A loud noise thundered in her ear. She lifted her head to look at him, and asked, ‘Are you hungry or was that thunder?’
‘I’m starving.’
‘You should’ve said something.’ Belle moved to get up. ‘Where’s the food?’
‘There’s a couple of egg and lettuce sandwiches in the cooler. Stay there, I’ll get them.’ He rolled off the mattress to get to the cooler, and passed Belle a sandwich.
‘Hmm, food.’ She shoved it in her mouth and chomped. ‘This is so good,’ she mumbled her appreciation.
‘Maybe it wasn’t me rumbling. Hmm … ? Kabe chuckled, then asked, ‘Glass of wine?’
Belle slapped an innocent look on her face and didn’t say anything. She placed the sandwich on her knees, took the offered plastic glass and drank; her stomach warmed with a welcome rush, she sighed and ate her sandwich.
Kabe threw his head back and laughed.
After a third glass of wine, Belle’s eyelids became heavy, but in the flickering firelight, she noticed the welts on his arm, and lightly traced her fingers over them. She raised her eyes to find him studying her face, and stilled.
‘Why are they looking worse?’ Belle asked.
‘We just had great hot and sweaty sex,’ he said as if that answered everything. He tilted his head, waiting.
‘Oh!’ Belle nodded and said, ‘Once you cool down so will the welts.’
‘They’ll be gone by morning,’ he whispered, his eyes telling her he knew she cared. He raised her fingers to his mouth, turned her hand over and kissed her palm. Her heart did strange things then he placed her palm over his heart, it thumped almost as hard as his did. A tingle raced through her. Without saying anything, he was showing Belle exactly how he felt.
‘Holy cow,’ Belle whispered.
‘Yeah,’ came out like a slow sigh. Coupled with Kabe’s intense look, it felt as if her heart had swelled and left no room for her to breathe. He leant in and and pressed his soft mouth on hers with a hint of tongue. Then he slipped under the covers with her, his hand wound over her waist, and pulled her in close, her back to his front. ‘Night, Belle,’ Kabe whispered against her shoulder.
‘Night, Kabe,’ she whispered back, covering his hand with hers. She closed her eyes and couldn’t stop the sudden memory of that shocking day, barely six months ago. Every night, when the there was nothing to distract her, the house was quiet, her thoughts would turn to that dreadful day when she lost someone so precious; the agony burning through her hadn’t diminished. If Kabe had only been there, then maybe she would feel less broken.
*
A sudden kick to the shins stirred Kabe. More shoving and moaning brought him fully awake. Blinking, he focused on Belle’s face; she was fast asleep yet frowning and struggling in his arms. He held her tighter, thinking it would help her feel safe from whatever was tormenting her, but it only made her struggle more. Maybe she was reliving her scary rescue. He’d already had his share of reliving that nightmare.
‘Belle … Belle,’ he whispered.
Eyes screwed shut, a film of perspiration covered her body, and then she whimpered, ‘No … no.’
‘Belle!’ he called out, gently shaking her.
Her hands were pushing at his chest when her eyes fluttered open; it shocked Kabe to see how frightened she was.
‘Huh?’ She tried to focus not only on him, but her surroundings as well.
‘You’re safe here on Butterfly Island.’ Kabe stroked strands of hair off her face. ‘You were having a bad dream, had to wake you before you socked me one,’ he said trying to make light of the situation. ‘Tell me about it; it’ll help you get back to sleep if it’s all out and not churning in your mind.’ Arms around her, Kabe waited. ‘Come on, Belle, it’s easy.’
‘I …’ she began. ‘It’s okay.’ She shrugged off his request.
Kabe slanted his head. ‘Nothing’s ever that bad that you can’t share it with a friend.’ He paused and, scanning her face, he said, ‘Actually, I hope I’m more than a friend.
Eyes wide, fearful, Belle gasped.
Despite her reaction, Kabe continued, gently, ‘What is it Belle?’
Her shoulders sagged; she took a deep breath, and said, ‘It’s … it’s all too heartbreaking and …’
‘All the more reason to talk about it.’ Alert to any sign of stress or evasion Kabe paused, then asked, ‘It’s not the rescue, is it?’
She shook her head. ‘No, nothing compares to … Oh God!’ Belle cried out, covering her face with her hands. She curled herself up into a tight ball of pain that seemed to engulf her body.
‘Belle! What the … ?’ Kabe held her wrists and pulled her up. She didn’t have the strength to resist. ‘Belle, talk to me!’ He cupped her jaw and gently tilted her head to meet his gaze.
Tears flooded her eyes and trickled down her face. Not knowing what he was dealing with here, he had to restrain himself from gathering her in his arms and holding her, even though Belle’s distraught look cut straight through his chest, where it burned.
‘Come on, Belle … let it out, it can’t hurt you. I’ll keep you safe.’
She took a shaky breath and nodded. ‘I’ll try.’
Kabe let her go, leant over her to dip into the cooler and brought out a cold-water flask. He sat back, took the top off and handed it to her. ‘Drink,’ he ordered. She took a few sips then, with trembling hands, passed him the flask.
‘Thanks, I’m okay now.’ She seemed to have pulled herself together, at least he hoped so. He hated seeing Belle so distressed, his own helplessness beyond frustrating.
‘Tell me everything, or we stay here until you do.’ He didn’t mean to sound harsh, but it cut him up to see her like this. Holding her face he stroked her cheek with his thumb and hoped his actions took the edge off his demands. ‘Take your time, I’m not going anywhere,’ he murmured, adding a reassuring smile. Kabe dared to slip an arm around her waist and tug her into him.
Chapter 7
‘The whole sordid story?’ Belle asked.
‘Everything,’ he said, squeezing her hand reassuringly.
‘That would take too long. I’ll give you the sordid abridged version.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Here goes. Greg Travers, you know him, charming, ruthless.’ Immediately, she felt Kabe tense against her. ‘He worked as a consultant for Eagle Ray Resorts and he sexually harassed me.’
Try as he might, he couldn’t stop a fierce growl deep in his chest.
‘Kabe?’ Belle asked, her voice tentative.
‘Please, go on,’ he urged gently.
‘Okay. He wanted to date, and I flatly refused. I made a formal complaint to management, and they did nothing. He tried all kinds of ways to break me with his snide remarks. “You look tired, why is your hair dull, didn’t you sleep well? Perhaps you’re working too hard. I can take on more of the workload. Must you wear that at the office?” What the … !’ Belle grimaced; she fisted her hands, shaking them. Kabe eased them open and brought them up to rest on his chest. Though she gritted her teeth, he watched her swallow several times. As much as he wanted to, he wasn’t going to stop her from finishing what she’d started. Though telling him probably wouldn’t be enough to rid her of the crap. He tensed as he realised she was studying his reaction. He pulled his body under control, forced his muscles to relax, and hoped she wasn’t put off by the emotions warring behind his eyes, because there was nothing he could do to stop that.
‘You’re perfect in every way.’ Kabe stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers, then moved his hand around to her neck. ‘I love what you wear and the way you wear it. The sheet, your shorts … and undies.’ He gave her a teasing smile.
‘I could see that,’ she told him, giving him a faltering smile back. ‘You want me to go on?’ Kabe nodded. ‘Okay, the powers that be decided we—Greg and I, together—should research a possible site for Eagle Ray in Vanuatu. I thought, it’s a big island, I can do this, but he was there at breakfast, at lunch, and at dinner. In
hindsight, both Greg and Eagle Ray had an agenda—get to me and they’d get to Butterfly Island. Greg denies the accusation and claims it’s all in my head. And of course, I don’t have any proof that’s what they were after.’
He felt her tremble and his gut told him there was more to come, and it was much worse. She unwrapped his arms from around her and pushed at his chest to give herself space. Her action hurt more than he cared to admit, but he let her have what she needed to go on.
*
Long-buried, nauseating images were back searing her brain. Belle surged to her feet, wondering if they’d ever fade. She paced across the sand in front of the airbed, aware Kabe watched her every move while her life shattered once again. How could she possibly explain?
Belle took a deep, unsteady breath. ‘So on the last night of our stay Eagle Ray organised a celebratory dinner, which included Vanuatu ministers of lands, tourism, and planning. Eagle Ray executives were there as well, what could go wrong?’ She hesitated, heart in her throat. ‘Um … the … the next morning, I … I woke and Greg … he was in my bed … Ugh!’ she dry-retched, shuddered and protectively wrapped her arms around herself. ‘Horrified doesn’t even begin to describe how that felt.’
Kabe stood and reached out to her. Belle couldn’t handle his touch right now and put her hands up to stop him. Thank God, he didn’t push it and was smart enough to step back.
‘He told me that I’d invited him in. I don’t remember anything like that … I would not have done that! Revolted, I flew out of the bed. We argued, I screamed at him to get out. I questioned everyone who’d been there including restaurant and bar staff. No one noticed anything. It’s his word against mine. I needed to get off Vanuatu and caught an earlier flight home, and handed in my resignation. They insisted I comply with my contract, which stipulated that I was to give them four weeks’ notice. I fully intended to take them all to court, but I had nothing to back up my claims … and …’
Kabe’s eyes blazed with such quiet intensity, it was scary. Lips together in an angry line made a muscle in his jaw twitch. His interlaced hands tight, his knuckles white. He didn’t say a word—didn’t have to.
Tears burned behind Belle’s eyes; she swallowed them back past her thickening throat and continued explaining the most devastating, heartbreaking time in her life. ‘Four weeks later, I was late. Tests showed I was pregnant.’
‘Fuck!’ Kabe growled. Emotions crossed his face—rage, heartache, empathy—as he moved to hold her.
Again, Belle stopped him advancing. His hands flew into his hair, raking at his curls. ‘Please, Kabe, I can’t go on if you touch me, I—I’ll fall apart.’ Reluctantly, he backed down. ‘I went through everything with my doctor. We all know it takes one precise moment, and there you are, pregnant. It felt like ice water ran through my veins.’ Reliving the memory, Belle shivered and watched Kabe clench and unclench his fists. ‘I confronted Greg. He said getting pregnant was all my idea and insisted we get married. I knew he’d break if I kept pushing. I was right. It didn’t take long for him to blow a fuse. His excuse? He was so in love with me, he wanted us to be together and getting me pregnant was a means to that end. He threatened to announce throughout the office, on Facebook, to the papers, to anyone who would listen, that he was the father and we were engaged. He’s totally insane!’
Belle could feel and see Kabe’s body was wired ready to erupt. His handsome face hard as flint, his jaw muscles working hard. Red-hot anger vibrated through him. He said nothing and held her gaze, as though he knew there was more to her devastating story. His barely controlled emotions were for her … all for her.
It had been nearly six months, and going through it again would reopen wounds that still felt so raw. Her pain would be horrific, but she couldn’t hold back … not now. Her mouth trembled and tears rolled freely down her face. Then gathering strength within, she continued, ‘I did everything right. I read pregnancy books. I took good care of my body, ate the right food, rested …’ Belle had worked hard to keep control, but what she was about to say now, out loud, was the most devastating, and her voice trembled as she went on. ‘Six months later … six months …’
‘Belle, no!’ Kabe reached for her.
She had no strength left to push him away. Body shaking, hands covering her face, sobbing, she slumped into his arms. ‘M—my beautiful baby girl. Gone.’
‘Belle …’ Kabe whispered, his voice tight. He pulled her to his chest and eased down on the airbed with Belle in his lap. ‘It’s all right, I’ve got you.’ Her head on his shoulder, he wrapped his arms around her, and gently rocking back and forth, he waited until her grief settled. ‘Deep breaths, Babe, deep breaths.’
She didn’t know how long they sat like that, but as her tension eased, she felt Kabe’s did as well. Face wet with tears, grateful for his caring arms around her, she did as he asked.
Kabe reached behind him for his T-shirt dropped in the dinghy earlier and used it to dab her face, then left it on her lap, just in case.
‘You must think I’m such a blubber-arse.’
He chuckled. ‘I’ve seen and felt your arse, Babe, and trust me, it’s nothing like blubber.’
Tears drying, she covered her mouth and snort-giggled. ‘I meant a weeping-wailer.’
‘Got any more of those?’ His grin didn’t reach his concerned eyes.
‘Not right now, but give me time.’ Her fingers twisted at his shirt.
She looked down as his hand closed over hers, stilling them. Dare she hope Kabe understood how deeply her loss had affected her?
‘Feeling better?’ His grip tightened, and his eyes held a measure of sadness for her. He did understand as much as anyone could.
‘Yes, thank you for listening.’
‘I always will. I’m honoured you feel safe with me to open up the way you did,’ he said, giving her a meaningful look. ‘Never keep anything like that bottled up, never. You can talk to me about anything—anything at all.’ He drew her in close, their faces almost touching. He closed the gap, closed his eyes and pressed his mouth lightly, lovingly on hers.
But, what he asked next rocked Belle’s soul.
‘What was your baby girl’s name?’
‘W—why would y—you ask that?’ Belle stammered, new tears blurring her vision.
‘I know you, you would’ve named your baby,’ he said with conviction. ‘Remember, you can tell me anything—never forget that.’
Belle straightened and proudly said, ‘Annaliese. It means “graceful light”.’ She tried to keep it together, but her chin crinkled anyway and then a sob escaped her throat. ‘No one’s ever asked so I assumed no one wanted to know. It’s like she never existed, but … damn it, she did … she did.’
Kabe nodded. ‘Annaliese … it’s a beautiful name,’ he murmured. Never taking his eyes off her, Kabe gathered her hand and kissed her palm. ‘Anytime you want to talk about your daughter, I’m listening. All fucked-up crap aside, Annaliese was yours, was part of you. I’m here for you and your baby girl.’
Throat aching to keep her tears at bay, all Belle could do was nod. Her hand came up to cover her trembling mouth before another sob escaped her throat. At last someone understood.
Kabe pulled her hand away and tenderly dabbed her wet face with his T-shirt again. ‘I’m here for you, Belle.’ His arm came around her shoulder and, placing his free hand to the side of her face; he pulled her to his chest, resting his jaw on the top of her head.
‘It hurts so much.’ Belle shoved her face into Kabe’s neck, loving the feel of his skin. She closed her eyes and whispered, ‘Annaliese, my sweet dark-haired girl. My grace, my light.’
Kabe lifted Belle up to the top of the airbed, covered them both with the open sleeping bag, and whispered, ‘Annaliese.’ He leant forward and with his index finger lifted her chin; against her mouth, he said, ‘Sleep now, Babe.’
And she did, a contented sleep, free of disturbing dreams.
*
The morning chorus
of birdsong started to penetrate Belle’s sleepy mind. Sensing daylight, she raised one eyelid, squinted and muttered, ‘Noisy birds.’ Moaning, she stretched her body like a waking cat.
‘Ow—ow—shit—ow!’ Belle squealed.
Kabe smiled down at her. ‘What’s your problem?’
‘Oh my God—cramp!’
Kabe pulled the covers off her.
‘Hey!’ She lifted herself up on her elbows, and the pain intensified. She flopped back down and cursed some more. ‘Shit—shit—damn it!’
‘Stop squirming,’ Kabe ordered. Taking hold of her leg, he eased it straight. Nursing her calf in the palm of one hand, he pushed the ball of her foot towards her shin with the heel of his other hand, massaging her calf at the same time.
‘Holy shit! Aaaggghhh!’ Belle cried out. ‘Damn that hurts!’
‘Don’t be a girl!’ Kabe chuckled.
Teeth gnashing, she glared at him but once she noticed his concerned expression contradicted what he’d said, decided to stop giving him evil looks.
The pain and spasms eased, but Kabe kept massaging. Moaning with relief, and some pleasure, Belle closed her eyes. His hand went further up her thigh, and knowing what he was capable of, her sex pulsed. ‘Oh yes please, keep going … higher.’ Eyes half closed, she looked into his, which were smiling with satisfaction.
‘Did you want to stay another night?’ his voice teased sexily as he continued to rub her leg.
‘Oh God, that is so unfair.’ She was torn.
He slid his arms under her back, lifted her up and kissed her. She loved his supple mouth, his tongue. And just when she was about to whimper with need, he pulled away, and captured her with a red-hot gaze. ‘You’re right, I’m being unfair.’
‘Oh, but it was so nice,’ Belle murmured, gripping his shoulders.
‘Yeah … very. We’ve got maybe twenty minutes, half an hour tops to get The Ondine off the sand before the tide turns. Then, get through the heads and find your dad’s boat.’
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