A little to his right was the Eiffel Tower and, far below, groups of tourists flocked in that direction.It was the beginning of spring, still cold outside, but the promise of warmer weather was in the air.
He stood staring through the window.Behind him, Hannah was talking softly.He was listening to her voice, not to what she was saying.
And then, whatever had shifted inside him seconds ago settled comfortably, and he knew.This was where he wanted to be.Close to her.Always.He loved her.He’d lost his heart to her on a sunny beach on Mahé two years ago, and that had never changed and it never would.
He turned around and looked at her.Really looked at her.He grinned.He loved watching her.Even when he’d been wracked with jealousy, when he’d been angry with her, his eyes would search a room full of people—for her.Even when he knew she wasn’t there, he’d look for her.
She combed her fingers through her long blonde tresses and he struggled to get oxygen into his lungs.Her unique scent of roses with a hint of citrus wafted his way and he stopped worrying about breathing—he didn’t need anything else, he could merely inhale her.
She was gorgeous; he’d always known that.Two years ago, he’d learned everything about her body in three days, but he’d walked away before he could get to know her mind, her heart, her soul.
And now that he knew how easily she loved, how deeply she cared, he realized Caitlin had been right—he should have acknowledged all of this two years ago.
Of course, he’d known what kind of person she was after spending time with her, but the intense feelings he’d experienced had been so powerful, so overwhelming, he’d opted to grab onto the first excuse to walk away and not deal with his emotions.
Stephen White had provided that excuse.But if the man had been lying—which at this point, Darryn had to admit, seemed be the case—the question was why?And damn it to hell, how had he known about the tattoo?
She ended her call and stood quietly, looking lost and vulnerable.
With two strides, he had her in his arms.“It’s high bloody time for you to tell me exactly what the hell is going on.”
She nodded, and a sob escaped against his neck at the same time someone knocked on her front door.
“Hannah, it’s Caitlin!”
Hannah lifted her head with a wobbly smile, wiped her eyes, and ran toward the front door.She flung it open, and her sister caught her in a hug.
Chapter Five
“Start right atthe beginning,” Caitlin demanded.“Why do you think this photographer—what’s his name?Stephen White?—is behind everything that has been happening to you?”
Don had made coffee and they were all sitting in the loving room.
Hannah glanced at Darryn.“I got him fired because… well, because he was pestering me, behaving inappropriately, and…the point is, he threatened to make my life hell and that’s what he’s been doing.”
“So the hit and run accident in Mahé was him?”Caitlin asked incredulously.
“Well, initially I thought it was just an accident.But then he sent me a text message saying he was sorry to hear about the accident and that I should be more careful—anything could happen, any time.”
Darryn jumped up.“Why didn’t you tell anyone about it?”
“I thought he was just a nuisance, but then…”
“Zoe was pushed into a crowd while you and she were having a good time in Mahé.I—” began Caitlin.
“Which, by the way, wouldn’t have happened if you’d stayed in the hotel like I asked,” Darryn interrupted.He knew he should keep quiet, but he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
Hannah gave him a cool look.“You didn’t ask.You ordered two security guards to prevent us from leaving the hotel.”
Don slapped him on the back, chuckling.“Oh, man, you still have a lot to learn.”
Darryn shrugged off his brother’s hand.Hell, he was only trying to protect her.
“So what exactly happened the night Zoe got hurt?”Caitlin asked.
“I saw him out of the corner of my eye while Zoe and I were having a drink.I was frantically trying to get us to safety, but Zoe and I got separated.He struck out at her, thinking it was me.We were wearing similar clothing.That was when I knew he was the one responsible for the hit and run, and I realized Zoe and I weren’t safe.”
Hannah glanced over at him, her eyes filled with remorse.“And you were right.Tt was my fault Zoe was hurt and I still feel terrible about it.”
