Ryan couldn’t shake the feeling of being encased in a transparent coffin. The shark cut through the clear, blue water as though coming for him, but it disappeared above their heads. His intuition didn’t match the current moment, but he couldn’t discount his sense of unease. Every time he ignored his instincts, he landed in trouble.
Aziza threw her head back and grinned over her shoulder, lapping up the experience of tubing through a sealed glass channel inside a giant aquarium filled with some of nature’s fiercest aquatic predators. She grabbed his ankles and pointed when the shark’s serrated snout entered her line of sight. “Ryan, look.”
Her pleasure with everything she experienced delighted him. Ryan loved that about her. Aziza made him view things he took for granted with fresh eyes, which was one of the reasons he was glad he reconnected with her. “I see it, babe.”
He wriggled his feet against her side, and she sank her nails in his skin. “Behave.”
Laughing, he did the same thing as they slid into an open pool, which signaled the end of the ride. When they left the rubber ring behind, Aziza hugged him as the water cascaded around them. “Thanks for hosting me again. I’ve loved every minute.”
Ryan dropped a kiss on her forehead, then said, “Just returning the favor for showing me your city.”
With her hands spread across his back, Aziza scoffed. “You’re acting as if you haven’t been coming to Evanston since you were a little tiddlywink.”
Ryan chuckled. “Whatever that means.”
They walked hand in hand onto the sand, and she looked up at him. “Don’t forget I knew you when your eyes were where your knees are now.”
Ryan threw back his head and laughed. “Says she, who is all of two years younger than I am.”
Tugging his hand, Aziza headed for the beach. “Come on, old man.”
They sank their feet into the powdery sand, moving toward the one-bedroom bungalow that came with his job at the Paradise Island Grande Resort in the Bahamas. For the last week and a half, they spent most of their nights together in Aziza’s room but she had fallen in love with the compact villa that had direct access to the beach via the backyard. Her appreciation for his home confirmed that while she enjoyed the finer things, she also liked the simple life. The house was nice, but not the height of architectural grandeur.
A half-hour after they showered, Aziza sat between his legs. As he combed out her kinky-curly hair and oiled her scalp, Ryan thought how content he was doing that ordinary task. Fact was, he loved touching her. His mother and father hadn’t stayed together, but he remembered scenes like these from his early childhood. At some point, his parents had been in love, but life intervened to separate them. He would not allow that to happen with Aziza.
“You have wonderful hands,” she mumbled from the patterned carpet.
Ryan leaned sideways on the sofa. “So you’ve told me a time or two, but don’t tell me you’re about to fall asleep.”
“It’s your fault.” She yawned and pulled herself upright.
“Hmmm. What are we doing for dinner anyway?”
She tipped her head back on the cushion. “Are you for real? After that lunch, I couldn’t eat anything more if I tried.”
As he chuckled, Aziza ran her fingers along his leg. “I can’t believe our time is over already.”
He pulled her hair together and secured it with an elastic band. Then he helped her to sit on his lap and stared into her eyes. “Yes, the days went by so quickly.”
Aziza trailed a finger across his chin. “You make a great host.”
She hesitated over her next words.
After a gentle peck to her lips, he said, “Speak.”
“Have you figured out how what we’re doing will work?”
A slow smile curved his lips as he thought about the 18-karat gold diamond ring that grabbed his attention in one of the jewelry stores on the property. Aziza deserved that and more. Next time they were together, he’d ask her if she’d put up with him for the rest of her life and slip it on her finger.
“Everything will fall into place when the time is right,” he said. “I have a few things I want to tie down, and you need to finish your contract period in Durabia. Next?”
She sighed and brushed his chin with her lips. “You make it sound so easy.”
“Babe, it is. As you well know, this isn’t a random, feel-good, love-on-vacation deal. We’ve known each other too long to end up wasting our time.” The assessing light in her eyes made him pause. Then he went all in. “Aziza Hampton, I won’t rest until we’re in the same place working on all our tomorrows.”
She cupped his head between her hands and eased his lips open with hers. Their tongues mated in a slow, sensual dance. Aziza held him close as if hungry for him and as though this was the last time they’d be together so she needed as much of him as she could get.
As his body responded, Ryan relaxed against the seat and let her take the lead. She had his shirt halfway up his chest before she whispered, “Let’s take this to the bedroom.”
After setting Aziza on her feet, Ryan also stood. “I thought we’d never get there.”
Later, they would decide where they saw each other in the flesh next. Now, their bodies cried out for the intimate connection they couldn’t do without.
Her phone rang, and she sighed against his chest. “I have to get that.”
With both hands resting on her hips, he groaned.
Aziza giggled, then kissed his chin. “It’ll only take a few minutes. Most likely, it’s Mom checking in with me.”
She lifted the cellular off the chair arm and swiped the screen, keeping a hand on his wrist. “Hey, Mom. Why are you … ”
He gripped her butt and kissed the tiny frown that marked her forehead.
Aziza’s gaze cut to his and concern filled her amber-colored eyes that shifted according to her mood. “What happened to Drake?”
Ryan sat and pulled her down next to him. Her expression went from concerned to frightened as she rubbed one side of her face. As if the air had gone out of her, Aziza slumped when the call ended.
“What’s up, Zee?” He slid an arm around her shoulder and drew her close.
She sniffled, then met his gaze. “It’s Mom. Drake is in the hospital. His wife isn’t sure what happened, but they’re running some tests.”
“D’you want me to get you a flight out tonight?”
She shook her head. “Mom says he’s in good spirits, and he’s not in too much pain. No sense shelling out money to change my flight when I’m leaving early tomorrow anyway. You’ve been so generous already.”
The joy of having her with him for two weeks meant he hadn’t thought twice about flying her to the island. And he’d be willing to spend more for her peace of mind.
“Let’s hope you get some rest tonight,” he said, smoothing the frown line on her forehead.
“I’ll be fine. They’ll let me speak with him when they finish the tests.” She snuggled into Ryan’s side. “As long as we’re together, I can deal with anything. Plus, we don’t know when we’ll be in the same place again.”
“As long as you’re sure, I want what you want.”
She laid her head on his chest. “After we hear from Drake, we’ll make some more memories.”
Ryan turned her hand over and kissed her palm. “I’ll take every moment with you I can get.”
The image of that shark coming toward them flashed in his mind, and a weight settled in his stomach. As he caressed the skin on her arm, he sensed that something other than her brother’s health issue was on the horizon.