Saltwater Kisses (The Kisses 1)

Felipe pulled up next to a small tropical cabin and stepped out to grab my bag. I sat in the golf cart mesmerized by the water. It was a shade of blue that made me want to dive in and never leave. The sound of the waves lapping the shore was better than any recording could ever be, and the smell of water, salt, and sun threatened to overwhelm me with joy.

“Miss? Would you like to see your room?” Felipe asked, touching my shoulder. I blushed and stood.

“Sorry. I’ve never seen the ocean before,” I said. He laughed and gestured to the thatched building, guiding me toward the door.

“I forget that people have never seen it before,” he said. He turned towards the blue horizon and peered out at the water, a smile on his face. “It is beautiful. I suppose I would feel the same if I ever saw snow,” he said as he stepped up on the porch and opened the door.

“You’ve never seen snow? How strange,” I said as I entered the room. I immediately forgot what I was going to say. If the lobby was beautiful, the room was opulent. The main room had a leather couch and giant TV, but the windows opened out onto the ocean. I took slow steps into the bedroom. A king-sized four-poster bed dominated the room. A gentle breeze blew through the big open bay windows, ruffling the bedspread. I could hear the ocean as though I were sitting on the beach. I glanced towards the bathroom and could see a giant tub and shower that looked like it could hold four.

“What do you think, Ms. LaRue from Iowa?” Felipe asked as he set my suitcase down in the bedroom. I couldn’t find the words to answer, and I turned to face him, my mouth hanging open. He laughed and patted my shoulder.

“Enjoy yourself. You say these things never happen to you? Then this is an adventure. Let yourself take risks and have the time of your life. You only live once,” Felipe said, seriously, but his dark eyes sparkled with amusement as I contemplated his words.

“This is going to be the best adventure,” I said slowly, looking out onto the blue ocean. I would never get the chance to go someplace like this again. Not on my salary. I decided right then that I was going to be fearless while I was here. This was going to be the best vacation in the history of vacations. There was nothing I wasn’t going to do.

I spent the rest of the day exploring the resort. Between the pools, the restaurants, the spa, and the gym, I was never going to want to leave. The excitement finally got to me and I crashed into the incredibly comfortable bed immediately after dinner and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, I was up almost before the sun was, excited and anxious to play in the blue water just outside my cabana house. I threw on my swimsuit and a sundress and skipped out to the main restaurant for breakfast. I sat out on the patio, drinking in the cloudless blue sky, the aquamarine water, and the soft calls of strange birds. I tried mashed plantains, mistaking them for mashed potatoes at first. They were delicious, with a taste similar to potatoes, but with a smoother texture. They didn't taste anything like bananas and I found myself going back for a second serving.

After breakfast, I walked around to the pool, thinking I would sit by the edge and have easy access to the bar and the water, but as soon as I sat down, I changed my mind. I couldn't hear the ocean anymore, and I realized I could sit by a pool at home. I really just wanted to stay on the beach all day.

"Can I get a drink to go?" I asked the bartender by the pool. "A piña colada please." It was still early, but if I was going to be on the beach, I wasn't sure if I was going to be willing to get up to get one later.

"Of course," the bartender said. I loved the accents everyone had here. He looked over and somehow read my mind. "Are you going to the beach?"

I nodded. He must have seen me sit down only to stand up again. He reached under the bar while the blender whirled my drink and pulled out a small clicker device.

"Here, use this on the beach. When you want a drink, just press the button and someone will bring you your last order."

"I press this and someone will bring me a piña colada? On the beach? I am never leaving this place!" I grinned as I took the small device. He laughed and handed me my drink, complete with a little umbrella. I thanked him and headed back to the beach, snagging a towel from the pool towel cart. Today was going to be amazing.

Chapter 2

I stretched out on my towel, and then sat up, digging my feet into the sand at the edge of my towel. The sand burned a little, but the heat felt so good on my skin. I couldn’t believe how much I was enjoying being on the beach. The ocean sparkled in the tropical sun, the sand glowed with sunlight. Gulls called in the distance, but the constant breathing of the ocean was all I wanted to hear. I never wanted to stop hearing it.

I was almost alone on the beach. A single figure walked along the waterline to my right, and the couple staying in the cabana next to mine played in the water to my left. Other than that, the beach was empty as most of the resort guests preferred the pool with the swim up bar. I didn’t quite understand why they all preferred being on display in a crowded pool when the ocean was right here, but I was happy to have the beach to myself.

I smoothed the front of my swimsuit self-consciously. It was expensive, but the 1940s style cut flattered my curves. “You just have real curves,” a friend had once said when I complained about how I looked. I was never going to be model thin. I did try to take care of myself, but I was never quite happy with my body shape. I tried not to let it bother me, but swimsuits were always dangerous ground. I thought this swimsuit accentuated the curves I liked and hid the ones I didn’t. So far, it was worth every penny.

I watched the couple splash for a moment, the girl shrieking with delight as the man tried to dunk her under the water. I felt a surge of jealousy. I had technically won a trip for two, but I had come alone.

I lived by myself, had no boyfriend, and my older sister who was supposed to come with me had gotten appendicitis and had to cancel at the last minute. It was easy enough to cancel the reservation for her, but it meant that no one else was able to get the time

off to go with me. I was on my own for this trip. I sighed and turned away from the happy couple. Valentine’s Day had only been a couple of weeks ago, and I didn’t want another reminder that I was alone.

I looked towards the solitary figure in the other direction. It was a man, at least good looking from the distance, but unhappy about something. It was subtle, but the way he kicked at the waves and clenched his hands, I could tell he was not enjoying his vacation. I wasn’t sure how that was possible in a place like this, but I wasn’t about to let a stranger ruin my good mood. He was walking slowly towards my spot on the beach, lost in his own thoughts.

I pressed the small clicker the bar had given me for "beach service", knowing they would bring me a fresh piña colada in minutes. This really was a slice of heaven.

“Help! Somebody, help! HELP!” A scream came from the water, high pitched and full of fear. I jerked up, knocking my sunglasses off my face. The girl was screaming and thrashing in the water. My first thought was a shark, but the water was still crystal blue. She was struggling with the man’s limp body towards shore, screaming as she battled the waves.

I was up in a heartbeat and racing towards her to help. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the solitary man running in the same direction I was headed. I crashed into the shallow waves, the first touch of the warm water surprising me. I had expected it to be cold, but it felt more like bathwater. I reached the girl quickly and grabbed hold of her boyfriend’s arm to help drag him into shore.

“What happened?” I shouted as we pulled his dead weight through the water.

“I don’t know! One minute he was under the water, and the next he was just floating there. I thought he was just playing, but, oh God...” she cried softly. The solitary man reached us, not even breathing hard despite the fact he had sprinted down the beach. Between the three of us, we maneuvered the unconscious man onto the beach, his feet still in the waves as I bent to check his pulse.

I couldn’t find it. I wasn’t sure if I was too excited and was missing it, or if I really couldn’t find one. Either way, I knew what I had to do. It was more instinct than actual thought; I placed one hand on the other and began pumping his chest, humming an old Bee Gee’s song under my breath. The girl started screaming again and Solitary Man quickly grabbed her and took her up higher on the beach, asking her questions. I could barely hear them, like they were in a far away dream as I concentrated on making my thrusts deep and even.