finding Reese.: a SAFELIGHT novel vol.2 (SAFELIGHT Series) (34 page)

“Please, oh my God, please, oh, oh,” she chants.

I’m cutting it close here, so I bite my lip to distract myself, and I huff in relief when she comes a second time. I wait as long as I possibly can before I break our connection and empty myself all over her belly. She looks at me with a slightly confused expression, and I’ll admit a part of me feels bad, but it’s a necessary evil. As we both come down from our highs, I pick her up and carry her into the shower with me. There’s this awkward silence between us, and I feel the urge to revisit the condom conversation we had almost three months ago. I also need to explain a few things.

“You’re very quiet, Catalina. What’s on your mind?”

Her eyes meet mine, and she cuts straight to the chase. “You didn’t come inside me. Why?”

“We haven’t been shining examples of safe sex, and I know how you feel about kids so I’m just playing it safe. That’s all.”

Her eyes turn soft and a half-smile brightens her features. “Okay, but . . .”

“But what, Catalina?” I ask.

“I already told you my chances of getting pregnant are extremely low, and yes, we’ve been risky, but I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t then there’s no harm.” As we’re standing underneath the showerhead I feel pretty damn happy. I know what she’s telling me without saying it. Her mindset is changing, and all the more I need to be careful about spilling my guts here. She’s okay with trying, and having that knowledge helps me breathe easier. “Are we good?” she asks, and I nod.

“Yeah! Why would you ask me that?”

“I don’t know, I just felt like I threw you off your game there, Stud,” she whispers, pointing towards the bed with her chin.

I shake my head and wrap my arms around her, pressing my chest tightly against hers. “Me, off my game? Never!” I declare with a wink.

Morning surprises us after an invigorating night, and after checking out of the bed and breakfast we go sightseeing in Old San Juan. We visit the historic colonial Spanish fort
Castillo San Felipe del Morro.
I tipped the tour guide a hefty sum so they could allow us into a restricted area of the fortress called
La Garita del Diablo
- a small sentry box Spanish soldiers used to keep an eye on incoming enemy ships. There’s a certain legend I read about online regarding a soldier who abandoned his post to secretly meet with his girlfriend in that sentry box, and naturally when I read about it, I knew I needed to sneak in a kiss, or two with Catalina. After insufferable protestation she eventually allowed me to take a picture of us kissing inside it.

Once our tour of the fortress ends−complete with snapping countless pictures of her throughout the fort, we walk through the streets of Old San Juan, shopping for clothing for the rest of our trip. We take a walk down
Paseo de la Princesa
a waterside walkway, and browse the work of local artisans, even sneak a bite at one of the food kiosks. With full bellies we continue our path towards a colonial door called
La Puerta de San Juan
which leads to
La Catedral de San Juan
- the Cathedral of San Juan.

We walk into the church and while she looks around, I take a seat on one of the pews. Older women are kneeling, praying the rosary like my Nonna used to. I sit in silence, feeling at peace, and while I’m not kneeling, I’m definitely praying for the future I want.

I’m not the most religious of men, but I am a believer and my faith has been restored now that Jackson is back among the living. I deposit my wishes into God’s hands, and as I’m about to stand, I see Catalina sitting on the pew beside me with a smile on her face. I don’t know why I feel so embarrassed she caught me praying, but I do. With our hands clasped, we light a candle together, and placing my hands over her belly I silently pray for a miracle before we leave the church.

As we walk up the cobblestone steps towards the hotel parking lot, Catalina asks, “What did you pray for?”

I open the Jeep’s door, and with a smirk on my face I reply, “For us.”

We start the long drive down the north coast of Puerto Rico to one of my favorite places on this island: Rincón. Many of my assignments have brought me to this beach because it is one of the best beaches in the world to surf, and many of my clients have hired me to cover competitions. While tourists love hanging out in San Juan and the surrounding areas, I prefer to hang out with the locals.

Catalina’s raises her hands in the air, feeling the salt-kissed air breezing through the roof of the Jeep, and every so often she lets out a giggle. On her face there’s a smile that has me feeling incredibly happy because I know I helped put it there. I reach over and rest my hand on her knee. She rests one of her hands on top of it, and squeezes. Without saying a word we are communicating how much we mean to each other. I adjust my sunglasses and keep my eyes on the road, and perk up in my seat when I see the exit up ahead.

Not once has she asked me where we’re headed. I’m pleasantly surprised and moved that she trusts me enough to lead the way. We ride down a sandy-gravel road right along the shoreline, and stop at a two-story terra-cotta house I rented for the week. It has a wrap-around balcony with a deck on the second story that boasts a view of the Atlantic Ocean with glass windows all around. It’s one of my clients’ rental properties and I was thrilled it was available.

Catalina’s jaw drops in disbelief, and shields her eyes from the afternoon sun. She looks at me with wide eyes. “We’re staying here?” When I nod, she jumps down from the seat and runs towards me. “It’s perfect!”

I chuckle, and the property manager greets us at the Jeep. “Señor Martynus, ¡bienvenido!”

I extend my hand to shake his, and he picks up our bags and brings them inside. As soon as we walk in, Catalina gasps. From the outside, the property looks unassuming, but on the inside the furnishings are ultra-modern with every amenity you can think of: stainless steel appliances, a six-burner gas range stove and cupboards stocked with everything we might need. It’s air-conditioned, but the ocean breeze blowing through the house will be more than sufficient to keep us cool. There’s a water wall−its sound very soothing and reminiscent of the South Pacific, and when the property manager leads us into the master bedroom on the second floor, my breath catches in my chest. A California king size bed sits in the middle of the room with an unobstructed view of the ocean. We look at each other and exchange glances, no doubt making the manager very uncomfortable.

“There’s a hot tub and garden pool on the terrace level, Señor Martynus,” the man says with a smile. He drops our bags on the bench at the foot of the bed. “If you have any questions, or need any assistance, my phone number is on speed-dial. Just dial ’4’ on the keypad, okay?”

We both nod and walk Pedro to the door. Once it’s closed, we run into each other’s arms and kiss.

“Why don’t you put your bathing suit on and meet me down here?” I ask. “I’m going to start dinner.”

“Do you need my help, Stud?”

“No, I just want you to be comfortable,” I say, swatting her ass affectionately. “Go.”

Catalina giggles and skips away towards the spiral staircase to the master suite. I busy myself in the kitchen, going through the cabinets and pantry to start dinner. As I’m washing the vegetables, I look out the window and see the ocean, a perfect shade of blue, and the fluffy white foam of the waves as they crash. In the distance, paddle-boarders swim against the blue, while the less adventurous simply lie on the warm sand. The view is a reflection of my life. It couldn’t be more precious, or more perfect.

I
SCRAMBLE THROUGH OUR
BAGS
in search of the black one-piece swimsuit I bought at one of the shops in Old San Juan. My heart skips in my chest as I revisit the last twenty four hours. This is quickly becoming one of the best times of my life, and it would seem the more time I spend beside Stryder the more I feel like this is how my life should be. His presence in my life has been healing and call me crazy, but I feel my chest could burst at any moment with the intense happiness I feel.

After the long drive, a nice relaxing shower is the perfect way to kick off this first day in Rincón. The shower could easily fit four people and has jets all over the place. After being in there for ten minutes, it’s difficult to get out. With much reluctance I abandon the shower and wrap myself in a fluffy white towel. There’s music floating in the air. I slip into a flowery pink sundress with my swimsuit underneath, and after brushing my hair and styling it into a French braid, I walk down the stairs barefoot and completely content.

As I walk into the kitchen I see Stryder wearing nothing but his board shorts which hang sexily over his hips. When he hears me approaching, he smiles that panty-melting smile of his, and lays the cooking spoon against the pan on the stove.

“Look at you! This place agrees with you.” He beams, his hazel eyes looking greener and brighter than ever. “Just in time.”

“I’d say the weather and climate is doing you favors too, Stud,” I reply, and wrap my arms around his bare back, hugging him tightly. I love to feel the warmth of his body pressed against mine, and having him with me like this is one of my favorite things in the world.

Stryder chuckles, and looks into my eyes with an intensity that has me blushing. “Are you hungry?”

I smile. “For you? Always.” He groans and shakes his head, then kisses me.

“You don’t play fair.”

“I never claimed I did, Stud. You
should
know me by now.”

He laughs a belly laugh, and hugs me again. “I love you, Raven Girl.”

“And I you, Stryder.”

We sit down and enjoy another delicious Italian meal of sausage and peppers, and move to the terrace where the sun has begun to set. With a glass of crisp Pinot Grigio we make a toast, and sit on the sun bed watching the sunset. Bright splashes of orange, reds, purples, and yellows decorate the sky, and with the sound of the waves crashing below, the never-ending songs of the seagulls flying above, and the salty ocean breeze blowing around us, I’d say this moment has become one of my top ten favorite moments with the man I love.

“Are you happy, Catalina?” Stryder asks, and turns to face me.

“I think you should rephrase that question to ‘Is it possible to be this happy?’ because right now I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. Thank you.”

Stryder takes a sip of his wine, and rests his glass on the small table in front of us. He extends his powerful hand and guides me to sit on his lap, rubbing circles on my back beneath my shoulder blades.

“No need to thank me, Catalina. It is me who should thank you. You’ve given me a second chance in life, love, and everything in between. I was a bitter, shallow man when I met you, and you’ve brought so much color into my life. You’ve breathed hope into my heart, and you make me dream of a future with you.”

I take a long sip of my wine, and turn sideways on his lap. “Meeting you and Jackson was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you more than life itself, and I have no regrets about how we met and ended up together. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a single damn thing.”