He chuckled and leaned up on one elbow. “So, you wanted to do ‘everything’ today. What are we missing? What should we do next?”
She tilted her head, liking that he was adventurous. Her brothers would like him. Her brothers would also like that when Abe was around she rarely thought about her scarring. When he’d held her in his arms on the trail leading to the waterfall she’d felt a sort of healing power from his touch. She’d thought it was a little piece of heaven. Could she heal emotionally and spiritually enough to feel worthy to be with someone like Abe? It was cliché but sometimes she blamed her Heavenly Father for not protecting her from the bomb. She hated when she had those dark thoughts, but they were still there.
“Maybe we could just relax the rest of the afternoon, have dinner together, and then go on another walk on the beach.” Her stomach pitched happily at the thought. She would kiss him tonight. What if he tried to push her hair away again? Maybe she’d let him. If her scars didn’t repulse him, why should she be freaking out about them? Still, her stomach tightened at the thought of him looking at them, touching them.
“So, when are we going to bike around all the island trails, go deep-sea fishing, and try out all the services the spa offers?”
She smiled and lifted her right shoulder. “There’s always tomorrow.”
His slow grin made her stomach fill up with happy bubbles. “So you’re saying I get to spend another day with you?”
“I think I may grant you that privilege.”
“Thank you.” His warm look seemed to sear through her. “What if I lobby for other ‘privileges’?”
She laughed but it sounded shaky. What privileges? Kissing? She was definitely on board for some kissing. “We’ll see.”
He winked and then put his sunglasses back on and reclined into the chair.
The rest of the day flew by too quickly for Rachel. She loved this alternate reality she was living in and she loved not worrying about a future that had been changed by the bombing. Had she let her scars define her? She would’ve thought she’d be stronger than that but getting back out and facing the world with a deformed face had proven tougher than she’d imagined it would be. Nobody wanted to be the lawyer trying to help children, but who was also giving them nightmares. On the other hand, maybe those women were wrong. She’d trusted in their words because of their status with the law school, how impressed she’d been with them when she met them, and the fact that they didn’t know she was there and weren’t being catty, simply discussing their concerns. Now she was wondering if maybe her scars weren’t as bad as she’d feared. It was obvious to Abe they weren’t. Abe made her feel more beautiful than any man had, and it didn’t seem like her scars bothered him at all.
She and Abe separated to shower and get ready, then had dinner delivered to his bungalow. She wore a simple wrap dress that covered her left shoulder and her hair was swept to the left to cover her chin and neck. Some of the scars on her cheek showed as she hadn’t draped her hair so severely to the left. Would Abe notice that she was growing more confident around him? What if she saw in his eyes that her scars looked disgusting? She pushed that worry away, focusing on confidence and how great Abe had been so far.
She bravely rapped on his bungalow door and it swung open quickly as if he’d been waiting for her. He looked incredibly appealing in a short-sleeved white button-down shirt and tan pants that set off his dark coloring. His deep-brown eyes were fascinating to her.
“Rachel,” he said softly. His eyes swept over her carefully, slowly, as if he had to slow down his gaze and appreciate each inch of her. Rachel found herself flushing with pleasure from his look. She’d kept herself hidden from everyone but her family and a few close friends the past eight months, since the bombing, except for the failure at Harvard Law. Had she been silly to stew and worry so much? Would most people not care or was Abe simply special? She was pretty certain Abe was incredibly special.
He took her hand in his and led her inside. She felt as if she were a princess given the tender way he treated her.
Dinner was all laid out, a seafood feast of shrimp, lobster, and crab. They sat and Abe offered a prayer before eating. She didn’t ask him about his faith but liked that it was part of him. As they ate, they talked about the incredible island, the highlights from today, and what they wanted to do tomorrow.
As they finished eating, she said, “I’m sorry I’ve kept you from your group today.”
He shook his head quickly and took a drink of his water. “Don’t be. They’re fine. They earned this incredible trip, not the right to have me by their side every minute.”
She tilted her head to the left and felt her hair sweep down her arm. “But who wouldn’t want you by their side every minute?”
He arched his eyebrows and gave her a confident smirk. “Good point. I’m sure everyone would.” He laughed to show he was teasing.
She smiled. “I know I would.”
Abe’s gaze sharpened on her. “Are you finished?” he asked quietly.
She nodded, swallowing at the intensity in his dark eyes. Abe was the type of man who worked hard for what he wanted and didn’t give up until he had it. Wasshewhat he wanted? The very idea sent a thrill through her.
Abe stood and extended his hand. She took it and let him pull her to her feet. In silent agreement they walked out of his incredible bungalow through the open patio, past the glowing infinity pool, and down to the beach. They stopped in the soft sand. A wave rolled onto the sand, the light from the moon and his bungalow lent a romantic glow. Rachel couldn’t keep her eyes off Abe’s handsome face.
He wrapped his hands around her hips and stared down at her. “You’re so incredibly beautiful, Rachel.” His voice was low and husky and she felt every syllable sink deep into her heart. She’d heard similar words from many men, before the accident. Hearing them from Abe now meant the world to her.
“Thank you,” she said. Part of her wanted to push her hair from her face and neck and ask him directly: did he really think she was beautiful with the scars. Most of her wanted to forget the issues she faced and simply experience what she knew would be an incredible kiss with this even more incredible man. So instead of worrying or questioning she slid her arms around his neck and smiled encouragingly at him.
Abe’s gaze deepened and she could easily read the question in his eyes, did she want his kiss, did she want him? No matter how successful, intense, or driven he was, she knew he’d never take anything from her she wasn’t ready to give. She nodded and breathed out, “Yes, please,” even though he’d never asked a verbal question.
Abe let out a breath that seemed to shake his large frame. Then he wasted no more time. His hands slid around to cup her lower back with his large palms, he pulled her tight against him, and he bent and claimed her lips with his own.
Rachel’s mouth and body responded just as quickly. She threaded her fingers through his hair and returned his kiss with more desire and joy than she’d ever felt in a man’s arms. The kiss became a communication of needs, wants, hopes, and dreams. She shared more with him in that kiss than she’d ever wanted to share with a man before.
When Abe pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, they were both panting for air.
“Rach,” he said in a soft whisper. He raised both hands as if to cup her face but then his eyes widened slightly and he dropped his hands back to her waist.
Rachel wished she could tell him it was okay, he could touch her face, he could move her hair away, he could look at her scars. She trusted him to do it all, but instead of getting into that, she simply enjoyed the moment, pulled his head down to hers, and kissed him all over again. They could deal with her issues later. Thank heavens he didn’t have any issues.