HE WAS SUPPOSED to meet with Tessi James and Sasha today and talk about the possibility of catering it locally. He glanced at the shelf where Marie’s doll was and was tempted to take it down and stuff it in a drawer. It was probably what had led to that ill-fated kiss. Something that never should have happened. But to do so felt sacrilegious, almost—as if protecting his own comfort was more important than the reality of what had happened to that little girl.
And why hadn’t he shared its meaning with Sasha? Maybe it was just embarrassment that he hadn’t been able to recognize what was wrong with the child. But it truly had been too late, even if he’d figured it out. Her liver had failed and there was no bringing her back from it.
So he left the doll where it was, and waited for the knock on his door that would signal Tessi’s arrival. Five minutes after the appointed meeting time, he glanced at his phone with a frown. They were late. Had Tessi decided it was too big a project to take on? Had Sasha told her what had happened between them and talked her into backing out? Hell, why hadn’t he talked to her about what had happened?
Because he hadn’t had the chance. She’d disappeared before he’d even gotten back to the hospital. The hotel said she’d left at nine that morning, taking the shuttle back on one of its regularly scheduled trips.
So maybe neither Tessi nor Sasha was coming. Thankfully, he hadn’t yet responded to any of the prospective caterers from the States.
As he was looking at his text messages, the phone in his hand rang, and he almost dropped the thing.
Dammit! What is wrong with you? Shaking his head and sighing, he pressed the button to answer. “Nate Edwards here.”
“I’m sorry, Dr. Edwards, but I think your appointment is here.”
“Good. Send them up, please.”
“Um...there are like twenty people here. Do you want them all in your office?”
He blinked. Glanced at his office. He could hold ten people easily in here, but twenty? He had no idea anyone other than Tessi and Sasha were coming. “Can you direct them to the conference room at the hotel, if nothing is scheduled there?”
A few seconds went by. “I don’t see anything. Okay, I’ll send them over.”
Marie’s doll wouldn’t be an issue after all. Nor would meeting Sasha in a place he’d made such a huge mistake. He had never kissed a colleague here or anywhere else. And he was going to make sure his little lapse of judgement never happened again. Still, he couldn’t help but ask. “Is Sasha James with them?”
“I’m not sure who that is—”
“It’s okay—I’ll just meet them over there.”
After shutting the door to his office, he made his way over to the hotel wing and sure enough, there was a small crowd of people walking in that direction. And Sasha was with them. A weird sense of relief washed over him.
He unlocked the door and let them through, wrapping his fingers around Sasha’s wrist to hold her back for a second. He realized that was a mistake when his fingers tingled from the contact. Hell, he’d thought the kiss might somehow satisfy whatever strange curiosity he’d had toward her. Evidently that wasn’t so.
He forced out, “What’s going on?”
“I’m as surprised as you are. But my mom thought you should meet the people who would be working with her on this project—if you decide to go that route. They’re from small businesses all over Williamtown.”
Not the time to have things out, though, so all he could do was make the best of it.
“I’m officially impressed. Can you make introductions?”
“Sure.”
Her voice was stilted and formal, and he let go of her, his fingers curling in an effort to remove the sensation. But it was still there, along with a pressure in the center of his chest. The last thing he needed to deal with was his unusual reaction to her.
With her hair pulled back and small diamonds in her earlobes, she looked cool and chic and not at all affected by his touch.
Sasha led him over to a woman he immediately recognized as her mother. Tall and slender, the similarities between them were uncanny. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say this was Sasha’s sister rather than her mom. It gave him a glimpse of what she would look like in the future.
Not that it was something he needed to know.
“Mom, this is Dr. Edwards. Dr. Edwards, this is Tessi James.”
“Call me Nate, please. Sasha does. Normally, that is.” He wondered if their kiss had somehow set them back a few steps. Or maybe because of how abrupt he’d been in his answer over Marie’s doll. Whatever it was, he missed hearing his name on her lips.
“Okay, Nate. Everyone calls me Tessi, so you might as well too.”
He forced his attention away from the woman’s daughter. “Great. So who have you brought with you today, Tessi?”
As the woman introduced each member of her entourage, Nate found his attention kept returning to Sasha, who was fidgeting next to him. Okay, maybe she wasn’t as unaffected as he’d thought. Or worse, maybe that kiss had made things unbearably awkward for her. He could talk to her after this, and see if he could fix things. Or maybe take her out to lunch, depending on how long the meeting took. He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to make things right, but the thought of things staying like they were... Well, he didn’t like it. And he had no idea why.
“Nice to meet all of you. Let’s pull some chairs into a circle, and you can tell me what you have in mind for the fund-raiser.”
There were two florists, ten people from various food industries in Williamtown, a couple of people from janitorial services and the rest were a jumble of party planners, organizers and a company that provided plating and cutlery.
He hadn’t been lying when he’d said he was impressed. When Sasha had said her mom cooked and made wedding cakes and the like, he’d had his doubts over whether she could handle an event of this size...but with all of these people? He could see it unfolding before his eyes. And they would probably save quite a bit of money by having everything sourced locally.
Tessi and her group had pictures on their phones of what they envisioned doing with the event.
“Wow. You pulled all of this together in this short a period of time?”
Tessi nodded. “Between us, we have decades of experience to draw from.”
“Can you send these to me?” He gave the group his cell phone number. “With your permission I’ll print some of these off and present them at the meeting tonight. If you’re sure you’re all available. Tessi, if you could come and represent your group and answer any questions...?”
“Yes, of course.” She gave him a grin. “We’ve also drawn up a budget of expenses for you to look over.”
“Yes, I’ll be happy to.”
They talked a bit more about the particulars. An hour later, he was convinced. And satisfied. He sent Sasha a smile and mouthed, “Thank you.”
She smiled back and nodded.
They stood and Sasha hugged her mom and thanked the rest of the crew, telling her mom that she wanted to stay behind and talk to Dr. Edwards for a few minutes but would see her at home later this evening. Then they were gone.
Nate turned to her. “So we’re back to Dr. Edwards and Dr. James, are we?”
Her mouth quirked to the side. “No, I just don’t want my mom to get any funny ideas.”
“Does she get ideas about all the men you’re on a first-name basis with?”
“No, of course not, but we’re not simply on first name...”
Her voice trailed away, reminding him that, like him, she probably didn’t kiss every person she worked with. For some reason, that sent a burst of warmth through him. Although he remembered her talking to a male nurse at Saint Victoria Hospital, and at the time had wondered if there was something between the pair. But she wouldn’t have kissed him the way she had, if that was the case. Right?
He decided maybe it was better if they didn’t go back to his office after all. Especially after what had happened there. He could think of somewhere a whole lot safer.
Glancing down at her feet and seeing casual sandals that went with her long gauzy skirt, he asked. “Are your feet all recovered?”
She wiggled her toes. “Yep, as good as new.”
“How do you feel about a walk on the beach then? We can talk as we go.”
“Sure.”
Was it his imagination, or did she seem relieved that he hadn’t suggested his office?
Nate pushed through a nearby exit, guiding her over to the long boardwalk that led away from the hotel. Strolling along it, she glanced at him. “So did you really like what they had to say?”
“Are you kidding? It’s fantastic, better than I’d even hoped.”
She smiled. “There’s even a DJ here in town who can probably do the music, if that’s something you’d be interested in.”
“Yes. I’d love to talk with him or her.” He looked out over the sea. “Your mom has quite a bit of influence here.”
“I don’t know that it’s influence as much as having grown up with most of those people. It’s a little different here than in Boston or New York or any of the big cities in the States. There are fewer people moving in and out, so friends and neighbors spend a lifetime getting to know each other.”
He liked the thought of knowing a group of people that well. At least the idea of it. How well could you really know anyone? He’d grown up with his parents, only to discover how little he understood them. And how little they understood him.
Shaking away that thought, he came to the end of the boardwalk and stepped out onto the sand.
“You’re going to ruin your shoes,” she murmured.
He glanced down at his shiny black dress shoes. “They’ve been out here more than once. As long as you don’t throw me into the water, we should be good.”
“Throw you into the water? Really?” A lightness came into her voice that made him relax. Maybe they’d get through that incident in his office unscathed after all. She was really the most surprising woman. Some of the women he’d been with had been quick to try to get a second date, but Sasha hadn’t done anything to indicate she wanted anything from him. Not a kiss. Not anything else.
Their eyes met. Got hung up. And he wondered if he was somehow wrong.
Then she stepped onto the beach and moved away from him. He stopped to strip his shoes and socks off, carrying them in one hand.
“You come out here often,” she said.
“Why do you say that?”
“Your feet are as tanned as the rest of you.”
Her assessment was right on target as far as him liking to be out here.
“I do sit and watch the ocean sometimes, but not here.”
“Where? Another beach?”
“No, I’ll show you. It’s about a fifteen-minute trek, though, do you have time?”
“I do, actually.”
They walked until they arrived at a sheltered cove that none of the hospital staff knew about. As far as Nate knew, he was the only person who ever came out here. It was around a curve and well hidden from anyone walking along the beach. “This is the spot.”
Sasha moved closer to the water. “It’s beautiful. I can see why you like to come out here.” Lowering herself onto the sand, she kicked off her sandals and stretched her legs out in front of her, tossing her skirt over them. She’d polished her toes this time and the bright fuchsia drew his eyes toward the high arch of her foot—the smooth, silky-looking legs below the white fabric. She was gorgeous. And he was beginning to think her beauty really was more than skin deep. Working with her on the accident victim had shown him that she was skilled and caring, jumping in to help even when she could have left to go home.
The discovery made him uneasy. Because it put that kiss in a completely different light. And Nate liked categorizing things so that they fit neatly into the box he’d made for himself. Of things he did and didn’t allow himself to think or do.
He was glad he’d suggested coming here rather than inviting her out to lunch like he’d planned to. The sound of the water lapping at the beach was soothing. And he didn’t really want anyone to hear what he had to say.
“I think I owe you an apology.”
“You do? About what?” Her head turned toward him, face registering her surprise. “And please don’t say it was about the kiss. It was a mistake. I think we both realize that.”
He pulled up short. Okay, she’d beat him to it. He should be elated. But instead, something made him change tack and pretend the kiss wasn’t even important enough to discuss. “No, not about that. I was kind of short with you that night.”
“You were? I don’t remember you being short.”
Was it possible he was mistaken? Or was she just saying that? Well, either way, he’d started down this path and he was going to see it through to the bitter end. And he realized it was true. He did want to explain why he’d acted the way he did.
“You asked about that doll on my shelf, and I cut you off.”
“Ah. That. You had every right to. I was prying, even though I didn’t mean to.” She blinked, then a frown puckered her brow. “Oh! Do you have a daughter?”
Her glance went to his hand. Damn. “No. I’m not married. I certainly wouldn’t have kissed you if I was. And I don’t have any children, here or in the States.” Did she really think he was someone who would cheat on someone? That stung and he wasn’t sure why.
“And... I’m prying again.”
“No, you’re not. Really.” He just hadn’t expected her to jump to that conclusion. “The doll belonged to a patient.”
“And she gave it to you? How sweet. Those dolls are normally treasured possessions.”
Yes. They were. This was going to be harder than he’d thought. “No. She didn’t give it to me. Her parents did. Afterward.”
She looked at him, head tilting. Then the softness of her face changed in an instant. “Oh, Nate, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
“She was one of my patients when I was here with Medicine Around the World. It was after Hurricane Regan and was my first time on the island.”
“That was a terrible time for Saint Victoria. So many businesses and lives wiped out. Parts of the island still haven’t fully recovered. Was your patient injured in the hurricane?”
“No. At least that wasn’t why her parents brought her to me. She had a persistent fever, was jaundiced and was very ill. Saint Victoria Hospital was in shambles at the time, and we only had rudimentary medical supplies with us. I treated her for hepatitis, but she just got worse. And the blood work I sent off didn’t get back before she...”
Sasha’s hand reached over and gripped his. “How awful. Did you find out what it was?”
“Yes. And that was the kicker. She had schistosomiasis.”
She blinked, and there was a long pause while she stared at him. “God, Nate. That was you.”
Confusion ran through him before a sense of horror kicked him in the gut. Were people talking about the foreign doctor who let a young child die?
Her hand squeezed his. “Not long after the hurricane, there was a campaign to test the water and try to find out where there were concentrations of the parasite. And doctors looked carefully at any case of swimmers’ rash or symptoms of hepatitis or unexplained infections. They actually found a couple of children in a family with the chronic gastrointestinal form of schistosomiasis and were able to treat them with praziquantel. Both children lived. It’s not as common in Saint Victoria as it is in some of the other tropical climates, but obviously it can kill. Even here.” She leaned closer, and bumped his shoulder with hers. “You may not know it, but you’re probably the reason those two kids are still alive.”
Nate had actually sent his own money to the island anonymously asking it to be earmarked for the prevention and treatment of schistosomiasis.
“It was my first time out of the country as a doctor, and I’d never seen a case before. I always felt if I’d identified it earlier...”
“You couldn’t have known and it would have been too late by then, anyway. Our island was struggling on a lot of different fronts at that time.” Her fingers twined with his. “Believe me—her parents would not have given you that doll if they weren’t extremely grateful to you. If they felt you hadn’t done everything possible to save their child.”
“I would have done almost anything to save her.”
“I think you did everything you could have.” She studied him. “What was her name?”
“Marie.” A hard twinge went through his jaw, and he forced his teeth to unclench. He didn’t often say her name out loud.
There was silence for a few seconds, then Sasha said, “I’m glad you kept her doll.”
“It’s a reminder. She’s why I came back to Saint Victoria.”
“I’m glad for that too.” Her voice lowered. “Even if it was for those reasons.”
Was she really? He’d gotten the idea she wasn’t thrilled about him being there. Actually, she’d pretty much admitted it to him. And although he should have been able to let it roll off his back, her prickliness when they’d first met had bothered him. And he wasn’t sure why.
Was she changing her mind about him? Maybe. They were back on a first-name basis again. And he felt better after confiding in her.
Just then a sound hit his ears and a rogue wave rushed toward them before he could warn her, sloshing over their legs and knocking Sasha flat on her back. She sputtered, and he went to yank her upright before realizing she wasn’t struggling, she was laughing.
“Bondye mwen, what just happened?”
He leaned over her, chuckling at the look on her face. “Bondye mwen, indeed.”
“Sorry, the language just slips out sometimes. You know what it means?”
“After three years, I should. Besides, my God kind of comes through in any language. And I like those little slipups.” Maybe because he’d pretty much had that same thought. Only it hadn’t been about the wave. It was about how she looked right now, with her hair plastered to her head and her skirt... Hell, the thing was almost transparent.
Her eyes widened and she sat up in a rush. “Oh, no. Your shoes.”
“What about them?”
She waved her hand. “Well, one is here and one is...down there.”
“Ah, hell.” He leaped up, hearing her laughter as he jogged down to the low point of the water where his errant shoe was tumbling in the surf. He snatched it up, just as another wave crashed over his knees almost knocking him down. He looked up at where she was sitting and saw she’d made no move to stand up. She was holding her stomach as laughter poured out of her.
Suddenly, he felt carefree, loved that she could just get flattened by a wave and laugh about it rather than getting angry at her clothes being soaked. He tried to picture his mom in this kind of situation.
She definitely wouldn’t have been doubled over in mirth.
Reaching her side, he grabbed his other shoe and then her sandals and threw them out of the sea’s reach. Then he dropped back by her side. “So you find that funny, do you?”
“Yes. Very.” The laughter came again. “If you could have seen yourself running toward the water, your pant legs dragging around your ankles. What kind of chief of staff are you, anyway?”
“A very wet one. I could ask the same of you.” He leaned closer, murmuring, “What kind of doctor are you?”
The question hung in the air for a few seconds, before she said, “The kind who can laugh at herself.”
“Really? It seems you were laughing more at me, than at yourself.”
Her brows went up. “And you have a problem with that?”
“No. No problem at all.” In fact, he liked it. Very, very much.
This time the kiss wasn’t impulsive. Wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing. He’d thought about it. Thought about all the reasons why it was a bad idea. And then Nate Edwards leaned over and did it anyway.
* * *
It was even better this time. The kiss. The setting.
The laughter.
She hadn’t laughed that hard with a man in...well, forever.
It made having his mouth on hers that much sweeter.
He laid her back in the sand and followed her down, and right now she didn’t care if the water rushed up and covered her head. If that happened, she would keep on kissing him for as long as she could hold her breath.
The heat of his body penetrated her wet clothes, her skin, reaching the innermost part of her. Sasha did not kiss men she barely knew. But here she was, rushing into uncharted territory, just like that wave that had crashed into them.
Only this was more powerful than that wave. And unlike Nate’s shoe, it was unlikely she was going to catch herself before she tumbled into something even more dangerous. Something that wouldn’t be as easy to pull free from.
But right now, she just didn’t care.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer, her tongue touching his, tasting coffee and mint and... Nate.
One of his legs slid between hers as he closed the gap between them, and something nudged against the outside of her thigh. Her insides melted.
She wanted him. Here in the sand, under the sky.
“Sasha...”
The sound of her name made her open her eyes. His were deep and dark and full of all of the things she was feeling. Another wave went over her, sliding between their bodies, the juxtaposition of the cool water and the heat of his skin making her nipples pucker.
He kissed her again as the water receded. It was long and drawn out, making her breathless for more. Then he pulled away slightly. “You’re going to drown if we stay here.”
“Mmm, I can hold my breath for a very long time. So I don’t think I care.”
“But I do.”
He stood, and she was just about to protest, when he reached down and swung her up in his arms. “Oh!”
“Yes, oh.” He chuckled before walking with purpose down toward the water, moving sideways in a way that avoided them taking the brunt of the waves.
A heady sense of need went through her. He wasn’t stopping. He was doing the opposite: making it possible for them to do more. Feel more. Explore more. He carried her farther out in this private slice of paradise, until the water covered her bottom and sent delicious sensations through her. Then he set her down on her feet.
He kissed her. Recklessly. With a passion and fervor that rivaled anything she’d ever felt before. Then he slowly turned her away from him, facing the shore as his fingers edged under her light top, under her bra, palms sliding over her breasts in a way that drove the air from her lungs. She pushed into his touch, with a soft cry, glad it was muted by the sounds of the sea. It didn’t matter. No one would see them here. Her hands rounded his strong thighs and closed over his butt, dragging him closer, until he was nestled tight against her.
Nate leaned down and nipped at her ear. “You’re driving me crazy, Sash.”
No crazier than he was driving her. She hoped he had a condom somewhere on him, although she felt like she would die if she didn’t have him however she could get him.
One of his arms dipped beneath the water, coming up under her skirt and bunching it around her legs. His fingers found her lacy undergarment and he slid against her, making her instinctively move toward the hard heat she felt behind her. He pushed against her, groaning as his fingers found her, brushing over that sensitive part of her and cupping her.
“Do you want this, sweetheart? If you don’t, please tell me now.”
“Yes. I want it.” The words came out with a need that almost made her cringe. Until he growled against her ear, pushing her panties down her legs.
She stepped out of them not caring if they were lost forever to the sea. It seemed kind of fitting since she was finding herself lost to it too. Then his fingers were on her flesh, teasing, squeezing, trailing across her folds and blotting out every other thought but what was happening to her. He dipped inside her with a suddenness that made her clench around his finger.
Yes. She wanted it. Way too much.
“Hell. You’re going to have to help me.”
He withdrew and somehow, from his wallet or his pocket or some secret place pulled a packet above the water and handed it to her. She pivoted toward him as she ripped the packet open and handed him the wrapper. He shoved it in his pocket just as her hands slid beneath the surface of the water. When she found him, he’d already released himself. All she had to do was. Slide. It. Slowly. On.
It was heavenly. Warm and heavy and, oh, so hard. She could explore him forever.
But as soon as she’d sheathed him, his hands scooped beneath her thighs, lifted her onto his hips. She twined her ankles beneath his butt.
With one palm pressed against the small of her back, he used his other hand to find her, entering her with one swift deep thrust.
“Ahh...” She pressed her face against his neck, panting against his skin as she absorbed the sensation of being stretched. So very full.
“Okay?”
“Yes. Oh, yes.”
Supporting her butt, he began to move, thrusting slowly, the water providing the perfect medium for them. The push and pull of the waves echoed what was happening inside her. She licked salt from his neck, murmured in her own tongue against his lips, before allowing herself to slide back into the water, her body buoyed by the salt and sea currents.
She could see him above her moving, eyes on hers. The sight was hypnotic. She couldn’t see where they were joined but could see the muscles under his shirt contract with each forward movement, could feel the result inside her.
“Sasha, I need...to...touch you.” Each word was punctuated with a short thrust that made her push against him.
A luscious pressure was building inside her. “You are, Nate.” She took a breath. “Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
His hands squeezed her ass as he pulled her harder against him with each stroke. Her legs tightened around him, adding her own rhythm in an effort to keep up with the demands of her flesh.
Suddenly one of his arms slid under her back, and he supported her, leaning forward and taking her nipple into his mouth, then sucking hard. She held on to his shoulders to keep herself from going under as she watched his mouth work its magic on her, his hair wet and dark and wild.
As wild as she felt inside.
She moved against him, the friction against sensitive areas of her body making any hope of drawing this out impossible.
Using her legs, she pumped herself on him, going faster and faster, watching as his head came up, eyes glazing.
And then she was there, her body tumbling and crashing and exploding, as a keening cry erupted from her throat.
Nate’s own cry joined hers a few seconds later as a frenzy of thrusts drove her even higher.
And then it was over. She lay on top of the water for a few seconds, her breath heaving, trying to push through the thick layer of sludge that seemed to have taken over her brain.
With one hand still behind her waist, he used his other hand to pull her upright until she was resting against him.
Neither one of them said anything for a few minutes. Then Nate eased free, and she closed her eyes in an attempt to blot out the truth: it was over. And she had no idea what to say.
He saved her from having to come up with something. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” She moistened her lips, almost dreading to hear his response. “You?”
“I think I just destroyed something.”
She blinked at him in shock before realizing he was smiling. She smiled back at him, having no idea what he was talking about. “You did? What?”
“You were worried about my shoes. But neither one of us thought about this. Well I did. But I didn’t care at the time.”
He reached behind him and up out of the sea came his wallet. And it was streaming with water.
And suddenly she was laughing just like she’d been on the beach. This could have been the most awkward moment ever. And all Sasha felt was gratitude that he’d come up with the perfect icebreaker, even if his wallet had paid the price. She leaned forward and hugged him, putting every ounce of feeling she had into it as she thanked him in the only way she knew how.
And then she set her feet on the ground, and turned and trudged slowly toward shore.