Arizona Skies: The Muse (26 page)

“Jesse thinks I look sexy in it,” I said.

“I can see that. You’re kinda late getting ready today; any particular reason?” she smirked.

“Were you listening at the wall again?” I asked with raised eyebrows.

“Anything worth listening to?” she asked with an inquisitive look.

“Maybe,” I said, smiling from ear to ear.

“Ahhh…haaa, shower sex,” she said, giggling at my satisfied grin.

“I can’t keep my hands off him, Shell; what am I going to do in three days when we have to leave?” I said, tears welling up in my eyes. “He’s completely changed my world!” She came over to give me a hug, and I clung to her like a lifeline in the dark. “I’m in love with him,” I confessed.

“I know, honey; it’s written all over both of your faces,” she said, holding me. “The guys are worried that his creative juices are going to dry up once you’re gone.” She twirled her hair around her finger.

“What are we going to do? I know you’ve fallen for Scott too.”

“Yeah, we’ve both gone over the edge without a life vest. Somehow we’re going to have to keep each other together,” she said.

“Going home is going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” I said, wiping my tears.

“Listen, we’re on the home stretch. We’ll have our degrees soon. We can go wherever we want. If this all works out, maybe we’ll be in Arizona this time next year!” she said, giving me some hope that maybe this wasn’t going to end after all. “Let’s keep the faith and trust in our guys and enjoy the day,” she said. She patted me on the back as she reached for my curling iron.

I shook my head. “I’m just going to put my hair up in a ponytail today, casual and comfortable. They have to practice this afternoon; we can get glamorous then,” I said. I put some lotion all over my skin and threw on shorts and a tank. We headed out to meet the guys for breakfast at our usual spot. We agreed to keep each other’s spirits up as we walked in through the door and were met by two very handsome, smiling faces.

“Here they are,” Scott said to Jesse.

“I was worried; you took so long,” Jesse said, taking my hand.

“I’m OK; just had a weepy moment, but Shelly talked me through it,” I said, putting on a brave face.

“Thank you, Shelly,” Jesse said with a smile at her. Shelly winked at him, turned, and walked away with Scott. We ate while listening to the guys talk about their last performance. They liked to play older songs by the Rolling Stones, Foreigner, and Journey because they suited Jesse’s voice. They also liked to introduce some of the classics to a younger crowd. John explained that while he was growing up, his parents were always playing those groups’ records, and they were some of the first songs the band learned.

Jesse didn’t like some of the newer songs; they were too repetitious, and a lot of them didn’t tell a story—just one line sung over and over with a heavy beat. When he sang, he poured his heart and soul into every song. The band wanted his talent to be appreciated as he told a story with his amazing voice. Some sad and soulful, some lively and fun, they really showcased his singing skills. As they talked I realized that they all had input in every original song. Jesse wrote most of lyrics; then they all added their ideas to the get the melody and the music just right. Scott was a musical genius, according to Jesse, playing several instruments to get just the right sound. I found it fascinating to listen to them, awed by this new life I was being introduced to. Every member of this band was becoming near and dear to my heart.

We went ashore at Grand Cayman, the largest of the three Cayman Islands. The beaches were white and the water crystal clear. There were beach bars with lounge chairs and hammocks to lie peacefully in the shade of the palm trees and stare out at the tranquility of the stunning ocean view. From the brochure there was kayaking, diving, snorkeling, exotic spas, submarines to explore the ocean floor, or glass-bottom boats to see the underwater spectacle without going beneath it, and, of course, all kinds of shopping and restaurants with island delicacies to enjoy.

“Let’s get you relaxed at the spa and then just lie in a hammock today,” Jesse suggested. He knew I was stressed and had been crying. We both needed to relax.

“OK,” I said, not really caring what we did as long as we were together.

John and Keith wanted to shop for their families. Scott and Shelly wanted to go kayaking, so we all went our separate ways. We found a nice spa and went in for massages. They put us side by side with soft music for ambiance as we enjoyed getting all our muscles rubbed with oil. Jesse reached over to let me know he was with me, keeping his hand on my arm as I felt all the tension flow
out of my body as I relaxed. Then we sat in the sauna letting the dry heat warm us through to our bones and detox our skin. A lovely, tropical-smelling lotion was in my dressing room, which I applied all over my squeaky-clean skin. I felt so much better, revived and renewed.

I enjoyed an ice-cold, fruity drink that was served when I came out of the dressing room by one of the attendants. It had a slice of fresh pineapple on the rim of the glass, with a long toothpick loaded with fresh mango, papaya, and maraschino cherries. Jesse was sitting on the couch waiting for me with his drink in his hand, looking polished and positively beautiful.

We walked back to the beach and carefully got on a hammock, which was not easy. We were laughing trying to get in it so we could lie side by side without flipping it over. Finally, we managed to find a comfortable position right in the middle. I hung on as the wind blew and swayed us back and forth. Jesse adjusted the pillow and held his arm out for me to rest my head comfortably. I sighed with relief when I finally let go and relaxed into his body. The breeze was cooling and gently rocked us as we looked out to sea.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked, lightly stroking my arm.

“Island paradise, just like the brochure promised,” I said.

He kissed my temple and ran his fingers over my heart necklace.

“I never in a million years expected to find a woman that I would fall in love with on this cruise,” he said, lifting my chin to look into my eyes. My breath caught in my chest—he just told me he loved me. I didn’t know what to say. I was speechless as his green eyes searched my face for what seemed like an eternity.

“You love me?” I asked, questioning that I’d heard him right.

“Yes, I do, very much,” he said, kissing me.

“I love you too,” I said, smiling at him.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to function without you,” he confessed.

“We don’t have a choice; in three days the cruise is over, and we go back to our separate lives,” I said sadly.

“Bailey, I just found you, and I’m not ready to let you go. Come to Arizona and finish school out there?” he asked.

“Jesse, it’s too soon. I have to finish college so my mother can see me graduate. I have a job and an apartment, and what about Shelly?” I asked.

“Have you seen her and Scott? They’re serious. He can’t stop talking about her. For God’s sake, they hit the sack the first night they met,” he chuckled.

“That’s good to hear, because I know she’s fallen hard for him. Look, you guys are going to be busy with the album. February will be here before you know it,” I said, being the voice of reason for a change. We lay there swaying in the gentle breeze, contented to just hold each other. I dozed off for a while and woke hearing our friends’ voices coming closer to us. John and Keith were loaded down with packages. Scott and Shelly were laughing.

“Well, don’t you two look comfortable? Time to go, man,” John said, smiling at us.

“Oh my God, we have to get out of this thing,” I said, laughing as Jesse tried to sit up with me in his arms, making the hammock rock back and forth very fast. I grabbed the side and held on for dear life. Everyone was standing there watching us as we tried to figure out how to get out of that damn thing.

“Anytime soon,” John said with a smirk.

“On the count of three, sweetheart, swing your legs over the side and jump out,” Jesse said.

“OK, but I’m scared,” I said.

“Don’t worry, Bailey; I’ll catch you,” John said, putting his packages down and stepping closer to me. He slapped his hands together like he was catching a football.

“Ready, one…two…three,” Jesse said as we both bolted out of the hammock. I landed on my feet but lost my balance and fell forward into John’s arms as he grabbed me around the waist.

“Steady, girl,” he laughed as he caught me. I couldn’t stop giggling as John held on to me. Jesse growled and took back my hand as John chuckled and picked up his packages from the beach.

Jesse

S
ince I met Bailey, I’d been sleeping better than I had in years. Having her body next to mine somehow calmed me. I didn’t know how I’d ever be able to sleep alone again. Next morning I woke up, and she was gone. I heard the water running in the bathroom, so I waited for her to come out. Today was the Grand Cayman Island, and then we sailed back toward Florida.

I wasn’t particularly interested in exploring the island; I wanted to spend time with her, relaxing and enjoying the day together. I invited her into the shower with me for another of her special showers. Looking at her was getting more and more difficult. She was so beautiful, and I knew letting her go was going to be the single most difficult thing I’d ever had to do.

She looked at me with the big, brown, trusting eyes, and my heart crumbled, my knees weakened, and I wanted to tell her just how badly I’d fallen in love with her. I didn’t think I could take watching her beautiful face as I made love to her, so I turned her around and bent her over the edge of the tub. This could be construed as cold and uncaring sex, but I didn’t want to stand there and see that water cascading down her beautiful body and know that in a couple days, I’d never see that erotic sight again. Her long hair was all around her feet on the bottom of the tub as the water pounded on her back.

I held on to her because I was going at her pretty hard. Her slender body was no match for my larger one; she was completely at my mercy. After our shower sex, she didn’t seem like she was very happy, making me feel like a complete asshole for putting her through that. She was so sweet and caring when we made love. I was worried that maybe I had made a big mistake and ruined it with her. I asked her several times but only got a slight smile in return. She finally confessed that it was all right, but I felt she wasn’t completely thrilled by my performance.

We had our usual breakfast with everyone, and then went out on deck to watch our ship dock at the big island. I decided that a little pampering was in order to make amends for my rough treatment in the shower. I’d treat her to a nice massage at a spa I’d read about in the brochure. I could tell she and Shelly had been crying when we met for breakfast. She looked relaxed and smelled fantastic when she emerged from the changing room after an hour on the massage table.

We strolled down by the beach, choosing a shady spot with a double hammock so we could cuddle together and watch the spectacular view. Our friends all had their own itineraries today, each going their separate ways.

Getting into the hammock was quite a feat of dexterity. I finally got on and moved to the center to steady it for Bailey. She had complete concentration on her face as she attempted to lie down and snuggle into me. I couldn’t help but laugh at her expense, which got her laughing too. She was pretty terrified of falling until I reached over and put my arm under her head, holding her against me. We finally managed to get comfortable as the hammock swayed in the breeze. We lay there for several hours, talking and looking at the ocean. She even fell asleep for a while. I lay there watching her, tracing the shape of the diamond heart necklace I’d bought her.

I confessed to her that I was in love with her—it kind of slid out, but I wasn’t sorry it happened. When she heard my song, she was going to know anyway. What did surprise me was her telling me without hesitation that she loved me back. I’d had women tell me that they loved me before, but I never said it back to any of them. I’d never cared, but I never thought I’d want to hear those words so badly as I did from her. It made my heart sing, and I knew right then that I’d never get over this girl.

As usual I could hear the gang way before I ever saw them approaching us. We had only a short time to get back to the ship. John was his usual bossy self. Not that I minded; he was good at his job, and we all appreciated him. They all stood there watching us as
we tried not very gracefully to get out of that damn hammock. If you think getting in it is hard, try getting out! I told her on the count of three to jump out. John had put down his packages and was ready to catch her. I swung my feet over the side, hopping out quickly, but when I did the hammock swung back, launching Bailey into the air. She didn’t weigh very much and flew about twenty feet before her feet hit the ground. Since John was a football player in high school he caught her around the waist before she could face-plant in the sand. He hung onto her as they both giggled. That sight bothered me as he steadied her back on her feet and took his hands off her. I lunged for her hand and held her in a possessive hold. John’s eyebrow’s shot up as he looked at me, but I didn’t care. She was mine. Everyone was laughing at us as we headed back to the ship.