by A Rosendale
She held his hand as dusk settled on the island.
“What about the man in Paris?”
His shock could not have been more evident. “What man?”
“The one that followed us through the city.” She shook her head. “I also had the weirdest dream.”
He spurred her on with both an arched brow and a squeeze of her fingers.
“It seemed so real, but… Anyway, I dreamt he came to our hotel room. I was on the couch, but couldn’t move. Like I was…” She shot him look of sudden understanding. “Like I’d been drugged or something. It’s true, isn’t it? That actually happened?” Her voice didn’t rise in panic, but rather sought clarity.
He nodded slowly in regret.
“What happened? I don’t remember anything other than him being in our room.”
“He threatened you,” Dirk explained. “So, he had to be liquidated.”
“’Liquidated’? You mean killed?”
Watching her reaction carefully, he nodded.
Alma frowned as she contemplated his answer. To his relief, she never appeared alarmed.
Stars twinkled into existence above. Still silent, Alma laid back on the sand. Dirk followed her example. Their hands were still clasped, but no further touch was initiated.
“So you didn’t sleep with her?”
The words split the darkness as effectively as a searchlight.
“No,” Dirk answered assertively. “Did you sleep with Dr. Miles?”
She turned her head sharply to face him, but his outline against the sand was barely perceptible.
“Were you following me?” she demanded angrily, trying to snatch her hand away.
Dirk held it firmly. “I would never impose on your privacy like that.”
“Then why are you here? How did you know I’d be here?” Her tone rose sharply in accusation.
“I ascertained that Dr. Attenborough would be conducting research here in the Virgin Islands and approached him with a suggestion. A plea for help, really.”
“How do you know about Miles?”
“I’ve developed a network of informants in Boston.”
“You had me under surveillance?” The indignity made her voice uncharacteristically sharp.
“No. One of my informers recognized you.” Before she could interrupt again, he squeezed her hand hard. Despite his calm demeanor, he was bristling at the conversation. “Just let me explain. When Johnson realized I was tailing him, he had his own man double back and they managed to ambush me. He threatened your life if I didn’t stop the investigation.”
“Which you obviously did not, as he’s now in prison.”
“Correct. But, in the interim, I was called out of town and wanted to make sure you would be safe, so I had my informants keep an eye on you. Hence, when you entered the Citizen, my guy recognized you and, observing a certain interaction that he thought would interest me, he tracked me down to report.”
He waited a beat to see how she would react. When there was no response, he prompted, “Well? Did you sleep with Brandon Miles?”
Again, she tried to reclaim her hand, this time out of embarrassment. When he refused to release her, she covered her face with her free hand. “It was stupid. I was so so drunk.”
“I heard.” His tone would have been amused if he weren’t still in dread of her answer.
“I won’t bore you with the details I’m sure your ‘informant’ described. He rode home with me in a cab and offered to stay, but I turned him down.”
Dirk’s grip relaxed and he took an audible breath of air.
“You’ll also be relieved to know that he called the next day, declared the whole thing a mistake, and vowed off any further advances.”
“Hmm. I suppose I must thank him sometime,” he said with dry sarcasm.
They stared up at the heavens for a long while, each wrapped in separate thoughts.
“I’m starving,” Alma finally declared. The fruit she’d breakfasted on had long since faded. “Do you want to go get something to eat in town?”
With a sigh of regret, Dirk shook his head and he sat up. “I need you to know a few more things.”
Alma sat beside him, still holding his hand as he faced her.
“First, everything I’ve told you is absolutely confidential. My career would be on the line if any of my superiors even suspected I’d told you the details I have. You can never share any of it, including destinations I might visit in the future, let alone details of my assignments.”
She nodded her understanding and agreement.
“I…” He touched her cheek in the starlight. “God, I love you like I’ve never loved anything in my life. But, it may never be safe to be with me. I will never be able to guarantee your safety. You are absolutely my first priority, but there will be times I’ll be unable to protect you. As you’re aware, I travel constantly. You’ll be alone…” Letting out a groan of aggravation, he removed his hand. “You know what, this isn’t fair to you at all. I can’t give you the kind of life you deserve. Just…just give me the ring back and I’ll let you be. Forget I even asked.” He held out a hand, expecting her to drop the white gold band in his palm quickly.
“Don’t you think I should get a say in what I think I deserve?”
He raised his chin. The glow of the rising moon provided enough light to make out a stubborn gleam to her eye.
“I suppose you do,” he allowed reluctantly and replaced his hand in the sand.
“Let’s call it a night. We can sleep on it and revisit the subject in the daylight.”
Dirk agreed with an imperceptible nod.
“Do you want to spend the night?”
“No. I think…I think you should consider everything without…distraction. I’ll meet you here around five tomorrow.”
Her light laugh brightened the night considerably. It was clear what she perceived as a ‘distraction’. “I suppose that’s fair.” She got to her feet and brushed sand from her bare legs and hands. “Goodnight, then.”
“Goodnight.” He ached to reach out for her, to pull her back to the sand or at least to kiss her, but willpower alone made him resist and refused to supplant any external motivation.
Alma hesitated a moment, perhaps echoing his desire. Then she turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Dirk fell back in the sand miserably. He was second-guessing the proposal in general. He’d never live with himself if anything ever happened to her due to his career.
“I’m too dangerous,” he declared to the stars.
‘Don’t you think I should get a say?’ Her question echoed in his mind.
The simple tenacity of the statement silenced his regret. She was hands-down the toughest, most resourceful woman he’d ever imagined. Maybe she would be the perfect match to his dangerous flame.
Roiling with indecision and the consequences of Alma’s conclusion, whatever the result, he got to his feet and trudged a long distance to his seaside hotel.
Chapter 30
Alma was lying awake on the bed twirling the ring when Steven knocked. She got up to let him in, then sat at a table by the window.
“Are you okay?” he asked, glancing around the hut as if expecting to find something of interest.
Alma nodded as he took a seat across from her.
“I assume from your late retirement last night and quiet manner this afternoon that he found you.” Before she could answer, he plunged on. “I am so sorry! He came to me with a request born of such adoration and heartbreak, I couldn’t say no! But…” Steven stopped abruptly and motioned to her hand where she was still twirling the metal in contemplation. “What did you say?”
She sighed and stopped touching the ring. “I haven’t answered yet.”
“Oh,” Attenborough said in confusion. “Well, I wish I could offer some advice, but, as you can clearly see, I, too, am a lonely scientist drawn to the sea and her mysteries rather than a flesh and blood lover.”
Alma chuckled. “The sea i
s a pretty good companion,” she agreed.
“True, but she has her moods. Like this morning, for instance. So amicably embraced yesterday on my dive, I was deceived by her charms. There was a wicked current about the wreck today. She shoved me into the rigging. I would have been trapped and died if my dive partner hadn’t happened along. I owe her my life,” he finished wistfully. “The sea rarely has our best wishes in mind.”
She had to grant him that.
Steven shrugged. “I don’t know the guy that well, but the way he appealed to me and the fact that he’s here now… Well, that speaks volumes.” He squeezed her shoulder and got to his feet. “Now, to appropriately thank my savior.” He wiggled bushy brows at her to clarify just how he was to thank his dive partner.
Alma rolled her eyes and laughed.
* * *
She was late. Dirk couldn’t decide what that might mean. He hesitated to go to the scientific resort down the beach. Apprehensive, he shed the floral print Hawaiian shirt he wore, kicked off his Chacos, and waded into the surf in board shorts. Stroking hard, he was seventy yards from shore when he stopped to tread water and regain his breath. The exertion felt good after a tumultuous, sleepless night.
His gaze was drawn to the open sea beyond the breakers of the reef. Two years ago, he would have wondered what could possibly draw any human being to the wide, dangerous ocean. Now, though, he’d not only seen the wonders it housed, he’d viewed and experienced the awe they inspired. He remembered Alma’s expression that first weekend at the Lighthouse when she’d described her recent article. Life surged from her and wound him ever more in a net she’d unknowingly cast.
Energy recouped, he turned back to the beach and saw a tiny figure perched on the sand next to his shirt and sandals. Anxiety balled in his stomach and he struck out for shore. Waves propelled him forward in a rush to meet his fate.
Alma watched Dirk brush water from his face with a hand and shimmering droplets flew from his dark hair when he shook his head. His abdomen lacked a chiseled six-pack, but was firm and moderately sculpted with attractive muscles. She kept her expression in check as he stepped out of the surf. He stretched out on his side in the sand, head propped on a hand to regard her. Still, she didn’t speak.
Scowling, he gestured at her. “Well?”
“After careful deliberation and contemplation of everything you shared with me last night, I’ve decided that I’d rather enjoy the challenge of marrying a gentleman spy.”
“It’ll be danger-”
“You mentioned that. I’m aware of the risks.”
“I don’t think you are,” he argued.
“If what you said about Paris was true and that man drugged me in hopes of who knows what, then I think I am.” She touched his fingers in the sand. “I guess it comes back to this.”
He nodded for her to go on.
“I can never adequately describe the feeling of being in your arms, the taste of your lips, the whisper of breath on my neck as you sleep beside me. But I can most certainly say that beside you is where I belong and I have never felt more at home than I do in your arms.”
A smile crossed his lips.
“I feel like that’s worth the risk. I feel like we’re worth the risk.”
Dirk contemplated the idea for a long moment, staring at the water as he did so. He slowly met her gaze, looking up into her face. “So that’s a yes?”
He would cherish the smile that broke over her face for the rest of his life. She leaned down to kiss him passionately and he pulled her over him, rolling into the sand with a laugh.
* * *
Alma lay under Dirk’s arm, her head on his chest as they lounged in the sand.
A long comfortable silence preceded Dirk’s question. “Back in Boston you said you should have known? What did you mean?”
Alma knew instantly the shouted words he was referring to. “It’s funny you ask, actually. I was implying that all men, at least to my assumptions at the time, are awful, selfish pigs.”
Her blunt reply shocked Dirk and he shifted on the sand under her. “Please, explain.”
“Maybe I should have mentioned this sooner,” she deliberated. “I was engaged to a fellow doctoral student in Washington seven years ago.”
He shifted uncomfortably again and wondered if this was the occasion Ava had mentioned.
“His name was Zach Martin. He proposed to me on a beach in San Diego on a surfing trip.”
“Wait a second.” He moved abruptly and looked down on her with her damp hair splayed in the sand around her face. “You surf?”
Glad he was downplaying the solemnity of the information, she laughed. “I used to. I was never very good.”
“Hmm. My fiancée surfs,” he chuckled. Then he repeated, “My fiancée,” as if the words had an especially pleasing taste.
Alma smiled and kissed his cheek.
“Sorry to interrupt. Please continue.” He resumed his posture in the sand and allowed her head on his shoulder.
“It wasn’t until almost a year later that I realized all the work we’d collaborated on bore only his name once published.”
“He was stealing your work?” Dirk said in disbelief.
“Yes. To this day, or more precisely, until three days ago, he claimed it was a mistake. Maybe the editor mistyped the authors’ names. I saw through him then, just as I did this past Saturday.”
“You saw him?” Disbelief was replaced by an ember of outrage. Here he’d thought they’d wrapped up any suspicions of infidelity and now she’d visited with her former fiancé.
“Yes. He came to Boston to congratulate me on speaking at the Smithsonian.”
“That was seven months ago.”
“Time seems to mean nothing to Zach.” The disgust in her voice reassured Dirk. “He proposed a new collaboration piece.”
“Your credentials are even more impressive than at UW.”
“Yes. And while he claimed it had nothing to do with my newfound academic fame, I turned him down.” She laughed harshly. “The jerk even bought me a latte.”
Relieved, Dirk said, “You hate lattes.”
Alma laughed and laid a kiss on his cheek.
“You know, in the spirit of our new engagement, I could use a cup of coffee, as it was the very substance that initiated our relationship.”
She considered the late hour and shrugged.
“I have a coffee pot in my hotel room.”
“With that prepackaged, acidic coffee more fit for motor oil than human consumption? I don’t think so! I have local coffee grounds and a French press back at the hut.”
“Thank God!”
* * *
It was after dark when the couple emerged from the shadows created by torches ringing the beach patio the science community shared. Alma intended on skirting the gathering, but Steven waved them over, a bright smile on his face.
“You said yes!” he declared excitedly, gaining his feet.
“Thanks to you,” Dirk replied and shook his hand.
Steven pulled the near stranger into an embrace that widened Dirk’s eyes. Then he swept Alma into a congratulatory hug.
“I insist on throwing you an engagement party!”
“That’s not-”
“I insist!” Attenborough repeated vigorously. “Tomorrow evening, right here. Cocktails and champagne, shrimp and fruit kabobs!”
“Steven, most of these people hardly know me,” Alma pointed out.
He shrugged. “They don’t care. Any reason for a party is a good reason!”
The couple exchanged a skeptical glance, then she nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”
“Of course, of course!” He hugged her again and returned to share his plans with the others. Alma noticed he placed a confident arm around the waist of one of the women scientists and assumed she was his heroic dive partner.
Alma reclaimed Dirk’s hand and led him into her hut where they brewed French press coffee and sat at the table.
Dirk moaned a
t the deliciously hot liquid. “This is the best coffee I’ve had all week!”
She smiled and silently sipped her coffee sweetened with local sugar cane. She was sure she’d never tire of his energy and enthusiasm for new experiences.
“So, how’s this work?”
With raised brow, she asked for clarification.
“I’ve never been engaged before and you, well, you’re an old hand, apparently.”
She rolled her eyes at the jest.
“I mean, do we start planning the wedding now? Does someone else do that? What’s the time frame?”
“As far as I’m aware, there’s no time limit for engagement,” Alma said. “And I’m in no rush.”
Dirk smiled in relief. “Me neither. What are your plans for the rest of the week? Other than the party in your honor tomorrow?”
“Our honor,” she corrected. “I don’t really have any plans for tomorrow otherwise. I was considering exploring in the other direction when my relationship status changed. Friday, I fly back to Boston and then off to Seattle for the research cruise.”
“That’s right. Then you’ll be in Friday Harbor a week, right?”
She nodded. “Why don’t you meet me there? We’ll tell my parents together.”
The idea sent a sudden rush of anxiety through his gut. “You don’t think they’ll be skeptical?” It was rare to hear such apprehension in his voice.
“Of you? Not after spring break. They both ask about you every time I call home.”
He frowned in doubt.
“It’ll be fine,” she assured him.
* * *
It wasn’t until almost dawn that they crawled into bed. Alma relished the very arms and breath that had led her to set risk aside and agree to his proposition. She eased into the first serene slumber she enjoyed in two weeks.
It was late morning when the blissful smell of coffee again filled the hut. Rolling over, she found Dirk extending a mug to her as he sat back on the mattress. His easy grin was the only ‘good morning’ she needed and she wiggled up against the headboard next to him.