“I think you won it a long time ago.” How had he gotten so lucky as to fall into a fling with Audra Reed, dolphin and SEAL expert? “Then we should make the most of the time we have left, right?”
“Absolutely. What did you have in mind, sailor?” Her raised brows took on a naughty edge as she no doubt envisioned a few more wicked things they could put on the list.
“Snorkeling,” he told her decisively. “I hear it’s not to be missed.”
A gorgeous smile lit her face. “You’re on.”
Over the next week, Charlie got really used to waking up with Audra in his bed. They showered together, ate together, and hung out by the pool until one or both of them started a round of lazy caresses that escalated until they raced for the elevator, panting and hot for the pleasure found in each other’s arms. Always.
Audra went with him to tour the bat caves at Spencer Cay, the fourth item on his list. It was fascinating, creepy, and educational. In short, amazing. Like everything he’d done so far. He’d long ago accepted that Audra had everything to do with that.
Jared invited them on a double date to a club in Freeport and sent a boat to collect them. The billionaire opened a tab and cozied up with the Brazilian model draped over his arm. Charlie and Audra drank too much, then danced far too suggestively for public consumption. Or so Jared informed them with a laugh and a wink.
Charlie didn’t care. He was having fun and pretending like the return trip to Coronado was not happening. Iraq was on the other side of the world and Audra was right here, right now.
The only thing left on his list that he hadn’t checked off was snorkeling with manta rays. Turned out Audra had been correct about canceling the day Isaac had left—there wasn’t another scheduled excursion until the day before his flight out of Freeport.
“This is it,” he commented as they waited on the dock near the resort beach for the speedboat to pick them up for the excursion. “Last day.”
All at once, his chest hurt so badly he couldn’t breathe. Why had he brought that up? They both knew the score.
“We still have tomorrow morning. Or…” She waggled her brows. “We can skip sleep and give ourselves another few hours.”
“I like the way you think,” he said with a smile that felt too thin.
She rubbed his arm, her own smile lacking in mirth as well, and that somehow made it suck more. It was fine if he hurt over unalterable things, but it was not okay if she did.
Except there was nothing he could do to make it better. Opting to keep his mouth shut was more difficult than he’d anticipated. But he did it because it was the right thing to do. They clambered onto the speedboat and motored to the coral reef where the manta rays lived, splashing into the water as instructed so they could swim around at will.
The colors alone brightened his mood. Fish darted through the stalagmite-type coral structures, and the stars of the show, the manta rays, glided majestically along the ocean floor in large waves of gray. It was mystical under the water in a way he’d never appreciated as a SEAL. Usually when he strapped on fins and a tank, it was to do recon on an enemy ship. Trying to make sure you didn’t get shot while doing so didn’t allow for a lot of time to enjoy the scenery.
Audra oohed and aahed over the reef though she’d likely seen this one or one exactly like it a hundred times. He appreciated her enthusiasm since it was strictly for his benefit. So he smiled back and enjoyed the way her red hair streamed out behind her as she kicked through the turquoise water.
If only…
And that was the path to madness. Charlie whacked his temple with the heel of his hand in hopes of dislodging the idiocy that seemed to have grown there overnight.
On their last night together, Charlie held Audra’s hand and walked with her along the moonlight beach, circling the island until they reached a remote area where there was nothing but the shush of waves and the silent star-studded sky to remind them they were still on earth.
“This is a very difficult place to leave,” he murmured as she settled between his thighs in the cool sand, leaning back on his chest to watch the waves roll in. She felt good in his arms, and he snuggled her close, breathing in the scent of her hair.
She shook her head. “I couldn’t. I would shrivel up and die if I was landlocked. My mom always said I bleed salt water.”
“Where do you think you’ll wind up? After you get your doctorate?” She’d mentioned that she had to finish up her dissertation in Miami in a few months. He liked thinking about her here, living in the bright sun, swimming with her dolphins.
“Somewhere in the Caribbean.” She shrugged. “Freeport probably, depending on where I get a job. My family is in Miami, which is not that far. So, seems like a no-brainer.”