there was a smile in her voice.
“Were you scared?” Adam asked.
“A little at first. But as long as you held my hand I was fine,” Eva readily admitted. Maxwell looked over his hunched shoulder at her.
“And except for the jellyfish,” he added.
“How come you didn’t get stung?” she asked indignantly.
Adam rolled onto his stomach, still supporting his body on his elbows. “A jellyfish with good taste…. What can I tell you.”
“Baloney!” Eva said caustically. Adam looked up at her, his eyes dark and unreadable. They dropped to her raised thighs, to the exposed undersides.
“Jellyfish aren’t the only ones you know…”
Eva frowned, not understanding his meaning.
“There’s also gecko…”
“What’s a gecko?” Eva asked suspiciously.
“A lizard,” he answered casually. “It’s about that long”—he held up the thumb and index finger of one hand to indicate three inches—“and it’s brown and green, just like the one crawling up your side…”
Eva’s eyes popped open and she gasped, pushing her legs straight out and looking down. Sure enough, a small creature slithered across her stomach and hopped onto the sand fleeing into the bushes.
“Maxwell!” Eva shouted in alarm, but Adam was chuckling softly in his bass voice. “It’s not funny!” Eva said, kicking sand at him.
Adam grabbed her ankle and pulled suddenly, bringing her off her bottom and flat on her back. Eva started to struggle in earnest, but she sputtered, went momentarily still, and pulling her leg out of Adam’s grasp, she began to laugh.
Adam grabbed her other foot. “I thought you said it wasn’t funny?”
“Maxwell…don’t! That tickles!”
Adam looked down at her feet and back to her face. “Are you ticklish?” he asked in mock surprise.
“Yes!” Eva got out. Then she looked at him. “I mean, no!”
He began to crawl toward her.
“Maxwell, if you so much as touch me…”
“What? What will you do?” he asked as one of his hands moved and tickled along her arm. Then it moved to her throat.
“Maxwell…” Eva pleaded, but she was already laughing helplessly, trying to ward off his hands, which seemed to be so fast and suddenly everywhere. In self-defense Eva grabbed a handful of sand to throw at him. Seeing what she had in mind, Adam quickly captured her wrists and was half across her body holding the dangerous sand-clutched hand straight out.
Suddenly Eva stopped laughing and gasped again, looking down at her struggling body. The loosened swimsuit had been worked downward until her small high breasts were almost exposed. Maxwell looked, too. His clear brown eyes raised to hers, and Eva recognized at once a light in them she’d seen twice before. Eva was breathing hard from their tussle, and her chest rose and fell in agitation.
Adam let go of her wrist and slowly brought the hand to her heaving chest. Eva grabbed hold of his wide wrist with her own small hand with the intention of stopping him. But Adam was already moving the suit slowly lower until her breasts with their erect brown centers were completely visible.
Her other arm was under him and Eva couldn’t move. But in that moment she never really thought to. This was the other thing happening inside her for days, the strange uneasiness that she was reluctant to put a name to. With it here again, about to happen, she knew it as a desire for Maxwell to touch and hold her again.
His fingers brushed across the tautly raised buttons of her breasts, and the touch sent a curling tension through her, warming and melting her.
“Maxwell…” Eva whispered, watching the muscles in his jaw, neck, and shoulders. Unbelievably, Maxwell lowered his mouth to completely cover one jutting breast in a moist, warm caress. His tongue moved erotically over the tip. Eva’s eyes closed and she sighed deeply from within. Her hands closed into fists with the excruciating pleasure his touch suddenly brought. Her chest rose and fell, now in rising excitement.
Maxwell raised his head to look into her brown face to see her parted lips and closed eyes. He shifted positions to lie almost completely on her. His hands reached to cradle her head while he bent to kiss her waiting mouth. Eva answered his kiss with her own, letting him plunder delightfully the recesses of her mouth. Her arms came up around his neck to hold him to her. Adam let out a low groan and kissed her even deeper, more completely, like a hungry man.
She felt desire building within her until she thought she would faint. Adam was heavy across her body, and she could feel sand granules pressing into the skin of her shoulders, back, and legs.
Adam lifted his head to nibble playfully at her lips, to let his breath mix with the warmth of her own before once more settling on her mouth with his own little moan of pleasure. A fiery passion and a growing flame of need licked up and down Eva’s spine, and for long delirious moments she was unaware of anything else.
He moved his mouth to her cheek, dragged it to her ear, down to her neck. Between them, his hands forced the black suit down further, and Eva did not resist. Briefly, boldly before she realized, Adam caressed her intimately and moved again up her stomach to her breasts. He slid his body down so that his mouth again could cover a breast, and Eva sensed it was too late to stop him. She wasn’t sure she wanted to, but suddenly she was very scared. She began to tremble as his mouth explored her skin.
The trembling grew steadily, even as she was beside herself with a need she hadn’t known for a very long time. Her hands clutched convulsively at Adam’s shoulders. He was kissing her again, probing deeply with his tongue and pressing hard against her stomach. He released her mouth to kiss her throat and neck.
“Don’t say no,” he growled against her hot skin as if anticipating resistance. “We’re not kids. We know what this is about.”
“I—I know,” she murmured breathlessly. But the shaking continued. Her worst insecurities surfaced, and she began to close down her feelings.
“We’re both experienced…”
“No!” Eva shook her head.
Adam suddenly stopped his movements. “What?” he asked raising his head.
“I mean…I’m not experienced. I—I haven’t…oh, Max! I haven’t been with anyone since Kevin. This—this is my first time since my husband. You’re the first.” Eva closed her eyes, turning her head so as not to see his disappointment.
Adam did look into her face a very long time, his eyes sweeping over her features. Slowly he lay to cover her, the only thing separating their pulsating bodies was Adam’s swim trunks. His hand cupped her face.
“Do you want me to make love to you?” he asked hoarsely.
Eva nodded, her eyes still closed. There was a pause.
“Are you afraid?” Adam asked her. She nodded again. He let out a strained sigh and gave her a light reassuring kiss. “Don’t be…. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to.”
Eva began to relax. She knew that Maxwell was not generally given to bending. That he would be so understanding now made her feel as though she’d turned an important corner in their chaotic relationship. Now she felt she could trust him, and she warmed toward him as she never had before. It went beyond the physical warmth of their mutual attraction for each other, and therefore it was much more intimate and personal.
Adam stood, bringing her naked form with him. He handed her the black suit. “I’m going to swim out and get the launch. You wait here.”
And he turned away as she dressed, but then he tied the halter straps himself. It reminded Eva of her first day sailing with him when he helped her in and out of the life jacket.
It was midafternoon when they got under sail again. The wind was down and erratic, and Adam stayed at the tiller during the entire trip back. Eva felt awkward and didn’t know what to say to ease the silence between them. Was he thinking of her as unsophisticated and slow? But he said nothing to indicate what his feelings were. He was the same unreadable Maxwell again.
Eva put on her jump suit against the sea breeze and sat alone away from him struggling with depression. Finally they were back in Hawksnest, but instead of taking her home as she thought he would, they headed for the Annenberg ruins. It was almost as if he were indicating that they couldn’t separate for the rest of the day without some other action to change the mood.
The Annenberg was an old sugar mill, somewhat restored and now operated by the National Park Service. Tours were conducted there and along seashore walks to identify plant and sea life indigenous and transplanted to the area. On occasion natives of the island would demonstrate their age-old technique for basket weaving, or someone else would talk about how things used to be done on the island when they had only themselves and nature to rely on. But that afternoon the ruins were deserted.
Eva was glad because it meant she would not have to pretend an interest while her attention was really elsewhere. On the other hand, it placed her and Maxwell alone again.
In his usual knowledgeable way Adam told her the history of the sugar mill and the ongoing fight to preserve the remains. He talked by rote, and Eva had the impression that he spoke for want of anything else to do.
She was looking through a low arched stone window to another section of the ruin, conscious of Maxwell right behind her, talking in a low methodic tone. She wondered how he could be so calm and in control while she felt so tense inside. He stood with one hand in the pocket of the drawstring pants and the other arm braced on the wall over her head.
“These ruins are part of the history here, very much a part of how things were done not so long ago…the burning of sugarcane and the extracting of the juices used in producing rum…”
Eva moved away from the deep vibration of his voice so close to her ear. She stood in a narrow doorway looking at the odd ovenlike openings on the walls.
“You can still see the carbon burned off on the stone walls. There are dozens of ruins like this one all over the island…” He was right behind her again. His breath stirred the hair at her temple. If she turned around now, he’d be right there, ready to…
Eva moved to a low wall, most of the stone brick eroded away. She looked over the edge out to the beautiful sea with its fantasy colors, dotted with small islands in the distance. Her back was warm. Adam was very close to her, his broad chest wall behind her. He braced his hands on the wall on either side of her. She was, in essence, trapped.
“Eva…” his deep voice mumbled. She felt his mouth at her neck, moving feather-light up to her ear, bringing with the movement a tingling sensation down her spine. Her heart thudded, and she brought her hands up to her chest trying to stop the racing. Adam took her suddenly by the waist and spun her into his arms, kissing her with an urgency that startled her.
Her hands were trapped between them and she spread them open on his green shirt feeling the padding of chest hair underneath, feeling the powerful working of his heart. Then her hands slipped down to his waist, and encountering his hard, firm naked skin beneath the hem of the shirt, she was brought to awareness of where they were once again headed. She pushed to separate them.
Adam let her go and turned away cursing under his breath. Eva watched him with consternation, somehow aware that he was being pushed beyond his own limits. But she was still confused, not fully understanding what was holding her back. Adam paced for a minute, a space of three or four feet, before stopping in front of her. He started to say something, then clamped his mouth closed. Eva watched him with concern. Finally he shook his head impatiently and turned away.
“Come on. We have to go back.” And he went off through the ruins toward the Jeep with Eva behind him.
The Jeep pulled up on the familiar road below the house. They sat in silence when the engine was turned off, surrounded by summer darkness.
“Will—will you take the boat out tomorrow?” Eva’s voice came quietly through the night air.
Adam shifted positions in the seat so that he was almost facing her. He bent his right elbow over the back of his seat. “I’m not sure. Would you come with me if I did?” he asked.
Eva sighed in a shaky little voice. “I don’t know. I’m not sure if I should.”
There was a long pause before he responded. “I know…”
Eva then gathered her things and climbed out of the Jeep. She was surprised when Adam followed.
“Eva…”
She turned to him. He walked over to her, towering over her, setting her pulse to race again.
“You aren’t like Lavona Morris,” he informed her distinctly. “And I won’t treat you as if you are.”
She didn’t know how to respond to that. She lowered her eyes nervously and shrugged. “Lavona is so—so beautiful. So sensual.”
“So was my ex-wife,” he said caustically.
Eva looked at his face in the dark. “But don’t you like Lavona?”
Adam shifted from one foot to the other. “I like her well enough.”
Eva frowned and pursed her lips ruefully. Adam could compare his ex-wife and Lavona. They were both beautiful. But he did not say the same of her. On the other hand, he’d said he wouldn’t treat her as he did Lavona. She shook her head gently. There were too many differences for her to understand.
“Maxwell, why did you tell me that?” she asked softly.
“Because you’re still not sure of me,” he whispered, “or yourself.”
She couldn’t answer that because he was too close to the truth.
“Lavona and I understand each other. There’s never been any pretending that our relationship was ever anything else outside of a bedroom.”
Eva looked at him, somewhat in wonder. Did Adam see their relationship as anything more…or less…or different?
“Maxwell…I—I like you holding me.” She felt the need to admit, to justify. He came closer to her and taking her by the shoulders turned her to face him fully. Adam stretched his fingers along one cheek, his thumb forcing her head up. He bent to kiss her gently, but thoroughly.
“That’s a start,” he said thickly. He turned back to his Jeep.
“Maxwell?”
He stopped and looked at her over his shoulder.
“Would you like to come upstairs?”
He hesitated only a second before answering. “No,” he said firmly. “We both know what would happen if I do.” He climbed into the Jeep, started the engine, and without another word drove away.
Eva climbed the stairs to her house. She put her things away in a slow, lethargic manner, thinking as she moved how the past seemed to be getting dimmer. And distantly unreal.