Promise of Paradise

by Rosemary Hammond

  She knew it was hopeless to argue with him now. When he was stronger she’d try again. She rose to her feet and left.

  She called the hospital every day to check on his progress with Greg, but didn’t even try to see him again, knowing it would do no good. He continued to improve, and according to Greg there would be no permanent effects from his injury at all, except perhaps a slight limp when the cast came off his leg.

  “What worries me,” Greg told her, “is that he’s convinced he’s crippled for life. You know Luke. He’s got to be perfect or nothing.”

  Yes, she knew Luke, and while she waited, she formed a plan that would force him to listen to her.

  On the day he was to go home, she dressed carefully in a low-cut yellow sundress with thin straps and nothing else but a pair of sandals. If all else failed, she’d just have to seduce him. Then she rented a car and drove to the hospital, parking in front where the patients were released.

  In a few minutes a cab drew up the curb in front of her, and she got out of the car to go speak to the driver. “Who are you here to pick up?” she asked through the open window.

  “Fury,” came the reply. “Three o’clock sharp, he said.”

  “Well, we won’t need you after all,” she said firmly. She took some money out of her purse and handed it to him. “Will that be enough for your trouble?”

  “Sure, lady,” he said, starting his engine. “Thanks a lot.”

  Just as he drove off, the glass entrance doors to the hospital opened and a white-coated orderly came wheeling Luke before him, a pair of crutches on his lap. Jessica ran quickly up the path and gave Luke her brightest smile.

  “What are you doing here?” he said, frowning up at her.

  “I came to drive you home.”

  “Sorry, I already ordered a taxi.”

  “And I sent it away.” Before he had a chance to argue about it, she turned quickly to the orderly. “If you’ll just help me get him in the car I think we can manage.”

  “I can manage by myself,” Luke barked. “They just insist on these damned wheelchairs so they won’t get sued.” He set the crutches down on the pavement and raised himself up out of the chair.

  He’d obviously been practicing walking with them, and although his progress was slow, he did make it into the car all by himself, disdaining any help from either Jessica or the orderly. When he was seated inside, the crutches propped beside him, she got in the driver’s side, started the engine, and drove off.

  For a while neither said a word. Jessica was surprised, and intensely gratified, that he hadn’t raised a fuss at the way she’d simply taken over. Perhaps now that he was physically stronger, his attitude toward her had softened somewhat.

  They’d only gone a few blocks when he broke the silence. “Don’t think this means anything, Jessica,” he said in a warning tone. “Since you insist on driving me home, I might as well take advantage of it, but that’s as far as it goes. From now on I’ll handle my own affairs.”

  “Of course, Luke,” she murmured. “Anything you say.” She made the turn that led to her apartment.

  “Where are you taking me?” he said, instantly alert.

  She turned to him and batted her eyelashes at him. “Why, home, of course.”

  “This isn’t the way to the Paradise.”

  “Oh, I meant my home. I’m going to take care of you while your leg heals. Perhaps even after that.”

  To her amazement, he didn’t say a word, but when she gave him a swift sideways glance it was obvious from the firm set of his jaw, the eyes staring straight ahead, the thunderous forehead, that she was badly mistaken if she thought he was going to give in so easily.

  She’d just have to cross that bridge when she came to it. For now, he seemed to be willing enough to let her take him to her place. In spite of the success of her plot to drive him home, she couldn’t keep him a prisoner, and no doubt he’d leave the first chance he got, but at least she’d have a chance to talk to him now.

  At her apartment, he once again managed the crutches by himself, and she very carefully didn’t even offer to help him. Once inside, he looked around for a few minutes, and when he turned to face her she noticed how drawn his face was. The trip home had obviously tired him.

  “I think you should lie down for a while, get some rest,” she said. “You’ll be using my room.”

  He didn’t reply, only nodded and started to make his way slowly down the hall away from her. Jessica stood there watching his awkward progress, everything in her wanting to run and help him, but she stayed put until he’d disappeared into her bedroom.

  He slept most of the afternoon, and finally, by six o’clock, she thought he might be hungry. She’d made a large pot of soup during the afternoon, and gone out to buy a fresh loaf of the sourdough bread he liked from the corner bakery.

  She knocked lightly on the closed bedroom door, then opened it and poked her head inside. The room was dim, the blinds drawn, and he was sitting up on top of the bed, his back resting against the pillows, his head propped on the headboard. As she entered the room he flicked a swift glance at her, but didn’t speak.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked. She stepped over to the side of the bed and smiled down at him. “I thought you might be hungry.”

  For some moments he didn’t say anything, just lay there staring up at her fixedly, his eyes searching her face, his expression solemn. “All right, Jessica,” he said at last. “Just what did you hope to accomplish by this little scheme of yours?”

  “Actually, I just hoped we could talk.”

  “What about? It seems to me you made your feelings pretty clear the last time we met.” He raised himself up on his elbows and gave her a long look. “Come on, Jessica,” he said quietly. “The truth. Why are you doing this?”

  She looked away, thinking furiously. She couldn’t quite come out with the whole story just yet, how much she loved him, the child she was carrying, her hopes for the future. First she needed some sign from him that he cared something about those things too.

  She turned back to him and gave him a pleading look. “All right,” she said at last. “I’ll tell you why. But first will you please explain why you really came to Hillsborough? I know now I was wrong not to listen to you,” she added hurriedly when she saw his face close down. “But I had my reasons. After all, you did leave me without a word.”

  He shook his head, frowning. “I don’t know, Jessica. I don’t think I can go through all that again.”

  “Please, Luke,” she said. “It’s important.”

  He gave her another long look, then let his head fall back on the pillow and closed his eyes. Several moments passed, and Jessica’s heart sank. If. he wasn’t willing to meet her at least halfway, it was hopeless.

  Finally he opened his eyes. “All right,” he said in a tight voice. “Since you insist, I’ll go over it one last time. I went there to apologize, to explain why I did what I did, to try to make it up to you.” His face darkened and he glowered up at her. “Then when you pulled your lady of the manor act on me, I realized it was hopeless. So I got out. Just as you requested.”

  He stopped short then, and she knew that he wasn’t going to say any more. Still, it was enough, more even than she’d hoped for. Now she had to find just the right words to make him understand her position.

  “Well, things have changed since then,” she began slowly. “I’ve changed. I was wrong about a lot of things. At the time I thought I had good reason for not listening to you, sending you away. You really hurt me, Luke, the way you dropped out of my life without a word of explanation.”

  “I know that,” he bit out, his face darkening. “And I know I was wrong. That’s what I wanted to tell you, damn it.”

  “I understand that now, and I regret what I said then.”

  He raised himself up to a sitting position and stared at her. “And you came back to Pensacola to tell me that?”

  She smiled. “Well, at the time I didn’t think so.
In fact, when I made the decision to come back, seeing you again was the farthest thing from my mind. But since I’ve been here, on my own again, I’ve had a lot of time to think, and I finally realized that deep down I actually came back hoping to see you again.” She raised her chin. “I had to give it one more try, and I had to find out how you felt about me, if...” She couldn’t say it.

  “If what, Jessica?” he prompted, his voice softer now.

  She gave him a direct look. “Well, then, if you still cared anything about me.”

  “Bloody hell, woman!” he exploded. “Why else do you think I tracked you down in San Francisco—or whatever the name of that high and mighty suburb is called? Of course I cared about you. I loved you! I wanted to marry you!” He glanced down at the cast on his leg with an expression of deepest disgust. “But not now.”

  “Why not now?” she demanded, her hands on her hips, her eyes flashing fire.

  “That’s a stupid question,” he barked angrily. He jabbed a finger at his leg. “I may never walk again.”

  She stamped her foot in sheer frustration and glared down at him. “Oh! And you call me stupid! It beats me how such a bright man can be so dense.” She sank down on the bed beside him. “Luke,” she said softly. “What you feel now is only natural after such a traumatic injury. But Greg assures me that with some therapy, you’ll be as good as new.” She gave him a wry smile. “And then, if I know you, the first thing you’ll do is climb back in another airplane.”

  Although there was a new light of hope sparking in the deep green eyes, the scowl remained darkening his face, and she knew he wasn’t entirely convinced yet.

  He gave her a quick sideways glance. “Well, it doesn’t matter, does it?” he said sullenly. “If you’ll recall, you sent me packing the last time we met. Ordered me out of your life in no uncertain terms.”

  “Oh, that was all an act,” she replied airily. “I did that to cover up the real reason I couldn’t face you. But now I’ve changed my mind. You see, you’ll have to marry me now.”

  He raised an eyebrow at her. “And why is that?”

  “Well, you’re a man of principle and honor, aren’t you? So you’ll just have to make an honest woman of me.”

  He gave her a puzzled frown, then his eyes gradually widened in disbelief. “You mean...?” Then he shook his head. “No, you can’t mean...”

  She nodded. “Yes. I’m going to have a child. Your child.”

  Still obviously stunned, he turned his head away. “A child,” he murmured.

  “Oh, Luke!” she cried, leaning over him. “I know you don’t like children, but if we love each other, we can make it work. A family doesn’t have to interfere with your job, and...”

  “Don’t like children?” he broke in, turning back to her with a frown. “What ever gave you that idea?”

  “Well, that day on the beach you couldn’t get away from them fast enough.”

  “But that was children en masse!” he spluttered. “If you recall, I made the point that I liked them fine one at a time.” Then he grinned. “Besides that day I was so preoccupied with trying to seduce you, anything that got in the way would have irritated me.”

  He laid his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes, an almost beatific smile lighting up his face. Watching him, the dear face, the rather shaggy dark hair falling over his forehead, Jessica’s heart felt near to bursting with love.

  “Then you don’t mind?” she asked.

  His eyes flew open. “Mind?” He reached out for her, pulled her head down to nestle on his broad shoulder, and began to stroke her hair. “Nothing could please me more,” he murmured. “I can give my child the stable home, the father, I never had. Not to mention its mother.”

  “But what about being tied down?” she asked, still not entirely convinced. “Won’t that bother you?”

  He shook his head. “Why should it? You want to travel, don’t you? If you’re right, and I do get the full use of my leg back eventually, then there’s no reason why I can’t take my wife and children with me on my jobs.”

  “Children!” she exclaimed, giving him a dubious look.

  “Sure. You know. ‘A boy for you and a girl for me.’ Or maybe more. I do intend to quit roaming the earth one of these days, you know. Then we can settle down, raise our family.” He put a hand on her face and gave her a tender look. “Grow old together.”

  The hand moved under her chin, tilting her head up so that he could look deeply into her eyes. Slowly, their lips met in a kiss of unutterable sweetness. Then gradually, as his mouth lingered on hers, playing, teasing, the heat started building up between them. His hands began to roam over her body, and as one of them slipped inside the bodice of her dress to fondle her breast, she flung her arms around his neck, her fingers raking through the dark hair.

  Then, suddenly, as he tried to twist around to press the full length of his body against hers, he suddenly raised his head and made a noise of disgust deep in his throat.

  “Drat this damned cast!” he growled. “I can’t function properly with it weighing me down.”

  She raised herself up and gazed down at him. “Oh, I think with a little ingenuity we might be able to manage.”

  She reached down and slowly, with trembling fingers, began to unbutton his shirt. For a moment he tensed up, then with a slow smile he laid his head back on the pillow and gazed up at her, watching her until the last button was unfastened.

  Slowly she spread the shirt open, her fingers trailing against his skin, then bent her head down to press her lips in the center of that broad expanse of bare muscled flesh.

  She could hear his quick intake of breath, feel the muscles quiver under her mouth, then grow rigid. When she raised her head again to gaze down at him, the green eyes were glittering, a half-smile playing about his chiseled lips.

  “Wanton little baggage, aren’t you?” he murmured, reaching out for her and pulling her down so that she lay half on top of him.

  “I had a good teacher,” she replied, nuzzling his jaw.

  “Then why don’t you show me what you’ve learned?” he said, tugging at the straps of her sundress and pulling them down over her shoulders.

  As his hands settled on her breasts, she undid the fastening of the dress and wriggled out of it, pulling it down and kicking it toward the foot of the bed. Then she rose up again, his hands still in place, and reached down to unbuckle his belt.

  When they had both shed the rest of their clothing, he pulled her down on top of him, their naked bodies pressed together, his arms wrapped around her, his mouth buried in her hair.

  “I love you, darling,” he murmured in her ear. “I think I always have, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  “Oh, Luke,” she breathed. “I love you, too. And we will be together, always.”

  It will be like paradise, she thought, nestling against him, like the Paradise where it all began. Then, as the passion built between them, all thinking ceased, and she gave herself up completely, body and soul, to the man she loved.

  ISBN : 978-1-4592-7019-0

  PROMISE OF PARADISE

  First North American Publication 1997.

  Copyright © 1995 by Rosemary Hammond.

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.


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