Be Mine: Valentine Novellas to Warm The Heart

by Nicole Flockton

  “Hey, don’t be frightened. I’m here. You’re safe.”

  Considering his warm blue eyes, she didn’t question her safety from the storm, but her heart from falling for this man. Could she trust him? Could she trust herself? Her heart rate exploded, her throat contracted as she dry swallowed. Electricity filled the air. “I…I normally like a good storm.”

  He moved closer taking hold of her free hand. “I’m the same. I don’t know how to explain this but…”

  “But?” She repeated, swallowing again.

  “You’re like no one I’ve ever met before, and I so want to kiss you right now.” He shuffled on the lounge to sit closer, his face so near hers she could feel his light breath brush against her skin.

  “You do…” It came out in a whisper. Her heart was in her throat. Did she want him to kiss her? Her lips parted, “I’m… I’m not…” It was a hushed murmur. She was struggling with it, terrified of what it might imply. She wasn’t looking for someone. She didn’t want a relationship. But his mouth was so enticing…

  His lips were so close. “Say yes…”

  She delved deeper into deep blue pools darkened by desire, losing the battle, perhaps it was the wine, her head tipped back. The warmth of his fingers caressed the inside of her palm. She closed her eyes and gave in, willingly. “Yes.”

  Soft as satin, thick lips barely touched hers, with the lightest trace he ran them over hers, surprising her. She opened her eyes to see him watching her, silently asking for more, as though confirming she was sure. “Yes…”

  With her second affirmative, he released her hand and ran his free fingers through her hair, softly holding her head. “The lady said yes…” and his lips took ownership of hers. So gentle and undemanding. She pushed herself against him, against the finest soft velvet, wanting more and he happily obliged.

  Wind howled in violent gusts, pushing against the little cottage. A loud crash sounded against the front lanai. Harrison rested his forehead against Caitlynd, trying to get his libido to settle. He had to slow things before he lost complete control of himself. “I…best check outside. This storm doesn’t sound like it’s about to settle soon.”

  Her breaths came fast and the pulse at the base of her throat pumped wildly, he lowered his mouth to taste her.

  By the look in her eyes, she was as surprised as he by their connection. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. He needed to put some space between them. “You are so captivating. What you have done to me?”

  He slowly moved aside, adjusting his trousers to accommodate his need. He let out a huff of air and shook his head, while she sat there gorgeous and blameless and totally surprising.

  The sound of shattering glass exploded in another room. Caitlynd shrieked. They both jumped up and bolted toward it. The curtains billowed wildly into the spare front room, shredding as a mangled tree branch stuck through.

  “I have to get outside to close the shutters. Damn it, I should have already done it.” He shut the door to the room, forced Caitlynd back to the lounge room, and gently led her to sit. “I want you to stay right here. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He could see the fear in her eyes.

  With difficulty, he turned, forcing his way through the front door as the wild wind pushed into him.

  Rain bombarded him, in a sheet of sharp needles, striking him full force and stinging his face. He welcomed the onslaught, letting it cool his senses. The wind pushed him against the house, full frontal he struggled to move against it. Bent over, he pushed forward along the lanai and saw debris collected against the front of the house.

  He checked the windows and managed to close the outside shutters, worried something would blow across and smash the rest of them. A large palm frond smacked into him and he fought against it, trying to move it to the other side of the house.

  He moved to the tree branch, to try dislodging it, pulling it from the window frame, but it was wedged. The other branches twisted and grabbed at him. His shirt loosened and flapped about, the fine fabric easily shredded. He yanked at the large branch, pulled, and managed to wrench it out, tossing it to the other side of the house. He hunched into a low crawl and managed to close the white shutters to the broken window.

  He staggered to the side of the house. A savage gust shunted him face-first into the side garden bed. “Aaahhh…crap!”

  On hands and knees, Harrison carefully crawled to the rear of the house where it was marginally sheltered, to catch his breath. The storm had brutally winded him.

  “Harrison…”

  He vaguely heard his name called.

  “Harrison, are you all right? Please, come back inside…”

  “Caitlynd, go back.” He yelled against the wind, and slowly headed toward her. Floored by her concern for him. “Wow…” but there was no time for him to ponder further, as another violent gust of wind caught him and pushed him off the balcony and into the rear yard he rolled.

  He heard Caitlynd scream as she tried to come toward him. “No. Caitlynd. Stay there. I’m okay. Get inside.” He yelled against the noise, afraid she wouldn’t hear him.

  On his hands and knees once again and his head lowered, he slowly managed to crawl out of the wind’s way and back to safety. Her arms came to him and they huddled together, making their way to the open door

  “I was so worried about you. You’re drenched.”

  “Oh Honey, it’s sweet of you, but I’m fine. Man, that wind, its wild. ” He ran a hand through his wet hair.

  “Let me get you a towel. You’re shirt is ruined.”

  “That’s okay, I’ve plenty of spares.” He grinned at her, while removing it. The white tee shirt beneath was drenched through, so he removed it, laying it over the rear of a chair.

  When Caitlynd returned, she stopped to look at him. She had the same look when he spied her watching him at the beach. He sucked in his breath. With unhurried steps, he stepped toward her taking the towel from her. “Is this for me? Thanks.”

  “Um, yes…you…surprised me.”

  He liked she admired his body so openly. He worked hard at being in shape, not only from going to the gym, which he found boring, but by hard physical manual labor. The lumber work he did himself, carting it, forming it, he took pride in his labor.

  He enjoyed buying rundown houses for minimal cost. Tearing away the old, and replacing with new. Often times he would change the layout of the house, taking out unnecessary walls, opening the spaces to make them more open-plan and livable. He enjoyed it more than he did being a lawyer.

  “You’re hurt.” She lightly traced a finger near his eye, touching his face. “I’ll get the first aid kit.”

  He liked the way she seemed to care for him. “It’s nothing.”

  “No, you’re bleeding. Please sit so I can clean it.”

  “Yes ma’am.” He smiled and did as told. She pulled out some cotton balls and soaked them in disinfectant.

  “This might sting a little.” She dabbed gently high against his cheek.

  “Ouch.” He jerked his head aside.

  “Oh you big baby. Hold still.”

  He felt his eyebrow pop. “Big baby huh. I risked my life out there and you’re calling me a big baby.”

  “Yes, you’re my hero.”

  “That’s better. Ouch, it still stings…” he laughed as she cleaned his wound, while getting lost within her amazing dark brown eyes.

  “There, this butterfly plaster should do the trick. You’ll live. It shouldn’t leave a scar.”

  He took her hands into his. “Damn, don’t scars make men more handsome?”

  “Ha, you don’t need any help there.”

  “Is that right? You think me handsome?” He managed to maneuver his legs around her so she stood between them. “I have you captured now.”

  “Yes, you do. So…what happens now?”

  “Well, I suppose it all depends on you.”

  “On me. How so?”

  “Caitlynd, I’m no angel. I’m not perfect by any mean
s. But…I’d like to see where this goes between you and me.”

  “I’m not ready yet for anything…romantic. And for your information, I’m far from perfect. But I get what you’re saying, I feel it too. Could we take this slow?”

  “I’ll go as slow as you want me to. I’ll be guided by you and never expect anything from you. You need to know I’m nothing like your ex and you have nothing to fear from me.” He gently ran a finger along the soft curve of her jaw line.

  Caitlynd became quiet and he feared she was pulling away from him. “Are you okay? Or have I terrified you?”

  “Um, maybe, a little perhaps.”

  “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For your honesty. As long as we are honest with each other, we will be okay.” He appreciated her goodness and could see the passion and strength within her. She wanted what they could have, but he knew he had to go slow. As hard as it might be, he would do it with every fiber of his being.

  “I suggest we get to know each other. I have a proposition; we spend as much time as we can together. Have some fun. Play tourist. Hang out together. Tell me, what would you like to do?”

  “Me? I’m not sure. I wasn’t looking for fun I suppose. I was looking for a rest and eventually start up my own business. I’ve never been asked what I wanted before.”

  “Well, you’ll hear a lot of it from now on.” He laughed.

  She gave him a bright smile reaching her lovely eyes.

  “I’d like to try, if you’ll let me.”

  “Okay.”

  “It’s late. This storm isn’t settling yet. You should head to bed, the house should be safe now. Try getting some sleep. I’ll stay on the lounge.”

  4

  Sun blared between the cracks of the shutters and made a direct path into her eyes. She rolled over and groaned aloud. She had slept so badly. It wasn’t the noise of the storm or the battering winds, or the tree bashing at the side of the house. It was knowing Harrison was asleep on her lounge, not far away from her. The man was dazzling. Not only good looking, his soul was beautiful. There was so much to the man besides his good looks.

  If he had kissed her one more time, she would have easily conceded and let him into her bed. Instead, Madam Mireille visited her in her dreams, reminding her of her prediction. She smacked her pillow and groaned.

  She recalled his lips against hers, the way she melted within his arms, like ice cream on a hot summer’s day, skimming across his glorious hard body.

  She kicked her legs, and cried into her pillow.

  “Caitlynd?”

  Her heart stopped and her breath caught in her throat and she froze. He stood at her doorway. She peaked from beneath her sheet. “Morning.”

  “Are you okay; I heard you scream?”

  “Sorry. I…I…it was a dream. I’m okay. Thank you.”

  “Okay. I’m going to take a shower. Do you mind?”

  “No. I mean. Of course, go ahead.”

  When she heard the door close to her bathroom, and heard the water flow in the shower, she began to breathe again. She cringed and called herself an idiot of the biggest kinds.

  She dragged herself out and pulled on a dressing gown, stumbling into the kitchen. The doors wide open and she blinked at how bright and fresh it was. Surprised to find the coffee already made, she helped herself to some, sweetening it with sugar and milk.

  She stood by the front door and looked out at the destruction around them. The beach covered in great masses of dark material, several of the palm trees bent over from their roots. “What a mess.”

  “Yeah…but it will clean easily.”

  “Oh hey…you’re so quiet.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Luckily, there is little damage to the house, a mess in the yard and a broken window. Pretty lucky in the scheme of things. It could have been far worse.”

  “Have you spoken with your mum?”

  “She’s fine. She barely heard anything. I’ll go around and check on her shortly.” His eyes bored into her. “How did you sleep?”

  Was she going to lie to him and pretend otherwise? “Not so great. There were…distractions.” And she looked into his sunlit blue eyes.

  He grinned. “Yeah. Same.”

  Did he know what she meant? “Thanks for the coffee.”

  “Mahalo. You’re welcome. Now, I need to get out of here and check on mom and my place. I’ll be back later to help clear around here. While I’m gone, you should get some rest.” He placed a hand under her chin. “You look tired, but I’m sort of glad as to the reason why. It wasn’t the storm was it?”

  She was unable to prevent the smile at her guilty thoughts. “Once I have a shower I’ll be fine. You do have a way of sidetracking me.”

  “Thank you.” He leant in and kissed her. His lips soft and gentle against hers. He smelt good. She placed a hand against his heart and felt it beating strong and steady against a hard chest. “I’ll see you later.”

  His broad smile warmed her. “You will.”

  It was hard to leave Caitlynd but Harrison’s concern for his mom got the better of him. Even though she held she was ok, she sounded weary and he suspected things were far worse than she alleged. When he got there, he was right. She’d been awake all night, trying to hold things together.

  “Mother, please, I want you to go back to bed. I’ll get this place cleaned. I’ll get some help around.”

  “Darling, I’m so sorry. You’re always busy looking after me. I’m such a burden to you.” Elspeth cried.

  “No, Mom, you’re far from it. Come on, let’s get you back to bed. You need to rest. Leave all this to me. When you wake later, it will all be cleared away.”

  “Thank you my darling. I love you.”

  “Did you have your medication this morning?”

  “Yes darling, stop worrying about me so much. Is Caitlynd okay? Did the cottage fair alright?”

  He knew she was fishing for more than what she was asking and he gave her a smile. “She’s great mother and bar one window smashing, the cottage faired fine.”

  Overall, it was easy work, getting things cleared around his mother’s property. Her house was protected from the harsh ocean winds. Her shop was also in good condition. Once he was satisfied, he headed to his place. It was an easy walk normally, but with so much debris scattered, it was more of a hazard. It was early afternoon by the time he’d arrived and his house wasn’t as lucky, sitting in the direct path of the storm.

  Many windows smashed in. All his outdoor furniture had blown away. Part of his roof had lifted and shingles were missing. He pushed his way through the partially blocked doorway, to find extensive water damage to the front living room and the kitchen. The power was out and exposed wires visible. His refrigerator lay on its side with both freezer and fridge doors wide open.

  “Harry…you there brother?” A loud booming voice called through from what used to be his front door.

  “Kale, I’m through here, in what used to be the kitchen.”

  “Man, you okay? What a mess. Where you here when this happened?” The big Hawaiian lumbered around the rubble and they hugged, clapping each other on their backs.

  “No. I was a little…” his mind saw a pair of passionate brown pools sparkle gold, and lips of silk, “…occupied. What a crazy night huh?”

  “Oh yeah…I bet.” Kale nodded his head with a wide grin. “Well, the Gods are not happy about something. The elders are off in the hills, giving offerings.” Kale said off handedly, as though he didn’t believe in the myths and legends of the old Hawaiian people.

  “Those poor innocent pigs…” Harrison let out a sigh and shook his head.

  “Yeah, what a waste of good meat I say.” Kale said rubbing his stomach.

  “Here, have some ice cream as conciliation. And take whatever’s salvageable back to your place.”

  “I’ll take the beer, the unbroken ones. Thanks.”

  “How’s your place?”

 
; “All good. We had the place shut pretty tight. Lost a couple of trees, but nothing major. The house is good, solid. We lost the chicken house though. Luana is unhappy, blames me for not building a better house for them. Women, I tell yah…” Kale shook his head. “I told her those chickens are off in the forest somewhere, scratching around, they’ll be okay. Now I have to get her new ones…”

  “She’s a good woman your wife, Kale, but I’d hate to get on her bad side. She can be scary sometimes when she loses her temper.” Harrison laughed, smacking his friend on the back.

  “Don’t I know it...” and grinned. “Looking at you’re place, I’d say we got off pretty scot-free.”

  “Yeah, well, I didn’t get here to close it, so the wind went through and the place exploded. Oh well. Nothing I can’t fix I suppose.” Harrison kicked at what was once a drawer, broken and strewn across his floor. Whatever was in it was long gone, blown away.

  “Me and the boys can help you, no problem.” Kale took the container of soft ice cream and happily ate. “Shame to waste it.”

  “Thanks Kale, I appreciate your help. Tell the boys I’ll pay and give them all a bonus at the end of it. Might even get you some extra pigs.”

  The big Hawaiian roared into laughter, with a mouth full of melted ice cream, nodding his head.

  Caitlynd managed to get all the bedding out of the spare room washed and dried. She had cleared as much of the broken glass as she could and removed the shredded curtains. The mattress was ruined and would need replacing. She dragged it through the house and outside. Overall, she could not complain. The cottage had survived better than some of the neighbors. The normally picturesque beach ahead with its pristine sand was covered in mounds of darkened seaweed strewn across. An awful smell emanated from it. Pooh, rotting seaweed…she screwed up her nose. I hope that gets cleared up. Perhaps it was their responsibility to clear up, she wondered. Something to ask Harrison.

  She cleared as much rubble from around the front of the house as she could and placed it all into a pile near the side of the road. She peered along the street as others did the same. Neighbors waved in good spirits, which was a lovely surprise. No one complained or cried. They all took it into their stride and in good humor and simply got on with it. Some of the neighbors’ kids called around to help out where possible.