“Um, the truck, Adrien,” said Kelly. “We need to make sure it’s full—”
“Seen to. The generators are also fueled and ready. Everything that can be boarded down has been. We have food and drink, enough to feed the island for a few days, if necessary. But all indications are that the storm’s intensity is waning and that it will die out before it hits land.”
Kelly stood with her hands on her hips. “Oh. Thanks. You didn’t have to do all that.”
“I’m a hired hand, that’s what we do.”
A hired hand? He was a world-renowned chef who loved to cook and surf. She noticed that Mimi had crossed her arms and was sitting on the sofa sulking.
“So, there’s nothing left to do?” she asked.
“Your father and I will look after the last of the outdoor furniture and that’s it,” Adrien replied.
Kelly blew out a breath. “I’m feeling somewhat irrelevant.”
“Oh, honey, you were so upset,” her mother said. “We thought it best not to disturb you in your room.”
She had been in there for a few hours. The tears just wouldn’t seem to stop.
Rafe, I wish you could know how sorry I am. I love you so much.
Kelly couldn’t even begin to hope. The look of anger and hurt on his face was something she would never forget. Her family was sweet to try to console her, but they didn’t understand Rafe the way she did. The marine in him saw things in black-and-white, and he lived by a code. One that was about being honest and forthright. Protecting those who needed it. And she’d thrown it all away. “Oh, no, my necklace!”
She took off in search of the silver thread with the tiny surfboard attached. It was the last thing Rafe had given to her, and she’d dropped it on the beach somewhere.
There was no way he’d come back to her. The keepsake was all she’d ever have of him.
Her shattered soul broke into more pieces as her knees hit the sand.
* * *
“SIR, I’M SORRY. There’s nothing we can do. The last flight took off fifteen minutes ago. You should have called before you arrived. The airport is closing. Tomorrow afternoon, if the planes are okay, will be the earliest we can get you over to the main island.” The woman behind the desk at the ticket counter stared at him as if she’d heard it all and then some. He’d been at the end of a very long line of angry customers.
The marine in him forced a smile. “Understood. Can we go ahead and book a flight for tomorrow now?”
The relief on the poor woman’s face was evident. “I can put your name on the list. They aren’t allowing us to book anything for the next twenty-four hours because it depends on how the storm hits, and if the planes are damaged. This happens often this time of year, when the storms happen one after another.”
Rafe took a long, steadying breath. “Okay.”
“We do have rooms available at some of the hotels nearby, though you may need to share with someone.”
This just kept getting better and better. “Thanks, I’ll see what I can find on my own.” He gave her a tight smile and moved out of the way. It was as if the universe had conspired against him. There was no way to get to the mainland, no matter how badly he wanted to leave.
Rafe slung his sack over his shoulder and took a few steps. What was he going to do? He didn’t have anywhere to stay and he sure wasn’t going to share a room with a stranger.
Anger churned in his gut, and he considered putting his fist through a wall. Trigger. Any kind of emotional turmoil set him off—he’d talked about it with his doctors. At first, he’d had a difficult time seeing the signs, but now he was aware of how it happened and why and, more importantly, what to do about it.
A few months ago, the frustration and feelings of betrayal would have sent him off the edge. But he closed his eyes and calmed his mind. Instead of hitting the wall, he went to the men’s room and splashed water on his face. The cool water was welcome in the heat of the muggy airport. The storm coming in had made the humidity practically unbearable.
He considered his options. There weren’t any rules about not staying at the airport, and he’d slept in worse places. He’d find a corner and shut his eyes.
As if that were possible.
Why had Kelly lied to him? None of it made sense. She should have been straight from the beginning.
Thinking about her betrayal wasn’t helping anything. He was disappointed because he thought they might have found something special. He’d never had that kind of connection with a woman. From that first moment on the driveway, she’d stolen his breath—and his heart.
He’d come to Fiji expecting a weeklong fling with Mimi. In her place, he found the woman of his dreams, one who had made him think about his future. His was so uncertain, yet it was probably best that he leave.
She’d hurt him badly, and he’d lashed out. Well, he’d taken off. The same thing her dad did when he couldn’t take what was going on with her mother. What had he said about marines never running away from trouble? They always ran toward it.
Rafe sat down in a quiet spot of the lobby and sagged against the wall.
So why didn’t he stay and fight?
Because you’re a coward. He recalled the night he and Kelly had first made love. She’d been trying to tell him something, but he’d suggested they leave the past behind them. Then she’d tried to talk to him again when they’d been interrupted by Mimi’s arrival.
She’d been trying to tell him the truth.
The idea struck at him like a bomb, shattering his anger. It wasn’t the night in New York that had attracted him to Mimi—it had been her letters.
Kelly’s letters.
He had fallen for the woman who had written him every day, which had encouraged him, pushed him, supported him...the woman who had listened to his every complaint without judgment.
When he’d arrived in Fiji, Kelly had done nothing but help him heal his body and his soul. And she’d asked for nothing in return.
Yeah, she’d pretended to be her sister, but in name only. The words she’d sent, those were her words. The invitation was hers, too.
The wild attraction he felt for her wasn’t some figment of his imagination—it was an extension of the feelings she’d already aroused with her letters. He’d been in love with Kelly before he ever got to the island. And he was fairly certain she felt the same way about him.
“I’m an idiot,” he whispered.
“You’ll get no argument here, son.” Carter Callahan stood above him.
Rafe lifted his head. “Sir.” He couldn’t imagine why the man was there. Probably to give him a beating for hurting his daughter. And damned if Rafe didn’t feel like he deserved it.
Carter held out a hand to help him up, and Rafe took it.
“I need your assistance with something,” Carter said seriously.
Rafe frowned. “I’m not sure what I could do, sir, but I’ll help if I can.”
“Hoped you’d say that, soldier. Get your pack and let’s go.”
Used to taking orders, Rafe did as the man asked and followed him out of the airport.
“Thank God.” Raina was at the wheel of an expensive SUV. “Adrien called—the swells are higher than expected and he still can’t get her to move.”
“What’s going on? Who won’t move?”
“Kelly,” her mother said. “She’s looking for something on the beach and, short of knocking her over the head and dragging her inside, we can’t get her to move. She’s soaking wet and going to catch pneumonia.”
“Never seen her like this,” Carter said.
“Why did you leave her?”
“Adrien and Mimi are trying to help her find whatever it is she lost. But it’s getting dangerous out there.”
Hell. What had he done?
“
Kelly’s a strong girl, but she’s under a lot of stress. You hurt her, Rafe, and she’s not thinking logically. We were hoping maybe you could tell us what she’s looking for on the beach. And we thought, perhaps, if you don’t mind, you could talk some sense into her.”
He couldn’t look at Kelly’s parents. He’d put their daughter’s life in danger because he’d run off like a rat.
He had to make it up to her, do whatever it took. He’d haul her over his shoulder if he had to and apologize until she forgave him.
The torrential rain and wind were so strong that he wasn’t sure how Raina was keeping the car on the slick roads. Suddenly, the wind whipped up around them and he was sure the SUV would tumble onto its side.
“I want to be clear about this. We aren’t asking you to do anything other than to convince her to come inside,” Carter said. “The situation between you two, well, we’re the last two to give advice about communication in a relationship.”
“Besides, it’s none of our business,” Raina added.
He wished Kelly were around to hear that. No one would be more surprised than his surfer girl.
His girl.
Hell. If she was sick, or hurt, because of their fight, he would never forgive himself.
“If she’ll have me back, I’ll make it up to her,” Rafe said, more to himself than to anyone.
“You better,” Raina murmured.
Here he thought he was the brave one, but it was Kelly. She’d helped him move on from one of the worst times of his life with nothing but her generosity and her heart.
He had to get back to her.
He had to fix this.
A branch from a large palm tree flew past as Raina swerved into the resort’s driveway.
“This storm has hit faster than the weatherman said it would,” she said as she shifted into Park.
Rafe left his bag in the car and ran as fast as he could through the blinding rain. He didn’t let himself slow down until he found her.
Adrien and Mimi both wore rain slickers, but Kelly was in shorts and a tank top, digging through the sand.
In spite of his leg aching from the run, he knelt down in front of her and grabbed her hands. She abruptly pulled away from him, never looking up.
“Kelly, whatever it is, we’ll find it tomorrow,” he said.
The wind blew hard and fast around them as thunder clapped and boomed in the distance. He had to get her into the mansion. The storm surge was closing in.
“I have to find it,” she said, her voice low and harsh. “It’s all I have left. The sea will take it, and I’ll never have it again.”
“Kelly! Look at me.” He gently took her by the shoulders and made her face him.
“But you left,” she whispered.
“Yes, I did. And it was one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done. Now come on, the storm is dangerous. You’re going to get hurt out here.”
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
KELLY 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.
* * *
KELLY 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.”
“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.”
Mission: Seduction Page 17
