by Anne Mather
‘Por supuesto. Of course.’ Rafe turned at once to the table beside the bed. Then he clicked his tongue. ‘This water is warm. I will ask Carla to bring some fresh.’
‘Warm is okay,’ said Lily hurriedly. ‘Honestly.’
Rafe’s mouth twisted. ‘If you are sure—?’
‘I am.’ Lily watched him pour some water from a tall jug into a glass, aware that the anticipation she was feeling wasn’t only because she was thirsty. She couldn’t help being aware of how completely alone they were in the bedroom.
And the vivid memories it evoked.
That awareness was heightened when Rafe bent to put his arm around her. ‘Gently,’ he said, bringing the glass to her lips. He muttered something to himself in Spanish and she could feel the tension emanating from him now. ‘Dios,’ he added thickly, ‘I do not know what I would have done if I had lost you, querida.’
It was hard to sip the warm liquid, knowing he was watching her so closely. She was so conscious of his nearness and, however welcome the water might have been, she couldn’t ignore the intentness of his gaze.
What did it mean? What did he mean? She couldn’t forget how she’d felt when she’d thought she was never going to see him again. She loved him, she thought incredulously. But how did he really feel about her?
‘Thank you,’ she managed at last, and he returned the glass to the bedside cabinet.
But, although he had no reason to allow his arm to remain about her shoulders, he didn’t move away. Instead, he eased his hip onto the bed beside her, using his free hand to stroke her tumbled hair back from her forehead.
‘Do you mind if I stay with you for a while?’ he asked, and she realised his hand was trembling.
‘I...no,’ she replied a little breathlessly, and edged across the mattress to give him a little more room.
‘But you do not want me to touch you, no?’ he declared roughly, misunderstanding her actions. ‘Bien.’ He got up from the bed. ‘I do not blame you. Without me, you would not be in this position, would not have had to suffer the torment that my—my—ex-wife put you through.’
‘Oh, Rafe.’ Quite forgetting she was supposed to be an invalid, Lily pushed herself into a sitting position and, stretching out, grabbed his hand before he could move out of reach. ‘Of course I don’t mind if you touch me.’ She shook her head impatiently. ‘I don’t blame you for any of this. It wasn’t your fault that Sally—’
‘Sarah,’ he corrected her. ‘That she went a little mad?’ He completed the sentence for her. ‘Perhaps it was. Perhaps I should never have married her.’ He paused. ‘But I did, and I should have realised before now that she was not totally sane, no?’
Lily gazed up at him helplessly. She became aware that she was wearing only a man-sized tee shirt and drew the sheet up to her chin. ‘You didn’t do anything wrong,’ she insisted. ‘It wasn’t your fault that your marriage didn’t work out.’
‘You are very kind,’ said Rafe gently, finding the sight of her in his floppy tee shirt more entrancing than she could ever know. The loose folds only hinted at the womanly shape beneath the fabric, but he remembered very well how beautiful she was.
‘So tell me about—about Sarah,’ she said. ‘Where is she? Surely she hasn’t been arrested.’
‘Oh, no.’ Rafe drew a long breath. ‘Lily, Sarah is dead. She died in the explosion at the marina. It was a terrible tragedy, and my only consolation is that she must have known nothing about it.’
‘Oh, my God!’ Lily was horrified, and he realised she wasn’t aware she’d clasped his hand to her breast. ‘You mean the Santa Lucia blew up?’ She shook her head. ‘But how could that happen?’
‘The engines exploded,’ Rafe explained gently. He shrugged, overwhelmingly aware of the warmth of her breast against his hand. ‘There is to be an investigation, of course, but it seems obvious from what your engineer—’
‘Dave Tapply?’
‘Sí, from what he says, that one of the engines caught fire and he believes this caused the explosion.’
Lily could hardly take it all in. ‘So how did I—?’
‘Fortunately—and I do not use the term lightly—you were not next to Sarah when the explosion occurred. I believe you had lost your balance and rolled across the deck.’
Lily shivered. The screwdriver, she remembered grimly. Maybe groping for the screwdriver had saved her life.
‘A spar of wood hit your head,’ Rafe continued, unaware of what she was thinking. ‘And, because you were near the rail, you were thrown into the water.’
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
‘I WAS THROWN into the water?’ Lily could hardly believe it.
‘Sí, and I was so afraid you would drown before I could reach you,’ Rafe told her. ‘The water was so cold.’
Lily stared at him. ‘You pulled me out?’ She vaguely remembered falling onto the deck, but nothing more.
‘Somehow I got you both out,’ he said, nodding. ‘Regrettably, there was nothing I could do for Sarah. She was directly above the engines when the explosion occurred. It ripped the deck apart and she did not stand a chance.’
‘Oh, Rafe!’ Lily felt sick. ‘I’m so sorry.’
‘Querida, it was an accident. A terrible accident.’ He paused. ‘But can you ever forgive me?’
‘Forgive you?’ Lily was confused.
‘For not realising that you might be in danger,’ he told her huskily, his eyes dark with passion.
‘You mustn’t blame yourself.’
‘But I do.’ Rafe sighed. ‘Steve had warned me that Sarah was on the island. That was why—well, we do not have to go into that right now.’ He paused. ‘He was afraid she might try something. She had threatened me in the past, you see.’
‘Oh, Rafe.’
She was beginning to understand why he had been so angry when she had accused him of going to meet his ex-wife. And she hadn’t given him a proper chance to explain.
She sucked in a breath now as her brain struggled to absorb the situation. The memories his words had evoked caused her to shiver again.
‘I tried to think of ways to get away from her,’ she said unhappily. ‘But she’d told me she was an expert in martial arts, and I knew I couldn’t compete with that.’
‘She wasn’t an expert in anything,’ said Rafe flatly, ‘but you weren’t to know that. I know from past experience what an accomplished liar she was.’
‘She also said she’d had someone watching me. Do you think she saw me leaving your house?’
‘Her detective might have done,’ Rafe conceded. ‘It was Sarah who hired the detective who was following us. Steve found this out. That was how he thought he had seen Sarah in the town.’
‘And he had?’
‘Esta bien.’ Rafe nodded. ‘Do you remember that afternoon you were at my house?’
Lily doubted she would ever forget, but she only nodded.
‘When Steve came to the suite and woke me up to tell me this, I wanted to wake you. But you looked so peaceful lying there and I hoped to be back to explain. That was why when you awoke you were alone.’
Lily felt terrible. ‘And, of course, I thought you’d gone to see another woman,’ she remembered sadly.
‘I had.’ Rafe was sardonic. ‘But not in the way you thought, no?’
‘Oh, Rafe!’
‘Mierda, do not look like that.’ Rafe gazed at her ruefully. ‘It was my job to protect you and I did a very poor job of it.’
Lily shrugged her slim shoulders. ‘Well, it’s over now. And, no matter what Sal—Sarah—was like, she didn’t deserve to die.’
Rafe conceded the point. Then he added, ‘Nor did you, querida. I would never have forgiven myself if anything bad had happened to you.’
Lily hesitated and then said softly, ‘I thought you didn’t want to see me again.’
‘Qué?’ Rafe was incredulous. ‘How could you think that? I was the one who believed you did not wish to see me.’
‘No!’
‘Bu
t yes.’ Rafe was determined. ‘Do you not remember how angry you were because I left you without a word of explanation? I just threw on my clothes and drove into Orchid Cay.’ He grimaced. ‘I intended to tell you all about it when I got back but, as you know, you had left.’
Lily looked mortified and Rafe couldn’t restrain the urge he had to touch her. His free hand curved around her chin, tipping her face up to his. Then, with the utmost tenderness, he kissed her lips, taking her swiftly expelled gulp of air into his mouth.
Then, returning to his explanation, he said, ‘You can have no idea how I felt when I saw you on that boat, when I could see that Sarah was hurting you.’ His voice was hoarse. ‘Knowing how crazy she had become, I almost went out of my mind.’
‘I was so afraid she would see you,’ confessed Lily tremulously. ‘I knew she hated me, but I think she hated you more.’
Rafe’s lips tilted. ‘You were afraid for me?’ he ventured gently. ‘That is good to know.’
‘Well, of course I was,’ Lily protested. ‘I was trying to reach something to defend us both when there was this terrific noise and the boat seemed to rise out of the water.’
‘You were searching for a weapon?’ Rafe tried to distract her with his teasing comment. ‘I had no idea you were so resourceful, Ms Fielding.’
‘It was just a screwdriver,’ said Lily defensively. ‘I was trying to reach it when I rolled towards the rail.’
‘How brave.’ Rafe was no longer amused. He hesitated. ‘So dare I think you care about me, after all?’
‘Of course I care.’ Lily’s face took on a becoming colour. ‘But you know that. Unlike you, I’m just an open book.’
‘You think?’ Rafe’s eyes darkened. ‘You certainly wouldn’t listen to my explanation when I came to the rectory that night.’
‘I suppose I was suspicious of you.’ Lily sighed. ‘I’m sorry. But I still find it hard to believe that a man like you could be interested in a nobody like me.’
‘Oh, Lily.’ Rafe’s hand left hers to probe beneath the hem of the tee shirt. His fingers found warm skin and the gentle mound of her stomach beneath the cotton fabric. His hand lingered momentarily over her navel, and then moved up to cup the fullness of her breast. ‘You have no idea what you do to me.’
He paused and then, withdrawing his hand, he continued harshly, ‘You know I am too old for you, do you not? I shall be forty on my next birthday, whereas you—you—’
‘I’m twenty-four,’ said Lily swiftly, capturing his hand and bringing it back to her breast. ‘Does that really matter to you?’
‘It should matter to you,’ declared Rafe roughly. ‘I know it will matter to your father, if I mention my intentions to him.’
‘I don’t care what my father thinks,’ said Lily flatly. ‘Well, of course I do, but he can’t change my mind, if that’s what you’re afraid of.’
‘Oh, niña.’ Rafe shook his head expressively. ‘You have come to mean so much to me. How can I ever let you go?’
‘I hope you won’t,’ said Lily earnestly, and Rafe gave a rueful little laugh.
‘And to think I might have been out of the country when all this happened.’
‘Out of the country?’ Lily stared at him. ‘Were you planning on leaving Orchid Cay for good?’
‘No.’ Rafe shook his head. ‘It was just a trip to Miami to see my father. It had crossed my mind that you might miss me while I was away.’
Lily expelled an unsteady breath. ‘Thank goodness you didn’t go.’ She couldn’t imagine what might have happened if Rafe hadn’t been there to fish her out of the waters of the dock.
‘Amen to that.’ Rafe spoke fervently. ‘Gracias a Dios for Dee-Dee. If she hadn’t got in touch with me—’
‘Dee-Dee?’ Lily’s brows drew together. ‘When did Dee-Dee get in touch with you?’
‘About an hour before I found you. It was she who warned me you might be in danger.’
‘But how did she know?’
Lily was incredulous, and Rafe went on to explain. ‘She apparently had one of her “feelings”,’ he said, achieving a degree of carelessness he certainly didn’t feel. ‘You might know more about them than me.’
‘Y—e—s.’
Lily swallowed, hardly daring to believe what she was hearing. That Dee-Dee had sensed she was in danger. She would have to thank her, she thought a little uneasily. But she probably wouldn’t mention her amateurish attempt to contact Dee-Dee, even so.
‘She must have second sight.’
‘De veras. Indeed,’ agreed Rafe unsteadily. ‘Having just discovered how much you mean to me, I could not bear it if I had lost you. If you had died, I would have wanted to die too.’
Lily gazed at him. ‘Do you mean that?’
‘I mean it,’ he assured her huskily, and then gave in to the desire to bury his face in the soft curve of her neck. ‘I love you, Lily. I know it is too soon and I should wait until you are stronger, but I want you to know how I feel about you. I want us to be together, querida. I want to marry you. I never want to take the chance of losing you again.’
* * *
For a significant while there was silence in the room.
Although Rafe was torn—after all, he hadn’t had a shower or a shave in over twenty-four hours—when Lily wound her arms about his neck, he couldn’t resist.
His protests, that the nurse might appear at any time or that her father might choose to call at Orchid Point before conducting his morning service, were easily stifled by the eager pressure of her mouth. They were hungry for one another, and all he could hear was the blood hammering through his veins and the matching pulsing of her heart.
Eventually, when it became obvious that Lily was no longer in control of her emotions, Rafe forced himself to draw back.
‘I think it is time I let the nurse know you are awake,’ he said, swallowing convulsively. ‘Will you be all right?’
‘I’ll have to be, won’t I?’ murmured Lily ruefully, but her eyes were dancing, and Rafe bent to take her lips one more time before getting to his feet.
‘I will be back as soon as I have made myself decent,’ he promised, and Lily giggled at the image that evoked.
‘You are decent,’ she insisted, sobering. ‘You are a decent man and that is why I love you.’
‘Lily!’
His voice was hoarse and, realising she was being cruel by tormenting him, she ran gentle fingers across his thigh. ‘Would you kiss me? Please,’ she whispered, ‘before you go. Just to convince me that this isn’t a dream.’
Rafe’s eyes darkened but, before he could make good on her request, the door opened to admit the nurse. She looked momentarily taken aback when she saw them together. But, like the good nurse she was, she managed a polite smile.
‘I see Ms Fielding’s awake,’ she said crisply. She paused. ‘But, if you don’t mind, Mr Oliveira, I’d prefer to examine my patient alone.’
EPILOGUE
RAFE AND LILY flew to Europe for a belated honeymoon three months later.
They’d been married for six weeks but, what with the fallout from the explosion and the official investigation, it hadn’t been possible for them to get away any sooner.
Sarah’s parents had arrived to take their daughter’s remains home for burial. Her father, who owned a small restaurant in New York, had been subdued but philosophical.
Despite his obvious grief, he’d been prepared to accept that his daughter had been a sick girl. He admitted he’d suspected something was wrong even before she’d married Rafe.
Her mother was more concerned with what was going to happen to the apartment where Sarah had been living. It was still Rafe’s apartment although, as he explained to Lily, he’d moved out long ago.
‘It is yours,’ he’d said with his usual generosity, causing Mrs Hilton to burst into tears at his words. ‘Do what you like with it. I never want to see it again.’
When the Hiltons had departed there’d been Ray to deal with. The explosion had ca
used a fire which had damaged two other boats, and naturally he’d had no insurance to cover his losses.
He was immensely relieved when Rafe formalised his partnership in the agency and made good on all the debts Ray had accrued since the accident. But Rafe told Lily he intended to ensure the business was run on a much more professional basis from now on.
‘So I assume we are going to live on the island?’ Lily had said before the wedding, and Rafe had regarded her with curious eyes.
‘You would rather live somewhere else?’ he’d queried in some surprise. ‘Well, we can do that. We can live wherever you like—so long as we are together.’
Lily had wrapped her arms around him then. ‘Of course I don’t want to live anywhere else,’ she’d assured him. ‘And you know how relieved my father will be at this news. I was afraid you might be getting bored with island life.’
Rafe shook his head. ‘Is this because I have let Grant Mathews have his plantation back at a reduced sum?’ he queried. He pulled a wry face. ‘I just thought the poor man deserved a break. With a daughter like Laura to contend with...’ He didn’t continue. ‘And I have so much, why should I begrudge him a bit of happiness?’
‘You’re too generous,’ said Lily fervently. After the way Laura had behaved, she still found it hard to feel charitable towards either of the Mathewses. ‘But I don’t mind. It’s just another of the things I love about you.’
‘And the other things would be...?’ Rafe enquired, bending to nip her ear with his teeth.
‘You’ll find out,’ retorted Lily a little unsteadily. ‘Now, behave yourself. Daddy is coming to supper.’
* * *
The trip to Europe was as marvellous as Lily had anticipated. They spent a week in London, visiting her mother’s sister and seeing the sights, and then moved on to Paris and Rome.
It was nearing Christmas and it was cold, but it meant they could explore the cities at their own pace. There were no queues, no crowds, no hustle. Just the two of them in a magical world of their own.
On their last night in Rome they had dinner at their favourite trattoria and then walked back to their hotel with the floodlit walls of the ancient Roman Forum providing an enchanted backdrop.