Book Excerpt for Caribbean Beach Romeo

Caribbean Beach Romeo

Nadine Leilani

#1 in the Bodacious Beth Series

Cover graphic design by Drew at idrewdesign on Fiverr.com.

The right of Nadine Leilani to be identified as the author of this book has been asserted in accordance with Sections 77 and 78 of the Copyrights and Patents Act 1988.

Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the author.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

Caribbean Beach Romeo

We easily found the party beach, for the bonfire was already blazing high, crackling in various amazing hues of blue that seemed magical. I couldn't pull my eyes away.

"It's the dried salt in the sea logs which creates that multi-colored fire," a rich, throaty voice said close to my ear.

I looked up, the spell broken. A tall man with sun-browned skin and a full head of white hair had spoken. He carried himself with the casual dignity of someone who's enjoyed a life of wealth. He wore an expensive set of white shirt and shorts. Dress-down clothes for an evening on the beach. Marie was already mingling with the other guests.

He held out his hand. "I'm Ernesto Delgado, and this is my party. So pleased to have you here."

"Thank you very much." I was depressed and heart-broken, not rude.

For a moment, I even considered him. He was at least as old - maybe a lot older -- as the woman Mike left me for, yet much better looking for his age.

He seemed to read my mind, for his eyes sparkled with amusement.

He waved toward a beautiful woman who looked to be maybe all of thirty, dancing in a whirling white dress. "My wife and I welcome you and your darling friend to the Virgin Islands."

"I'm having a great time."

"I appreciate you're trying. Maybe I have just what you need. I'll send him along soon."

That puzzled me, but I didn't care. Marie made me mingle with the other guests, and I met a few lovely people including several couples and a few singles. The guys seemed as lost and empty as I was, and so didn't attract me in the slightest, so they quickly moved on. It was just as well.

My attention was limited, however, and I found myself drifting away from Marie as soon as I had the chance. It wasn't hard to get some alone time as Marie was ever the social butterfly. She was one of those women could make your self-esteem take a hit if you weren't confident in yourself. No matter where we went, men flocked to her like moths to a flame, and didn't leave until they'd flown close enough to singe their wings.

I'd once thought if I didn't have Mike I'd like to hang around Marie just to get her leftovers, but now that joke to myself was reality, I wasn't laughing.

I could try my hardest and still never have as many naked encounters as Marie - she was a gold medal champion when it came to wild hook-ups. And me? One lover, and one break up, and I was ready to throw myself into the fire like I'd heard widows in India used to do. I felt like a dried up old prune.

More than happy to have a few moments to myself, I plunked down in the sand a good five minutes or so away from the main event, tucked my knees to my chest, and stared out at the water, watching the clean shining stars and moon in the eternal blackness of the nighttime sky and how the waves rippled their reflections on the surface of the sea.

This was a terrific place by day and even more beautiful by night. Mike would love it. We should have come here together. I thought about how much fun it would have been to go swimming in the ocean together, splashing and dunking each other.

He would have enjoyed the seafood dinner, and made me drink lots of rum, and together we'd have been the life of this party, dancing up a storm to the funky island music, some mix of rap and reggae.

But none of those things would ever happen.

I didn't mean to start crying again, but I couldn't stop myself. That familiar empty feeling opened up in the pit of my heart and only tears could keep me from falling. So the stars and the moon blurred as the water flowed from my eyes, and my chest heaved, and I felt as sorry for myself as I possibly could.

Marie meant well. She hoped in an unfamiliar place I wouldn't be reminded of Mike, so I could feel better. She couldn't know it'd just make me miss him even more, so I felt even worse.

I was so upset I failed to notice the chocolate hunk of a man who squatted just beside me without invitation.

"Hey der, pretty lady."

The End