Before the doors closed, she heard Hunter’s quiet words. “It was more than just a kiss.”
Back in her room, she leaned against the closed door and sank to the floor, touching her lips as if she could feel Hunter’s still on them from yesterday. His voice echoed inside her head with his last comment. Yes, it was more than just a kiss.
For the past twenty years, Hunter had been her friend and mentor. On many occasions, he had been her protector and voice of reason. He was the one who knew her weakness and fears, yet still loved her despite them.
Four years ago, something changed. And this year, it seemed to evolve. She had to push it out of her mind when he fell out of contact. She’d left it alone.
Until now.
Could it be they were both overly sensitive at making it through another storm ravaged accident and they were having mixed feelings, or could it be so much more?
Remembering the half hour time frame they’d set, she rose back to her feet, wincing at the way her knees trembled. She pulled the phone from her purse and plugged it into the charger.
After a ten minute long hot shower, Becca felt refreshed again. Hair wrapped up in a towel, she grabbed another one and wrapped it around herself. Time to find something to wear.
Within minutes, she was dressed. She ran a brush through her hair and grabbed a clip she’d left on the bathroom counter the last time she’d been in her room and studied herself in the mirror. She already looked much better. Too bad she was still groggy, sore, and achy. Another few nights of good rest and she’d be good as new.
She grabbed her purse and stared at her phone. It hadn’t been long enough to charge. Oh well. She may as well leave it and just go meet Hunter. Beeca stopped in surprise at the door when she’d noticed something on the floor. A thin white envelope had been been shoved under the door. What was that all about? A note from Hunter maybe? She bent to pick it up and rushed out of the room in order to not be late. She’d check it in a little while.
Hunter paced in circles but stopped as he caught sight of her. He had a deep scowl as if something were wrong. He never gave her time to get to him. He practically ran toward her and stared down at something. Before she could say anything, Hunter reached for the envelope. “You got one too?” he asked, his voice strangled.
“One what? I don’t know what it is. Wait … too? What are you saying?” Becca was confused. Her heart thumped against her ribcage wildly.
“It looks exactly like the one I just got!” Hunter grunted, tearing open her envelope. She didn’t even have time to think and wonder why he was opening her letter. He swore under his breath and pulled a crumpled up piece of paper from his pocket and put the two side by side.
Curious, Becca craned her neck to look. She gasped. Both letters had the same message.
Happy reunion, Rebecca and Hunter. Hope you’ll enjoy another reunion soon. With me. I remember it all.
Chapter Seven
Becca’s skin turned ghostly white. Hunter slipped an arm around her to ensure that she didn’t fall. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked quietly.
“I don’t know, but I sure as hell don’t like it. Bec, what if this person is here and was the one that messed with the boat?” He was acting paranoid. That just couldn’t be! But if the anonymous sender knew they were here, why was it so hard to believe they could have done that as well? In this case, he’d prefer himself losing his mind and not tying up that boat properly over someone trying to sabotage them. “Let’s go see about the boat and what we can do, then I’m going to have a chat with the front desk people at Range’s. Someone knows our room numbers, our whereabouts…” He’d come here to get away from trouble, not have it follow him here! He folded both notes and handed Becca’s back to her. “Sorry I opened yours and didn’t even give you a chance.” He felt bad. He’d reacted without thinking. With a nod, she dropped it into her purse without a second glance. Hunter raked a hand through his hair, trying to gather his thoughts. Now more than ever he didn’t want to let Becca out of his sight.
Who would send such a letter? Why? And what the hell did it mean? He walked briskly to the marina and realized he should probably wait for Becca to catch up. He stopped and turned to her. He frowned when he noticed her limp. “Is the ankle still bothering you, or is it your knees?” he asked quietly when she caught up to him.
She bit her lip. “Little of both.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Hunter, I spent years in a wheelchair. I don’t always want to sit back,” she snapped. Immediately, her hand flew to her mouth. “Dang it, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be jumping all over you.”
She was just on edge. Becca pretty much never snapped at anyone, especially him. He brushed his fingers gently over her shoulder, moving to her cheek. “I know. I shouldn’t hover so much either. You’re a good judge of what you can and can’t do. I need not try and undermine your decisions. Forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive. We’re both pretty worn out and on edge, with good reason.” A smile tugged at her lips. He wanted to lean over and kiss them again. His pulse quickened at that thought. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about her lips and kissing her? What’s gotten into him? In silence, Hunter took her hand. They made their way to the marina and found the small boat rental shack. Inside the worn down building, the musty smell slammed Hunter’s nose. The guy should really open up the door and let some air in. It was way too stuffy in the place. Hopefully this would be quick, so they could get out of here. He already felt the heat rush to his face from being too warm. A small box fan was the only slight reprieve. He wrinkled his nose in distaste.
Hunter leaned on the counter and waited for the short, heavyset man behind it to pay attention. When he turned around, the man smiled warmly. “Can I help you?”
“Yeah. We rented a boat yesterday and had a bit of a mishap after we were caught in that surprise storm.” Hunter proceeded to tell the man yesterday’s events and hope for the best. He hadn’t seen the boat so far, but it didn’t mean they hadn’t moved it elsewhere if someone found it.
With a few clicks on the small computer, the man pulled up their information. “Someone brought the boat in a couple hours ago. There is some damage, but it’s not much.”
Hunter sighed and pulled out his wallet. He handed the man his business card. “I’ll take care of everything once you have an estimate on what it’ll cost. I have no problem paying for them.”
The man blinked in what Hunter figured was surprise. He picked up the card and studied it. His gaze flicked from the card to Hunter’s face, then back down again. He nodded and put the card in a drawer. “Thank you. I’m sure my manager will be in touch.” He went back to the computer and rattled off the amount for the boat rental itself. “I won’t charge late fees for going over your time. That storm did come up quick. I’ll just have those waived.”
Hunter guessed the only reason he chose to do that was because they would get a ton of money from him for the boat damages, have someone fix it for cheap and then pocket the rest. It didn’t matter. “I appreciate it.” He took a quick look at the screen and handed over his credit card. After the transaction was finished, he signed the receipt and put his card back in it’s rightful place. “You go ahead and call with that estimate and I’ll send a check. Thanks for your time.” He nodded at Becca and they turned to leave.
Once outside, Hunter blew out a breath. The breeze felt good on his face. It was nice to be out in fresh air again. How could anyone work in that little shack for hours on end? He sure wouldn’t be able to stand it.
“At least they found the boat,” Becca said softly. “Do you want me to go half with you on the repair bill?”
“Absolutely not!” Hunter almost yelled, flabbergasted. “No really, it’s okay.” She’d been about to protest. “Let’s get on over to Range’s and see what they can tell us about these letters. I’m more than a little rattled about this.”
The employees at Range’s couldn’t
seem to tell them a thing. “You mean to tell me that someone can walk in here, find our rooms and just leave notes and no one sees this? Come on, you have no surveillance tapes? No way do I believe you don’t even have a little bit of security around here. I know this is a pretty big tourist attraction.” Hunter curled his fists as his side.
“Sir-” The petite blonde stared at him with wide eyes as she pursed her lips.
“Look at what this says!” Hunter slapped his crumpled note on the desk. “My friend here got the very same one! Our rooms aren’t close to each other at all. There has to be something you can do to look into this.” He could start making some serious threats toward Range’s, but he hoped it wouldn’t come down it. Other than this incident, he’d never had an issue when staying here. An incident like this wouldn’t normally boil his blood, but when it came to Becca’s and his safety, he’d do whatever he had to do.
The woman stared at the paper and let out a gasp. “You both have one of these?” Her gaze traveled to Becca for confirmation.
Becca pulled her note from her purse and held it up, saying nothing.
“Oh dear,” the woman said quietly. “Okay Mr…”
“Mr. Beckman. Hunter Beckman.”
She nodded. “Mr. Beckman, I will look into this right away.”
Hunter gave the woman a rundown of when they’d been in and out of Range’s since he’d been here. His note had not been delivered when he first made it into the room. It had to have been sometime while he was in the shower. He could only guess the same for Becca, but he had no idea. If that were the case, someone had their itinerary and location down to a tee, which scared the shit out of him.
“Please see that you do. I’m upset about being followed and having notes left for us.” Hunter narrowed his eyes, sending her a silent message. The young lady swallowed and gave a curt nod. Slightly satisfied, Hunter stalked away from the desk.
“Wait up!” Becca called out from behind him.
He stopped. “I’m sorry. I keep leaving you behind. I’m really agitated over this and I don’t always think before I act.”
“I know. It’s okay.”
“No this isn’t okay Becca, but thank you for being so patient and understanding with me.” This was not how he expected this trip to go. Maybe he should call home and check in with Shara for any news. He debated on going back to the front desk to ask about switching rooms. He wanted to be closer to Becca. If someone had some strange idea of harming them, he wanted her close by.
He had to admit to himself that he wanted her close by for other reasons, too.
Too many thoughts crowded his mind. He needed to clear his head.
*****
Becca knew Hunter had been reluctant to part from her after they both had concerns over those letters. He had phone calls to make though, and she wanted to check her own messages. An hour later, she had her easel and paints set up near the window. She’d wanted to go out on the balcony, but the rain had begun once again. Closing her eyes, Becca thought back to the image from this morning of the fog, the island, and the sunrise.
Vince had left a few messages, but she wasn’t ready to deal with him yet. He sounded all high strung again, worried about something that she would probably never know about. She would call him after she had a bit of a break and got some painting done.
She put the brush to her canvas and began the process. Thinking back to Hunter’s words, she smiled. She was excited to show him the finished project. She loved that Hunter took a serious interest in her work. He wasn’t one of those that faked it or brushed her off. He had genuine enthusiasm for her passion.
She’d just began painting the colorful sky when someone rapped at her door. Hunter? Maybe he’d finished with his phone calls and decided not to take a nap after all. Eager to see him, she put the brush down and ran to the door, her heart racing.
She gasped in surprise when she opened it.
Vince stood there, frowning at her. “Well, it’s nice to know you’re still alive and well, since you don’t care to answer my calls. Why were you ignoring me?” He pushed the door open further and stepped into her room, looking around.
“What are you doing here?” Becca crossed her arms over her chest. How dare he just show up and act like this! What was his problem? She didn’t have to answer to anyone, least of all him!
“I’ve been calling you!” Vince snapped, narrowing his eyes. “I stopped by your apartment to bring in your mail and came across a strange letter-”
Ignoring the fact that a strange letter had been delivered at home too, Becca fumed. “Strange letter? So you just opened my mail? What right do you have to invade my life like that, Vince?”
He whipped out a piece of paper and shoved it at her. “How about we get to the bottom of the letter instead of jumping all over me. Come on Becca, give me a little credit. I came all the way out here to check on you. The least you could do is show me a little consideration.” He sounded hurt. A little angry, even.
She stared at the words on the note.
You left me to die.
What did that mean?
She wanted to snatch it from Vince and run to Hunter to show him, but her feet were planted firmly where she stood.
“When you didn’t answer your phone for over a day, I freaked, jumped on the next flight out and came straight here.” Vince softened his tone and reached for her. “I’m glad to know you’re doing all right. I’m sorry for being so snippy when I knocked, but I really was worried. To see that you’re perfectly fine … I guess I just felt slighted that you couldn’t even let me know you’re fine.”
“I’m not a child, you know,” she said quietly. “I’m not going to respond to every little thing all the time. I understand your worry when you see something like that, but I’m a grown woman. You didn’t have to make a trip all the way out here to check up on me.” She sounded rude. No, not just sounded. She was rude, but she also had a good argument. Why did Vince feel the need to rush up here to check up on her? Let alone, he’d opened her mail! Did he really think they were so serious that he could just check her mail? What else did he see? He’d been given a spare key only in case of emergencies, and that was done by her grandparents without even asking her. She’d put a hold on her mail, anyway. She hadn’t told him that because it never came up. Besides, it wasn’t his business anyway. “And tell me, why were you at my apartment?”
Something that resembled guilt flashed across his face. He was hiding something. What, and why? “I was planning a surprise for when you arrived home,” he said quickly. Too quickly. Was that the truth? Why would Vince lie? Something didn’t add up. “Why have you been avoiding my calls?” Oh, so he wanted to divert the blame away from himself? No, she wasn’t going to play that game. He had a lot of explaining to do.
“The cell reception isn’t the best out here,” she said simply. Truth, but of course he had no idea about the storm, the boat, and her night with Hunter. And he didn’t need to. “I’ve been spending time near the water and enjoying myself. I don’t always take my phone with me.” She glanced back at her easel. The brush would dry soon with all the paint on it. She should have washed it, but she never expected Vince to show up. Needing to distance herself from him, she excused herself and went for the brush. She stepped into the bathroom and washed it. Oranges and reds swirled along the white of the sink. She held the brush under the water and spread the bristles with her fingers until the water ran perfectly clear. Satisfied, she flicked her wrists and set the brush on the counter.
Vince had settled himself in the beige chair near the window. His gaze traveled from her painting to her face. “You really should just come home with me tonight,” he said briskly.
“I don’t think so Vince. This is my time. I’d like to finish my vacation.” Without you hovering. Of course, she didn’t dare say that out loud. He always found a way to get under her skin, and not in a good way. She couldn’t marry a man like Vince. It just wouldn’t ever work. Not that he was a bad man
, but she didn’t find him attractive, nor did she feel any sort of romantic feelings for him.
Did he honestly feel something for her, or was it all for show because of her grandparents? She’d never know.
The tension between them was so strong, she thought she’d be pulled right back if she moved. What now? She couldn’t just run from him. He’d probably stay in the room until she returned. How could she get him to go home and just let her be for a while? Becca suppressed a sigh.
“I’ll admit it’s a beautiful island, but why do you need to come back year after year?” He shot to his feet and moved toward her, taking her hand in his.
“I feel close to my family here. It’s my way of honoring their memory,” Becca said firmly. She squared her shoulders. Vince’s hardened expression softened just a bit as understanding filled his eyes.
“I guess I can see that. Still…”
“No still. This is something I need and want to do, and I shouldn’t have to explain myself to anyone.”
“Becca, I-”
Someone knocked on her door once again. Oh dear, if that was Hunter, things were about to become even more interesting. She had to keep from running to answer the door. Instead, she took quick steps, trying to not appear as if she were anxious to get away from Vince. She pulled open the door and peered out. Sure enough, Hunter stood on the other side. “Hey.” She gave him a half smile.
“How are you feeling? Everything seems to be going well back home. Want to do anything?” Hunter returned her smile. Did he always have that little crease every time he smiled? She’d never noticed before.
“Who is this?” Vince pulled the door open a little more from behind her, forcing Becca to move out of the way. What was his deal? He’d only been here fifteen minutes and already she wanted to knock some sense into him.
Hunter’s eyes widened. He shot Becca a questioning look.
“Vince, I’d like you to meet Hunter. Hunter, this is Vince.” She mouthed an “I’m sorry” to Hunter as Vince stepped forward. He held out a hand to Hunter.
Passionate Kisses 2 Boxed Set: Love in Bloom Page 86