Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
O nyx was gone.
Xanthe buried her face against Blaine’s wet shirt as his arms came around her, strong and warm. He held her tight against his body, one hand cradling the back of her head.
Her shoulders jerked. She held onto him, struggling not to crumble. To fight the scalding tears back.
This was brutal. One more cruel twist life had delivered, as if the universe was intent on pushing her to her breaking point.
She’d lost the man she’d called Dad. Lost the land her home and place of work stood on—in part because of the man holding her. Lost little Nova, and now Onyx.
She shook her head, unable to bear it. She could feel the stares. All the people around them watching her teeter on the edge of losing it.
“Get me outta here,” she whispered. If she was going to break down, she wanted privacy.
There were too many people down here, all of them with phones they could use to take pictures and video. Media crews would be here somewhere, looking for a juicy story with their powerful cameras.
“Yes. Come on.” Blaine kept her tucked against him as he guided her down the beach.
She avoided looking at anyone. Didn’t dare glance behind them because she couldn’t take the sight of Onyx floating lifelessly in the waves.
People went quiet as they passed by, moving out of the way to clear a path. Blaine steered her toward the narrow trail winding through the large pile of boulders up to the top of the bluff. By the time she made it to the parking area, she felt numb inside and out.
Rafe walked over to them. “Xanthe, I’m so sorry, hon.”
She nodded, managed a weak thanks.
“Can I do anything?”
She shook her head.
“I’m taking her home,” Blaine said, and it was a testament to how shitty she felt that she didn’t even think to argue.
“Maybe it’s for the best. That Onyx is gone,” she murmured a few minutes later as Blaine’s car navigated the curving road with ease, vents blowing heat on them full blast. She knew deep down that Onyx had chosen to give up.
“Her heart was broken, and it killed her spirit. At least she’s not suffering anymore. ”
“Hard thing to see after everything you did to try and help.”
She nodded. Was startled when he reached over to take her hand. He curled his larger one around it, raised it to his mouth to kiss the back of it. Just as quickly he put it back, needing it to shift gears as they went into a tight curve in the road.
Life wasn’t fair. It was messy and painful, and she knew it better than anyone.
She hadn’t told him that she lived by the research center, but he parked close to the top of the wooden staircase. All she wanted was to have a long, hot shower and then sleep.
“Thanks for the ride,” she said as she reached for the door handle.
“Welcome.” He got out with her.
“You don’t need to follow me.”
“I’m not leaving you alone right now. No point in arguing.”
“I’m fine.”
“Great. Let’s get you inside.” He gestured for her to go ahead of him.
She sighed, not having the energy to argue right now, and started down the steps. The sun was down, the last, faint orange rays of sunset filtering through the dense evergreens towering overhead. Her little cabin stood deep in shadow at the bottom of the staircase.
She reached for the doorknob, twisted it. “Okay, you’ve seen me safely to my door?—”
“You leave it un locked ?”
She was beyond the ability to smile, but the sheer horror on his face almost made her. “Yes. Not too many murderers or rapists running around this part of the island. Maybe it’s different in your ritzy neighborhood.”
“Have you got a security system?”
“I’ve got a latch and a chain on the inside of the door—you don’t need to come in.”
He shot her a quelling look as he pushed the door open. “I’m coming in. You go shower, and I’ll see if you’ve got anything I can make us to eat.”
“Good luck. I haven’t gotten around to doing my weekly grocery shop yet.”
“Perfect, I’ll order us something while you clean up. Italian okay?” He pulled out his phone.
It felt bizarre to have her sworn enemy standing in her kitchen and ordering food for them, but he kept giving her new insights into his character that challenged her previous beliefs about him. He’d gone above and beyond today, helping her look after Zephyr for so long and with such dedication.
Given how physically and emotionally exhausted she was at the moment, she could admit that a deeply tucked away part of her loved being taken care of by him.
Not that she would ever admit that aloud, except under torture.
“Pasta would be amazing,” she said, conscious that he was wet to the skin and had to be as cold as she. “I won’t be long, I’ll save plenty of hot water for you. There are clean towels in?—”
“It’s fine. Go warm up.”
She left him in her kitchen and made her way to the bathroom, located just outside her bedroom door. The old clawfoot tub had a shower head and a curtain rod encircling it, but the idea of a good soak beckoned.
While the tub filled with steaming hot water, she stripped off her salt-stained wetsuit and gingerly sank into the tub, wincing at the sting as her chilled, reddened skin adjusted to the drastic change in temperature.
Submerged to her chest, she sighed and ducked under to scrub at her hair, then surfaced with a long exhale. She stretched out as much as she could in the cramped space, the back of her head resting against the rolled rim of the tub, knees bent and legs tucked up sideways to stay submerged.
The hot water soothed her tired muscles. Helped her empty her mind as she closed her eyes and relaxed, trying not to think at all.
Her busy mind kept straying to Blaine, moving around out there in her tiny kitchen. She thought about how hard he’d worked today, without the expectation of anything in return.
What Willow had said about him was true. Underneath that rich, borderline arrogant businessman persona, he was an incredibly decent human. He made her feel safe.
And he stirred things inside her she wasn’t sure how to manage. Things she sensed would come to a head tonight.