“I love you, Emma. I always have,” he said emphatically. “I’m not sure how I can prove that to you any differently than I have been, and that worries me.” The things Emma was saying weren’t things that could be fixed with roses or a night out on the town. Plus, Pete didn’t feel like their emotional connection had eroded.
To him, nothing had changed between them.
“I know you love me. That’s not the issue,” Emma said. “And I love you. Like I said, it’s the connection we lost, that strong bond that makes us crazy for each other. That’s what’s missing. Like with Mallory just now. We both got off, but afterward, it felt hollow. You were in your own little world when you came. You didn’t even look over to meet my gaze, and I was in mine. There was no spark between us.”
“But you aren’t mad we did it, right?” Pete said. “That’s not what this is about.”
“No, I’m not mad we did it. I’m just tired of it. Technically, at the moment I orgasmed, I was elated. I enjoy pleasure. I always have. But what I didn’t like was that you didn’t seem to notice me once we got going, and that’s because you were wrapped up in the act of your own singular pleasure. Sex used to be about us, and I want that back.”
“Okay.” Pete rose and started to pace. “I kind of understand what you’re saying, but I still don’t feel the same. To me, sex has always been the same. We have fun, and we both end the night with orgasms. I don’t see how what we did with Mallory was any different, other than it being spontaneous from what we normally do.”
Emma ran a hand through her long red hair. “Unfortunately, I can’t snap my fingers and make you feel what I’m feeling. It’s going to take us some time to figure out. I just wanted to let you know that something is missing for me. I know you love me, that’s never been in question. Because of that, I’m certain we’ll find a way to solve it.” Her voice sounded weary. “I’m okay with tabling the discussion for now. We’re both tired and travel-logged. We had a big day, and there’s so much more to do and explore on the island. I don’t want this to ruin our trip.”
“Are you sure you want to table it?” Pete asked, turning by the doors to face her.
“I’m sure.” Emma stood. “I’m exhausted. If we find another time to talk, we will. But let’s just try to enjoy ourselves.”
“Does this mean you don’t want to get involved sexually with anyone else while we’re here?” Pete asked, coming to stand in front of her.
“I don’t know. Can we just play it by ear?” Emma started for the bedroom. “I think we’ll know if it’s right or not when and if it happens.”
Pete followed her into the bedroom, his mind spinning. His wife wasn’t happy, and even after discussing it, he had no clue what he could do better. The sex with Mallory had been hot and erotic, even though there’d been no penetration. He was on board with that. But he didn’t understand what Emma was talking about when it came to the lack of emotion. He’d felt the same way he always did when they’d finished tonight, satisfied and content.
As he crawled into bed beside her, he wondered how the trip was going to go after all.
He tossed and turned all night.
* * *
Emma was up before dawn.
She’d slept terribly, but she needed to shake it off. She was glad she’d packed her running shoes. As a dancer who worked out almost every day, keeping her body in shape was a must. Running was as much a part of her life as dancing.
As she laced up her shoes, she shoved last night’s conversation with her husband out of her mind. She had to let it go or it would eat at her. She stood and quietly went to the sliding glass doors in the living room so she wouldn’t wake Pete, who was snoring. Emma hadn’t figured out how to avoid getting sand in her shoes yet, but the plan was to run on the partially compacted sand near the water. She wanted to be on the beach and watch the sun rise. After that, she’d find a path or just stay on the beach.
Emma made a mental note as she slid the door closed behind her to make sure she and Pete checked out the maps of the island before breakfast. No more guessing what this place looked like.
She headed down to the beach. The sky was lighter than when she’d awoken fifteen minutes ago. The sun would rise any minute now. Once she hit the dry sand, she took huge, wide steps to avoid getting it in her shoes. It kind of worked, but it was comical. She was glad it was so early and nobody else seemed to be up.
At the shoreline, just before the wave break, she bent down to stretch. She did several leg lunges and squats. When she stood, the sun was just making its appearance over the horizon. It was stunning.
The bright yellow orb slowly lifted above the waves, turning the background of reds and oranges into pale blues as it went. Emma took a deep breath. This was going to be a good day.
She took off down the beach, the water to her left, the villas to her right. She moved at a good clip, the sand feeling good and firm under her feet. It was packed just enough, but the extra effort it took to push off felt good, working her calf muscles.
As she passed by all the villas, she noticed that they all looked the same. When she reached the last one, the vegetation changed dramatically. It went from lush and manicured to sparse and scrubby, like a line had been drawn in the sand, literally. She continued to run, following the contour of the beach. After about half a mile, she spotted a rock outcropping.
She wasn’t going to be able to run over it. So she’d either have to climb to the top and scout it out, turn inland, try to find a path, or turn back the way she’d come.
Emma chose to explore the rocks. They weren’t that tall, maybe ten to fifteen feet, and looked climbable. She began to pick her way to the top. It didn’t take her long. Once there, she gazed out over the water. It was truly majestic. The color, now that the sun was a little higher in the sky, was a warm blue. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. She turned and glanced the way she’d come. From her vantage point, she could see that the resort ran back inland fairly far, judging by the trees and other rooflines—probably employee housing—she spotted.
Then she glanced the other way and saw there was a cove with a half-moon beach. It looked about a mile long, and at the other end was another set of rocks. Making up her mind, she made her way down the other side and took off down the next beach.
Halfway into her run, she spotted a sea turtle swimming in the surf and she smiled. The turtle seemed to be keeping pace with her. Retiring to someplace like this was beginning to sound good. She could get used to this.
When she reached the next outcropping of rocks, instead of climbing up, she decided to turn back. She’d been running for about a half hour, and the day was starting to heat up. She was covered in sweat and was looking forward to jumping into the pool when she got back. She waved at the turtle as she passed by again.
Emma made her way back and up and over the first bunch of rocks. When she landed back on her beach, she could see movement and people walking and driving golf carts behind the resort.
The resort was rising for the day.
As she jogged down the beach toward her own villa, she counted the roofs so she would know which one was hers. She was dreaming of how good it was going to feel to douse herself in the water, so she didn’t register the shout the first time.
“Emma!” the voice called louder.
She stopped, turning. It was coming from the villa next to hers. A man stood waving at her from the deck. She walked closer, shielding her eyes with her hand. “Antonio?” she said. Then she laughed. “I didn’t think we’d see you guys here when you weren’t on the plane!”
“I’m coming down to the beach!” he called. “I can’t hear you from here.” He disappeared from view, and a moment later, he came around the side to meet her.