"'Cause turtles is almost ex-stink," Dustin chimed in.
"Extinct, sweetie," Katherine corrected gently as she enjoyed the interchange between her husband and son.
"Exactly." Elliott agreed. "Besides, if you want to create something that will last a long time, there are other ways to do it."
"Like what?" Dustin demanded.
Elliott smiled. "All kinds of things. You can build a tree house…"
"Mommy won't let me use nails," Dustin complained.
"If you want to build a tree house, I can handle the nails," Elliott assured him. "But there are other things that can last that long." His eyes took on a faraway expression. "My brother and I made a time capsule and buried it in our backyard."
"What's that?" Dustin asked, climbing into Elliott's lap.
"A time capsule is a collection of things that you care about. Then, when you're older, you can dig it up and see what was important to you when you buried the capsule."
"What was in yours?"
Again that faraway look came into Elliott's eyes. "All kinds of things, things that meant something to us. We put in my brother's favorite comic book, a robin's egg that we were convinced was really a dinosaur egg, a crystal doorknob that we used to believe would turn into a giant diamond if we kept it buried long enough." He laughed, but the sound faded away. "And a picture of our family so we would always remember how it felt to be together."
"Can I make one?" Dustin asked excitedly. "I'll find some real dinestore eggs."
Elliott ruffled his hair. "Maybe so. And if not, I'm sure you can find some other treasures."
"Probably right here on the beach," Katherine suggested, her gaze meeting Elliott's. "I know my treasures are within arm's reach right now."
"Sand dollars!" Dustin exclaimed, not catching her deeper meaning.
But his enthusiasm made her smile. "If we're lucky. Now you'll have to decide where to bury your time capsule."
Dustin scrunched up his face. "Do I hafta tell?"
She blinked in surprise. "I suppose not."
Forgetting about his sand castle, Dustin scampered away. He turned back briefly and yelled, "Gonna get shells!"
"I didn't think he was old enough to want secrets," she murmured. "They grow up so fast."
"Hey, don't go all mushy. He's three, not thirty. Your baby's not quite ready to leave home."
"Very funny," she retorted, shaken out of her musing. "But he is growing up."
"That's inevitable."
"Unfortunately. I don't suppose I could freeze-frame him at this age."
"And miss all the fun of watching him grow older? What about his first day of school? His first two-wheeler? The prom? Graduation?"
Katherine felt the catch of emotion that started somewhere in her throat and settled in her heart. "You're such a wonderful father to Dustin. We're so lucky to have you."
A cloud drifted over his expression, but Katherine refused to pull back. Instead, she fitted herself into his arms, her back against his chest, for the first time not wishing for things to be as they had been.
* * *
Alone in the study, Paul emptied the contents of Katherine's safe-deposit box. He had met John briefly to take possession of the small packet, but he hadn't wanted to examine the contents with an audience. For this he needed privacy. Because that box had also belonged to his brother.
The first item to tumble out was a small plastic box containing a lock of baby hair and Dustin's birth ID bracelet. Turning the innocent items over in his hands, he wondered at the woman who considered these mementos so important that she placed them in a safe-deposit box.
Seeing a glint of gold, Paul reached for the item, his stomach lurching as he wondered if this was the cache of jewelry Katherine was hiding. Pulling the fine serpentine chain toward him, he saw that it was a simple gold locket. Clearly the value was primarily sentimental, since such an item wasn't that expensive.
He put the locket down, then glanced at it again. Picking it up, he found the tiny fastening that held the two sides together. Unable to squelch his curiosity, Paul opened the locket. The photo inside made him catch his breath. Matthew's grin jumped from the picture, almost as electric in the photo as in person. He reached out a finger to touch the familiar features, feeling the silence in his heart. Closing his eyes, he allowed the reality to settle. Matthew wouldn't be coming home.
The shadows in the room lengthened as Paul stared at the locket, remembering all the good, all the bad, the unique bond of twin life they'd shared. Bending his head to rest his face in his hands, Paul felt the hot splash of tears. Tears he hadn't allowed before. The anguish of loss coupled with regret. Why hadn't he repaired their break earlier? How could he have allowed pride to sever something so important?
He didn't know how much time had passed when he finally lifted his head. The lump of emotion in his throat told him he had been paralyzed by the grief for some time.
Forcing himself back to the task at hand, he reached into the small pile, his hand stilling suddenly. A pocketknife glinted in the lamplight. The pocketknife he had given Matthew for their sixteenth birthday, his brother's initials crudely carved on the stock. Swallowing hard, Paul picked it up and turned it over in his hands. Laughing carefree Matthew had apparently treasured the gift enough to lock it safely away. Until that moment Paul wouldn't have believed that Matthew cared enough about anything to lock it away. Regret stabbed again. Closing his eyes, Paul sent a silent message to his twin, one of remorse and promise.
That promise forced him to examine the remaining contents. But there was remarkably little to see. Dustin's birth certificate, Matthew and Katherine's wedding certificate and a few small savings bonds in Dustin's name. Hardly an arsenal of accumulated wealth. Certainly not enough to kill for. In fact, it was a sparse collection by any comparison. No jewels, stocks or cash.
So where did that leave him? Did he believe that this evidence, combined with Katherine's apparent sincerity, proved her innocence? Slowly he reached for the locket, his fingers closing around the warm gold. Until he knew for sure, he couldn't assume anything. For Matthew's sake he had to continue.
As the night deepened, Paul sat alone, one hand filled with the locket, the other with the pocketknife, while his heart filled with grief.
* * *
Nearly two weeks had passed since Katherine had glimpsed the agony in Elliott's eyes. Since then he hadn't turned to her for comfort again. Yet she sensed something was very wrong. On the few occasions his expression was unguarded, she had seen the pain. He had been remarkably tender with Dustin, almost as if being with the little boy gave him something he needed.
And that made Katherine want to reach out to Elliott even more. But so far she had failed. He was so quiet. Unnaturally quiet. Of course, he had been more reserved than usual since the accident, but this was different and far more pronounced. Yet he refused to take a break from work. And Katherine worried that if he continued on this way it would make his memory loss worse.
Luckily tonight's function was a small one – an intimate wedding reception held at Rose Plantation, a renovated antebellum mansion. Katherine had always admired the place. It was small by plantation standards; but much like gifts, sometimes the best ones come in small packages.
Aged brick, faded to a dusty pink from years in the hot summer sun, soared upward with sweeping grace. Ivory columns flanked the portico that opened into a marble entryway. Leaded windows sparkled beneath the light of the chandelier, its sconces fashioned in the shape of calla lilies. Katherine always thought the place reeked of history and romance. It even had a touch of mystery.
The reception had wound down and only a few couples remained, swaying to the gentle music. They seemed reluctant to relinquish the magic of the night. Glancing at Elliott, Katherine was forced to agree with them.
Unexpectedly he raised his head, his gaze locking on hers. Hope stirred when he didn't look away. Approaching him, she felt her heartbeat quicken when his eyes darkened. Em
boldened, she quickened her stride. As she reached him, she held out her hand and asked softly, "Will you dance with me?"
His eyes probed hers, instantly reminding her of their repressed desire, the tension that was reaching unbearable proportions. Without replying, Elliott drew her close. It was an intimate pose, one that stunned the senses, then sent them into a dizzying acceleration.
The music resembled the Carolina night, deep and slow. The languid beat encouraged them to linger in one spot, their movements little more than joint swaying, an undulation that threatened to consume them both. It was a motion that tantalized, an enticement that crept beneath the skin, whispered to the blood.
Ocean breezes that stirred the hot air did nothing to lessen their building heat. It was a heat that simmered with awakened and unfulfilled passion. Like the overpowering scent of sun-drenched magnolias, the yearning built between them, sweet and hot.
Music forgotten, Katherine twined her fingers through Elliott's hair. She wondered that her pulse didn't fly through her heated skin when his lips whispered against her neck. Trembling beneath his touch, she was overwhelmed by the unfamiliar feelings and the intensity of her reaction.
Throwing back her head, Katherine glimpsed the matching passion in Elliott's eyes. The anticipation was almost a visible thing that lingered in the humid currents of the night and searched for a passage of its own.
Beyond their thundering hearts, they could hear the notes fading away as the music ended. They didn't, couldn't, part immediately. Instead, Elliott shifted his hand to cup the back of her neck, his eyes never leaving hers.
Only when the remaining couples started to shuffle past did they move. And then only with excruciating reluctance, their hands still linked.
For the first time since they'd begun the business, Katherine left the cleaning and packing to the other employees without explanation. Once she would have said they couldn't simply walk away and give in to the urges possessing them. But the heat hadn't lessened; instead it built, blinding her to all else.
For the moment she didn't care if her actions were uncharacteristic. Her pulse still hadn't settled into a normal pattern. And glancing at Elliott, she doubted it soon would.
* * *
Paul glanced at the open study door, then up the curving staircase. The floor plan was imprinted in his mind and he knew precisely how close the bedroom was, how few steps it would take to reach Katherine.
He could picture her easily, remembering vividly how she'd stood on the bottom riser when they'd returned home earlier that evening. Katherine had begun to climb the stairs when she paused, turned and asked if he would be coming upstairs soon. Her meaning had been clear, his reply more muddled. He knew they were close to crossing a line, one Katherine wouldn't be able to forgive once she learned the truth. His body ached with frustration; his emotions were in a matching state.
Suddenly he heard a cry. Concerned about Dustin, he ran up the stairs. But when he reached the toddler's room, he saw Katherine bent over her son, rubbing his back and murmuring in soothing tones. The night-light cast a soft glow over them both. Knowing Dustin was all right, he could have stepped away. But, spellbound by the touching scene, he didn't move.
Within a short time Dustin drifted back to sleep and Katherine eased off the bed. Her eyes widened with surprise when she saw him leaning against the doorjamb. He read the uncertainty coupled with longing in her expression. The combination was impossible to resist.
Deliberately Paul straightened and stepped closer. She moved closer, too, until there was scarcely a foot between them and a desperate need to eliminate that space as well.
He pulled her from the room.
Awareness shot through the air with the rapidity of an attacking cheetah. And like animals in the wild, their senses were on full alert. Even the air around them seemed to change, charged with the flow of accelerated adrenaline.
Mouths met and fused, sealing a fate that seemed predestined from the start. And suddenly they were in their bedroom, alone. No distractions, no excuses. No barriers.
Paul kicked the door shut as they clung together, hands and mouths moving in frenzied anticipation. He considered the consequences, then shrugged them aside. He couldn't have walked away if the room had burst into flames.
Groaning with need, Paul wound his fingers through her silky hair as he explored her mouth, tasting the sweetness she offered.
Clothes fell away, ripped off greedily as desire overtook caution. Paul couldn't still a gasp of admiration when her honey-colored flesh was revealed.
Then they were on the bed, the mattress dipping beneath their coupled weight. Paul thought again of the consequences, but only for a moment. He desperately needed an affirmation of life, in the face of his brother's death.
Katherine's touch was a balm that inflamed. With each movement, each caress, the fire that had been smoldering leaped higher. His mouth found hers again, feeling the sweet sigh of arousal, the exploration he never wanted to stop. His hands took a reverent journey over her body. A journey he was anxious to begin, yet wanted to prolong. He reveled when she shuddered, then sighed her growing desire.
Her skin sang like silk, her body an enticement he couldn't get enough of. At the same time her hands traveled over his body, each touch coaxing the embers beyond endurance, threatening an inferno.
But it was an inferno he gladly embraced. A pivotal moment that spun out of control, beyond desire, beyond anything he expected.
Then she began to tremble beneath his touch, a quivering that shot straight to his heart. Protectively he cupped her face in his hands, his eyes meeting the violet jewels of her gaze. The moment lingered, suspended in a dimension only lovers share.
She grasped his shoulders, then his neck, urging him closer. His head sank to the soft flesh of her throat, his mouth seeking and finding her pulse, then traveling downward.
He heard her gasp as his mouth encircled one nipple, then felt her arch from the bed, her hands fisting. Still, the desire built and the journey of discovery continued.
Katherine felt her body shattering, the passion like none she'd ever experienced. Eagerly she accepted each touch, each caress so electric it rocked her soul.
Gone was the playful lover she remembered. In his place was an intensely passionate lover who stole her breath. Every movement made her hunger for more, creating an appetite she hadn't known existed. An appetite he was satisfying in ways she'd never imagined.
It was magic, it was unstoppable. The more he gave, the more she craved – and still the feelings built.
She whispered inarticulate fragments, words urging, seeking. In response he sank deep inside her. Instead of stilling her cries, she groaned with a new pleasure, a pleasure so unexpected, she buried her gasp against his throat.
Then his lips found hers again. He plied them with a tenderness equally unexpected. An explosion of joy shattered her heart, eclipsed her wonderment. And the explosions had only begun…
* * *
Moonlight played over the room, a sonata of silver shadows. Paul cradled Katherine in his arms, her dark hair flung like a silken banner over the ivory sheets. Her breasts, which he now knew intimately, were pressed against his chest. His heartbeat remained aligned with hers, and one of his hands rested on the valley of her waist, sliding occasionally over the slope of her hip.
He had needed the affirmation, expected the arousal, but nothing had prepared him for the tenderness. It was etched in his mind like a precious carving so fragile it could easily crumble. Where had this come from? What had taken them to such unexpected places?
Katherine's hand curled trustingly yet protectively at his throat. Lifting her head slightly, she kissed the underside of his jaw.
How could softness send such an intense jolt? he wondered. Had the universe suddenly tilted off center? Or only his own world?
Katherine's lips inched close to his ear as she whispered, "I love you."
And Paul knew it wasn't only his world that had careened off
center. It was also the one he had drawn Katherine into – a make-believe world she didn't yet know she'd entered.
* * *
Chapter 13
«^»
The sunshine seemed brighter, more vibrant than ever before, Katherine realized as she walked on the beach. It was as though God had dipped the world in new colors, dazzling in their freshness. Smiling with that thought, she waved when she spotted Jessica approaching.
"Hey," Jessica greeted her. "You look like the proverbial cat who swallowed the canary. What's up?"
"Everything!" Katherine replied, unable to squelch her grin.
"Uh-huh," Jessica said, linking arms with her.
Katherine instantly wished that Jessica had someone as wonderful as Elliott in her life. She deserved the same sort of happiness.
"I'm guessing things are better with Elliott?" Jessica said.
"Much." Katherine's voice softened in memory. "It was as though I truly knew him for the first time. I'm not sure how a person can change so much from an accident, but I'm much more in love with him now than before. He seems to have a whole new dimension, one I never saw before, never imagined he possessed. There's depth, excitement…" Her voice trailed off and she glanced self-consciously at her friend. "I guess I sound pretty goopy, don't I?"
"You sure do." Jessica nudged her. "And I'm deliriously happy for you. I know how worried you've been. It sounds as if you both just needed time to rediscover each other."
"I guess so," Katherine replied, remembering the wonder. "But it's more than that. It's almost like he's a different person, one I've fallen deeply in love with. Sometimes I miss his irreverent endless teasing, but…"
"Now he's a man you also admire," Jessica supplied, her wise eyes filled with a special brand of insight, an insight that had proved priceless throughout their friendship.
"You're right." Katherine smiled, realizing how true it was. "I hadn't put a name to the quality, but it is admiration. He has such incredible strength now."
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