Prosecco & Paparazzi (The Passport Series Book 1) (33 page)

With trepidation, I agreed to try. Liam jumped into the water, I scooted forward, and he climbed back on. He patiently explained what to do, and I gave it a tentative go. Michael and Hillary watched and laughed when Liam and I puttered along quite slowly at first.

I quickly accelerated and turned the jet ski in time to spray a wide arch of water on them, leaving both Hillary and Michael gasping.

“Why, you little daredevil! You didn’t tell me you already knew what to do,” Liam shouted in my ear over the roar of the engine.

I shouted back, “Well, that will teach you to be presumptuous!”

Michael and Hillary soon caught up, and we chased each other around for quite some time. I felt Liam motion to Michael, and then told me to follow him. Soon, we were floating in the shallow waters of a quiet bay.

Before I could ask any questions, he said, “One of the crew told me.” From a storage compartment in the back, he took out a waterproof bag and handed it to me. I carried it to shore while he drove the jet ski onto the beach. Michael and Hillary repeated our performance once I was safely on shore.

In no time at all, we were having a lovely little picnic.

With a full stomach, the sun helped induce drowsiness. Dozing with my head on Liam’s chest, I felt completely spent. “Liam?” I whispered, not knowing if he was awake.

“Yes?” he whispered back, stroking my hair back from my face.

“I wish we could stay here forever.” I rolled over to look into his beautiful eyes.

He smiled at me. “Coward!”

I sat upright. “That wasn’t what I was expecting.”

“Don’t forget half the reason we’re here.”

Bannerman
! “Well, you certainly know how to kill a perfect afternoon,” I grumped.

“Not kill so much as sour.” Michael and Hillary, returning from a walk on the beach, arrived back in time to hear the last part of the conversation and wanted to know what was sour. It turned out that neither Liam nor Hillary had told Michael about my situation with Des Bannerman. The range of emotions that crossed his face was like watching my life over the last year accelerated into fifteen seconds. “Wow,” he said, once caught up.

After agreeing that the current situation was strange at best, I was peppered with questions about my next move. Fortunately, Michael’s support helped temper Hillary’s “etiquette at all cost.”

“Really, you think I should?” I asked them again about the strategy we devised, as I perched on the back of the jet ski and we headed back to the boat. There were three resounding yeses.

Upon returning to the boat, we were greeted by a fairly worn-out group. They had spent the afternoon playing in the water where the boat had been anchored. An enormous water trampoline was tethered to the anchor line. We joined them for a drink and an hour of lounging in the sun before Tiziana called out in alarm, “What time is it?” After a handful of people replied, “6:32,” she announced, “Dinner will be at a little restaurant on the beach tonight at 8:00. Hurry!” And with that she disappeared.

Shortly thereafter, we all drifted to our cabins to do the necessary ablutions. As always, it seemed, the moment we were alone, we were ready for each other.

Ten minutes after arriving in our room, Liam threw himself off me, both of us sated. I quickly threw myself on the length of him, wanting to feel him beneath me.

“Pleased as I am with your belief in my virility, I fear the development of a callus.” He flinched as he responded to my enthusiasm.

“And you were worried about Alessandro and Paolo!” I lowered my head to his worn-out appendage.

“No! No!” Liam grabbed my head gently. There was laughter in his voice. Feeling me slide upwards, he sighed in relief, causing both of us to laugh. Instead, we took a shower.

We made it in time to watch the sunset. Most of the others were already there, with their beverage of choice in hand.

“What would you like, madam?” inquired a crew member.

“A glass of prosecco, please,” I answered.

“A beer for me,” Liam requested.

“Where the hell have you been? We thought you were going to miss dinner,” Michael said as he made his way toward us from across the deck.

All eyes focused on us. “Being the gentleman that I am, I won’t answer that!” Liam responded loudly, the glint in his eye tattle-telling. When Michael had reached his side, Liam added much more quietly, “What do you do when your willy gets worn out?”

A roar of laughter burst out of Michael, causing everyone on deck to look our way again. Wiping his smile away, he boasted equally as quietly, “While that has never happened to me, I believe that’s why the good Lord has given you other body parts!”

Thankfully, the only other ears nearby were Hillary’s, and she matched my deepening shade of pink. “We’ll have to develop thicker skin if we plan to spend time with these two,” I offered, hoping to soothe her.

“Oh, don’t be taken in! She might be all prim and proper on the outside. Behind closed doors, well, that’s another matter altogether,” Michael said quietly in my ear.

My eyebrows shot straight up, disappearing into my hairline.

“I see what you mean,” Hillary said to me even more quietly, but there was a twinkle in her eye when she looked at him.

Liam slapped Michael on the back good-naturedly. “All right then, best manners. These fine people aren’t ready for the likes of us, and we don’t want to find ourselves put ashore on some nameless island.”

Michael turned the conversation in the direction of my having recently met his parents. Following Hillary’s gasp, he announced, “They loved you! Thought you were perfect for Liam.” I was in the middle of saying, “I’m glad,” when he interrupted me and said, “They were a bit worried about what kind of woman you are when you let Liam put his hand up your dress in the garden!”

Horror overcame me. “They saw that? I can never face them again. Liam!” I whacked his arm.

Both Molloys laughed at my pain. Liam offered me a comforting hug, saying, “Don’t worry, they were young once. How on earth do you think they ended up with all of us?”

Not certain that I could handle more Molloy banter, I finished my drink. “I’m going to find more civilized conversation and another drink.”

Hillary joined me, drilling me about meeting Liam’s parents as we walked the short distance to the bar. My gaze found Des Bannerman, who was talking to Tiziana’s brothers and Kathleen. I wondered if it would ever seem normal to have him among my circle of friends. My thoughts changed to dinner when Tiziana announced it was time to go on shore.

I WOKE WITH
a pounding headache. Liam’s getting out of bed brought me unwillingly to consciousness. Through bleary eyes, I watched him make his way to the bathroom. It was intolerable to think about the night before. The only word that came to mind was hedonistic. I closed my eyes, letting sleep overtake me again.

When he returned, he sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. In a strangled whisper, I asked, “How are you?” A grunt was his answer. All I could think was,
At least he can grunt
. The words “aspirin” and “water” made their way into my dulled consciousness. He must have felt my nod, because he slowly shuffled to the bathroom and returned with both. I managed to take them without nausea overtaking me. We collapsed back into bed, and sleep rapturously overtook us once again.

Hours later, I awoke to find my head was improving, and I could move without fear of vomiting. Liam was still asleep, so I decided to take a shower and see if it would return me to some semblance of normal.

Afterwards, I donned a bathing suit and quietly made my way up to the sun deck to sleep some more of last night off under the sun. I found myself joining Hillary, Gemma, Colin, and Des. They all looked at me vaguely, and no one spoke. I took that as my cue to join the group, just not to speak, which was fine by me. The less charitable side of me hoped Des Bannerman was suffering more than the rest of us.

By early afternoon, everyone had made it to the deck and was returning to normal levels of vivacity. Fruit juice and water were still the beverages of the day. Nothing more than fruit and breadsticks passed anyone’s lips.

I knew what was on everyone’s mind, but they were all too afraid to ask. Bravely, I ventured forth. “Tiziana, what are the plans for tonight?” I was proven correct when groans came from all corners of the sun deck.

Very quietly for her, she said, “I have the most perfect plan for this evening! A light dinner, perhaps we could play cards or dance a little under the stars!” Collective sighs of relief followed. “However, tomorrow you all need to be back to normal. We have a day at the beach planned!” I heard a few acknowledging grunts.

The evening meal was buffet style, featuring delicately prepared seafood. Quiet music played, and a few couples stole dances in the shadows.

It was while Liam and I quietly rocked in circles under the evening stars that we heard the group reliving the previous night. “Couldn’t we just forget last night? I’m only just beginning to feel the will to live,” I murmured. Liam said nothing and continued to soothe me by rocking to the tempo of the music.

When the song finished, he ushered me toward the doors that led to the cabins below. I saw a few newly-formed couples swaying in the moonlight as we passed. Taunts of being party poopers were called out. Liam gave a few ripe remarks and waved a hand.

I was ready for bed and sitting in a lilac silk wrapper brushing my hair out when he asked, “Do you feel like watching television?” I nodded, pleased to do something mindless and low-key.

Seeing me glance at his nether regions, he laughed. “I’m afraid my willy is out of action. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but there you have it.”

I took pity, reciting all the remedies people had offered me earlier for the sunburn on my shoulders. “How about aloe, a tea bath, cucumber slices, or ice?”

He laughed as he searched for the remote control. “If you don’t mind, I wanted to catch the news to see who won today’s football games. My brothers and I have standing bets, and I want to see how much I’ve won or lost.” I picked up a book and started to read while he switched channels.

At some point, he stumbled on
A Man About Town
, a British period piece. “Sorry, but this is too good to pass up.” He quickly bounced off the bed and into the hall.

“Des!” he shouted. Moments passed, and a few cabin doors opened.

“Yes?” Des asked in a confused voice as he stepped into the hall, wearing a pair of cotton shorts and a shirt.

“You can see what you looked like when you visited a gym on channel 431,” Liam taunted.

Chuckling broke out as Marian called, “I’d like to see his six- or two-pack in my room!” A loud but frightened “ha-ha” from Des echoed down the hall before all doors were shut.

***

Tiziana was true to her word. The next day, two small boats were packed up with everything one might possibly need for a day at the beach: umbrellas, towels, coolers full of food and drinks, tables, chairs, colorful tablecloths, and vases of flowers. Even a tent was stowed on board to create a makeshift kitchen.

“Wow!” Michael said when we landed at the beach. We were a bit dazzled by the idyllic scene.

“It’s perfect!” Tiziana clapped her hands in glee. She had carefully planned it all and was very pleased with how it turned out. She grabbed Ted’s face between her hands and kissed him soundly.

We couldn’t have been a more startling contrast from the day before, everyone laughing and running about.

“Has it always been like this with Tiziana?” Ted asked, as he threw himself next to me under a bright blue umbrella.

“Oh, yes! It takes years to build up the stamina, and even now I falter from time to time. But don’t worry, you have the inside track. You might need to get a personal trainer, though!”

Liam joined us and asked if we wanted to take a dip in the ocean. In happy agreement, we rushed out into the bubbling surf with wild abandon. It felt glorious to have the cool water wash up around me. I dove under an incoming wave and treaded water behind the break, watching the group on the beach play volleyball. Liam and Ted joined me, asking if I liked the game. “God, no! I hate volleyball!” I spouted a mouthful of saltwater out like a fountain.

“How can you hate volleyball?” Liam asked me.

“When you’re barely five feet tall and the ball comes barreling down at you at a million miles an hour, it’s pretty easy to hate it.”

“Put that way, I see your disadvantage.” Liam laughed and gave me a salty kiss.

“Yuck, I’m leaving you lovebirds alone.” My suspicion was that he wanted to go claim a kiss from Tiziana. She was dangerously close to spilling out of her skimpy pumpkin-orange-and-gold bikini while serving the volleyball. Watching him embrace her, I couldn’t help but wonder how their future would unfold. Was this a glimpse into their daily life?

Before I could ponder further, Liam kissed me before suggesting we bodysurf to shore. I was much less elegant than Liam and ended up with about five pounds of sand deposited in my bathing suit bottom. Seeing me, he laughed. “You look like you’re wearing a nappy.”

“Well, get your laughs now, cause someday it might be your job to change my diapers.”

He shot me a horrified look before setting off to play volleyball. Once again, I perched under the umbrella on a blanket.

“So, will there be another wedding in the not-too-distant future?” Hillary asked, apparently having overheard us while seeking refuge from the sun.

I just smiled and slurped on an orange-and-pineapple-juice concoction. She tried a few more tactics to wrangle information out of me, but as nothing was forthcoming, she resigned herself to talking about nothing in particular. We watched the others flex their physical and verbal muscles.

“For such a successful and educated group, there sure is a lot of trash talk going on,” I observed.

“
Hmm
,” was Hillary’s only reply.

“Almost time for lunch. Anyone need a quick dip?” Tiziana called out after receiving a signal from the chef. Everyone playing volleyball joined her, splashing into the water.