by Lakes, Lynde
Their eyes met and she felt the warmth in her cheeks flame hotter. Cortz got up, closed the gap between them, and leaned toward her. He was going to kiss her…. She wouldn’t let this happen. Not with someone she’d just met. But, to her astonishment, he didn’t even try. Instead, he brushed a loose strand of hair back from her face. His touch made her go weak. “You are a good healer.”
His voice, deep and unbelievably tender, stirred and excited her like shooting stars in a night sky. She stepped out of his reach and willed her pulse to stop racing. “I did what I could, but you should see a doctor.”
“I am fine now,” he said, wincing as he eased his shirt on. “Thank you.” He took a step toward the door. “I guess I should leave.”
She nodded. “Take care of that burn.”
He took a couple of uncertain steps, then turned and reached for the stool. “I think I need to sit a while longer. I feel…dizzy.”
“You’re probably dehydrated. I’ll get some juice.”
Stepping to the refrigerator, she took out a frosty glass pitcher of orange juice, then returned to the breakfast bar. “How did you know where I live?” she asked as she poured the liquid into a tall glass.
“I followed you home that first night.”
Alarms went off in her mind—her spine stiffened. “That was you behind me?”
“Yes.” His smile was shy.
She was still holding the juice and forced herself to hand it to him rather than throw it in his face. “Why?”
“A woman should not be out at night unprotected.”
She fought a rising anger. “You scared me half to death,” she said, glaring at him. “Lost puppies follow people home—men don’t.”
“It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I am sorry if I frightened you.”
Darli heard the sincerity in his voice but still resented being followed. “Why did you come here today?”
“You did not come out to the floating table and I wanted to see you again.” He drained the juice. When he said it was good she automatically poured him another.
Even after she put the pitcher back on the counter, she continued to grip the handle. “Perhaps you think I should be flattered, but I’m not. Having a stranger follow me is plain weird.”
“I am not a stranger anymore. You brought me in, I bathed in your tub, and you treated my burn. Would a woman rub lotion on a man’s back the way you did if he was not a friend? It felt very friendly to me.”
Darli’s face flamed hotly. “I only gave you first aid because I know people can die from burns like that.”
“I thought…my mistake.” He stood again and walked to the door. “Thank you for everything.”
“Wait!” She didn’t want him to walk out of her life.
“Yes?” He paused expectantly.
There was something about him that tugged at her soul. But, a strange guy like him…no, it was entirely too risky, even to get the lowdown on him for the Navy. She had to let him go. “Just take care of yourself.”
“You too,” he said.
The door closed behind him. The loneliness of the apartment wrapped around her. Darli’s heart and mind were in a tug-of-war. It took every ounce of determination to restrain herself from going after him.
Then, she heard it. Thump…thump…thumping all the way down the stairs. Her blood froze. She raced to the door. “Cortz!”
Chapter Seven
Oh no! Cortz was sprawled, motionless on his back at the bottom of the steps, his orange shirt open to the waist, his white trousers smeared with dirt. Darli descended the steps, two at a time. She knelt breathlessly at his side and slid the tips of her fingers over his neck; to her relief she found a strong pulse.
Kapono, the property manager, came running. “What happen, Darli?” he asked in Pidgin English.
Darli glanced up. “He tumbled from the second level. Please, get help!”
“Know him?” Kapono asked.
“Yes. Yes. He was visiting me. Go, go. Call the paramedics!”
Kapono turned and ran; his lumbering footfalls pounded the concrete as he headed toward his office.
Darli pulled Cortz’s head onto her lap and stroked his forehead. She heard a shuffle and tapping on the concrete. It was the neighbor from the end apartment. The woman stopped in front of Darli and leaned on her bamboo cane. “Put this damp cloth on his head,” she ordered.
“Thank you, Mrs. Chang.” Darli glanced into the weatherworn face, managed a small smile, and then pressed the cloth to Cortz’s head.
By the time the ambulance arrived, Cortz had regained consciousness. “No hospital,” he told the medics.
“You could have a concussion,” one of the medics said.
“My head is uninjured. Perfect actually. It is very hard.”
“Please, get an X-ray to be sure,” Darli said.
Kapono returned and stood by, nervously rubbing his large fleshy palms together. “If you no get a doc to check you, apartment insurance no cover.”
“Really, I am fine,” Cortz insisted. But when he tried to stand, he winced. “I will be okay in a few minutes.”
“Darli, I be in office if he change mind,” Kapono said. “He your guest. Talk. Make him do right.”
She knew he was worried about Cortz suing him. “Don’t worry, Kapono.” But what if this fall was planned? She had to try to protect her landlord. If she made sure Cortz got the care he needed, perhaps he wouldn’t think of suing—and that would make Kapono happy. But she needed to do that without further involving herself. She turned to the tall paramedic and asked, “Can’t you make him go to the hospital?”
“It’s strictly voluntary,” the medic said. “But don’t worry; it may not be as serious as his apparent pain indicates. It’s probably a sprain. Without X-rays we can’t be sure.” He turned to Cortz and added, “Since you refuse to go to the emergency room, you should at least stay off the ankle for a few days and have someone watch you for twenty-four hours to make sure you don’t have a concussion. Do you have someone to look out for you, sir?”
Cortz looked up at Darli through thick, dark lashes. His expression reminded her of the eyes of a lost puppy. At ten-years-old, she couldn’t resist the look, nor could she now. Battling her natural instincts, she said, “Have you found a place to stay yet?” Maybe someone there could help him.
He shook his head. “Everyone wants references.”
“You don’t have any?” She couldn’t stop her voice from rising.
“Just you,” he said, looking pitiful.
She groaned. Darn him! He had set her up with two innocent words and a woeful look. Darn. Darn. Darn. The thought of him injured and out on the streets was unbearable. “If you get him to my apartment,” she told the medics, “I’ll help him out for a few days.”
“Looks like you lucked out, buddy,” the tall medic said.
Cortz attempted to nod, winced, and then said, “The universe works in mysterious ways.”
Darli watched the medics lift him onto a stretcher. She followed close behind as they carried him into her apartment. His furrowed brow and the tightness around his mouth told her he was in a great deal of pain. He eased onto the couch and the medic bandaged his ankle. When he finished he said, “You can get crutches at the hospital or at a medical supply house. If you need something for the pain, come to the emergency room.”
As the door closed behind the paramedics, Darli stared at the stranger on her couch. It was too late to consider whether letting him trap her into taking him in was wise. She felt him watching her like an animal watches its prey. Her throat was tight; she cleared her voice. “How could a man your age not have references?”
“It’s a little late to ask me that now,” he said grinning.
“What about a job?” Her heartbeat thudded wildly. Feigning calmness she didn’t feel, she perched on a stool and leaned back against the breakfast bar.
“I told you before, I am a scientist,” he said with amusement in his voice.<
br />
He was intelligent enough. But instinct told her to be wary. “What field? Biology, chemistry?”
“I dabble in a number of fields, even astronomy. Perhaps that is why I feel so comfortable with you.”
She refused to let his flattery derail as her doubt grew. “What firm?”
His eyes clouded for an instant, and then he smiled. “Uratitec.”
“Never heard of it. Is it based in Honolulu?”
“Not yet, but we hope to be firmly entrenched soon.”
His tone and closed look told her he was uncomfortable discussing the company. Perhaps it was a hush-hush takeover of a local firm and he wasn’t supposed to talk about it—or maybe there was no such company. How difficult would it be to check on something like that? Tomorrow, she would find out.
She studied him a moment. “Tell the truth, what’s the whole story? Are you out of work? Broke?”
“Do I look like a pauper?”
“Looks can be deceiving.” Generally, a poor person wouldn’t have even white teeth like his or such a well-sculptured body. She allowed her gaze to travel from his impressive shoulders, down his wide chest, to his trim waist and flat stomach. Everything about him indicated he took very good care of himself. That is, until he stayed in the sun too long and tripped down her stairs.
He pulled a wad of money out of his pocket and spread it like a fan in front of him. “Will five hundred dollars ease your mind?”
Chapter Eight
Darli’s breath caught. People she knew didn’t carry that much cash. “Did you steal that?”
He laughed. “How can you ask that after trusting me enough to bring me into your home? But to ease your mind, I do not steal.”
“Okay. So you’re not a thief and you aren’t broke.” She studied his face. “Are you flashing that ostentatious wad to impress me?”
“If it does, that is a plus. However, I was only proving I am prepared to pay my own way.”
All right, he wasn’t a freeloader. Good. Fine. But it wasn’t his financial stability that bothered her. It was everything else: his appearance minutes after the silver orb entered the water and disappeared from sight; the way he wouldn’t talk to her when they first met; the way he followed her home; and especially how he was taking over her space, filling her tiny efficiency apartment with his presence, his aura, his male scent… “What about clothes?” she asked. “You’ll need a change while you’re here.”
He held up a key. “I stowed my gear in a beach locker.”
She sighed. “I can pick it up for you.”
“You will never find the locker without me.”
“You could draw a map.”
“Ah, yes. I am good at mapping. Are you good at locating?” His question rubbed her wrong, but before she could jab him with a quick comeback, he continued, “I purchased some things earlier today and some yesterday, but I could use a few more clothes. It would be a tremendous favor if you would pick out some for me.”
Good grief, he was taking over her life, her time. She should nip this in the bud. She glanced down at his bandaged foot and sighed. “What about sizes?”
“Sizes?”
Darli opened her sewing drawer and took out a measuring tape. “Why is it men never know these things? Stand up and raise your arms.”
He put his hands on her waist to brace himself, bringing male heat and body vibes into her space. Fighting to ignore their intimate proximity, she put the tape around his waist…a perfect flat thirty-two. When she looked up into his amused glinting eyes, she blushed and stepped back. “On second thought, I’ll let a salesman finish this. After dinner, I’ll pick up some crutches for you. Then, tomorrow after work, we can shop and pick up your gear from the locker.”
“Excellent. I would like to bring my things here.”
“Don’t plan on getting too settled in. This is strictly a short-term thing.”
“If all goes well, short-term will be sufficient.” He tilted his head, grinning. “Do you do this often?”
“What?” She gently propped his foot up on a pillow.
“Rescue lost souls?”
“I think you’re being a little melodramatic. I wouldn’t call you a lost soul.”
“All I know is, I haven’t done such a good job of taking care of myself in the last couple of days—first, baking my hide and then spraining my ankle.”
“You’re new to the area and accidents happen, but I’ll have you healed and back on your feet in no time.”
“Are all the women here like you?”
She laughed. “You mean the-sucker-for a-sad-story type? I’m afraid there are more of us then we care to admit.”
“That is very lucky for your men. Nevertheless, I would wager you are the most caring lady on Earth. I knew you were special the minute I saw you.”
“You’re really full of it, Cortz.”
He grinned. “Actually, I’m not full at all. My stomach is growling and I have this empty feeling.”
“Okay, I can take a hint,” she said. His nonsense and boyish smile quelled most of her apprehensions about him. She glanced at her watch. It was after five and she was getting hungry, too. “I’ll fix us something to eat.” Darli stepped behind the counter that divided the living room from the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. “Like pineapple chicken with rice?”
Before Cortz could respond with more than a puzzled look there was a knock on the door. Darli rushed to answer it, thinking it might be her favorite neighbor, Lani.
“Dr. Darlene Grenlane?” asked a redheaded man in a white dress naval uniform. When she nodded he continued, “I’m Lieutenant Fox.” He handed her a card. “We spoke on the telephone about the silver object. I have a few more questions.”
“I told you all I know,” she said, holding the door partially closed and blocking the view inside.
“The Navy needs to clear up a few points. It won’t take long.” There was a hobbling commotion behind her. She turned to glance back into the room. Cortz was no longer sitting on the couch. She caught a glimpse of the bathroom door closing.
“I was hoping for information, not more questions. But all right, come in.”
She led Fox to the breakfast bar and they sat on stools, facing each other. She didn’t want him to get too comfortable. “Coffee, Lieutenant?” she asked. She sighed in relief when he turned down the offer. The whole time she talked with Fox, Cortz remained in the bathroom. He made no sounds. Was he hiding?
Lieutenant Fox seemed intent upon one point. “Did you see anyone in the water near where the meteorite sank?”
Darli shook her head. An unexplainable protective instinct prevented her from mentioning Cortz. Why? Did she think he had something to do with the silver streak? The idea was ridiculous. So, why didn’t she mention him?
“Are you sure? Other swimmers claimed they saw a man in a silver diving suit talking to a girl on the floating deck. And you already admitted that’s where you were when you saw the meteorite.”
“I was there and saw a man in a diving suit, but he didn’t speak to me,” she said. She had talked to him, but he hadn’t answered. It was clear that something was going on—the Navy couldn’t be this concerned about a meteorite. Forcing a joking tone, she quipped, “Maybe if you tell me exactly what you think I saw…”
“This isn’t a joking matter, Dr. Grenlane.”
“So something serious is going on? That thing that plunged into the ocean was more than a just meteorite, right?”
Fox flushed. “I didn’t say that.”
“Then what’s the big secret?” she asked. “Why don’t you just tell me what’s going on?”
“My information is incomplete, but we’ll talk again. Soon.”
His last word almost sounded like a threat and the devil made her ask, “How soon?”
Fox shook his head. Then he stood, straight and tall, and headed out the door. “Have a good evening, Dr. Grenlane,” he called.
“You, too,” she sang out, and then quickly cl
osed the door behind him.
Cortz hobbled back into the room and over to the window. He pulled the curtain back and peered out.
“What are you looking at?” Darli asked, sliding the deadbolt into place.
“That man, Fox, he’s getting into a white car with an emblem on it.”
Darli saw an unsettled look in Cortz’s eyes. “So? What’s going on? Why were you hiding in there?”
“Why would you think I was hiding?” His voice cracked.
“You’re acting suspicious.”
“I heard the rude way Fox talked to you. I don’t think I like him.”
She laughed. “You should meet him before deciding not to like him. Honestly, it’s much easier to dislike him afterwards.” Cortz didn’t even grin; apparently he hadn’t seen the humor in what she’d said. What a sober-sides.
“I didn’t see anymore than you did that night,” Cortz said, “and I have no patience for a man who asks the same silly question over and over. Not while I’m—” Cortz grimaced, “in pain.”
He was right. He needed rest, not a pointless interrogation. “Here, let me help you.”
Darli rushed to his side. She helped him back to the couch, piled the pillows under his foot. His heat and their closeness closed around her. How would she get through having him here?
Chapter Nine
Needing to escape his aura, fast, Darli stepped back behind the counter that divided the kitchen from the rest of the studio apartment. “You said pineapple chicken and rice was okay, right?”
“I’m sure it will be an adventure in earthly delights.”
She laughed. “Let’s hope so.” She put a pot of water on to boil then opened the package of rice. From an obscure corner of the cabinet, she pulled out the bottle of burgundy and placed it on the breakfast bar.
“Seriously, Cortz,” she said, glancing at him, “maybe you could’ve answered some of the lieutenant’s questions.”