Chapter Four
She wasn’t coming. It was eight twenty-eight, and the boathand was preparing to cast off the lines. Jace bit down on his lip, wondering if he could ask them to wait five more minutes.
“We’re one short,” the tall blond man in resort-uniform polo shirt and shorts said, looking at the clipboard in his hand. “You’re Jace Weller, right?”
He’d given his mother’s maiden name as his surname when booking, not wanting anyone to clue in to his real identity. “That’s right.”
“And you booked for two?”
“Yeah, my friend should be here any minute--” He spied a figure hurrying along the path toward the dock. “Here she is now!”
“Hold off on that line, Ben.” The man took a half a step back. “Whoa, Nessa?”
“Hey, Cory,” Nessa grinned at him as she hurried up to the boat. “Hi, Jace.” To his pleased surprise, she went up on tiptoes and brushed a kiss on his cheek.
“I… see.” Cory blinked, looking from one to the other of them. “Okay, well, I guess that makes everyone, then.” He made a final tick on his clipboard. “Take your seats, everyone.”
There were several other guests on board and only a couple of seats vacant. Nessa sat down and Jace joined her; she dropped a bag at their feet and gave him a bright smile.
“You look beautiful,” Jace said impulsively. She was wearing a light cotton sundress in a turquoise blue which looked utterly amazing against her deep brown skin. Her long black braids were hanging loose to her waist, brushing against his arm; he suppressed an inappropriate urge to take one in his fingers and play with it.
“Thank you!” Nessa held his gaze, her smile widening even further. “You’re looking pretty good yourself. Like the threads.” She flicked lightly at the lapel of the loud Hawaiian shirt he was wearing.
“It’s not mine,” Jace confessed, “I think it belongs to… the owner of the villa. I found it in the closet.” He’d almost said my father then, but bit the words back just in time. He’d told Nessa the villa belonged to a friend. An uncomfortable feeling curled in the pit of his stomach; he didn’t like misleading her. But then, he rationalized, he wanted her to get to know him without knowing who he was, about his wealth, his family name. It was very possible nothing would come of this, that they would go their separate ways in a few days and she would never even need to know.
Still, as he looked into her smiling, carefree face, Jace had the sinking feeling things weren’t going to be quite so simple.
A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, making him jump. The boat had started moving, and he twisted around to find Cory had slipped into the seat behind them and was giving him the evil eye.
“Knock it off with the big brother act, Cory,” Nessa said, shoving Cory’s hand off Jace’s shoulder. “I’m a big girl, y’know.”
“Just making sure he knows there are folks looking out for you,” Cory said, his tone perfectly amiable even if his eyes weren’t.
“I had no doubt of it,” Jace said with a friendly smile in return. “I’m sure Nessa’s the kind of person who inspires intense loyalty in her friends.”
Cory nodded, apparently satisfied with his answer. “Good. Well, in that case, have a good day!” He slid out of the seat again and strode up to the front of the boat, easily maintaining his footing against the sway, plucking up a microphone from the side of the pilot’s chair. “G’day folks! Let me tell you about the awesome day we’ve got in store for you…”
Jace and Nessa both listened with interest as Cory talked, telling the group the itinerary for the day, including snorkeling at three different sites and lunch on the world-famous Whitehaven Beach.
“With any luck we’ll see some humpback whales too, since they’re passing through the area at the moment on their annual migration,” Cory concluded, “so keep your eyes peeled.”
The other tourists started chattering excitedly as soon as Cory put the microphone down. Nessa looked at Jace, her eyes shining. “I’m really looking forward to this. Thank you so much for inviting me.”
“I’m looking forward to it too. The snorkeling… and your company.”
Small fingers curled over his. Startled, Jace looked down at Nessa’s hand, then up at her. She was still smiling at him. He turned his hand and laced his fingers with hers, feeling like a boy with his first crush finding out the girl he liked was interested in him, too.
They held hands the whole half-hour it took to get to the first snorkeling site, a secluded cove in the lee of one of the other islands in the chain. Cory informed them the island was completely uninhabited, a wildlife sanctuary, and they weren’t permitted to swim ashore.
Jace had shoved his bag under the seat when he’d boarded. He pulled it out now and stripped off his Hawaiian shirt. Catching Nessa eying his chest, he grinned at her. He was picking up some color to his skin after a few days relaxing by the villa’s pool, and though he was still thinner than he’d been before his illness, it only threw his muscles into higher relief.
“I could leave the rash vest off if you want to admire the view,” he offered, the stretchy swim shirt hanging from one hand.
Nessa laughed at him. “Put it on. I don’t want to be distracted from the sights underwater.” She rose to her feet, grasped the hem of her dress, and swept it up and over her head in one graceful movement.
Jace almost swallowed his tongue. “You think you’ll get distracted?”
Nessa grinned, walking past him to scoop up a pair of flippers and a snorkel mask from the stack Cory had spread out on the deck. “Hurry up. No time to waste!”
Jace was all fingers and thumbs trying to get his rash vest on, then grabbing a mask and flippers. Cory laughed at him as he hopped on one foot, trying to wrestle a flipper on.
“She’s right there, man. Wow, you’ve got it bad, huh?”
“Are you dead? Did you see her in that bikini?”
“Not dead, just very happily taken.” Cory grinned at him before reverting to business mode. “Remember, don’t touch any of the coral. You want to climb down the ladder?”
Jace shook his head. “I’m good. I’m a strong swimmer.” Checking nobody was directly beneath him, he fitted his mask and snorkel before diving smoothly off the back of the boat.
Nessa wasn’t far away, floating face-down on the surface of the water in a deadman’s float position, obviously looking at something beneath the surface. Jace swam up beside her, swishing his flippers gently, peering into the clear blue water to see what she was looking at.
Nessa turned her head slightly to look at him without taking her face out of the water, reaching to touch his wrist lightly before pointing.
It took Jace a moment to see what she was gesturing at; she appeared to be telling him to look at a surprisingly plain patch of sand in the midst of some bright corals. Frowning, he peered closer, but then the sand shifted and he gasped, almost losing the rhythm of his breathing through the snorkel, as a stingray almost as long as he was lifted up out of the sand and sailed majestically off into the blue.
Jace looked at Nessa, eyes wide, sensing rather than seeing her amusement at his shock.
She touched his wrist again before swishing her flippers to move on.
They surfaced for a proper breath a few minutes later and Jace spat to clear his mouth of the salty water. “My God, that was incredible! Did you see the size of that stingray?”
“A spotted eagle ray, I think,” Nessa said, laughing at his excited expression. “You’ll have to meet our marine biologists sometime.”
Jace nodded. A large part of the reason Hunter Enterprises had been allowed to redevelop Sunfish Island had been the huge marine biology research and education facility they’d agreed to build and permanently fund. One of the finest of its kind in the world, it had a team of four permanent research scientists and half a dozen assistants who came up on funded semester-long assignments from universities across Australia. Parts of the facility were open the the public; he’d been meaning to visit but hadn’t had the opportunity yet. “I’d love to.”
“I’ll take you,” Nessa said impulsively. “Laurie, one of the marine biologists, is a friend of mine. She’ll take you on a behind-the-scenes tour if you’re with me.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her it wasn’t necessary, that Luke could arrange things, but he rethought the impulse. Nessa would want to know why Luke would be so willing to accommodate him, and that opened him up to questions he wasn’t ready to answer. Besides, Nessa taking him to the facility would definitely be a second date.
“Thanks,” he said, “that would be awesome.”
“We could go early, before I start work. I’ll catch up with her tomorrow and find out what day would suit.” Nessa was bubbling with excitement, too. She pulled her snorkel down to her mouth again. “Come on. I want to see if we can spot any clown fish!”
Grinning, Jace popped his mouthpiece back in and dived after her.
The water was warm and buoyant, and in the sheltered cove there was no current to speak of. It was like swimming through a warm bath, relaxing and easy. Everywhere Jace looked, there was something new and amazing to see: brightly colored corals, invertebrates, and fish. Nessa pointed out a starfish of such an intense blue, even underwater, Jace could hardly believe it was real. He swam on at her side, head turning every which way as he tried to take it all in.
A sharp whistle cut the air as he surfaced briefly to get a deep breath. Surprised, Jace checked his dive watch. Cory had told them they’d have fifty minutes at this stop. Startled to see their time was up, he reached out and tapped Nessa’s shoulder, then his watch.
She nodded and pulled her mouthpiece out. “That went quickly!”
“Certainly did,” he agreed, as they turned and began swimming back to the boat. They weren’t too far away; they’d been careful to reorient themselves on the boat each time they surfaced, swimming tracks parallel to their previous courses.
Cory leaned down to give them both a hand up. Jace waited for Nessa to go first, completely failing to keep his eyes off her beautiful butt as she climbed back aboard the boat. But then, it would have been most ungallant of him to make her wait in the water while he got out, and it would have taken a lot more discipline than he possessed not to look.
She looked over her shoulder at him and laughed.
He shrugged unapologetically. “I’m not dead.”
“Good thing, too.” Cory offered his hand but Jace waved him off, climbing the ladder back into the boat easily. Sitting back down beside Nessa, he accepted the bottle of water she handed him from the large cooler in the middle of the boat’s hull.
“You look a bit pale,” she noted, her eyes searching his face. “Are you feeling alright?”
“Yep.” He was grateful for the chance to sit down and rest, though, while the boat took them to their next location. Cursing the lingering weakness which still plagued his body after his illness, he cracked the top of the water and took a long drink.
“I brought snacks.” Nessa delved into the bag at her feet. “Healthy--” she held up a small bunch of ripe bananas, “--or not so healthy.” She waved a large bar of chocolate at him.
“Both?”
“Both is good. Fruit first?” Splitting a couple of bananas off the bunch, she handed one over. Jace peeled his and ate it with enjoyment, unable to keep his mind out of the gutter as he watched Nessa eat hers, her lips puckering around the fruit in an insanely erotic gesture. She knew exactly what she was doing to him, as well, her laughing eyes holding his as she ate.
Jace was glad his board shorts were loose.
* * *
Their second snorkeling location was at a platform anchored on an open-water coral reef. The water here was shallower than at the first site, so they just floated side by side, face down in the water, gazing with wonder at the natural beauties of the reef. Nessa got to see her clown fish and a couple of dozen other species besides.
“Next stop: Whitehaven Beach,” Cory said as they climbed back aboard once again. “You ever been there, Jace?”
He shook his head. “Looking forward to seeing it.”
“It’s one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Sand so white it looks like snow.” Nessa sounded like a tourist brochure, not that he minded in the slightest. She practically glowed with happiness, her smile wide and white, her dark skin glimmering with salt water.
Tentatively, Jace slipped his arm around her waist as they sat back down, leaning over to kiss the point of her shoulder lightly.
Nessa’s breath drew in softly as she looked at him. He’d been the perfect gentleman so far, gallant and charming, though his eyes had told a different story as he’d watched her. His lips were warm against her skin, his eyes questioning as he lifted his head to look at her.
Leaning in, Nessa put her hand to Jace’s cheek and brought her lips to his. He closed his eyes, she saw in the instant before she closed her own.
The first kiss was light, little more than a gentle press of lips. Jace didn’t push, didn’t try to pull her closer, and his reticence made Nessa want more. She kissed him with greater fervor, her lips parting, tongue flicking between them to trace over the seam of his. Then, at last, he kissed her back properly. His arm tightened around her waist as his tongue danced with hers, and Nessa slid her hand into his damp blond hair, grasping the wet locks.
“Ahem,” Cory’s not-at-all-subtle cough brought them back to awareness of their surroundings.
Probably a good thing too, Nessa realized ruefully. She’d been just about to climb astride Jace’s lap and grab his hands and bring them to her breasts. Her nipples were aching inside her wet bikini top, wanting stimulation. With a reluctant sigh, she pulled back from the kiss, giving Cory a glare.
In response, he flicked his eyes at a couple of giggling teenagers on the other side of the boat.
Cory was right; they didn’t need to be getting hot and heavy in public. But Jace’s kiss had woken something deep inside of Nessa which she’d kept dormant for a long time. The end of the boat trip seemed very far away, and Nessa hoped she’d be able to hold out until they could finally be alone together.
“We’re coming up to Whitehaven Beach now,” Cory announced. “You can have a swim or whatever while we’re setting up lunch; it’ll be ready in about fifteen minutes. We’ve got an hour and a half total here, so make the most of it!”
Nessa hesitated, then asked Cory quietly, “Do you want any help getting lunch set up?”
He smiled down at her, touching her shoulder. “Nah, hon, you’re all good. You’re a paying guest today, courtesy of Jace here. You just have fun. I do this three or four times a week, got it down to a fine art.”
She gave him a grateful smile.
“Damn, that sand really is white,” Jace said in amazement, shielding his eyes from the sun’s reflected glare. “Is it coarse sand, or fine?”
“Incredibly fine, ike powdered sugar,” Nessa remembered from her previous visit. “It gets everywhere.”
“At least we’ll be swimming again afterward. And hey, if it gets in your bikini, I’ll volunteer to help you get it out.” Jace grinned wickedly.
She elbowed him lightly in the ribs, grinning back. “Behave, or our chaperone will be telling us off again.”
They were both giggling like kids as they climbed off the back of the boat into the shallow water and walked hand-in-hand to the beach. The fine powdery sand promptly coated their wet legs, as Nessa had warned.
“This looks a nice spot,” Nessa said as they reached a secluded section of the beach. “You okay to lie in the sun for a bit?”
“Sure, I’ll just put some more sunscreen on.”
They both spread out towels and lay down. Nessa pointed at her lower legs, laughing. “Look, my legs are nearly as white as yours!”
“Nessa!” Jace chuckled. “Never say that. Your skin is beautiful.”
“Please say you’re not going to call me cocoa or chocolate or anything like that?” She rolled to her front, shading her eyes with her hand to look at him.
“Come on! I’m an Aussie but I’ve been working in New York for five years now. I know how culturally insensitive it is to compare skin tones to food.” He gave her a reproving look. “I’m not much for flowery similes as compliments, anyway. Blatant honesty is more my thing.”
“Blatant honesty?” Nessa crinkled her eyebrows.
“You’re incredibly beautiful. Your skin glows. Your eyes sparkle. I find it very hard to look anywhere else when I’m with you.”
“…Okay, that’s pretty blatant,” Nessa said when she got her breath back. “Wow.”
Jace grinned at her. “Just making sure you know how I feel. I could go on, if you like?”
“My head might get too swollen and explode. You’re very good for my ego, though.”
He reached across the small gap between their towels, fingers curling gently around hers. “I’d like to be good for a lot of things for you, Nessa. Sneaking off into the undergrowth to make out like a pair of horny teenagers is sounding mighty appealing right about now.”
“If it wasn’t for the wildlife, which would no doubt make that into a very dangerous endeavor.” Nessa grinned back at him.
“Come on, I’m an Aussie. Snakes and spiders don’t terrify me.”
“I’m a Brit, and they do bloody well terrify me! Besides, it’s the lizards you’ve got to worry about. Cory told me he saw a five foot long goanna here a couple of weeks ago.”
“They’re not gonna attack you.” Jace chuckled at her expression of horror.
“Thanks, but I’m not prepared to risk my toes for the sake of a make out session with you. Tempting though that may be. You’ll just have to wait until later.”
“Later?” His fingers squeezed a little more firmly on hers.
Nessa smiled. “Later.”
And with that answer, Jace had to be content, as Cory’s sharp whistle called them up the beach for lunch.