“Good. Because I don’t think I could either and following you to another stateroom might be impossible.”
She could not hide her giggle in the darkness. Not only had he just shown her how gentle a lover could be, but his tireless desire had nearly rocked her world off its axis. She felt as though she had died and gone to Heaven, and she was pleased that he felt as satisfied.
“You’d follow me if I left?”
“I finally got you where I’ve wanted you for forever. There’s no way I’d let you leave again.”
She heard his chuckle against her ear and placed a lingering kiss over the spot his heart beat most strongly. For the first time since her parents had died, Diana felt treasured. Everything about the way he had touched her that evening, even the way he was smoothing her hair down her back, was reverential. This was one special moment, and she knew in her heart she would treasure it always. Amazed with his gentle spirit, Diana drifted off to sleep feeling fortunate instead of scared that she had been able to experience it.
Chapter 11
Diana’s eyes flickered before her long lashes fluttered open. The room was dark. It was the middle of the night. All was quiet except for the soft purr of the ship’s engines. They were heading south back to Oahu on their second night of the vacation of her life, and the yacht was moving smoothly beneath her. All appeared to be well. So what had disturbed her?
Snuggling back under the covers, Diana closed her eyes and tried to relax back into sleep. Both she and Devlan had collapsed into bed that night, exhausted from their magnificent turkey dinner and quick sightseeing trip with Hannah to Kauai that day. Like a true family man, Devlan had escorted her and Hannah around enthusiastically, taking pleasure in Hannah’s excitement and happy chatter until she had finally crashed into a deep sleep. Diana and Devlan were not long on her heels, and she now longed to find that deep, dreamless sleep that she enjoyed just moments ago.
Then she felt Devlan’s hands on her. It was he that had disturbed her sleep, and he was pressing insistently against her back. She opened for him drowsily, and she sighed in pleasure as he began to move. Even though she was still half-asleep, her body responded to the feel of him as if from pure instinct.
“Jesus, Diana.”
Coming fully awake, Devlan suddenly went tense against her. But it was too late. Unable to stop, his body stiffened then shuddered as he found his release. He buried his face in her neck with a ragged groan.
“Well that was a completely reckless and foolish thing to do,” he said softly into her hair.
Fully awake now too and feeling fairly stung, Diana rolled away from him. “Reckless?” she asked sharply
“Yeah, I don’t know what happened.”
“Well it’s okay, I’m clean.”
“What?” he asked in confusion.
“Don’t you think I immediately got tested after Peter?”
“What? Wait a minute.” He reached for her but she resisted. “That’s not what I meant… aw, hell!”
Devlan reached over to switch on the bedside lamp. Groaning, she squinted in the sudden bright light and brought a hand to shade her eyes. The relaxed feeling from a few moments ago had just about completely gone away. She grimaced.
Devlan was frowning at her, but his tousled hair and drowsy eyes softened the effect. His finger came up to trace a small scar under her eye. She turned away from the knowledge of what was coming.
“Why did you stay with him?”
She sighed deeply. “I don’t want to discuss it.”
“We’re going to have to sooner or later,” he said.
Diana shrugged and rolled back onto her side. “Then we’ll discuss it another time. Just not tonight.”
“He hurt you, I know. I would never treat you the way he did.” Devlan tugged on her shoulder, once more rolling her onto her back.
“Then why do you care so much?” she asked. “You made a simple mistake, but it’s fine.”
Devlan shook his head. “It’s not that, Diana. Other things could happen…” He fell silent, his blue gaze studying her intently. When she did not respond, he spoke softly. “Like a baby. What if you got pregnant?”
“I see,” she whispered, feeling tears fill her eyes. “I wasn’t really concerned about that. I’m sorry.”
In truth she could not blame him for his hesitation. A child could be confining for a man like him. Even though he truly seemed to love Hannah, the fact remained that he was single at present.
Oh, but he would make a fine father. The attention that he lavished upon Hannah was so wonderful for her, certainly better than the spare moments Peter had granted her. It was amazing how she realized after seeing Devlan with her daughter just how shallow Peter’s parenting skills went. He had always been considered a doting father, but to him Hannah was only his little beauty. While he never reprimanded her, he never took the time to get down on the floor and interact with her either.
“It’s not your fault, it was mine. But that sort of decision should be thoroughly discussed and agreed upon by both of us if the time came. Don’t you agree?”
“I do agree, wholeheartedly,” she said softly.
Bending his head, Devlan pressed a warm kiss on her shoulder. “At any rate, I’m so very sorry, Diana.”
“For what?”
“Every day I wish I had known what was going on with Peter.” He took a deep breath. “Please believe me when I say that had I known, I would’ve put a stop to it a long time ago.”
She snorted. “You would’ve been too busy to bother with him.”
His face lowered to hers, and he studied her with deadly serious eyes. “No, I wouldn’t. You’ve absolutely no idea how quickly I would’ve snatched you away from him.”
“Oh.” She could feel a softening in her face that belied her attempt to be emotionless and hard. The way he was staring at her, as though she was the most exquisite thing in the world to him, inundated her with joy. She was on the verge of letting him in for good; she was so close to trusting again. It was not difficult to imagine Devlan coming to her rescue. She could easily believe he would have intervened had he known the truth.
“I’m sorry for the way he treated you. I’m sorry that he scarred your beautiful face.” Devlan bent to kiss her small scar. His lips were soft and moist, and his voice lightened as he continued. “And I’m sorry I was groping you in the middle of the night. It was a very ungentlemanly thing to do, but I just can’t seem to get enough of you.”
A small smile erased the concerned lines on Diana’s face, and she reached up to hug Devlan tight. “Don’t apologize. It was a nice way to wake up.”
He chuckled. “It was an amazing way to wake up, actually.”
Reaching over her head, he shut off the light again before returning her hug and pulling her onto his broad chest. He kissed her one more time.
“Go to sleep,” he said softly. “I’ll try not to do that again.”
Diana closed her eyes, listening to the steady thumping of his heart and the rhythmic music of his breathing. Devlan was fast burrowing his way into her heart, and she knew that she was helpless to stop it. Perhaps it was that he had come into her life in such a lonely period. Or perhaps it was that he showered her with kindness when so few did. But whatever the reason the one fact remained: she was fast losing her heart to the big, softhearted man.
Foolish, that voice reminded her.
Oh, she agreed with that voice, and she knew she needed to protect herself from hurt again. The question was just how she was going to do it. Devlan was making it so hard. How could she refuse the man that treated her as if she were a princess?
By making sure she remained clear that it was only temporary. She and Hannah would be heading back to Colorado in a few short weeks, and what she needed to do was keep reminding them both of that fact.
~
The surf was high due to a storm further out at sea. Though it had passed south of the islands and continued east, Diana watched the waves cautiously as
Devlan hefted Hannah up high over his shoulders and ran towards the pounding surf with a loud yell. Hannah was shrieking with delight, and her hands were balled into fists in his thick hair. With one last shout, Devlan rushed into the large crashing waves where he dunked himself and Hannah with him.
Both came to the surface sputtering. Hannah was clinging to Devlan like a monkey. Although coughing, her laughter was audible all the way back to the towels. Diana watched nervously from the shore. Shielding her eyes from the glaring sun, she worried what would happen to Hannah if Devlan did not calm himself down. Even though they were at one of the safest beaches in the island chain, Diana feared the waves were still large enough to sweep her away.
“Will you go get him?” She glanced at Mike. Having joined them on this day at the beach, he lounged on a towel nearby, totally at ease with Devlan’s actions.
One fair brow raised in question as he lazily glanced over at her.
“Aren’t you supposed to be a bodyguard? Can’t you,” she waved her hands, “guard his body?”
He raised his sunglasses and stared at the two in the water. “Leave them alone, Mrs. Somerset. They’re both having a blast. No one needs rescuing here.”
No one except me, Diana thought, shooting a peevish frown at Mike as he lay back down to improve his tan. She stared out at the waves again, remembering how just that morning Devlan had again proven his infinite generosity and caring.
Early that morning he had slipped away to pick up Hannah’s new physical therapist in Honolulu. They were back by breakfast, much to Diana’s surprise. To top it all off, he showed her the fantastic resume and introduced her to a most charming and cheerful young woman. Diana was surprised that she immediately liked the woman he had hired and had to admit that there was a reason Devlan was so successful in business. He was a good judge of character.
In addition to his thoughtfulness, he was wonderful with Hannah, attentive to her every need, and he truly seemed to draw pleasure in being with her. As she watched Devlan help Hannah move in the water, Diana was filled with so many more tender emotions for the man that she could not put into words. It was plain as day that she was falling hard for him.
Yes, she loved him.
Returning her attention to her book, Diana blinked back sudden tears. Falling in love with him should not have been a surprise, for she knew from the start that she would have a hard time resisting him. But he was so charming and funny, and it had been so easy to let her guard slip. Diana could not remember a time when she had laughed so hard and long, and Devlan made her do it with utter ease. He had totally swept her off her feet in just a few days.
Now she needed to decide how to handle it.
Run away.
No, she could not run away. She was on a boat in the middle of the ocean, far away from cold and snowy Denver. But she would have to do something quick.
“Wow, Mommy, did you see what Uncle Devvie did?”
Hannah and her wet body were suddenly deposited on Diana’s lap, and she shot up with a startled yelp. Forgetting her somber thoughts, she watched as Devlan sat down on the towel next to her and shook out his hair. She was sprayed with the cool ocean water that caused goose bumps to rise on her flesh. She scowled, but Hannah giggled and imitated him and together the two soaked Diana’s warm skin.
“What are you two doing?” she shrieked.
She lifted Hannah off her lap and placed her next to Devlan. Grinning, the youngster whispered something in Devlan’s ear. That was the last straw. Coming to her feet, Diana stood before them with her hands on her hips while Mike laughed from a safe distance away. With a fierce frown she glared at them all, ignoring Devlan’s appreciative stare. His gaze swept her from head to toe and took in the revealing bikini with approval.
Eyes twinkling, he nudged Hannah. “Tell your Mommy how pretty she looks today and she’s guaranteed to forgive you.”
Hannah giggled again and stared up at her mother with wide, innocent eyes. “Mommy, you’re very pretty.”
Pointing her finger at Hannah’s nose, Diana frowned as fiercely as she could. “Flattery will get you nowhere, young lady!”
“But it is true,” Devlan said with a wink.
She glared at him, but his wide smile left her feeling joyful inside instead of angry. Unable to resist, she relented and smiled back.
Still smiling happily, Devlan glanced at the three of them. “I hate to change the subject, but it’s getting late. Are you ready to go?”
He came to his feet and began drying off his chest with the towel. Diana watched his smooth movements but hastily turned away when he turned back to her. “One second. I’ll get our things,” she said quickly.
Nudging Mike in the leg with one foot to force him up, Devlan wrapped the towel around his damp waist before briskly drying Hannah off as well. Mike carried everything the short walk down to the dock where they tied up the boat, while Devlan scooped up Hannah. Diana watched with her heart in her throat as her daughter wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly. It seemed all too soon that they were piling in to head back to the ship. She wanted to stay forever.
As they headed out to sea, Diana sent one last glance behind her. She watched the secluded area disappear with a sad eye. It was there she realized that she was in love with Devlan, and that would stay with her forever. No matter what happened to their relationship, Diana would always remember that short strand of beach and the few moments of pure happiness that had touched her soul.
~
Francois Rat bowed politely and handed Diana the menu for the following day’s meals. She smiled and thanked him again, all the while telling him to call her Diana. But it was a futile gesture, and she watched the eccentric chef with the wild gray hair bow from the room with a bemused smile. Heading to the lounge to wait for Hannah to wake from her nap, Diana wondered yet again if she could ever get used to someone catering to her every need. At present, it was disconcerting.
She had just kicked off her sandals and reclined across the soft cushions of the sofa when the steward arrived carrying a glass of wine.
“Can I put on some music for you, Mrs. Somerset?”
“Thank you, Justin,” she said, accepting the glass.
With a returning smile, he crossed the carpeted room on silent feet to the entertainment center and inserted a CD. Before she knew it, she was reclining to the music of “The Nutcracker”. With a sigh of resignation, Diana accepted that he was doing his job and thanked him again before he stole from the room. The dark-headed college student left as quietly as he had entered, leaving Diana alone with her thoughts. And, of course, the menu beckoned.
Devlan was working hard in the library off their suite. She had been in there once, which had been enough. The room was fully equipped with computer, fax, satellite phone, and all sorts of devices she had no idea what they were or how to use them. While she completely agreed with Mike that Devlan needed to spend more time relaxing, he had made it clear that even while he was spending time with her and Hannah he still had to report in to work. There was a reason why the man had so much money – he worked for it. Kathy had not been kidding when she said that was all he did.
That he was enclosed in the electronics room served to remind Diana that they owed him so much. To let him get his work done was a small price to pay for such a wonderful vacation. Even if it meant she was left alone. Mike had retired to take a nap, the crew was busy preparing dinner and their next move, and Hannah’s new physical therapist was unpacking her belongings in the stateroom next to Hannah’s. That was the stateroom that was supposed to be hers, she thought with a flutter in her belly.
No matter what happened, she had to admit that this trip was truly an incredible experience. Though the attention from the crew was unnerving, she was smart enough to realize that she should enjoy it while she could. Devlan may be with her now, but that would not always be the case. For now she could live her little fairytale dreams that she never realized she had, but instead of getting too
comfortable and wishing for her happily ever after, she needed to use her quiet times to make a plan for when they went their separate ways.
She still could not trust him completely.
“Where’s Mr. Doyle?” Mike asked. Fresh from his nap, he sauntered into the room and threw himself into a chair across from her, stretching his legs out before him.
Thrusting aside her thoughts, Diana sat upright and pasted a smile on her face. “He got a message. He’s working.”
She caught the flicker of exasperation in his eyes before he changed the subject. “Is the menu okay?”
Diana reached for it again and read it aloud. “Grilled salmon with Francois’ special sauce, angel hair pasta with pineapples, papayas and mangoes, oven-roasted potatoes and white wine.” She looked up at Mike with a playful smirk. “What more could you ask for?”
Mike grinned. “My thoughts exactly. It’s a wonder I keep my trim figure.”
Diana laughed and handed him the menu. “I can probably get Hannah to eat most of it, but there are a few mysterious things I doubt she’d even try. Francois tells me to make a list of things to buy her, but I don’t want him to go out of his way like that.”
“It’s no trouble,” Mike said with a shrug. “Besides, it gives the man a chance to get off the ship every now and then… I think everyone is so happy that Mr. Doyle is actually taking time to relax with you instead of working with a bunch of old men that they would walk the plank if you asked them to.”
A small smile curved her lips as she envisioned the sight of the crew walking the plank. To think that it was her causing such a change in him was flattering and frightening at the same time. “I’m glad to help. It’s just awkward to feel like you’re taking and taking - all the time.”
“I know what you mean, but I certainly have gotten used to it,” Mike agreed cheerfully. “I see you’re working on your tan.”
She glanced down at her arms, which were fast becoming a light brown. Her legs too were starting to darken in color. “We’ve seen so much these past two days… Waimea Canyon and Na Pali Coast in Kauai, Waikiki and Pearl Harbor yesterday – well, you know. I’ve been outside, but not necessarily working on my tan.”
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