The Paternity Proposition(34)

She waited for him to say something. And waited. A smile teased at the corners of his mouth. His dark expression softened slightly. Then he cupped her face in his large, strong hands.

"I see," he murmured before once again touching his lips to hers.

It should have been the same kiss she'd just experienced. Weren't they all the same? But somehow this felt different. More intense. Her eyes fluttered closed before she realized what had happened. Oddly, the darkness comforted her. Her brain shut down as well, which was nice because in the quiet she could actually feel the contact of skin on skin.

He kissed her gently, yet with a hint of fire that left her breathless. Somehow she found the courage to kiss him back. Tiny electric tingles raced up and down her arms and legs, making her shiver. Mazin moved closer, until they were practically touching. He swept his thumbs across her cheeks, which made her want to part her lips. When she did, she felt the light brush of his tongue against hers.

The contact was as delightful as it was unexpected. The tingles in her arms and legs turned into ripples and she found it difficult to stand. She had to hold on to him, so she rested her hands lightly on his shoulders. They were kissing. Really kissing.

He stroked her lightly, circling her, exciting her. After a minute or so, she found the courage to do the same to him. Every aspect of the experience was amazing.

Of course, she'd read about this in books and seen passionate kissing in the movies, but she'd never experienced it herself. It was glorious. No wonder teenagers were willing to do it for hours. She found herself wanting to do the same.

She liked everything about it-the way he tasted, the scent of him, the heat flaring between them. Her body felt light, as if she could float away. When he released her face and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, she knew there was nowhere else on earth she wanted to be.

Their bodies touched. From shoulder to knee, they pressed together. She'd never been so close to a man, and was stunned to find every part of him was muscled and hard. She felt positively delicate by comparison.

At last he drew back and rested his forehead against hers.

"That was a surprise," he said, his voice low and husky.

"Did I do it wrong?" she asked before she could stop herself.

He laughed. "No, my dove. You kissed exactly right. Perhaps too right."

Their breath mingled. Phoebe felt all squishy inside. She wanted to stay close to him forever, kissing until the world ended.

Instead of reading her mind, Mazin straightened, then glanced at his watch.

"Unfortunately, duty calls," he said, then put his arm around her. "Come. I will see you back to your hotel." She wanted to protest, but he'd already given her so much. In a single day she'd experienced more than she could ever have imagined.

"You've been very kind," she said, savoring the weight of his arm around her waist. He waited while she picked up her purse and shoes, then drew her close again.

"The pleasure was mine."

Oh, please let him want to see me again.

They walked to the car in silence. Once there, Mazin held open the passenger door.

Phoebe told herself not to be disappointed. One day was enough. She could survive on these memories for a long time. But before she slid into the car, he caught her hand and brought it to his lips.

"Tomorrow?" he asked in a whisper.

"Yes," she breathed in relief. "Tomorrow."





Four

Phoebe stepped carefully along the stone path through the center of the botanical garden. A light rain had fallen early that morning, leaving all the plants clean and sweet smelling. Overhead tall trees blocked out most of the heat from the midday sun. It was a pretty darned perfect moment.

"There are legends about ancient pirates coming to the island," Mazin was saying. "Archaeologists haven't found any evidence of raiders on the island, but the stories persist." He smiled. "Children are warned that if they don't behave, they'll be taken from their beds in the middle of the night."

Phoebe laughed. "That should scare them into doing what they're supposed to."

"I'm not sure they actually believe in the ancient pirates."

"Did you?"

He hesitated, then grinned. "Perhaps when I was very small."

She tried to imagine him as a little boy and could not. She glanced at his strong profile, wondering if his features had ever looked childish and soft. Her gaze lingered on his mouth. Had he really kissed her yesterday? It seemed more like a dream than something that had actually happened.

The hem of her dress brushed against a bush growing out onto the path. Drops of water trickled onto her bare leg. She tugged on her short-sleeved jacket and knew that, dream or not, she had been foolish to put on a dress that morning. Slacks would have been more sensible.

Only, she hadn't been feeling very sensible. She'd wanted to look special for Mazin-pretty. As she didn't wear makeup or know how to do anything fancy with her hair, a dress had been her only option. Now that she was with him, she hoped he didn't realize she'd gone to any effort. Yesterday he had said kind things about her appearance, but she wasn't sure she believed the compliments. Of course she'd had plenty of time to relive them last night, when she'd barely slept at all.                       
       
           



       

"Are there other stories about the island?" she asked.

"Several. Legend has it that when there is a lunar eclipse visible from Lucia-Serrat, there is magic in the air. Mysterious creatures are said to appear, and animals can talk."

"Really?"

He shrugged. "I have no personal experience with talking animals."

A branch stretched across part of the path. Mazin took her arm and led her around the obstruction.

His fingers were warm against her bare skin. Some time before dawn it had crossed her mind that he might be trying to seduce her. As she had no experience with the process, she couldn't be sure. If he was, should she mind? Phoebe couldn't decide.

Her plan had always been to go to college and become a nurse. She knew little of love and less of marriage. For years she'd had the feeling both were going to pass her by-hence her education-career plan. She wanted to be prepared to take care of herself.

But an affair was not marriage. She was on the island for only a few weeks. If Mazin offered to teach her the mysteries between a man and a woman, why on earth would she say no?

They turned left at the next opportunity. Tall bamboo shared space with different kinds of bananas. Some were small, some large. Many were unfamiliar.

"I've never seen anything like this," she said as they paused next to a cluster of red bananas.

"Florida is tropical," he reminded her.

"I know, but where I live it's more suburban. There are some exotic plants, but nothing like this."

"You moved there when you were young, I believe?"

She hesitated. "Yes."

"You do not have to speak of your past if you do not wish to."

"I appreciate that. I don't have anything to hide." They began walking again. Phoebe folded her arms over her chest. She didn't mind talking about her life-she just didn't want him to think she was some backwater hick.

"I was born in Colorado. I never knew my father, and my mother didn't speak of him. Her parents died before I was born. She did … " Phoebe hesitated, her gaze firmly fixed on the ground. "She didn't like people very much. We lived in a small cabin in the middle of the woods. There weren't any other people around and we never had contact with the outside world. There was no electricity or indoor plumbing. We got all of our water from a well."

She cast a quick glance at Mazin. He seemed interested. "I did not know there were parts of your country without such amenities."

"There are some. My mother taught me to read, but didn't discuss much of the outside world with me. We were happy, I guess. I know she cared about me, but I was often lonely. One day when I was eight, we were out collecting berries. There was a lot of water from the spring snow runoff higher in the mountain. She slipped on some wet leaves, fell and hit her head. I found out later that she died instantly, but at the time I didn't know why she wouldn't wake up. After a few hours, I knew I had to go get help, even though she had always forbidden me to have anything to do with other people. There was a town about ten miles away. I'd stumbled across it a couple of times when I'd been out exploring."

Mazin stopped walking and grabbed her by her upper arms. "You had never been into the town before?"

She shook her head.

"You must have been terrified."

"I was more scared that there was something wrong with my mother, or that she was going to be mad when she woke up." She sighed, remembering how she'd been trying so hard not to cry as she explained what had happened to several strangers before one of them finally took her to the sheriff's office.

"They went and got her," she said. Mazin released her arms and she started walking. It seemed easier to keep moving as she talked. "Then they told me she was dead. I didn't know what it meant for a long time."

"Where did you go?"

"Into a temporary foster home until they could locate a relative. It took about six months, because I didn't know anything about my family. They had to go through all of her personal effects to get leads. In the meantime I had to adjust to a life that everyone else took for granted. It was hard."