Mission: Seduction (17 page)

She glanced around as if she'd just noticed the driving rain and dangerous waves heading their way. Rearing back from him, she stood and asked, “Why are you here?”

“Kelly, I'm sorry.”

“No. You shouldn't have come back.” Kelly ran for the sliding glass doors that led to her bedroom in the main house, her sister close on her heels. Rafe watched them through the raging storm.

Adrien offered Rafe a hand up. “Crap.”

Rafe agreed, “You got that right. I'm in deep, brother, and it looks like I'm going to need one hell of a shovel.”

20

K
ELLY
WOKE
IN
her bed feeling stuffy and crowded. She blinked
open her eyes to find her sister beside her. “What happened?” she asked,
yawning.

Her brain felt as woolly as the jar of cotton balls she kept
under her sink. She soon realized there was another body on the other side of
her. Crowded, indeed. “Mom?”

“Morning, darling girls. Are you feeling better, Kelly?”

Her mother turned over and gave them a warm smile.

“I don't know what I am yet. Why are you two in my bed?”

“The condos at the other end of the beach were hit hard by the
storm surge. They were trying to find places for people to stay and we took in
about twenty. Lucky for us, the worst of it hit on the other side of the island.
We lost electricity, but other than that we're good. The solar generators are
running, so far so good.”

Kelly, openmouthed, stared at her mother.

Her mom sat up. “What is it?”

There was a storm? Kelly must have been out of it completely.
She forced her brain to go over the past twenty-four hours and she winced. “Was
Rafe here?”

“Yep,” replied Mimi as she got up and stood by the side of the
bed. “I'll go check on the guests.”

Kelly's face met her palm. “I ran away from him last night. Why
did I do that? He probably thinks I'm ridiculous and a liar.” Why couldn't she
get it right just once? The universe had given her a second chance and she'd
blown it.

Her mother watched her with a guarded look.

“He left, didn't he?” Kelly's heart squeezed tight.

“I honestly don't know. He and Adrien were helping with the
relief efforts on the other side of the island. Your dad is there, too.”

Kelly stared up at the ceiling. “I guess I'll have to learn to
live with my mistakes. He'll probably have Adrien drop him off at the airport as
soon as it opens.”

“Kelly Callahan, you are not going to run away from this. You
will fight for your marine with everything you are. Go find him, apologize
again. And make him see what you mean to each other,” her mother ordered.

Leaning over, she kissed her mother on the cheek. “I love you,
mom. But I'm going to help Mimi with our guests.”

She appreciated her mother's optimism, but Kelly lived in the
real world. Her relationship with Rafe was over.

* * *

K
ELLY
SAT
ON
the sand, staring out at the horizon. Her bright
pink board was stuck upright beside her. The hunch in her shoulders spoke
volumes.

“I'm pretty sure you have to put that thing in the water for it
to work,” Rafe joked as he sat down beside her.

Tears streaked her face, and the sight hit him hard. So hard
that he knew it was a sign of what he'd put her through and how much he
genuinely regretted it.

“I'm sorry.” It wasn't enough, but he had to try.

She continued staring out at the horizon, not even glancing in
his direction.

“I overreacted and it kills me that I hurt you. I swear I'll
never do it again.”

Using the heel of her hand, she wiped her tears.

“There's no excuse for what I did,” he said, desperate to get
through to her. “I wanted to yell and I never yell. I was overwhelmed and
confused. What you did was wrong, but I shouldn't have walked out.”

He'd met her parents and recognized the abandonment. Her father
always left her mother, and she'd grown up around that drama. Rafe had done the
same thing to her.

“You don't need to apologize.” She pulled her knees up and put
her head on them. “You had a right to get mad. I deceived you, and even if I did
it for a good reason, it was wrong.”

He pulled her to him and she let him. “Kelly, tell me what I
need to do to make this better.”

“
You?
I'm the one who screwed up
bad. I hope that someday you'll be able to forgive me.”

Her head was down and he lifted her chin up to look into her
eyes. “There's nothing to forgive, babe. I understand now why you did it. And
it's just one of those things that got out of control. I've had a few of those
situations in my life.”

“Yeah? Well, I don't blame you for leaving. I lied to you. I
manipulated you and before I could tell you the truth, you found out anyway. But
you left. You left when I tried to tell you what happened. You assumed that I
did it because I pity you and I will tell you right now, Rafe McCawley, the last
thing I ever felt for you was pity.”

“I've told you more than once what an idiot I am, and I've been
kicking myself the entire way back here. Babe, please tell me that you aren't
giving up on us. Things have moved fast between us, but we're good together. We
had an argument, that's what people in love do. We made mistakes, but we can
learn from those. Kelly, I love you so much.”

He held his breath.

She shook her head. “It hurts too much. I can't lose you again,
Rafe. I know you think I'm tough, but when it comes to you I'm not. It scares me
how much I love you.”

The declaration put fire into his resolve. He straightened up
and gave her a hard look. She cared. She loved him. She didn't get to take that
back.

“Listen to me, Kelly Callahan,” Rafe said sternly. “You are
tough, and anything that comes in the future, we will overcome it together. I
can promise, with all that I am, that I will never run out on you again. You can
trust me.”

She eyed him carefully but didn't say anything. This wonderful
woman cared for him and had helped him heal.

“I can't believe you came back.”

“What are you talking about? I just went out for a little air,”
he joked.

“Um, Rafe.”

“Yes, baby.”

“Next time you go out for a little air, please don't break my
heart and take it with you.”

A direct hit.

“Kelly, that's the real reason I had to come back. I knew I'd
left my heart with you. We're a pair, you and I. You know it as well as I
do.”

She gave a shaky sigh. “I want to believe you.”

“I love you, Kelly, and I'm giving you my word as a marine that
I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. And that my sole purpose
will be to make you the happiest woman on the planet.”

A hint of a smile quivered on her lips.

“What?” Rafe asked.

“I love you, too,” she said softly.

Rafe let out a breath.

She bit her bottom lip. “And you're a good kisser. It's hard to
find those these days. Trust me, I've been all over almost every continent, and
you're definitely the best.”

Relief eased the hurt in his soul. His Kelly was his again.
“Wait a minute. I don't like the idea of you kissing so many men,” he
complained. “From now on it's just me. Got it?”

She gave him a fake salute. “Maybe you should remind me.”

He didn't understand what she meant.

“About the kissing,” she clarified.

He started feathering kisses on her forehead, down the side of
her face and neck. Then he captured her sweet lips with his.

They did belong together. And he knew now that soul mates did
exist. His was a beautiful blonde surfer who took his breath away.

After many minutes of reminding her how good a kisser he was,
he stopped to gaze lovingly at this woman he adored.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered reverently.

She placed a hand on his chest where his heart was. “I still
can't believe you're here.”

He gave her his best, warmest smile. “I swear you are stuck
with me. And think of the great story we'll have to tell our kids one day.”

“Kids?” she squeaked.

“Yep. I'm thinking at least three or four, maybe twelve. We
could have our own football and surf teams.”

Her eyes flashed wide and her jaw dropped.

“Obviously, that's negotiable,” he added as he kissed the tip
of her nose. “Remember, when it comes to negotiating, name the terms you
want.”

“Do you have terms?”

“I'm accepting the honorable discharge I've been offered, so
I'll be taking care of you from now on. No one is ever going to mess with you
again. We'll make our dreams come true together. As for Last Resort, Adrien is
more than willing to take over as assistant manager. I talked to him about this
morning.

“Oh, and another one of my terms is marriage. You and me, a
minister and a pair of rings. We don't have to do it now, but I want to make you
mine. And I want everyone to know it. But until we can get the rings, I want you
to wear this.” He held up the silver necklace with the surfboard.

“You found it!”

No, but he would never tell her that. When she'd been so
desperate the night before, it occurred to him what must have happened. She
hadn't known that the necklace had been in his pocket the whole time. He'd gone
back to the beach and picked it up off the sand before leaving for the
airport.

“I think the universe wants you to have this.” He put it around
her neck. “This is to remind you that the next time we argue, both of us are
staying put. And that you belong to me.”

She kissed him. “Boy, you sure are bossy. We're going to have
kids and we're going to get married, and now I'm a possession.” She pretended to
talk like he did. “You've forgotten the most important thing.”

“What?”

“The make-up sex. That's first. Then the rest of that stuff
comes later.”

They laughed. As he stood up, he playfully dumped her on the
sand. Before she knew what was going on, he'd scooped her up and hoisted her
over his shoulder.

She lost it in a fit of giggles. “Put me down, you gorilla,”
she said as she pounded her fists against his back.

“You're only turning me on more.”

She giggled again.

“What is it?”

“I was just thinking about what it would be like to have a
bunch of little Rafes running around. And here I thought this family was already
out of control. Can you imagine?”

Rafe smiled.

Yes, he could imagine that and an entire life with her.

She was his surfer babe, and he was never going to let her
go.

* * * * *

Don't miss HER LAST BEST FLING,

Candace Havens's next sexy romance, involving
another hot marine who's met his match!

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