Carol Grace – Mediterranean Men & Marriage: The Italian's Forgotten Baby / The Sicilian's Bride / Hired: The Italian's Bride (страница 18)

“It’s her obsession,” Shayna agreed. “At least until Jimmy comes home.”

He thought about that as they raced on down the road. He was obsessed with ship design, Gigi was obsessed with her yacht. Were they both letting things get in the way of caring for people? He’d been down this path before, wondering why he didn’t find a woman and fall in love. Was the career too important to him? Were the yachts? Was he letting gorgeous objects blind him to the need for human contact—and love and tenderness? He hadn’t had time to find an answer to that question when Shayna turned off the main thoroughfare and started them bumping down a rutted side road.

“Here we are,” she said, pulling the scooter into a small clearing. “This is the hike to the falls.”

He got off the scooter and walked to where he could get beyond the brush, then looked at the sheer cliff she was pointing to.

“What?” he said, reacting with shock. “No way. We’re not climbing up that, are we? That’s impossible.”

“What’s the matter, big boy?” she said, giving him a little sock in the chest with her fist. “Too tough for you?”

“I don’t know about tough,” he said, scratching his head as he surveyed the terrain. “I’m not an experienced climber, by any means. But I would say this climb is beyond the realm of an amateur. So if you think…”

His voice faded away. She’d already begun the climb…and she was doing it barefoot, her zoris stuck in her pockets. He gaped at her. She was climbing like a monkey. This was nuts. He had no problem braving the high seas on a tiny sailboat, clinging to the rigging in high winds when the sails needed tending, sweeping out over rough waters in shark-infested areas. He’d done that sort of thing all his life. But climbing around on slippery rocks in a bug-ridden jungle? This was not his idea of fun.

Still, he couldn’t stand here on the ground while she shimmied up into the clouds, could he? Grumbling in annoyance, he started up after her, only to find himself sliding back down on every other hold. It was definitely a case of two steps forward, one step back—when he was lucky.

A bird swooped down and almost took a hunk out of his hair.

“Hey,” he called up to her after he fended it off. “At least tell me what to look out for in the way of animal life.”

She glanced back down and grinned, obviously tickled that she was beating him. Finding a small ridge, she sat down and waited for him to catch up.

“Snakes,” she said at last as he sat down, too, panting. “Look out for snakes and silver lizards that bite.”

“Great,” he said, giving her a baleful look. “I’ll do that.”

“When I first got here,” she went on, “I was told there were no snakes, but that turned out to be a lie.”

She realized the admission she’d made as soon as the words were out of her mouth and she groaned silently, hoping he wouldn’t pick up on it.

But he did.

“When did you get here, Shayna?” he asked right away. “How long have you lived here?” Reaching out, he gave her a little playful pretend punch in the arm. “Come on. Time to spill the beans.”

The sparkle went out of her eyes. Slowly, she shook her head. “I told you my life was not up for discussion.”

He stared at her for a long moment, then shrugged. “Okay. Let’s get this thing over with.” He frowned toward the jungle that surrounded them. He could hear animal calls in the distance. He would hold off on getting worried until they started to come closer. Maybe.

“What is the purpose of this hike again?” he asked, the tiniest thread of resentment in his tone.

“To see the falls,” she said, and started off confidently. “They’re wonderful. Come on.”

But by now he’d gotten the knack and she soon found that her lead had dwindled to nothing. They hiked through a stream and past a nest of brilliantly feathered birds who scrambled and squawked at being interrupted, and finally, the summit was reached.

“Look at that. It’s magic, isn’t it? It just overwhelms me every time.”

He looked. He had to admit it was okay. They had a panoramic view of the jungle, right on down to where it met the blue ocean. Beautiful. Thrilling, in its own way. But was it worth what they’d gone through to get here? Maybe he was being a wimp, but he didn’t really think so. He was hot and sweaty and sore, and he’d cut his hand. He didn’t love it.

“So tell me, Shayna, what does this hike have to do with finding my plans?” He pinned her with a hard look that was almost a glare.

Her smile was sunny and completely innocent. “Nothing.”

He gaped at her uncomprehendingly. “What?” he said.

“I just thought we needed a little exercise,” she said.

He was about to answer her sharply when he noticed something. Sounds. He climbed a little higher and looked over the top, down to where the waterfall hit bottom. There were people down by the waterfall’s edge. Lots of people. Family groups. Little children. Mothers with strollers.

“Wait a minute. There are cars over here.” Standing, he waved a finger at them and looked back at Shayna. “Those people down there drove to see the falls. Didn’t they?”

She climbed up to where she could see what he was seeing. “Sure,” she said simply. “You can get to it off the highway from the other side of the island.”

Outrage wasn’t a word strong enough for what he felt. He’d made the hike, but he hadn’t liked it much. And now he saw that it was all for naught. “We could have driven here. We wouldn’t have had to go through all the misery.”

She shrugged, her sparkle back as she looked at him, mischievous as a kitten. “Sure, but where’s the fun in that?”

He made a strangling sound, and she replied sunnily, “This amnesia thing is great.” She grinned. “I got to do this to you twice.”

“What? You dragged me here before?”

“Sure.” Her grin widened. “Maybe you’ll get a new round of amnesia and I can do it again.”

He stared at her for a moment. Her smile was a little too cocky and her eyes gleamed just a little too brightly. He lunged.

“You’re going to pay!”

She tried to run, but this time he was too fast for her, so she squealed instead. He held her close and growled at her. “You were just trying to torture me, were you?” he teased. “Well, turnabout is fair play. So let’s see. What could I do to torture you?”

He pretended to think, and she tried to squirm out of his arms and shrieked again. But not for long. He dropped small, hot kisses along her neckline and in an instant, all resistance melted away. She sighed, arching her neck for him, closing her eyes as his mouth covered hers. He kissed her, sinking into her intoxicating warmth and she kissed him back, opening to him, accepting him with a passion she’d never felt for any other man. Every part of her sizzled with excitement at his touch. She began to need him with a deep, dark current of desire. For just a moment, she was his, and he was hers, and that was all that mattered.

A shout from below was a wake-up call, and though it wasn’t aimed at them, it was enough to remind them they weren’t alone. She drew back and looked into his dark, limitless eyes, but he didn’t let her out of his arms. He held her close, pulling her up against his chest so that she could hear the wild beating of his heart. She sighed, happier than she’d ever been.

She gazed down at the falls. He might not appreciate them but she certainly did. They were gorgeous from here—the jungle dripping flowers, the smooth flow of water over the edge, the drops spraying out and catching the sunlight in diamond sparkles, the crash as the water hit the rocks, the red and green parrots squawking in the trees, the white lacy butterflies like living flowers against the cliff. This place, along with the beach, epitomized the island to her. She loved the peace, she loved the excitement, she even loved the danger. She loved everything about Ranai. It had saved her life. She was more determined than ever that she would never leave.

Pulling back, she looked into his handsome face. “I’ve got to admit that this, more than anything else, has convinced me that you really have had a memory loss,” she told him.

He smiled, his gaze tracing the outline of her face as though he were memorizing it. “Why?”

“If you had remembered this hike, you wouldn’t have made it a second time, would you?”

He almost laughed. “You’ve got that right.” Then he finally let her go, shaking his head. “They invented cars for a reason, Shayna.”

She laughed, still carrying the happiness he’d given to her. “Come on,” she said, preparing to climb back down again. “Let’s go to the luau.”

Darkness hadn’t fallen yet but the torches were already lit, lining the long, winding driveway as they made their way to the top of the hill. They could hear the music before they shut the engine off.

“How do you want to play this?” she asked him. “Shall we tell people you’ve lost your memory? Or will you just go around with a smile on your face and pretend to know everyone?”

He nodded. “Let’s go for the latter at this point, unless we have to resort to the good old-fashioned truth. You can point out people I need to remember for sure and I’ll play it by ear from there.”

There were people spread all over the grounds of the beautiful glass and wood house that jutted out over the valley. At this point, alcohol seemed to be flowing more freely than food, though the delicious aroma from the cooking pit filled the air, as did the Hawaiian style music. A group of very large men, most of them Polynesians, played ukuleles and sang in high falsetto voices, while a line of hula dancers swayed. The beginnings of a gorgeous sunset was making amazing watercolors across the surface of the sea. The ambience was perfect. Another wonderful island evening was in store.