It was 4:30 in the afternoon when Renee found herself staring at the beach from her terrace. Her hands
hovered over the laptop keys as she tried to decide on the best description for her latest restaurant review.
Her dark eyes followed the ripples in the water as it responded to the warm Caribbean wind. Part of her
wished she could see some action on the beach. Some young couples frolicking or some kids playing. She
sighed, thinking this was one of the downsides of owning her own beachfront.
Just then, her eye caught movement in the water. A tan, muscled body cut through the water like a trained
swimmer. With questions running in her mind, Renee stood and headed down the stairs. She ran a mental
checklist of all the people who came upon her private property, and no one was scheduled to arrive today.
Slipping her painted toes in the sandals near her front door, she stepped onto the sand and headed for the
beach. Her mind raced to figure out who the man was and wondered if she should have taken a mop or
some kind of weapon just in case.
****
Jordan swam through the cool blue waters reveling in the liquid. He allowed his mind to escape and release
all the tensions and sounds of the hospital. Finally, as he felt his lungs push out the last of his air, he swam up
and felt the warm gaze of the sun upon him.
Wiping the salty water from his eyes, he saw a blurred figure coming toward him on the shore. His eyes
focused on the figure a few feet from him.
She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She stood tall with shapely arms folded under full
breasts pushed up just enough to entice him. Her skin was like smooth chocolate from her head down to her
bare toes. From where he stood, he could see a long curly mane of cinnamon brown hair framing her heart-
shaped face.
Then he realized it.
This was the woman from the airport and she was even more breathtaking up close. She wore a blue sarong
that hugged her shapely hips. The sarong was decorated with yellow flowers along the print. A matching blue
bikini top covered her full cleavage enough to tease him. He tried not to move so he could admire her from
the distance.
She shielded her eyes from the bright sun as she approached him.
For the first time, Jordan didn’t know what to say first. Here was this beautiful woman coming toward him
and he didn’t have a charming opening line. He quietly scolded himself and tried to calm his rapidly beating
heart. How about hi, idiot?
Jordan smiled at the girl and opened his mouth to speak.
“What do you think you’re doing here?” she said pointedly.
“It’s you...” Jordan breathed.
“This is private property here. You’re going to have to leave.”
He swam toward the small shore, holding her gaze.
****
Renee focused on the man before her as he rose from the water. The droplets of the salty sea slowly fell
from his muscular frame. He ran a hand over his slicked-back hair. Strands of sandy blonde with golden
highlights caught the sun, matching his deep blue eyes. Renee had to remind herself to breathe as his
muscular frame towered over her. She had to keep herself from reaching out to caress his strong arms and
pronounced chest.
There had to be something to the power of thought, she realized in that moment. This was the same man she
couldn’t stop thinking about.
He’s probably just like all the others, she told herself.
The thought made her straighten up right away.
“Who are you and how did you get on my property?”
Jordan stood in front of her wearing a blank expression. “Swimming, actually. I thought I would take a drive
on this end while I was here on a short vacation. I started swimming and I guess I just kept going.”
“Is there a reason you’re evading my questions?” Renee asked.
“No reason at all. I just...”
“Didn’t the scuba club warn you about this being private property?”
Jordan wiped the droplets from his hair and face. “Yeah, they did. My name’s Jordan —”
“Look, all I really care about is that you’re on my property and I’d like you to leave, please.”
He was a bit taken aback by the firmness in her tone. The girl appeared young, twenty-six, twenty-seven,
but she had a commanding presence that he liked. One he had not seen in the presence of the females at
home who chased him inside the hospital and out on the town. Renee shifted uncomfortably. “What are you
looking at?”
He straightened up once he realized he was staring. “I...was wondering if you lived here alone.”
Folding her arms, she was speechless for a moment. “I—don’t think that’s any of your business.”
“Right. Strangers and all,” Jordan said.
“Look...”
“Don’t worry, I’m leaving.” He turned around and headed back to the water.
Renee caught a glimpse of his shapely butt as his wet trunks hugged him.
“One more thing.”
Her eyes quickly shot up to his face as he turned. She silently prayed he didn’t see the upward jerk of her
head, but the smile on his handsome face said otherwise.
“I want you to have dinner with me tonight. We can get to know each other. Maybe walk around under the
moonlight.”
“I’m sorry, Jordan , is it?”
He nodded, still smiling. “Correct.”
“Thank you for the nice offer, but I don’t think that will be possible.”
“Why not?”
“Why what?”
“Why won’t you have dinner with me?”
Renee forced her mind to work quickly.
“You mean you don’t have an excuse ready?” he chuckled playfully. “Why, I’m shocked.”
“I just don’t do this, okay?”
“Don’t do this?” The smile disappeared and was replaced by a few curious wrinkles in his brow.
“This...dating. I stopped a long while ago.”
“Too many broken hearts?”
Renee was slightly irritated by the question. She shrugged as she answered, “Yes, if you must know.”
“Ah,” Jordan nodded. “Well, I guess I’ll have to show you how wrong you were to make that decision.”
Before she could form the words to fire back, Jordan dove into the water and swam toward the adjacent
island. Her blood should have been boiling. She should have yelled a nice quip back at him, but something
deep inside her wanted to see what this Jordan guy was all about.
Now available at Wild Rose Press!
Links
Myspace
The Wild Rose Press bio
TWRP Book page
hovered over the laptop keys as she tried to decide on the best description for her latest restaurant review.
Her dark eyes followed the ripples in the water as it responded to the warm Caribbean wind. Part of her
wished she could see some action on the beach. Some young couples frolicking or some kids playing. She
sighed, thinking this was one of the downsides of owning her own beachfront.
Just then, her eye caught movement in the water. A tan, muscled body cut through the water like a trained
swimmer. With questions running in her mind, Renee stood and headed down the stairs. She ran a mental
checklist of all the people who came upon her private property, and no one was scheduled to arrive today.
Slipping her painted toes in the sandals near her front door, she stepped onto the sand and headed for the
beach. Her mind raced to figure out who the man was and wondered if she should have taken a mop or
some kind of weapon just in case.
****
Jordan swam through the cool blue waters reveling in the liquid. He allowed his mind to escape and release
all the tensions and sounds of the hospital. Finally, as he felt his lungs push out the last of his air, he swam up
and felt the warm gaze of the sun upon him.
Wiping the salty water from his eyes, he saw a blurred figure coming toward him on the shore. His eyes
focused on the figure a few feet from him.
She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She stood tall with shapely arms folded under full
breasts pushed up just enough to entice him. Her skin was like smooth chocolate from her head down to her
bare toes. From where he stood, he could see a long curly mane of cinnamon brown hair framing her heart-
shaped face.
Then he realized it.
This was the woman from the airport and she was even more breathtaking up close. She wore a blue sarong
that hugged her shapely hips. The sarong was decorated with yellow flowers along the print. A matching blue
bikini top covered her full cleavage enough to tease him. He tried not to move so he could admire her from
the distance.
She shielded her eyes from the bright sun as she approached him.
For the first time, Jordan didn’t know what to say first. Here was this beautiful woman coming toward him
and he didn’t have a charming opening line. He quietly scolded himself and tried to calm his rapidly beating
heart. How about hi, idiot?
Jordan smiled at the girl and opened his mouth to speak.
“What do you think you’re doing here?” she said pointedly.
“It’s you...” Jordan breathed.
“This is private property here. You’re going to have to leave.”
He swam toward the small shore, holding her gaze.
****
Renee focused on the man before her as he rose from the water. The droplets of the salty sea slowly fell
from his muscular frame. He ran a hand over his slicked-back hair. Strands of sandy blonde with golden
highlights caught the sun, matching his deep blue eyes. Renee had to remind herself to breathe as his
muscular frame towered over her. She had to keep herself from reaching out to caress his strong arms and
pronounced chest.
There had to be something to the power of thought, she realized in that moment. This was the same man she
couldn’t stop thinking about.
He’s probably just like all the others, she told herself.
The thought made her straighten up right away.
“Who are you and how did you get on my property?”
Jordan stood in front of her wearing a blank expression. “Swimming, actually. I thought I would take a drive
on this end while I was here on a short vacation. I started swimming and I guess I just kept going.”
“Is there a reason you’re evading my questions?” Renee asked.
“No reason at all. I just...”
“Didn’t the scuba club warn you about this being private property?”
Jordan wiped the droplets from his hair and face. “Yeah, they did. My name’s Jordan —”
“Look, all I really care about is that you’re on my property and I’d like you to leave, please.”
He was a bit taken aback by the firmness in her tone. The girl appeared young, twenty-six, twenty-seven,
but she had a commanding presence that he liked. One he had not seen in the presence of the females at
home who chased him inside the hospital and out on the town. Renee shifted uncomfortably. “What are you
looking at?”
He straightened up once he realized he was staring. “I...was wondering if you lived here alone.”
Folding her arms, she was speechless for a moment. “I—don’t think that’s any of your business.”
“Right. Strangers and all,” Jordan said.
“Look...”
“Don’t worry, I’m leaving.” He turned around and headed back to the water.
Renee caught a glimpse of his shapely butt as his wet trunks hugged him.
“One more thing.”
Her eyes quickly shot up to his face as he turned. She silently prayed he didn’t see the upward jerk of her
head, but the smile on his handsome face said otherwise.
“I want you to have dinner with me tonight. We can get to know each other. Maybe walk around under the
moonlight.”
“I’m sorry, Jordan , is it?”
He nodded, still smiling. “Correct.”
“Thank you for the nice offer, but I don’t think that will be possible.”
“Why not?”
“Why what?”
“Why won’t you have dinner with me?”
Renee forced her mind to work quickly.
“You mean you don’t have an excuse ready?” he chuckled playfully. “Why, I’m shocked.”
“I just don’t do this, okay?”
“Don’t do this?” The smile disappeared and was replaced by a few curious wrinkles in his brow.
“This...dating. I stopped a long while ago.”
“Too many broken hearts?”
Renee was slightly irritated by the question. She shrugged as she answered, “Yes, if you must know.”
“Ah,” Jordan nodded. “Well, I guess I’ll have to show you how wrong you were to make that decision.”
Before she could form the words to fire back, Jordan dove into the water and swam toward the adjacent
island. Her blood should have been boiling. She should have yelled a nice quip back at him, but something
deep inside her wanted to see what this Jordan guy was all about.
Now available at Wild Rose Press!
Links
Myspace
The Wild Rose Press bio
TWRP Book page
| Timeless Blue A novella excerpt by Adrianna Ravel |
Copyright © 2007 Lavender Isis. All Rights Reserved.
| Back to Table Of Contents |
