He lowered her onto the mattress and fitted himself between her thighs. Grabbing a condom from the pack he’d set on the bedside table, he rolled the latex over his erection, and commenced to doing what they did best.
Chapter 5
Indina stood off to the side and counted as, one by one, the Holmeses descended from the shuttle bus and made their way through the gate of the ruins at Dzibilchaltún. After a nearly hour-long drive out to the ancient Mayan site, everyone was ready to get out and stretch their legs.
“Parents, keep your children with you until I get a final headcount,” Indina called out as they all entered the gate.
At breakfast this morning, Harrison had tasked her with distributing tickets and keeping a count of everyone for the first stop on today’s excursion. Indina had started to argue, just on principal at being told what to do, but after all the work her brother had put into this trip, she decided to lay off him. Besides, she didn’t want to add to whatever stress Harrison was under.
Indina and Griffin agreed to bring up the rear so they could keep an eye on everyone, while her father led at the front. Despite the fact that he was knocking on seventy’s door, Clark Holmes had the stamina of a man in his fifties. He still religiously jogged five miles a day.
Indina had watched him over the course of the past two days and had finally convinced herself that he was indeed going to be okay. She knew his eyes would never have the same spark they had when her mother was alive, but he seemed genuinely happy. Of course, nothing made her dad happier than being surrounded by family, so this cruise was like heaven on earth for him.
The entire clan trekked across the rocky dirt paths toward the main ruins site. Their guide, Iktan, had the distinction of being a direct descendant of the Mayan people, which he proudly shared with them once every ten minutes or so. Her dad called for everyone to hush while Iktan explained the construction of the centuries old stone temples. He described the serpent design that ran throughout several structures, eliciting oohs and ahhs from the children and even a few of the adults.
“I just helped lay the tile work in Mama’s bathroom at the old house,” Toby said in a hush tone. “I understand this kind of craftsmanship.”
Eli stared at him with disgust for a moment before he said, “Shut up.”
Indina bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.
They explored a few of the buildings, including a 16th Century Franciscan church, before Iktan guided them to a structure that he proclaimed was the most important on the site.
“This, my friends, is the Temple of the Seven Dolls.” He described the seven tiny effigies that were discovered in the temple when it was excavated, thus giving it its name.
Iktan pointed to the two window cutouts on either side of a large doorway. “If you are here on the Spring and Fall equinox, you will see the sun shining directly in the center of these doorways. This signaled harvest time for the Mayan. To this day, people travel from all over the world to witness it.”
“Can we come back to see it? ” Her eight-year-old nephew asked.
Indina rubbed her hand over Athens’s stubby hair. “Maybe you can convince your mom and dad to take another cruise next spring.”
“Only if he does well in school,” Willow said.
“That’s a given,” Indina replied. “He takes after his Auntie Indina.”
Willow smiled at that, and it struck Indina how rare it was to see a genuine smile on her sister-in-law’s face these days. How had it taken her so long to recognized that something was off with those two?
As they all returned to the main site, Indina kept her eyes on Harrison and Willow. The iciness between them was unmistakable. All the other couples held hands as they traveled over the crumbling limestone road leading back to the other structures, but Willow kept her arms crossed over her chest. When Harrison reached over to assist her across a particularly rough patch, she flinched and stepped out of his reach.
Indina wasn’t the only one who noticed it. She caught Liliana rolling her eyes at her parents. After that, the fifteen-year-old’s entire disposition changed. Her sullen expression remained as the guide pointed out the remaining structures on their tour. It made Indina wonder just how long this rift had been going on between her brother and sister-in-law.
Their tour ended at the Cenote Xlakah, an ancient freshwater pool in the heart of Dzibilchaltún. Harrison had told them all ahead of time that there would be an opportunity to swim, but Indina had had enough of the water with her dip in the hot tub yesterday. Instead, she and Griffin decided to climb one of the surrounding temples that overlooked the grounds.
“You go first,” Griffin said.
She started up the steps and then looked over her shoulder at him. “I know you just want to look at my ass while I climb.”
“I asked you to go first because I’m a gentleman,” he said. “I don’t have to play games in order to take a peek at your ass. I see it all the time.”
Indina burst out laughing as she started up the steep step.
“Be careful,” Griffin said, capturing her waist to steady her when she got tripped up on a step. His fingers spread over her stomach and he pulled her back against him. “You okay?”
“Yes,” Indina answered. When he went to move his hand, she clamped onto it, holding it against her belly. “Thank you,” she said.
Griffin brushed his lips against her ear again and whispered, “I’m here for you, Indina. You need to recognize that I’m
