Charming: A Modern Day Sexy Cinderella Story (22 page)

Nodding, he holds up his hand and says, “On three.” He puts the snorkel back in his mouth and counts with his fingers. On three, we jump. Our hands separate in the fall, and I squeal at how chilly the water feels. It takes a few minutes to get acclimated, but once we start swimming around, it’s hardly noticeable. Sticking our heads in the water is strange, and I keep forcing myself to breathe through the tube in my mouth. The sound of my breaths is distracting yet comforting at the same time. Asher reaches out and takes my hand again, and we explore the water together.

I have no idea how long we spend in the water swimming and exploring but it feels like ages. The volume, variety, and color of fish we see are astounding - some are normal looking and some are so crazy, I never could have imagined they exist. The most amazing part is how beautiful they are: from the lightest shades of yellow to brightest blues, and oranges and red – both the coral and fish are simply breathtaking. We definitely see every color in the rainbow. Some of the fish are as small as a pebble and others are so large they nearly cause me to panic, concerned about how they would respond to our being in the same vicinity. But they merely swam on toward their intended destination. Which made we wonder where they were all going. We continually pointed out our sightings to each other, eager to share. It was incredibly fun.

We agree to head back to the boat and finish up, keeping our faces in the water the whole time. Suddenly, Asher yanks on my hand and points. Far below us, making wide zigzags in the water, is a shark. Granted, it’s small, but I don’t give a crap and I take off like the shark is already biting my ass. Complete panic engulfs me and I start swimming like Michael Phelps.

Once I get to the boat, I’m out of the water, being helped back inside by the men there. Ripping my gear off, I turn around just in time to find Asher climbing into the boat behind me. He’s laughing so hard he falls to his knees trying to catch his breath. “Oh my god,” he pants.

Placing my hands on my hips, I glare at him knowing automatically he’s laughing at me. “What’s so funny?”

“You! That shark was probably the size of your arm. And it wasn’t one you needed to worry about.”

“Whatever. Speak for yourself. It may have been small but I betcha it still would have enjoyed chewing on your dangly bits.”

His face turns serious immediately, “Don’t even joke about that.” His hand automatically covers his crotch and I don’t think he even realizes he’s doing it.

“That’s what I thought. Not so funny now, is it?”

“Well… at least now I know that if we’re ever in a life or death situation, your thoughts are every man for himself.”

“Uhh, oops?” I reply at a loss for words to defend my actions.

We stare at each other then simultaneously start laughing until tears fall down our faces.

“It sounds like the two of you really hit if off,” Faye says as we both laugh at how much fun Asher and I had together.

“We did. I know that I will never forget my time with Asher,” I smile but inside I would swear my heart just broke a little more.

“You’re really hurting. Is talking about this making it worse for you?”

Considering her question, I pause, “Talking about our time together gives me mixed feelings. It’s so fresh that sometimes the pain feels so potent that I can’t breathe. But at the same time, talking about it confirms my feelings and I know that I have reason to feel the way that I do. Leaving Asher is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Somehow, it’s harder than when my mother passed away – I was so young when that happened, the pain then was on a different level than it is now. It hurts as much and feels as crippling as when my father died, but again, it’s not comparable as they are both unique in their own right. It hurts deeper than Jeremy’s betrayal and I was with Jeremy much longer than Asher. Even though I didn’t love Jeremy, that still seems odd.” Looking at Faye in wonder, I ask rhetorically, “How can that be? We only spent a short time together yet the loss of him is something profound; I know it will take me a long time to get over.”

“But, did you really lose him? I mean he’s not gone in the way your parents are.”

“No, he’s not, but being with him would hurt him. And I can’t do that to him. I…I love him too much.”

“You love him?” A soft smile is upon her lips and her eyes twinkle. “After only a week?” While she asks that question, it’s not with disbelief in her tone or on her face. Instead she almost seems… amused, unsurprised. I feel like she’s asking me not in judgment, but rather because she wants me to say it again.

“Yes. I love him. And I have learned that love is limitless. There’s no time, boundary, rhyme or reason to love. It just simply is.”

Her smile widens, “Why are you so sad then?”

“Because I think with love also comes sacrifice sometimes.”

“And your leaving is a sacrifice?”

“Absolutely. I’m sacrificing my happiness for Asher. Because it’s the right thing to do.”

“And does he agree with that?”

“I don’t know.” Her brows raise and I cringe. “I’ll explain.”

“I’m listening.”

And so I begin telling her the rest of my story.

When Asher and I get back to the room after our boating excursion, I suggest that Asher jump in the shower first and tonight, I’ll order us dinner. With a smile, he agrees and saunters off to the bathroom losing his clothes along the way. I raise an eyebrow pretending it doesn’t affect me as much as it does, and he laughs. Moving to the phone, I grab the various menus of all the restaurants on both resort properties to make my decision. I want to take care of Asher tonight. He’s been surprising me every day so far and it’s a small thing I know, and doesn’t come close to what he’s done for me, but I want to take control for the evening.

I’m glad to see that while Mexican food is definitely a consistent theme, there are many other cuisines to choose from. I consider Japanese for a moment, but then decide pasta is a safer choice. I select baked ziti, and a garden salad, dressing on the side knowing it’s likely to be good – who can mess up pasta sauce. I forego the garlic bread, despite that it is likely to be tasty and elect Italian bread instead. For obvious reasons. I grin as I add strawberries, whipped cream and champagne to the order.

I’ve barely hung up the phone and I hear Asher shut the shower water off. Moments later, he emerges wearing nothing but a towel. Sporting a mischievous grin, he walks toward me and my mouth waters watching his muscles shift with each step. Random drops of water trail down his body and I lick my lips. Immediately a scene from one of his movies flashes through my mind, and I remember women in the theatre sighing at the sight. I wonder if I should tell them that the real thing doesn’t even do the image on the screen justice.

With every step Asher takes toward me, I take one back. His grin turns downright wicked when my back meets resistance from the wall. Placing a hand on either side of my head, boxing me in, he moves close to me. Oh god, he smells mouth watering.

“Princess?”

“Hmm?” I ask my gaze moving to and settling on his lips.

“The shower is available for you now.”

“Yeah…ummm…” I giggle. God, I giggle! I sound ridiculous but somehow I can’t shut it off. “I kind of got that given the fact you’re standing in front of me.” I giggle again.
Oh, god, I’m eighteen again. I should just start popping gum and twirling my hair too.

His mouth moves infinitesimally closer to mine making me unable to focus on anything other than what that mouth can do to me. How it can make me feel. How it can make me moan and shudder. His mouth is on mine and he’s kissing me thoroughly, as if he wants to make his thoughts and intentions for the night clear. I’m right there with him, every movement of our lips against one another, every slide of our tongues, every taste, every whimper. His fingers trail down my arms and then wrap around my waist, mine wrap around his neck, pulling him closer to me, kissing him harder. He presses his body against mine and I can feel every inch and curve intimately. When he pulls away, his stare is so intense; I swear he can see into my mind, my heart and my soul. I’m breathless, my chest heaving with need, want and desire. He matches me breath for breath. He moves toward me again and I know if I let him take my lips once more, I’ll be a goner. Ducking under his arm, he yells a surprised, “Hey! I wasn’t done yet.”

Quickly grabbing my clothes, I make a dash for the bathroom, but look over my shoulder at him and laugh at the look of astonishment on his face. Laughing was a mistake. In retaliation, as I reach the bathroom entrance, he drops his towel from around his waist. Gasping, I almost smack right into the wall instead of going through the door. He winks at me seductively and starts walking to me again, but somehow I manage to come to my senses and dart through the door and shut it quickly.
I must be absolutely crazy.

Leaning my back against the door, and squeezing my eyes closed, I try to catch my breath. Holy hell is that one fine specimen of a man. I don’t know how I got so lucky to get his attention, but hell the man is the complete package. Jumping in the shower, I wonder if a cold shower does the same thing for women as it does for men. I elect to try. Quickly washing, I tell myself to remember that I have a plan. Shower, eat and then operation seduce Asher. Not that it’s going to be a very hard thing to do. We are both beyond ready, but the anticipation is making the blood in my veins even fierier with need.

Finishing, my deduction is that the cool water did nothing to simmer the passion running in my veins, but that’s okay. Drying my hair and applying a touch of makeup, I turn to the clothes I’ve elected to wear.

A knock comes at the door startling me, “Princess? Dinner’s here.”

“Okay. Go ahead and sit at the table, I’m coming!”

“No, sadly, you aren’t. Not yet anyway.”

Stifling a laugh, I call, “Be there in a minute.”

Hurrying, I dress in the most seductive thing I brought on vacation, quite by accident. A lace tank top, with matching lace boy shorts that have a cute ruffle on the butt. I usually wear them under my jean shorts with a top so you can’t make out the ruffle through my clothes. They’re surprisingly comfortable and I always feel kind of naughty in them. Like I have a sexy secret. Alone, they are definitely sexy. They’re a pale pink color that leaves nothing to the imagination. I’m saying a prayer of thanks that I impulsively left them in my bag when I took other lingerie items out.

Turning back to the mirror, I give myself a once over, fluff my hair, spritz on some body spray, do a quick turn checking out my ass and give myself a nod of approval. With a deep breath, I open the door and peek out into the bedroom. Asher is nowhere to be found, so I surmise he’s sitting at the table like I asked.

One barefooted step at a time, I make my way to the dining area, and when I reach the entryway, I lean against it waiting for him to notice me. He doesn’t at first; he’s busy arranging our table and the food. I grin when I see he’s had a similar idea to mine; he’s wearing nothing but black boxer briefs. I admire his strong broad back and suppress a shudder when I imagine scratching my nails down it. I’m glad that’s all he’s wearing- less to rip off that way.

When he sits in his chair, he picks up his silverware that’s rolled into his napkin and happens to glance at the doorway. When his eyes meet mine, he freezes, and his silverware clatters to his plate. His eyes rake my body, stopping momentarily at the junction of my thighs, and again when he reaches my breasts. When his heated gaze returns to mine, he licks his lips and I barely keep myself from running right into his arms.