“I don’t know!” she admitted honestly.
The silence was an electric current that seemed to bind them together and yet sever whatever peace they had shared. Kane eyed Erin with a haunted wariness that seemed to tire him, and Erin watched him with eyes naked in love and confusion. What was he trying to say?
He leaned against the mantel and rubbed the base of his head with his palm. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, as if he were trying to rid his body of tension. Slowly he seemed to relax; his tight muscles lengthened. With the effort his weight sagged wearily against the fireplace. “I think,” he managed to say, “that you and I should drop the subject of Mitchell Cameron until after the arraignment hearing.”
Erin let out a steadying breath. “Do you really suppose that I can just ignore the fact that Mitch’s fate depends on your decision?”
“Correction,” he cautioned sharply. “His fate depends upon his decision, one that was made quite some time ago. Not mine! I had nothing to do with it except unfortunately to catch a thief.”
“I don’t know that I can just erase it from my mind—as if we’ve never had this conversation.”
“Just for the weekend?” he suggested, and bent near to her. He took both of her hands in his and forced her to look deeply into his eyes. “I’m sorry for the outburst. The past two weeks have been a strain on both of us,” he said in an effort at apology. “But let’s just spend this time together and get to know each other a little better.” Deep lines of intense thought creased his forehead. “I—well, I need some time with you. Alone. Apart from Mitchell Cameron and the rest of the world.” His voice was a reluctant plea, and before she could answer him, he buried his head between her breasts and held her close to him. “Oh, Erin,” he whispered, his hot breath tantalizing her skin and arousing her breasts to an aching tautness. “Why do you tempt me so?”
Ignoring the doubts and warnings that still crowded her mind, she felt herself surrender to him, and her hands wound themselves in the thick strands of his burnished hair. Feeling her reaction, he slowly pulled his head away from the softness of her body and looked longingly into her eyes. Her breath came in short gasps, and she felt the warmth of desire curling upward in her body. A nearly wicked grin stole over his face as his fingers played with the buttons of her blouse. She made no move to stop him, and when the blouse finally parted, his gaze sought and found the swollen ripeness of her breasts.
She longed to be touched by him, to feel the heat of his body capture her soul and the essence of her being. Red and orange flames were reflected in the burning passion of his gaze.
“Do you know, do you have any idea, just how much I need you?” he asked, before covering her lips with his and seeking the open invitation of her warm, moist mouth. She couldn’t get enough of him. The delicious scent and tantalizing taste of his body, in kisses flavored by the wine, lingered upon her lips and teased her senses into a yearning ache t
hat she couldn’t control. His lips explored the length of her body, all of her, gently nuzzling the hollow of her shoulder, rimming her ear, searching out the soft flat contour of her abdomen. “Dear God, how I want you,” he admitted.
“Then love me, Kane, love me,” she pleaded.
“I will, Erin,” he vowed, and moved over her, gently probing the most intimate part of her. Even in her drugged sense of well-being, she realized that he was speaking only of physical love, not the eternal love that she had requested. But for the moment it was enough.
Nine
The two days that they spent together on the island were carefree and warm. After a light cover of morning fog, the late autumn sun would warm the sand, and for the most part the days were crisply cool and invigoratingly clear.
Erin taught Kane how to dig for razor clams along the edge of the tide, and after a few hesitant tries, he became rather adept at kneeling in the wet sand and furiously shoveling after the escaping mollusks. Once, when a particularly large wave caught him off guard and sent him sprawling headlong into the bitter, cold surf, Erin laughed, only to find herself dragged down into the icy water by Kane.
“That will teach you not to make sport of me,” he quipped, before kissing her soundly on her bluish lips. Another cold wave climbed over them, and they both hurried indoors to escape the frigid water and the cool air of autumn. They stripped off the wet, sandy clothes in front of the fire, while warming hot water to clean up the grit from the beach that had clung to their skins.
For most of the two short days, they spent their time beachcombing or taking the boat into nearby Deer Harbor for sightseeing and browsing in the various antiques stores. It was a wonderful time to be together, and by the end of the weekend, Erin found herself more in love with Kane than she ever imagined possible. She hated the thought of leaving the island and dreaded returning to the city, the job and the pressures that always seemed to build between them at home. She enjoyed the freedom that the island provided and loved being alone with Kane, loved touching him whenever she had the desire, and loved kissing him in the light of day, unafraid of what others might think. Disturbingly she wondered if it was such a fairy-tale existence that it could never be recreated, only remembered. All too soon it would end.
During the nights they spread a large sleeping bag on the floor in front of the fire, rather than chancing the well-worn and musty bed in the attached bedroom. They spent hours in front of the fire, talking, laughing and making love until dawn.
It was a glorious, heady experience. The entire weekend was too good to last.
When, finally, after what seemed a short afternoon, the sun began to set against the cold gray sea, Erin found Kane standing studiously on the porch. She had packed together all of her things, and she knew that it was well past the hour that Kane had planned to leave. And still he lingered. He half stood, half leaned against the railing and stared endlessly out toward the broad expanse of the ocean and into the beckoning twilight.
Quietly Erin watched him. She knew that he, too, was hesitant to leave the solitude of the romantic haven that this otherwise miserable excuse for a cabin had provided for them. She lowered her body into the rope hammock, which sagged and groaned against her weight. The noise distracted Kane, and he slowly turned to face her. His eyes were distant; his mind was light-years away. Lazily he leaned against the post that supported the roof of the porch and let his eyes slide caressingly over her body.
“I’m…ready to go,” she stated. It was a poor attempt at conversation.
“Are you?” he drawled.
“Everything’s packed. We really should get going.”
“I know,” he agreed reluctantly, and looked longingly once more at the ceaseless gray tide. He spoke softly, as if to himself. “It surprises me that I’m not itching to get back to the office. Usually I’m anxious and just can’t wait to get back behind my desk. But tonight—I don’t know—it all seems so pointless.”
When he faced her once again, his gray eyes moved over her face, as if he were memorizing every contour of her creamy skin. He made a simple statement with measured slowness. “I’m going to buy this cabin. We’ll come back together.”
“I hope so,” she breathed, and wondered why it was so important to her. Unconsciously she clung to the first promise that hinted of a future that they might somehow share together.
The week that followed was a dismal and lonely time for Erin. As Kane had promised, he refused to keep their affair quiet or in the dark. Although he didn’t actually make an announcement of the fact, his cold indifference in the office had disappeared, and it was with difficulty that Erin had managed to keep up appearances during working hours. His eyes caressed her, and his affection was never hidden. Although inwardly Erin was pleased, she couldn’t help but notice the reaction of the other employees of the bank, the expressively uplifted eyebrows whenever she was with Kane and the accusatory glances that were cast her way when she wasn’t with him. She tried to ignore the gossip that was blazing through the bank, but she couldn’t calm the churning of her stomach.
When Kane had to leave on Wednesday for California, Erin was slightly relieved that the pressure of keeping him at arm’s length at the office would be relieved for a while.