In Too Deep: A Romantic Suspense Novel (3 page)

T
he club wasn't much
, but I didn't expect it to be huge. The night club had apparently started off as a small jazz bar type place. Redecorating and changing the type of music played didn't expand the space.

“Just so you know, I’d rather go easy on the drinks," Melina said to me as we came in. "I hate hangovers."

“We’re in agreement there,” I said, happy inside. I'd seen too many people getting stupid because of alcohol in my life to spend time with someone who was a sloppy drunk. "Let's find a table."

The music was too loud to really continue our conversation from dinner, but I was already of the notion that I'd like to see Melina again, so that wasn’t a big deal. Instead, we grabbed a table and relaxed. After a song or two, I leaned over to Melina, who was bobbing her head to the beat. "Wanna dance?"

"I don't know," she started, feeling shy again. "I have no idea how to dance to this sort of music."

"Neither do I," I said with a laugh. "Who cares? Let's just go out there and enjoy the music and feel the moment."

Melina took a deep breath and nodded, letting me take her out on the floor. We both kind of stood there for a second, getting the feel of the beat before I started to move. I'm no dancer, and honestly, the music was so different from what I normally listened to that I had no damn clue what I was doing, but it didn't matter. Within a few moments, all of my attention was on Melina anyway.

She started off slow, still self-conscious and awkward, but moved past it as I encouraged her, soon moving her hips and hands with the beat that gave her a hypnotic, sexy grace. I put a hand on her waist and she grinned, resting her hands on my shoulders as we moved in time with the beat. Her dark eyes and short hair lent an exotic air to her look. For a girl who worked in a pharmacy in Ohio, she had just a bit of natural tan, and her eyes had a beautiful almond shape that stirred within me.

The first time our legs brushed against each other, a surge of blood to between my legs made me gasp slightly, and from the smile Melina gave me, she felt the same. The music changed in tone, and a hip-hop beat started to infuse through the music. My hand wrapped around to Melina's lower back and she pulled me tighter, her body pressing tightly against mine.

"Guess you do like me,” she said, looking down at the tent now formed in my pants.

“Isn’t it obvious,” I asked in her ear over the beat. Our heads came closer, Melina's soft lips parting until we were only a mere breath apart, when both of us were jostled and knocked aside.

"Oops. Guess you should watch where you’re dancing," Tiffany said, the frat boy with her grinning after he'd shoulder-checked me. This place appeared to be an attraction for spoiled rich brats. “Really, you should be more careful."

I’m normally a pretty laid back guy, I've done enough things in my past that I don't get riled up by some idiot trying to provoke me, but I was sick and tired of this girl's shit. Now that she’d recruited a muscle-head to try and back her up, it was time to handle business.

Turning, I opened my mouth to reply when Melina laid a hand on my chest. "Cam, don't," she said, catching my attention.

When I turned back to say something to her, she grabbed my head and kissed me. Her lips were soft and wonderful, and despite the faint tang of wine, she tasted wonderful. When her tongue came out to lick my lips, I eagerly opened my mouth to join hers, momentarily losing myself in the sensation of her kiss and her hands on my chest before she broke it. She looked up at me with a smirk on her lips and looked at Tiffany. “He’s mine.”

Tiffany looked at her with open hatred in her eyes, then turned and stomped away, frat boy on her heels. I watched them go and turned back to Melina. "Now that was a solution I hadn't thought of."

"Once you lent me some confidence, I knew exactly what to do," she said. I don’t know what the hell her problem is. “Still, I think I've had enough dancing. Let’s get out of here, I’m kind of pooped. I think I'm a little jet-lagged."

We left the main building after I scooped up my jacket from the table, heading down toward the beach area. Reaching the sand, Melina pulled off her shoes and carried them in her hand. With her other hand, she reached out and took mine.

“You know, I’m starting to think this could be the start of a wonderful vacation. I was thinking about going parasailing tomorrow, have you ever been?"

"No, what's that?" Melina asked.

"Well, they strap you to a parachute and pull you behind a speed boat. The parachute fills with the air and you fly up into the sky. It looked like a lot of fun when I saw it the other day, and I’ve been wanting to try it,” I explained. “Want to come with me tomorrow?”

“Sounds like something I’d never agree to normally, but what the hell? What time?"

"I think I’ll need to make a reservation, then I can give you a call. How's that sound?"

Melina stopped and turned to me again, her pretty face lit by the glow from the hotel behind me. "I do believe you’re trying to find out what room I'm staying in, Cameron Swagger."

"Maybe," I said, "how's it going so far?"

"How about you be a gentleman and walk me back to my room," she said, turning and walking away. The look she gave me over her shoulder when she was a few feet ahead of me was smoldering, and for a moment, I wondered if she would actually invite me into her room. I could be hopeful, but I also didn't want to push my luck. On one hand, I didn't want just a one-night stand with her, she could be something more. On the other hand, I had to be careful. A serious relationship with me could put her very life in danger. Maybe it was selfishness, maybe it was confidence in my abilities, but I wanted more than one night with this woman. “You coming?"

I caught up, this time holding hands with her. It just felt right, like we were young sweethearts or something. The outside staircase to the resort was deserted, and we were able to walk up like we were the only people on the entire estate. Taking the door to the inside, I felt like things were magical as we went along the corridor. I was aware that we weren't in the same wing of the hotel as my room, but I figured that out earlier from the stairwell Melina came down. We finally stopped outside room 216. "I'm jealous," I said, looking at the door. "Even numbers get a view of the ocean. All I get is the mountain."

"Well, maybe sometime I might show you the view from inside,” Melina said softly. I could tell she wanted me, just like I wanted her, but both of us knew that the time wasn't right, for whatever the reason. "I had a great time tonight, Cam."

I pulled her in close. Our kiss, this time, was soft and gentle, with none of the staged actions of what we'd done in the club. There was real affection in it, and the way she felt in my arms was like caressing an angel's body. I felt myself growing hard again, and I pulled away before I could bump into her too much.

"You know, part of me wants to invite you in right now."

"And a lot of me wants to accept," I said. "But a bigger part of me wants to go back to my room and take a cold shower because I want to have more than one night."

Melina grinned in mixed relief and happiness. "I was thinking the same thing. So tomorrow after breakfast?"

I nodded. "And if I run into you at breakfast, all the better. But no plans on that."

"Good night, Cam." Melina opened her door and slipped inside, closing it softly behind her. I stared at her door for a good minute before smiling and shaking my head in disbelief at my amazing good fortune.

"Good night, Melina."

T
he next day
, the sky was perfect, with little cotton balls of clouds breaking up the perfect azure. I was wearing a pair of shorts with my swimsuit as I rode one of the bicycles around the lower roads of the island. I was tempted to try climbing the big mountain in the middle but wasn't ready for that much exertion yet. Maybe if Cam wanted to give it a try, but that morning I just wanted to get my blood flowing and think.

The night before, after kissing Cam goodnight, I'd laid in my bed for nearly two hours, my mind and my body unable to calm down. I think it was pretty understandable in hindsight. He was a very good looking man and showed interest in me, and when he'd kissed me, there was real passion and tenderness behind it.

Even better was the fact that he didn't want to push his luck. I’d lied just a little bit when I told him that only part of me wanted to invite him into my room. The girl inside who struggled with her self-image on a daily basis was screaming the whole time that I needed to strike while the iron was hot, to seize the moment.
You won't have a chance like this again
, that voice inside my head screamed.

I could pass it up because there was something I wanted more than just a quick lay. The one thing I wanted was someone I could actually mesh with more than just physically. While it was only a short time, I felt in those two hours we talked at dinner like I could open myself up totally and not be afraid of being judged.

That was why I lied at the door. The night was perfect, and I didn’t want to risk ruining that. The only question I had as I pumped my legs and cruised along the asphalt path was how long I could resist my body's urges. Sure, I could talk about my spiritual and mental desires, but the body wants what the body wants.

I reached the far end of the island and watched the water for a while. The gulls circled and wheeled over the water, diving occasionally for fish.

I heard a laugh behind me, and I turned. Looking around, I saw nothing, until the laugh was repeated. "This is so naughty," a girl's voice said, followed by the unmistakable sounds of kissing. "What if someone sees us?"

"Then they see us. I'm only seeing you," a man's voice answered, and I heard more rustling. I could easily guess what was going on, and the polite part of me wanted to let the couple have their outdoor privacy, but with thoughts of Cam so fresh in my mind, I instead got up and walked closer, making sure to keep quiet.

They were just about ten feet off the bike path, in a grassy little area in the overhanging tropical forest. I crouched behind a tree, my eyes fixed on the scene in front of me.

She was older than me, maybe in her thirties, but was in decent shape. Her long brown hair was spread out on the grass while the man, a young man whose skin practically glowed in the sunlight, was all over her.

As I watched, the voyeuristic thrill adding to the arousal I was already feeling, I couldn't help but imagine Cam doing the exact same thing to me.

Finally I tore my eyes away and found my way to my bicycle, checking my watch. I had about an hour until our parasailing reservation, and I needed to get back to the main resort and get a little bit of lunch beforehand.

After turning in my bike, I stopped at the poolside grill, indulging my appetite by grabbing a bacon cheeseburger. I was about halfway through when I saw Tiffany — Cam told me my apparent nemesis' name — and her friend come out. They were both cruising for guys again I could tell, I guessed Tiffany's frat boy of the night before hadn't been as good as she’d hoped.

I rolled my eyes and finished my burger, wiping my mouth and picking up my plate.

I was walking along the pool deck when Tiffany tried taunting again. "Careful Madison, wide load coming through."

The two clutched and laughed at her stupid joke, ignoring me to their detriment. With a pop of my hip, I nailed the sidekick in her butt, knocking her head-first into the pool. Splashing and sputtering, she came to the surface, her eyes staring daggers at me. "Oops," I said in mock regret. "I guess you should listen to your friend's advice more often. Do excuse me, I have a date to get to. You know, the hottie who turned you two down?"

Chuckling loud enough to know they could hear me, I took my plate over to the window and dropped it off, walking away without needing to look back.

W
hen Melina came
down the dock, she had a funny little smile on her face. "What is it?" I asked. "By the way, you look beautiful."

Melina's smile deepened and a little blush came to her cheeks at my compliment. "Thanks. I had another little run-in with our friend Tiffany and her sidekick. Her friend accidentally fell into the pool."

I snorted and dropped it, letting Melina fight her own battles. "Here," I said as I handed over the sunglasses I’d bought her. "The guy who took the reservation said that because of the way the sun bounces off the ocean, it's best if you wear these."

I took out my own pair, which had identical frames but blue lenses before putting them on. "How do I look?"

"Like you should be on a recruiting poster for the Navy," she said, "even if the hair is a bit too long."

"Here, let me help you with yours," I said, brushing one of her bangs off her cheek. She didn't need the help, but I just wanted to feel her soft skin under my fingers again, and by the way she blushed deeper, she enjoyed it too. Melina shivered when I traced the exquisite clamshell of her earlobe and bit her lip, looking adorable.

"Parasailing, remember?" she whispered, more to herself than to me it seemed, and put her glasses on. She smiled and I swore she looked like an old time movie star, like Sofia Loren or maybe Catherine Zeta Jones in her young days if I had to choose a more modern face. I grinned and turned to the parasailing operator, who was watching the two of us with a bemused smile on his face. He'd probably seen a lot worse flirting in his time at the resort.

"Okay folks, parasailing is pretty simple," our instructor said, launching into his safety spiel. I was surprised when he showed us that he would in fact be taking both of us up at the same time. "The boats got plenty of horsepower with the wing design we're using today, but I have a question. You sir, how much do you weigh?"

"About one ninety," I replied. "Is that a problem?"

The man shook his head. "No, not at all. I was worried because while the rig is clear all the way up to four fifty, the wind is a little twisty today. I don't like taking people up if they weigh over two hundred in situations like this. You looked like you could be two twenty or so, I just wanted to be sure."

I nodded in understanding. "So we're okay?"

"You might get a little see-saw action up there, but unless you're prone to motion sickness you won't have a problem. You on the other hand miss are going to have a nice, rock solid ride. The straps are good and wide, they won't bite in at all. The only thing to remember when you set down in the water is to relax. You'll both be wearing life vests, and the rig itself floats. I'll be coming around with the boat to pick you up and bring you back in."

"What about landing on land?" I asked, and the instructor shook his head.

"Last year we had someone blow out their ACL at another one of the resorts, so now all landings are to be in the water. It means we had to buy three wings to set up a rotation, but safety first, you know?”

I didn't say anything and wondered if the instructor would have sounded so confident if he knew my background. Then again, Melina didn't know about my parachuting experience either, so there was no need to bring it up. I wasn’t ready for those questions quite yet. “All right. Well, let's get hooked up."

As the instructor and his assistant strapped us in, I made sure to squat down, clearing the straps from around my balls. Once bitten, twice shy in that regard, and the instructor noticed. "You've done this before?"

I shook my head. "No, but I used to go to a climbing gym. One time I slipped, and the harness bit in," I lied. "The owner showed me how to make sure that doesn't happen again."

"Wise advice. Okay guys, well if you two will stand right here, I'll get things going."

As we stood to wait for the boat to tug the setup away, Melina reached out and took my hand. "Hold on? I'm actually a little wigged out by heights."

"Okay," I said, interlacing our fingers. “So why'd you agree to do this then?"

The tow line reached its limit and we were pulled up and into the air, Melina's cry of glee telling me she was enjoying things. "This is why!" she yelled in her excitement. We reached our cruising altitude and got a view for miles, the wind rushing by our faces like we were cruising on a fast bike or maybe a low-speed motorcycle. “This is amazing!”

I totally agreed, but for different reasons. Looking at her, Melina was absolutely breathtaking, even in the life jacket and harness. It was the joy on her face as she conquered a fear for an exhilarating experience that I think did it for me. Melina turned to say something and stopped. "What?"

"You're beautiful, you know that?"

"You make me feel like it,” Melina replied.

We cruised for a few more minutes, pointing out the sights. As we made our second circuit of the island, I made my move. "Melina, would you like to have dinner with me again tonight?"

I shouldn't have worried. "I'd love to," she said. "But could we skip the formal dress? I only brought one dress."

I laughed. "I only brought one suit, so that makes us even. Okay then, let's do something more casual. Grill?"

"I can do that," Melina answered. "Hey, I saw on the guide channel that they do a luau. While I'm pretty sure that's from Hawaii, it sounds like a ton of fun. Any idea when they do it?"

"Every Saturday night," I said. "I skipped the party my first time, it was my first night here. Thinking of going?"

Melina nodded. "It'll be my last night at the resort, I fly out Sunday morning."

The words dimmed my enthusiasm, reminding me that Melina and I both had lives off the island, lives that were a couple thousand miles apart, both in nature and in distance. I felt a wave of sadness tinge my day and looked back at the surrounding sea.

"Hey."

I ignored Melina, lost in my own thoughts. She pulled on my hand. "Hey."

I turned and looked at her. "Yeah?"

"I just had the same thought you did, and I made a choice not to think about the outside world until I have to. This is the most fun I've had in years and I don’t want to ruin it.”

I smiled and gave her hand a squeeze. "All right, deal. Let's have some fun, the rest we can think about later." She was right, I was a bit saddened at the thought that this would all come to an end soon. But at the same time, that could be for the best.

We made another lap of the island before the boat operator slowed down and let us drop lightly into the water. It was so slow that our heads didn't even dunk, the life jacket keeping us up above water the whole time. Still, we never let go of each other's hand until the boat swung around to pick us up and take us back to the dock. "That was amazing," Melina said to the operator as soon as she got on board. "How often do you get to do that?"

"I tend to do more hang gliding than parasailing," our guide said. "There's a launch point just at the top of the hill that you can use when the winds are right."

"I don't suppose you guys rent those out?" I asked, thinking back to some of the hang gliding I'd done. The Sandia Mountains north of T or C had some great hang gliding spots.

"No, Mr. Forrester wouldn't like that. But, what I do in my own time he doesn't worry about, so I get to do that on my own. And here we are," the operator said as he pulled up to the dock. The parasail was a huge soaking wet mess on the back deck of the boat, but he unloaded it without a care. "I'll get this sorted out later. You guys have a good afternoon."

On land again, Melina and I held hands. "I was thinking, if we're just doing the grill, we don't have to change clothes," she said. “But I’ve got to know one thing. How on earth do you stay in such great shape if you’re always on the go?”

“I find the time,” I said as I turned around. "Little bit of weights, little bit of calisthenics, stuff like that. What about you?"

"The pharmacy kept me so busy I have to admit I don't get as much done as I should," she said. "But when I have the time, I like to ride my bike. I did some of that this morning."

"Me too," I said. “I actually wouldn’t mind doing it again.”

Melina shook her head, instead running her fingers along the lines between my back muscles. “I’m enjoying this far too much right now, and to be honest, the idea of trying to ride a bike with wet shorts on doesn’t sound comfortable in the least."

"I forgot about that," I said, groaning as she found a knot in my back and rubbing it sensuously. “You’re pretty good at that.”

“Thanks,” Melina whispered in my ear, "because this is one of the most erotic moments I've had in a long time."

I turned my head to her and we kissed again, our mutual passion building within each other. I was so ready to take her right there, but she pulled back with a small smile and I think she noticed the confused look on my face.

“My body wants to, but my mind is telling me we should take this a little slow.”