The South Beach Search

by Sharon Hartley

  He brushed a thumb across her cheek, finding her skin soft and smooth. “Humor me. Remember, Robin said I would never harm you.”

  “She said ‘never deliberately.’”

  “What are you afraid of me finding out? Is there a warrant out for your arrest somewhere?”

  She took a deep breath. By now he understood it was her method of calming herself. “I have no doubt you and Javi already know there’s not.” She raised her brows. “Am I wrong about that?”

  “You’re not wrong,” Reese answered. Nothing under the name Taki, anyway.

  She placed both hands flat against his chest. “I promise my face is not on the wall in a post office somewhere.”

  He laced all ten fingers through hers, certain that she spoke the truth. “I have to admit,” he said softly, “I found it difficult to believe you were a desperado.”

  Dipping his head, he claimed her mouth. Taki parted her lips which he took as an invitation and he greedily deepened their kiss. She responded, teasing him with her tongue, sending bolts of desire crashing through him. When he cupped her cool cheeks between his palms, she sighed, and he lowered a hand to stroke the swell of her right breast, tracing its fullness with a gentle finger.

  Crushing an unrelenting urge to bury himself inside her, Reese broke the kiss and cradled Taki’s cheek against his chest. Her breathing had become as labored as his.

  With a moan of disapproval at his retreat, she lengthened her body against his, pressing into his chest, urging him to resume his caresses.

  But he wanted to make love to her in a warm bed, not on an exposed deck in his cousin’s chilly backyard. He had too much respect for her. If they continued this, they needed to move inside.

  Before speaking, he relished the quiet, intimate moment with her nestled willingly in his arms. No telling what would happen when they went in the house. Taki was the most unpredictable woman he’d ever encountered. With a soft kiss on top of her head, he breathed in the sweet fragrance of her velvet hair. He was about to suggest they relocate, when she raised her chin.

  “I was born in Rhode Island,” she said, tracing a random pattern across his sweater, near his heart. Her soft, halting revelation intensified his arousal. He clenched against the need to shift her beneath him.

  “I left my home because I wanted to see the rest of the world,” she continued. “I had no reason to remain in a place full of horrible memories.”

  “But you’re so secretive about your background,” he protested softly.

  Her breasts pressed against him when she inhaled. “My mother is gone, Reese. I’m better off if I don’t think about the way she died.”

  “Is your father still alive?” he asked.

  After a moment, Taki said, “He’s dead to me.”

  “Yeah, I get that.” Reese hugged her closer, then lightly stroked her arm to encourage her to reveal more.

  “My birth name is Kimberly Spencer,” she said. “My father is a man named Howell Atwood Spencer.”

  Reese didn’t dare speak.

  “Have you heard of him?” she asked.

  “Should I know him?”

  “Maybe,” she murmured. “He’s a very wealthy man.”

  “So that would be enough for me to know who he is?”

  When Taki didn’t respond, Reese wondered if this was more new age positive thinking. “Are you serious?” he asked.

  “Unfortunately, I am. But he’s cruel and heartless. My grandmother didn’t exactly approve of the way her son, my father, raised me after my mother’s death, but she was an old lady and didn’t have the spirit to fight him. Her will left half of the fortune to me.”

  Reese went still. “Are you saying you’re some sort of heiress?”

  “I don’t want the money or anything to do with him,” Taki said. “I ran away, but my father has people searching for me constantly.”

  Stunned, Reese needed time to absorb Taki’s hesitant revelations. An heiress? People were looking for her? This was bizarre, even crazier than her new age mumbo jumbo.

  “I guess that explains why you move so often.”

  “He always finds me. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you anything about my family.”

  “Because you thought I’d tell your father where you were? But why would I—”

  “I worry about that with everyone, and I didn’t know you,” she said. “Now that I do, I know I’m safe. But I was afraid to tell you right away. I’ve kept my identity secret for so long, that I—” She sighed. “You have no idea how hard this is to tell you.”

  He had a thousand questions, but sensed she wasn’t ready yet to talk more about life with a father she obviously hated, about why she hated him. He placed his chin on her head. He’d just have to give her more time. They had all night.

  “Let’s go inside,” he suggested.

  “Okay,” she murmured.

  Taki slid off the lounge chair, and he felt the loss of her warmth keenly. They gathered the wine and their glasses and carried them into Mike’s kitchen. Reese locked the back door, then took her hand, leading her down the hallway to his room.

  When they arrived at the open door, she looked inside to his bed and slipped her hand from his. He reached for her, but she stepped away.

  “Good night, Reese,” she said. Her eyes glittered with unshed tears.

  “Taki. Wait.”

  She shook her head, and walked away from him.

  He wanted to go after her. His lust, his sympathy, his affection for her twisted up inside him, making him crazy with wanting.

  But he let her go.

  What had her father done that was so cruel?

  * * *

  ALONE IN MIKE’S guest room, Taki closed her book and hugged it to her chest, listening to croaking frogs and crickets serenading each other around the lake. White curtains billowed through the open windows. She knew exactly where Reese was sleeping—on the first floor in Mike’s office on a convertible couch.

  Reese had made certain that she saw his bed, subtly inviting her to stay. She’d longed to climb into that bed with him and finish what they’d started.

  What she’d started.

  But she no longer believed one night with Reese, no matter how deliciously intimate and fulfilling, would be enough. No, one night would just make everything worse. She’d want more. Sucking cool air deep into her lungs, she realized she needed to rethink her impetuous decisions. Reese was not good for her.

  Talking and thinking about her mother today had reinforced that in some twisted cosmic symmetry, she and Reese, with their opposite personalities, were a repeat of her mother and father. They were destined to make the same tragic mistakes. At least in this life.

  So how could it feel good that she’d told Reese about who she was? Well, maybe not the whole truth, but enough so he’d quit probing. Revealing her identity had been hard. She’d hidden her birth name for so long that forming the words and uttering them had been close to impossible. She’d felt like cracking ice, as if she’d melt, just flow away into that lake and disappear if she disclosed the truth.

  But when they’d kissed, bolts of hot energy shot down her spine, creating a pleasurable ache between her legs. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to relive the erotic sensations. It was as if a spiral of heat had rushed into every pulse point of her body. She lost herself, sinking past the point of no return into warm, sensual quicksand. At that moment, she would have gladly done anything he asked.

  Why did Reese have an effect on her more powerful than her most incredible visions?

  He seemed different tonight with his cousin. Relaxed. Easygoing. Someone she could grow to love. She sighed and faced the truth.

  She already loved him.

  If she made love with him, she’d hurt him. She didn’t want to hu
rt him.

  She’d been touched by the story of his parents’ divorce, imagining the pain of a teenager caught in the middle of a nasty fight. Reese spoke of very old wounds, and she knew more than anyone about old pain from warring parents. She wanted to hug him, press her lips against his heart and visualize it healing, making his spirit whole again.

  She lifted her new book on soul mates, which she’d been reading since she was too restless for sleep. She’d learned there were many versions of the legend, including one from Plato, who claimed that Zeus had split androgynous humans in half because of their pride, but then they were so miserable apart they couldn’t even eat. Apollo sewed the humans back together, but they remained incomplete and always longed for their other half, their soul mate. When you found your soul mate, you immediately shared an unspoken understanding of all things. When finally joined, there could be no greater joy.

  If things were different, she and Reese could have had absolute perfect joy.

  Taki turned on her side and pictured him downstairs, his strong body tangled in the quilts on his bed. If they made love, it would be the most exquisite experience of any lifetime. For both of them. She wouldn’t be able to tear herself away from him.

  But she could see their future all too clearly. They were too different, their personalities opposite. They’d tear each other apart, just like her mother and father had.

  She rolled to her other side. It wasn’t fair to him—to either one of them—to allow a love affair to begin. Whether they were soul mates or not, had known each other for several lifetimes or not—none of that mattered. If they became intimate, they would only cause each other pain.

  She had to end this now with Reese before it went any further, before he fell in love with her.

  It was too late for her, though. He was already part of her, the other half of her soul, and she’d never forget him. Never be happy without him.

  * * *

  THE NEXT MORNING, Reese sat with his cousin in Mike’s country oak kitchen.

  “I’m telling you, Reese, you should get the hell out of South Florida while you still can.” Mike spoke with heated emphasis while pouring two cups of coffee.

  “Ah, there she is.”

  Mike retrieved another mug from the cupboard when Taki entered the kitchen.

  Reese smiled at Taki, her hair not yet combed, when she sat across the eat-in kitchen counter looking sleepy but sexy as hell. He’d lain awake most of the night hoping she’d come to him. She never had.

  Did the shadows under her eyes mean she hadn’t slept, either?

  “Miami has just gotten too damned dangerous,” Mike continued, placing sugar and cream on the counter. “First your briefcase...next someone will take your life.”

  “All large cities have their dangers,” Reese said with a shrug. Mike made this emotional pitch every visit. “I love Miami. It’s the most exciting city in the world.” He held up his cup of black coffee in a toast. “To Miami.”

  Mike snorted. “Exciting, my rear end. You just think your connections in Miami-Dade County will provide the best route to the governor’s mansion.”

  “You want to be governor?” Taki asked as if just waking up. Reese shook his head. He’d have to remember she wasn’t a morning person.

  Before he could reply, Mike said, “Not if he’s dead, he won’t. How about you, Taki? Are you crazy about Miami, too?”

  “Oh, well...I won’t be in Miami much longer,” she said.

  Her offhand statement was a sharp blow to Reese’s gut. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe. She was leaving? Where was she going?

  “But I’ve visited some gritty developing countries,” she continued, staring at the coffee Mike had poured for her. “Miami is a sanctuary compared to some of the cities I’ve been to.”

  Reese took a gulp of coffee and burned his tongue. He’d counted on Taki being around for a long time—like, well, maybe for the rest of this lifetime. This lifetime? How had that thought snuck into his logical mind? Of course he knew where it’d come from. Taki.

  The thought of her leaving filled him with a strange, hollow ache.

  “Is this decaf?” she asked.

  “Decaf?” Mike grinned. “I never saw the point.”

  Reese half expected her to pull a box of herbal tea out of thin air. Instead, she just smiled and pushed the mug away.

  He didn’t question her about where she was going, when she was leaving. She didn’t like being cross-examined. Instead he brooded all through Mike’s famous breakfast of eggs, pancakes, sausage, toast, grits and potatoes, which he barely tasted. Taki ate everything but the meat.

  He didn’t want her to go anywhere. Not yet. Hell, not ever.

  “You didn’t know she was blowing town, did you?”

  “What?” Only half listening to his cousin, Reese watched Taki move effortlessly up a circular staircase to finish packing. It was almost 11:00 a.m., time for them to get on the road.

  “That was the first you heard of your girlfriend leaving town,” Mike repeated, “and you don’t much like the idea.”

  “I didn’t know anything about it,” Reese admitted. Mike calling Taki his girlfriend startled him. He didn’t object even though it was inaccurate. He’d only known her, what—two weeks? Seemed like much longer.

  “I can’t figure if you’re pissed because she didn’t tell you or because she’s leaving.”

  Reese remained silent, not certain of his own reaction, either. Taki had told him she was a gypsy. What did he expect?

  “I’ve never seen you quite so smitten, cuz. Good luck.”

  Reese shook his head. “Smitten?”

  “I’d say that about describes it. I can’t wait until Uncle Avery meets your gorgeous yogini. You know, he could use a good stretching in her yoga class. That man is strung so tight he squeaks when he walks.”

  Reese grinned at that image. “Taki would set my father back on his heels, wouldn’t she?”

  “No kidding. Man, make sure you invite me to that dinner party. Maybe his favorite golfing buddies will be present. I’m sure Taki would explain karma to the reigning state politicos. Someone needs to, considering the way things are going.”

  Reese chuckled at the thought of Taki explaining her new age theories to the movers and shakers in Tallahassee.

  “And since your mom is a past president of the Dade County Medical Society, what will she think about a woman who prescribes herbs without a license?”

  “Taki doesn’t prescribe. She offers free advice,” Reese said, then wondered if Taki would be around long enough to meet his mom. Yeah, his dad might freak out, but his mom would love her.

  * * *

  THEY SAID THEIR goodbyes to Mike and were on the road before noon. Reese waited until he’d accelerated onto the interstate before asking. He wished he could transport them back to the intimacy of last night and the pleasure he’d known as she’d confided in him. Would she remain as open in the harsh light of day?

  Maybe the night hadn’t ended exactly as he’d anticipated, but other than temporary disappointment he hadn’t been overly worried. He’d thought he had plenty of time to get to know her. Maybe he was wrong.

  “Why are you leaving Miami?”

  She threw him a startled look.

  He shook his head. Seriously. Didn’t she expect me to ask?

  “Lourdes Garcia told me you’re one of the most popular instructors at SoBe Spa,” he added. “And don’t you teach at your ashram, too?”

  “My father already has feelers out in Miami. He’ll find me soon, so it’s time to move on.”

  “What exactly does he want?”

  “Not me. He doesn’t care about me,” she explained. “He only wants me to sign documents—contracts, stock sales, leases, which I refuse to do. He’d love to have power of att
orney.”

  “Why not let me help you with your legal problems? I’m not without resources.”

  She shook her head. “You talk just like him.”

  “What?”

  “You’ve always reminded me of my father. So impatient, arrogant, always questioning my beliefs.”

  Reese tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Shit. What could he say? Yeah, he knew he was impatient. Arrogant? Maybe so, but he’d never get anything accomplished if he didn’t push back a little.

  No question he’d doubted her philosophy.

  “So the person I remind you of that’s not very nice is your father?” he asked, remembering something she’d once said.

  “That’s why I kept pushing you away, but I’ve come to understand it’s not as simple as that. Your personality is similar to my father’s, while I now realize I am very like my mother. Believe me, history has shown that’s a terrible combination.” After a moment she added wonderingly, “You know, I even resemble her physically.”

  “I thought we knew each other in previous lives,” he said.

  “I still believe we did.”

  After a moment Reese asked, “Did your father abuse you, Taki? Is that why you—”

  “Not in the way that you mean.” She released a deep sigh. “You know, I don’t even like to think about him. Can we change the subject?”

  Reese ran a hand through his hair. Damn, but she was making this hard. “When are you leaving?”

  “When I find the bowl and give it to Navi.”

  “And if you never find your bowl?”

  When she didn’t answer, Reese threw her a quick glance. He didn’t expect to find her staring out the window with a faraway look in her eyes.

  “At some point I’ll have to give up, won’t I?” she said.

  “But not yet,” Reese said. Of course he’d voiced what she’d consider negative thoughts. Never mind that it looked less and less like either of them would ever find their property. He’d given up on the briefcase. After forty-eight hours, stolen property was seldom recovered.

  And now he had mixed feelings about helping her locate that damned bowl. If he did, she would disappear from his life forever.