“What you saw was a hug of relief. I can’t even describe how wonderful it was to see Vivyenne again.”
Ellie’s face flushed. She turned her gaze from his.
“Let me finish, Ellie. It was wonderful to see her again. Because she was such a contrast to you.” Denver enunciated the final words with firm conviction.
Ellie started. “To me?”
“To you. Seeing her made me realize how amazing it was that I’d found you. It made me feel even more how much I wanted to be with you.”
Ellie’s indefinite tingling pricked back to life. She gazed into Denver’s deep brown eyes and read in them everything she’d stopped herself from thinking in the past weeks. She read that she, with all her flaws, her awkwardness, and her lack of trust represented his ideal. That he wanted her and would fight to get her back. That he loved her.
She reached out her hand but he shook his head. She let hers drop, her brows drawn together.
“There’s more?”
Denver scuffed the grass. “There’s more. Maybe you believe me about Vivyenne?”
“I do.”
“Maybe you know Vivyenne’s engaged to someone else?”
Ellie nodded.
“It’s someone she knew long before me. When she and I left the next day, it was on different flights. I haven’t spoken to her since.”
“I believe you. You don’t have to tell me more.” Ellie tried to rise again. But at a gesture from him, she sat back down on the wooden boards.
His eyes locked onto hers. “I tried to call you.”
“I blocked your number.” Ellie looked away, the hurt in Denver’s face stinging her heart.
Creases on his forehead deepened and he dropped his glance to the ground. “I deserved that.”
When he didn’t continue, Ellie jumped in. “I’m sorry. Maybe I should have trusted you more. But after what I saw…” Her fingers fidgeted with the edge of her bandage. “It broke my heart.”
Denver bit his lip. “I know. I’ve been a total ass. I don’t know if there’s any going back.” He sighed.
“You’re not an ass.”
“Yes, I am. I have been. Even before you saw me with Vivyenne.”
Ellie regarded the line he’d worn into the grass. “What do you mean?”
“I’m an ass because my company’s fallen apart, for one. RED’s going to declare bankruptcy. My partner left. The business in China didn’t pan out. And we’ve got no money to pay the employees.”
Ellie rose and descended the few steps. Denver backed away. She reached for his hands but he hid them behind his back.
She tried to catch his gaze. “Denver. I don’t care. You did your best. You’ll start something else.”
“I’m not the man you think I am. Remember that day by the beach? When you asked me what I’d do over again?”
“Sure. You said you wouldn’t have started RED.”
Denver frowned. “I have different answer now. My answer is that I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“You didn’t lie.” Ellie stretched her fingers toward him. “It’s not your fault the company failed.” He started at her touch and edged across the grass beyond her reach.
“I did lie. That house over there.” He pointed. “It’s not mine. It belongs to some family friends.” He sunk his fists into the pockets of his shorts. “I don’t have millions.” His foot kicked an imaginary rock. “I’m not a success. I’m a failure.” He shrugged his shoulders. “So I understand if you don’t want anything to do with me.” He drew a breath, stood erect, met her eyes, reached out both hands, palms open, and locked his gaze onto hers. “But if there’s anything I can do, anything I can say…I’ll wait as long as you need. If only you’ll let me work on living up to your expectations again.”
The noon sun baked her long hair as she stood, unmoving, staring at him. “That’s not your house?”
“No.”
“And you’re not a millionaire?”
“No. There was a point where my company was worth millions. But that was before I even met you. If I come out of these bankruptcy proceedings now with a little more than the average Joe, I’ll consider myself lucky.”
The shadow of a smile flitted across her face. It gradually settled and grew into a broad grin.
“What a relief.” Ellie flung her hands into the air, as though pushing back mountains of incorrect assumptions. “I spent these weeks thinking I shouldn’t have trusted you, because someone as amazing as you would never really want someone like me.”
“What? Why would you think that?” Denver took a step toward her. “You’re incredible. That morning on the beach when I met you…” He advanced again. “You were so beautiful. So engaging. So full of Maui sunshine. My heart never looked back.”
Ellie lifted an eyebrow. “Really? I’m Miss Viral YouTube Accident Video, remember? And I had seaweed in my hair.”
Denver smiled and narrowed the distance between them to a few feet. “I didn’t notice.”
Ellie laughed. “Saltwater must have affected your vision.”
“Don’t sell yourself short.” He strode foreword and stroked her cheek with his palm.
She leaned into his caress. “No. I’m not going to do that anymore.” She took his hand. “I was pretty kick-ass yesterday. That’s the new me. Kick-ass YouTube videos, here I come.”
Denver’s face sparkled. He tugged her gently against him. “You’ve always been kick-ass as far as I’m concerned.” He hesitated. “But what about me? I’m not who you thought I was.”
“Yes, you are.” Ellie tugged her hand from his grasp and ran her fingers through his hair. “You’re kind. Intelligent. Loyal. You came back for me when you thought I’d given you up.”
Denver smiled. “Does that mean you’ll give me another chance?”
“I’m not giving you another chance.” Ellie maneuvered her wounded arm around his waist and steered him up the stairs. “Your first chance never ended.”
***
Denver cradled Ellie’s head in the crook of his arm. Afternoon light filtered through the orange curtains of the guest bedroom, casting their naked bodies in shades of copper. Ellie wandered the fingers of her good hand absently around the line of stitches on his smooth chest.
“Does it hurt?”
“Nope. It’s only a flesh wound. He hardly even grazed me.”
He wound his fingers around hers, tilted her head, and kissed her, a tender, lingering kiss of sated passion and contentment.
Ellie closed her eyes. “I wish we could stay like this forever.”
“I eventually have to go to work.”
She prodded his ribs. “Why? I thought you said your company was going under.”
Denver grinned. “No need to rub it in. But I’ve already found another job.”
“Seriously?”
“You sound disappointed.”
Viv jumped onto the bed and poked his head under the covers. Denver shooed the cat away.
“I kind of liked the idea of your being a kept man.”
“I’ll be working for my parents’ company. It’s a job I should have taken a long time ago.”
Ellie roughed up his hair and then smoothed it again. “What will you be doing?”
“Learning the ropes, mostly. They eventually want to retire. If I’m any good, they might ask me to take over. But that’s far down the road, Ellie.”
Ellie smiled. “I’m patient.”
“In the meantime, it will at least keep a roof over our heads.”
Ellie slid her hand into his. “I wasn’t worried about that. I’ve been pulling in some decent money these past months. And my prospects are good after I finish school. Even at a not-for-profit, I’ll pull my weight financially.”
Denver coughed. “Yeah, well, speaking of the money you’ve been pulling in…”
Ellie scooted sideways to look him full in the face. “You’re not upset that I’m still taking Vivyenne’s money, are you?”
“Um, no. Because y
ou’re not.”
She leaned on one elbow. “What do you mean?” The sheet fell from her body and Denver’s hands reached toward her. “Hold on.” She pulled the sheet back up. “Tell me first what you mean.”
He reluctantly pulled back. “You’ve been taking my money. Vivyenne wanted me to take Viv back that night you saw us. She wanted to fire you. I didn’t want you to lose your job. So I said I’d pay your salary if she’d keep you on.”
Ellie fell back onto the pillows and laughed. “No wonder you need another job. I’m costing you a bundle.”
“Worth every penny.” Denver kissed her again, his lips slowly working their way from the bend in her neck to her mouth.
Ellie snuggled against him. “So I’m a kept woman?”
“You’re mine for keeps if you’ll have me.”
“I’ll have you.” Her hand encircled his neck.
Viv’s paws and ears appeared on Ellie’s the side of the bed. He hopped across the pillow and nuzzled her hair. “No, Viv. Not now.” Ellie shooed him away.
She nibbled Denver’s ear. “Why did you name the cat after Vivyenne?”
“I didn’t. Viv’s short for Vivamus. It’s Latin for airplane.”
Ellie’s eyes opened wide. “That explains a lot.”
Denver’s hands cupped her backside and pulled her toward him. “Like what?”
She arched into him, rubbing her torso rhythmically against his. “Like why Vivyenne never liked him. And why he never liked Vivyenne.”
“The cat’s got taste.” Denver flipped her onto her back and straddled her hips.
Ellie stretched her good arm overhead. “So I guess you’ll have to find an apartment in Seattle that takes pets.”
Denver leaned forward and clasped her hand gently. “You mean in San Francisco. My new bosses are good with my telecommuting.” He groaned as she wriggled her hips into place.
“A place for the two of us?”
He lowered himself gently onto her. “For the three of us. You, Viv, and me. Any requests?”
Ellie’s breath quickened. “Yes. The walls.”
Denver groaned. “What about the walls?”
She stared into his eyes. “They can be any color.” Her eyelids fluttered. “Except white.”
Denver laughed. Ellie relaxed and lost herself in the dazzling sunlight, the warmth of his skin, and the mutual passion of their bodies.
He whispered, his words thick with longing. “Ellie, I’m yours.”
He’s mine, Ellie thought. I’m his. And this, finally, is paradise.
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Acknowledgments
Writing, for me, is a group process. My gratitude to everyone who touched this project, both in detailed and fleeting ways, is deep.
The generosity of our cherished friend Sonja Schluter made this book possible. She introduced us to life on Maui in ways we had never dreamed were possible. Once there, countless individuals enthralled me with their enthusiasm, knowledge, and insights about the Valley Isle. I am deeply indebted to Kelly and Rich Brunner, Ivy and Gavin Campbell, Tracy Lamon for their help.
The staff at Limitless Publishing was, as always, outstanding, including my amazing editor, Rosa Sophia. Readers of my Wild at Heart Newsletter, a wonderful group, helped choose this book’s title. My husband, Ron Strickland, unfailingly supported me throughout the months of this project. And my best friend, Antje Hofmeister, patiently coached me, once again, through the nuances of writing romance.
Now, on to book three!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christine Hartmann grew up in Ohio and Delaware and loves traveling to exotic, romantic settings. After a college semester in Kathmandu, her first three “real” jobs were all in northern Japan, where she lived for almost 10 years. She currently splits her career between her daytime occupation (improving the quality of veterans’ nursing home care) and her nights/weekend avocation (writing both fiction and non-fiction books). Her husband, Ron Strickland, is a well-known long-distance hiker, trail guide writer, and the founder of the 1,200-mile Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail. Christine loves reading, pilates, bicycling, snorkeling, and health foods that taste like they’re bad for you. You will often find her at a keyboard, with Ron whispering sweet edits over her shoulder.
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Paradise Wild (Wild At Heart Book 2) Page 22