He couldn’t see how the two of them being together would have any impact one way or the other on either of the candidates, but she sounded so desperate that he couldn’t disagree. “All right,” he said soothingly. “I promised you we’d wait, so we’ll wait. But the day after this damned election is over, we’re visiting both your father and mine and announcing our—our relationship.”
“Okay. Thank you.” Again, she sounded as if she might be crying.
“Where are you?” he asked. “I promised you a picnic and I never break my promises.”
She laughed, a small, precious sound that lodged squarely in his heart. “I’m waiting in the little garden near the parking lot.
He couldn’t see the parking lot from where he was standing. “Don’t move. I’m on my way.”
The next day was Sunday. When they’d finally had their picnic yesterday in one of the city’s pretty squares, Adam had asked her to go out to Tybee Island with him.
She went to church with her father, then headed straight for her room to pack a bag. Her bathing suit went underneath her clothing. She grabbed a beach towel, sunscreen, her small bag of toiletries so she could shower off if she needed to afterward and went down to see if the cab she’d called had arrived.
“Where are you going?” Her father came down the hallway from the kitchen. “Lunch will be served soon.”
“I told them not to set a place for me,” she answered, turning to look at herself in the large gilded mirror over the marble-topped table in the foyer. “I’m going to the beach.”
“You were gone all afternoon yesterday.”
She turned, exasperation rising. She’d come home to help with his campaign. He’d never cared before where she was unless he needed her; in fact, he’d made it plain he didn’t want her underfoot constantly. Maybe that was it. “What did you need me for?” she asked politely. “You could have called and left a message on my phone.”
“I just wondered where you were,” he said in a quarrelsome tone.
“I had lunch downtown and then I went shopping,” she said, summoning her most reasonable tone. That was true enough. She had gone shopping after the luncheon picnic. “Do you need me for something today?”
Her father eyed her from beneath brows drawn together in a fierce line. “No,” he said shortly. “Not today.”
A horn beeping out front saved her from further interrogation.
“All right,” she said. “Then I’m off to the ocean for the day. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
As the cab carried her to the little restaurant where she’d arranged to meet Adam, she wondered what her father would do if he found out who she was involved with. It almost seemed sometimes as if he hated Abe Danforth, but she couldn’t imagine why. Adam’s father seemed to be a middle-of-the-road candidate whose military service would make him look attractive to the voters. He’d never done anything heinous or illegal, and although there was one irrefutable instance of an extramarital affair, it was hardly shocking enough to ruin him. According to recent media reports, Abe had been surprised to learn that he’d left a daughter behind after his service in Vietnam and was intent on helping her fit into his family here. What would it be like to find out you had a sister you’d never known existed?
Adam was waiting by his parked car when she stepped out of the cab. She wanted to run to him and throw herself into his arms, but she contented herself with a warm smile as he touched her elbow. “Hello.”
“Hi.” He saw her into the car, then came around to his side. “Are you ready to head for Tybee Island?”
“More than ready. I adore the beach.”
He shot her a surprised look. “Have you vacationed at the ocean regularly?”
“Not with my father,” she said, understanding his confusion. “My best friend from school is French. Her family frequented the Riviera and since she was always dragging me home on holiday with her, I went along.”
“The Riviera.” Adam’s eyebrows rose. “The Atlantic coast is beautiful but I’m not sure it can compete with that.”
“Is there sand? Surf? Sun?” She grinned at him, her spirits soaring. “It will do just fine if it has those things.”
“This is a good time of year to visit,” he told her. “The summer is over and most kids are back in school so there are a lot fewer tourists around.”
He was right, she saw when they arrived.
The beach was wide and white, and medium-sized breakers rolled gently to shore in a mesmerizing rhythm. They found a spot away from the few family groups and Adam spread out a blanket, set down the cooler and opened a small folding chair for each of them.
“You’ve thought of it all,” she said, smiling.
“I even ordered good weather.” He tilted his face back to the sky and she watched for a moment as he soaked up the warm rays of the sun that beat down on them. Then he shrugged out of his shirt. She couldn’t keep her gaze from lingering on his hard, flat chest and stomach and the surprising bulge of muscle in his arms. A line of dark hair spread across his breastbone and then headed south, swirling around his navel and disappearing beneath the waistband of the royal-blue swim trunks he wore.
When she met his eyes, he was smiling, a slow, warm smile that unfurled a ribbon of heat from her head to her toes. “Your turn,” he said softly.
Her breath caught in her throat. Slowly, she unbuttoned the oversize shirt she’d paired with casual shorts. She stepped out of the shorts without looking at him, then slipped the shirt off and laid it across the back of the chair he’d set up.
Adam made a sound deep in his throat. “You’re beautiful,” he said hoarsely.
“Thank you.” Flustered, she turned to conventional courtesies to hide her pleasure at his words. Sinking down into the low chair he’d set up, she patted the second one he’d dropped on the sand beside it. “Come and sit.”
She rummaged in her bag for her dark sunglasses, very conscious of the proximity of his nearly naked body. She’d never felt self-conscious in a bathing suit before, but today she had to stifle the urge to reach back for her shirt.
“Tell me about your new sister,” she said, trying to distract herself.
“Lea?” He sounded startled. He dropped into the chair beside her. “What do you know about her?”
“Only what the press has printed.” She smiled wryly. “And I imagine the real story is probably very different.”
He nodded, his mouth set in a grim line. “Yeah, the media likes nothing better than to take an innocent situation and make up a good, juicy story to go along with it. Who cares if it’s true or not? Who cares who it hurts?”
“You sound like that’s a personal statement.” And indeed, there had been some note in his voice that told her there was more to the story.
“It is.”
“If you’d like to talk about it, I’m a good listener,” she offered.
He sighed. “It was years ago. I had a study session planned with a friend who was in one of my college classes. I stopped by her house to pick her up, but when she started to walk out of the house, she fainted. It turned out she had the flu.”
“And?”
“I caught her before she hit the ground. Her family is very wealthy and often is a media target. That day there happened to be a photographer who got a juicy shot of me holding Karis. Unfortunately, her fiancé wasn’t the most trusting man in the world and it very nearly ruined their relationship. Not a real big deal, but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Making up stories about people without knowing any of the facts should be illegal.”
“Have there been stories made up about your new sister?”
He nodded.
“I imagine her sudden appearance has been difficult for your family,” she said carefully.
He shrugged. “Not difficult, exactly.” He sighed, reaching across the small space between their chairs and twining his fingers with hers. “We were surprised, for sure. Dad had no idea Lea existed.”
“I imagine i
t was a bit of a shock finding out that your father had feet of clay,” she said, trying to empathize.
“We knew that before.” His voice was matter-of-fact. “He wasn’t much of a dad when we were growing up. His military career came first. After my mother died, he didn’t have a clue about how to deal with five rowdy kids.”
“I suppose I meant that it must have been a shock to find out he’d had an affair,” she said.
“It was a bad set of circumstances.” He shrugged. “It wasn’t as if he set out to cheat on my mother. He suffered a head injury in Vietnam and lost his memory. A group of villagers took care of him and he got involved with Lea’s mother but he was rescued without knowing she was pregnant. Then, before he could get back to her, her village was torched and he was told there were no survivors.”
“Oh, how awful.”
He nodded. “The Viet Cong didn’t take kindly to anyone helping Americans. And,” he added, “it wouldn’t have been much easier if he had found out about the child. After all, he was married with several legitimate children already.”
She winced. “I imagine that would have been difficult to explain to his wife.”
He made a sound of agreement. “From everything I hear, my mother’s position in Savannah society was very important to her. It wouldn’t have gone over well, I can guarantee.”
They were silent for a moment, then he spoke again.
“I’m glad, though, that we’ve found Lea. Found out about her.”
“So you like her?”
He nodded. “Very much. She’s really beginning to feel like a sister.”
“That’s how I feel about my friend Willi,” she said.
“Willi.” He repeated the name. “Please tell me that’s short for something.”
She laughed. “Guillemette. I think I told you before that she’s French. She’s an only daughter, nine years younger than any of her brothers, and she says we’re sisters of the heart.” She sobered. “Most of my best memories are of times I spent with Willi and her family.”
“Most of mine are from times at my uncle Harold’s house. After my mother died, my brothers and sister and I spent most of our school holidays there instead of at Crofthaven.”
She felt a surge of empathy. Even though he’d grown up in the midst of a large family, it sounded very much as though Adam had missed the same basic sense of belonging she had.
“My children,” she said, “are going to know they’re loved. No, they’re going to be smothered in love.” Abruptly, she realized how passionate she sounded, and embarrassment flooded her. Scrambling out of her seat, she flung down her sunglasses and headed for the ocean. “I’m hot. I think I’ll get wet.”
“Wait for me.” Adam was beside her in a minute. He caught her hand as they walked toward the water. “In case I haven’t mentioned it,” he said, “you look terrific in that bathing suit.”
She smiled, relaxing a little as she recalled his earlier words. “I got the impression you liked it,” she said. “So do I. I just bought it when I moved here. Most of my old ones aren’t legal in the United States.”
“Wait,” he said as she began to wade into the gently foaming breakers that rolled in to shore, “you mean you went topless?” He sounded mildly shocked.
“Well, yes. Everyone did.”
“Yes, but I can’t imagine you being comfortable—”
“When you’re one relatively small set of breasts on a vast beach of European women sporting implants, comfort level increases dramatically,” she said, grinning. “No one was looking at me.”
A wave larger than the rest surged past them and they both had to jump to avoid going under. Adam turned and did a lazy sidestroke around her. “I can’t imagine you went unnoticed.” He stopped and moved closer, catching her around the waist and tugging her gently toward him. “I’d notice you anywhere.”
She put her hands on his shoulders, enjoying the flirtation. “You may be prejudiced.” The drag of the water pushed her firmly against him and their legs tangled.
He drew her even closer. “Come here and let me kiss you and I’ll show you just how prejudiced I am.”
She laughed until his mouth covered hers. And then she gave herself to the sweet invasion, kissing him back, enjoying the slick feel of his skin sliding against hers beneath the water.
His leg slid between hers and she breathed out a moan as secret shocks of pleasure raced through her. Adam held her loosely, letting the water press her against him, then take her inches away again. He kissed her again and again as their bodies touched, parted and touched again, as she slid up and down his strong, muscled thigh and the hard press of his arousal flirted with the softness of her belly.
Finally, he set her away from him with a smile. “We’d better stop before we attract the wrong kind of attention,” he said, touching her lips with a dripping finger. “This feels private out here but it’s not. There’s a whole beach full of people who think they know what we’re doing right now.
Her eyes widened with shock at his blunt pronouncement. “Then we’d definitely better stop. Getting arrested wouldn’t make either of our families very happy.”
“It wouldn’t make me happy, either, considering we weren’t even doing what we’d be getting arrested for.”
They grinned at each other for a moment, then she burst out laughing. “You,” she said, propelling herself backward and swatting a sheet of water at him, “are a bad, bad man.”
“Not half as bad as I’d like to be with you.” The words were teasing but the look in his eyes was hot with promise. Then he tossed water back at her with one big hand and the sensual moment was over.
They played and swam for perhaps half an hour before Adam pointed toward the shore. “Time to go in. You need more sunscreen.”
She pressed a finger to her forearm, looking for signs of sunburn. “Thanks for reminding me.”
They waded out of the surf and dried off, then forsook the chairs to lie side by side on their stomachs on the big blanket he’d spread on the sand. She got them each a can of soda from the cooler and they let the warm September sun and the pleasant breeze take the excess moisture from their bodies.
Adam was quiet for so long that she thought he’d gone to sleep, but when she glanced over at him, she saw that his amber eyes held a faraway look.
“You’re deep in thought.” She smoothed a hand over his brow. “What are you thinking?”
To her surprise, his gaze shifted away from her. “Just…kicking around an idea.”
This was important. She didn’t know why, but she felt sure that whatever was going on in Adam’s head right now was a key to understanding him. She propped her chin on her forearms and angled her head so she could see him better. “Sometimes it helps to talk an idea through.”
Abruptly, his eyes focused on her again. He hesitated and she wondered what he was searching for as he gazed at her intently, almost as if he were trying to read her mind. “You can’t laugh,” he said.
She gave a small, unladylike snort that would have annoyed her father. “When have I ever laughed at you?”
He nodded once. Short and sharp. “I’m thinking about writing a book.”
She was instantly intrigued. “A book about what?”
“A serious study of the ghosts and legends of the Savannah area.”
“Sounds like an exciting project.” She made no attempt to hide her interest. “What do you mean by ‘a serious study’?”
A warm flare of gratitude and pleasure lit his eyes and the tension left his shoulders as he smiled at her. He propped himself on one elbow. “There are a number of books out there already about Savannah’s ghosts,” he said, warming to his theme as he apparently realized she was serious about her interest. “But most of them are simply a recounting of the more popular stories, with a little embellishment to titillate the tourists. I want to do more.” He gestured with his free hand. “Which ones are simply legends and tall tales? Which ones might be exaggerations of something
that occurred? Which ones are unexplained and persistent enough to be considered some kind of real psychic phenomena?”
“You’ve really given this some thought,” she observed. “I think you should do it.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.” She nodded decisively. “I’d be happy to help with the research if you’d like a silent partner.”
He was grinning, an exuberant, uncomplicated expression that made her smile in return. “You’re amazing, do you know that? Most women run the other way when I start talking about Savannah history or ghosts.” Then his smile faded as he looked into her eyes, and a deeper, warmer emotion lit the amber depths of his gaze. “Selene…we haven’t known each other very long. But I’ve never met a woman like you. I’ve never seriously considered marriage and forever and kids before. I am now.”
“Oh, Adam.” She dropped her head against his shoulder, rolling on her side to hold him close for one dangerously hot, sweet moment. “You make me think about things like that, too. But until this election ends, I can’t—we can’t—”
“I know.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “I don’t want to pressure you or make you uncomfortable. But I thought it was important to tell you how I feel.”
“It’s very important,” she said. “You’re very important.”
Five
By unspoken agreement, they spent the rest of the afternoon on safer, less personal topics. The sun was warm and gulls wheeled and called overhead. In the background, the low, rhythmic roar of the waves was a soporific counterpoint to their conversation, and eventually, they dozed.
The stretch of beach emptied as the vacationers headed for their hotels to clean up for dinner and evening activities. Finally, they decided to pack up their things as well.
Folding the beach blanket he’d brought, Adam watched as Selene walked to the water’s edge to rinse off the sand from her hands. She was long and lean, slender and yet definitely all woman, and the sight of her in the brief bikini she’d worn had kept his system at a low boil all afternoon. He felt like pinching himself as he recalled the feelings shining in her emerald eyes. Was it possible she could care for him as much as he was growing to care for her? He was almost afraid to consider that perhaps he’d found a woman with whom he could share his life. Sad as it was to admit, he’d almost given up on finding love.
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