by Emily March
“Too many people. I need some space.”
“Space for what?”
“Being.”
He took half a dozen more steps before she said, “What does that mean?”
“Have you ever been out on the ocean and surrounded entirely by the water?”
“No.”
“There’s nothing like it, especially if you are the only person on the boat and drifting on the current. It’ll make you feel like the smallest, most insignificant creature in the universe. At the same time, it’s empowering because it makes you one with the universe. I never feel alone when I’m on the ocean. Sometimes when I’m in a crowd, I need the ocean.”
She thought about that a moment, and then asked with a knife edge of insult, “You felt alone when you were dancing with me?”
“No, not at all. I wanted to be alone when I was dancing with you. Alone with you.”
“Oh.”
He carried her into the woods away from the music and the people. They’d hiked three or four minutes before she spoke again, this time with wariness instead of slight. “I don’t know about this, Devin. It’s getting dark. I shouldn’t leave Reilly, and Boone will be looking for me.”
“We’re almost there. Technically, Reilly left you because he went out on the houseboat to watch the fireworks from the water with Michael and the Callahan kids. As far as your date goes, McBride can take a flying leap off the fishing pier for all I care.”
“You were the one who suggested the idea. You—”
“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah,” Devin interrupted. “Can we not talk about him please? At least for the time being?”
“Fine.” She gave a snooty little sniff.
“Don’t worry. We won’t miss the fireworks.” The postage-stamp-sized meadow he headed toward had an excellent angle on the pertinent part of the sky.
“I’m more worried about missing the bears.”
“Honey, a bear isn’t the animal you need to worry about tonight,” he muttered beneath his breath.
Since his mouth was inches from her, she most likely heard him—and that shut her up. Moments later, he reached his destination and was pleased to discover that none of the other Fourthfest guests had beaten him to it.
“We’re here.”
“Where’s here? Other than the middle of nowhere?”
“It’s a hot springs pool like the ones at Angel’s Rest. You can soak your ankle.”
“Oh.”
The purr of delight that replaced the wariness in her voice sent a shudder of lust racing through him. Devin knew he was in trouble. Don’t do this. Don’t be stupid.
I won’t be too stupid. This can’t go too far. We might be isolated, but it’s still a public place. Just a little nibble, a little sip. I’m just so damn hungry.
Gently, he lowered her to a grassy spot on the ground beside the pool. He knelt beside her and slipped off the red flat she wore on her uninjured ankle, then carefully untied the ribbon from her brace and pulled the Velcro tabs.
“You make me feel like Cinderella,” Jenna said, her voice soft and husky.
“I’m no Prince Charming.” He set the brace aside. “There . . . I have you naked. Dip your toes and see how you like it.”
Jenna sank her ankle into the hot springs pool and released a sensual groan. “That’s fabulous. It makes me want to go all the way.”
“Jenna, please! You’re killing me here.”
She laughed like a wicked, teasing siren as he sat beside her and took off his boots and rolled up the legs of his jeans. In a soft, Eve-in-the-Garden voice, she said, “Devin?”
“Hmm?”
“Come here.” She cupped her hand at the back of his neck and pulled his mouth down to hers.
Fourteen
What better time to play with fire than the Fourth of July?
Jenna knew she shouldn’t bait the bear—or whatever animal Devin purported to be—but the man sent more mixed messages than a drunk-texting coed. She was tired of it. Her nerves were shot. She was on edge. Tomorrow was a big day, what with sending Reilly off to camp and launching their offensive operation against her stalker, and she needed a distraction.
She was lonely and he’d held her close and with tenderness. And she did love the way he kissed. Hungry and hot and wild as a mountain thunderstorm. His hand plunged into her hair and anchored her. His lips crushed hers, devouring her, as if the taste of her drove him into a frenzy.
The taste of him certainly fired her hormones. Lust snapped through her like a whip. She wanted to crawl on top of him, she wanted contact and friction and the glorious heat of combustion. She moaned with desperate pleasure when his teeth nipped and scrapped at the sensitive skin at the base of her neck.
She melted back onto her elbows when he murmured her name and his kisses trailed lower toward the scooped neckline of her dress. Thrill zinged along her nerves as his hand swept up the length of her thigh. Need became an aching, clawing animal inside her, and she arched her back and . . . gasped in pain when she banged her ankle on a rock.
Devin muttered a curse and pulled away from her. “Jenna. I’m sorry. Are you okay? I’m so sorry.”
“No. Not your fault.” She closed her eyes and grimaced as she absorbed the waves of pain. “Mine. I started it and then I forgot about . . . everything.”
“I know. Me too. Is there anything I can do to help? I don’t guess I can kiss it make it better?”
She groaned a laugh. “I think you’d best keep your kisses to yourself.”
“Yeah. This spot feels isolated, but we’re just a stone’s throw away from a hundred people. We were playing with fire.”
The first skyrocket of the night shot into the air and burst in a shower of red, white, and blue sparks in the sky above them. She let out a shaky sigh. “I know. But it is the Fourth of July. It’s a night for it, don’t you think?”
“Fourth. Fifth. Fifteenth.” Devin released a long sigh. “I don’t think the date is going to matter. I tried. I am trying. But we have lots of hours of darkness ahead of us to make it through. Alone together. You and me. I don’t know about you, Jenna, but after tonight, I don’t think I have that much willpower.”
Jenna’s heart began to thunder anew as a scandalous notion took hold. She liked this man so much. It had been so long.
He lives in Australia. So what?
Without giving herself any more time to consider, she asked, “I don’t know that you need it.”
He went still. With a whiz, whistle, and bang another skyrocket exploded overhead. Sparks of purple and green lit the night, and Devin cleared his throat. “Are you suggesting we . . .
Jenna wasn’t quite brazen enough to proposition him outright, so she looked up into the sky and gave a whistle of admiration. “Wow, look at that one. Those gold chrysanthemums are my favorite.”
He waited for a full minute before picking up a stone and chucked it into the hot springs. “Jenna, you know that I’m leaving the country in two weeks, right? My work . . . my life . . . is in Australia. I have to go back. I want to go back. Don’t lose track of that detail, because I’m giving you fair warning. I’m not a forever guy.”
“If I may point out that except for that kiss a moment ago, I haven’t asked you for anything, much less forever?”
“I’m not saying you did. Although I think we should observe a moment of silence in honor of that kiss because it truly was in my top five all-time favorite kisses. Okay, top two. And you can’t hold it against me that it’s competing for number one with the kiss I got from Angelina Jolie when I was sixteen, and she chartered Dad’s boat for a day. That was a kiss on the cheek, so it’s an entirely different category, but I’m trying to be honest here.”
“You’re crazy.”
“You don’t know the half of it. I did something today that went against every instinct I possess. I failed pretty spectacularly at it, but I did try.”
“What did you do?”
“Put my foot in it,” he grumbled.
&n
bsp; She folded her arms and glared at him. Dark though it was, she felt certain he sensed it. “Well?”
“Let’s enjoy the fireworks.”
“Oh, I’m about to show you fireworks. This has something to do with Boone, doesn’t it? Is that why you manipulated him into bringing me to this party?”
“You know, if you ever get the chance to watch New Year’s fireworks over Sydney Harbor, you should do it. It’s just spectacular.”
“That’s a pitiful attempt to change the subject and an insulting action you are attempting to cover up. Just because I asked for assistance finding a stalker doesn’t mean I need help finding someone to date!”
“Look. That makes it sound worse than it was. Besides, it’s not you. It’s me.”
“Oh, brother.”
“Okay, fine. You know what I did? I’ll tell you what I did. I set you down in front of McBride like a fly in front of a trout.”
“Excuse me?”
“No, excuse me.” Above them as a rapid series of explosions lit the sky. Devin raked his fingers through his hair. “Dammit, it’s true. I won’t deny it. But I have my reasons and they’re good reasons, but I don’t want to tell you because you’ll think I’ve lost my ever-loving mind.”
“Try me.”
Two more rockets burst up in sky before he acquiesced and launched into a convoluted tale about cell phones and Eternity Springs and Christmas bells and wishes. When he finally wound down, Jenna attempted to summarize. “Let me bottom line this. You think some sort of Eternity Springs’ mojo means you’re supposed to find a father for Reilly? And you decided that father needs to be Boone McBride?”
“The McBride part isn’t set in stone.”
“Okay, I agree. You have lost your mind.”
“Call me Santa Cupid,” he grumbled unhappily.
Jenna laughed and they both looked skyward as a starburst set off an extended number of crackles and pops. When the sounds finally faded, Devin continued. “I know it sounds unbelievable, but that’s part of it too. In my very first conversation with your son, I talked about believing.”
“I remember him telling me that.”
“I don’t know where the words came from, Jenna. They just appeared on my tongue out of the blue. Kind of like his call appeared on my phone—the brand new phone given to me by none other than Celeste Blessing. Maybe you’re too new to Eternity Springs to recognize when woo-woo knocks on your door, but believe me, it happens. This town has a long history of strange experiences and coincidences, especially when Celeste is involved. I don’t bet against them.”
Loud booms accompanied a rapid series of fireworks. Devin raised his voice to be heard above the noise.
“And think about it. You didn’t, either. You chose to come to Eternity Springs as a result of one of those coincidences, didn’t you?”
She couldn’t argue with that. However . . . “I’m not interested in Boone and he’s not interested in me.”
“Bull.”
“It’s true. We discussed it. You weren’t exactly subtle with the setup this morning.”
“He sent you flowers.”
“As a friendly gesture.”
“Yeah. Right. Are you always this naive?”
She wasn’t going to argue the point with him, but Jenna knew she was right. Boone didn’t hesitate to flirt, but he didn’t mean it. A woman could tell these things. After spending a bit of time with him, she sensed that there was much more to Boone McBride than he let on. He carried some serious baggage.
Devin continued, “Even if neither of you are interested right now, that could change. Or maybe somebody new will come to town tomorrow. Who knows? One thing I do want to stress, though. I don’t want you to worry that I’m so far off my rocker that I won’t protect you like I promised. I vow that I will guard you with my life until the stalker is caught.”
Jenna couldn’t resist commenting, “Or for the next two weeks, anyway.”
“If this takes longer than Jack expects—something I can’t imagine because Jack and the Callahans managed to track down Chase outside of a remote mountain village in Chizickstan—I’ll stay longer. I’m not going to abandon you. Although, do you have a passport?”
“A passport!”
“Yeah, a passport. Do you have one?”
“Yes, why?”
“My friend Mitch is getting married on Bella Vita Isle. I planned my trip home around the wedding. You can be my plus one if worse comes to worse. A bunch of us are going.” He paused as if a new thought had just occurred to him. “Lori and Chase are going. Wonder if the baby news changes their plans. Is there a reason she couldn’t travel?”
“I’m a doctor, but I’m not your sister’s doctor. However, unless she’s had a problem with her pregnancy that she hasn’t shared, I know of nothing that would prevent her traveling.”
“Cool. I’m excited about the baby. Lori is gonna be a great mom. You’ve seen how fabulous she is with animals. Imagine how she’ll be with her own little one. And Mom and Dad as grandparents? That’ll be a hoot to watch.” He hesitated a moment then added, “From afar. Good thing the world has Skype. I can have a front-row seat even from the other side of the world. Although, this news will change the family travel plans again. Guess I’ll be hauling myself back to Eternity Springs again for the holidays, after all.”
“Can we go back to this passport and wedding issue, please? I could not go out of the country and leave Reilly behind at camp.”
“Why not? He’ll be doing whatever he’s doing whether you are in the mountains or at the beach.”
“But . . .”
“It’s the Caribbean, Jenna. Not the South Pacific. The flight isn’t bad at all. I’ve made it plenty of times. But we are getting ahead of ourselves worrying about that. Although, consider yourself officially invited to join me. Bella Vita is an awesome place. I’ll take you out in a boat and show you what I meant about being one with the universe.”
“I’m not going to crash a wedding.”
“You wouldn’t be crashing. My invitation includes a guest, and I accepted for two figuring I’d invite somebody when I’m there. I hate going to weddings alone, don’t you?”
“Yes, but . . .”
“Mitch is good friend of mine and the woman he’s marrying is super nice. You’ll like them both. Mitch lived in Eternity Springs for a while when he apprenticed with our resident glass artist. Have you met Cicero?”
“I met him tonight. His son Galen is a couple years older than Reilly.”
“His wife is one of Eternity Spring’s doctors.”
“Rose Cicero. She treated my ankle. I liked her.”
“They’re great people. Have four children. They’re adopted, too. Reilly has that in common with the Cicero kids. Anyway, my friend Mitch was Cicero’s apprentice. When I ran boats out of Bella Vita, he and I spent a lot of time together.” Devin threaded his fingers through hers and brought her hand to his mouth for a kiss. “Say yes. Say you will come whether we’ve found the stalker or not. It’s a beautiful place. Tropical breezes, sugar sand beaches, umbrella drinks. We’ll take moonlit walks on the beach.”
“I do not understand you, Devin Murphy. One minute you’re telling me you’re playing Yente trying to marry me off and the next you’re inviting me on a Caribbean getaway?”
“Yente?”
“Fiddler on the Roof. The matchmaker.”
“Oh. Okay. I like ‘Santa Cupid’ better, but whatever works. What can I say? I can multitask. Come with me to Bella Vita Isle, Sugar Cookie.”
“Sugar Cookie? Really?”
“Yep. C’mon. Let Santa have a nibble.” He laid her back against the grass, and when the grand finale burst across the sky a few minutes later neither of them noticed.
Sitting in his truck in the parking lot at Eternity Springs Community School, Devin reached across the console and awkwardly patted Jenna’s knee. Tears had been rolling down her cheeks ever since Reilly had climbed into the Rocking L bus for the trip up to t
he summer camp ten minutes earlier. Devin hadn’t felt this helpless since a tour last year when a little girl’s teddy bear blew out of her arms and into the Coral Sea during a trip out to the Great Barrier Reef. “Reilly will be fine, Sugar.”
“I know.”
“He wasn’t upset.”
“I know! That’s what was so bad. He’s not going to miss me at all.”
“That’s a bad thing?”
“No. Not at all. I’m happy!” She covered her face with her hands and released a little sob.
Devin sighed and twisted the key, starting the ignition. “I can tell.”
“I’m being silly. I know. And I never cry. It’s just that Reilly and I haven’t been apart in months and months. It’s a good thing that he’s gone to camp. I just wish he could have acted the tiniest bit sad to leave me.”
“I’m sure that inside he’s sobbing his little heart out. But he’s a guy. He has to show a stiff upper lip.”
“That’s true, isn’t it? I tend to forget just how silly males are no matter what their age. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“He was awfully cute with Sinatra, wasn’t he?”
Devin nodded. “He and that dog are going to be great friends. Now, Daniel will be expecting us, so we need to get going. Are you ready?”
“Yes. Let’s go.”
He put his truck into gear and exited the parking lot. The plan was to meet at Daniel Garrett’s office where Jenna would file the paperwork that would launch the team’s effort to track down the stalker. By the time they made the short trip to the office building, Jenna had herself under control.
The Garrett Investigations office was located in the three story building on Pinion and Fourth that also housed Timberlake and McBride law offices, Rafferty Engineering, and a few other professional concerns. As they climbed the narrow wooden staircase to the second floor, Jenna observed, “What a neat old building.”
“It started out as a saloon and whorehouse. Every mining town needed one or two. Various remodels over the years have made it a hodgepodge, but it’s hodgepodge with character.” Devin rapped on the frosted glass panel of Daniel’s door before opening it. Daniel was on a phone call, but he waved them inside and gestured for Jenna to take the chair behind his desk.