“I'm on the pill. Besides, I didn't give you much of a choice,” I said, smiling. His face relaxed into a self-satisfied grin and I lay back onto the floor. “That was amazing.”
“Who said I was done?”
My stomach tightened with heat and need. I looked up at his smirking mouth and raised eyebrows.
“What else do you have in mind?” I asked. I was already heating at the possibilities.
“I intend to make you forget everything but my name,” he whispered, a wicked smile curled on his face. His eyes were dark coals again, and my body trembled in excited response.
Who needed to remember anything but his name? I thought. I certainly didn't.
Chapter 19
Noah's dark hair caught the edge of the morning sun and gleamed. I stared at it, watching as the light slowly illuminated his sleeping face like he was an angel. He was snoring gently, and his face was soft and peaceful. I couldn't get over how handsome he was. Or that I was in his bed. I had a gorgeous, charming, and amazing man who wanted to give me gifts and would hold me and let me cry. Not only was he attractive, but he was kind and sweet too. I was the luckiest girl in the world.
Except for the fact that the Grove was going to be destroyed. I sighed and relaxed my head back into the pillow. I kept watching Noah's serene sleep. He had been so generous and kind the night before. It was only because of him that I had slept. The ache in my heart at the loss of the Grove was still fresh, but at least the immediacy of the shock had worn off. In the light of day, I could deal with it. I still had a future. I still had Noah. Things would work out. I was stronger than this little setback.
My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything since lunch the day before. Careful not to wake Noah, I slipped out of bed. I found one of his t-shirts in a drawer and put it on. It smelled like his soap. I was wrapped in Noah, and it made me smile. Before heading to the kitchen, I tucked the curtain closed so that he could continue sleeping.
The fridge was unfortunately empty. A bottle of mustard, two pickles, and something I hoped wasn't a lab experiment in penicillin were all I could find. I closed the door and opened it again, hoping the contents had changed. They hadn't.
A thought struck me, and I grinned. Adele's was open. I could go get breakfast from her, and bring it back for Noah. It would be a nice surprise and a great way to say thank you for taking care of me. It was perfect. I could already see his smile as I gave him her cinnamon roll French toast with a side of banana crepes.
With quiet steps, I sneaked back into th
e bedroom and grabbed my clothes. Reluctantly, I took off his shirt and carefully folded it back into the drawer. I would put it on again when I returned, but it was way too big for me to wear out. Noah sighed contentedly in his sleep and turned onto his side. I beamed good dream thoughts his way for a moment and then hurried out to go get breakfast.
Outside, the birds were singing in the sunshine. The world smelled of fresh rain and clean soil. The storm had washed the world. Everything was bright and new. Like my future. There were other possibilities I could explore now. At least, that was what I told myself as I walked.
I came to the turn in the path to get to the restaurant and made the mistake of looking at the beach where our sandcastle had been. I couldn't stop my feet from heading toward the water. The castle was gone. Destroyed. All that remained was a mound of white sand. Even the shells had been scattered by the rain, wind, and waves. My chest ached with the loss.
I bent down to touch the sand, feeling the fine grit between my fingertips. Maybe today Noah and I could come back and rebuild it. Make an even better one. I smiled at the thought. It was just what I needed. To rebuild something and make it even better. If I could do it with a sandcastle, then I could do it with my research. I could start again.
I dusted off my hands and stood, feeling hopeful for the first time in hours. With a smart turn, I ran headlong into the reporter whom Noah had been trying to avoid. I stumbled back, apologizing and feeling suddenly off kilter.
The woman was beautiful up close. She was thin, but with curves in all the right places. Her khaki shorts showed off firm, strong legs, and her bright blue v-neck shirt gave just enough hint at cleavage to draw the eye. She wore sensible, but pretty, sandals today instead of spiky heels. Dark hair spilled attractively around her shoulders in soft waves. I could see how she had gotten exclusive interviews with powerful men. It was hard not to look at her and be impressed.
She smiled, but there was no warmth in her eyes. They were shark eyes. Predatory. And I was now the fish she had set her sights on.
“No hiding from me this time,” she said. Even her voice was sexy. “You care to make a statement, Isabel?”
“How do you know my name?” I asked, thrown completely off balance. I smoothed my shirt self-consciously. It was an old shirt that smelled like sunscreen. Normally, that didn't bother me since that was the best thing to wear out on the boat, but standing next to this perfect, model-like woman, I felt incredibly inadequate.
“It's a small island. I asked around.” She shrugged and tossed a lock of silky hair behind her shoulder. “Contrary to your boyfriend's opinion, Danica Lewis is actually pretty good at her job.”
So she was one of those types of people who referred to herself in the third person. Awesome. She definitely had confidence in spades.
“No comment.” Isn't that what all the people in the movies said? I didn't want to talk to her, so I side-stepped her and returned to the path.
“No comment?” She made an incredulous noise. “The man you're sleeping with goes and buys your nature preserve out from under you, and you have no comment?”
I froze in my tracks. “What?”
The woman sashayed over so she could face me. She raised perfectly groomed eyebrows in mock innocence. “Oh, you didn't know?”
“What are you saying?” I asked. The world was threatening to spin out of control again. I couldn't handle another life-changing shock this soon. I wanted her to be lying. I wanted to walk away and not hear what she had to say, but my feet didn't move.
“Noah Black, owner of Diamond Hotels, just bought the property that you and your scientist friends wanted to turn into a nature preserve.” She smiled smugly.