Sea Breeze (7 page)

“You’re killing me! Please get up, I can barely breathe. You’re constricting my lungs.” I push at his shoulders a bit to emphasize my words.

“Oh, sorry.” He edges over to the side of the bed next to the wall and off of me, well, my upper half anyway. His legs drape over my bottom half, and he leans up on his elbow while I gulp down a few cleansing breaths. “You look beautiful in the morning.”

“Yeah, right. I’m sure my makeup is smeared all over my face and my hair must be a mess.” My hand examines the damage to my ‘do. Yep, it’s going to take a whole bottle of conditioner to comb this rat’s nest out.

“Yes, your makeup is smeared and your hair is wild, but you look sated. It’s sexy.”

A guffaw escapes me. “Wow, fishing for a compliment this morning, are we?”

“No.” His eyebrows furrow. “Well…maybe.”

A loud blast of laughter escapes me again. He starts to smile and then he’s tickling me and pinning my forearms to the bed, straddling me. Suddenly, he stops and no one is laughing now. He searches my eyes, intensity in his stare.

“Last night was amazing, Jordan.”

My breath hitches at his serious tone. “Yes, it was.”

He leans down to kiss me, but I turn my head at the last minute. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I... I’d rather brush my teeth before I kiss you again. Morning breath is not sexy.”

Eric’s mouth gapes open and then he chuckles. “Okay, after you brush your teeth, I want another kiss. Promise me or I won’t let you up.”

“You would keep me trapped here? What if I have to pee?”

“Go ahead. Everything can be washed.”

“Ew, you’re gross. Okay, I promise. Now let me up, please.”

He releases me and sits back on his heels, completely exposing himself to me in the light of day, and completely aroused. I realize I’m completely naked as well, as his gaze drifts over me with appreciation. He reaches out and smacks me on the ass as I scramble out of the bed, and I make a run for the bathroom with a yelp and giggle. Taking a peek in the mirror to assess the hair and makeup situation, I groan. It’s not good. I look like some kind of retro trollop. My red lipstick is smeared across my upper lip and chin, and my black eyeliner has bled so low, I may find marks on my ankles... and forehead, apparently.

I wash my face, rinse my mouth with his mouthwash, and use the facilities. Pulling the pins left in my hair out, I place them on the back of the toilet, and climb into the shower.

His voice echoes in the tiny room. “Hey, no fair. You didn’t say anything about taking a shower?” A minute later, there’s a flush, and the water turns hot. He shoves the curtain aside and steps in beside me with a goofy smile on his face.

Oh boy. I’m in trouble.

Chapter Ten

I
spend the next two days in a sexual haze. Eric still has to work, and I find activities to participate in. He takes a break, we make out for fifteen minutes behind the surf bar. He works mid-shift at The Vine Bar, and I rock-climb. He works the night shift at Allure, and I come, sit at the bar, and tease him relentlessly until he gets off. Then we race to his room where clothes are shed almost immediately. I told Kim I might not be sleeping in our room for a couple of days. She gave me a high five and told me to be safe.

Day ten, we dock in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Eric worked four shifts the last two days, so he gets today off. We wake up early, share a breakfast of coffee and doughnuts in bed, and get ready for the day. Again, I wish I had more time. Eric knows this port well, so we’re going to try and get as much in as possible before we’re due back on board.

As soon as we’re off the ship, Eric secures a driver. We head toward Blue Hole, in the hills of Ocho Rios. It’s supposed to be one of the few secret spots in Ocho Rios, not overcrowded with tourists: crystal-clear blue pools of water surrounded by greenery, up in the hills. It only takes about twenty minutes to get there. We have a backpack with bottled water, sunscreen and towels. I have my bikini on under my shorts and T-shirt. Eric’s wearing black board shorts and a black tank. We’re both wearing sneakers, but have flip-flops in the backpack.

After an extremely bumpy ride on one of the narrowest roads I’ve ever seen, we step out of the car to take in the most beautiful paradise. It’s too breathtaking to be real.

“Come on. Let’s hike up to the falls and then make our way back here.” Eric takes my hand after paying our entrance fees, and we amble up the narrow trail that runs along the river, admiring the sights around us. I snap a few photos on my phone. The fact this place exists on the same planet that I’ve been living on my whole life blows my mind. I want to stop and meditate for a while. God, I wish we had more time.

When the falls come into view, I stop and squeeze Eric’s hand. “It’s breathtaking here. All this natural beauty. Thank you for bringing us here first. I’m blown away.”

He kisses me sweetly on the lips and then the forehead. “You’re welcome. I haven’t been here in a while and I’ve been wanting to come back, so thank you.” His smile warms my insides. We watch the water for a moment and then he points over to a little tiki bar perfectly positioned over to the side. “We’re going to be in the water most of the day, so I’d like you to do me a favor before we get wet.”

“Okay. What do you want?”

“Sex on the beach.”

“What? It’s secluded up here, but not
that
secluded. Are you nuts?”

Eric chuckles and walks over to the tiki bar, towing me behind him. “Hey, Isaac. How’s it going, man. Long time no see.”

“Hey breddah Eric. Long time no see, mon.” The man comes out from behind the bar and gives Eric a hug. “Who we ‘ave ‘ere?”

“Isaac, this is Jordan.”

“Hello. Nice to meet you.”

“Irie, irie. What yuh doin ‘ere? Come fer a swim, eeh?”

“Yes, but first, I was wondering if you could help me out with a little challenge.”

“Sure.”

I follow Eric and Isaac behind the empty bar, and Eric points to the well. “I challenge you to a little Sex on the Beach mix-off. We don’t have enough ingredients here at Isaac’s bar to do a real mix-off. No offense, Isaac, but I can’t let you behind the bar on the ship, or I’d get fired.” I smirk, and Isaac laughs out loud. “You were talking really big last night about how Vegas bartenders are the best bartenders in the world, so let’s see who makes a better drink. You up for it?”

“Oh, Eric. One of these days, we’ll have a real mix-off behind a full bar, no offense, Isaac.” Isaac waves me off. “And you can show me your best, but right now, you don’t stand a chance, not with something easy like that. Challenge accepted.”

I let Eric go first and he mixes up a regular cocktail: vodka, peach schnapps, orange, and cranberry over ice. He does add a little lime juice to it and a sugar rim. I taste it, it’s good. I like the lime juice. “Tasty. Now stand back and watch how it’s done.”

A few other visitors wander over to see what all the commotion is about, and so I decide to give them and Eric a show. Organizing the bottles I’ll need in the well, I line up eight shot glasses and grab two shakers and two pint glasses. I fill the two shakers with ice, and then pull out the cranberry and orange juices, pouring those at the same time. Next I juggle the bottle of vodka, spinning it in the palm of my hand, and then high-pouring from above my head into the shakers. Lastly, I pull the schnapps bottle out of the well, tossing it behind my back, and I high-pour it into the shakers. I smack the pint glasses into the shakers simultaneously, securing them, and then I spin one in each hand until they’re both nice and cold. A quick tap on the bar releases the pints, and I pour off one, filling half the glasses, and then dump the first shaker in the sink. I pour the last over the shot glasses, filling them almost to the brim. I top it off with a little extra kick and float a little Grand Marnier in each glass, and then, with a flick of my wrist, the bottle goes back on the shelf.

Isaac cheers loudly and Eric smirks. I give him and Isaac each a glass, take one for me, and then offer the last five to the people who’ve been watching.

“Her show yuh, mon. My God. Dat a beautiful ting.” Isaac throws back his shot and licks his lips.

Clinking glasses with me, Eric drinks his shot, keeping his eyes on me. He leans in and whispers in my ear. “That was so fucking sexy to watch.”

My heart hammers against my ribs. It’s him who’s sexy. How in the hell is he single?

“Thanks, Isaac. Ready to get a little wet, Jordan?” Eric wiggles his eyebrows at me.

I snicker. “Yes, please.”

We take our leave of Isaac, leaving cash for the nine drinks we made between us, and walk back down toward the waterfalls. I toe off my sneakers and socks as Eric does the same. Pulling my shorts and shirt off, I leave my backpack on the rocks. Before Eric has a chance to warn me, I jump into the bluest water I have ever seen, the glacial water causing an almost instant heart attack. I come up to the surface sputtering and gasping for air.

Eric is still on the rocks, his hands clasped behind his head. “I was going to warn you, but you didn’t give me a chance. Are you okay?”

“It’s freezing.”

“Yes, it is.” He chuckles and I splash him with water as he jumps out of the way. “Hey!” He holds up his hand for me to stop, but when I start to swim closer toward him, he ends up jumping in next to me. Pushing the hair out of his eyes, he reaches for me as I tread water next to him, my teeth chattering. “You’ll adjust in a minute. Come on, let’s go swim under the falls.”

There’s no one else with us right now, and we swim toward the water crashing over the rocks. Briefly, I fantasize about having sex under the falls, but honestly, I don’t know if Eric could get hard in this ice cold water. He finds a foothold and pulls me over, climbing up and clinging to me in a tight embrace as we stand, trembling, under the falls.

Half out of the water, our bodies adjust to the cold and Eric pushes my hair back off my forehead. I tip my head back to smile up at him. His gaze darts back and forth between my eyes as his hand gently holds my chin up. His lips stop trembling and he clears his throat. Lips parted, his sweet, peachy breath mixes with the mist that wafts across my face. His mouth has me mesmerized. I want to kiss him, but he’s only looking at me.

My body flushes with desire. There’s lust in his eyes, for sure. But there’s also something more. It’s something that scares the hell out of me and thrills me at the same time. It’s like riding a roller coaster. You’re so scared, you think you’re going to die, yet you can’t help but be thrilled by the adrenaline-pumping risk of it.

Finally, he places a gentle kiss on my lips. It’s feather-light, but so tender that it almost brings tears to my eyes when he ends it. There was no lust in that kiss, only lo— no. I can’t go there. It’s not possible. Too soon. His arms wrap around me and he squeezes me tightly as his face burrows into my wet hair. “Feel better?”

Clearing my throat, I answer. “Yes.”

He leaves a kiss on top of my head, and then dives back into the water.

We swim around for a while, a few people eventually showing up at the falls. We get out of the water and walk ten minutes down to the main area where a few visitors are taking turns swinging into the baby blue pools of water on a rope swing. Some are jumping off a high set of rocks, about six feet above the water. “I want to do that.”

“Which? The rocks?”

“Yes. I’ve never done anything like that before. I’m scared of heights.”

“Wait, what? How can you be scared of heights? You went zip-lining and you told me you went climbing on the rock wall.”

I shrug my shoulders. “I’m tired of always being the responsible one. Always being safe, too scared to really enjoy life. I’m finally going to start living.” His eyebrows furrow as he listens to me, making me realize how much I’ve revealed. Before he has a chance to ask, I grab his hand. “Come on, I’m jumping and you’re coming with me.”

My pulse pounds in my chest as I stand on the edge of a boulder that can only be about six or seven feet above the water, but to me it’s as scary as an actual cliff and plenty high. Eric stands next to me, patiently.

“Are you sure you want to jump? You don’t have to.”

“Yes, I do.” I’m determined, but I’m also shaking. There’s a sense of security when you’re strapped into a harness. Totally different from free-falling into a pool of ice-cold water surrounded by rocks.