“Good morning, Sleepy-head. I thought you were going to sleep the day away,” he said setting the book down. His smile was even better in the morning light.
“You’re still here,” I said stumbling over the words. “I woke up and thought you had left.”
“After a showing like last night? I may never leave,” he replied with a mischievous grin. I bit my lip and grinned at him.
“It was pretty good, wasn’t it,” I said. He stood up and crossed the porch in a single step, his arms wrapping around me like they had always been there.
“Better than good,” he whispered before leaning forward to kiss me. I felt the heat rise inside of me again, and I was about to drag him back into the bedroom when his pocket began ringing loudly. He sighed and let me go, stepping back reluctantly to answer his phone.
“What is it?” Jack said harshly into the phone. His voice was full of power, but none of the sensuality from the night before. I stepped down and sat on the porch step, pushing my feet out of the shade of the porch and into the sun. Jack growled into the phone and leaned against the far railing. My feet played in the hot sand as I waited for him to finish his call, trying my best not to listen in on his conversation. Instead, I stared out at the endless ocean. The sky was a bright blue that merged almost seamlessly with the dark water in the distance. It was going to be another perfect day in paradise.
“Emma,” Jack said sitting down next to me. I liked the way my name sounded when he said it. “I have to leave for a little bit. There is something I have to take care of that can’t wait. Business.”
“I understand,” I tried to sound like it didn’t matter. My voice cracked, betraying me. I had been in this spot before; he wanted to get away while he still could. He pushed a tendril of hair behind my ear and turned my face to look at him. His expression was soft, but his eyes told me he was in complete control and he knew it.
“I will meet you here in two hours. Don’t be late,” he said right before he kissed me. I knew it was a goodbye kiss. I hoped it was only goodbye for two hours and not forever.
***
I watched him hurry off down the beach, talking forcefully into his phone, and then he slowly disappeared. My heart ached to see him go. I didn’t know what scared me more, the idea that he was never coming back, or that he would be back in two hours. Jack evoked such a range of emotions that I felt confused by them all. I searched the horizon for a single stationary object to help me keep my emotional balance, but found nothing. I wanted him to come back, but I was scared of what it meant if he did. The level of attraction I felt towards him wasn’t something I was ready for. This was only a vacation after all, and I was going to have to say goodbye to him eventually. I didn’t want to think about it.
I ate a small breakfast at the resort cafe and then hurried back to our spot on the beach. The tide was going out, so I passed the time looking for shells and shiny rocks. It was such a simple thing to do, but I found myself chasing the waves, trying to catch small stones and pieces of drift wood before the ocean could reclaim them. I giggled, feeling like a wonder-filled child, as I found a small shell and released it onto a wave, watching it drift away. I looked at my watch. It had been a little over the two hours, and I looked around full of hope. My hope quickly turned to an emptiness as I looked up and down the beach and couldn’t find him. My little floating shell had sunk quickly in the waves and I didn’t want to play anymore.
I bit my lip, ashamed that tears were forming along the edges of my eyes. I squeezed my eyes shut as hard as I could and took a deep breath. Last night had been amazing and I would always have that. Jack was obviously a busy man, and this was only a vacation after all. This wasn’t real life.
“Sorry I’m late,” a deep voice said behind me. I turned to see Jack wading into the water, the cuffs of his shorts already damp from the waves. He smiled and my heart pounded like a drum in my chest. He came back. He had come back... for me.
“I was beginning to think you weren’t coming,” I said quietly. I tried to keep the hurt out of my voice. He looked at his hands and I realized he was breathing hard. He must have run the whole way here.
“Sometimes I hate my job. Even on vacation, I don’t really get a day off. I apologize for making you wait,” he replied somberly. His eyes shone with honesty as he reached my spot in the water. “What are you doing out here?”
“Chasing the waves,” I said. I had completely forgiven him. When he looked at me like that, I think I would have forgiven anything. “What would you like to do?”