“Later,” Donovan agreed as she left the house.
As he watched her walk away down the beach, Donovan considered hanging up on the commissioner and following her, but prudence and self-discipline won out, and he reluctantly decided not to give in to the tempting impulse.
Besides, Donovan reminded himself, he and Lani had an agreement. No strings. No ties. It was without a doubt a practical, sensible rule. And he was nothing if not a practical, sensible man. Ignoring the little flicker of doubt in the back of his mind, Donovan returned his attention to the obviously harried man who’d interrupted his vacation in paradise.
Unable to keep her mind on her work, Lani paced the floor of her own house, determined not to think of Donovan. But that proved impossible as her rebellious eyes kept drifting toward the sparkling curve of coral sand, watching for him. Waiting for him.
“This is ridiculous,” she muttered, glaring out over the turquoise water. “You just got carried away. You can’t possibly love the man. His world is light-years away from yours.”
He was also not interested in commitment or permanency, she reminded herself firmly. He’d told her that from the beginning. To expect a future where none existed was sheer folly. And that, Lani considered, was the crux of her problem.
Annoyed with herself, she sat down at her rattan desk and turned on her computer, researching topics for a student version of Jeopardy! the library would be putting on in the new year. After all, she strongly doubted that Donovan was over at Nate’s house, fretting about their relationship. No, he was undoubtedly deeply immersed in the reason for the commissioner’s telephone call, his attention focused solely on his own future. His own ambitions. Determined to do likewise, Lani began to read.
“That must be some dynamite topic.”
As Donovan’s deep voice broke her concentration, Lani lifted her head, surprised to see him standing over her.
“I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I knocked, but your mind was obviously somewhere else.”
“Arizona.”
“Arizona?”
“It’s illegal to hunt camels in the state of Arizona,” she explained.
Donovan smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind the next time I visit Phoenix.”
Lani nodded. “I certainly hope you will. After all, it wouldn’t do for an FBI agent to be arrested for camel poaching.”
“The powers that be would probably hit the roof,” Donovan agreed easily as he pulled up a chair.
“And wouldn’t that be a disaster,” she muttered.
His brow furrowed in response to her acid tone. “Are we fighting?”
“No.”
He continued to study her thoughtfully. “Good. Because I don’t want to waste time fighting, Lani. Not with you. Not now.” He took her hand in his.
“Are you going to tell me what that call was about?” she asked, struggling to keep her voice steady as he brushed his thumb lightly over her knuckles. How was it that such an innocent touch could make her feel as if her bones were melting?
“I can think of better things to do than to talk about the commissioner.” The sexy gleam in his deep blue eyes reminded Lani that their relationship had been based on mutual pleasure.
“You’re not answering my question, Donovan.”
He ran his palm up her arm. “Why don’t we talk about him later?”
“Why not talk about him now?”
Muttering an oath, Donovan forced his mind off the satiny texture of Lani’s skin and back to their conversation. He didn’t want to waste time talking. Despite his need to make love to Lani, Donovan knew that by ignoring her repeated request, he would be giving her the idea that the only thing he wanted—or needed—from her was sex.
Though the sex was admittedly the best he’d ever experienced, Donovan knew that something else was happening. Something that he’d vowed to figure out by New Year’s. Unfortunately, his time had just run out.
“Martin Henderson, the current police chief, had a heart attack early this morning.”
Lani drew in her breath. “Is he—”
“He’s going to be all right,” Donovan said. “But it forces his retirement a few weeks early. At the moment, Portland is without a chief of police, which is the reason for the call. Now can we make love?”
“In a bit of a hurry, aren’t you?”
“I don’t have any choice. The plane leaves from Kauai in less than three hours to make a connecting flight in Honolulu to the mainline.”
Lani had been expecting this since the moment she had entered Nate’s kitchen and seen Donovan’s grim face. The news came as no real surprise. Why did she feel so miserable? She forced back the stinging tears behind her eyelids, vowing that she would not cry. She would not ruin what had been an idyllic holiday by behaving like a clinging female.
Annoyance was the safest emotion Lani was experiencing at that moment. Allowing it to surface, she struggled to keep her voice steady. “Don’t let me hold you up.”