The Heart Has Reasons

by Martine Marchand

  When he decided upon the fried fish, the waitress turned to Larissa as if finally remembering her presence. “And what would you like, Miss Santos?”

  “I’ll have the same. And a plain hamburger.”

  From down the street, a loud feminine voice proclaimed, “Hey! Isn’t that the woman who offed that serial killer?” Blowing out an irritated sigh, Larissa shifted her gaze past the waitress to where four overweight, middle-aged couples sporting souvenir straw hats and tee shirts had paused to point and gape. Once they’d agreed that Larissa was indeed the woman from the news, the first woman said, “Let’s go get some pictures.”

  Fumbling cameras from fanny packs, the group barged toward them with an abundance of alcohol-fueled enthusiasm. A beseeching glance at Chase had him on his feet and planted in front of her, an immovable barrier. Folding arms across his chest to make carved biceps bulge, he shook his head slowly from side to side.

  The group paused. After some quick, whispered consultation, the women apparently decided they could cajole their way past Chase and started forward once more. The men, however, were still sober enough to realize that they would be the ones to bear the brunt of his ire. Taking firm hold of the women’s arms, they steered them back in the direction from which they’d come.

  As Chase retook his seat, the waitress gaped at him with fawning admiration. “Wow. That was, like, the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. I mean, you didn’t even have to say anything.” Clearly, hoping it was the extent of their relationship, she asked, “Are you Miss Santos’ bodyguard?”

  Chase turned to regard Larissa with a look so steamy that Larissa’s cheeks flooded with heat. “I’m anything Miss Santos wants me to be.”

  Perceptive enough to realize that Chase’s relationship to Larissa was more comprehensive than that of mere bodyguard, she cast him a wistful glance before disappearing inside.

  “It really was impressive, Chase. Thank you.”

  “Has it been like this since you’ve been back?”

  “Until now I’ve avoided going out in public, so I’ve only had to deal with it at work. You have no idea the sorts of questions people will ask.”

  “Jesus, Larissa, I am so—”

  “Don’t say it!”

  “—sorry,” he finished.

  He looked so downcast that she added, “It hasn’t been all bad. Despite the fact that I raised my prices by twenty percent, I’m booked solid for the next three months.

  The waitress returned with their iced teas and flirted with Chase a little more, her eyes issuing an open invitation every time she looked at him. When she finally departed to wait on another table, Chase remarked, “Charleston’s so different from L.A. It’s so much more laid back here, and everyone’s so friendly and polite.”

  “Although Charleston has the reputation of being the most mannerly city in America, I couldn’t help but notice how people have been particularly welcoming to you. I’m sure it was mere coincidence that the majority were women.” She allowed a mischievous smile to lift the corners of her mouth. “Our waitress, especially, lavished you with fervent hospitality. She was practically drooling over you.”

  Blue eyes searched her face. “It didn’t seem to trouble you.”

  “It was actually somewhat entertaining.”

  “No jealousy?”

  “The way I see it, if a relationship is sound, no outsider can sabotage it. If a man gives me reason to believe that he’ll cheat on me, I’m not going to stress about it. I’m simply going to kick him to the curb and find another who’s — hopefully — more trustworthy. How about you?”

  “Jealousy stems from insecurity.” He grinned wolfishly. “I like being with the woman other men lust after.”

  The puppy awoke with the arrival of their food. Larissa cut the burger into tiny bites and surreptiously sat the plate on the ground. As she and Chase started on their fish, she asked, “If you do decide to move here, what will you do about your business?”

  “My partners will buy me out.”

  “They must think you’ve lost your mind.”

  He paused in the act of dipping a French fry into ketchup. “Because I’d sell my part of the business? Or because of what I did to you?”

  “Because you broke up with a supermodel to be with a hairstylist.”

  “They consider that the most intelligent decision I’ve made lately. Although no one ever came right out and said so, a man can tell when his friends dislike his woman. And they all agree that you’re much hotter than Cheyenne.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  Reaching across the table to grasp her hand, he locked eyes with her. “Larissa, I’ll never lie to you. Not only are you more beautiful than Cheyenne, you’re much sexier. Cheyenne has what it takes to be a good model: She’s extremely photogenic. Give her a professional makeup artist and a half-decent photographer, and the resulting photos will be absolutely stunning. But without makeup, she’s barely more than passably pretty.”

  Conscious of the other diners surrounding them, Larissa lowered her voice to just above a whisper. “But she has those breasts.”

  “Which look absolutely ridiculous on that tall, skinny body. Plus, the skin’s stretched so tight over those huge implants that she no longer has any nipple sensitivity.”

  Larissa crinkled her nose. That would really suck. “How’d you meet?”

  “She was modeling several million dollars’ worth of jewelry at a photo shoot on the beach. The jewelry company hired our firm to guard it. To be honest, she really wasn’t my type but...” He finished with a shrug.

  “But she was a model and you’re a man.”

  He at least had the grace to look slightly chagrined. “What can I say? Men are stupid like that sometimes. You’re not intimidated by her, are you?”

  Was she? She considered the question for a moment, then answered honestly. “When Jarvis first told me about her, I was. And then again, when I saw her on television talking about you. But now that you’re here?” She smiled at him. “Not at all. Especially not after last night.”

  “Glad to hear it, because there’s absolutely no reason for you to be.”

  After they left the café, they strolled down the area of Bay Street known as Rainbow Row, past restored homes painted in bright Caribbean-influenced blues, pinks, greens, and lavenders.

  At Waterfront Park, both tourists and locals alike cooled their feet in the two fountains. Sun-lovers sprawled on the grass, soaking up the rays, while the more circumspect lounged on park benches in the shade. Their passage across the Great Lawn was slow and laborious as hoards of laughing children insisted on petting the frolicking puppy. Larissa was painfully aware of the crowd’s scrutiny as people recognized her and began pointing her out to their companions. A group of men began to clap, and then the entire crowd was applauding. Pasting on a tight-lipped smile, she raised a hand in acknowledgment and steered Chase toward the aptly named Pineapple Fountain.

  “Why the embarrassment?” Chase asked. “You should be proud.”

  “Proud of taking credit for something I didn’t do? You’re the hero, not me.”

  Disgust twisted his mouth. “I’m no hero. Hell, I rank only a few notches above Sparrow.”

  “That’s not true and you know it.”

  He suddenly stiffened and made a sweeping scan of the area, his gaze roving over the crowd with a grim intensity made the hair on the back of her neck prickle, and then she too was studying the faces in the crowd. “Chase, I wish you’d stop doing that. You’re making me nervous.”

  “Sorry. Thought I spotted something or someone in the crowd. It was such a brief glimpse that whatever I saw didn’t fully register.” Wrapping one muscular arm about her shoulders, he leaned down to kiss her. “You’re probably right. Recent events have me paranoid.” His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes and she caught a momentary flicker of unease in their blue depths before they returned to scrutinizing the crowd.

  As a trio of dolphins splashed two-hundred feet from shore
, they strolled toward the water. At intervals along the four-hundred-foot pier, old-fashioned porch swings hung beneath covered areas. Claiming a vacant one, Larissa cuddled in the curve of Chase’s arm, enjoying the cool breeze coming off the water. While the water lapped at the pilings beneath the pier, the puppy grabbed another nap beneath them. Gently rocking the swing with her sandaled feet, she leaned her head on Chase’s shoulder, grateful for this small oasis of happiness and contentment, this day of near-perfect bliss.

  Clasping her hand, he brought it to his lips. “Why do they call this the Low Country?”

  “The southeastern third of South Carolina is nearly at sea level. Shallow creeks and streams meander through the whole area and it’s prone to marsh- and swampland. We’ll have to go to Cypress Gardens someday. It’s a hundred-and-sixty-acre black-water swamp.” When he regarded her with raised brows, she added, “It’s much better than it sounds.”

  With a start, she realized she was speaking as though his relocation to Charleston was a foregone conclusion. The truth, however unpalatable, was that they were merely in the process of getting to know one another better. Chase was a man accustomed to a life brimming with excitement and danger. Now that he was spending time with her under normal circumstances, would he find her too ordinary? Her life too mundane? The knowledge that he might decide not to move here pierced her with the emotional equivalent of an arrow through the heart.

  Fighting the impulse to throw herself into his arms, she settled for tightening her grip on his hand, as if mere force of will could somehow keep him from leaving. As dread slowly accreted in her stomach, she desperately tried to convince herself she was worrying over nothing. After all, just last night he’d said he loved her. But men often said, “I love you” after extraordinary sex, when what they really meant was, “I love having sex with you”.

  Unaware of her sudden disquiet, Chase squinted toward the far bank of the Cooper River. “That looks like a battleship.”

  Her mouth was so dry she could barely speak. “The USS Yorktown. It’s been turned into a museum.” They briefly discussed Charleston’s history and, since his interest seemed to illustrate his continuing intention to relocate there, she was able to force her worry to the back of her mind.

  As they left the pier, Larissa’s gaze casually passed over the throng of people and something — a face in the crowd? — kicked her heart rate up several notches. Coming to an abrupt stop, she carefully scrutinized the multitude, but the constantly shifting mosaic of people refused to divulge whomever or whatever had caught her eye.

  She turned back to find Chase watching her, brows raised in silent query. Hoping it looked sincere, she pasted on a smile. “You see? Now you’ve got me doing it.” Despite her feigned nonchalance, premonition lay heavy upon her and suddenly she wanted be far away from this crowd. “Let’s walk down to The Battery.”

  Chase carried the slumbering puppy as they headed south on East Battery Street, strolling along the raised walk that bordered the river. Gulls dived and wheeled overhead, their cries raucous.

  They came to a stop at the very tip of the Charleston peninsula, at the point where the Ashley and Cooper Rivers converged at Charleston Harbor. When he wrapped his arms about her, she leaned back against him, relishing his comforting strength. The sun shimmered off the water, creating golden spangles that gilded the backs of the low waves as graceful sailboats and picturesque shrimp boats wended back and forth in the harbor.

  He inhaled the salty tang of the air. “I love the ocean.”

  The breeze off the water blew wayward tendrils of hair into her face. “Folly Beach isn’t far from here.”

  They moseyed across the street to White Point Gardens, with its huge statue dedicated to the defenders of Fort Sumter. Aimed toward the harbor, cannons lined the street alongside pyramidal stacks of cannon balls. The puppy romped through the grass as they strolled hand-in-hand beneath the sinuous branches of majestic live oaks dripping with Spanish moss. Golden sunlight filtered down through the canopy, dappling them with lacy shadows.

  On the opposite side of the park were the palmetto-lined streets of the Battery, with their grand, historic homes wrapped with second and third floor verandas. “It’s so beautiful here.”

  “You should see it in spring when the dogwoods and daffodils are blooming, and the entire city is blanketed in wisteria vines and azalea blossoms.”

  “You really love it here, don’t you?”

  She smiled up at him. “I do.”

  He came to a halt and gently backed her against the trunk of a live oak. Cupping her chin in one hand, he tilted her face up to his. “Would it upset you if I went ahead and moved here, regardless of how our relationship progresses?”

  “Are you serious?”

  He nodded. “If you decide you don’t want a relationship with me, well … it’s a big city. And if you’re worried I’ll turn out to be a stalker, you know you’ll always have the option of calling Agent Jarvis.”

  She playfully punched him in the arm. “I’m not worried about that. Nor do I have the right to tell you where you can or cannot live. But after last night, I think you’re the one who may be at risk of being stalked.”

  “Was it that good?”

  She removed her sunglasses. “Honey, good doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

  He grinned rakishly. “If all these people weren’t around, I’d fuck you right here on the ground under this tree.”

  The blatant explicitness of his words tightened her nipples into hard little peaks, while the muscles throughout her pelvis clenched in anticipation. “If all these people weren’t around, I’d let you.”

  He leaned down to kiss her and, heedless of who might be watching, Larissa opened her mouth beneath his. When she lightly sucked his tongue, a shudder ran through his body and he reluctantly broke off the kiss. “Jesus, Larissa. If you only knew the effect you have on me.”

  She glanced down at his crotch, where his erection was pushing against the constraint of his khakis. “I can plainly see.” All wide-eyed innocence, she moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue, slipped one earpiece of her sunglasses between her lips and sucked it. Softly, for his ears only, she said, “When we get home, I’m going to get down on my knees and—”

  “Stop it!” Glancing about, he surreptiously adjusted himself. She laughed, enjoying his discomfort. Switching back to their previous subject, he said, “So you wouldn’t mind if I went ahead and made plans to move here?”

  “I was actually starting to worry you might decide not to move here. As far as I’m concerned, the sooner, the better.”

  “In that case, it’s settled. Would you mind if someday soon my friends flew out to visit? They’re dying to meet you.”

  “Are they housebroken?”

  He shrugged. “For the most part.”

  “Are they going to sit around and tell war stories?”

  He made a wry face and nodded. “If they get a few drinks in them, you won’t be able to shut them up.”

  She grinned mischievously. “Then I’ll be sure to keep them plied with liquor.”

  “You may regret it.”

  “Not if you’re in the stories. I look forward to meeting your friends, and they’re welcome anytime.”

  He leaned down and kissed her, a long, slow kiss that left her breathless. “How did I get to be so lucky?”

  She was totally deadpan as she offered, “Maybe Fate has decided to reward you for being such a law-abiding citizen.”

  He glared at her, but his blue eyes sparkled with mirth. “I should have brought that gag with me.”

  “If I get even a glimpse of that gag, I’ll put a bullet in you. And I should warn you I’m a fairly decent shot.”

  “You wouldn’t shoot me.”

  “That’s an assumption you might not want to test.”

  When he laughed, the sound touched an erogenous spot deep inside her. “Do you know when I fell in love with you? It was that first night when you brandished t
he steak knife, looked me straight in the eye, and said, “I’ll be leaving now.”

  She eyed him dubiously. “That’s a peculiar reason to fall in love.”

  “The way you stood up to me was so goddamned sexy. Of course, it wasn’t until much later that I realized it. You’d have really stabbed me, wouldn’t you?”

  “If I’d been confident that I could either kill or disable you, I wouldn’t have hesitated.”

  “Good for you.”

  “But I knew you were right about the knife being too dull and too light for sufficient penetration. Would you have shot me if I’d thrown it?”

  “You know very well I was bluffing. There wasn’t even a round in the chamber. I was more concerned about you screaming, than of you wounding me.”

  “So, when did you realize you loved me?”

  “Not until that last night, when you told me you’d faked everything. It felt like you’d hit me square in the chest with a sledgehammer, although at the time I was trying hard to convince myself that what I was feeling was simply anger that you’d tricked me. I didn’t finally admit it to myself until the next day, after I’d delivered you to the man I believed to be your husband. The knowledge that I’d never see you again caused me such heartache I briefly wondered if I were having a heart attack.”

  “I know the feeling. After I returned to Charleston, I felt hollow except for a deep ache in the center of my chest.” She glanced down to where the puppy was sprawled across one of her sandaled feet, sound asleep. “After all this excitement today, he’ll sleep well tonight.”

  “Then maybe he won’t even miss us while we’re gone.” He glanced at his watch. “Speaking of which, if we’re to be on time to meet Brendon, we should head back now.” Glancing around to make sure no one was within earshot, he whispered, “Jesus, I can’t believe how horny I am.”