The ride was brief and silent. They exited the car. Marcel welcomed them as they strolled through the courtyard. “Are you enjoying your stay in Key West?”
Luc shook his hand, but Hattie answered. “It’s lovely. So vibrant and colorful. You’re lucky to live here year-round.”
Marcel nodded as he trimmed an overgrown bougainvillea. “The only time I rethink my address is during hurricane season, but we are lucky here in the Keys…very few major hits.”
Luc frowned. “Have you heard a forecast for tonight and tomorrow?”
“Nothing but calm, clear skies. Perfect vacation weather.”
Hattie preceded Luc up the stairs, wondering what was up. Luc seemed focused on some unknown objective. And once in their room, instead of throwing her on the bed as she had hoped or expected, he seemed to be preoccupied…or at least avoiding sex at the moment. “Why were you concerned about the weather?” she asked him.
He tossed the car keys and his sunglasses on the dresser. “I have an idea.”
“Uh-oh,” she teased. “Should I be worried?”
He sprawled on the sofa. “Do you remember those camping trips we took in college?”
“Of course.” They had journeyed to the north Georgia mountains a number of times, spending several chilly spring and autumn nights curled together in a double sleeping bag…just the two of them. Those had been magical times, and Hattie had loved them even more because the outings were inexpensive.
His arms stretched along the back of the couch, his fingers drumming restlessly. “I thought it might be fun to do that again.”
In this heat? Was Luc so spooked by the intense emotion of the night before that he was going to keep them busy, nonstop? “Umm, well…”
“There’s an island with an old fort. We can camp there. It would be an adventure. What do you say?”
The boyish eagerness on his face was irresistible. Despite her better judgment, she managed an enthusiastic smile. “Sounds like fun.”
Fourteen
While Luc was on the phone making arrangements for their impromptu trip, Hattie showered and then checked in with Ana.
The baby is fine. No problem. Enjoy yourselves.
Hattie ended her call and surveyed the room. Luc was paying who knew how much money for this wonderful suite, and yet he wanted to abandon it for parts unknown. Men… She found him in the sitting room, still on the phone, but now she could tell it was business. Knowing what she did of his work ethic and his drive and determination, it really surprised her that he had been willing and able to get away for a honeymoon, pretend or otherwise.
He hung up and turned to face her, jubilation on his face. “I got us two spots. They only allow a small number of campers each night. But there’s one catch.”
“Oh?”
He winced, gauging her reaction. “We have to leave right now.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Everything for the week was full except for tonight.”
Gulp. “Okay. What do I need to pack?”
“Anything that’s comfortable and cool. Plus a swimsuit. We’ll be able to snorkel in the shallow water around the fort.”
And at night? What would happen then?
Hattie pondered that question. And how did one prepare for possible seduction on a remote, uninhabited island? After dithering in the bedroom for several minutes, she dumped out her carry-on bag and began filling it methodically. One set of clean clothes and underwear. Swimsuit. A long T-shirt to sleep in. Sunscreen.
She picked up a lilac silk nightgown and held it to her cheek for a wistful moment. Not exactly camping attire. But what the heck. This was her honeymoon. She stuffed it in.
It was easy to see why Luc was so successful. In barely an hour, he had secured bags of food, all sorts of camping gear, two coolers and transportation. They found parking near the dock and unloaded. Hattie was stunned to see Luc walk toward a stylish, powerful speedboat.
He held out a hand. “Come aboard, my lady.”
The vessel must have been wickedly expensive, even as a rental. Everything about it gleamed, from the hardwood deck to the shiny chrome trim. Luc stowed their supplies and tossed Hattie a yellow life jacket.
She wrinkled her nose. “Do I have to?”
He slid his arms into a navy one. “Captain’s orders.”
“How far are we going?”
“About seventy miles.”
Her apprehension must have shown on her face, because he sobered. “It’s perfectly safe, Hattie. Leo and I learned to pilot boats before we could drive cars. Grandfather’s villa is on the shores of Lake Como, and as teenage boys, we spent all the time we could in and on the water. I’ll take care of you, I promise.”
He was as good as his word, and in his competent hands, the sleek craft ate up the miles effortlessly. Hattie had donned her baseball cap back at the dock, and she was glad, because the wind whipped and slapped them in joyous abandon.
At times, dolphins leaped beside the boat, gamboling playfully, their beautiful skin glistening in the sun. Hattie laughed in delight and sat back finally, her eyes closed, her face tilted toward the sun. If she and Luc could keep going forever into the next sunset, life would be perfect.
Or almost. She couldn’t bear the thought of giving up her niece. Deedee wasn’t a burden. The baby was a joy.
Hattie shook off reality with a deliberate toss of her head. She took advantage of Luc’s concentration to watch him unobserved. He controlled the boat with a relaxed stance that gave testament to his comfort being on the water. When several dark shapes began growing ahead of them, she scooted up beside him. “Is that it?”
He gave her a sideways grin. “Yep. We’re in Dry Tortugas National Park.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Well it’s only been a national park since 1992, so that’s not so surprising.”
“Why the name?”
“Tortugas because they look like a group of turtles, and Dry because there’s no fresh water on any of them.”
As they neared their destination, she stared, incredulous. She and Luc were miles from civilization, literally in the middle of nowhere. Yet perched on a handkerchief-size piece of land sat a sturdy brick fort, its hexagonal walls enclosing a large grassy area, and its perimeter surrounded by a water-filled moat. Even at a distance, the evidence of crumbling decay was visible.
Luc waved a hand as he throttled back the engine. “Fort Jefferson.”
Hattie leaned her hands on the railing and absorbed it all. “I can’t believe this.”
“You know the expression ‘Your name is mud’?”
She nodded as Luc tied up to the dock. “Of course.”
“Some people attribute that remark to Dr. Samuel Mudd who was incarcerated here in the 1860s.”
“What did he do that was so terrible?”
“He had the misfortune to set the broken leg of John Wilkes Booth after Booth assassinated President Lincoln.”
“Wow.”
“Exactly. Mudd was convicted of treason and sent here to serve a life sentence.”
Hattie shuddered. Knowing there was no possibility of escape must have been mentally anguishing. “How dreadful.”
“The story does have a bit of a happy ending,” Luc said. “As you can imagine, disease was rampant in the fort. Dysentery, malaria, smallpox…and, at one time, a terrible outbreak of yellow fever. It was so bad, the entire medical staff died.”
“And that’s where Dr. Mudd comes to the rescue?”
“Right. Even knowing as he did that the disease was a killer, he stepped in and began caring for the soldiers, saving dozens of lives. For his heroism, he ultimately received a full pardon and was allowed to return home.”
Hattie pondered the sad story. She wasn’t a superstitious person, but the island, beautiful though it was, carried an aura of past suffering. Dr. Mudd had earned a second chance. Would Hattie and Luc be as lucky?
Luc had arranged for one of the park ranger’s sons
to unload all their supplies and set up camp. Luc lent a hand, but even so, it took several loads to carry everything to the designated camping area, a small sandy strip of land lightly dotted with grass and shrubs. At the far end, a young family with two kids had already erected a red-and-white tent.
Luc handled the minimal paperwork with the ranger on duty and then turned to Hattie. “You ready for a swim?”
Disappointment colored her words. “I thought we were going to explore the fort.”
He held up his hands and laughed. “Okay. Fine. Maybe it will be a little cooler in there.”
They grabbed cameras and water bottles and headed out. The empty silent rooms in the fort almost reeked of despair. The thick walls blocked out some of the afternoon heat, but at the same time contributed to the oppressive dungeonlike atmosphere. There were no furnishings. The stark, barren chambers seemed to echo with the voices of long-ago inmates.
After wandering through several sections of the fort, Luc pointed out the entrance to Dr. Mudd’s cell. Hattie read aloud the inscription over the arch. “Whoso entereth here leaveth all hopes behind.” She shuddered. “Gruesome. But it sounds familiar.”
Luc nodded. “It’s from Dante’s Inferno.”
“I need to see the sky,” she muttered. She stepped back out into the sunshine, noting again the way the bricks were slowly disintegrating as time took its toll. “Can we climb the lighthouse?”
Luc took her arm. “It’s about a thousand degrees today. The lighthouse is inactive. And I need a swim.”
“Wimp,” she teased. But she allowed herself to be persuaded. Back at the tent, there was an awkward moment.
Luc avoided her gaze. “Not much room in there,” he said gruffly. “You go first.”
It didn’t take her long. Later, while she waited for Luc to change, she shaded her eyes and watched the numerous boats anchored offshore. Divers were taking advantage of the opportunity to explore the reef and other items of interest on the ocean floor.
When Luc emerged from the tent, she swallowed. He was wearing black nylon racing trunks that left little to the imagination. She smiled weakly, her temples perspiring, as he tossed her a towel.
Luc slung an arm around her shoulders, his own towel around his neck. “Let’s go.”
The water felt blissfully cool. Hattie paddled happily in the shallow water near the fort, finding it a lot easier than her first experience, since she could occasionally stand up. Some of the boaters were snorkeling as well, but they stayed mostly to the back of the fort.
She noticed that the family with the two children was also taking advantage of an afternoon swim. It suddenly occurred to her to wonder how far sound carried on the night air. Her breathing hitched, and she shivered despite the blazing sun. Anticipation and anxiety mingled in her stomach, making her feel slightly faint. If she got in over her head tonight, she’d have no one to blame but herself.
Luc had been swimming in deeper water, but he reappeared suddenly by her side, tugging off his mask and running a hand through his hair, flinging drops of water everywhere.
He smiled lazily. “Having fun?”
She nodded. “It’s amazing.”
He glanced at his high tech waterproof watch. “I thought I’d go on back and set up the grill, get the fire started. Will you be okay?”
She motioned him away. “By all means. I’m working up an appetite.”
Without warning, he lifted her against his wet chest, her feet dangling in the water. His head lowered. “So am I, Hattie. So am I.”
His mouth found hers, and the raw sensuality of his kiss made her dizzy. She closed her eyes, her other senses intensifying. He tasted salty, with a hint of coconut from the sunscreen he’d used. She pulled his lower lip between her teeth and bit gently.
His entire body quaked. He released her slowly, allowing her to slide the length of his virtually nude form. By the time her feet touched the sandy bottom once again, she could barely stand.
He laughed shakily. “Well, hell. I don’t know if I have the strength to climb out of the water.” He rested his chin on the top of her head, his arms wrapped around her waist. “You know what’s going to happen tonight.”
She nodded, mute, her face pressed to the muscular flesh just above his nipple.
He released her and stepped back. “Okay, then.”
An hour later, they ate dinner in style. Hattie should have known that a Cavallo wouldn’t prepare anything as plebian as hamburgers or hot dogs. Luc grilled T-bones and fresh shrimp over mesquite charcoal and then produced corn on the cob and potato salad to go with it.
She looked at him wryly over her heaping plate. “This isn’t how I remember camping.”
He shrugged. “My tastes have matured.”
They lingered over their al fresco meal. Hattie was relaxed and yet keenly aware of the tension humming between them. Luc offered fresh chocolate-dipped strawberries for dessert. She bit into one carefully, licking the sweet juice from her lower lip.
He watched her constantly until she swatted his arm. “Stop it.”
His wide, rakish grin was all innocence. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Moments later, the teenager showed up to do KP. He would be leaving soon when his father went off duty. There was no official presence at the fort overnight.
Luc suggested a boat ride. The sun was beginning its slow decline. Hattie prepared her camera. Luc steered the boat to a perfect vantage point to get shots of the fort washed in the beautiful evening light.
Afterward they anchored in deep water and dropped the ladder over the side. Hattie climbed over the rail, but Luc made a neat dive off the rear of the boat.
They swam and played for a long time, until the light began to fade. Back on the boat, they dried off and Hattie put on a T-shirt over her suit. As they picked up speed, the stiff breeze raised goose bumps on her arms and legs.
While they were tying up once again at the boat dock, the young father from the family across the way approached them.
He shook Luc’s hand and smiled ruefully. “Our youngest son has developed an earache, and we know from past experience that we’ll need medicine, so we’re going back to Key West. We wanted to tell someone, because the park service occasionally does a head count out here.”
Luc grimaced. “That’s too bad. It’s going to be a beautiful night. But I’ll help you load up.”
Hattie walked back to the tent and stretched out on a sleeping bag. Daylight was fading fast. It was a half hour before Luc returned. Out the tent flap she could see the family pull away from the dock. The other boats she had watched offshore earlier in the day had long since lifted anchor and sailed or motored away.
For the first time since their arrival, she and Luc were completely, irrevocably alone.
He crouched and held out a hand. “Let’s take a walk.”
While she stretched her arms over her head and then donned a windbreaker, Luc retrieved a flashlight from his pack and zipped up the tent. They approached the fort and skirted the edge until they could step onto the sea wall. For most of the perimeter of the fort, the barrier separated the moat from the sea.
Hattie didn’t need Luc’s warning to watch her step. Although the wall wasn’t particularly narrow, the thought of falling into the mysterious ocean was daunting.
On the far side of the fort they sat down, cross-legged, and surveyed the vast expanse of sky and sea. A tiny sliver of new moon did little to illuminate the night. As their eyes became accustomed to the dark, they could just make out the faint line of demarcation separating the silvery pewter of the ocean from the midnight-blue of the sky. Several miles away, a working lighthouse flashed a periodic caution to boats, warning of the reefs and small rocky islands.
They sat in silence for several minutes. Hattie finally whispered, “It’s like we’re the only two people in the entire world. I’m not sure I like the feeling.”
He took her hand and squeezed it. “Do you want to go back?”
�
��No.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. “It’s beautiful and awe-inspiring, and a little frightening to be honest, but I wouldn’t have missed this for anything. Can you imagine what it must be like here during a hurricane?”
Luc chuckled. “I don’t even want to think about it.”
They sat hand in hand for a long time, wrapped in a cocoon of darkness and the intimacy of complete isolation. Far out across the waves, traces of phosphorescence lent a ghostly aura to the night.
Eventually, by unspoken consent, they made their way back around to the campsite. After a quick visit to the Spartan toilet facilities near the dock, they met back at the tent and stood facing each other.
Luc lifted a hand and traced her chin with his thumb. “It’s not too late to change your mind. We have a perfectly good king-size bed back at the hotel. I can wait if you’d rather.”
She took a step closer, leaning into his chest. “I want you, Luc…tonight.”
Fifteen
She felt his chest lift and fall as a shuddering breath escaped his lungs. He wrapped his arms around her. “Do you need a few minutes in the tent to get ready?”
“Yes,” she muttered, her throat tight with nervousness. He handed her the small flashlight. She unzipped the tent and knelt to climb in, carefully removing her shoes and leaving them in a corner so no sand would find its way into their comfy sleeping space.
Luc had spread thick, soft sleeping bags on top of a single, large, cushiony air mattress. Since it was too hot to sleep inside the bags, he had also procured crisp cotton sheets complete with small pillows tucked inside lace-edged cases. The resulting effect was one part Out of Africa and two parts Pretty Woman, a stage unmistakably set for seduction.
Earlier, Hattie had regarded the tent as pleasantly roomy. Now, with Luc standing somewhere outside, it felt surprisingly claustrophobic, especially when she imagined Luc’s large frame dominating the enclosed space.
She picked up her overnight case and found her toiletry bag. After quickly cleaning her face, she stripped off her clothes, thankful that the evening swim had left her skin feeling cool, if a bit salty. Luc had thought to bring a small container of fresh water, so she dampened a cloth and used it to further freshen up.
The Billionaire's Borrowed Baby Page 13