“I don’t know, Dirk.” She looked up at him, his face as familiar to her as her own. “You’ll have to figure that out for me.” She longed to take back the words as she watched his smile fade. She wished she could’ve made some glib remark and let the moment pass, but she could never do that with Dirk, he always saw through her.
He set his glass down and pulled her into his arms. “I can’t imagine my life without you, little sister.”
She rubbed her forehead against the soft cashmere of his sweater. “And I, you.”
His grip tightened. “All the money in the world and I can’t help you.”
She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of her best friend, a mixture of sandalwood, tobacco and memories. Tears stung her eyes at the thought of leaving him behind. They’d been friends for more years than she cared to count. Every major event in her life, Dirk had been by her side and she by his.
“I need a favor from you,” she sniffed.
He dropped a kiss on her head. “You only have to ask.”
“When the time comes…” He stiffened in her arms. “I want to know that I can depend on you to take care of the arrangements. I’ve outlined what I want for the funeral and the internment. The documents are in my New York apartment safe and my lawyer has a copy as well.”
“Shall I hire a brass band?” His voice was raw and his chest shuddered beneath her cheek. She knew he was crying.
“Nope,” she sniffed. “Keep it simple, you know what to do and who to invite.”
She felt him nod.
“Don’t forget to call Jeff.”
Dirk gave a broken laugh at the mention of their drag-queen friend. “Okay.”
“He can come only if he promises not to wear a red boa and I don’t want anyone throwing themselves on the casket, either.”
“Now there’s an image.” Dirk gave her another squeeze before releasing her. She looked up at his dear face, streaked with tears, his expression uncharacteristically serious. “What am I going to do without you, Laine?”
She smiled as her vision wavered and her eyes filled with more tears. “You’re going to marry Veronique and be blissfully happy. Then, in a few years, you’ll start squeezing out some pups, buy a mini-van, run a soccer camp and retire to the country in domesticated bliss.”
A look of abject horror crossed his face and she laughed.
“You’re an evil woman,” he said.
“Yes, I am. I will be watching you, every step of the way and I’ll be taking notes. When you die… “ She turned away and pointed to a fat cloud on the horizon. “I’ll meet you there and we’ll share a bottle of celestial wine and compare notes.”
“That sounds like a plan to me.” He laced an arm around her waist.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Tell me, do you believe in destiny?”
* * * * *
Elaine slipped into the cool silence of the gallery, grateful for the only oasis of stillness in the house. The partygoers were leaving and the constant stream of cars, luggage, and people saying goodbye to their host was giving her a vicious headache. She shut the glass doors behind her, entombing herself in silence.
All day long she’d been plagued with the ache in her head. Not enough to completely disable her, but enough to remind her that time was running out. As if she needed to be reminded of that.
She pushed that thought away. Some people lived day by day. She’d learned to live hour by hour.
She drifted past the masterpieces by Monet, Picasso, and Dega. Committing each one to memory before moving to the next, every one was a treat to the senses. The silence soothed her aching head as well as her soul.
At the far end of the long room, she found the new painting Dirk had mentioned. Sealed behind glass, she had to step closer to get a good look. Not much larger than a sheet of writing paper, the images were dark and erotic in tone. The subjects, a man and a woman, clasped in a torrid embrace. The man was shown only from the back, his hair long and dark as he bent over his companion to feast on her exposed breast. She blinked as she took in the woman’s face, her ecstasy painted for the world to see.
My, it looks like me!
Startled, she stepped back, her hand going to her throat. Well, it really wasn’t her but there certainly was a strong resemblance. The hair was lighter in color and much longer than she normally wore hers. But the heart-shaped face and the small birthmark on her breast were exactly the same. She gently rubbed the matching spot on her own breast, aware of a faint tingling sensation just under her skin. Was it possible that an ancestor had posed for the portrait?
Do you believe in destiny?
As if he were standing next to her, Alexei’s voice echoed in her mind. She wrapped her arms across her chest as a shiver ran down her spine. Had he known about this painting? Was that where he’d hatched the idea that they’d known each other in another life?
Beneath the painting was a discreet brass plate proclaiming the title and painter’s name. She was dismayed to find that it contained only initials, Redemption by A. R.
Alexei?
She stepped back to study the painting. Judging from the clothing, the portrait was painted around the turn of the century, give or take twenty years. The woman’s burgundy skirt was long, ankle length and with the man’s thigh insinuated between hers, the hem had crept up to reveal her white stockings and button-down shoes. Her eyes were half closed, her lips parted in ecstasy as she enjoyed her lover’s attentions.
Not unlike her and Alexei…
She switched her gaze to the man. His shoulders were broad, his hips narrow and he wore knee boots, like Alexei.
It certainly looked like him…
No. A lot of men could resemble Alexei from the back; it couldn’t possibly be him as people simply didn’t live for hundreds of years. It defied modern science.
Unless he really is a vampire…
She rubbed the tense spot between her eyes. What did this mean? Her rational mind wanted to scream to be reasonable while another part, a big part of her wanted it to be true. She was shocked to find she wanted to acknowledge that this painting was the proof that Alexei was right, they had been together in another life.
She drew her fingers over the glass that covered the painted lovers. She wished he were here right now. He’d help her untangle her confused feelings and possibly have a good laugh over this. But he wasn’t and wouldn’t be back for at least another day.
She turned away from the painting and the disturbing images it brought to mind. She needed to go back to her room and lay down for a while. Dirk was planning a quiet dinner for them and she wanted to be in tiptop form for it. It would be a great opportunity to ferret out information on Alexei.
Chapter 8
All night long she’d dreamed of Alexei. One such dream was a vision of him playing a guitar under the full moon while she danced barefoot in the grass. Dressed as gypsies he’d looked devastatingly handsome as she twirled to the music he’d enticed from the instrument.
Her skirt had contained the colors of the rainbow, her white peasant blouse barely hiding her breasts as golden bracelets sang with her evocative movements.
Breathless and flushed from the sensual dance, she’d gone to him, putting aside his instrument, and they’d lain on the grass and made love, their cries echoing among the woods.
It wasn’t real…
But it seemed so real. Even now, she could almost taste the heady wine of the night air, the feel of his hands on her skin as they’d seduced and teased one another, journeying to the heights together. In her mind he lay beside her, whispering all the erotic things he wanted to do to her, with her, and she’d only been to eager to obey.
The dull throb in her head brought her from sleep into full wakefulness. She didn’t have to reach for the other side of the bed to know she was alone. Rather than face the empty space, she rolled toward the windows.
The room was dim, the sun obliterated by thick clouds
and a thin gray drizzle. The weather certainly suited her dark mood and heavy head.
The phone rang.
She squinted at the clock, but the room was too dim to see what time it was. Fumbling for the receiver, she mumbled a greeting into it.
“Did I awake you?” His voice poured over her skin like warm fudge, welcome and warming her from the inside out.
“No.” She was startled by the husky tone of her voice. “I was awake.”
“Are you still in bed?”
“Yes.”
He gave a purr of pleasure. “I like imagining you in bed thinking of me.”
She gave a low laugh. “How could I not?”
Her answer must have pleased him for he made another sound, this one lower, more sensual. “I miss you,” he said.
Elaine swallowed hard, struggling for a calm voice. “And I, you.”
“I just wanted to hear your voice.”
Her throat tightened. How long had she waited for the right man to say those very words? It felt like forever. She rolled onto her back and the low throbbing in her head drew her attention away from the man she loved. She clamped a hand over the base of her skull, silently willing the pain to go away and give her yet another chance at life.
“I had a dream about you,” she blurted.
He chuckled. “You did? What was your dream?”
“We were outside and dressed like gypsies and you were playing a guitar for me.”
“What were you doing?”
“Dancing. I was dancing just for you. It was night and the stars were overhead. I twirled round and round until I became quite dizzy.” She chuckled. “Then I took your guitar away from you and we made love in the summer grass.” She sighed. “It was lovely.”
The only sound from the other end of the phone was his ragged breathing. She frowned. Wasn’t he going to say something? “Alexei?” she said.
“You’re beginning to remember our shared past.” His voice was hoarse. “I know that dream.”
Her heart gave a queer little jerk. “It was only a dream—”
“It is and it isn’t,” he said. “In some ways, it’s much more than just a dream. I have so much to tell you, but I need to be with you, not over the phone like—”
Voices in the background caused Alexei to break off his words. He covered the mouthpiece and spoke to someone else then returned. “Elaine, I have to go. I’ll be back tomorrow before you awaken.”
She was struck with the sudden fear that she would never speak to him again. “Promise?” Her voice wobbled and she despised herself for the sudden weakness.
“I promised you, did I not?”
She sniffed, fighting to stave back the tears that threatened. What the devil was wrong with her? She wasn’t normally such a leaky faucet. “Alexei?”
“Yes, angel?”
“I know this sounds crazy, we barely know each other but…” The words stuck in her throat.
“No, it isn’t crazy. Tell me, I want to hear it from you, I need to hear it.” She caught the sense of urgency in his voice and something in her broke free.
“I love you, Alexei.”
“And I love you, Elaine, more than you’ll ever know. I have so much to tell you that I don’t know where to begin.”
She gave a watery laugh. “Me too.”
“Tell Dirk to take good care of you until I return. I’ll see you in a day.”
She sat up, tears running unheeded down her face. “And you take care and come back to me, Alexei.”
“Nothing will stop me from reaching your side, remember that. Nothing.” With that, he hung up.
Trembling, Elaine replaced the receiver then rubbed the tears from her face. He would return to her. She knew that as well as she knew her own name. Alexei was a man of his word.
Shoving the tangled sheets aside, she got to her feet and stumbled into the bathroom, flipping on the switch as she walked. Headache or not, she needed to take a shower, then find some breakfast, albeit it would be a late one…
Why was the room so dim? She frowned and turned to stare at the light switch. She’d turned the lights on…
Her image in the mirror was cloudy as if it were coated in steam from a hot shower. She frowned and approached the mirror, raising her hand to lay her palm flat on the cool, dry glass. She rubbed, but there was nothing to obliterate her image. She rubbed harder, but her vision didn’t clear, not one bit. Her hand stilled then clenched as the reality of her situation sunk in.
Time had run out. She was going blind.
Her knees wobbled and the room swayed around her. A cry broke from her lips as her knees gave way and she fell onto the cold marble floor. She barely felt the bruising jolt as her hip struck the corner of the tub.
Horror spread beneath her skin like ice water as she struggled to breathe. In her mind, she kept hearing a game show buzzer, over and over again. A soft moan escaped her as she melted into the floor, pressing her cheek into the cold stone.
Alexei…
Dirk…
Pain clawed her heart as she forced herself upright, her breath coming in pants. Head throbbing, she forced herself to crawl to the in-house phone. It took her several attempts, with shaky fingers, to dial the numbers and then she waited for someone to answer.
“Dirk, I need you.”
Chapter 9
Alexei stared in disbelief at Nigel.
“What do you mean, she left?” Alexei asked.
“Mr. Prentiss left last night with Miss Veronique and Miss Elaine.” He frowned. “I don’t think Miss Elaine was feeling well as he carried her out to the car.”
A spurt of panic bloomed in his chest. Was she ill? Was it serious? Why hadn’t she told him?
“Where did they go?”
The butler shook his head. “I don’t know. Mr. Prentiss didn’t inform me as to his destination.”
He ground his teeth in frustration. “Did he have his cell phone with him?”
Nigel nodded. “Of course.”
“If you hear from him, tell him to call me immediately.” Alexei turned and stalked to the limo that awaited him. Climbing in, he grabbed his phone and punched in Dirk’s number. The phone rang several times and he growled as voice mail picked up. “It’s Alexei. Call me as soon as possible.”
He slammed the phone shut and tossed it on the seat beside him. “Back to Denver, Reg,” he said to the driver.
The car pulled smoothly away from the house and Alexei let his head fall back against the butter-soft leather of the seat. Why had she left? Damn. He knew he should have returned last night. He’d had the feeling when he spoke to her that something wasn’t right. His gut had screamed at him to return, but he hadn’t. He’d waited because he’d wanted the moment to be perfect.
A bitter smile twisted his mouth and he pulled the ring from his pocket. A one-carat emerald surrounded by diamonds glittered between his fingers. It was the ring he’d never managed to give her the last time they’d been together during the war. She’d died before he could reach her side.
His hand fisted around the ring, the prongs cutting into his skin. Not this time. He loved her, he’d always loved her and he’d meant what he said. Nothing, not even time itself, would keep them apart this time.
* * * * *
Dirk ran his thumb over her knuckles again, his gaze glued on Elaine’s sleeping face. His best friend was dying and it had happened so fast. Just two days ago, they were making plans to take a short cruise to the Mediterranean next month and, now, it was almost over.
Even as she lay in her drug-induced sleep, she was suffering. From time to time, a soft sigh would escape her lips and her forehead would pleat as if something reached through her morphine-clouded slumber to disturb her.
He’d panicked when Elaine had called. It was too soon to lose her. Too soon for the world to lose her mercurial laugh and wicked sense of humor. Eyes dry, he raised her hand to his mouth and brushed a kiss over her cool skin. He’d cried himself dry in the past twenty-four hours
and he was exhausted. He just didn’t have any more tears left in him.
Thank the Gods for Ronni. She’d been a rock. She’d stepped in and made arrangements to get them back to New York in record time, not to mention the twenty-four hour a day nurses and the transformation of Elaine’s bedroom into her sick room. Ronni had filled it with flowers and soft classical music played on the stereo. The hospital bed was covered in silk sheets and Elaine was dressed in her favorite emerald silk kimono.
Elaine was right. He loved Ronni. Why had he waited so long to tell her? He shook his head. All that wasted time. He wanted to marry her, have children with her and, yes, he’d even buy a damned mini-van and drive the kids to soccer practice if she wanted him to do so.
He dropped his head onto the bed beside her arm. “Damn, if you weren’t right all along, Elaine.”
She stirred. “Bout time…” she slurred.
He raised his head, a smile on his face. “Doesn’t it just figure you’d wake up when I said that.”
She gave a slight chuckle. “Must be dyin’, never thought I’d hear that in my lifetime…”
Her voice trailed away as she slipped back into her drugged sleep. She had moments of lucidity, but they were rapidly becoming farther and farther apart. Her doctor had been in a few hours earlier and his diagnosis was that they had a few days at best.
He swallowed hard. Damn, he wasn’t ready to let her go yet.
The door opened and he turned to see Ronni enter. She looked as tired as he felt. Her normally perfect coif was scraped back into a ponytail, her face devoid of makeup and she wore oversized sweats and a white t-shirt.
He’d never seen her look more beautiful in his life.
“Alexei called again and he’s quite frantic,” she said. “We have to tell him something, Dirk.”
He shook his head. “She doesn’t want to see anyone, especially not him. She doesn’t want him to remember her like this.”
“Well, guess what, Dirk. He told me he loves her and not telling him is tearing him apart. If he doesn’t learn the truth he’ll end up hating her forever. Does she want that instead?” She laid her hand on his shoulder. “He deserves the chance to say goodbye and she deserves to hear that he loves her one last time.”
Last Kiss Page 7