Falling for a Stranger (2 page)

"No. I'm an only child." It was part of the backstory she'd made up before coming to the island; it was also partly true. "I used to wish I had a big family."

"It's not all it's cracked up to be," he said dryly. "A lot of noise and chaos."

"And love," she suggested, feeling an ache that went deep into her soul.

Her family had always been complicated. Love, betrayal, divorce, death … She supposed that's what made up a life, but it seemed like she'd seen too much of the dark side of love.

"Plenty of love," Drew said. "Sometimes too much. Everyone likes to be in my business."

Despite his complaint, she could see the pride in his eyes when he spoke of his family.

"So, one o'clock, two?" he pressed, raising an eyebrow. "What time are you done here?"

"Two. But I'm not meeting you."

"Why not?"

"I'm not in the mood for a hook-up."

"Aren't you? I've been watching you all night, and I'm good at reading people, too, Ria. You're a bundle of nerves. Every time someone walks through the door, you tense. Why is that? Are you in some kind of trouble?"

His words bothered her on two levels, one that he'd read her so well, and, two, that she'd given so much away.

"And I suppose you think I should release some of my tension with you?" she asked, ignoring his other questions.

"I think…" He paused, lowering his voice. "That you are a beautiful woman who knows what she wants and how to get it."

"Who said I wanted you?" she challenged.

"Your beautiful eyes say it."

"You're seeing what you want to see."

"Am I?" He cocked his head to the right as he regarded her thoughtfully. "What's holding you back, Ria?"

"I don't do random hookups. And I have to get up early in the morning. In the daytime I sail boats for Sea Charters."

"So bartender, sailor—what other talents do you have?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I would like to know," he said with a grin. "Why don't you tell me? Or better yet, show me?"

She shook her head at his charming smile. When she'd first seen him, his expression had been tense, but since they'd started talking, he'd loosened up considerably.

"You're breaking my heart," he said, putting a hand to his chest.

"I doubt that. And there are plenty of women in this bar if you want company."

"I'm only interested in
your
company. You intrigue me."

"I can't imagine why."

"What brought you to this small island in the middle of the sea?"

She thought for a moment, then said the only word that came to mind. "Freedom."

He met her gaze. "Have you found it?"

"I'm close," she said. "When I'm in the middle of the ocean, no land in sight, nothing but blue water and the occasional seagull, I almost feel like I've escaped."

"Escaped what?"

"Nothing I care to share." She drew in a deep breath, trying to calm the tension running through her body, that now had as much to do with her attraction to Drew as with her worries about the next day.

"I understand the desire to escape," he said.

"You do?"

"Yes. I first felt the walls closing in on me when I was a teenager. There were eight kids sharing four bedrooms and two bathrooms. It was always too crowded in my house, kids fighting, crying, yelling, so I'd leave whenever I could. And one day I ended up at the airport. I took a flying lesson, and I was hooked. There is nothing like the land falling away and nothing but blue sky in front of you to make you feel like the world just got bigger." He paused. "We're quite a pair. I need the big blue sky and you need the big blue sea."

She smiled. "Apparently, neither one of us is that good on land."

"Maybe we could be good together," he suggested.

She laughed. "You don't miss an opportunity, do you?"

He finished his drink then got to his feet. "I'm staying in the cottages. Number nine. The door will be open, Ria."

"I'm not coming." She wished her words were a little stronger, a little more forceful.

"Then I'll be disappointed. I turned down the mermaid's kiss, because I want yours."

"Another good line. You're full of them."

"I'm not a player."

"You've given me absolutely no reason to believe that."

"I know," he admitted. "You probably won't believe me, but I haven't done this in a while."

"So, why me?"

"You have a smart mouth, and you're sexy as hell. I'd love to see you with your hair down. I'd love to show you how good we could be together."

His husky tone sent another shiver down her spine. "How do you know we'd be good? You don't know me at all," she said, trying to maintain a strong defense against his charm. "We're strangers."

"For now. But what better way to learn about each other?"

"I'm not looking for trouble."

"There's a light in your eyes that says that's exactly what you're looking for."

She caught her breath, thinking he might actually be right about that.

Drew tipped his head and walked away.

She watched him all the way to the exit. When the door closed behind him, she let out a breath, wondering how she could possibly already miss him.

He was just another guy—only he wasn't, and she couldn't put her finger on why.

Maybe it was the seriousness that lurked just behind his smile. He wasn't like most of the guys who hit on her. Those she could handle. She knew they'd move on to the next woman before she could finish saying
no
. But Drew had left. He'd thrown down his invitation and walked out the door.

He was going to wait for her. He was pretty confident she'd show up, but he was going to be waiting a long time.

She turned her focus back on work. For the next hour, she served drinks, picked up empty glasses, and watched the minutes tick off the clock. Shortly before closing Drew's friend left with two women flanking him on either side. Apparently, he wasn't going to be alone tonight.

At two a.m., she wiped down the bar and closed out the register. She said goodnight to Martin and walked outside, the scent of flowers and sea all around her. She paused for a moment and drew in a deep breath of sweet and salty air. The heat of the night echoed the passionate need burning through her body, a need that had been lit by the sexy smile of a stranger.

She lived in a furnished rental three blocks away from the resort. The cottage where Drew was staying was only a hundred yards away.

Indecision made her hesitate for a long minute. She hadn't been lying when she told Drew she wasn't into hookups, but tonight she was feeling restless and reckless. She wasn't going to sleep anyway. She was too worried about the morning, and the reality of what she was about to do.

In six hours she could be dead.

She wasn't being a pessimist, just a realist.

Maybe she should spend those hours doing something that would make her happy, something that she never ever did. It had been a very long time since she'd thought of anything but the plan, the goal. Nothing else mattered but fulfilling the promise she'd made to her sister. But tonight, Drew had reminded her that she was a woman, and she was lonely and scared, defiant and determined—all at the same time.

It was the worst possible time to get involved with anyone.

On the other hand…

She pulled the band out of her hair and let the long waves flow loosely around her shoulders. Then she walked down the path to the cottages, her nerves tingling and tightening with each step.

She knocked on his door, turned the knob and stepped inside. The cottage was one big room, a small sitting area and a king-sized bed.

Drew sat on the couch. He was reading a book when she walked in. It looked like some sort of mystery novel. It was silly, but the sight of that book pushed her over the edge. She'd always found intelligence to be a turn-on, and this man was smart, maybe too smart. He'd read her pretty accurately so far.

But in a lot of ways, she liked his honesty. He hadn't set the scene with candles. There was no wine or champagne chilling. He wasn't trying to seduce her. He was just waiting…

After a moment he set the book down and stood up, his gaze meeting hers. Then slowly he walked over to her. He made no move to touch her or kiss her. He simply looked at her with his shadowy dark eyes, and she felt an incredible pull. All her nerve endings tingled. There was electricity between them—a dark, dangerous attraction.

"I'm glad you came, Ria. Why did you?"

Such a simple question—such a complicated answer. She settled for the basic truth. "I want you."

The fire in his eyes flared. He put his hands on her waist. "I know the feeling."

"For tonight," she added. "That's all I can give you. I need you to know exactly where I stand."

"All I care about is that you're standing here in front of me. You're beautiful, Ria. And I want you, too."

Her stomach clenched at the desire in his gaze. And then he was done looking. He pulled her in for a kiss.

He tasted as intoxicating as the vodka she'd served him, and he kissed like a man who hadn't had a woman in a long time. She met his demanding mouth with the same sense of urgency and need.

A part of her called for caution, but she couldn't listen to that voice anymore. For a few hours she was going to just be a woman, the woman she used to be, the woman she hoped to be again some day.

They knew nothing about each other, and yet there was a connection between them that went far deeper than the touch of their mouths. Something inside of her recognized something inside of him. What that was, she had no idea.

But she didn’t want to analyze or worry. That's all she'd been doing for months. She just wanted to lose herself in Drew, to be a woman with no past, to reach that elusive moment of complete and utter freedom. Because there was a good chance in a few hours, her future would be over, too.

* * *

Drew woke up just before dawn to the feel of a warm breeze coming through the open window and the sound of the birds singing in the trees outside. For the first time in a long time he'd slept a dreamless sleep. The nightmares from the past eight years had receded in his mind. There were no explosions, bloody scenes, screams of pain and anguish—no more horror or grief.

Instead, he felt a hazy, happy feeling, as if everything was suddenly right with the world. He was completely relaxed with an ease that came after great sex and a hard, deep sleep. He almost didn't want to wake up, to face the day, to have to think about the decisions he'd made regarding his past and his future. He just wanted to stay in this warm, wonderful place, the place Ria had created.

God! What a woman. So beautiful with her shoulder length silky blonde hair, brown eyes, sunburned nose, and a mouth just made for kissing. She'd brought a light into his life, a beauty that he hadn't seen in a while. She'd been passionate, generous and fun. They hadn't just made love; they'd laughed, and they'd talked, and the sound of her voice had warmed him.

He'd come to the island to relax, to recharge, to find his smile again, and he'd found it in her arms. She'd smelled like orange blossoms, like the flowers surrounding his beachside cottage, and he'd felt like he could breathe in her scent forever, and forever wouldn't be long enough.

That thought jolted him awake. He didn't think of women in terms of forever. Having just himself to worry about was a lot easier than having to worry about anyone else. But that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy the time they had together.

He rolled over on to his side, reaching for the soft curves he'd explored for the better part of the night.

Ria wasn't there
.

He sat up abruptly, realizing how quiet the cottage was. The bathroom was empty, and while his clothes were still tossed on the floor, Ria's were gone. There was no sign of her white shorts or pink tank top. No sign of the lacy pink bra and matching thong he'd peeled off her body just a few hours earlier.

He felt a wave of disappointment. He was leaving this afternoon, but he'd thought they'd have a few more hours together. He wanted to know more about her. He wanted to talk to her, at least to say goodbye. What a strange feeling that was. He was used to leaving first, to avoiding morning-after conversations, but this time Ria had beat him to the door, and he didn't like it.

He flopped back against the pillows and stared up at the ceiling. Memories of the night before flashed through his mind. The heat between them had burned all night long. It had been a long time since he'd felt—swept away. He'd always been one to over-think, over-analyze, but last night his body had completely taken over. He hadn't given one thought to what would happen next, until now.

Now
, it was obvious nothing would happen. Ria was gone. He should be happy about that. No goodbyes, no messy emotional scenes, no promises to call or keep in touch. It was in actuality the perfect morning after a one-night stand. The only problem was that he didn't want it to be over yet.

He told himself it was better this way. He was starting his new job on Tuesday, a job thousands of miles away from this island. The next phase of his life was about to begin, and he needed to be looking forward instead of backward.

Getting up, he headed to the bathroom and took a long shower, trying to drive Ria out of his head. But as he soaped up, all he could think about was the way she'd touched him, kissed him, smiled at him, and cried out his name as they'd climaxed together.

Damn! He turned the water temperature to cold and stayed under the spray until he was freezing. Then he stepped out of the shower, dried off and got dressed. He threw the rest of his clothes into the duffel bag and glanced around the cottage to make sure he wasn't leaving anything behind.

He couldn't shake the feeling that what he was leaving behind was the one and only woman who'd touched his soul, and he didn't even know her last name.

Was he just going to walk away?

The question ran around and around in his head.

He finally came up with an answer—
no
.

He had a few hours before his plane left. He would find her, talk to her, maybe get her phone number. Walking outside, he paused, realizing he didn't know where she lived, and the bar/restaurant where she worked didn't open until lunchtime.