When It's Love (11 page)

Nicholas finally closed the rest of the distance between them and took her hands in his. “Has it ever occurred to you that the reason your daughter thinks there’s something between us is because kids see what’s really there?”

Rachel shook her head. “No, you’re wrong. There can't be anything between us.”

“Yes, there can,” Nicholas insisted, his hand moving up to touch her hair. “Because there already is.”

He didn’t pause this time, didn’t wait for her to be ready for him to make a move as he leaned in and kissed her with more passion than Rachel had ever imagined. His lips met hers like a wave meeting the beach, and like a wave would, the sensation washed over her.

She kissed him back on instinct, unable to stop herself, just the way she’d been unable to keep herself from wanting to climb the cliffs. She thought she could taste the sea on Nicholas’ lips as she kissed him—and it thrilled her that she could taste the danger and adventure in him, too. She held tightly to him as she kissed him breathlessly, wanting—and needing—so much more than she ever had before.

She’d marshaled her thoughts so carefully before coming to see him this morning. She’d worked out exactly what she would say. But she had never expected anything like this, for all of her carefully considered reasons to fade away like the mist, torn apart by the pure, sweet sensation of a kiss. All she could feel was hands tangled in her hair, the rapid-fire pace of her heart beating in her chest...and a desire so intense it stunned her.

When they finally pulled apart, Rachel's head was buzzing with even more than the adrenaline rush she'd felt at the top of the cliff. There was nothing safe about kissing Nicholas. And certainly nothing sensible about it.

Yet now that they’d kissed, she felt more alive than she ever had before.

“Rachel?” Nicholas reached out to touch her cheek, and for a moment, just a moment, she thought he might be about to kiss her again. Instead, he softly said, “All the risk assessments in the world can't tell us anything about our connection right now. And they can't tell what’s in our hearts, which is all that really matters. Don't you think it’s okay to take a risk now and then, especially if that risk has a chance to make you truly happy?”

And the truth was that with his kiss still tingling on her lips, it was almost possible to believe that what they felt, what they wanted, counted for more than the rest of the world with all its disasters and dangers.

“Come back and do another segment with me tomorrow.”

Nearly as tempted by that as she'd been by his kiss, instead of outright saying no the way she knew she should, she said, “Haven't they found anyone else they can talk into doing death-defying stunts alongside you?”

“There isn't anyone who has the same chemistry with me.”

“You could work with anyone and make them look good.”

“Not as good as you look,” Nicholas assured her.

Rachel couldn't keep from blushing at hearing that, even though she wasn’t a teenager anymore who would be so easily unnerved by a compliment.

“And trust me,” Nicholas said with one of those gorgeous, warm smiles of his, “there isn’t anyone else that
I
have the same chemistry with.”

Maybe it was the kiss that had spun her around and around so that she couldn't think straight anymore, but instead of finally saying no, she asked, “What will you be filming tomorrow?”

“Kiteboarding.”

“I've never done that before.” But she'd wanted to.

“Good. I love watching you discover something new. So, would you like to come down and try it? Or,” he added with a wicked lift of his eyebrows, “does it not fit into that safe statistical model you have of the world?”

Despite the fact that she knew he was teasing her, she had to know, “Are you calling me a coward?”

“You're one of the strongest, bravest women I've ever met.” He moved closer again, close enough that his lips were almost against hers as he said, “And I can't wait to go kiteboarding with you tomorrow.”

One quick but oh-so-sweet kiss later, she was left standing alone in the middle of her grandmother’s lawn, able to think about nothing but kiteboarding, Nicholas and two kisses that had somehow felt more adventurous—and wonderful—than anything she had ever experienced before.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

What was she doing?

Rachel had asked herself that question half a dozen times the next morning while she was on her way down to the beach where they'd be filming the next segment. Common sense had dictated that she should stay home, and not just because of the risks involved in kiteboarding.

Because how could so much revolve around Nicholas already when he'd been on the island less than a week? And how could she already care so much? She'd barely been able to sleep the night before because she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about his kiss.

It had been so sudden. So perfect. She knew she'd never forget the way Nicholas’ lips had tasted. The way his muscles had felt pressed against her. How good he'd smelled, as if he'd just come out of the ocean. And how steady she'd felt when he'd been holding her in his strong arms.

And then, he'd challenged her. Dared her not to say no to this new challenge—obviously knowing she wouldn't be able to turn away from his dare. Especially not when she'd always wondered what it would be like to go kiteboarding.

“Hi, Nicholas,” she said as she approached him on the beach. “What do you need me to do for the shoot today?”

He didn't answer right away, simply smiled at her as if he'd never been happier to see anyone in his life. “You’ll need a wet suit. After that, I’ll run you through the basics of staying on the board and catching the wind with the kite. It’s fast and feels a little out of control, but a lot of fun once you get going.”

Ever since she’d met Nicholas, Rachel had felt as though her entire life had begun spiraling out of control, moving far too fast. Yet, amazingly, when she didn't overthink everything, it felt right. And she'd definitely had fun, too.

While she changed into the wet suit, her nerves slowly built. They would be going at high speed on open water with nothing but a kite to help them control what they were doing. Hit one wave wrong, catch one gust of wind that wasn’t quite right, and the results could be disastrous. She’d looked up the statistics last night, of course. Broken bones, unconsciousness leading to drowning, concussion…there were so many things that could potentially go wrong.

A week ago, Rachel would never have agreed to do this. Yet now, it felt as if her old instincts had started to come out of a long, dark hibernation. The same feeling of determination she’d had climbing the cliff face was with her right now, telling her to ignore the risks for once.

And the truth was that she
wanted
to do this, even though it was dangerous. She wanted to feel as alive as she had on top of the cliffs with Nicholas.

As alive as she’d felt when he’d kissed her.

“Are you ready?” Nicholas asked. From the way he was watching her, she knew he wasn’t just asking about the kiteboarding.

Rachel couldn't have held back her answering smile even if she'd tried. “I’m ready.”

They started out slowly and carefully, just the way Nicholas had approached every one of their adventures together. As he showed her how to securely strap herself on to the short board and then how to stand up so that she was balanced, he assured her, “This part isn’t quite as hard as when you’re surfing, because you’ve got the force of the kite to brace against. The trick is adjusting to the wind.”

It was a relatively calm day, but even so, she could feel the wind ruffling her hair, reminding her of its power. Next, he showed her the proper way to hold the kite and how to use it to catch the wind, explaining that she'd need to learn to feel which way the wind was blowing and then use the gusts that were there rather than trying to force the board to go in the direction she wanted.

It was hard work, but that was also the beauty of it. There was no time to think about anything else while she was out on the water. For the moment, everything came down to the wind and the waves—actually, the wind, the waves
and
Nicholas.

And it was awesome.

He kept pace with her, shouting instructions above the noise of the sea. “You’re doing great. Now try turning.”

As Rachel followed his directions, the speed of the board was terrifying and incredible all at the same time. She skimmed the tops of the waves until she finally lost the breeze and fell into the water.

She swam back to the support boat and the film crew, then asked, “How was that?”

The camera operator gave her a thumbs-up. “We’ve got some great shots.”

Nicholas hauled himself into the boat just behind her. “You're amazing, Rachel!” The way he was beaming at her told her that he truly meant it.

After they filmed her a few more times, the production assistant asked Nicholas if he could get back into the water alone so that they could film some solo shots where he showed the viewers just what was possible for an expert.

Thrilled to finally get a chance to see him in action, Rachel watched from the boat as he caught the wind and stepped off the boat, skimming straight over the waves as naturally as if he were simply strolling along the street. Running, actually, because he moved fast enough to use the waves like ramps to send him high into the air. The kite became a parachute for the seconds he hung there, giving him time to execute some very impressive spins and flips. He turned and twisted like an acrobat while he was airborne, until it seemed like he couldn't possibly land on his feet. And yet, he did every single time, never even seeming to lose speed.

A split second later, though, the wind caught him, and she gasped as it snapped Nicholas sideways, ripping the board out from under him. He hit the waves at an awkward angle, the board coming free of its safety straps and bouncing up as he slammed into the sea.

Rachel was in the water before she realized what she was doing, swimming out toward Nicholas. What if that board had broken one of his bones or knocked him out? Would she have the strength to drag him back to the waiting boat if he was unconscious?

She would find the strength.

“Nicholas?” She was panting both from swimming so fast and being so frightened for him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” He was holding on to his board and the lines from his kite now. “Come on, let’s swim for shore. The boat can follow.”

Nicholas swam with the ease and power of someone who had grown up playing in the ocean, and fortunately Rachel had too, so she was able to keep pace. When they finally came up onto the small beach, Rachel could finally see the damage Nicholas’ board had done. There was a gash along his arm that might need stitches, but he didn't seem to have any broken bones and was moving easily enough. Thank God.

“It’s the board,” Nicholas explained. “I designed it with lighter materials and a rounded edge so it's less of a danger when something like this happens.”

“You designed it?”

“With the money I earn from competitions and endorsements, I figure why not invest it in designing safer gear for extreme sports?”

Just when she thought he was done surprising her, he did it again. And every time she tried to deny their connection, she was only drawn to him more.

“Thank you for coming in after me,” Nicholas said in a grateful voice that made her feel warm all over, despite being soaking wet with cold ocean water. “It really meant a lot to me that you jumped in and swam to me to make sure I was all right.”

When she’d thought that Nicholas might be hurt, she had gone to him instinctively. Naturally. And she would do it again in a heartbeat, even though he hadn't needed her to do anything. “You had everything under control.”

Nicholas reached out to put a hand over hers. “But it’s really nice to know that you were there in case I didn’t.”

The boat pulled up onto the beach, and as soon as the crew took one look at Nicholas’ arm, they declared filming was done for the day. “You need to get to the doctor.” Kenny, the camera operator, said. He looked a little green at the sight of blood. “We’ve got all the shots we need, although we might edit out the last one.”

“Actually, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't,” Nicholas said. “People need to see the dangers of what we're doing as well as seeing the fun parts.”

“You both were great today,” Candice, the production assistant, said. “All three days we've filmed, actually. I'm all but certain that we have everything we need to convince the network that they have a hit show on their hands. So you have my permission to head over to the doctor now.”

“You’re all heart,” Nicholas said with a grin.

* * *

A short while later, Rachel was standing beside Nicholas while he checked in with the nurse at the front desk of the medical center. When Nicholas told her that he'd gotten his injury while kiteboarding, the woman remarked, “That sounds like a very dangerous hobby.”

“If you know what you’re doing like Nicholas does,” Rachel told the nurse, “it's not as bad as you think.”

It wasn't long until he was called in to see the doctor, fortunately. Rachel tried to catch up on her work emails on her phone, but she couldn't concentrate. Not when all she could think about was Nicholas.

A short while later, he came back into the waiting room, his arm bandaged and a smile on his face. “Don’t we have to pick up Charlotte soon?”

We
. He’d just accepted that if Rachel needed to pick up her daughter, then of course he would go with her. Rachel never ceased to be amazed by that. “Charlotte has ballet class today, so Emily drops her at the studio after school, and then Paige brings her back to Grams’ house, where she stays and has a girl's night with them all. It's something really special they do together every week.”

“Does this mean you have the rest of the day to yourself?”

She should have told him she had work to catch up on. Or at least made
some
excuse for why she couldn't spend more time with him. But Rachel had already spent too much time trying to fight the obvious attraction she felt for Nicholas, and she didn't want to keep fighting anymore. Especially when she’d heard his crew say that they had all the shots they needed. A day, maybe two more, and Nicholas would be gone.