The Sea of Aaron by Kymberly Hunt

he had the day before.
    â€œI see you got my note,” he said, appraising her in the obvious way only a man could. “Make sure you bring along the insect repellant and use it liberally. There have been cases of malaria in the rainforest areas.”
    â€œI have it,” she answered, resisting the urge to salute and say yes, sir .
    â€œWhenever you’re ready,” he said.
    She looked at him, momentarily confused. “What do you mean? You’re not going…”
    â€œOn the tour, no. I’m taking you on the boat to Belize City to meet with the group.”
    â€œNo. I don’t want you to do that. I’m going to get the water taxi and you’re going to spend the day right here on Caye Caulker in peace and quiet.”
    â€œBut…”
    â€œOh, no, you don’t.” Her voice rose. “We had an understanding last night, and if you don’t agree to do what I asked, then I’m not—”
    He placed his finger lightly over her lips, silencing her. “Go get the water taxi,” he said. And at the same time, his free hand went around her waist, drawing her close to him. Mesmerized, she didn’t object, and as his finger trailed away from her mouth to trace the contours of her neck, he tilted his head down and kissed her, slowly, provocatively, almost indolently, on the mouth.
    Don’t stop. Don’t stop, her heart cried out while her face flushed and her legs turned to jelly. But her hands went up, first sliding across his chest, and then planting themselves firmly there as a barrier. “Umm, Aaron, you’re going to make me miss my connection.”
    â€œI’ll give you a better connection.”
    â€œAaron, please.” Talk about lust; she even loved saying his name.
    â€œDon’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it as much as I did,” he stated huskily, releasing his grip, the wry, almost smug expression back on his face.
    She had no response. What could she say to the obvious? Her reason for still being in Belize was because, God help her, she cared about him, maybe even loved him, but she was not there to make love to him—certainly not senselessly, without knowledge, trust, or commitment.
    â€œDid you take your medicine yet?” she asked abruptly. Now how sexy was that?
    â€œYes, ma’am,” he replied, amused.
    â€œThe doctor said he would call you in the afternoon to give you the test results. Make sure you get that call and…”
    â€œValerie, go. Have a good time.”
    ***
    Cave tubing was more fun than Valerie had expected. Danny Perez and the four other guides leading their party of twenty, consisting of couples, kids, and senior citizens, were above and beyond accommodating. The young Mayan knew his job, and he was an expert on the environment.
    After a trek through the rainforest and the guided float through the caves, everyone was taken by bus to the Sonrisa Bar & Grill for a buffet lunch. The lunch proved even more interesting for Valerie, who had selected a lone table near a window.
    Danny, who was short, sturdy, and very Mayan in appearance with a long black ponytail, came over to where she was and wanted to know if she’d had a good time. She told him she had and then he sat opposite from her and started to talk, telling her that she was a special guest because she was Aaron’s friend.
    â€œHow did you get to know Aaron?” Valerie asked.
    â€œI first met Mr. Weiss when both his son and me were fourteen and I liked hanging around the docks watching the ships come and go. That summer I fell in love with a schooner called Saniyah .”
    Valerie agreed that the boat was still beautiful and waited for him to continue the story.
    â€œ Saniyah was in port and I met Drew on the docks. Thought he was this rich, snooty American kid, but he turned out to be different. He told me he was spending the summer sailing with his dad, and since I was so crazy about the boat, he