Stepbrother Revealed

Chase reached in his bag and pulled out a zippered bag that looked like a banana.

"You play? I'm the champion." I looked at him again, wondering why he was trying to engage me in conversation.

“No. What the hell is that?”

“Bananagrams. I'm damn good at it. It's like Scrabble but more awesome. I brought it so I could play with my kid cousins. But it's fun for grown-ups too. Especially when you've been drinking a little.”

“Fine, okay.” I thought of the water, 30,000 feet below us. It might be better to think about a game anyway. Chase handed me my pieces.

“I’ll go first he said. I've got a good word.” He set down the tiles. “This is like twenty points or something, but couldn't it be worth more if it's a dirty word?”

I looked down at the tiles.

“BOOBS,” it spelled. Chase chuckled, pleased with his joke. I tried to roll my eyes and turn away from him again, but the laughter bubbled up inside of me, and I couldn't keep it from coming out.

“Oh my god,” I said, between giggles, “You are ridiculous.” Maybe it was the vodka that had gone straight to my head, or maybe it was the childlike expression on Chase's face and his satisfaction with the joke. Something about his grin made it hilarious. The laughter welled up in me, and I had to pull out my tray to set my drink down.

“Well, it wasn't that funny. But I'm glad you're impressed with my skills.” He smiled again. “Your turn,” he said. I took one of the B tiles away and replaced it with a K.

“Books,” I said, trying to keep the laughter from returning. Still, a giggle rose inside of me and escaped.

“Hey, that's not how you play! You can't take my dirty word away!”

“Can't I? Or what ... how do you play this?”

“Well to be honest, I'm not really sure. I just put down dirty words, and my little cousins usually school me.” I burst out laughing again. The flight attendant came by with her cart again while I pulled the instructions out of the Bananagrams bag, still laughing.

“Miss, I'm afraid you're going to have to keep it down. There are a few people trying to sleep.” I took a sip of my drink.

“Oh yes, well of course, I'm very sorry.”

“You're in trouble,” Chase toned, rearranging the tiles. I giggled again, trying to keep my voice quiet. “Want to keep playing? Whoever can put the most dirty words down wins.” I nodded. I wouldn't see this guy again, and he was out of my league. But I could enjoy looking at him while it lasted.

“We should at least learn the rules,” I said.

“Nah, it's most fun to play by your own rules sometimes.”

He chatted on about his first job out of college while I listened and gathered my tiles. We chatted and built words on and off for the remaining hour of the flight. I was enjoying myself so much that I barely noticed when we started to descend. The landing came abruptly, bumping the tiny plane and all of its passengers.

“You should come hang out at the apartment I rented,” he said. “It's got a pool. Unless there's somewhere else you'd rather be.”

“I’m actually staying on St. John,” I said. It was too bad he'd be on St. Thomas.

“Oh sweet. I mean, me too. I can get you to your hotel in the evening. We could get some seafood or something.”

“Like a date?” I asked, the alcohol still making me bold, even as the plane taxied to its hold.

“Yes, in fact. Like a date. What happens in St. John stays in St. John?” His voice was playful, and his eyes glanced quickly over my body. I wondered what this kind of man saw in someone like me. But hell, I guess I’d go with it. Maybe it was the vodka or the bikini in my bag or the prospect of being on an island. But a date with a man like this was a once in a lifetime thing, especially for a mousy librarian.

“Sure thing,” I replied, a hint of flirtation creeping into my voice. We rose as the plane parked, and I realized that my anxiety had gone away somewhere over the Caribbean Ocean. Maybe, just maybe, I could be different here for a few days … agreeing to a date with a boy who I’d never approach in real life. Why not?

Chase lifted my carry-on bag and I followed him out of the plane, watching his muscles move beneath his shirt.

Before stepping out into the salty, humid air, he looked back at me and flashed that smile. The world seemed to tip on its side, tilting me in a direction I didn’t understand. And this time, I couldn’t blame it on the plane.

CHAPTER TWO

"We can walk to the boat from here," said Chase.

"You sure?" I was hesitant to walk somewhere in a maze of streets I'd never explored before.

"Yup," he said, after we got out of our taxi. There was a boardwalk that led out to a crystal blue ocean and a gorgeous beach. "I've been here before. It's a good walk. We can just go down the boardwalk and over to the registration for the boat tickets."

"I didn't know you'd been to St. John. I haven't. Is it nice?"

"Nicer than St. Thomas, even. And St. Thomas is cool. It's just very busy compared to St. John."

"I've heard the place I'm staying is a little bit out of the way. I'll be glad to be with you for the evening," I said, following him over to the little building that sold tickets for the ferry to St. John.

"Well, I think the place I'm staying is like that too. But it has a pool." He grinned.

"That sounds good." The heat of the sun was already beating down on us, and I definitely needed some aquatic relaxation. Chase stepped up to the ticket terminal and purchased two tickets for us. We stepped on to the boat, almost as rickety as the plane we'd been on earlier, but I realized I wasn't afraid. The mountains, formed centuries ago from tectonic plates pushing rock and earth above the deep Caribbean waters, stood around us in resplendent beauty. The breeze rolled in from off shore, and dark clouds sat in the distance. For now, the sun shone.

Chase took my hand and helped me down inside. We stepped to the edge of the boat, and it lurched forward. There were maybe twenty other tourists on the boat, shuffling around and taking pictures of the mountain, but all I saw was Chase. He looked back at me.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" His voice was almost reverent. This was a boy who loved the water. He'd grown up on it, living with his parents on an island off the coast of the Carolinas. And apparently he knew the Virgin Islands well.

"Yeah, it is," I said, looking at him. Yes, it was beautiful here. And so was Chase. I smiled, peace taking over my body and mind as the boat headed toward the mountainous island of St. John. He put his arm around me as we approached the harbor port of St. John. The sea sprayed up and on to our bodies

, but we stayed where we were, letting the water play over us. The cold of it was shocking, and we laughed just as we had on the plane. I wondered if I'd ever see this boy again after today. Maybe this was just a small gift from the gods ... I could enjoy him for a day before my mother's wedding. And then I'd depart.