“It’s what people expected,” she clarifies one night. “I’ve always done the smart thing because people depend on me. I don’t take risks.”
I can see now why she was so eager to try a one night stand—this is a woman who never gives in to impulse. She doesn’t chase her desires with the tenacity of a bulldog, like I’ve been doing all my life.
“But Grandma Frannie changed everything,” she confesses, hair tangled from another roll in the sack. She’s so beautiful when she’s vulnerable, and her whole demeanor changes when she talks about her Gran.
“She meant a lot to you.” I stroke her leg. Nearly every inch of her has turned a smooth golden brown since coming to Gili Telu.
“Absolutely. She was my favorite person. It’s been more than six months since she died and I still think about her every day.”
“What would she think about you shacking up with some washed up Aussie bloke and a bunch of turtles?” Self-deprecation is a nearly unbeatable instinct.
Junie’s eyes gleam. “Are you kidding? She’d lose her shit. She’d love this so much. She’s the reason I came. The reason I stayed. Every time I visited her in the hospital, she’d complain that I should be out there living my life, not trying to take care of everybody else.”
If Grandma Frannie were still alive, I’d send her flowers every week. Out of all the islands in the world, after leading such different lives, we both ended up here. Am I crazy to wonder if we’re meant to be more?
It doesn’t help that I’ve been feeling particularly sappy this weekend because my interns are finally moving on. I would never admit it, but I’ve grown a little attached to Mason and Juliette. Meeting new mates and watching them go so often has been wearing me down, though I try to pretend otherwise. I’ve been growing more distant with each new round of recruits—until Junie reminded me to loosen up and have fun again.
Gearing up for the party tonight, there’s a knot in my chest that I don’t want to acknowledge. Goodbyes are hard. In this industry, they’re often forever.
Junie appears behind me in the mirror, wrapping her arms around me and burying her soft curves into my back.
“Hey,” she murmurs.
“Hey.” I relax into her hug, absorbing her warmth. There’s no sense in getting upset about it now. We have two more weeks together and I intend to make the most of every single day. If all we’ll have are memories, I’ll make them unforgettable.
“You ready for tonight?” she asks as I turn in her arms and pull her against my chest. I pick her up and walk to the bed, setting her down gently and taking my time kissing her. The way her lips always soften and part for me makes me weak in the knees.
I was ready to go, but suddenly there’s something more pressing I need to do first.
“Steven, we’re going to be late.” She laughs when I finally release her from the kiss, but I’m already pushing up her t-shirt, nipping at the bikini underneath and searching for her nipple with my tongue. Her moan goes straight to my dick, straining against my shorts as she arches her back, giving me more of her.
“We’ll miss the boat,” she whimpers and I sigh, releasing the swollen bud I’d nibbled into a hard point. I readjust her swimmers, carefully covering her pretty pink nipples and smooth her shirt down.
“This is your first time on Gili T, isn’t it?” I plop down on the bed beside her, waiting for the tent in my pants to go down. It doesn’t help that her eyes keep flicking toward it, or the way her teeth graze her bottom lip—“Junie, if you want to go soon, you have to stop looking at me like that.”
“I’m sorry!” she giggles, covering her eyes and turning away. “No, I haven’t. And I’m excited! Everyone’s been talking up this bar crawl for weeks.”
“It can get a little crazy,” I say, thinking back to all the bad decisions I’ve made at the party island over the last few years. When I was still mourning Naomi and my sailboat, I was at theclubs several nights a week, trying to lose myself in the drinking, the music, and the girls on holiday. Now that I have Junie, I’d just as happily stay here with a Bintang by the beach. But she wants to go and I owe Juliette and Mason a proper send off.
“I’m not worried,” she smiles, and if I wasn’t already lying down, I’d be bowled over by how gorgeous she looks. “I have you there to protect me.”
“You sure do.” It comes out as a growl. Her words make the caveman in me stand up and pound his chest. “Now we’re definitely not leaving.” I tackle her back on the bed and claim her as mine.
I’m wasted for this woman. And she’s leaving soon. I don’t stand a chance.
*****
The bar is crowded but a hush falls when everyone squeezes together, making room for the makeshift stage where my two interns sit in chairs, pulling masks and snorkels down over their faces.
“These two have filled more tanks in three months than most of you will ever dive with in your lives.” I say, circling them, playing to the crowd.
“They’ve worked hard, they’ve played hard, and they’re going to make great instructors. If—” I hold up a hand and draw out the suspense, loving the limelight. I can feel Junie’s gaze from the front row and it makes me want to puff out my chest. “—they can pass this final test.”
Mike walks up and hands me a funnel. I move behind Mason as Mike claps a hand on Juliette’s shoulder. We attach the funnels to the snorkels and hold up a big Bintang each as everyone cheers and whoops. The bottles are about the size of two regular beers and they’re ice cold.
“You guys ready?” Mike asks and the two of them flick their fingers into an Okay sign. Good, I’d have to flunk them if they used a thumbs up—the two have very different meanings in dive school.
“Cheers!” Mike and I clink the beers then upend them in the recruits’ snorkels. Mason clears the funnel like he’s trained for this, but Mike is careful to only give Juliette what she can handle—we discussed their limits before arranging this, no one wants to get sick or have a bad time on graduation night.
