Mark of a Good Man (3 page)

Amber glanced back at the men who were watching them with a mixture of humor and curiosity on their faces. “Okay, he is a hunk and I if I get the chance, I would ride him into the sand. But he’s a pilot, and I’m not that stupid to get involved with him.”

“Oh, Amber, I wish you would get over your stupid pilot allergy. It’s getting worn. Besides, you’re not getting involved. He’s only here for the night. Tomorrow you’ll both go back to whatever it is you were doing before your paths crossed. Go with the flow.”

“Trust me. He isn’t.” Josie held Amber’s gaze. “You’re giving Josh too much power over you, Amb. Don’t let his infidelity dictate your future happiness. Let go of your hang-up and start enjoying life. It is too damn short. Look at Mark,” she added, nudging her chin in the men’s direction. “He’s one of the most handsome, most eligible catches in the Caribbean right now, and from the way he’s been looking at you, I’d say he’s really interested. What’s the worst that could happen? You have a good time tonight, whatever that is.”

Amber followed Josie’s gaze. Yes, Mark was a sight to behold, and that’s what scared her. Her problem had always been that she fell in love too easily—she wore her heart on her sleeves. She didn’t want to make the same mistakes she’d made in the past, or send any man the wrong messages. She was a mother now and had to protect her girls from unnecessary changes and upheavals in their lives. She didn’t want a long line of men going in and out of their lives while she tried to find the right one. She didn’t want them confused, as she’d been at her mother’s attempt to find her true love after her father walked out on them. “I didn’t come to Dulcina to find a man, Josie.”

“I understand that, but you’ll be drawing more attention to yourself if you don’t join us. Mark might decide to sit it out with you; he’s that kind of man. Men love challenges, and if you play hard-to-get, they’ll chase you. Act like he doesn’t affect you, and the pressure is off.”

“I think it’s a little late for that,” Amber responded on a shaky chuckle.

“Do whatever you want,” Josie said with a frustrated twist of her lips. “Sit it out, or play. I’m going swimming.” She marched back toward the men.

Amber wanted to throw a handful of sand at her, but knew it would look childish. She was annoyed at her for pointing out the truth. It had been almost two years since she’d been with a man, and it took this sexy Bajan to remind her of that hard fact. And once again, Miss Josie was right. If she sat it out, Mark might decide to join her. The last thing she wanted was to be alone with him, especially in his near-naked state.

She trudged back over to the trio. “Seems like Josie has me covered. I’ll go change,” she said, and straightway headed for the house.

* * *

When Amber came back outside, Mark, Colby, and Josie were frolicking in the water like little children, high on life. She wrapped her arms around her bare midriff and stood at the water’s edge watching them play water Frisbee. Again, she thought of a life filled with sunshine, sunsets, jelly water, and
this
. Would be lovely to bring the girls down to the beach after school, year round. But like most New York kids, Paige and Payton spent their afternoons with a babysitter, cooped up in her apartment in front of the TV during the long winter months. During the summer, she took them to the city parks as often as she could. But it was never enough. Like any single mother, she longed to spend more quality time with her kids, but work kept her away.

“Amber!”

Amber’s skin tingled at the sound of Mark’s voice, and the sight of his hard body slicing the water as he swam toward her.

When he reached the shoreline, he pushed himself upward like a sculptured sea god, and held his hand out to her. His white teeth glittered in the twilight as he smiled, and his eyes glazed with appreciation as they roved over her slender body, clad in a red scanty bikini.

Amber was happy she’d kept her body in tip-top shape.

“Come on in. I’ve saved a spot for you,” he said.

Not even jaded Amber could refuse such an invitation. She ran toward him, placed her small hand in his large one and let him lead her into an incoming wave. When she was neck deep, all her inhibitions seemed to dissolve and she followed Mark into the depth of the ocean where Colby and Josie waited for them. They immediately resumed their water Frisbee game, and then switched to water tags. First it was boys against girls, then it was couple against couple. They caught and released for quite a while and every time Mark touched her, Amber’s heart turned over in response.

Finally, the evening light faded and dusk crept across the sky. Dripping wet and giddy from excitement, they crawled out of the water and strolled along the beach in the direction of Colby’s house.

“So Amber, Colby told me you’re divorced,” Mark said as they trailed behind the lovebirds.

Amber brushed strands of wet hair from her face. The play was over, and she felt like serious business was about to ensue. It was like having dinner then expecting dessert to crystalize the meal. “Yes, a little over a year now.”

Amber chuckled. “All the time, and it’s scary when I actually can’t tell them apart. Sometimes I threaten them with starvation if they don’t tell me who is who? And sometimes they refuse to tell me if I don’t give in to their demands. They’re darling little imps.”

Mark laughed out loud. “Sounds like you have a great relationship with them.”

“I do. What about you? Do you have kids?”

“Not yet. I love kids, but have to find a wife first.” His eyes grew dark and serious as he gazed into hers. “I haven’t met a woman I want to marry...”

His voice trailed off. His mouth was saying one thing, but Amber could read the questions in his hypnotic eyes. He wanted to know if she was interested. “Well, you’re a very handsome man and I’m sure there are dozens of Bajan women who would love to be your wife and bear your children.”

“There are, but the feelings have to be mutual.”

“I agree. Mutual affection is critical for any relationship to work. You gotta be riding the same wave together.” Amber honestly couldn’t tell if she were referring to her past experience with Josh, or a future one with…

“I’ve wanted to tell you how incredible you look in that bikini. Very sexy,” Mark’s voice cut into her thoughts.

His smile was disarming, just as disarming as his left-fielded compliment. And as her gaze grazed over him in the fading light of dusk, Amber couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to feel Mark’s rock-hard body sprawled out on top of hers. The thought sent a surge of desire rippling through her. She stumbled over a vine hidden in the loose sand. Her hands instinctively sought support. They landed on Mark’s smooth wet chest. His muscles flexed with power beneath her open palms.

A hot ache grew in Amber’s throat. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d felt this giddy, like a teenage girl out on her first date with her first crush. Pulling back her hands, she gazed down to where Mark’s were wrapped around her arms. His fingers were long, the tips wide and smooth. Amber felt the walls of her womanhood tighten as she imagined him stroking her with those long fingers.

“Are you alright?” he asked with genuine concern in his voice and eyes. “Perhaps we had a little too much fun in the water, huh? It can make one lightheaded.”

Vulnerable
.
Heart on her sleeve.
“I’m fine.” She whipped away from him and hurried to catch up with Colby and Josie. She knew Mark was having a great view of her tight derriere, but it was safer than walking next to him. She needed space to conquer her involuntary reaction to that gentle look of his—the look that could make a woman strip down to her birthday suit, no questions asked. She didn’t have that much on to begin with.

“And we still can,” Colby promised. “Mark and I will go pick up the food while you ladies change. I have an early flight tomorrow morning.” He placed his arm around Josie’s waist and tucked her closely to his side. “I just want to spend a quiet evening at home with my lady and my friends. Is that alright with you?”

“If Amber really wants to go to Euolie, I can accompany her,” Mark offered, falling in beside Colby. “It’ll give us some time to talk, get to know each other.”

“What an excellent idea,” Josie stated. “You two should definitely go out.”

“An evening at home is fine with me.” Amber stared Josie down. She knew she wanted to be alone with Colby, but after the stunt she pulled today, there was no way she was letting her off that easy. Payback was a bitch. And she was it. She smiled in triumph as she ran up the steps to the veranda.

Besides, she thought, as she walked down the hall toward the guest room, she didn’t want to get to know Mark, because if she did, her feelings for him may transcend beyond the physical, and she didn’t want to go there.

“Seriously though,” Josie said, coming to stand beside Amber as she rummaged through her cosmetic bag for her shampoo and conditioner, “what do you think about Mark?”

Amber shrugged. “He’s okay.”

“Just okay? Have you noticed his rock hard body, and that smile that makes a woman think of only one thing. And you know what I mean.” She nudged Amber.

“I thought you were practically engaged.” Amber walked over to the shower stall and turned on the faucet.

“I am. I just want to make sure your eyes are opened,” Josie said, as she left, closing the door behind her.

Amber stepped into the shower stall and raised her face to the warm sprays. Her eyes were opened. They were wide open. Her heart, though? The thing needed a deadbolt.

* * *

“It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?”

Amber looked across the table at Mark and wrapped her fingers around her glass. They had eaten their scrumptious dinner of lobster and conks on the veranda and were now sipping on Killer Bee the men had picked up from Moonshine.

Colby and Josie had abandoned them about an hour ago, and the only sound coming from inside was Bob Marley’s voice belting out
Baby Don’t Worry About A Thing
. Amber was sure they’d turned up the music to muffle any sound that may escape from their bedroom.

“Yes.” She smiled back at Mark. They’d been making small talk with each other since Colby and Josie left. “Everything about this island is beautiful.” She felt more at ease around him now, perhaps because he was fully clothed in Khakis and a light yellow shirt, instead of his revealing swimwear.

“It’s rather hypnotic,” he replied, taking a sip from his glass. “I love Barbados because it’s my mother’s native land, but if I had to choose a place to settle down, it would be Dulcina. I love the serenity and remoteness of the island. Not too many people know of its existence. It’s not yet spoiled by the influx of tourism and other types of commercialism. It’s holding its own, and quite authentically so.”

His statements generated spurts of anxiety in Amber. She stirred uneasily in her seat, but knew she dared not respond to his comments that paralleled hers so closely. She’d learned a great deal about him during dinner. He was the youngest of four children—all boys. His American father had met and married his Bajan mother while on the island on business. They’d decided to raise their four sons on Barbados. Mark didn’t say it, but it seemed his family was wealthy since he and his siblings all attended private high schools in the States. He was a graduate of Princeton and had attended flight school in Texas. He liked the States, but said he felt most at home in the Caribbean. And now he was sharing his love for Dulcina and his desire to settle down here with her.

She didn’t want to hear about it. She didn’t want to have anything in common with him. She hadn’t even asked him which airline he worked for, or where he was living at the moment. She didn’t want to know.

“Would you like to go for a walk, Amber?”

Amber’s gaze wandered off over the top of the palm trees. The sky was a canopy of sparkling diamonds inviting her to revel in its magic one last time. “I guess. A walk would be nice. I have to enjoy as much of this enchantment as I can. There are no moonlit beaches in New York City.”

“That’s why I love the islands. You can be on a beach in minutes.” He left his seat and came around to her side of the table to help her from her chair.

“Or live on one,” she concurred, taking his hand.

He turned her around, pulled her against his chest, and wrapped his arms about her slender body. He gazed deeply into her eyes. “Would you mind if I kissed you, Amber Nolan?”

Amber’s tongue darted from inside her mouth and trailed quite lethargically across her lips. It was a reflex motion in response to the sudden draining of fluids from her throat, upward. Her lower body, on the other hand, pulsed with life and excitement from the heavy flood of fluids heading south to settle, quite disturbingly, between the apex of her trembling thighs.