AllFreeNovel
Share Us
rrender and he groaned and parted her lips with his in a deep, passionate kiss.
"Matthew," she whispered, and her arms wound around his neck.
"Kathryn?"
Her eyes flew open at the sound of Jason's voice.
He was standing in the doorway, staring at her. He'd changed into Bermuda shorts and a short-sleeved white shirt with the collar left unbuttoned, and his hair was still wet from the shower. Her brain registered all those details in a desperate attempt to avoid the only one that mattered, which was the look of complete bewilderment on his face.
"Kathryn? What the hell are you doing?"
Matthew let go of her and gave a throaty laugh. "Tell him, why don't you?"
"Go away!"
"Dammit, Kathryn," Jason said, "I am not going to go away!" He marched towards her, his face grim. "Not before you tell me what in blazes is going on around here!"
"I didn't mean you," she said hurriedly, "I meant..." Oh, it was useless! How could she possibly explain why she was standing here alone, her head tilted back, her arms lifted and curled around what must, to him, have looked like nothing but air?
"I—-I was doing a—a Tai Chi exercise," she said in desperation.
"Tai Chi?"
"Yes. You know, the old Asian stuff where you do all these slow poses and stuff... I, ah, I didn't want you to see me doing them because—because..."
She gave a little cry as Matthew's lips brushed the back of her neck.
"You have an admirable imagination, Kathryn," he said, with laughter in his voice. "I'll leave you alone with it, and with your intended. Have a pleasant lunch."
She knew the second he vanished. The air behind her seemed cooler, and it became easier to think.
"Jason," she said, "don't look at me like that." She forced a smile to her lips. "I feel silly enough, getting caught in the middle of my exercises."
"That's not what it looked like. You seemed to be... you looked like you were..."
It wasn't easy, but Kathryn said nothing. After a moment, Jason shook his head and flashed a self-deprecating smile.
"Never mind. You'll think I'm nuts."
Kathryn scooted around the table and hurried into his arms.
"Oh, Jason. You don't know how glad I am that you're here!"
She closed her eyes tight and burrowed against him. He felt solid and familiar and comforting. After what seemed a long, long time, she drew back and smiled.
"Now," she said briskly, "let's have some lunch. And then I'll take you out and show you all the sights."
* * *
It was a pleasant day.
Kathryn relinquished the driver's seat of her ancient VW to Jason, who'd forgotten more about shifting gears and using a clutch than she had, so that they both ended up laughing each time the bright yellow Beetle lurched down a road.
They took a leisurely stroll along the narrow streets of Hawkins Bay. Jason bought them matching hats at the straw market and T-shirts that said Cool Caribbean Breezes on the front but "made in Hong Kong" inside the neck.
At sundown, they found a little cafe on the water that served garlic-drenched mussels and deep-fried grouper. They ate until they groaned, washing it all down with a pitcher of English lager. And they danced to old tunes blaring from a Wurlitzer so ancient it would have brought a bundle at any antiques market back in New York.
The moon was riding high in the black velvet sky when they returned to Charon's Crossing. The house was silent and dark, and Kathryn let Jason kiss her as they made their way up the stairs together.
