But Hannah
had
won. The prize was a trip for two to the Mediterranean kingdom of Boisdemer. Since Jamie, Catharine’s son, was only six, it had cost her nothing at all to bring them both.
Seats for the magic show, being held in the opera house, filled up fast. Hannah looked around, noting there were as many adults without children waiting to be entertained as ones with families.
She was entranced from the moment the magician walked onto the stage. More professional than she’d expected, the performance contained a few tricks that simply awed her. Trying to figure out how the magician had managed them, she thought back to that evening, months before, when she’d told Craig that she believed in fairy godmothers and magic. Chuckling to herself, she gave up logic and simply enjoyed the show.
As they exited the theatre Hannah looked up in time to see the moon slither out from behind a cloud.
“Let’s take a walk on the beach,” she suggested, turning to her daughter.
Catharine shook her head and stroked an affectionate hand over her son's tousled hair. “I’m going to go back to the suite and put Jamie to bed. I’m a little tired myself. You should go, though, Mom.”
“Walk a moonlit beach alone?”
“Why not? Aren’t you the one who said we should rack up as many new experiences as possible while we’re here?”
Hannah
had
said that, just before they’d landed at the airport
that very day. At the time, she’d been thinking of Catharine. Her beautiful daughter had too much work and worry, and not enough fun in her life. Her biggest hope for this trip was for Catharine to have an adventure of some sort. So although walking along the beach in the evening alone wasn’t what she’d
had in mind, she knew she had to take this opportunity. And strangely, the idea suddenly held tremendous appeal. “All right, I will. And set the standard for this vacation. The Jones women, boldly going where they have never gone before.”
“Why do I get the feeling I just set myself up?”
Hannah laughed, and then hugged her daughter and her grandson. “I have no idea, sweetheart. I won’t be long.”
“Take your time, Mom. I didn’t catch a nap with the two of you this afternoon. Jet lag has caught up with me and I’m beat. I’ll probably go right to bed. I want to be fresh for the morning. Jamie and I are going on the excursion with the resort’s Children’s Club.”
Hannah watched until they turned the corner out of sight, and then headed toward the beach. Giselle, the maid assigned exclusively to their suite for the next two weeks, had been a non-stop font of information as she’d arrived to “assist the ladies” in preparing for dinner. She had assured Hannah that as security was a top priority at the resort, she’d be perfectly safe walking along the shore of the Mediterranean even at night.
Softly glowing lights lined the path to the beach. At the edge of the stone walkway, Hannah paused for a moment to take off her shoes, reveling in the sensation of sand beneath her feet.
The beach
still held plenty of warmth from the day’s sun. The rhythmic sound of waves gently lapping the shore lulled her into relaxation. Looking to her right, she could see the shoreline curve around a lighthouse at the point to warn the ships at sea that they approached land. To her left, the shore curved in less of an arc, and she could see the city lights of Cardinia, the capital of Boisdemer, twinkling against the black of sky and water.
Impulsively, she dropped her shoes and raised her arms high above her head, spinning in a slow circle of delight.
Imagine me, here in the middle of the playground of the rich and famous!
She’d never thought to see the Mediterranean, never imagined to have a moment like this.
A tingling awareness kissed her flesh, and Hannah knew in that instant, she was no longer alone. Movement in her peripheral vision had her turning her head slightly to the left. Just enough light from the stars and the resort shone in the night for her to see that the man slowly approaching was the same one who’d captivated her earlier. Her heart sped up and butterflies fluttered within her. She nearly,
nearly
turned and walked away. And then some sense of something—a shimmering essence that felt like rose petals—trickled over her,
bolstering her courage. Inhaling deeply, she waited to see what would happen next.
* * * *
“A lovely evening, isn’t it?” Alex hoped the vision before him didn’t wince at what, to his ears, sounded like a horrible cliché. He would never know what had prompted him to come down to the beach, when he’d been intent on returning to his suite. Grateful now that when the sudden urge came he gave in to it, for he’d no sooner reached the end of the path, he saw her.
A glorious sight, this woman—arms outstretched, face turned up to the breeze and the moon—reminded him of a goddess come to claim her realm. Moonlight sparkled on hair that could have been spun gold. Enchanted, he nearly turned away.
He
had
turned away from her as he’d been entering the dining room this evening. Immediately regretting that act, he’d looked back
to smile at her, perhaps offer some mundane words of greeting, but she had gone. He was supposed to be an
ordinary
man on vacation. He doubted that an ordinary man, intrigued, would turn away when given such a wondrous second chance.
“It’s wonderful. I almost didn’t come down to the water,” the woman said. “It seemed a strange thing to do alone. But I’m so glad I did. A perfect way to end my first day here.”
“Ah, so you have only arrived today, as well. From America?”
“Close. I’m Canadian.”
“And your husband? He has retired for the evening?” Alex hadn’t seen a man with her, earlier. But that didn’t mean anything.
“I’m not married. I’ve been a widow for nearly ten years. My daughter and her young son accompanied me.”
“I, too, am widowed, also for a decade. Alone becomes a habit, does it not?”
Alex wondered at the emotion that danced through her eyes before she answered him.
“Yes, it does.”
He watched as she glanced back toward the sea. Then, after a moment, she turned to face him again, and he had the sense that she’d made a decision.
“Hannah Jones,” she said as she held out her hand.
“Forgive me, I should have introduced myself straight off. Alex Cross, at your service.” The false name rolled easily off his tongue. Though the staff knew his identity, they had been sworn to secrecy. To the guests, he was simply Alex Cross.
Taking her hand, he brought it to his lips. Her small gasp told him she hadn’t expected the simple courtesy. That seemed a crime. Her eyes filled with wonder and a smile kissed the corner of her mouth. Something about her touched him. He wanted to spend time with her, get to know her better.
In all the years he’d been widowed, and all the subsequent summers he’d been coming to this resort for vacation, he’d never been drawn to a woman.
“How does this resort compare to others you’ve visited?” he asked.
“Well, now, I’m the wrong person to ask. This is the first resort I’ve ever stayed at.”
“We are especially fortunate that you chose Boisdemer for your vacation, then. I never vacation anywhere else. There is much to see and do in my country.”
“Oh, how I wish I could take credit for choosing to come here!” When Alex cocked his head to the side, she explained what had brought her to Boisdemer and ultimately this evening encounter on a deserted, moonlit beach.
“What is it you do, Mrs. Jones, when you’re not winning contests?”
Hannah laughed. “Hannah, please. And that would be all the time. I’m an accounting manager for a manufacturing company in my home town.”
“Do you enjoy the work?”
“I do, yes. I seem to have an affinity for numbers, and there is enough variety in my daily tasks that I don’t get too bored. And you, Monsieur Cross? Do you work for the department of tourism?”
“You must call me Alex.
And
I have been accused of working for the tourism ministry
before. But no, I do work for the government, but in a more administrative capacity. Would you like to walk?”
He held out his arm, waiting to see if she would take it.
She smiled. “Yes, thank you.”
Alex deftly bent down and scooped up Hannah’s shoes.
“Oh my. I completely forgot about them.”
“I believe that is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
The sound of her laughter washed over him, leaving him not only uplifted, but also aroused. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt that zing in the blood, that sense of something special and exciting just around the corner.
“I think you need to get a new set of friends, in that case.”
“I was quite serious when I said that ‘alone’ is a habit. A new friend is precisely what I need.”
They walked slowly down the beach, and Alex used the skills he’d honed over a lifetime of service to his country to draw this intriguing, and somewhat shy woman out. He asked her about her children and grandchildren.
“You said you had three children, but you’ve only told me of two.” And he’d caught the sadness in her tone.
“I haven’t seen, or heard from my middle child since just after my husband died. I think… I know he blamed himself for his father’s heart attack. They fought constantly. Of course, I tried to tell him his father’s death wasn’t his fault. He’d just turned twenty at the time, though. I couldn’t get through to him.”
“Ah, the age when the line between adolescence and adulthood blurs.”
“Yes. I know he’s alive, somewhere. I really believe I’d feel it, deep inside, if he weren’t. Just as I believe that when the time is right—when he’s ready—he’ll come home.”
They had reached the end of the bathing beach, nearly beyond the reach
of the lights. Alex wanted to extend this interlude. It wasn’t late, not even eleven. He wondered how to convince Hannah to join him for a nightcap in the lounge. A fresh breeze came ashore, and she shivered.
“Allow me.” Alex slipped off his suit jacket, and draped it across her shoulders. Touching her so innocently, even insulated as that touch was by his jacket, filled him with a sudden urge.
She must have sensed his intention, he thought, for she looked up, her eyes widening.
“Yes, I’m going to kiss you, Hannah.”
“I’ve never kissed on a first date.”
“This isn’t a date.”
“Good point.”
He was smiling when he took her mouth. Warm, sweet, the taste of her sailed right to his groin. Hard for the first time in a long time, it took every bit of will at his command not to raise her skirt. What he'd intended as a gentle, friendly kiss turned into something more. Something deeper, more instinctual.
His tongue invaded, plundered and possessed. He felt the strength go out of her legs, and gathered her closer. Her own tongue, shy for the first moment, became as sweetly bold as he could have wished. When he gathered her closer, she wrapped
herself around him. The pebbles of her hardened nipples teased him through several layers of clothing. He knew then she had become as hotly and instantly aroused as he. Emboldened, one hand left her back to touch and caress her breasts. When her nipples peaked even more, when she gasped and pushed herself into his hand, he dared more. Reaching for the buttons of her blouse, he opened three. His hand teased newly exposed flesh, his fingers danced across the mound of her breast, and he yearned for much, much more.
He shook with desire when he broke the kiss, every logical, controlled thought gone from his head,
and he pinched her nipple lightly when he said, “I want to be inside you.”
“Alex.”
He heard the longing, and the tiniest bit of fear in that one syllable of his name. Unable to deny himself this one pleasure, he bent his head and gently pulling down the top of her bra, drew her right nipple into his mouth. Her heard her soft cry, and reveled in the way she pushed herself into his mouth even deeper. Knowing if he didn’t stop he’d take her right then and there, he let her go. Holding her close, he spoke soft and low.
“It may sound like a line Hannah, but I swear, I’ve not been with a woman since my wife died. I haven’t wanted to. But I need to be with you.” He couldn’t help the pure male reaction of pressing his erection against the apex of her thighs. He swore he could feel the lips of her pussy opening, even through the layers of clothing, his and hers, that separated their flesh.
“I believe you. Because I feel the same way. But we have to stop, Alex. It’s too soon.”
He didn't agree or deny her words, not wanting to acknowledge the truth of them when his body told him differently. He couldn't. Instead, he said,
“Come, we’ll go where there are others, where we must behave ourselves, and we’ll have a drink. I’m not ready for my time with you to end.” He stepped back and re-buttoned her blouse. Then, quickly, he cupped her face and kissed her gently.
“And while we sip our drinks, we’ll talk about the where and the when. But not the ‘if’. Because I’m going to have you, Hannah. We’re going to have each other.”
When she opened her eyes, she thought it might have been a dream. But as the haze of sleep faded, the heat of arousal returned, and she knew it had really happened.
Hannah sat up in bed and hugged her knees to her chest. Good thing the resort had put them in a suite, and not a double room. She had her own bedroom, her own en suite, and privacy. The last she cherished at the moment, as it allowed her time alone with her thoughts.
Last night had been more than electrifying, it had been illuminating. She’d always wondered how people could get “carried away” and end up having sex without even thinking. She’d been married twenty years, had birthed three children, so she’d had sex. But it had always been a deliberate, planned act.