Heaven Sent (15 page)

“How old were you?”

“Sixteen.”

Wincing, David thought of how he’d acted out at sixteen. He’d gotten into situations that his parents claimed had turned their hair white.

He chuckled under his breath. “Did you ever break curfew again?”

She shook her head. “No way. Not after seeing my mother go off like that.”

They reached the top of the stairs and stood outside the door to his bedroom. The sound of a clock on the drop-leaf table in the hallway chimed the hour. It was ten o’clock, and she couldn’t believe that they’d spent more than ninety minutes playing the piano.

For a reason she could not explain, Serena could not look at David. She felt like a breathless girl of eighteen, away from home for the first time. What she felt was
similar to what she’d experienced when she went on her first college date. She hadn’t known whether to kiss the young man or unlock her door, then close it quickly, before he could kiss her or ask to come in. In the end she’d closed the door.

And that was what she should’ve done earlier that afternoon. She should’ve walked out of David Cole’s bedroom and shut the door behind her and stayed out. But she hadn’t.

She had consciously denied that she felt anything for David—that he was someone whose life she helped save; it was only after she had permitted him to make love to her that she realized that she did feel something, something deep and so profound that she offered more than her body. She had offered up her heart.

“Good night, David.” She turned and walked to her bedroom, feeling the heat of his midnight gaze on her back.

David watched her walk away, wanting to go to her, but didn’t. He knew she was uneasy about what had passed between them earlier that afternoon, and he wanted to give her time to sort out her emotions.

Sleeping apart would also give him time to assess his own feelings; he had to admit that Serena Morris claimed a part of David Claridge Cole that he hadn’t offered any other woman, for it was the first time he’d ever engaged in unprotected sex. He could’ve stopped to protect her, but a force beyond himself would not permit him to. A force and a power that shattered his rigid self-control.

He stepped into his bedroom and closed the door. Leaving the cane on the doorknob, he moved over to the bed and sat down. Smothering a groan, he lay across the firm mattress and closed his eyes. He ached from head
to foot, but that pain was bearable. He wasn’t certain whether he could bear the pain of rejection, though, if Serena decided not to share his future with him.

She helped save my life. She offered me a second chance and I owe her. And because I owe her my life I want to share it with her
. His eyes flew open and he stared up at the faint shadows on the ceiling. Owing Serena had nothing to do with falling in love with her.
You love her!
The admission whispered in his head like a song’s refrain, and before the sun rose to signal the beginning of another day he believed it.

June 17

S
erena woke early the following morning and managed to run two miles returning to
La Montaña
to begin her day. She walked into her bedroom and found David sitting on the rocker in the sitting area. The scent of his aftershave filled the room, and she noticed that he was already groomed and dressed. Instead of the shorts and T-shirt she’d purchased for him he had selected his own shirt and slacks. The swelling had gone down, and he’d slipped on the leather sandals.

He stood up and suddenly the space seemed dwarfed by his impressive height. “Good morning.”

Removing the elastic band from her hair, Serena shook out her damp curls, smiling, “Good morning to you, too. How are you feeling?”

His inky-dark gaze moved slowly over her face and
body before a slow smile crinkled the skin around his large eyes. “Wonderful.”

Her eyebrows arched. “I see you’ve managed to wash and dress without help.”

He held his arms away from his body. “I’ve given up the cane.”

“You’d better not move too quickly, Sport.”

His smile widened. “I’ll take it slow for a couple of days.” He closed the distance between them taking slow, measured steps. He noted her wet tank top and shorts. “Where do you jog?”

“Along the beach.”

“How many miles do you do?”

“I was lucky to get in two miles this morning. The heat is too oppressive to try for more.”

David stood in front of her, admiring the dewy softness of her moist face. Reaching up he cradled her face between his hands and lowered his head.

She pulled back. “Don’t. I’m wet.”

He tightened his gentle grip on her delicate face, inhaling the scent of her perfume under the layer of moisture lathering her body. Ignoring her protest, he moved closer and brushed his lips over hers.

Pulling back, he studied her intently before again flashing his winning smile. “I just wanted to give you a proper good morning.”

Her fingers curved around his strong wrists. She unconsciously counted the strong, steady, beating pulse. Lowering her gaze, she smiled up at him through her lashes, causing his breathing to falter slightly. “Thank you.”

The seductiveness of the gesture jolted David, igniting the all-consuming passion welling within him. He’d awakened unable to believe the emotions assailing him
whenever he thought of Serena. The realization that he’d made love to her, and the vivid recollection of her response, left him reeling. He thought his mind had conjured her up. He’d recalled the deep, velvety softness of her skin, the scent of her perfume mingling with the aroma of her body’s natural fragrance, the weight and feel of her firm breasts in his hands, and the moist heat of her femininity as it closed around him in a strong, gripping pulsing that threatened to propel him from his bed and into hers.

He’d left the bed, flung open the French doors, and stood on the veranda watching the sun rise, waiting for his traitorous body to return to a state of calmness.

And in the full sunlight he became fully cognizant of the changes within himself. He’d laughed aloud when he realized that a little slip of an American born, Costa Rican bred woman had stolen his heart. He’d traveled the world to the adoring screams of thousands of women, and not once had he taken any of them into his bed or into his heart. It had taken a business trip, his last business trip to Costa Rica, for him to fall and fall hard, and for the daughter of his nemesis.

He’d admitted that he was used to winning, and he was. However, he was prepared to lose the Limón banana plantation if negotiations with Cordero-Vega failed. But he was not prepared to lose Serena. He’d taken a solemn oath that he would not return to Florida without her.

Her lashes swept up, her gaze fusing with his as shivers of an awareness passed between them. It had gone beyond the physical urgency to join her body to his. It was now a realization that their future was inexorably entwined, and Serena knew and accepted the reality
that the man holding her to his heart would become her husband and the father of her children.

“Why did you leave him?”

The quiet sound of his questioning voice startled her. She flashed a nervous smile. “How do you know he didn’t leave me?” she asked, answering his query with one of her own.

His right eyebrow lifted slightly. “Any man who’d leave you is either insane or a fool.”

“He became a fool, so I wasn’t given much of a choice.”

She related the bizarre changes in her ex-husband’s behavior only days into their honeymoon and how he had begun stalking her because he suspected she was involved with other men. Without disclosing Xavier Osbourne’s name, she revealed the terms of her annulment and the legal restraints that were imposed to keep him away from her.

“He’s never attempted to bother you since the annulment?”

Serena shook her head. “He may have loved me, but he loves practicing medicine more. There was no way he would’ve jeopardized having his medical license revoked or suspended.”

What David did not want was a man from her past threatening their future, or a repeat of the scenario that had kept his older brother and sister-in-law apart for ten years.

A shy smile softened his features. “Do you think you can put up with a scarred, vain, arrogant, frustrated musician-turned-businessman for the next fifty years?”

She felt a spurt of heated blood rush through her veins as she took a breath of astonishment. Luz Maria had
predicted it, but a small part of her hadn’t believed—until now.

“What are you asking, David Cole?”

His hands moved from her face to her waist, pulling her flush against the solid strength of his body. “I think you know what I’m asking, Señorita Serena Morris.”

Her gold-flecked, clear brown eyes locked with his jet-black gaze. “No, I don’t,” she countered, unwilling to make it easy for him.

A scowl marred his beautiful male face. “Yes, you do.”

She would not back down. She couldn’t with David, because if she did she would always have to defer to his authoritative personality. He was born into wealth, and was no doubt spoiled. He’d admitted that he was used to winning, and there was no question that he considered her one of his many conquests; she was also aware that she could not escape her destiny, that she would marry him, but she did not want him to think he could negotiate and close the deal on their future within four days of their meeting.

“Tell me,” she taunted. “You can say everything else that comes to your mind.”

The words lodged in his throat. What was he afraid of? That she would laugh at him? That she would reject his offer? That she would think him foolish because he’d confused gratitude for something more?

Swallowing painfully, he forced a dimpled smile. She returned his smile, and in that instant the vain arrogance she’d accused him of claiming returned.

“I want you to marry me.”

Serena’s smile faded at the same time her lids fluttered wildly.
He’ll make you happier than you can imagine. He will offer you a life filled with things most
women only dream about. He will give you your heart’s desire.

Luz Maria’s words attacked her at the same time she replayed David’s proposal over and over in her head.
I want you to marry me.

“Why me?” she asked, refusing to relent. What frightened her was that Luz Maria’s prophecy had manifested itself within days.

“Why not you?”

Her lids flew up and she glared at him. “I asked the question first.”

David shook his head in amazement. “Why are you so stubborn?” he whispered.

“I’m no more stubborn than you are,” she retorted.

“We are going to have very willful children,” he predicted with a wide grin.

He sobered quickly. “Speaking of children,” she said, “what happened yesterday cannot happen again. I’ll expect you to protect me whenever we sleep together until—”

“Until what?”

What she was beginning to feel for David was nothing like she’d felt for Xavier. And she’d believed she loved her ex-husband. With David it was confidence, safety, and security. She knew that once joined to him she would be protected. She was also realistic enough to know that their living together would be volatile and passionate—in and out of bed.

“Until we’re married,” she whispered.

He wanted to shout out his joy. She had accepted his proposal. It was a backhanded acceptance, but that did not matter. What mattered was that she was willing to become a part of his life.

His mint-flavored breath fanned her moist face
seconds before his mouth covered hers in a kiss that branded her his possession. Parting her lips, she rose on tiptoe to meet his kiss with her own fiery imprint.

“Why me?” she asked again, between his soft, nibbling kisses.

“Why not you,” he mumbled, planting tender kisses at the corners of her mouth. “Because you’re the other half of me. You’re what I need to make me whole. You symbolize what I appreciate most about life—rain, music, and the splendor of the rising sun. Your tears are rain, washing away a fear that leaves a comforting peace. Your body throbs with a rhythm that beats in perfect harmony with mine, and your smile reminds me of the rising sun, so that I look forward to sharing everything I have with you.

“What I feel with you I’ve never felt with any other woman,” he continued in the musical Spanish she’d come to love listening to. “You wanted to know about someone else seeing the tattoo.” She nodded numbly. “After I got it I felt exposed because of where it is. I did not want to become that vulnerable to a woman. Any woman.”

“But I’ve seen it.”

“That should tell you something about the power you hold over me.”

“I don’t want power, David. I want trust. Without the trust we have nothing.”

He froze, his expression impassive. “What about love?”

She blinked once. “That’ll come with time.”

Nodding, he released her, taking a step backward. “Thank you for accepting me.”

She also inclined her head. “Thank you for asking.”

Both had retreated behind a facade of formality, where the shock of what they’d agreed to shook them to their very core.

Serena gave him a half-smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse me I’d like to take a shower.”

David studied the woman who was to become his wife, committing everything about her to memory before he limped past her and out of her bedroom, closing the door softly behind him.

Serena didn’t know she’d been holding her breath until she heard the soft click of the lock. “What have I done?” she whispered to the silent space at the same time tears filled her eyes.

Her brother had been charged with drug trafficking and murder, she’d slept with a man she’d known for three days, her parents were expected home within hours, and it was incumbent upon her to inform them that their houseguest had proposed marriage and that she had accepted.

“
Soy loca
.” And she
was
crazy. As crazy as the events going on behind the closed doors at
La Montaña.

Serena heard the angry sound of her father’s voice before stepping into the living room. He was pleading with his wife, who held her head aloft as she climbed the staircase without giving him a backward glance.

“You can’t leave me!” Raul shouted to her back.

Juanita stopped, turned and glared down at his angry features. “I’m not leaving you, Raul. I’m going to
my son!
”

“He’s also my son.”

“What’s going on here?” Raul and Juanita froze, their gazes registering the bewilderment on Serena’s face. “I thought Gabe was going to be released.”

Raul’s hands tightened into fists. “He will not be released.”

Serena bit down hard on her lower lip. “Why not?” There was no mistaking the tremor in her query.

Raul’s angry gaze swept from his daughter to his wife. “Because the U.S. ambassador refuses to get involved.”

“That’s why I’m leaving,” Juanita explained. “My son can’t come to me, so I’m going to him.” Turning, she continued up the staircase at the same time Raul stalked off to his study.

Serena clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the screams of frustration threatening to escape. No, no, no! She shook her head, refusing to believe what she’d just heard.

Willing her legs to move, she raced up the staircase and to her mother. The door to the enormous bedroom stood open. As she waited in the doorway watching Juanita Vega rip dresses, blouses, skirts, and slacks from the closet racks, she discerned an emotion in the older woman that she’d seen only once—rage. The other time she’d seen her this enraged was when she thought her husband had hit her daughter and bloodied her nose.

“What happened, Mother?”

Juanita gave her a quick glance before she went back to the closet, withdrawing a large Pullman bag. “I’m going to Florida.”

“Without Poppa?”

“
Sí!
”

“Why?”

Juanita’s hands stilled as she turned and stared at her daughter. “I don’t want him with me. I can’t accomplish what I need to accomplish with a foreign-born husband in tow.”

“What are you talking about, Mother?”

“I’m still an American, while Raul and Gabriel are foreigners in the States. U.S. officials don’t look too kindly on foreigners who commit crimes against their country.”

“I’m going back with you.”

“You can’t. I want you to stay with Raul. I don’t want him here alone. As it is, he thinks I’m leaving and never coming back.”

“But, Mother—”

“Don’t Mother me, Serena! Please, Baby Girl, don’t add to the madness affecting this family,” she added in a softer tone. “Help me keep
nuestra familia
together.”

If her mother wanted her to help keep their family together, then why was she leaving her behind? She’d acknowledged Raul Vega as her father, but the reality was that they shared no blood ties. Juanita and Gabriel were her family.

She did not know how, but she felt her mother’s pain, pain that had torn her life and her family asunder. “How long will you be gone?”

Juanita placed a small leather case containing her passport on the bed beside her luggage. “As long as it takes for me to get answers to a few questions, questions that the American ambassador to Costa Rica will not or cannot answer.”