The New Year Resolution (9 page)

She heard him moan, a low guttural sound from deep in his throat. It excited her. It meant he was feeling things, too. She inhaled his manly scent. He smelled of expensive aftershave with a touch of sea salt. It was intoxicating. With her eyes shut, her other senses took over. Touching him, smelling him, tasting him – it was all too much. Nicole felt like she was drowning, whirling around in an intoxicating mix of emotions.

His tongue was deep in her mouth and Nicole was sucking and delving like her life depended on it. Suddenly it was all too much and she couldn’t breathe. With a desperate heave against his chest, she broke the bond that had consumed them. They both stumbled backwards, gasping for air.

Ryan gazed at her with a stunned expression.

What the hell had just happened?

Nicole looked as surprised as he was. For a moment neither of them could speak. The overriding sound, apart from their panting, was the lapping waves, wetly smacking against the shore. It broke the surreal atmosphere and provided a sense of normality to the situation.

“I...I think I’ll go inside now,” Nicole stammered, pointing towards the house. Housekeeping had obviously been in to turn the beds down as the lights were on inside the chalet, twinkling invitingly.

Ryan nodded, unable to find words to explain what had happened between them. He watched her walk away, a little unsteadily. But that was nothing compared to how he was feeling. With shaky legs he sank down onto the sand.

The urge to kiss her perfect lips had persuaded him to cross the line and break their most important ground rule. The pretence stops when they’re alone, isn’t that what they said? Except after tonight, holding her hand and stroking her thigh, and basically acting like they were a couple, it had seemed so natural to kiss her.

What he hadn’t expected was to enjoy it so much. Her response had knocked his socks off. She’d tasted so sweet and smelled so good, he’d craved more and more of her until she’d completely overwhelmed him.

Even now, sitting in a shaky heap on the beach, he still wanted to go into the house and do it again. And more....

Christ. What was happening to him? He couldn’t remember when last a woman had had this kind of effect on him.

The breeze cooled his overheated skin but not his desire. Right now Nicole was probably undressing, getting ready for bed. Ryan pictured her peeling off her slinky black dress....

He got to his feet.

“Can I come in?” he called awkwardly from outside the sliding doors. They were open about half a metre, but the heavy hotel curtains were closed.

“Sure, I’m decent,” came the reply.

Ryan stepped into the room.

“Hi....” he said, unnecessarily.

“Hi....” she replied.

Nicole was sitting on the bed, still in her dress. Her face was flushed and her eyes searched his uncertainly.

He gestured behind him, back to the beach. “About what happened out there....”

Nicole shook her head. “It’s okay. You don’t have to say it.”

“Say what?” Ryan blinked, thrown by her interjection.

“That it was a mistake. That we should never have... you know, kissed....” Her voice faded off and she looked down at the bed.

“How did you know I was going to say that?”

Nicole glanced up. “Weren’t you?”

Ryan hesitated. Actually he wasn’t going to say that at all. Quite the opposite, but then his body was still tingling from the taste of her.

Perhaps he should rethink this. God knows, he wanted to carry on where they’d left off on the beach. He still had a massive hard-on and the memory of the passion that had consumed them was addictive. His body was crying out for more.

Nicole waited for his reply, her tilting blue eyes wide with anticipation.

“Actually I don’t know what I was going to say,” he lied. “I just.... I thought maybe I should apologise for that.”

For that?

Could he make it sound any more insignificant? Yet Nicole had given him an opportunity to stop this before it went any further and in retrospect, it was probably for the best. So why was his heart sinking faster than a lead diving belt out on the reef?

Nicole exhaled. “It wasn’t your fault. It just... happened.”

She was right about that. And the thing which floored him was it had never “just happened” like that to him before.

He nodded, more in control now. Yes, she was right. It had been a mistake. Probably his, since he was the one who had been coming on to her all night, and not necessarily deliberately, either. Somehow this little game he’d been playing had got way out of control.

“I’m sorry anyway,” he said sincerely. “For tonight. If I in anyway indicated that....”

Nicole held up a hand. “Please...” she said. “Don’t go there. You didn’t. We both knew we were playing a part.” She managed a small smile. “So we got a bit carried away, that’s all. No harm done.”

“No harm done,” he agreed, feeling like a bastard. He had led her on. Now he was making out like she’d read something into it which wasn’t there.

“So I’ll see you tomorrow?” Nicole shifted position on the bed. It was clear she wanted him to leave.

“Yes. Tomorrow. We’ll go diving.”

“Sure. Sounds good.”

She didn’t look up.

Ryan gnawed his lip and headed for the door leading into the lounge and his pull-out couch bed. He paused, turning to look at her one last time, but her head was down. She was fiddling with a bracelet on her wrist.

“Goodnight, Nicole.”

“Nite, Ryan.”

With nothing left to say, Ryan quietly closed the bedroom door, effectively sealing off any further possibility of taking tonight’s beach tryst any further.

“I’ll meet you at the marina,” called Ryan, as he headed out of the door with a towel over his shoulder.

Nicole was purposely procrastinating in the bathroom. She didn’t want to talk to Ryan about last night. She was still reeling from the kiss herself and didn’t know what to make of it. Apart from that it had been a giant mistake.

She hoped it wouldn’t spoil the day. This was the first vacation she’d had in three years, and it was such an amazing island she wanted to enjoy every last second on it. God only knew when she’d get another opportunity like this one. If ever.

“Great. I won’t be long,” she replied, hearing the bedroom door slide open and shut as Ryan left the house.

The marina was only a short walk away but then everything was only a short walk away on this island. Nicole wore her bathing suit which fit better under a wetsuit. She didn’t want to worry about straps digging into her ribs or bikini bottoms riding up uncomfortably when she was diving. Ryan had said the catamaran was fully equipped with diving gear, so she didn’t take anything with her except her wetsuit, a book and a towel in a fabric beach bag, slung over her shoulder.

The 42-foot, sleek-lined vessel shimmered in the morning sun. The crew were readying her for sailing. Ryan waved from the gleaming deck and beckoned for Nicole to come aboard. She grabbed hold of the support railing and hoisted herself up.

“This is a beautiful boat,” she mused, taking in the elegant exterior, leather seating, tall masts and cornflower-blue canopy that almost matched the shade of the sky.

“Vincent keeps it in good condition,” agreed Ryan, winching one of the sails in place. Nicole watched his arm rotate and sensed the strength transfer from his muscles to the contraption.

So far they’d avoided talking about what happened last night. At breakfast, Ryan had said very little, only talking to brief her on their excursion today. Nicole had eaten quickly and returned to the chalet before Ryan. Luckily Vincent and Sylvia were having a lie in and weren’t there. Continuing the pretence first thing this morning, in light of what had happened last night, would have been pushing it.

“Take a seat,” said Ryan, gesturing to the canopy suspended over the twin hulls. “But watch the boom. It’s lower than on other boats and can pack quite a punch if it hits you.”

Nicole nodded and perched on the canvas, in a half-lying position. She was no stranger to boats, although she’d never been on a catamaran before. She and Stephen had often gone sailing on the Hartebeespoort Dam north of Johannesburg. They’d rented yachts – nothing like this one, or Dominic’s – but she knew the basics.

Nicole took off her T-shirt. She may as well get some sun. The warm rays caressed her shoulders and back. It felt great. As the tension drained away, she watched Ryan and the crew cast off from the mooring. One of the lads jumped off and gave the boat a hefty heave, then he jumped aboard at the last moment as it caught the wind.

They were off, heading out towards the reef. Nicole watched the bubbling, jagged crests come ever closer.

“There’s your friend’s boat,” scoffed Ryan, crouching down next to her and pointing over the starboard side.

Nicole looked. A sleek, clear-lined ketch sat anchored inside of the reef about two hundred metres away from them. It was streamlined and minimalistic, with a dark, ebony hull and a pale deck. The tall masts shone in all their stainless-steel glory. It was a truly magnificent sight.

“Impressive,” murmured Nicole.

“Having second thoughts?”

She looked up sharply but Ryan avoided eye contact. She sighed. Sooner or later they were going to have to move on from that kiss. Otherwise, the rest of the holiday was going to be unbearable.

“It is a beautiful boat,” she admitted, turning her head to have another look. A figure waved from the deck.

“Is that Dominic?” asked Nicole, straining her eyes.

“The man himself,” confirmed Ryan, getting to his feet. He made his way over to the main consol and consulted with the skipper.

Nicole waved back.

They sailed around for a bit before dropping anchor inside the reef. The water was calm where the boat was, but really choppy on the other side of the reef. The breeze from the night before had turned into a light wind and the sails buffeted comfortingly above them.

“Are you going to scuba or snorkel?” asked Ryan, approaching her once they’d come to a standstill.

“I think I’ll scuba,” she decided, opting for the option that would take her further away from Ryan. Although she’d only dived once before, she had done her PADI diving certificate and felt fairly confident.

“You sure?” Ryan looked marginally concerned.

“I’ll be fine.” She got up and took the mask he held in his hand. “Let’s go get kitted up.”

He nodded and led the way to the diving platform where the crew had readied their gear. Nicole slipped into her wetsuit, which was more comfortable when diving, even though the water temperature seldom got below 26ºC.

“Can I do it up for you?” asked Ryan, and without waiting for an answer, turned her around and zipped her up.

“Thanks.” She didn’t require his help but didn’t want to appear rude. Things were awkward enough between them.

“We’ll do a shallow dive,” Ryan told her. “About eight to fifteen metres.”

“Fine with me,” confirmed Nicole, heaving the heavy tank onto her back.

“Need a hand with that?” asked Ryan.

“Nope. I’m good.” Nicole fastened it in place and secured the regulator, then without glancing at Ryan, pulled on her mask.

“Ready?” asked Ryan a few minutes later. He was similarly kitted up, the tight wetsuit outlining his muscular body like a second skin. Nicole accidently cast her eyes down towards his “package” and then hastily looked away. So he was well built in more than one sense of the word. Luckily she was wearing the diving mask so he couldn’t see where she’d been looking. She’d be mortified otherwise.

Nicole nodded and they stepped off the diving platform and sank into the clear blue water.

Submerging under water was like entering a different world. The sun shot silver daggers through the surface which delved to a depth of about five feet before losing their radiance. From then on Nicole felt like she was encased in a world of florescent blues, greens and yellows. She followed Ryan to a depth of about ten metres, and then they swam forward until they approached the sloping reef wall. The unspoilt coral twinkled with muted pastels as fish of many shapes and sizes swam in and around the reef.

Nicole feasted her eyes on the scene before her. This was worth coming here for, if nothing else. Anemones swayed lethargically while resident clown fish flittered in and out, painting the blue depths with specks of red and orange. She spotted angelfish, pufferfish and even a turtle making its way out into deeper water.

She looked around, but couldn’t see Ryan anywhere.  Feeling a little insecure, but still confident she could handle herself, Nicole made for deeper water. She swam over the reef wall and momentarily felt like she was flying as the wall gave way to the deep blue waters beyond. A spurt of bubbles next to her caused her to turn swiftly. A figure was waving at her and pointing upwards. It wasn’t Ryan, his hair was darker. For a moment she thought it might be one of the crew, but then realised it was Dominic. She nodded and they ascended to the surface.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said, lifting his mask up and grinning at her. “I thought that was you.”