Chapter 10
Marti woke, jerking upright in bed when she felt movement beside her, and screamed.
“It’s me, Marti,” a deep, masculine voice said soothingly.
She stopped screaming when Dante’s voice broke into her panic-stricken mind. She threw herself into his arms. As he gently stroked her back, the details of last night came tumbling back to her. This was not her bed but his. More importantly, she wasn’t in any danger. She was safe.
“Marti?”
“Yes?” she asked, fighting back tears after he turned on the lamp and his face came into view.
“Are you okay?”
She saw the concerned look in his features and inhaled deeply. “Yes, I’m fine now. Sorry, I screamed like that. You scared me.”
“Obviously. But why?”
She rubbed her hand down her face, needing the extra time to think of a response. There was no way she could divulge the real reason. The one she decided to give him was partly true. “I forgot where I was. Forgot that you’d brought me here last night.”
He chuckled easily before easing back into bed and pulling her into his arms. “I recall the story differently. I didn’t bring you here. I asked which house you wanted us to sleep in, and you took off and raced to mine.”
She remembered doing that. “Are you complaining?” she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek.
“After a night like last night? Are you kidding? I have no complaints. I’ll be smiling for weeks.”
She liked the sound of that. “Will you?”
“Absolutely! In fact, I’ve decided I’m not going to think about what I’ll do when you leave Wild Rose Point. I don’t want to ruin any of the time we have together.”
Marti didn’t want to think about what she’d do, either.
She would definitely miss him. She felt alive for the first time in years.
But still, not knowing what she would have to face when she returned to Billings was eating at her.
But she resolved to push it aside and make the most of her time with Dante while she could.
“It’s an hour before dawn, and I was getting up to prepare for my swim. Do you want to join me?” he asked.
“Are you kidding? The ocean is probably icy cold this early. I’d rather wait for the sun to warm up the water,” she said.
“I guess that’s a no,” he said, chuckling before leaning down and giving her a kiss that had her head spinning. Releasing her mouth, he got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.
When she heard the door close behind him, she pulled herself up in bed and released a deep sigh.
She was glad Dante hadn’t questioned her further about the reason she’d woken up screaming.
She had slept so well after they had made love numerous times last night that she had honestly forgotten where she was.
She had felt safe in his arms and had slept better than she had in years.
Marti glanced around, delighted with the spacious bedroom.
Dante had told her that, originally, the upstairs had four bedrooms; however, the previous owner had knocked out a wall connecting two bedrooms to create a larger one—one large enough for this huge bed.
She was sure that she and Dante had made love over every inch of it during the night.
She laid on her back and stared up at the ceiling, reliving the moments of their beach date night.
It had been wonderful. After making love a couple of times, they had redressed and eaten the last of the pizza.
Then they had danced some more. She figured it was way past midnight when she had assisted him in putting out the firepits and torches.
And now that she was coherent, she remembered choosing his house over hers.
For some reason, she had wanted to make love in his bed and had taken off and raced toward his place.
When he had joined her, they had undressed each other, made love in the shower, and several more times in his bed before she had fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion.
“Here, just in case you need something to put on,” Dante said, coming back into the room and handing her one of his t-shirts.
“Thanks. By the time you return, I’ll have your coffee ready.” That day on Cannon Beach, he’d told her of his morning ritual--coffee after his swim and shower.
She tried not to stare at him, but he looked so hot in a pair of swimming trunks, and a towel around his neck. She had told him last night that she liked seeing him shirtless, and she had meant it.
“If you change your mind about joining me, you know where I’ll be,” he said.
She knew and intended to watch him. Different window, but it would be the same awesome view. “Oh, I know.”
After he left, she got out of bed and slid the t-shirt over her naked body. Then she hurried to the window. She would start her day in the same way she’d been doing since arriving in Wild Rose Point. Getting a scrumptious view of Dante Avera before sunrise every morning.
***
Dante sliced through the water, ignoring the temperature, which was colder than usual.
But he wasn’t thinking about the water, but the woman he’d left in his bed.
He just couldn’t get Marti’s scream out of his mind.
This was the third time she’d done something to make him think something wasn’t right.
Her scream had sealed the deal. He could tell she had actually been terrified. But of what?
In truth, it really wasn’t his business, but for a reason he would dissect later, he was making it his. If Marti was in danger, he wanted to know about it. His father had always claimed he had a sixth sense for detecting trouble, and he didn’t like how that sense was working overtime now.
He could call Kendall Stanfield, his company’s top investigator, to open an investigation. In less than forty-eight hours, he could have a detailed report available for him. However, doing that would violate Marti’s privacy. And that was the last thing he wanted.
It might even be that she wasn’t reacting to a present situation but something from her past. Something she hadn’t gotten over.
That was a possibility. After all, she had gone to Portland by herself a couple of days ago and had been rather happy to go.
So maybe she was just dealing with ‘always fearful’ syndrome, a response to a past incident that left a person feeling unsafe or threatened.
If that were the case, he would do whatever he could to make her feel safe and comfortable with him.
After last night, he wanted to believe he had already done so.
There were a lot of unknowns, and unless he outright questioned her about it, he would just have to wait and hope she would confide in him.
They had only a month to spend together. And while she was here, he would not let anyone harm a single hair on her head.
***
“Can you ride, Marti?”
Marti glanced at Dante over the rim of her coffee cup.
They were sitting on his screened patio, enjoying a cup of coffee and the beautiful view of the ocean.
When he had returned from his morning swim, he had enticed her to take a shower with him.
Of course, the shower had taken longer because they had ended up doing a lot of naughty things—things that required another shower.
She smiled seductively. “I think I proved just how well I can ride last night, Dante. However, if you want me to refresh your memory, let me know.”
Marti liked the way his lips curved into a smile, and that dimple appeared in his cheek. “No refresher needed. You did an awesome job. Unforgettable, in fact. However, I was referring to riding a horse.”
She took another sip of her coffee, then responded. “Sure, I can ride a horse. Why?”
“I thought maybe we could go horseback riding on the beach.”
The thought of doing that excited her. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”
“Great! I understand one of the ranches in town rents out several of its horses. I’ll make the arrangements. Do you have something to wear? Oh, and I forgot to ask, how did your shopping go in Portland?”
“Yes, I have something to wear, but I can always go riding naked.”
He chuckled. “I think not since we’ll be riding beyond the shores of Lasco Cove.”
“Good point. And as far as my shopping day in Portland, it was wonderful. I found a lot of nice things. That sundress from yesterday was one of them.”
“You looked good in it,” he said.
“Thank you.” There was no need to tell him that all her outfits had been purchased with him in mind.”
“Did you run into anyone you know?”
She lifted a brow. “In Portland? Why would I run into anyone?”
He chuckled. “You’d be surprised. When I spent the day in Portland last month, I happened to run into a college friend I hadn’t seen since graduation. I couldn’t believe she remembered me.”
Was he kidding? Marti couldn’t see any woman not remembering him.
“Well, I wasn’t so lucky, I guess. I do know someone who lives two hours away in Sublimity, in the Cascade foothills.
We worked for the same CPA firm when I lived in Charlotte.
She met and married a guy from Oregon. I haven’t seen Holly since her wedding, but we do exchange Christmas cards. ”
“You could have called to let her know you were in the area. A two-hour drive from Sublimity to Portland isn’t so bad. Besides, I’m sure it would have been worth it for her to see you again.”
She reached out and patted his hand. “That’s sweet of you to think so. But there’s no way I was letting Holly know I was in the area.”
“Why not?”
“She has a lot of family still in Charlotte. And one of her cousins happens to know my sister.”
He lifted a confused brow. “What does that have to do with anything?”
She shook her head slowly, smiling. “The last thing I want is for Holly to mention to her cousin that I’m in Oregon.”
“Why?”
She smiled and leaned closer. “Because her cousin might run into Kara and mention it to her. My family doesn’t know I’m in Oregon. They think I’m in London.”
“London?”
“Yes.”