Last night, she had gotten all dressed up, putting one of her cover-ups over one of her sister’s short dresses. It had made her feel sexy, but maybe it’d looked too sexy. She couldn’t decide. She hadn’t even been sure she should go; in fact, she’d dawdled until it was almost too late. Finally, she had decided that it couldn’t hurt to go for a little while—just to meet him.
She couldn’t have known she would end up in the most sensual kiss of her life. And with a stranger, no less. It seemed that some of her sister was getting into her after all, and she’d decided to leave before something else happened, something she wasn’t prepared for.
Today, she’d spent the sunlight hours in Nassau and would forever be enchanted with the Bahamas. The tour had started with a driving visit to the forts and a stop at the Pirate Museum. Then they’d gone to Predator Lagoon to see sharks and barracuda. They’d also had a walking visit of the Ardastra Gardens with its “marching” flamingoes. Lunch had been in the shopping district, and those who didn’t want to get wet stayed to shop. Angelina went for the water. She’d brought a change of clothes and had just worn her shorts over Safire’s bikini.
At the next stop, she’d petted and fed the dolphins, and at the stop after that, followed the snorkeling trail to the Rainbow Reef, where the sand was white and warm, and the water was so crystal clear she could see down to the bottom of the ocean floor. After the snorkeling, she’d swum and then relaxed on the beach in the sun. If she got nothing else from the whole trip, that day had made it worthwhile.
But the tour hadn’t been over. After she’d changed into her extra set of clothes, they were dropped off for an hour-long glass-bottom boat tour before the safari took them back to the ship.
She’d been kept busy all day, but she hadn’t forgotten about that night. The phone was blinking when she got in, and when she checked the message, she found out that Jeremy Bell’s group would be meeting at seven o’clock to have dinner at the Starlight, an open-air restaurant. She barely had time to wash and dry her hair and get dressed.
She was wearing Safire’s turquoise dress this time. It was a thin, knit material of some kind and was as revealing as the other one—as they all were—but she had a short, silver eyelet bolero jacket to put over it. The jacket was made of a satiny material that could go with most evening pieces, which was why she’d brought it. It might be too warm, but it was worth it to have a little coverage on top.
She didn’t have a lot of time to blow-dry her hair, so she pulled it back in a ponytail and added a silver bow. Her skin was still warm from the sun, but she added a little makeup and finished off with her strappy silver two-inch sandals.
She was going to a fair amount of trouble just for dinner, but she couldn’t deny her excitement. Of course, she hadn’t gotten any work done that day, which was a problem. She would make up for it tonight and tomorrow.
At six-forty, her phone rang. It could only be Jeremy Bell.
“I was just about to head out the door,” she said.
“I thought I might walk you to the restaurant.”
“Making sure I don’t ditch out, huh?”
They both chuckled.
“No,” he answered, “but definitely wanting to see you again.”
“I wasn’t sure I’d make it on time, but I’m actually ready. Hey, since I was heading out anyway, why don’t I just meet you at an elevator or in front of the restaurant? Where is it?”
Jeremy laughed for a moment. “See, I’ve actually figured that out. That’s why I thought I would meet you, so you wouldn’t have to. And I’m about five doors down from you at this point.”
Angelina poked her head out of the door and found Jeremy’s tall, broad-shouldered figure striding toward her down the hall. He had a cell phone to his ear.
They both laughed.
Angelina smiled and waved. Something had gotten into her mood tonight. She was smiling and being a bit silly, but she liked it.
When he got to her door, she took the phone from her ear and greeted him.
“Hello. Let me just put the phone down and get my pocketbook.”
He stood just inside the doorway and waited, a crooked smile on his face and a glint in his eye, watching her all the while.
When she came back to the door, ready, he held his arm out for her.
She gave him a skeptical look. “So chivalry isn’t dead, after all.” She chuckled and took his arm, unable to conquer her giddiness. They headed past the nearby elevators to the far ones.
“These are closer to the Starlight,” Jeremy said.
“Where is your stateroom? Are you on this floor?”
“No, I’m two floors up. I’ll show you sometime.”
He smiled at her. She couldn’t tell whether or not he was being saucy, but just in case, she said, “Don’t they all look the same, anyway?”
“More or less.”
“I actually did think I would be late. I should have gotten your number, just in case.”
With his free hand, he fished in this pocket. “Here, take one of my cards. This one has my cell phone number on it, and that’s the phone I carry.”
“Thank you.”
By the time they got to the eleventh floor, only one other couple was on the elevator. Jeremy took her chin and brought her lips to his, kissing her lightly.
“Hello again.”
His gesture was so sweet and so gentle that it stopped Angelina in her tracks. She couldn’t help smiling back.
“Hi.”
She waited for him to do something else, but he just smiled at her.
“You’re in a strange mood tonight, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Only because I’m with you again.”
“I’m in a strange mood, too. I don’t know if it was kissing a dolphin—”
“You kissed a dolphin?”
“Yes, the tour let us play with them, feed them. I got my picture taken kissing one. I snorkeled. I swam. It was all wonderful.”
“You look like you’re glowing. You look beautiful, Safire.”
“Thank you, Jeremy.”
He slipped his hand into hers as they exited the elevator on the fourteenth floor. The familiarity between them made it seem as though they had been seeing each other for a while, but the actual newness of his hand in hers sent a thrill through Angelina’s body.
In the atrium of the Starlight, she was introduced to Jeremy’s friend Myron and Verniece, Myron’s date. The four of them would be dining together at a table of eight, so they would be meeting four new people. These turned out to be a newlywed couple from Idaho and an older couple from Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Over drinks, they met one another and talked about the New Year’s Eve events they’d attended. Angelina blushed when she remembered her kiss with Jeremy and was even more embarrassed when he noticed this. He put a consoling arm over the back of her chair and rubbed her shoulder with his thumb. It sent a shiver through her body that she tried to hide.
They also talked about what they had seen of the Bahamas that day.
“We went out with the dolphins, did the powerboat ride and spent the afternoon on the beach,” Drake, the newlywed, said.
“Did you kiss a dolphin?” Jeremy asked Drake’s wife. Angelina saw the humor in his eyes and swatted him playfully.
“I