Page 18 of Kidnapped in Dark Waters
He wasn’t sure how long they had been dancing when she wound up pressed tight against him. The combination of the rain and her scent half dizzied him and her lush lips beckoned him as she gazed up at him. Suddenly, he couldn’t help himself. He took her lips with his.
Chapter Five
She hadn’t expected the kiss, but she welcomed it. She raised her arms around his neck and leaned into him. She opened her mouth to allow him to deepen the kiss. Their tongues swirled together and even the cool rain couldn’t staunch her desire for him.
His lips were soft, yet held a masterful demand that was intoxicating. She could have kissed him forever, but after several minutes lightning slashed the sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder.
He pulled his lips from hers and instead grabbed her hand. “Come on, that’s our cue to get back inside,” he said.
He continued to hold her hand as they ran up the bridge and back into the shanty. Only then did he drop her hand from his. “Towels,” she said. “Stay there and I’ll be right back.”
She disappeared into the bathroom and returned carrying two large fluffy red towels. She handed him one and for a moment they dried off.
He ran the towel over his hair and clothes. “What do you want me to do with the towel?” he asked.
“I’ll take it.”
She took it from him and then went back into the bathroom. “I’m sorry I don’t have a dryer to take care of your wet clothes,” she said when she came back into the living room.
“It’s okay. I’ll just head on home and throw them in mine,” he replied.
“Thank you for dancing with me, Luke,” she said with a wide smile.
“I’ve never done anything like that before in my life,” he replied. “I’ve never even thought about doing anything like that before.”
“Tell me the truth—it was fun, wasn’t it?”
He laughed. “I’ll admit, it was fun and now I’ll just say good-night and I’ll see you tomorrow.” He walked over to the coffee table and picked up the baggie holding the note and then he disappeared out the front door.
It was only after he was gone that she thought about the fact that he hadn’t mentioned their kiss. Had it meant nothing to him? She didn’t even know what it meant to her. All she did know was it had been an awesome kiss.
She went into her bedroom and took off the wet dress and underwear and pulled on a navy-blue nightshirt. She walked back into the living room and sank down on the sofa, the kiss still very much on her mind.
She couldn’t know what he thought about it, but for her it had been absolutely magical. His lips had been so warm and inviting on hers and she couldn’t wait for an opportunity to kiss him again.
Her gaze dropped to the coffee table as she thought about the note that had been on her door.You will belong to me. Who had left it for her? And what exactly did it mean?
Was it really just an odd love note of sorts or something more ominous? How afraid should she really be? She definitely intended to be more aware of her surroundings and not let anyone get too close to her.
Her thoughts jumped to those moments when Luke had shared the tragedy of his past. It had broken her heart for him as she’d heard about his mother. It had also shown her what kind ofa man he was to take care of his younger brothers’ needs above his own.
He was a special kind of man, but he wasn’t her special man. She might have gotten him to dance in the rain with her, but she had a feeling he was too uptight…too regimented in his day-to-day life to be a good fit for her.
She double-checked that her doors were locked up and then got into bed. The rain still pitter-pattered on her window, the sound lulling her to sleep. She fell into dreams of dancing in the rain with Luke.
THE NEXT MORNING, the plan was to go to breakfast with her sisters. She was on the dinner shift and Monique was working later that afternoon at the dress shop. Hopefully, Angelique could get away from the store to meet with them. It had been a minute since the three of them had gotten together.
The first thing she did was drape all the wet things from the night before over her railing outside. There was no sign of rain today and the sun was nice and bright and would dry the towels and her sundress in no time.
She dressed in a pair of jeans and a red-and-blue blouse. She pulled her long hair back and tied it at the nape of her neck with a red ribbon. She applied a little makeup and then spritzed on her favorite scent.
At the last minute, she got the knife she carried at night and put it in her purse. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have to stab anyone. However, as she thought of that note, she wanted to have something for her own protection in case somebody came at her sideways.
As she walked through the swamp, she kept her gaze shooting all around and listened to make sure nobody was sneaking up onher. She breathed a sigh of relief as she broke into the clearing where her car was parked.
Monique was already there. Clad in a pair of jeans and a turquoise blouse, she looked absolutely beautiful. “Hey, girl.” Monique greeted her with a big smile.
“You look very pretty,” Dominique said.
