Charmed By You ((Destiny Bay Romances-The Islanders 5)) (12 page)

“Don’t you ever get lonely here?” she asked him, staring out over the vast ocean. “Don’t you ever feel as
though you’re cut off from the rest of the world?”

He turned to look at her, and the glint in his eyes told her she looked especially attractive at the moment with her golden hair streaming out behind her, flying in the
brisk trade winds, the skirt of her sundress plastered
against her legs.

“I never think about it,” he said simply. “There’s too much to do. I don’t have time to feel that kind of lone
liness.”

His obsidian gaze held hers and she wondered if he
were implying he did feel another kind of loneliness.
Before she could ask, he gestured toward the horizon.
“The Caroline Islands are only a short distance from here.
And the Mariannas are to the north. If you look very
closely on a clear day, you can see Palua.”

“Where?” She shaded her eyes and stared at the line where the steel-blue sea met the cornflower-blue sky, far
to the left of the oncoming storm.

“Look there.” He came up behind her and pointed,
his arm resting along her shoulder. She looked where he told her and saw the faint swell of land above the ocean.

“Oh, yes, I see it now.” But her voice sounded slightly
breathless. His free arm had come around her waist,
and he was pulling her back against him.

“I love the smell of you, Heather,” he whispered,
wrapping his other arm around her and rubbing his face
against her neck, breathing deeply against her warm skin.

“You left that scent in my bed last night and I couldn’t
sleep for thinking of you.”

“Mitch...” She wanted to tell him to leave her alone,
but the words wouldn’t come.

“I thought making love last night would ease the ache
I have inside for you, but it didn’t.” His breath tickled
the tiny hairs that covered her neck, sending shivers down
her spine. She was melting back against him, molding
herself to his strong body. “It just made me want you more, Heather.
More than ever.” His hands came up to cup her breasts while his tongue drew patterns across the nape of her
neck.

“You promised, Mitch,” she reminded him, bent on
making him stop while she still had the strength. Her
bones were already turning to butter, and her breath was
coming faster. “No ravishing, remember?”

“Mutual consent precludes ravishing,” he grumbled,
nipping lightly at the skin behind her ear. His fingers
found the low-cut edge of her bodice and began to work
their way inside.

Heather closed her eyes, gathering together every ounce
of strength she possessed. If she didn’t do it, who would?
No one else would look out for her welfare.

“Mitch,” she said again, but it came out like a moan, and she had to try once more. “Mitch.” That was firmer. “Mitch!” Better still. She felt his arms harden as he re
alized she was now standing stiffly unresponsive. Then
he was drawing away.

“Let’s go back to Ragonai village,” she said, hoping he didn’t notice the tremor in her voice. “I’m not going
to rest until I see you sign those papers.”

“Do you really hate me that much, Heather?” he asked, his voice ragged with emotion, his
hand on her shoulder in a rough grasp. “Can’t you unbend and let the natural bond between us take hold?” He kissed the side of her neck. “It’s right there you know. It’s natural, organic, and it’ll come back on its own if you’d only let it.”

She pulled away. She couldn’t look into his face. Instead, she stared over his shoulder at the gathering clouds. His words made her ache for him, but she knew they were standing on quicksand. One wrong move and they would both be lost.
 

“No, Mitch,” she answered, her voice like gravel. “I just want to leave this place.”

He held her there for a long moment, then swore lightly and dropped his hand. “All right. We’ll go back.”

His voice had been soft, but she could feel the anger boiling in him. It made her nervous, but she wouldn’t let him see her anxiety. She walked quickly back to the blanket and began gathering things to carry to the Jeep.

The drive back to the village was made in silence.
Heather felt a strange mixture of dread and elation. She’d
actually managed to fend off Mitch. It was almost over now, this dreadful journey. He would sign the papers, and she would find a way out of here. What a relief.

But at the same time, she knew the pain that leaving him would entail. He’d left her before. This time she was leaving him. It was going to hurt just as much.

When they arrived at the village, it had the sleepy
look of a town where afternoon siestas were the rule. No
one seemed to be about. Mitch pulled the Jeep into the
carport next to his clinic and jumped down, coming around
to help her down as well.

A few drops of rain had started to fall, fat warm drops that splashed as they hit the windshield.
 

“We’ll get those
papers now, shall we?” she suggested crisply, trying to ignore the warmth of his hand on her arm. She raised
her head high, looking him straight in the eye, afraid he
would find some new delaying tactic if she didn’t keep the issue firmly before him.

He nodded, not smiling, and turned toward the house. She followed, looking about uneasily. There was a sense
of wild expectation in the air.
It was only the storm coming
, she told herself as she breathed deeply of the fresh wet air, but still she felt it all around. It was as
though everything were waiting, breath held, for something so entrancing, so unusual, that nothing dared make
a sound. All she could hear was the irregular splat of
raindrops.

Mitch led her to the back entrance, which opened into
his living quarters, and she stifled the protest that rose
in her throat. She wouldn’t do anything that might reveal
her vulnerability. She’d shown him on the sea cliff that she could hold herself in check, despite the way his seductive moves ate away at her defenses. At least
she’d proved she could be strong if she had to.

He opened the door and held it to let her in. She
entered, blinking for a moment in the gloom. The room looked much as it had the night before. She couldn’t help but take a quick look at the bed. It was neatly made. No
evidence remained of what had happened there the night
before.

“The papers,” she reminded him as he followed her
in. “Where are they?”

“Heather...” He reached for her, but she was ready this time. She jumped nimbly out of his way.

“No.” She shook her head sternly, trying to pretend
indifference. “All I want is the papers.”

He didn’t move, but he seemed to be devouring her
with his eyes. A storm was gathering in him that mirrored
the storm raging outside. She felt a tremor of fear at the
clear sense of it.

His gaze centered on her lips. “You wanted something
else last night,” he reminded her, a quiet menace lacing
his words.

She flushed, hating him for using her desire against
her. Wasn’t it enough that he’d humiliated her so successfully the night before? That he’d proven he could
arouse her at will? Did he think he could use her weakness
to manipulate her again?

“Of course,” she said, forcing a breeziness she didn’t feel. “A bit of fun for old
times’ sake.” She swallowed, fighting down the pain those words cost her. “But the fun is over, Mitch. It’s back to business.”

He grimaced. “Is that all you think we’ve got left?” he demanded. “A little fun and then business?”

She took a deep breath. This had gone all wrong.
It was time to clear the air. “Mitch, you’re the one who
left me. You told me my way of life was hateful to you,
that it stifled you and smothered you and left you emasculated.”
 

Emasculated. That word had hurt the most. Living with her had made him feel less of a man. She could never forget the damage that word had done.

He was nodding slowly. “Yes, I said those things,” he admitted. “But I was talking about a way of life, not about you yourself. I’ve always wanted you, Heather. That never changed.”

She searched his gaze, wondering how he could pos
sibly say such a thing. “Then why did you leave with
Dede?” she asked sharply, using anger to keep her voice
from breaking. “Why did you choose her over me?”

A look of genuine surprise crossed his face. “Is that what you think?” He stared at her, turned away, then back again. “Is that why... ?” A slow grin began a lazy trip across his face. “Did you really think Dede and I were lovers?”

“What else was I supposed to think?” Suddenly all the anguish was back, filling her with incredible pain
again, stinging through her bloodstream. “You had a
distinct choice—Flagstaff and me, or this bloody island
and Dede. You made your decision very clear.”

“Oh, Heather.” He was laughing now, and that seemed even more dangerous than his anger. As he moved toward
her, she backed away, reaching behind her to steady
herself against the wall. “You little fool.”

He was right, she was a fool, a complete fool for ever
thinking she could come here and return unscathed. She’d
come up against the wall for support, but now it was a trap. As she flattened herself against it, he placed his
palms on it too, one on either side of her head, and
leaned toward her, laughing softly, the picture of arrogant
self-confidence.

“When did you come up with this theory?” he asked, his face only inches from hers. “When did you decide I
was sleeping with Dede? In Flagstaff? Before I left?”

She nodded miserably, trying to keep a defiant fire in
her eyes. “You were always with her,” she accused breathlessly. “Every night you and she were out to all
hours.”

A flash of anger contorted his face. “I told you we
were working. Didn’t you believe me?”

She raised her chin. “How could I when you talked
about her all the time?”

He shook his head in disbelief. “I respected her. She’s
a marvelous nurse. Her sense of social consciousness
was so similar to mine that we seemed to mesh perfectly.”

“Only professionally?” All the bitterness of the lonely
months tinged her voice.

He glared at her. “Yes, Heather. Only professionally.”

How could that be? She’d been so sure. “And after you left me? Left with Dede for Ragonai?”

One hand took hold of her chin, fingers gripping harshly. “I’ve never slept with Dede, Heather. I’ve never even wanted to. Ever since I found you, there’s never been another woman. Can’t you believe that?”

Could she? She wanted to so badly. But her mind was
whirling. She didn’t know what to believe. If only he would leave her alone for a moment, let her get her bearings.

But he had no intention of doing that. She read the
determination in his eyes. He was going to prove something to her now. Was there any way she could stop him?

“There may never have been another woman,” she
admitted breathlessly, “but there have been other dreams. You’ve found other things more important than our mar
riage.”

He hesitated, his glance wavering, and she knew her accusation had found a mark. Would he admit that his
unconventional life-style was more important to him than
she was?

“Maybe we weren’t meant to be married,” he said curtly. “But you know damn well we were meant to be together.”

The rain was beginning a wild staccato on the tin roof.
The sound seemed to echo the beating of her heart. “I
don’t know anything of the sort,” she tried, but her brave
statement came out as a hollow wail as he stepped closer.

“Oh, yes, you do,” he countered huskily, so near her mouth that she could feel his warm breath against her lips. “Whatever other differences we might have had,
we always had a physical pull between us that was stronger
than anything I’ve ever felt for any other woman.” He leaned still closer, breathing sweet seduction into her
ear, nuzzling along the line of her neck. She felt her
breath stop in her lungs.

“I don’t need Dede,” he rasped as his tongue flickered
lightly in and out of her ear. “I don’t need any other
woman. Not when I have you.”

She reached out to push him away, but her hands
seemed to slip across his shoulders instead, and suddenly
her fingers were entwined about his neck and she was
stretching up, her head back, her eyes closed.

His mouth was trailing hot moist kisses along her
neck, and his hand was slipping inside her
dress, reaching for her breast, searching for the hardening
nipple. She heard small animal sounds come from the
depths of her own throat, and she couldn’t suppress them.
He wanted her. He’d said he wanted her more than he’d
ever wanted another woman, and right now she believed
him. It felt so right.