by Jaci Burton
Isabelle rolled her eyes. “Yes, clearly you are. I mean what do you do down here?”
“We’re guardians,” Ronan replied.
“Of?”
“The oceans.”
“What exactly does that mean?” Ronan certainly had an uncanny way of answering questions but not giving her any information.
“Our job is to protect the sea and its inhabitants.”
“How do you do that?”
“I can’t say.”
Lord, this was frustrating.
“Give it up, Isabelle,” Dax said, turning angry eyes to Ronan. “He’s toying with you. He’s not going to tell you anything.”
Trying to keep her irritation at a minimum, she said, “Look, Ronan. I’m already down here. I know much more than any other human does, so it’s pointless to keep things from me.”
Ronan regarded her with a sly smile that made her very uncomfortable.
“It’s time to end this, Dax,” Ronan said, his gaze never leaving Isabelle’s face. She shifted uncomfortably, not liking the smug look he gave her.
“No,” Dax replied, his voice tinged with irritation. “It’s not time yet.”
Why did she feel as if they were talking about her? A shiver of dread tingled along her spine.
The ground shook as Ronan’s fingers tightened around the trident. “Yes, it is time. You have work to do. You’re needed elsewhere.”
Dax paused, and then nodded. “Fine. I’ll take care of it.”
“When?” Ronan asked.
“Soon.”
“Not good enough. It has to be now.”
What had to be now? What were they talking about? Before she could open her mouth to ask, Ronan reached out and touched her cheek. Instantly, warmth spread throughout her body and she fought the sudden drowsiness that overcame her.
“Sleep, Isabelle. When you wake you won’t remember,” Ronan whispered to her, his voice softening to a lazy drawl.
Dizziness made her lightheaded and unable to concentrate, but she still heard Dax say, “Stop it, Ronan. I mean it.”
“She doesn’t belong here.”
“Yes, she does. She belongs with me.”
Dax’s voice sounded so far away. She fought to stay alert, but her limbs were like cement, heavy and pulling her down. She couldn’t even lift her hands any longer, and her eyes fluttered closed. A sweet voice sang to her, calling her toward something pleasant. Her mind drifted toward the lilting music, darkness closing in around her.
She wanted to stay, but the lure was too great. She was losing the battle to remain conscious, the strains of a song beckoning her ever closer to the all-encompassing shadows of sleep.
The last thing she heard was Dax’s voice saying, “I’m in love with her.”
Then her world went black.
Chapter Twelve
Isabelle blinked at the sunlight streaming through the open blinds in her bedroom. Based on the location of the light, it was way past dawn already.
She jumped out of bed, disoriented and groggy. What time was it? For that matter, what day was it? Rubbing her temples as she walked toward the bathroom, she couldn’t grasp what had happened before she went to sleep. Her hair and skin smelled tangy and salty like the ocean, so she must have been diving.
That’s it. She turned on the shower as it all came back to her. She and Dax had gone diving yesterday afternoon. And then…and then…
And then what? Why couldn’t she remember?
She stepped into the shower, hoping the warm spray would clear the cobwebs from her head. But by the time she’d showered and dressed, she still couldn’t recall anything past diving with Dax. She’d remembered finding the sea turtles, and then after that…nothing.
Had she even catalogued the turtles? And where was her dive gear? Hurrying into the living room, she spotted the gear on the entryway tile, along with her camera and waterproof notepad.
She picked up the pad hoping her notes would shed some light on what she’d done. Blank. Not a single notation on there. The camera was empty, too. What the hell had she done down there? Looked at the turtles and then surfaced and gone to bed?
Dax would know. She went next door and rapped on his door, but he wasn’t there. She even peeked in his half-open window but saw no sign of him.
None of this made sense and trying to recall yesterday’s events only made her head pound. Maybe coffee and some food would help. She drove over to the hotel, relieved to find the place nearly deserted. Looking at her watch, it was clear that she’d slept through the better part of the morning. By now, most of the resort guests would be busy with their sexual adventures of the day.
She ate in the restaurant alone, sipping her coffee and wracking her brain for clues as to the missing hours. Bits and pieces of memory assailed her, but it was more a jumbled mess than anything. Besides, all the little scenarios sailing through her head were bizarre as hell—it was more like a dream sequence than reality.
Diving into the darkness without an oxygen tank. Swarms of dolphins surrounding her. She and Dax making love under the water, and some glass enclosure reminiscent of Superman’s Fortress of Solitude.
Oh yeah, that smacked of reality, didn’t it? Isabelle heaved a frustrated sigh and added more cream to her coffee. Clearly the only thing she was able to remember from last night were her dreams. And they were weird ones at that.
Maybe she wasn’t sleeping well.
“You look a little lost today.”
Isabelle looked up and smiled at Morgan, then motioned for her to sit at the table. She needed company and some rational conversation.
“I’m feeling a little lost and confused,” she admitted.
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I think I had some kind of weird memory lapse last night.”
Morgan raised a brow. “Really?”
“Yeah. I remember diving with Dax yesterday afternoon, and then the next thing I knew I woke up this morning in my bed.”
Morgan pursed her lips. “Hmm, that’s odd. Were you drinking at all yesterday?”
Oh, great. Now Morgan thought she was a lush with frequent alcohol-related memory loss. “No, at least not that I can recall.”
She rubbed her forehead, flashes of memory coming back to her despite the sharp pain in her temples. She and Dax, naked at the bottom of the ocean. Then a tall man, dark-haired, piercing blue eyes, gorgeous, in fact. He spoke to her, but she couldn’t make out what he said.
“Headache?”
Isabelle looked up and met Morgan’s concerned gaze, then laughed. “Sort of. You probably think I’m a walking medical problem. It seems like every time I run into you I’m having either physical or mental issues. I really am a normal person.”
Morgan laughed. “Of course you are! I didn’t think otherwise. But I’m also a little worried that maybe you’ve been drugged.”
“Drugged? What do you mean?”
Tapping a long fingernail on the lacquered table, Morgan said, “You know, those drugs they give women sometimes to make them forget.”
“You mean date rape drugs?”
“Yes.”
Isabelle laughed at that. “I didn’t even have anything to drink before the dive yesterday. And I was alone in the bungalow. So that’s just not possible.”
“What about after the dive?”
“I don’t remember anything after the dive. I don’t remember anything past finding some sleeping sea turtles on the bottom of the ocean floor.” Hell, for all she knew Morgan could be right. She could have come to the resort and had cocktails after the dive and just didn’t remember it.
“Well, it’s doubtful you were around here last night. Tony and I had dinner here and I’d have remembered seeing you.”
So much for that theory. “I think it’s more stress and fatigue than anything out of the ordinary, Morgan. But I do appreciate your concern.”
Morgan reached out and squeezed Isabelle’s hand. “I like to take care of my guests. And with you being
almost completely alone on the other side of the island, I can’t help but worry.”
“That’s because you’re a mother at heart, gorgeous.”
Isabelle looked up to see Morgan’s husband, Tony, standing at the table and smiling warmly at his wife.
“I am not,” Morgan replied with a blush.
“Well, soon you will be.”
Isabelle looked to Morgan. “A baby?”
She nodded and grinned. “Yes. Hadn’t planned on it happening so soon, but we’re very happy.”
Tony leaned over and brushed his lips over his wife’s, then squeezed her hand. “So soon? I wanted to get you pregnant from the first moment I saw you.”
“Well it was damn close to that,” Morgan said.
Tony shrugged and grinned. “What can I say? I’m a stud.”
Isabelle laughed. “Congratulations to both of you. You must be thrilled.”
“Thank you, we are,” Morgan replied, wrapping her fingers around Tony’s. “Hard to keep my Italian Stallion here from wanting to use me as a brood mare. He’s made up some ludicrous number of children he’d like to have. How many kids were we suppose to have?”
Tony arched a brow. “Six, I think.”
Morgan snorted and caressed Tony’s cheek. “Only if you’re going to birth at least three of them yourself.”
The love and affection between the two of them was obvious. They hung out with her for awhile, then Morgan excused herself to attend to some resort details and Tony followed, saying he had a writing deadline to meet. She watched them walk away, hand in hand. Tony stopped in the lobby and pulled his wife into a passionate embrace that even had Isabelle’s heart pounding.
So that was love. Real love. The kind she’d never witnessed growing up, the kind she’d never experienced herself.
Funny, she’d never thought that love, a husband and family were things she wanted. In fact, she’d purposely lived her life with her career coming first and no intention of ever wanting or needing that elusive thing called love.
Then why, after watching the way Morgan and Tony were together did her heart ache so badly? Why did she feel a craving so strong it made her entire body tremble and tears well in her eyes? Why did she suddenly think she wanted to be loved by someone? Why did the thought of children running about fill her with a longing she’d never felt before?
Why? Why? Why? The whys of her life were driving her crazy lately.
Probably lack of sleep and the weird dreams she’d had. Plus the loss of a part of yesterday that frustrated her beyond belief. Stress like that would make anyone act irrationally. And wanting love and marriage was about as irrational as she could get.
Her life had been happy before she’d arrived at Paradise Resort. But the past few days she’d begun to question her so-called-satisfying life, had begun to feel that maybe something integral was missing, but she couldn’t put her finger on what that missing piece was.
It sure as hell wasn’t love. Love was for the foolish, for people who didn’t know the disastrous consequences of giving your heart blindly to someone. She wasn’t like that. She knew better.
This was all Dax’s fault. His mysterious ways, her inability to get her questions answered, all of it had led to her infatuation with him. He was a mystery and she loved mysteries. Which didn’t mean she loved Dax.
And she still had no answers, but at this point she wasn’t sure she even cared. She’d gotten too wrapped up with him too quickly and it was beginning to affect her reasoning. Paradise Resort was like a fairytale wonderland and she’d allowed herself to get caught up in the fantasy and romance of the place. Clearly it was distorting her vision and her goals. She needed to get her head on straight and focus on her job.
Starting right now. She waved the waiter off, signed the check for her meal and headed back to the bungalow, determined to keep her distance from Dax and concentrate only on work for the remainder of her time at the resort.
Isabelle’s resolve lasted as long as it took to drive back to the other side of the island, where she found Dax waiting on the beach for her. His blue shorts matched the turquoise of his eyes, his tanned body glittering with sweat as he stood out in the open sun.
He smiled and her heart skipped a beat. She ignored the pulsing awareness of him and calmly exited the golf cart and swept past him to her bungalow to change for a dive.
Dax followed her inside. “Hey, beautiful. I’ve been looking for you.”
“I was at the resort having lunch.” She busied herself gathering her gear, camera and notebook, then went into her bathroom to change in to her swimsuit, making sure she closed and locked the door. The last thing she needed was Dax coming in and making her forget her new resolve. Taking a few minutes to catch her breath and calm her emotions, she came out, smiled politely at Dax then walked toward the beach. Dax walked with her, as silent as she was.
She couldn’t look at him, afraid she’d melt if she glanced into his eyes. Her body was completely in tune to him—his clean, crisp scent, the husky tone to his voice, the way he smiled at her, touched her, kissed her—no! Not this time, not ever again.
Quickly fastening her dive gear, she headed toward the water. Dax grabbed her arm but she looked straight ahead, focusing on the sun glinting off the ocean’s waves.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing. I’m just behind schedule.”
“You going for a dive?”
“Yes.”
“Still cataloguing turtles and coral?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No!” She chanced a look in his direction, only to catch his confused frown. She quickly averted her gaze and stared out over the water. “I mean, I’m really busy here, Dax. I need to get down there and finish notating the sea life in this area. My time is almost up and if you don’t mind I’d like to finish this alone.”
“Why alone? I can help you and you’ll get it finished faster.”
She had to do it, despite the fact she knew it was going to cause pain, both to herself and to him. “I appreciate the offer, Dax, but no. Having you along is really a distraction that I can’t afford right now.”
Dax clenched his jaw, but she saw the pain on his face. An ache like she’d never felt before enveloped her heart. She knew she’d hurt him, but couldn’t help it. It was either that or she’d lose herself in him completely, and she couldn’t, wouldn’t allow herself to become like her mother. Because Dax would leave her eventually, that much she already knew. Better now than later when she wasn’t certain she’d survive it.
“I see,” he said, his voice softening to a near whisper.
She bent down to grab her flippers, thankful for menial tasks that prevented her from looking at him. “Good. I’ll catch you later, then?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. I’ve got some work of my own to do and I need to be leaving soon.”
A sharp pain stabbed her stomach and spread out, nearly paralyzing her. “Okay. When are you leaving?”
“Now, I guess. There’s really nothing to keep me here anymore, is there?”
His enigmatic question gave her pause. Was that meant to lead her into confessing her feelings for him? She refused, knowing the disastrous road love would lead her down. “I guess not.”
Isabelle turned away from Dax and closed her eyes, forcing the deep breaths she knew would calm her rattled nerves. Her first instinct was to whirl around and beg him not to leave. But then what? They’d have one more night together and he’d be gone? No, it was better this way. End it clean, with no entanglements.
She dug the knife in as far as she could, wincing at the self-inflicted pain. “I guess if I see you before you leave, great. If not, good luck to you.”
Before he could say anything else she stepped into the water, the waves carrying her out while she slipped on her fins. She swam as far out as she could, refusing to look back, knowing Dax stood on the beach watching her. Fighting back the tears that threatened to fog he
r mask, she dove down, hoping the job she had to do was enough to keep her mind from wandering to the man she’d just treated so carelessly.
Damn him for making her fall in love with him. And damn herself for not remembering what a disaster love could be.
Chapter Thirteen
By the time Isabelle returned to shore it was nearly dark. She half expected to see Dax still waiting there for her, but the beach was empty. Ignoring the surge of disappointment, she dropped her dive gear on the inside tile of her bungalow and stripped, heading straight for the shower.
Her muscles ached from the effort of holding the camera for so long. But she’d found the turtles and taken shot after shot of them nestled together, their huge bodies all lumped together like one, big rock. She’d guess they were ready to nest given the time of year and location, and she made a mental note to do a little searching tonight to see if she could find their nesting ground.
After that she’d catalogued their numbers, species, state of maturity, then moved on to the patch of coral and did the same thing, following up with photographs.
She put on her night vision goggles and went in search of the turtles’ nesting area, rewarded with a find not too far into the forested area of the beach. With very little sand and lots of trees for cover, the turtles were busy brushing back the sandy loam and nestling inside the holes to bury their eggs. Isabelle shivered excitedly at the find, making a mental note to come back to the island and check on the hatchlings around the time they’d be breaking free of their eggs.
She’d also have to notify Morgan to string up a barrier around this area to keep tourists from damaging the incubating eggs.
By the time she crawled away from the now exhausted turtles, she was fairly wiped out herself. But thrilled that she’d managed to view the nesting process.
And besides, watching the turtles dig their nests had at least helped the time pass.
Might as well keep herself busy, since it seemed as if Dax had taken her words to heart and disappeared. She refused to go next door and see if he’d left the bungalow yet. If she saw him, fine, if not, then more the better.