One of the guests, who apparently wasn't interested in spiders, interrupted Mark's desperate monologue to say to Ramon, "Is Galverra a common Spanish name? I've read of a 'Galverra' but I can't recall his first name."
Beside her Katie sensed, rather than saw, Ramon tense. "It is not an uncommon name," Ramon replied. "And my first name is very common."
Katie, in the act of giving Ramon an apologetic, encouraging smile, intercepted a look from her mother that could only be described as displeased and she felt the knot in her stomach tighten.
By the time they could leave, Katie's stomach was positively churning. Her parents were polite as they said goodbye to Ramon in the entrance foyer, but Katie saw the narrowed speculation in her mother's eyes when she looked at Ramon, and without actually saying anything, she managed to convey to Katie, and undoubtedly to Ramon, that she did not approve of him or of his continued association with Katie.
To make everything worse, as Ramon and Katie were leaving, Maureen's seven-year-old son jerked on her skirt and loudly announced to one and all, "Mommie, that man talks weird!"
In the car Ramon drove in thoughtful, withdrawn silence. "I'm sorry I told you to wear jeans," Katie spoke finally as they neared her apartment complex. "I could have sworn my mother told me two weeks ago this was going to be a barbecue."
"It is of no importance," Ramon said. "What people wear does not change what they are."
Katie didn't know whether he meant that better clothes wouldn't have improved his image, or that he felt his image was adequate regardless of what he was wearing. "I'm sorry about the way Maureen acted," she tried again.
"Stop saying you are sorry, Katie. One person cannot apologize for another. It is ludicrous to try."
"I know, but my sister is such a pain in the neck, and my parents—"
"Love you very much," Ramon finished for her.
"They want to see you happy, with a secure future and all the things money can buy. Unfortunately, like most parents, they believe that if your future is secure you will be happy. And if it is not, it follows that you will not be."
Katie was amazed by his defense of her parents. Inside her apartment she whirled on him, her gaze searching his dark, inscrutable face. "What sort of man are you?" she asked. "Who are you? You defend my parents, knowing that if I decided to go to Puerto Rico with you they would do everything to prevent it. If anything you were amused, not impressed, by the people you met tonight and the size of my parents' home. You speak English with an accent, but your vocabulary is better than most men I know who have college degrees. Who are you, anyway?"
Ramon put his hands on her tense shoulders and said quietly, "I am the man who wants to take you away from everything you know, and people who love you. I am the man who wants to take you to a strange country where you, not I, will have the handicap of language. I am the man who wants to take you to live in the cottage where he was born, a cottage with four rooms that are clean, but nothing more. I am the man who knows he is selfish to do these things, yet still I will try to do them."
"Why?" Katie whispered.
He bent his head and brushed his lips warmly against hers. "Because I believe that I can make you happier than you have ever dreamed of being."
Unbelievably affected by the merest touch of that mouth, Katie tried to follow his logic. "But how could I be happy living in a primitive cottage where I don't know anyone and couldn't speak to them if I tried?"
"I will tell you later." He grinned suddenly. "For now, I have brought my own swimming trunks."
"Y—you want to swim?" Katie stuttered in disbelief.
Ramon's smile was positively wolfish. "I want to see you with as little clothing as possible, and the safest place for that, for both of us, is down at your pool."
Relief won out over disappointment as Katie went into the bedroom and quickly stripped off her clothes, pulling on a shockingly bright yellow bikini. She studied herself in the mirror with a faint smile. It was the scantiest suit she had ever owned; two extremely narrow strips of bright cloth that revealed every curving line of her body. She had never had the nerve to actually appear in it before, but today it seemed perfect. It was all well and good for Ramon to arbitrarily decide that he was going to keep his distance, but, perversely, she wanted to make it as difficult for him as possible. She brushed her hair until it was shining and emerged from her bedroom just as he came from the bathroom. He had changed into black briefs that hugged his body, displaying his magnificent physique in a way that made Katie's mouth go dry.
Ramon's response to her, however, was far less enthusiastic. His black eyes raked her all but naked body from head to toe. "Change it," he said in a hard tone that she had never heard before. Belatedly, he added, "Please."
"No," Katie said firmly. "I'm not going to change. Why should I?"
"Because I asked you to."
"You ordered me to, and I didn't like it."
"Now I am asking," Ramon persisted implacably. "Please change that suit."
Katie shot him a killing look. "I am wearing this suit down to that pool.''
"Then I am not going with you." Suddenly, Katie felt vulgarly naked, and she blamed Ramon for her humiliation. She went into her room, pulled off the suit and put on a green one. "Thank you," Ramon said quietly when she walked into the living room.
Katie was too angry to speak. She shoved open the glass patio door, banged through the gate in the stockade fence, and marched down to the pool, which was nearly deserted. Most of the tenants were apparently spending Memorial Day with their families. Katie sank down gracefully on the chaise lounge closest to the deep end of the pool, ignoring Ramon, who stood looking down at her with his hands on his hips.
"A
re you going to swim?" he asked.
Katie shook her head, her teeth clenched together.
Sitting down on the chair across from her, Ramon lit one of those very thin cigars he seemed to like, and leaned forward, his forearms braced on his knees. "Katie, listen to me."
"I don't want to listen to you. I don't like a lot of the things you say."
"But you will listen anyway."
Katie's head swung toward him so swiftly that her long hair came spilling over her shoulder. "Ramon, that is the second time tonight that you have told me what I'm going to do and I don't like it. If I had actually been willing to marry you, which I never was, these past twenty minutes would have changed my mind." She came to her feet, enjoying the sensation of towering over him for a change. "For the sake of what's left of our evening, our last evening together, I will swim. Because I'm sure you're going to order me to do that next."
Three long angry strides and Katie did a shallow racing dive into the pool. A few seconds later she felt the impact of Ramon's body hitting the water behind her. Katie swam for all she was worth but she was not really surprised when Ramon easily caught her, or even when he forcibly pulled her stiff, unyielding body against his. "There are four other people in this pool, Ramon. Now let go of me before I yell for help."
"Katie, will you shut up and let me—"
"That was strike three for you," Katie snapped furiously. "You're out!"
"Dammit!" he said savagely, plunging his hand into the hair at her nape and jerking her head back as his mouth possessed hers.
More incensed then ever. Katie twisted her head away and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. "I didn't like it!" she spat.
"Neither did I," he answered. "Please listen to me."
"I can't see where I have any choice. My feet aren't even touching the bottom."
Ramon ignored that. "Katie, it was a beautiful suit and the sight of you in it took my breath away. If you will listen I will explain why I do not want you to wear it. Last night more than one of the men who live here asked me if I was getting anywhere with their 'vestal virgin.' They call you that."