Page 44 of Jilted
They’d spent all morning in a class that taught them everything they needed to know. It still didn’t calm Amy’s nerves any. There were quite a few people on the boat who’d never dived before, so she was in good company. It’s not like she was a novice among a group of experienced divers. And she had been sure to ask a ton of questions about the safety procedures for ensuring everyone was on the boat before going back to the island.
Everything would be fine.
Besides, Brett promised to stay by her side the entire time, and she trusted him completely. One by one, people stood, put on their masks and mouthpieces, and then jumped into the ocean.
When it came to their turn, Amy sat, paralyzed with fear. “I don’t think I can do this,” she said.
Brett crouched in front of her and put his hands on her knees. “Look at me, baby.” Slowly, she lifted her gaze to meet his. He smiled. “You can do this. I know you can.”
“Uh-uh.” She shook her head adamantly.
“I will be by your side the entire time.” He kissed her softly on the cheek and whispered, “Trust me.”
“I do,” she said.
“Then you know I’d never let anything happen to you, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And if a shark does attack, I’ll offer myself up for bait, okay?”
Amy laughed. “If you do that, you’ll be breaking your promise to stay by my side.”
It was his turn to laugh. “Okay, then I guess we’re both getting eaten.” He winked.
She stood and nodded. “All right, let’s go get eaten by a shark.”
“That’s my girl.”
The smile that formed on her face couldn’t be contained. That’s right. She was his girl! And dammit, she wouldn’t let him down.
Twenty minutes later, they were a hundred feet deep in the ocean surrounded by the most colorful, vibrant sea life she’d ever seen. During their instructional class, they were shown images of the various types of fish and coral they would encounter. So far, Amy had seen six different species of fish, each one more awe inspiring than the previous.
Brett grabbed her shoulder and pointed at something off to her left – a Spotted Eagle ray. Wow! It was beautiful and graceful. It floated by them as if they weren’t even there. Brett gave her a thumbs up, and then motioned for her to follow him.
She did, and they encountered a breathtaking coral landscape. A school of grayish colored fish swam within reaching distance from them. Amy was so glad that Brett talked her into doing this. She was even happier that they hadn’t encountered a single shark or jellyfish.
He took her hand, and they made their way up to the surface. Once on the boat and out of their gear, Brett pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “My God, that was amazing wasn’t it?”
Amy laughed at this excitement. “Yes, it was pretty friggin’ amazing,” she agreed.
They took their seats and waited as everyone else climbed aboard. A final head count was done, and then the boat headed back toward the island.
Brett took Amy’s hand and gave her knuckles a kiss. “It’s our last night here. What do you want to do?” he asked.
She’d be happy spending it in bed with him. “I don’t care. Whatever you want.”
“We’ll go out,” he said.
Now that the power was restored, normal activities on the island had resumed and as much fun as it was spending the past couple of days in bed, she was excited to be able to get out and do stuff again.
Brett stood by the bar with Jason, sipping a beer while Amy and Emma danced to the island band’s unique music. Brett hadn’t taken his eyes off Amy all night. She looked downright gorgeous in that flowery, blue sundress. She’d left her hair down and pulled back one side by tucking a large, white flower into it.
“You’re a lucky man, Brett.” Jason patted him on the back. “She’s a beautiful woman.”
“I know,” he said, keeping his gaze focused on Amy.
The way she moved her body to the music entranced him. Her movements were graceful, elegant, seductive. He wondered if she realized just how sexy she was, or how many men she had watching her. It didn’t bother Brett too much that other men were staring at Amy because he knew that she was all his, that it would be his bed and his arms that she would be in tonight – And every other night for the rest of their lives, too, if he had his way.
