“It’s nice to see you smiling, Nicolina.”
“My photographs came out great. Wait until you see them.”
“Did you happen to take a picture of the man you spoke of last time you were here? Maybe I can tell you once and for all if he’s the man who came with the sketches.”
She rolled her eyes. “No, I didn’t take a picture of him. He’s not…homeless enough.”
Ulyssis looked skeptical. “So, you’re still seeing him?”
She laughed at his term. “I’m not ‘seeing him’. We’re not dating or anything.” Just using the word ‘dating’ seemed strange after all this time. “But he’s around, yes.”
“Is he the reason you’re smiling?”
“He told me I was beautiful,” she blurted out, realizing how silly it sounded.
“Nicolina, don’t buy into this guy. He might be a pimp for all you know.”
“He’s not a pimp. You should see how tender he is with Crackers. And he’s not the man who came in here either. I followed him last night to see where he went. He spent the night at the shelter. I believe he’s just down on his luck.”
Ulyssis smiled. “You are beautiful, Nicolina. Even like this.” He gestured at her general appearance. “Be careful.”
“I appreciate your concern. I’ll be okay.” Her voice softened. “He’ll go on his way soon, I’m sure. He’s looking for a job.”
“Don’t trust your judgment when your heart is involved.”
She tweaked his cheek, and they both looked surprised. She hadn’t done that since before the explosion.
“Nicolina, it is good to see you like this, but there is something else I should tell you that might change your mood. Jack came in the other day.”
Nikki felt a yank on her heart. “My Jack?”
“Yes, if you wish to call him that.” Ulyssis had never thought much of Jack, though he could never give her a solid reason. “It’s the first time since the trial that I’ve seen him.”
“What did he want?”
Ulyssis started cleaning the glass on the display case in nervous round motions. “He wandered around, asked if I seen or heard from you.”
She hoped Jack had obeyed his promise and never mentioned her dealings with Ulyssis to Devlin.
“Did he look at my pictures?”
“Only with a passing interest. Not like the first man.”
She didn’t have to ask Ulyssis what he told Jack. She trusted that he’d said nothing. “How did he look?”
Ulyssis shrugged. “The way he always looked. Intense, dressed nice.”
She leaned against the wall. “I almost married that man. Life would have been so different if…” Her voice trailed off, not wanting to say the words.
“Don’t forget that you had second thoughts, even before…”
Even Ulyssis couldn’t say explosion. She headed to the door. “I know. He was hurt when I wouldn’t let him take care of me after the trial. Hurt that I wouldn’t trust him with my life.”
“You can only trust yourself, Nicolina.”
She winked. “And you.” Then she walked out the door.
As she drove through town to one of the places she hid her van, she saw Adrian walking down the sidewalk. Shrinking down in her seat, even behind the tinted glass, she drove quickly past him. Crackers sat in the passenger seat, and she called to get his attention. Too late. He saw Adrian and, tail whipping through the air, barked happily. Adrian watched her turn the corner. Inside, her heart was beating the same rhythm Crackers’s tail was swinging.
She parked several blocks away and walked back toward the road where she’d passed Adrian. When she emerged on the sidewalk with Crackers, Adrian was heading towards the Laundromat where he’d helped her the second time they met. He had a duffel bag in his hand, probably his laundry. He moved with such grace and pride, despite where he headed.
The day was warm and sunny, a welcome break to those who lived on the streets. The radio newscaster said it might reach eighty. She felt the tug of the beach calling her. Even though it was close to her old home, she felt the most freed when she walked on the beach.
Adrian was in the middle of the vacant lot now. The dog saw him and started to run, forgetting the leash his idol had bought for him.
“Crackers, that’s what got you into this mess in the first place!”
Still, the pup pulled against the leash, hobbling along on his three good legs. When the tugging didn’t work, he started barking. Adrian turned around. Even from a distance, that smile did strange things to her heart. Different things than Jack had ever done.
When Nikki reached the border of the lot, safely across the street, she let Crackers go. He bounded awkwardly to Adrian, who knelt to pet him, but his gaze remained on her approach. When she got near, he stood. He always took her by surprise when she stood close to him. He was so tall and built, and just being next to him made her feel somehow safe.
“Good morning,” she said, her voice going soft on her.
She could tell that he hadn’t seen her following him last night. His smile was free from any suspicion.
“You know, I thought I heard this guy barking as a van went by. From inside the van.”
“Was it a brown van?”
“Yeah.”
She hoped her expression wouldn’t give her away. “We heard it, too. Crackers went nuts.”
Adrian seemed to buy her story. “I was going to get some clothes done.” He nodded toward his small bag. “What little I have.” Then he looked up at the cloudless sky. “But it’s so nice out. Since there’s nothing in the paper today job-wise, I have a better idea. Want to go down to the beach?”
She could hardly hide her reaction to what he said. “How would we get there?”
He shrugged. “I still got some of that money left from my bartending job. I talked to the guy yesterday, and he might need me again. We could take a cab.”
Nikki felt giddy, something she hadn’t felt for a long time. Of all the places to suggest, he’d chosen the place she most wanted to go. She would be safe with him. It felt silly, taking a cab when her van was right around the corner. Still, she couldn’t take the chance.
“Okay.” Was it a date? No, not here. People on the streets didn’t have dates. Nor did they fall in love.
“We can bring Crackers. I doubt there’ll be anyone down there, or at least not anyone who’ll have the authority to kick us off.”
“I know a place we can go where hardly anyone goes.” It was the only place on the beach where she felt isolated, and none of her family’s friends lived near it.
“Sounds like a plan.”
They hailed a cab, and Adrian paid with a handful of faded ones. The brisk wind slapped at her, but sunshine poured down like liquid warmth. They walked for several minutes, way past the few people who were watching the waves crash in. Probably tourists. Crackers strained on his leash toward the people, but Nikki pulled him close to her. The group of people ooh’d and ahh’d at the pup’s bandaged leg, but when they looked up to see who the dog was with, they turned away. Adrian didn’t seem to care. He planted the two bottles of water he bought in a shady spot, then pulled off his jacket and set it on the light brown sand, gesturing for her to sit on it.
She almost laughed at the gesture but managed to curb it into a smile. God, but it had been so long since she’d seen that kind of chivalry. Even Jack had been too selfish to do such a thing. She sat down, pulling off her own coat and hugging her knees to her chest. Adrian took off his shoes and socks and leaned back, letting the sun caress his face. His dark curls danced in the breeze, and she fought an irresistible urge to reach out and touch them. They looked soft and silky.
Sunlight glistened off the cerulean blue water, a thousand diamonds scattered for the taking. Waves lapped up the sand, washing up with a swoosh, then retreating silently.
She let her head roll back and closed her eyes, smiling up at the sun. Oh, but it was strange and wonderful to feel as young as her twenty-
six years instead of the old lady she looked and felt like in her daily existence. When she opened her eyes again, Adrian was leaning on his side watching her. In those brown eyes lingered a smile, the same one that was on his sensual lips.
“You’re enjoying yourself,” he said.
She nodded. “I love coming down here.”
“I know. I mean, I could tell. I’ll bet you were a real beach bunny once.”
She looked at him, wondering how he could ever guess that. “I was down here all the time, if that’s what you mean.” Almost every day when she was young, building sandcastles or playing out Barbie adventures.
“That’s what I mean.”
He rubbed a hand across his forehand, then pulled off his sweater. Beneath he wore a T-shirt that stretched tight across his chest. His arms were tan and muscular. She caught herself staring and looked at Crackers sniffing around some piles of seaweed.
“You said you were in construction. What kind?”
He took a stick and made lines in the sand. “Mostly houses. Some remodeling.” He looked at her, his gaze holding hers. “What about you? What did you do before…” He gestured vaguely, but she knew what he was talking about.
“I wanted to be a professional photographer.” She looked out at the ocean, narrowing her eyes. “Then I went through some tough times and had to stop.”
Tough times. How could she call what she’d been through ‘tough times’? When your mother is blown to bits in front of you, and you think you are going to die, too. She shook her head, disgusted.
The touch of his hand on hers jerked her back to the present. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, not wanting those memories to spoil her day. She had plenty of time to think about that. His finger caressed the mottled skin on the back of her hand. She pulled it back, not wanting him to see the ugly scar tissue.
“Does that scar have anything to do with your tough times?”
“No,” she answered too quickly. “Yes. But I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Fair enough.”
She saw understanding in his eyes, but also a flash of something fierce and determined. Then he took her hand, that scarred hand, and pressed it to his mouth. His kiss sent shockwaves through her body, but she didn’t pull it back. Three years ago flames had licked at her hand, and now they were again. This time they were blissful, but just as searing. He kept his gaze on hers and she wondered what he saw.
Still holding her hand, he grazed her cheek with the back of his other hand. Her chin trembled. Her heartbeat pounded through her as he moved closer. He pulled the ponytail holder from the bottom of her braid and loosened her braid. The wind pulled it gently over her shoulders.
He drew his fingers up the length of her neck until they reached her chin. His mouth looked soft. His hand felt soft. He could see right into her soul, she was sure of it. She swallowed hard. He leaned forward, very slowly, and captured her mouth with his. They lingered for two seconds, then he kissed her again. His mouth caught her lower lip in a tender grasp, and he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips. She opened her mouth, and he took her invitation without hesitating. His breath hitched, and his hand slipped up to caress her jaw as they kissed. She was lost as their tongues danced together.
At last he ended the kiss and framed her face with his hands. “You are beautiful.” Then he kissed her again. There were places in her body tingling with heat, places she’d forgotten about. She felt dizzy, and this time it was she who moved away.
“Let’s go for a walk,” she said, hearing her breathlessness and hoping he did not.
She expected him to coax her to stay, but he stood and offered her his hand. She took it, reaching up with her scarred hand and for the first time, didn’t worry about it.
He held onto her hand even when she gained her balance, and they strode toward the mist beyond. She found herself smiling at the normality of walking with a man on the beach. For a while, she could pretend her life wasn’t in danger, that she didn’t fully trust the man beside her, and that she lived in a van.
Adrian seemed deep in thought, looking out over the waves while the wind whipped at his hair. Her own thoughts were a jumble of doubts, hopes, passion. Her lips still tingled, and she caught her fingers grazing them, remembering their kiss.
“How long have you lived on the streets?”
His voice, soft and low, rocked her out of her thoughts.
She wrapped her arms around herself. “Two years.” After the trial, which was a year after the explosion.
“Have you ever thought of going back? To society, I mean.”
She shook her head vehemently. “Not now. Maybe later.”
“How much later?”
“You can’t save me, Adrian. I mean, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
He smiled, though there wasn’t denial on his face or in his voice. “Why not?”
“You just can’t.” It surprised her that she wanted to tell him why he couldn’t help her. Would it scare him away? Or did he already know? “What about you?”
“I plan to spend as little time here as possible. Sharing a room with forty other men isn’t my idea of the good life. I’ve had roommates before, but they smelled a lot better.”
“Women?” she asked, wishing instantly to take the word back.
He shook his head. “No, I’ve never lived with a woman.”
Despite her agitation at her forwardness, she found herself smiling. It was foolish, really. Soon he would be gone, and she’d be long out of his mind. She thought of the last time she’d looked in a mirror. Her eyes seemed dull, no makeup on her skin, ragged nails. She couldn’t imagine anyone even thinking about kissing her. But he had…
“What about you?”
She jerked out of her thoughts, finding her fingers combing through her windblown hair. “Me?”
“Ever lived with a guy? Or been married?”
“Engaged. A couple of years ago.”
“And what happened? Cold feet?”
It was an innocent question, but she shivered anyway. “No. Well, yes, in a way. He wanted to get married, and I wasn’t ready. We—you don’t want to hear all this.”
“Sure, I do.”
“Well, we argued a lot about it, because we’d only known each other for a few months. I didn’t want to be pressured, so I gave him his ring back.” Then her life exploded.
“He’s not the reason you live on the streets, is he?”
“No.”
Adrian had started walking again, and she matched his pace.
“Are you hiding from someone?” he asked.
She blinked, trying not to give away her reaction. “Why do you ask that?”
He shrugged. “I’m guessing. I think something terrible and frightening happened to you, and you’re hiding on the streets. Am I close?”
She didn’t want to meet his eyes, but they drew her gaze and held it. “Too close.”
“You’ve lived here for two years, and you’re afraid to go back to where you came from.”
“Can’t we talk about you?” She tried to keep her tone light and change the subject.
Adrian laughed. “Oh, no, you’re much more interesting.” He stopped again, holding her forearms. His laughter left his features. “Will you tell me what you’re afraid of? Maybe I can help.”
“No one can help me,” she said, her voice in a whisper.
“Talk to me, Nikki. Try me.”
Parts of her soul cried out to tell him everything and unload her burden. Despite his touch and the earnestness on his handsome face, the sensible part dominated.
“There’s nothing you can do. Please, don’t ask.”
He nodded, letting her arms go.
Looking out to the ocean, he jammed his fingers through his hair. She could see the frustration in his eyes, and it baffled her that he wanted to help her. Why? She linked her hands together, twisting them. In the last three years, she had worked hard to shut everyone out of her life. During t
he trial she had been a protected witness. Most of that time, she’d been in the hospital getting the many surgeries needed to restore her skin. After that, when Devlin had been acquitted, she’d gone into hiding.
“Why do you want to help me?”
Adrian turned around, and there was a strange light in his eyes. “I can’t explain it. I just do.”
She nodded, understanding not being able to explain things. What she did not understand was the feelings this man invoked in her. It was hopeless to feel giddy, flushed…hopeful. What could she possibly hope for? He couldn’t save her. He wouldn’t stay around. Yet, she found herself hoping that he’d kiss her again. Ah, it had felt so wonderful to be kissed, to be touched.
He dropped down to the beach and started scooping moist sand into a pile. A slice of skin showed beneath his T-shirt and jeans as he worked.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“What does it look like? I’m building a sandcastle.”
CHAPTER 7
Adrian loved the sound of her laughter as she watched him shape the large mound that would be the main part of the castle. One of the images in the tunnel showed Nikki doing this very thing. Who was that boy kicking in her sandcastle? He wanted to know but couldn’t ask.
She knelt across from him and started pushing sand toward the mound. Sure, it was silly. He wasn’t even sure what had possessed him to do it. In fact, he was still stunned at his last impulsive move—kissing her. He didn’t want to get involved with Nikki, beyond trying to help her. Celine had said their destinies were entwined, not that they would be lovers. Besides, Nikki had squelched his attempt to help her. So why was he building a sandcastle with her? He should be going back to the house and packing, arranging for an earlier flight back to New York. He should certainly not be kissing her or thinking of doing it again.
She looked up at him, her green eyes sparkling. Realizing he’d been staring at her, he dove back into the work at hand, shaping the first turret. She watched him, then started building one on the other side. Her teeth were white as she smiled at him. She took good care of them, and she always smelled clean, though he didn’t detect the musky perfume she’d had on before. Her blond hair hung over her shoulders in soft waves, dragging in the sand when she leaned forward. A faint smile tinged her features as she worked at their creation. Crackers wandered over to investigate, but Adrian threw a stick to distract him, not wanting this sandcastle destroyed.
Touched by Lightning [Dreams of You] (Romantic Suspense) Page 8
