God damn it, thought Morgan. Incredible.
"You know," Ari began, gently pulling away fine strands of hair from her mouth as the wind continued to play with her. "I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be right now."
"That's a relief," said Morgan, shaking himself back from the distraction of her. He moved closer. "I thought you might have been ready to trade me in."
"Don't worry, you poor thing," she smiled up at him and placed a hand on his. 'I'm not doing that just yet. Anyway, I'm serious. After all that's happened, I can't believe we made it through."
"I know what you mean. It makes me appreciate the simple pleasures in life," Morgan added pensively.
Both fell into a comfortable silence.
Morgan took her by the hands and drew her closer to him. Ari responded, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her face against his chest. They stood quietly, enjoying the serenity and intimacy that had so naturally developed between them.
Then Morgan lifted Ari's face to his and looking into her eyes, knew that she was a rare find. He kissed her and she kissed him back, slowly, both in the moment. For almost an hour, they laughed and held each other. An electrical energy connected them, shielding them in the tranquility of their immediate surrounds and distancing them from the trauma of past days and weeks. Morgan felt the pain in his body subsiding.
He went and poured a champagne, another glass of red for himself, and joined her on a large sofa at the far end of the balcony. As he sat, she leaned into him, melting her body comfortably into his strong frame.
"You know, Alex," she said softly, while he absently allowed his fingers to dance gently through her hair and across her face. 'I'm in serious danger of falling for you. You should know that."
"I don't blame you," he answered smartly, then instantly tensed his body as she rammed a well-aimed elbow into him, narrowly avoiding the damaged ribs. Morgan feigned agony to derive some compassion, but she saw through it. They laughed and he pulled her even more tightly against him.
"Trust me," he said eventually, "it's incredible for me, too."
"It doesn't mean you've got the green light, Mister," she said. "You need to give me time to work this out. I mean, I'm not like you, not used to all this mayhem."
"Darlin', we don't need to rush anything. We have as much time as we need. I'm not going anywhere."
"You're the most amazing man," she whispered, sounding tipsy. "Where on earth have they been hiding you?"
"Wait 'til you get to know me first," he answered.
Within a few minutes, Ari had nestled into Morgan's chest and they both fell into a blissful, uninhibited sleep.
* * *
The scream woke Morgan instantly. Ari!
He ripped the Sig Sauer automatic from beneath his pillow, leapt from the bed, tore open his door and sprinted down the long corridor to her room. His bare feet banged heavily against the wooden floor, echoing throughout the far reaches of the eerily silent house. Light exploded from the narrow cracks around Ari's doorway as he raced to her. Brilliant blades of orange sliced into the blackness of the hall like the first rays of sun breaking through a thunderhead-filled sky. Muffled sounds came from inside the room. A struggle? Christ! What the hell?
"Alex!" he heard her cry. "Alex!"
Morgan burst through her door, gun up, ready to fire. His senses probed deep into the room in every direction.
The bedside lamp was on. There she was. Beautiful. Frightened. Naked. Sitting bolt upright amongst the pillows with the top sheet clutched protectively to her chest. Her hair was ruffled above bare shoulders, eyes and mouth agape. Morgan scanned the room; windows, dark corners and recesses. His radar in overdrive, the gun barrel travelling in perfect unison with his eyes.
Nothing.
Nothing?
"Ari," he said, still scanning. He stepped into the room, urgently wrenching back curtains, tearing at empty shadows. "What is it? I heard you scream." He dropped flat to the floor, straining to see through the black void beneath the bed. "Are you OK?"
"I... I had a bad dream," she whispered, embarrassed, ". ..and I must have screamed in my sleep. I woke myself up."
"A bad dream?'' Morgan said from the floor, rolling onto his back. He couldn't believe it. He let out a deep breath and began to shut down from attack mode. He picked up a pair of her pyjama shorts and a singlet that had fallen from the bed and got to his knees.
"Yes," she replied, indignantly. "Then I heard all that booming along the corridor coming straight for my door and you come bursting in here with a gun. It startled me. Where were you? Why am I in here alone?"