“You would be too if you’d just been kidnapped. I have to resolve some pretty big issues on the project.
supposed to cancel them?
I also had meetings scheduled for tomorrow and how am I
I don’t even have my laptop.”
“There’s no LAN drop on the beach, so your laptop would be useless” he chuckled and leaned closer. “I promise to keep you entertained.”
Darcy pulled back. “You don’t have to do that,” she said breathlessly.
“You’re going to have to stop doing that, you know.”
“Doing what?” she whispered, looking into his eyes, hypnotized.
“Pulling away from me. It won’t do any good.”
“Who’s good are we talking about?”
“Both of ours,” he replied, his eyes staring at her lips.
“Not mine,” she quipped. “You’re lying. Right now, you want desperately for me to kiss you.”
“No,” she whispered.
“Yes. You do. I can feel it in your heart beat that’s racing,” he said and lifted her hand where his finger was resting over her pulse. “And I can see it in your eyes. I can sense it in the tenseness of your body. Admit it, you want me just as much as I want you. We’ve been denying it for over two months. I don’t know how much longer I can hold off, Darcy.”
Darcy had stopped breathing long moments ago and just stared at his face. It was like he was making love to her with his eyes and she could just stare, transfixed.
The wheels landing on tarmac broke the spell and Darcy inhaled sharply. “I guess we’re here,” she said, laughing nervously.
The plane came to a stop and Michael unbuckled his belt, then held out a hand to help her up.
The door to the plane was already opening and a stairwell had been settled against the plane. Darcy stepped out onto the first step and stopped, just staring at the beauty around her.
Most airports were filled with other planes, baggage trucks, fuel trucks, and various other handlers. But this appeared to be a smaller airport where the runway ended at the side of the ocean. Only fifty feet away, she looked out onto the spectacular view of the ocean beating against the rocks, palm trees swaying softly in the breeze and hibiscus flowers blooming profusely along the fence line. The color was amazing and breathtaking.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Michael said close to her ear.
She could only nod, words still not coming to her.
Michael led her over to a jeep that was waiting next to the plane. They hopped in and he drove them to a small town. There, he stopped at a tiny restaurant that had only four tables to offer. A woman who turned out to be the owner rushed out to greet Michael, hugging him and pulling out a chair for the two of them at one of the tables.
“You sit here, young man,” she said, her accent making the words sound melodic. “Where you been all this time? I haven’t seen you in, well, I can’t remember the last time I saw you,” she said and jabbed him in the arm.
”Ah, well, I’ve been a little busy but we’re here to slow down and came here first. Our plane just touched down about a half hour ago.”
“Good boy,” she said. “You know who’s gonna take care of you, don’t you?” she said and smiled, her dark skin making her teeth look extremely white. Her eyes danced as she talked, showing that she had a good soul with lots of humor.
Her name was Mia and, as soon as she had them all settled, she told them what they were going to eat today. “You are gonna love my fish today,” she said and waived her arms up high. “It smells so good I almost don’t want to give it up.”
She disappeared behind a door and reappeared moments later with two tall frosty glasses filled with drinks.
“What’s this?” Darcy asked when the woman disappeared again.
“I don’t know. I never know what Mia’s serving. But it’s always good,” he said and took a long sip of the icy beverage.
Darcy took a sip and started coughing instantly. “Whoa! A little rum, huh?” she said, but took another sip. This one went down more easily. The third sip actually tasted great. Darcy was feeling very mellow by the time their dinner arrived, steaming fish freshly broiled with some sort of cream sauce that smelled spicy.
They ate and drank, then watched the sun set over the water, not really talking about anything.
When Darcy yawned, Michael picked up her hand and kissed the palm. “Ready for a swim? That will wake you up just enough to make you sleep well tonight.”
Darcy laughed. “I don’t have a bathing suit, remember?”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. I have a solution for everything. You just need to tell me your problem,” he said and pulled her up out of the seat. He dropped some currency onto the table and called out their thanks to Mia. She appeared from behind the door with two more steaming plates of shrimp for another table and winked to them. “You two have a good time and stop by to see me. You tell me how good he is in bed, you hear?” Mia said to Darcy.
Darcy couldn’t believe what the woman had said and her face flamed beat red as the other patrons smiled or laughed, nodding.
Michael laughed along with them and hugged her embarrassed face to his chest. “I’ll have her stop by for a play by play, will that be good?” he called back to Mia.
“That would be perfect,” she said and laughed at him rolling his eyes.
“What hotel are we staying at?” she asked as they climbed back into the jeep. “Why do you think we’re staying a hotel?”
Darcy shrugged. “I just assumed,” she said and watched the lights as they caught the blooms on the side of the road in the darkness.
“I think you’ll find the accommodations are adequate,” he said and five minutes later, he turned into a gated driveway. The gate opened automatically as soon as he drove up to it then swung closed after they’d driven through. The driveway led to a huge, pink, stucco house with lush plants growing right up to the side. It was as if the house were nestled inside a carefully groomed jungle.
The lights were on and the door was unlocked when he led her through the house. “This is beautiful,” she said, taking in the marble floors and sliding glass doors that allowed an unencumbered view of the patio, pool and, farther out, ocean waves crashing against the white sand beach.
He led her through the house and showed her to a pretty room with a flowered bed spread and white whicker furniture. “Will this do?” he asked.