Aboard the Wishing Star (11 page)

Nate reached to hand the attendant two tickets and she exhaled.

It's okay. Nate is taking care of everything.

"Come on, Kara," Nate's gentle voice urged her, his stance protective, ready for anything.

"Daryl, I have to go now."

Kara stepped into the van, and Nate followed her, leaving Daryl standing on the dock watching. The guide swung the door shut and the van started up.

With eight people in the van, it was snug and warm as Christmas Calypso music played. Viv and Adam sat in the very back seat, and Kara knew they'd be making out.

"Here, sweetheart." Nate put his arm across the back of the seat and she scooted close to him. His arm wrapped around her shoulder making her feel safe.

The van pulled away.

Kara couldn't relax with Daryl standing on the pier watching them, but soon she couldn't see him anymore and let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

Thank God that's over and Nate is here now.

I'm proud of you for standing up to your boss."

"Thank you." She leaned her head against him and exhaled even deeper.

He ran his fingers across her arm where a slight bruise began to form, and watched her. "Hurt?"

She glanced down to where Daryl had gripped her arm. "Not as much as it looks. I bruise easy."

"He had no business touching you. That's assault, Kara. You could file a complaint."

"I don't want to think about him now." She closed her eyes.

Nate kissed her forehead. "All right, sweetheart." He gathered her closer within his arms. "Relax now. It's over."

The van reached the pier on the French side of St. Martin, a pretty, Caribbean island with pastel painted houses, and they climbed out.

Kara raised her hand to shelter her eyes and looked for the glass bottom boat. All she saw were extra wide jet skis for tourists bobbing in the water.

Where is the boat?

Then she saw the sign, Rhino Riders with a picture of a couple racing through the wind on one.

Oh no.

"You might want to step out of your dress and shoes," Nate said. "Stow your things in your bag."

Viv and Adam had slipped on life jackets and were waiting, Viv with an impatient look on her face.

They were going out into the ocean on those jet skis. Oh, my god. What if I fall off? The ocean is deep.

Everyone waited, looking at her. Nate held out her life jacket. Already she felt shaky from the brunch with Daryl and now they were going out into the ocean on those little machines. She wasn't ready. But Nate waited patiently. She slipped off her shoes, pulled the dress over her head and put them in her bag. The guide took her bag and dropped it into a large footlocker then locked it.

Nate spoke to the guide in a low voice and slipped him a folded bill.

The guide gave Nate a broad smile. "No problem."

What is he arranging? Was any man who he seemed to be?

First Viv accuses her husband and now Daryl shows up acting strange. She'd only just met Nate. She hoped he didn't get them into trouble.

"Come here, sweetheart."

She moved over by him, and he helped her on with her life jacket then fastened it. Again she felt looked after, just the way he looked after her at the lifeboat drill. He climbed on to the machine, threw a leg over the seat, and turned and held out his hand for her.

Kara stepped cautiously near the edge of the pier.
Oh God.
Fear rumbled through her stomach. The Rhino Rider appeared nothing more than a jet ski with an inflatable raft. Nate waited.

"Climb on, sweetheart. I promised I'd take good care of you, remember?" He smiled reassuringly. "Trust me."

She smiled wanly and placed her hand in his. Taking her hand to steady her, Nate helped her onto the back of the machine, her legs straddling the seat behind him. Turning the key, he revved the engine and went out slow through the no-wake zone to where the others now waited Kara's arms clung around his waist.

"Hold on," he said. He increased speed to follow their guide.

Kara leaned forward close against his back, holding tight as they zoomed past the beach out into the open ocean.

Neither spoke against the roar of wind and the engine. She burrowed her face against his back away from the wind, her fingers against the muscles of his abs digging in; her breasts against his back, her bikini top the only thing between their bodies.

They crashed across waves, the rumble of the machine beneath them. Each time the Rhino Rider landed down on the waves, it pressed her into his back, creating friction.

Kara held on tight, drawing on his strength to help her combat her fear. His muscles flexed and moved with the machine. She sensed his exhilaration and confidence and clung to him, closing her eyes. The mix of fear and excitement was almost too much. She hid her face against the wind, breathing in his scent, his aftershave, and the suntan lotion. Touching him, skin to skin, her body thrummed.

Suddenly they slowed. She opened her eyes.

A black rock jutted out from the middle of a cove, and they were headed for it. They stopped near the rock, engines idling, with everyone circled around the guide.

"Kill the engines," he said, and they did.

All was silent.

"Now remember, this is a protected coral reef." The guide glanced at Nate and nodded. "We don't usually bring tourists here, so here are the rules. Don't bring anything back with you and don't touch the coral."

So that's why he slipped the guide money. Thank God, it wasn't something illegal. Or is it?

Everyone put on flippers and goggles. Viv and Adam dove into the water, neither of them glancing at Kara.

Nate handed her the snorkel gear then he sat on the edge of the boat, watching her as he put on his gear. "Need help, sweetheart?"

"I think I can do it."

"Make sure you get a good seal on your goggles. They need to be tight."

"Oh." She sat with her flippers on, feeling ridiculous. They were so big, sticking up over the edge of the Rhino Rider. She felt like a big, awkward duck.

The water loomed, deep and wide below her. Gulping back her fear, she wondered how she'd get in without a ladder. She was too afraid of water to dive or jump in. Either way she'd go under. Though she wore a life jacket today, she'd never been in a body of water larger than a swimming pool.

Nate pointed to her flippers. "I know they're awkward, but you'll get used to them." He smiled at her. "Do you need me to help you in?"

She nodded.

"Okay." He turned and slipped over the side. She looked at the others. Everyone else was in the water already snorkeling. The bright blue water. Who knew what swam way down below them? Sweat rolled down her forehead from sitting in the sun trying to get her nerve up.

Nate swam near the Rhino Rider. His hand reached up and patted the inflatable side of the boat. "Sit here and swing your legs over the side."

She did as he instructed. The boat bobbed in the water. This wasn't so bad sitting here, but she still had to jump in.

Nate watched her. "How well do you know how to swim?"

"I was in the timid non-swimmers class every week for six months taking lessons but that feels like a long time ago. I haven't swum since and I've never been in the ocean before."

"It will come back to you."

"I'm phobic," she whispered, blinking away tears.

His hand closed over her ankle. "Kara," he commanded in a firm but gentle voice, "trust me. Give me your hand. I won't let any harm come to you."

She wanted to, she really did. Her breathing came faster, her phobia threatened to overtake her the more she sat there. Sitting on this tiny machine in the ocean was the worst place for her to have a panic attack. The edges of it raced in on her.

She wanted to snorkel with Nate. She just didn't know if she could.

"Stop thinking. Take a deep breath and take my hand."

Kara reached her hand out. His warm hand grasped hers. He'd scuba dived all over the world. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. She made the leap, her gaze locked on his.

He held her in the water and didn't let her sink under.

She couldn't keep her legs still from nervousness. She licked her lips and tasted salt from the splash she made.

He still held her hand. "Try to relax. Hold still and float."

She couldn't. Her legs wouldn't stop moving. All her nervous energy drove them. Nate moved behind her, releasing her hand and slipped one arm around her waist.

She gasped.
Oh God.

"Hold still now. Breathe." He spoke near her ear and his mouth grazed her earlobe, sending tingles down her spine. "I've got you. Relax, let yourself get used to the water."

Her legs moved with a will of their own, so he pulled her backward until she rested in his lap. Her legs finally stopped moving. If she'd thought they were close on the Rhino Rider, it was nothing compared to this. With his hard body behind her and his strong arms around her, she felt safe enough to float.

"Just float," he added in a low tone. "Relax. Breathe."

His breath in her ear sent ripples of tingles down her spine and another kind of tension began. But he held her like this was the most natural thing in the world.

"Shh, I've got you, sweetheart."

They floated and she relaxed. She watched the others already snorkeling, their heads bobbing up and down in the water, having fun. Nate was so patient with her.

He gave her a slight squeeze. "Better now?"

"Yes," she breathed.

"Good." He spoke the word and she closed her eyes, the sun warming her face, soaking in the moment. If only they could stay this way.

"Ready?" He asked.

If only he knew how ready. He could hold her like this any time.

Kara opened her eyes. "Yes, I'm ready."

"Pull down your goggles."

She pulled them over her eyes and nose and panicked for a moment, unable to draw breath, then remembered she was supposed to breathe through her mouth.

"How's the seal?" He looked close. "Here, let me adjust those for you.

She looked through the goggles, breathing through mouth and feeling like an alien bug.

He reached around her and tightened the strap, his mouth inches from hers, and grinned. "That's better."

She smiled and blushed.

"Now the mouthpiece. Breathe through like this, not through your nose."

She put it in her mouth just as he had; his steady gaze bore into her in silent expectation.

I don't want to let him down. I want to do this.

It was time to put her face in the water, something she hadn't learned how to do even in the swim class. Opening her eyes under water brought on severe panic. It went better for her if she kept them closed.

As a scuba diver, Nate probably thought it no big deal and he'd think she was a big baby. She couldn't help it. She didn't know why she panicked in the water or how to make it go away.

That panic threatened to return even now.

Nate grasped her hand.

"Try it. I've got you." His fingers squeezed to reassure. "I won't let you go. Just try."

She tried not to hyperventilate, breathing slowly and deep through the mouthpiece as she put her face under.

Her heart raced as she put her face in with eyes wide open.

She forgot every worry in her mind.

A turquoise world greeted her below. Waving ocean plants and coral. A royal blue fish with a yellow stripe swam lazily by them; hundreds of tiny black fish sped beneath her flippers startling her. She popped her head out of the water and gasped.

Nate had been watching her and they removed their mouthpieces simultaneously.

"So, was it as good as I promised?"

"Better." She laughed. "I did it! Did you see them? I never dreamed it would be so wonderful."

"That's only a taste. I'll show you more if you'll let me."

She nodded, her eyes shining.

Nate held her hand, never letting go as they swam past multicolored coral and hundreds of fish of all sizes.

Kara had never seen anything like this underwater world. The fish were so brightly colored, so unusual. Several times she tried to speak, to tell Nate something before forgetting he couldn't hear her with the mouthpiece. They pointed and communicated with their eyes. His hand never left hers. She drank in the comfort and felt safe and alive.

He motioned to her, asking her if she wanted to go down further but she shook her head no. It was one thing to float on top of the water with her head in and quite another to swim down below. What she'd accomplished probably didn't seem like much to him, but to her, it was a huge step.

When it was time to go, they swam back to the Rhino Rider. He helped remove her mask, now caught in her long hair. He pulled the golden strands loose and traced his fingertip across her lips, which tingled beneath his touch.

A wave crashed over them, surprising them both. She swallowed salt water. Choking and coughing, she reached out for him, touching his chest.

"Hey, Kara." His voice soothed as he pulled her close. "It's all right. I've got you."

She started to speak, but he kissed the top of her nose.

"It's time to go." Huskiness lingered in his tone.

If only they didn't have to.

"I know." She sighed.

Moments of joy could bloom. But they didn't last. Any more than red roses did. Then you had only the memories of what was to hold.

"Kara." The timber of his voice called her mind back from where it hovered. "If I get out first, I can pull you out of the water. But you'll have to float for a minute by yourself."

She nodded, and he let go. As soon as he did, she began kicking. Without him to hold onto, she couldn't hold her legs still.

He pulled himself out and removed his gear quickly. "See if you can take off your flippers first."

She struggled with her flippers in the water while the others climbed out of the sea, but she got them off. He took them, stuck them in the side of the Rhino Rider, and then held his hands out to her. "Grab hold."