Saints and Assassins (The Sentinels) (8 page)

“So tell me about you?”
She
wanted to change the topic and
forced herself to smile
.

“Not much to tell really.  I’ve never been married
,
or even engaged for that matter. I thought I wanted to be an attorney and started with a pre-law degree.  I decided after two years that it just wasn’t for me, so I switched to business management. I graduated and got a job in real estate through a friend. I’ve been
there ever since.” Adam
spit this out as if it were a rehearsed speech that he gave on a regular basis.  It was believable
,
but it just didn’t suit him.

“How old are you?”
It was the first question that came to her mind and she couldn’t believe she just blurted it out.

“Thirty-two.”

His age surprised her
because she had guessed him not more than twenty-five, not that it mattered. Feeling a bit more brazen, she shifted to her next question.

“Were you an athlete? I mean you are so, fit.” She
tried
not to sound like she was obsessed with hi
s body, but who couldn’t notice the defined lean muscles
?
She finished the glass of wine as she gulped it down.

“I ran track and I am trained
in
Taekwondo
,” he admitted.

“Impressive I must admit.”
That explains a lot!

“What about you, you’re no couch potato.”

“I work out, I used to run every day but I don’t do t
hat anymore.” 
She smiled to herself at her most recent round of workouts. Pretending to punch Adam St. James. Eve giggled.

“What?” he inquired.

Eve shook her
head, realized she was light-headed from the alcohol,
and
felt
her self-restraint
star
t
ing
to slip away
.
Maybe it was time to go.

As if Adam sensed
her state of
mind,
he
rose and picked up the glasses and plates.

“Well, it’s time to head back to the island I suppose,”
he
stated
.

She left
her seat to
go help wash
the d
ishes.  As she took a
step,
she realized she was beyond light-headed
and
reached
out
to tr
y to find
something
to steady herself against
. 
Adam
turned back
around
just in time to
grasp her right hand inside his left,
and place
his other arm around her waist.

He held her
th
ere as she stared into his eye
s
and before she realized it
,
she had
followed the line of his nose
down to his lips.  They were perfect just like the rest of his body. She leaned forward to touch her lips to his, but before she
could,
he pulled back. He releas
ed her waist but kept hold of her
hand.

“I think we should get going,” he said curtly
. Adam
turned toward the stairs
but
surprisingly
did not
relinquish his grip on her as he
pulled her behind him.
The waves of the ocean were starting to rock the boat more, making it diffic
ult for her to keep her balance, but she managed to reach the top.
Taking a seat near
Adam,
she could watch
everything outside the wheelhouse.
It looked as if it might storm from the ch
arcoal colored clouds that grew
closer by the minute.

As she sat
there,
she started to feel silly about the last hour.  She was basically drunk and
had
all but thr
own
he
rself at him. She
felt certain
he would be appalled with her behavior and s
he felt so embarrassed now as her brain caught up with what had just happened.

Adam started the engine and got them cruising back toward the coast of
Maui
. He called so
meone from his cell phone as he
headed
the boat
inland,
and she heard him ask to be met at
the dock.

The wind started blowing and the rain came down hard as
they approached the marina. There waited the man
just as Adam had requested.  He helped secure the boat and as they departed she noticed that the man had brought the Nissan up as close to the dock as possible. 

“I don’t know about you, but I’m running,” Adam stated. The spark in his eyes fired her sullen spirit and she
could not
resist.
Fortunately her nausea had left
her, a sudden burst of energy filled her,
and she wanted to race.

A smile crossed her face as she bolted into a sprint from her last step off the boat. Even in
flip-flops,
she sped across the wet dock toward the car. “You coming?” she called back at
him
.

Adam muttered something unintelligible under his breath. He hadn’t had a chance to realize she was trying to outrun him and she laughed at the idea.

She could hear his feet smashing against the wooden planks, but she thought he had no chance of catching her.

Surprisingly though, Adam beat her to the passenger side of the car and
opened the door for her first and quic
kly moved around to the drivers’
side so
that he could enter the dry car
. 

The few moments that they were in the rain had left Eve wet and cold
, but her heart thumped hard against her chest
.
She
sat sideways in the seat and
watched Adam intently as he
climbed in the car, gauging his reaction.

By the smile on his face, the exhilaration that had seized her, had also taken hold of him.

“I can’t believe you thought you could possi
bly beat me.” Adam accused her. His eyes narrowed, but he grinned
.

Eve smiled in return
with
her devious grin that she knew would only antagonize him.

“I slipped,” she retorted. She hadn’t, but she was trying to pick a fight with him. She’d had enough of playing polite and proper. Eve like
d
this man and she wanted him to know it.

Still smiling,
Adam shook his head and turned in his seat toward the back and with one long
arm,
he grabbed
towel
s
and pulled
them
to the front.

“Here,” he stated. Yet, he didn’t hand her a towel.
Instead,
he held a corner of one to her face and dried the numerous trails of water from her skin.

Eve’s body sizzled instantly. She wanted this man’s hands on her skin. No towels or clothes between them. Frozen by her mind’s internal admission she
did not
know how to react.

Adam’s eyes softened and she co
uld only assume that he might want
her too. Eve watched the water
also run from Adam’s face, but instead of reaching for the
towel,
she wiped two fingers across his brow. Pushing the streams of water down his cheek, she burned inside even more.

Eve felt his thumb brush across her cheek while he moved the towel down the other side of her face. Closing her eyes, she turned her head and caused Adam’s thumb to brush across her lip. Her mouth fell open and she wanted more. Her breathing accelerated and her heart pounded.

The moment was perfect.

His hand left her face and when she didn’t feel it Eve opened her eyes.

Adam cleared his throat. “We should get you back to the hotel.” He grasped a towel and wiped the rest of the water from his face.

“Buckle up,” he growled.

Eve’s heart sank.

This wasn’t at all what she expected. She at least
thought that he would kiss her. They were after all, consenting adults,
but she was wrong. He didn’t want her and it was obvious.

She
sat quietly in her seat as Adam drove the car ba
ck to
the hotel feeling
wor
se and worse about her actions
as time passed. Finally, she couldn’t take anymore and had to apologize.

“I am so sorry for my behavior
. I don’t normally drink and I definitely had too much,” she told him.

He stared intently at the road, but she saw his lips start to draw
up into a smile, “
I’m not offended and you shouldn’t worry about it.”

Was he mad or making fun of her? Eve
couldn’t tell and it actually made her head ache. S
he turned and stared out the window as they passed a sugar c
ane field. Eve concentrated
very hard on the beauty of the island instead of thinking of what a fool she must have made of herself. Even in the rain, the moun
tains were gorgeous. A billowy cloud capped
the top of one mountain as they drov
e along the coast and below
that,
everything appeared to be covered in a green blanket.

The surroundings soothed her aching head slightly, but she still couldn’t shake her frustrations with herself.

They arrived at the hotel and Adam pulled the car up under t
he canopy
.
As
he brought the car
to
a
halt,
she
suddenly h
ad a feeling of aloneness. She
actually
felt
more
alone
than she had
in months and
she
did not
like the idea now.

“I have to go take care of something. Will you be
all right
getting to your room?”

The valet pulled the passenger door open and greeted her. She turned back toward Adam. She wanted to stay with him, but it had become even more obvious that it wouldn’t happen.

Eve swallowed hard
and mustered up a cheerful tone.

“Of course I will. Thank you again for the trip today.”
She had
managed to fake the tone enough that Adam wouldn’t suspect her disappointment at all.

“It was all my pleasure. Maybe I’ll see you around the island this week.” Adam flashed his grin at her and she
did not
want to move, but she smiled back and exited the car.

Eve went inside the hotel and headed toward her room only to realize that she didn’t have her bag and of course her room key was in the bag.

Damn it!

Turning back toward the front desk, Eve went to see if they would let her in
to
her room.
She would have to find Adam later and go get her bag.

“Hello, I left my key on a boat tour today. Is there any way you can give me a new one?”

“Of course, I’ll just need to see a photo I.D.” the woman replied.

“It is on the boat too. I won’t be able to get my bag until tomorrow I’m afraid.
Anxiety kicked in and Eve started to panic.

“I’m sorry I’ll have to have an I.D. Is there someone else
in your party
that can let you in?” The woman was only trying to be nice, but that statement pushed her over the edge. She felt tears well up in her eyes. Eve didn’t even try to argue or ask for a manager, but turned and walked away.

She hadn’t felt this alone and dejected since her husband had died and right now she wished she’d never left Chicago.
The tears finally pushed over the edge of her eyes and streamed down her cheeks as she made her way
through the back of the lobby, not sure where she would go.

Pausing for a moment, she looked around.
“Damn it!” she shoute
d and simultaneously kicked a rock
.
That wasn’t the smartest thing she’d ever done. She glanced down to see blood on her foot and it immediately throbbed. She wore
flip-flops
.
Eve realized th
at she would just have to wait for Adam to come back.
Surely,
he
would be back soon and she would be able to get her key.