“I was thinking that it might be better to actually leave the premises for a while. You know, throw them off the trail.”
“An excellent suggestion, but where would I go?” Her brows creased in thought. “The only other place I can think of would be Aidan’s, and that’s the first place they’d look.”
“Ah, see, that’s the beauty of my plan. Not even you will know where you are.”
She laughed. “Sounds good. Will you be there too?”
He hesitated only a millisecond, though he hadn’t decided until just then for sure. “Yes.”
“Then how can I resist?”
Kane tried to ignore the flurry of sparks igniting in his chest while Rebecca went to clean up and change.
*
“Do you like to read?” he asked, pulling up into a parking space in the downtown public square.
“Yes, I love to read.” With his hand at her back (did he even realize what he was doing, she wondered?), he guided her into the bookstore. “Take your time. Pick out a good book, whatever you like. I’ll be back in twenty minutes.”
“Where are you going?”
“That information,” he said as he leaned in close, with a rare but dazzling smile, “is provided only on a strictly need-to-know basis, and as of this moment, you do not need to know.”
Kane’s breath, warm and moist and carrying the decadent scent of Tootsie rolls, caressed her cheek. A little thrill rose the length of her spine and she grinned back at him. Honestly, she didn’t know why everyone seemed so wary of him. He was one of the kindest men she’d ever met. Not to mention the sexiest.
Oblivious to the gawks of the other female patrons, Kane left Rebecca to explore the books and novels. Like a kid in a candy store, she agonized over the possible choices, wondering exactly what she was supposed to do. Was she supposed to pick out a book for him? No, she thought, he had said to select something she wanted.
But what to choose? There were so many things she wanted to read. Books had become treasures to her. When she was lucky enough to get her hands on one she would read it over and over again until she could picture each page by heart. To buy a new book – anything she wanted – well, it was just about the most thoughtful gift anyone could have given her. Somehow, Kane had known that.
By the time he returned, she had made her selection.
He looked at her choice skeptically. “This is what you want?” Rebecca looked self-consciously down at the book in her hand, the first in a well-publicized paranormal romance series.
“I’ve heard so much about this. I was rather curious, I guess. But maybe it’s too young for me...” She made a move to put it back and select something else, but he stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm.
“No,” he said. “Get this one.” She felt the touch clear down to her toes. Usually it was she who initiated the contact; she was more than a little annoyed by her incessant need to do so whenever they were together, but thankfully, Kane didn’t seem to object if it was done with subtlety. To have him touch her – even one that was little more than incidental – sent an intense wave of satisfaction through her.
Paying for the selection, he led her back out to his truck. She tried peering into the back to see what he had there, but Kane would not allow it.
“No peeking,” he chastised, earning him yet another smile. She was intrigued. She kept telling herself not to make too much out of it. They were friends, that’s all.
They left the town behind. Rebecca sat quietly in the front, watching the homes grow fewer and farther between as her anticipation grew. When Kane pulled off the paved road and switched to four-wheel drive, she became downright excited.
“Come on,” Kane said, opening her door and offering her his hand. Glad for the opportunity to put her hand in his, she leapt gracefully out of the truck and looked around. She saw trees. And more trees. Interspersed between them were huge, monster sized bushes with broad, dark green shiny leaves. The autumn sun filtered down on the first-shed leaves of the season. A soft, warm breeze carried the scent of sweet pine and damp earth. If she listened carefully, she could hear the sound of running water.
She looked at Kane questioningly. “What is this place?”
“Do you trust me?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.
She didn’t hesitate. This man had killed on her behalf. “Implicitly.”
He smiled. The man was absolutely devastating when he smiled. At that moment, Rebecca was almost glad he didn’t do so very often, because she didn’t want any other woman to see it. Then she chastised herself for being ridiculous.
“Then let’s go.”
Kane grabbed a large canvas bag out of the back of his truck, hefting it as though it weighed next to nothing. Rebecca followed dutifully behind him. After only about a hundred feet they stopped. Rebecca stepped around Kane and lost her breath completely. Before them were some of the most breathtaking natural waterfalls she had ever seen.
“It’s so beautiful.”