by Anne, Melody
“No, I wish it had been that simple. But — no. Some took their own lives after the war because they couldn’t live with what they had done, and people seeking revenge sometimes committed murder. That the South surrendered doesn’t mean all its people did. It would take years before our nation healed. To this day, some people still have hard feelings and are essentially still fighting the Civil War, though it’s been almost a hundred and fifty years since the last battle. Plus, we now had a nation of free men, but a lot of prejudice left against everyone on both sides. Former slaves had trouble getting work, and they no longer had homes; and in the North, the side that had fought for their freedom, many people weren’t happy when they wanted to live there. All of this would take decades to work through. It is still being worked through. These are all good reasons to study this monumental time in our history.”
Ari continued teaching and before she knew it, the class ended, and the students piled from the class. Ari knew Rafe would still be there, but she went about gathering her belongings. She had a long night ahead of her, and she was unsure whether she was more excited or nervous about the upcoming conversation.
“You did a great job today, Ari. I’m impressed.”
When she looked up, she saw Rafe was sitting on the edge of her desk. Why did he have to look so devastatingly handsome in his tight jeans and polo shirt? If she hadn’t been attracted to him, this would have all been so much easier on her.
“Thank you. Considering you have a master’s degree in business, I don’t see why you’re taking a two-hundred-level history course,” she returned.
“Ah, it’s never a bad thing to learn. I love history, especially the Civil War. You know I had some relatives who fought in it.” She wouldn’t know he was actually bored while reading the material. When she spoke, he was mesmerized.
She didn’t want to be interested in what he was saying, but she found herself intrigued. She loved stories from the Civil War, how brothers fought each other, how lines were divided. So many lives had been lost, and so many families had been torn apart.
“I hope they made it through,” she responded softly after a long pause.
“I have one of their old journals, if you’re interested.”
Oooh, the man was good. Really good. She could feel her palms practically itching to get her hands on such a treasure. Not wanting to ask, but knowing she was going to, she stopped fighting herself.
“Is it a journal from when the war was going on?”
“Yep. My great-great-something-grandfather wrote in it. He was fighting for the North and his bride-to-be was in the South. It tells of the pain and heartache that the two of them went through, a night they were together and got caught, how she was captured, and… Oh, I’m sorry, I’m probably boring you.”
Rafe waved his hand in the air as he turned to look at a poster on the wall. She wanted to wring his neck. Bored? Not in this lifetime. Should she let him know how eager she was to read this? What would he expect from her in return?
“Have you read it?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound too eager.
“No, I haven’t, but my grandmother used to tell me the stories in it. She was quite the romantic,” he said with a shrug.
“I wouldn’t mind looking through it,” she said, trying to keep her voice casual, but unable to disguise the excitement she felt at poring over such a find.
“Why don’t I take you to my place and you can see it?” he asked casually.
She knew the invitation was anything but casual.
Ari was torn. She really wanted to see that journal, but she knew it wasn’t a wise idea to go back to his place — the house she’d found the most exquisite pleasure imaginable in — the house she’d had her heart broken in.
“I…um…have a lot of work to do,” she hedged.
“What if I promise not to push you…for now? You can come look at the journal, pore over the pages, take notes, whatever you like, and I’ll give you space…for tonight, at least.”
She didn’t miss the emphasis on tonight.
He was giving her the chance to see a real gold mine, and agreeing to back off, but not agreeing to do it permanently. Even if he did back off, that wouldn’t make her stomach any less nervous. Though he wasn’t attacking her outright, pushing her up against a wall and ravishing her, that didn’t mean she didn’t have the urge to rip his clothes from his body and take him right where he stood.
Ari’s eyes lowered over the contours of his muscled stomach, and she found herself gazing at the bulge in his pants. Even at rest, he was impressive to behold. She desired him as if a single day hadn’t gone by. Why did she have to have such urges? Life in a convent would be so much simpler — OK, OK, simpler, but not nearly as satisfying. Not that she was satisfied at all right now.
“Well…” She knew she shouldn’t cave. If you gave Rafe an inch, he’d take a mile — and a hell of a lot more. If she set foot in his house, she had the feeling that it wouldn’t be long before she was lying beneath him.
“There’s even a part where he was shot, left alone in abandoned slave quarters. He almost didn’t make it through, but by the grace of God, he was saved by a woman on the run. She fell in love with him, and… Oh, sorry, I don’t want to ruin it.”
Ari wasn’t fooled at all! He was making this too enticing for her to resist.
Fine! He’d won this round. She waited a moment before speaking. She couldn’t let him know how eager she was to get her hands on the firsthand account, because he’d be using it for leverage forever.
“I wouldn’t mind taking a look at the journal. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt for me to come over. I won’t be able to stay long, though. I have a lot of preparation for Monday’s class,” she said, hoping her voice showed a relative lack of eagerness.
By the huge grin crossing his features, she didn’t think she was fooling anyone.
“Right this way, Ari,” he said as he placed a hand behind her back.
“Stop right there, Rafe. You said there would be no touching,” she reminded him.
Rafe slowly pulled his hand away before bending very close to her face, taking the breath right from her lungs. “For tonight,” he reminded her, then waited, keeping only a few inches of space between them.
This is a bad idea, a very, very bad idea, she thought as she followed him from the classroom.
Chapter Six
Lia
Shane’s mouth took Lia’s in a kiss fraught with hunger; his hands ran up her quivering stomach, skimmed over her swollen breasts and caressed her hungry body. Why fight it anymore? She wanted him — had always wanted him. It was time to give into her desires.
There was no other man for her except for Shane. What was the use in pretending otherwise? The feel of his mouth on hers, his hands sweeping over her neglected body…
She needed him like a fish needed water. She tried to open her eyes, but they were weighted down. As he pressed hard against her chest, she fought him. No. This wasn’t right. Why was he trying to hurt her? Shane would never hurt her.
“Lia!”
That wasn’t a cry of passion, but of panic. “Dammit, Lia. Don’t do this!”
Suddenly, she was coughing as water spewed from her mouth. What the heck? Her throat was on fire from the salt water; her chest felt bruised. Finally the weights lifted from her eyes, and she cracked them open, looking into the face of a very ashen Shane.
“Thank you, Lia,” Shane gasped as his arms went beneath her and he pulled her against his solid chest. She finally realized where she was, what had happened.
Falling. She’d been falling, then everything went black.
“I’ve never been as panicked as I was when I watched your body get sucked beneath the waves. You’re OK. We’re both OK.”
Lia wasn’t sure whether he was trying to reassure her or himself. As he loosened his grasp, she looked around her in horror. They were on the sandy beach about ten yards from the angrily pounding waves of the ocean, both of them drenched in salt water, bot
h of them apparently trapped in the middle of nowhere.
“Shane?”
She didn’t know what she was asking, but he had to have the answers. This was Shane — he’d always had the answers to everything, ever since she was a teenager and he stepped through the doors of her parents’ house, his dark hair just a bit too long, his roguish smile confident and self-assured.
“I’m not exactly sure where we are, Lia, but let’s hope this is one of the inhabited islands,” he admitted.
“We’re lost? Please tell me you have the beacon so they can find us. There are hundreds of islands out here! It could take weeks for them to locate us.”
“I haven’t checked the equipment yet. I’m sure it’s fine,” he answered, but his voice wasn’t full of confidence.
Lia pulled away as she looked around the lonely beach. With the sun shining, it would be a true sight to behold with chalky sand, fan palms, and exotic plant life. With the storm angrily brewing around them, it was sinister and frightening.
“We need to take cover, Lia. We can fight later,” Shane promised as he helped her to her feet, then rushed over to their boat.
As she gazed at the broken craft, she had to fight the fear gnawing away at her stomach.
They would be all right. Rafe wouldn’t rest until she was found. She knew her brother well. On a good day he was overprotective. On a bad one, he’d move heaven and hell to track down his sisters, for whom he felt responsible, even though they had incredible parents who were more than capable of taking care of them.
Just as Shane returned, carrying a large backpack, Lia felt the first drops of rain splatter down.
“Let’s go,” he said, holding his hand out to grip hers.
As Lia looked into his strained face, she decided she’d fought him enough for the day. They were stuck, and there was nothing they could do about it, so now it was time to give him a hand. She accepted his help up, then fought the wind instead as she followed him into the protection of the trees.
Her throat felt as if she’d swallowed sandpaper, and it hurt to breathe, but she didn’t complain as she moved by Shane’s side. She ignored the pain, and moved quickly, knowing they had to get under cover. It was a tropical storm, but though she wasn’t freezing, the elements could still cause major damage — even death.
“It’s really blowing, Shane.” Pretty stupid statement, considering he could feel it too, but she needed to hear her own voice. Admitting how frightened she was wasn’t acceptable, so she was stuck with stating the obvious.
“We’ll be fine, Lia,” he assured her again as they broke through the tree line and the wind instantly lost some of its fury. Shane threw down the large pack, which had to weigh at least a hundred pounds, and then he began pulling out a small piece of black canvas.
Soon, he had a tent going up — a tiny tent — and was tossing the pack inside. She wasn’t a lot of help, because he was moving so swiftly, but she managed to pound a couple of the stakes into the ground, securing their makeshift shelter.
Lia began trembling as everything caught up to her. The air was ridiculously warm and humid; being soaked through wasn’t helping, and her nerves were shot. One glance at Shane told her that he wasn’t holding up much better than she was; he was just working through the pain a lot faster.
“Come on, Lia. We need to get inside so we can dry off.” Shane gripped her hand and sent her into the tent ahead of him, ducking behind as he joined her.
As she sank to her knees, then fell on her butt, her body was overcome with the shakes. She couldn’t even speak, her teeth were chattering so loudly. She knew it was just the situation, but she couldn’t manage to stop.
“I only have two blankets and one change of clothes in the bag. The pack is mainly filled with food and fuel,” he told her as he pulled out a tiny contraption and within moments was lighting a candle beneath it. A small flame cast a bit of heat and light in a tent barely big enough for the bag and them.
“We need to get out of our wet clothes. Here’s a shirt. I’ll take the pants,” he said while tossing a long-sleeve dark T-shirt her way. Lia wasn’t sure she’d be able to command her seized-up muscles to strip her clothing away. She was far past embarrassment at this point — she just wasn’t sure she’d be able to get a decent grip on her saturated clothes.
Shane quickly shed the clothing he hadn’t lost to the ocean, turning as he used a small towel to dry his body, then covering his firm behind with the thin sweats and turning her way.
“Lia, I’ve seen you naked. Get out of those wet things,” he said in exasperation, and he turned around to give her a modicum of privacy. “I’m not going to jump you right now.”
“I…I…my fingers aren’t…working,” she stuttered as her eyes filled up with frustrated tears.
He turned back around with instant regret on his face at her rare moment of vulnerability.
“Oh, baby, I’m sorry,” he said as he kneeled down and placed his hands beneath the hem of her shirt and began pulling it over her head. “We need to get you out of these saturated clothes. I promise that I just want to get you dry,” he said gently as her shirt was tossed in the corner and he reached around to unclasp her bra.
He rubbed her upper body with the towel and gently pushed her backward while he undid her slacks, then pulled them and her panties swiftly from her body, leaving her lying naked before him. She watched the flare of heat light his eyes, but true to his word, he just dried her off, then pulled the warm shirt over her head and covered her nakedness from his view.
“Even near death you are a stunning woman,” he whispered as his arms wrapped around her and he pulled her into his tight embrace.
Exhaustion was overpowering Lia as she leaned into the security of his body. She couldn’t think of anything past her near drowning.
“Come on, baby. We need to hold each other beneath the blanket, keep our bodies warm since you are still in shock. Then we’ll go through the supplies and figure out what comes next.”
“OK.” Lia felt only relief as he laid one of the blankets on the tent floor, then stretched the other one over the two of them as he held her in his arms.
Lia had shivered for what seemed like hours. But as his arms comforted her and the shock began to wear off, she started feeling a bit of warmth. She would be angry with herself for falling apart, but for now, she was just relieved to be safe. She drifted off to sleep knowing Shane would watch over her.
Chapter Seven
Rafe
Rafe didn’t even attempt to hide the smile as he walked by Ari’s side. He was finally getting her to come to his house. So what if he’d agreed there would be no touching? He could seduce a woman with just his words.
Confidence.
Rafe had it in spades. He wanted Ari back in his life, and he would get her. Being away from her for two years, only catching brief glimpses here and there, had changed him in ways he couldn’t even explain to himself.
The word docile wasn’t in his vocabulary — for himself, that was — but he had learned a thing or two about give and take. He would win her this time rather than force her. The prospect was oddly enjoyable.
“My driver is parked over here,” he told her. He lifted his hand to place it on her back, but he caught himself in the nick of time and instead pointed. This no-touching business was going to be a real pain in the ass.
“I can follow you in my car,” she insisted.
“It’s late, and I would feel much better if you just came with me,” he replied. He was trying to be more patient, ask instead of tell, but he was still a man, and he’d never gone out with a woman without getting her to the destination in safety.
“Well, that’s just ridiculous. Then your driver will have to go back out to bring me to my car. That’s unnecessary. Besides, the campus gets a bit spooky late at night and I’m not comfortable with coming here then.”
Rafe thought for a minute before picking up his phone and speaking. Then he turned toward her. “Give me your key
s. I will have your car delivered home for you.”
The way he spoke was just like the man she’d met in the beginning of their relationship three years earlier. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on him, ready to unleash her wrath.
“First off, Rafe. This isn’t a date. Secondly, I’m not the same scared little girl who was shaking in your office three years earlier. No. I will not give you my keys. I will admit that I want to look at the journal, but if you are going to be a high-handed ass, then I will just go home and keep searching the Web for old journals.”
As she stared him down with her hands on her hips, Rafe felt his adrenaline spike. Damn, she was incredible when her temper caught fire. He wanted to take her right there in the parking lot on the hood of the nearest vehicle.
Patience, he reminded himself. He wanted to win her, not break her. He wasn’t lying to her when he said he would do things differently.
“Fine.”
Ari looked at him with suspicion, not understanding his easy acceptance. He could see why she was so confused. She’d never won a battle with him — at least not one that he could easily recall. OK, maybe she’d won a few skirmishes, such as when she’d made him compromise in the jet so long ago. But that was still rare enough that he was throwing her off-kilter with his new ability to compromise.
“Good. Then I’ll see you at your house.” She moved forward, walking through the dark parking lot, several of the campus streetlights flickering. The college really needed to do something about that.
When the two of them arrived at her car and he walked to the passenger side, she looked at him with her eyebrows raised. She paused before unlocking her doors.
“I will just ride with you,” he said in explanation. He could see that she was trying to decide whether this was an acceptable compromise or not. When he just stood there, she sighed and clicked the button on her keychain twice, unlocking the doors.
Rafe slid into the small passenger seat with a great deal of satisfaction. He hadn’t been able to get her to ride with him, but at least they were still traveling together. They’d both won a bit of that battle. Now, they just had about a million small skirmishes to go — perhaps he should change the word to squirmishes because of what they’d both likely be feeling before it was all over — and then he could have her lying beneath him once more. He took a minute to inform his driver that he was with Ari and to meet him at home.
