This story is a prequel for the movie Never Talk to Strangers.

Knight in Shining Denim

Okay, so Puerto Rico wasn't my first choice of vacation destinations. I'd allowed my friend, Denise, to talk me into it, however, and here we were. Denise's sister is a travel agent and got us a good deal during the off-season, which explained why we were in San Juan in August.

Despite my misgivings, I had to admit it was lovely, even if it was very hot. The beaches were beautiful, the hotel was luxurious and the service was attentive. But I couldn't help thinking we were only seeing what the Visitor's Bureau wanted us to see. I had been trying, without success, to convince my best friend to venture out of the artificial environment of hotels, restaurants and bars to experience the 'real' Puerto Rico of ordinary people in the countryside and small villages.

And now, here we were, on the afternoon of the day before we were to leave, having yet another argument about how we were going to spend the day.

I only had one more chance to escape. "Denise, let's rent a car and take a drive."

Denise rolled her eyes. "I told you before, Gloria. We can't do that."

"Why not?"

"I told you *that* before too. We don't know anything about the countryside here. Neither of us speaks Spanish well enough--"

"Okay!" I interrupted. "You're right!"

"I am?" She was caught by surprise by what I said.

"Yes. I *have* heard it before." Crossing my arms across my chest, I started to walk away. "And I don't want to hear it again."

After I'd slammed both her room door *and* mine, I felt better. I was ticked off at Denise, but I was *really* mad at myself. After all, I knew how cautious she was. On the other hand, I used to be open to new experiences, at least when I was younger. The nearer I got to my fortieth birthday, the less fearless I became.

The ringing of the phone interrupted my thoughts and I picked it up without thinking. "What is it, Denise?"

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Are you kidding? You're the only person I know at this hotel and no one back home would call me long distance."

"Oh. Well, I'm going down to the beach. Wanna go?"

"No," I snapped.

"C'mon, Glo. Don't be like that!"

"Don't be like what?"

"It's the last day of our vacation. Don't spoil it by getting into one of your moods--"

"I am *not* getting into a mood! I just don't want to stretch out on the sand like a dead fish. It's too hot."

"You can play in the ocean if it's too hot for you."

"By myself? I don't think so."

"So what're you gonna do?"

"I dunno. I may read. Or try to take a nap."

I heard an exaggerated sigh, then Denise spoke again. "You're really not going down with me, are you?"

"You won't go where I want to go, Denise; why should I go with you?" I regretted what I'd said immediately.

"Bitch!" I heard the word spoken under Denise's breath as I hung up the phone. We'd often used that derisive word playfully in the past, but I wasn't sure she was kidding this time.

*****

The ringing of the phone startled me; I reached for the receiver. "Hello?"

"Gloria? Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Blinking my eyes, I tried to focus.

"Were you asleep?"

"I don't know. My head hurts."

"Open your door. I'm coming over." She hung up the phone before I had a chance to answer.

The scowl on my friend's face turned into a look of concern when she saw me. I'd gotten a glance at my pale skin and disheveled hair in the mirror, and started talking before she had a chance to say anything.

"Denise, I'm fine."

Cocking her head sideways, she said, "*Sure* you are."

This conversation was on the express train toward an argument and I wanted to de-rail it. "Hey! Where're you going? You look great!"

"Do you think so?" Denise was dressed in a sleeveless black silk dress. "I ran into Eric and Matthew this afternoon in the lobby. They're taking us out to dinner."

"Correction: they're taking *you* out--"

"Gloria! They're sweet guys. Why don't you want to go out with them?"

"Denise! They're computer geeks! They don't have a complete personality between the two of them!" I put a hand on the side of my head dramatically. "Besides, I have a horrible headache."

The look of concern returned to Denise's face. "Then I won't go either; I'll stay here with you."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous! I'm going to call down to the desk for some aspirin and lay down."

Moving toward the door, Denise said, "No need for that. I have Tylenol in my room."

After she brought me the pills, she stayed long enough for me to assure her I didn't need anything else and that I'd be okay by myself.

"Okay, I'll give your regrets to the guys. And I'll check back in on you when I come back upstairs."

"No need to do that. I'll be asleep."

*****

To my surprise, I was still awake thirty minutes later. It was only eight o'clock and my headache was gone. There was nothing on tv and I was getting restless. I considered joining Denise and her friends, but didn't think I had the patience to listen to two men who could talk of nothing but floppy disks and hard drives.

I had a vague thought of what I wanted to do and quickly showered and dressed before I could come to my senses and decide not to go.

I was going bar-hopping.

This was my last chance to get a taste of what Puerto Rico was *really* like and I was going for it.

I made my way quickly down the stairs and out the front door, where I climbed into a cab. I gave the driver the name of a street I had heard during a short conversation with a bartender at the pool earlier in the week. He spoke passionately of how the dance clubs came alive after dark, painting a vivid picture of them in heavily-accented English.

The car came to a halt at the end of a brightly-lit street. Loud rhythms pulsed out of several doorways and lithe young couples swayed as they walked down the sidewalk.

I admit that I hesitated for a moment, thinking that it still wasn't too late to tell the driver to turn around and take me back to the safety of the Hilton. I dismissed my fears, however. 'Don't be a wuss,' I thought. 'You might never have the chance to do this again.' Squaring my shoulders, I paid the fare and stepped out into the hot Puerto Rican night.

I was almost to the door of the club when I saw him standing just inside, smoking a small cigar; he was of average height, with olive skin and dark, curly hair. His black eyes sparkled as he stared, unselfconsciously, at me. He held out his hand to me as if he assumed I'd go to him.

Which I did.

We made our way slowly through the crowd to a table near the wall. Signaling to the waiter, he ordered a drink I didn't recognize the name of, then leaned over and asked me to dance.

"I'm not much of a dancer," I could feel myself turn red under his unwavering gaze.

"That's okay - I'll show you everything you need to know."

And show me he did. We spent most of the next hour on the dance floor. I had no idea if the dances we were doing had names, but I'd never felt so light on my feet.

The tempo shifted suddenly from frantic to slow; my partner (I hadn't thought to ask his name) pulled me close as we moved together. When the song was over, I took a step backwards and looked up into dark eyes again. "Will you excuse me? I need to find the ladies' room."

Smiling, he motioned toward a door just ahead of us. "Through there."

To my surprise, he followed me. We had gone about twenty feet down a darkened hallway when I was grabbed roughly and flung against the wall. "What--"

One large hand was clamped over my mouth while the other hand was shoved up my skirt. Panic-stricken, I pulled at his arms, punched at his torso, all to no avail. I guess my instincts took over then and I pulled the stupidest female trick in the book: bending my right knee, I jerked it upwards as hard as I could. When my thigh bone made contact with the soft parts that dangled between his legs, he screamed and stopped groping me. I only had about three seconds to get away - a fact I didn't realize until too late. I didn't see him raise his hand; he slapped me hard enough to knock me down on all fours, before my vision blurred and I passed out.

When I woke up, I was laying on something soft; my head throbbed as I tried to see where I was. The room I was in was dark except for a small lamp on the desk against a far wall. I could make out the figure of a man moving across the room toward me: dark hair, dark skin...

I gasped, trying to sit up, to get away.

"It's okay. You're safe now. Relax." The voice was soothing, definitely not the same one that screamed when I kicked him in the nuts. "Here." The hands reached out, laying something against my face.

I winced as coldness touched my injured cheek. "What is it?" I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Ice."

He held the compress against my face for a minute or two, then he removed it and tilted my face sideways. "You're going to have a bruise, but not too bad."

"I hope you're right." I started trying to get up again.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Take it easy." His strong hands supported me as I sat up.

My head pounded as I tried to focus on my companion's face. "Who are you?"

The man cleared his throat. "Ah, where are my manners? My name is Tony. Tony Ramirez."

Without realizing what I was doing, I stuck out my hand to shake his. "Gloria Ramsey. It's nice to meet you."

"You too." He smiled down at me and my heart turned over. His dark eyes twinkled and his long hair was pulled back from his face into a ponytail. The sleeveless black t-shirt and faded jeans he wore hugged his slim body like a second skin. I was examining the strange tattoos on his upper arms when I realized I was still holding his hand.

As I let go of his hand, I was sure my face was red. I tried to think of something clever to say, but my headache was preventing coherent thought. Or maybe it wasn't *just* the headache. "You saved my life. How can I thank you?"

Tony shrugged. "I don't think your life was in danger. Luis would have robbed you--"

"Luis? You mean, you *know* him?"

Tony raised a finger to forestall any more questions. "Not personally, no, but he's a well-known criminal around town. He's been in and out of jail for years. He picks up women, then robs them. He only resorts to violence if he has no other choice--"

I was starting to get angry at this guy's casual way of describing my attacker. "Excuse me, but I think you missed the best part of the show. He was getting pretty damn violent with me!"

"And you should be proud of the way you defended yourself until help arrived."

"Help? You mean you." He nodded. "So, what are you? Some kind of knight in shining... denim? You go around rescuing damsels in distress?"

He remained calm during my mini-diatribe, the smile never leaving his face. "I'm a cop."

I was not prepared for *this* information. "A cop? Really?" He nodded again. "That's an interesting uniform you have on."

This brought a chuckle. "I'm a detective. I dress this way to blend in here in the clubs." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I do some undercover work for the drug and vice squads as well."

"So you get paid for bar-crawling?"

He laughed again. "Sometimes. I was off-duty tonight when I spotted your friend and decided to see what he was up to."

The memory of what had happened to me less than an hour ago caused me to shiver involuntarily. Leaning forward, Tony put his arms around me. "I'm upsetting you by talking about it. I'm sorry."

I laid my head on his shoulder and allowed myself to melt against his whip-like body. I fell silent as he stroked my hair, comforting me. Did he know that's not all he was doing to me?

I stayed in his arms for as long as I dared, then pulled back and looked at his beautiful face. "I'm the one who should be apologizing. And thanking you for coming to my aid. I don't know what to say."

The look of concern on his face was replaced by that smile again. "Don't worry about it. It's my job... *and* my pleasure."

I had no response. I just sat there, looking at him: the fiery dark eyes, the strong jaw, the full lips. I would only have to move forward a few inches for my mouth to touch his. The nearness of this man overwhelmed me, making it hard to breathe.

Tony sensed my distress, but I think he misinterpreted the cause. "Are you okay? Do need a doctor?"

Forcing myself to take a deep breath, I answered, "No. I'm fine. I think I need to go back to the hotel, though."

"Of course."

"Do I have to go to the police station first?"

Tony shook his head. "Not necessary. It's all been taken care of."

I was confused. I'd watched enough cop shows on tv to know the victim has to go 'downtown' and sign papers or identify her attacker or... "How did you manage that?"

We started walking. "You don't need to know the details, do you? Luis will be going back to jail, as soon as he gets out of the hospital."

I stopped walking and looked at my companion. "Hospital? I put him in the hospital?"

"He's bad news, Gloria. He deserved everything that happened to him here tonight. Hopefully, he'll remain in jail for a long time."

I understood that I wasn't going to get any more information from this beautiful, but mysterious, man. And I really didn't care.

We started walking again, through the front door of the club; Tony was speaking. "If I get you a cab, can you make it back? Or should I call a patrol car?"

My face fell; I couldn't hide my disappointment. "I was hoping you'd drive me back."

"I can't. I don't have a car."

We stopped at the corner and I looked up at him. "You don't have a car? How do you get around?"

"On my bike."

"Bike, as in motorcycle?" He nodded. "Can I have a ride? Please?"

He looked at me curiously. "You want to ride on my bike? In that dress?"

I looked down at what I was wearing: a sleeveless black sweater and a multi-colored skirt that came almost to my ankles. "Yes, I've ridden motorcycles in skirts before - I'll keep it out of the way." The smile on his face turned into a smirk. "I *love* motorcycles. My ex-husband had one. On the weekends, we'd ride out into the country or to the beach or the mountains..." The memories made me smile. "John turned out to be a son-of-a-bitch, but we *did* have some good times on his bike!"

Tony continued looking at me and shaking his head; I laughed. "Have I shocked you?"

Joining me in the laugh, he said, "A little. You don't look like the kind of lady who goes roaring around the countryside on a motorcycle."

I found myself mildly annoyed by his attitude. "You don't know me, Detective Ramirez. You have no idea what I've done in my life." Reaching up, I ran a finger lightly down his hair. "Don't you agree that appearances can be deceiving, Mr. Policeman-With-A-Ponytail?"

I think Tony was taken aback by the question; he chuckled softly. "I take your point and I apologize for judging you..."

Looking up at him, entreatingly, I batted my scrawny eyelashes theatrically. "You can make it up to me by letting me ride on your bike."

"Are you sure? How is your head?"

Grabbing him by the elbow, I spoke slowly. "My head is *fine*. Where is your bike?"

He took a step back and looked down at me, shaking his head. "Over there." He pointed to a parking lot across the street.

"What hotel are we going to?" he asked, as he helped me onto the back of the big Harley.

I hiked my dress up to straddle the seat and arranged my skirt, preparing for the ride. "Do you mind if we take the long way back?"

Tony slung a long leg over the bike and pushed it off the stand. "Why?"

This guy wasn't going to do anything without a reason, was he? "I just want to ride for more than five minutes, that's all. And I want to see a little of San Juan before I go home tomorrow. So could we take the long way back to the Hilton?"

If he answered me, I couldn't hear him over the roar of the engine as he started it. About thirty minutes later, we rolled up in front of the hotel; Tony parked the bike near the door and turned around to help me off. I tried to finger-comb my hair and smooth my dress as he turned the engine off and put the bike up on the stand.

Putting his keys in his pocket, Tony joined me on my way to the front door. "Are you okay?"

"Never better, thanks. I'd forgotten how much fun it is to ride around with the wind in my hair."

"I wish it wasn't dark; there are some beautiful parts of the city that I would like to show you. Too bad you have to leave tomorrow."

"I know. I don't think I've seen anything except right here around the hotel." I had another dangerous idea and, once again, acted on it before I had a chance to chicken out. "Why don't you come upstairs?"

As we walked through the door, the cool air in the lobby took my breath after the hot air outside. "Don't you want to rest? You've had a busy night."

I stopped walking and looked up into his soft, dark eyes. "I'm not so sure I want to be alone just yet." My attempt at a smile failed. "You make me feel safe."

The elevator ride was uneventful; I could feel Tony's eyes on me, but we said nothing. Digging my key out of my purse, I gave it to Tony with shaking hands. Once inside, I kicked off my shoes and grabbed the phone. "Make yourself comfortable. I'm calling room service. Do you want anything?" He shook his head. I placed the order quickly, then hung up the phone. I sat down cross-legged on the bed and Tony took the chair facing me. "I ordered some nachos and stuff. I haven't eaten dinner."

Even though he was smiling, he was sitting stiffly. I wondered why he wasn't comfortable. "You look like you're okay, so I'm gonna go--"

"Why? Do you have to go to work?" He shook his head. "You have to go home to your wife?" Another shake. "Girl friend?" He continued shaking his head. "Then why do you have to leave? I ordered wine..."

"I came here to make sure you were okay. You seemed frightened..."

"Okay, that wasn't the only reason I asked you upstairs, Tony. I didn't want to be alone on the last night of my vacation. I've always fantasized about having a fling with a handsome stranger--"

"And I am this 'handsome stranger?"

"Well... You're handsome. And you're a stranger." I paused a couple of seconds, for effect. "Can you see where I'm going with this? I'm trying to make a pass at you, but I guess I'm not doing a very good job of it." I paused again, this time unintentionally. "You can go ahead and leave if you want to." I suddenly couldn't look at him.

"You're okay - I'm not doing so great. I just didn't want you to think I was trying to take advantage of you, after what happened tonight." He stood and walked over to stand in front of me; I looked up. Reaching out his hand, he ran a finger down the side of my face, sending a shiver through my body.

"Room service!" The knock on the door startled us both. Tony stepped aside as I scrambled off the bed and opened the door.

I had the waiter put the tray on the bed; when he was gone, I beckoned Tony to join me and he sat down on the edge of the bed, opposite me. "Have a nacho. Or a chili cheese fry." He shook his head. "No? Well then, would you pour the wine?"

Tony picked up the bottle and looked at the label. "What kind of wine is this?"

My mouth was full of food, so I shrugged. I swallowed, then said, "White?" His look was questioning. "I don't know anything about wine. I should have let you order it."

"No, no, this is okay." He poured the wine into the glasses then set the bottle on the floor next to the bed.

As I sat there, only a foot or so away from Tony, I realized I wasn't as hungry as I thought. At least, not for junk food.

"Tony, I apologize if I was being too forward. I can imagine what you think of me."

Tony drained his glass, then poured more wine for both of us. "I think you are not like anyone I've ever met, Gloria. You look like a schoolteacher with your glasses and long skirt. Yet you are not afraid of anything, are you?"

His words were said with so much conviction, and they were so completely *wrong*, I couldn't help laughing. "Are you kidding? I'm afraid of *everything*; I just try not to let my fears get in the way of what I want."

Tony cocked his head sideways; the twinkle was back in his eyes. I could feel my face turning crimson again under his gaze. "And what is it, exactly, that you want, Gloria?"

"You." My voice sounded strange, even to me.

Without saying anything else, Tony slowly took my glass and set it, along with his, on the bedside table. He picked up the tray of food and set it on the floor. Heeling out of his boots, he crawled back on the bed, took off my glasses and grasped my head in his hands. Before I knew what was happening, his mouth covered mine, his tongue gently parting my lips and beginning a languid exploration of the interior. It took me half-a-second to react; my body melted against him and I wrapped my arms around his neck in a effort to get even closer to him. We were both on our knees on the bed; I could feel his erection hardening against my belly as I thrust my tongue into his mouth.

My eyes were shut; I could feel Tony's hands pulling at my sweater, jerking it off in one motion. My bra followed almost immediately; by then, I had managed to pull his shirt out of his jeans and over his head. We lost our balance and toppled over sideways, landing in a heap. My body was writhing under his hands, which seemed to be everywhere at once: from my hair they moved down to caress my breasts, stroking both nipples to instant erectness with the balls of his thumbs, then moved down further to slide my skirt and panties down and out of the way.

I was totally naked now, laying on the bed, looking up at Tony; he pulled back and looked down. Moving forward again, he licked my left nipple, then teased it playfully with his teeth and his tongue before moving over to the right one. After ample attention to my breasts, he resumed his downward trek, slowly licking and sucking as he went. Pausing to spread my legs, he parted my outer lips and plunged his tongue inside.

The feel of this most intimate of caresses was almost more than I could deal with. Arching my back, I closed my eyes again and gave myself over to pure sensation; my fingers tangled in his hair as I held his head and thrust my pelvis along with the rhythm he had created.

I was enduring the most exquisite torture I'd ever felt. Suddenly, there was an explosion behind my eyes and I moaned. Or screamed. Or both, as orgasm ripped through me. I pushed Tony's head away roughly and rolled over onto my side, trying frantically to bring my breathing under control. My eyes were still closed but I knew Tony was there, his face beside me, his mouth covering mine once more. I sucked his tongue into my mouth, tasting myself in his kiss.

Using what little strength I had left, I pushed Tony over to lay on his back. Imitating what he'd just done, I moved my mouth down to his chest, nuzzling my face in his thick pelt of hair. I sucked and bit one nipple, then the other, until they were both hard and erect. My path continued downwards as I stuck my tongue in his navel and my hands set to work unbuckling the wide, black leather belt. His hands were there to help with the buttons, then he lifted his hips slightly and slid his jeans and his underwear down far enough to kick them off.

I paused for a moment, admiring the hard body that lay sprawled in front of me.

"Ohmygod."

I'm not sure if I said it aloud or just thought it.

Leaning over, I licked his hard shaft from base to tip and quickly opened my mouth as wide as I could, covering the head. My tongue swirled around the foreskin as my hand moved down to play with his balls.

The next thing I knew, I was being pulled back up until my face was near Tony's again. He kissed me, then said something in Spanish; I didn't understand the words but I knew what feeling he was conveying to me. I swallowed hard, then moved my head close to my lover's ear. "I don't want to spoil the mood, but we're gonna have to take this slow."

Opening his eyes, Tony looked at me. "What do you mean?"

"W-well..." I stammered. "I-I'm not a virgin or anything but it's been a while for me and you're quite a bit, uh, *larger* than what I'm used to..."

"What?" I could tell he was trying to concentrate on what I was saying.

"It'll be okay. We just have to take it easy at first."

Tony hesitated. "I don't want to hurt you, Gloria."

I sucked on his earlobe. "I know. You're not going to hurt me. You're going to make me feel good..."

Tony pulled me over to sit on his thighs and I grasped his straining erection. His face was a mask of concentration and I realized how difficult it was for him to go slow for me. I positioned myself over him, took a deep breath and moved downwards.

By the time I was completely impaled, we were both breathing heavily. I started moving up and down, slowly at first, then faster. Each stroke filled me completely, forcing a moan from me as his hands continued to move, touching any part of me that he could reach. I had my hands on his chest, trying to keep my balance during the ride of my life. Tony's eyes were closed and his face looked like that of an angel; I wanted to kiss him. Leaning forward, I tried to reach his face with my mouth but I was too short. "Tony..." My hands were on his shoulders as I tried, again, to reach his face.

Tony opened his eyes, realizing what I was trying to do; he sat up in one motion and my face fell forward onto his chest. I wrapped my legs around his torso and we resumed the rhythm, rocking back and forth slowly. My chin was lifted and my mouth was covered by his again; using his strong hands, he lifted my hips and released them again and again, moving into me completely with each thrust as I moaned softly.

Tony's breathing was becoming labored and I knew that, like me, he was close to the edge. Wrapping my legs tighter around him, I tossed my head back and cried out as we climaxed together.

When it was over, we remained in the same position, shaking slightly in the aftermath of the cataclysm. My head was buried in the junction of Tony's neck and shoulder as he stroked my hair and murmured unintelligible sounds.

I was experiencing the most incredible bout of afterglow of my life when I became aware that we were moving. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he whispered. "I thought you might like to lay down."

After a moment or two of shifting, I was laying with my arms and legs wrapped around my lover's body as tightly as I could manage. My head was nestled on his chest and I was being lulled to sleep by his rhythmic breathing. "If you need to leave, that's okay. I understand."

I felt, more than heard, a soft chuckle. "You're not getting rid of me so fast, Gloria. I don't think we're finished yet..."

I must have dozed off because I was startled by what I thought was the bed moving under me. I opened my eyes and realized that Tony was turning over on his side. I saw one chocolate-colored eye open slowly, then I felt one large, strong hand stroking down my side to my hip and then my leg. "Hola." I deposited a chaste kiss on his mouth.

"Hola." Tony smiled. "I didn't think you spoke Spanish."

"You've just heard about one tenth of my Spanish vocabulary. I can count to seven and ask for the bathroom, and that's about it."

"And this is why your friend wouldn't leave the hotel? Don't you know that practically everyone in Puerto Rico can speak some English?"

"I thought that was true, but she was afraid we'd get stranded somewhere..."

Tony shook his head. "It doesn't sound like you'd be deterred just because your friend was frightened."

I sighed. "Yeah, well, I wimped out and missed out on seeing anything but this stupid hotel!"

Tony lay quietly for several minutes, playing with my hair. "Gloria, would you like to see the sun come up away from the hotel? Out in the country?"

"It's too late, Tony. I'm going home in a few hours."

"What time does your flight leave?"

"A little after one, I think. Why?"

"We have plenty of time." Tony got up and padded over to the window, looking out. "The sun won't be up for almost two hours."

I started to get up and Tony walked back over to stand in front of me. "Do I have time to take a shower?"

"We have plenty of time." Tony grabbed my head again, pulling me close for yet another endless kiss. "I want to make love to you again before we go."

With a soft moan, I pulled Tony back onto the bed with me. "Very well, but I want you on top this time, Tony." I grabbed the headboard with both hands as he entered me again; there was no thought of tenderness this time - we thrust together, savagely. I locked my legs around his waist, closing my eyes and surrendering myself to the passion that was overwhelming us, knowing I would remember this night for the rest of my life.

I knew that neither of us would last long at this rate and, sure enough, I heard Tony moaning loudly. He clamped his mouth on mine, sucking the breath out of me as we came together one more time.

*****

Less than thirty minutes later, we were showered and dressed and back on Tony's bike, headed out of San Juan. It was still too dark to see much of anything that we were passing. I wanted to ask Tony how far we were going and what we were going to see when we got there, but the noise of the big engine precluded any conversation. Wrapping my hands around my lover, I laid my head on his back and enjoyed the ride.

The motorcycle slowed and I looked around in the burgeoning dawn, trying to see where we were. We were coming to a stop near the ocean, under a stand of large trees. "Where are we?"

Tony parked the bike, helped me off and walked toward the ocean. "This is a place I used to come to, when I wanted to be alone; to think."

"You live near here?"

Tony nodded. "I grew up in a village just down the road."

I stood for several minutes, gazing around at the unspoiled beauty of the beach. "Which way does it come up?"

Tony pointed ahead. "Over the ocean. The colors in the sky are magnificent."

I moved closer to the man in black leather. "Does it take long?"

Putting his arms around me, he said, "No. It happens quickly."

We were both silent for several more minutes, before Tony spoke again. "If you want to sit, we can move back there." He pointed to an ancient tree with a fork in the branches near the ground. "I used to sit there for hours."

"Okay." I allowed him to move us back to the tree and sat down with him behind me, straddling me, the opposite way that we had been sitting on the motorcycle. Leaning my head back against his shoulder, I sighed softly as his hands moved slowly over my body. The light increased rapidly, painting the sky with every color of the rainbow.

I admit that I've never been a fan of sunrises: they don't occur during the time of day that I'm at my most alert. But this was more than a meteorological event - it was spiritual. I felt as if I was being allowed to see one of Mother Nature's miracles and I think Tony felt the same way. I turned to steal a glance at him, and saw a look of wonder on his face as well.

On the way back to the hotel, Tony took me to breakfast at a small restaurant run by his aunt and cousins, near where we saw the sunrise. He had been raised by his extended family after his parents died when he was fourteen, and the camaraderie he still shared with them was palpable. They asked him many questions about the 'American chica', which he smilingly refused to answer.

After another wild ride through the countryside, complete with descriptions and anecdotes I'd never have gotten from a tour guide, I was back at the hotel just in time to pack and make my plane. I was interrogated at length about my adventures by Denise, but only told her the barest details. We had always shared everything, but this was something that I treasured too much to tell to anyone.

And, now, more than a year later, I find myself still thinking about Tony. When I left him at the hotel we promised to keep in touch, but neither of us has been very conscientious about our promise. So I was surprised when he called me last weekend. No longer working as a cop, he has a job investigating the disappearance of his cousin earlier this year and he's going 'up north' for a couple of months. He's not looking forward to the cold weather but he's reasonably sure he knows what happened to Benny and he thinks it will only take a month or so to prove that he was killed by his fiancee.

Tony also told me that he wanted to visit me as soon as he finishes this job. He said he never stopped thinking about me. I told him I was looking forward to seeing him again and that he should be careful. He told me not to worry, that he would call again when he could and that he'd see me soon.

It's funny - I wanted to tell him that there hasn't been a day since last August that I haven't thought about him, that I will worry about him every day until I see him again and that I'm going to do my best to convince him to stay with me and not go back to Puerto Rico. All these things remained unsaid, however, and I'm beginning to regret that.

All that's left for me to do now is wait: every day I send out good thoughts to the universe on Tony's behalf, and I prepare myself for the day when my knight in shining denim returns to me...