Return to Cancún (5 page)

Nik propped up on his elbow. “It’s what Freud
finally concluded. Sigmund Freud. After all his years of analysis,
studying people. He was trying to come up with what give a person’s
life its… its value. That’s what he come up with. Work and
love.”

His eyes drifted down her body. He traced his
fingers from her lips to her thighs, then up her belly and over her
breasts. “I think that’s what make people happy. To have work you
do that you believe in, something that contributes something to the
world. And to do it with someone you…” He paused.

That look came over him. She hadn’t seen it
in awhile. The light from the boat reflected in his eyes, mirroring
the ocean water that seemed to be a part of him. She reached up and
ran her hand over the stubble of his rough, unshaven face. The look
was there. The look of internal struggle. Of needing to say
something.

She pulled him down, kissing him, trying to
relieve him of his struggle. She knew he was exhausted, but still
he responded to her kiss as if it was the very first time their
mouths had met. She slid her hand through his hair as she kissed
him deeper, feeling his rough stubble against her mouth. She could
feel his pulse beginning to quicken, his chest rising as his
breathing increased.

“Shhhhh,” she whispered in his ear, pushing
him down on his back. “My tired boy. You need to sleep.”

She slid her hand over his chest and down
over the ripples of his belly. She continued down with her hand
until she cupped his balls, soft and supple in her hand. She loved
the delicate, silky texture as she massaging him. She moved her
hand to his dick, tenderly holding it. She could feel it growing in
her hand. She was always amazed at how fast he reacted to her
touch. She squeezed him as he grew firmer, expanding in her hand
until he was as solid as a flexed muscle.

She could tell his body needed sleep, no
matter how much he was responding to her. She knew she needed to
sleep too. Ever since coming here she felt like she didn’t want to
miss anything by wasting time sleeping. She used to think of sleep
as a wonderful escape, but now she didn’t want to escape, she
wanted to experience everything and more.

Still holding him, she moved on top of him,
straddling him. The feeling of him first entering her was always
intoxicating. She closed her eyes, absorbing the sensation of him
filling her as she slid down on him, taking him all the way in.

There was a light breeze, bringing with it
all the lush, fragrant smells of the island. Some of island birds
squawked in the distance, probably near their nesting place in the
center of the island. Terra breathed it all in, tilting her head
back. Her feet slid off blankets. She dug them in, the damp sand
sliding coolly between her toes. The feeling of him inside her had
created a kind of imprint on her body, as if it was now the natural
state her body craved and always wanted to return to.

Eyes still closed, she moved up and slid back
down on him, feeling her body quickly go to that place of intense,
sustained pleasure. She learned forward and very slowly lifted up,
then down again, focused intently on the deep pleasure of the
moment, like nothing else in the world existed. Leaning down
further, she kissed his chin, feeling his warm breath push over her
face.

“Shhhh,” she said, as she pushed firmly down
on him. She settled on his chest, resting her head in the crook of
his neck. “Sleep, baby,” she whispered into his neck. “Just sleep.”
He was still hard inside her, but she felt his body give way. He
breathed out a long, deep breath, giving over to sleep. She closed
her eyes as the night breeze brushed against her bare back with a
hush. Still filled with him, she breathed him in, feeling a
contentment she’d never known, and drifted off to sleep.

She woke twice. The first time was about an
hour after they fell asleep. He was asleep, but still inside her,
and still fully erect. She stayed still, coming out of her sleep
slowly, still dreaming. She was momentarily disoriented. A breeze
brushed her back as she heard the sound of the waves.

It took her a moment to realize he was inside
her. She didn’t know such a thing was possible. A warm flush rolled
through her body. She slowly sat up, looking down at him. He was
sound asleep. She gently moved forward and back. He stirred, his
head rolling to the side, moaning, but remained asleep. There was
only the light from the moon and the soft glow coming from the boat
lights. Looking at his face, Terra was so consumed with love for
him she began to weep, her tears falling on his chest. She lay back
down on him, nestling in his neck, and cried silently into the
tangle of his hair.

The second time she woke, it was early
morning. They were in the same position, with her straddling him.
Sitting up, she was amazed to realize he was still fully hard, deep
inside her. The tide had come in. The waves were rolling up just a
few yards away. The island had a fresh morning smell, tangy and
vibrant. A light fog hung over the tree tops.

Terra moved gently on him, feeling him in the
center of her being. Looking down at him, his face was serene. As
she had so many times before, she marveled at his beauty. His
chiseled features were like that of a Roman god, or the work of a
Renaissance sculpture. The muscles of his long, lean torso were
sharply defined, the result of swimming, diving, and hard physical
work. His dark, sun-streaked hair lie spread on the blanket.

She watched his chest rise and fall. The
medallion he usually wore had slipped to the side of his neck. She
reached down and held it in her hand, brushing sand off the face of
it with her fingertips. The feel of it brought back all the
memories of when they first met, and her time back in
Michigan—those late nights when she’d lie in bed, holding the
medallion to her chest, desperately wanting to feel his touch.

She sat still for a moment, taking it all in.
She knew the island well enough to know the birds and animals
usually make noise in the early morning, as if claiming the day.
But all was quiet, except for some light chatter from some howler
monkeys in the distance. Dropping her head back and breathing in
the fresh morning air, she had the overwhelming sense that she and
Nik were part of the natural world that surrounded them, like they
were part of the elements. She felt an overwhelming sense of
connection to both him and everything around them. She sat upright
and looked down at him again.

As she placed the medallion back on his
chest, his head rolled to the side in his first sign of waking. A
wave broke on the shore and the spray from it whooshed over Terra’s
naked body. She shivered, pleasure shimmering through her as if
she’d been sprinkled with magic pixie dust. She was amazed at the
constant readiness of her own body. Though her hips were stiff from
sleeping on him, she was slippery wet. She moved on him, pushing
down and squeezing her pelvic muscles, clamping him in. The monkeys
chatter got a little louder, followed by some low birdcalls.

As she looked down at his face, she could
both feel and see the progression of pleasure that had taken hold
of him. She moved on him, slowly lifting and falling. He seemed to
be in a state between sleep and waking, his eyes still closed but
his back arching with her movements.

She could tell from the tension in his body
he was close to cuming. She loved the feeling of being able to
bring him such pleasure, knowing exactly how to push him over the
edge, and just when to do it. She hesitated, extending the moment,
then pushed down and held, moving slightly forward and back. He
tensed. His body shivered. He opened his eyes and looked up at her,
coming out of his half sleep. He was greeted with her luminous face
looked down at him, glowing as it was lit from within, her hair
falling forward over him.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too.”

As she looked into his eyes, she saw all the
tension leave his face—it just slipped away at the sound of her
words. She felt his first burst inside her. She held tight,
clamping onto him. Looking into her eyes, he released in long,
shuttering spasms. She could feel the eruptions deep in her center.
Her own climax began to roll through her in shimmering, glistening
waves of bliss.

The birds and animals increased their chorus
of voices, expressing their gratitude for a brand new day.

~ ~ ~

It rained for the next three days. All the
work came to a halt. Nik rolled the doors shut and closed all the
windows in the house, as if they were going into hibernation. “Even
the road in will be closed from rain. Best to just wait out,” he
said.

Terra was so used to sleeping on the boat or
on the island, she forgot how good a real bed felt. She also didn’t
realize how tired she was. The last six weeks had been non-stop.
Not just physically, but emotionally.

The first night, they slept ten hours without
even stirring, and the next day took a long nap in the middle of
the afternoon, followed by a luxurious bath together. The rain was
torrential, coming down in sheets, ensconcing the house in a
comforting vibration of sound.

Late in the afternoon, when Nik settled in
with a book, Terra took the opportunity to call Vicky. She’d been
pretty good about calling a couple times a week, but they usually
only talked briefly, if at all, always catching each other coming
or going. This time her timing was perfect.

“Damn, girl. What are you going to do?” Vicky
asked, after Terra updated her.

“I don’t know.”

“Have you talked about it? I mean, you’re not
exactly neighbors.”

“I know.”

“But you love each other?”

“Yes.”

Terra heard Vicky let out a long exhale.
“Well, not to state the obvious, but how exactly is that going to
work? You’re supposed to be back here starting your fall classes in
less than two weeks.”

“I know.”

For the next two days, they slept, had sex,
ate, and read. They took full advantage of having the house to
themselves, making love whenever and wherever they pleased—in the
bathtub, the kitchen, even on the dining room table. Terra took on
a domestic role she never knew she possessed. She’d never been much
for cooking, but she’d learned a few things since being here, and
found she loved cooking meals for Nik. She was as surprised as
anyone to find this domestic streak in herself, taking secret
pleasure in bringing him cups of tea while he read.

The entire time, Terra was trying to figure
out what their future together might be. She knew Nik was thinking
the same thing. He was writing in his journal a lot, which Terra
knew meant he was either planning something or trying to figure
something out. She wanted to talk to him about it, but before she
approached him, she wanted to have some ideas herself, and not just
expect him to take care of it all.

On the third day, it was still raining hard.
It was early afternoon. Nik was sitting on the couch, writing in
his journal. Terra brought him a cup of tea. She was restless and
decided to go for a walk, despite the rain.

“Now? In the rain?” he asked as she handed
him his tea.

“Yeah.”

“Do you want company?”

“No, you drink your tea. I won’t be gone
long.”

Terra put on shorts and a tank top. Though it
was raining, it was still warm outside. She stepped onto the deck
and was instantly soaked. It felt wonderful. Walking along the
shoreline, the wet sand felt good on her bare feet. Spidey called
out to her from his perch at the top of his tree, as if to let her
know he hadn’t washed away.

Terra stopped and looked out at the water,
watching the rain pound the ocean. She realized she hadn’t spent
any time alone in long time. At home, being alone was normal. It
was what she was used to. But not here.

She strolled over to the buildings they had
been working on, feeling pride in knowing her hard work had played
a small part in their creation. Most of the work was done. She was
amazed at how much she’d learned since she’d been here.

She walked over to one of the buildings. It
was the one she asked Nik about when she first arrived—the one he
said he didn’t know what they were going to do with. The door
hadn’t been put on yet, so she walked inside. She stood in the
middle of the large room, dripping on the bare concrete floor. The
sound of the rain pounding the roof made it feel like she was in
the center of a drum circle.

She sat on the floor. A slight sadness took
hold of her, for the first time since she’d been here. It felt
foreign, like sadness just wasn’t normal in this magical place. But
she felt it. And she knew why.

This was Nik’s dream. Though she’d helped
recently, and felt she fit in here, it was still his dream. She was
just borrowing it. Her dream was to be a pediatrician. They’d had
many conversations about dreams and ambitions, and how important it
was to work hard to make them come true. He’d done that. But how
could her dreams fit with his? What would that mean for their
future together? Did they have one?

She looked around the empty space, imagining
what it could be used for.

A medical
clinic
, she thought.
For kids. A free medical clinic.
She
stood up and turned in a circle, thinking. There was a need for it,
she knew. She’d gone on trips with Carmine to the outskirts of town
to get building supplies, and seen the poverty many of the children
lived in. But how could you fund something like that?

Soon, her mind was racing as
she paced around, imagining it. Was it possible?
Maybe. Just maybe.
She
could see it.

Then doubt barged in, as it
usually does when she starts to feel confident that she can do
something.
A medical clinic? Are you high?
Ha ha ha. You really think Nik would want a bunch of sick kids
coming here? That may be your dream, but it sure isn’t
his.