Chapter 1
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April 5th 1999, Dominic�s POV I glanced out of the window at the white patchwork quilt spreading below for as far as the eye could see. There was something wrong with the situation I found myself in, but I couldn�t put my finger on what. In my mind�s eye, I ran over the events of the past few days. On Thursday, my partner Allison Monroe had showed up at my door and breathlessly informed me that we were last minute replacements for Olga Pashen and her partner in an ice show Saturday evening. So now, here we were, early Saturday morning, aboard the plane, winging our way to Mexico. Wait a second� Mexico? �Allison?� My partner glanced up at me with wide, innocent eyes. The look did not fool me one bit. I�d been skating with Ally for eight years and had long ago stopped falling for that expression. Ally was many things, but innocent was not among them. �Since when do they have skating shows in Mexico?� �How should I know? I�m just a ditzy blonde?� I glared at her and raised an eyebrow. The statement had been an outright lie. Allison was not a natural blonde and she certainly wasn�t a ditz. She returned my glare for several seconds and then threw up her hands in defeat. �Fine. I made the show up. Are you happy now?� �No. I still don�t know why.� �What�s the date today Nick?� From her expression, I figured there was something significant I should be remembering, but I couldn�t for the life of my think what. �April 5th �� Ally continued to watch me. I paused as the meaning sank in. �This doesn�t have anything to do with my birthday, does it?� Her giggle was all the answer I required. �This is too much! I can�t even begin to guess how much this is costing you.� �Hey, relax. They�re called frequent flyer miles! And I got a really good deal on the hotel.� �I can�t let you pay for that too!� A somewhat chagrined look crossed my partner�s face. �Well, actually you didn�t.� Ally�s face flushed slightly, but she didn�t lower her gaze. �The down payment was made with your credit card. Besides, I know how much you paid for that diamond necklace.� Ally�s attempt to distract me from her confession failed. �You stole my credit card?!� �Borrowed Nick. I borrowed your credit card. We both needed a vacation and this seemed like a good excuse.� How could a man argue with logic like that? Especially while being captivated by the way the speaker�s gorgeous lips shaped the words. Three hours later, a jolt of turbulence woke me from the sleep I hadn�t meant to fall into. I was deliciously warm. As I went to stretch, I realized why. My partner�s sleeping form lay curled against me, hand resting on my chest and head nestled upon my shoulder. I tried desperately to restrain myself from giving into the urge to inhale her enchanting scent. I failed. �Ah well, no one is perfect.� I muttered. It wasn�t as if I was some obsessed stalker so madly in love with Allison that I needed to know what she smelled like. I simply wanted to know whether or not she�d changed shampoos. She hadn�t. My nasal verbosa were tickled with the same familiar citrus scent as always. Not that I�d ever deliberately smelled her hair before. Ally shifted slightly in her sleep, her hand slipping lower. I briefly pondered the thought of waking my partner. When a low moan escaped her lips, the image of the smarmy English skater who Ally was currently dating popped into my head. Any considerations of letting her catch some more shut-eye flew out the window. �Oh god Nick!� Cancel that thought. This dream had suddenly become much more interesting. She wasn�t dreaming about the smarmy English skater. She was dreaming about me. But it would be wrong to listen. Very wrong. And there were other people on the plane. I wouldn�t want Ally to embarrass herself, even if I was playing a feature role in her dream. �Allison,� I whispered, gently shaking my comatose partner. �Oh yeah� Right there,� Ally moaned. �Very wrong Nick!� I shook harder. Ally�s eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright. To my surprise I found myself mentally groaning over the loss of contact. �Ummm�� She seemed flustered. So flustered, in fact, that it took her several minutes to formulate a question. �Are we there yet?� �No, not yet.� �Then why did you have to wake me up?� she inquired petulantly. She looked even more gorgeous than usual. Her hair was tousled from her nap, her eyes were still half-closed, and the pout she was wearing could melt bricks. It took me awhile to realize that she expected an answer. �I�m sorry, did I interrupt an interesting dream?� I asked mischievously. Allison had the good grace to blush to the roots of her hair. This promised to be a very interesting vacation. * * * �Welcome to Mexico. Don�t forget to wear sunscreen, even in the shade, and beware the real-estate agents.� Droned the pilot over the intercom. Ignoring him, I concentrated on finding my favourite CD and slipping it into my Discman. Let Dominic pay attention to the warnings, I was busy. I covertly studied my partner through my lashes as he stood up. I knew what I had been dreaming about, but did he? He�d certainly implied earlier that he knew something, but did he realize who I�d been fantasizing about? I shuddered at the thought and prayed to anyone listening that he didn�t. Dominic grabbed his bag from the overhead storage and turned to me (I ducked my head to avoid eye-contact.) �Do you have everything?� I nodded, silently, and we headed for the baggage claim. �That one!� I said, pointing wildly at the large navy, wheeled suitcase approaching on the conveyor belt. Dominic, the ever helpful partner, reached over and pulled it off. His own, small suitcase was next. Having retrieved it, he turned to go. �Wait, I have one more.� �You have two suitcases and a humongous carry-on!?� Nick asked in a slightly strained tone, �How long are we here for anyway?� Dominic had a priceless look on his face; one of total disbelief. It was truly a Kodak Moment. Seriously though, I thought he�d know me better after eight years. �Five days,� I replied calmly, �But you will find that I have everything I need and you don�t.� �Well, I was informed that we were here for a skating show, not a five day beach adventure! I don�t think I even brought a bathing suit!� �See, I was right.� Dominic�s only response was to pout childishly. God he was cute when he did that. It just made me want to� I shook my head. �Clean thoughts Monroe. Spotless!� I muttered to myself. �What was that?� Nick inquired. �Nothing!� Nick looked as though he�d press the issue but I was saved by the sudden appearance of my suitcase. �There it is!� I crowed triumphantly, but not without a faint overtone of relief in my voice. I made a quick mental note to thank the lucky piece of luggage. I�d let it carry all my souvenirs home. I wandered out to get a taxi, while Dominic loaded the bags onto a trolley. My search was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a well-dressed young Mexican. �Excuse me miss, is this your first trip to Mexico?� I nodded, and the man�s smile became almost predatory. �Are you here alone?� I glanced back at Dominic, struggling to keep all the baggage on the cart and push it at the same time. The sight of his frustration brought a smile to my face. I jerked a thumb in his direction, �I�m with him.� �Ah, you make a lovely couple. I can see from your expression that you love him very much.� I blushed, but did not correct his assumption. The fact that he thought I was in love with Nick was too outlandish to even consider. �My name is Renaldo and I work for the Paradise Village hotel.� It was at this point that Nick finally caught up. �Darling, I�ve made dinner reservations, but we need to leave now if you want to check into the hotel first.� He took my hand (I shivered slightly, damn the room was cold!) and practically dragged me away. Meanwhile, Renaldo pounced on another couple. �Allison!� My partner hissed, �The pilot warned you not to talk to the real-estate agents in the lobby! Weren�t you listening?� I hadn�t been paying attention to a word the captain said but, �Renaldo wasn�t a real-est�� I trailed off, noticing for the first time all the pictures of condos decorating the man�s desk. �I can�t always be around to save you like this!� �You�re my knight in shining armor,� I joked, winking at my partner, �Would you like your reward?� �And what might that reward entail?� He still didn�t trust me, although, after the prank I�d pulled at Skate Canada, I couldn�t really blame him. �Why a kiss from the fair maiden you so gallantly rescued of course.� I didn�t think for one minute that he�d actually accept. I expected him to turn slightly pink, get that familiar, bewildered look upon his face, and mutter something like �It was nothing, I don�t need a reward.� What he did say, as he headed for the exit, left me standing in the middle of the lobby, staring after him in shock� �I�ll take a rain-check� There are kids present and I wouldn�t want to corrupt their innocent little minds.� I thought I knew Dominic, but never in a million years could I have predicted a response like that from my staid partner. This vacation was shaping up to be mighty interesting� and very surprising!
