Page 16 of Beneath the Dawn

Needing to gain control of the situation, he reluctantly broke off the kiss and took a step back. From the look on her face, he could tell that even though ending the kiss might have been for the best, it wasn’t what either of them wanted.

And to make sure she knew he understood, he whispered against her moist lips. “I want you to think about what we’ll be getting ourselves into once we cross the line, Marti. I won’t rush you, but I doubt if I can take things slow much longer. I hadn’t planned on engaging in an affair with anyone when I came to Wild Rose Point, and I doubt you did, either. I hope you understand what I’m saying.”

She nodded. “You’ve given me something to think about, Dante.” And with that, she walked him to the door.

He took her hand. “Let me know about beach date night, so I can set everything up.”

“I will.”

He brushed a kiss against her lips. “Good night, Marti.”

“Good night, Dante.”

He made sure he heard the lock click into place before leaving her porch and heading back to his home. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. There might be a chill in the air off the beach, but he was still reeling from the heat of Marti’s kiss.

***

A short while later, Marti had showered, changed into her PJs, and settled into bed, thinking how much she had enjoyed her time tonight with Dante. Their conversations had come easily. They had been thoughtful. Compelling. And without telling him everything, she had allowed her one major regret in life to come up for air. Maybe, if she brought it out in the open a bit more, it wouldn’t hurt so much.

He listened and had not judged her harshly as so many others had. Even without knowing the whole story, he had seen that her actions had been driven by love. She appreciated that he had honestly wanted to know all about her. That had been a first. Normally, sex was the only thing on a guy’s mind whenever they hooked up.

Not that it hadn’t been on Dante’s….or hers, for that matter. The sexual chemistry between them was strong. They obviously wanted each other. The kiss they had shared had proven it and, in a way, sealed their fate. Yet at the same time, they didn’t want to rush it. How much more satisfying would it be to let things play out on their own? After all, there was a strong indication of just where they were headed. At this point, she couldn’t see anything stopping it. And admittedly, she was looking forward to it.

When her phone rang, she smiled, recognizing the ringtone. Immediately, she knew why Kara was calling. Grabbing the phone off the nightstand, she said, “Sorry, Kara. I forgot to call.”

“Mom and Dad didn’t want to bother you, so they’ve been blowing up my phone. How could you forget to call to let someone know you had made it to London safe and sound?”

Marti thought it was easy, considering she wasn’t in London. But she wouldn’t let her family know that. “My only excuse is severe jet lag,” she said, knowing she had to keep the lie going. “I’m fine. Like I told you and the folks, I needed a break from work. That’s all this is.”

“And I told you that moving to Montana wasn’t a good idea. You should have stayed in Charlotte, around people who care about you. Your nieces miss you.”

She smiled. “And I miss them. But so far, I’ve kept my promise to visit at least twice a year.”

“Yes, but things don’t have to be this way, Marti. Mom and Dad might have bought that story of why you took the job in Billings, but I know the real reason you left.”

Marti didn’t say anything, figuring that Kara probably did. After all, her sister was the only person Marti had confided in. And it hadn’t been voluntary.

The only reason she had finally told Kara what Malcolm and his best friends had done was that she’d needed to explain why she had lied about Virgil. “Some people will forgive, Kara, but it’s hard for them to forget, even with the best of intentions. Besides, it was time. You and I had been a sister team long enough. You have Virgil now and--”

“First of all, we will always be a sister team. And yes, I have Virgil but how do you think I feel, knowing that you don’t have anyone?” Kara interrupted to say softly. “I’ve never met Malcolm Edwards and his friends, and it’s a good thing I haven’t. At least, for them. You don’t know what I would have done to them if I’d had the chance.”

Marti smiled. A lot of Virgil Bougard had rubbed off on Kara. The man didn’t accept bullshit of any kind, and since getting married, Kara had gotten rather feisty.

“Pull in your claws, little sister. Malcolm and those guys are in jail where they belong. They’re a part of my past. They can’t hurt me again,” Marti said. It hurt to lie to her sister—again—but what Kara didn’t know couldn’t hurt her. “I’ve moved on, and thanks to you encouraging me to seek therapy, I’m in a good place.” At least she had been until a month ago, but she dared not tell Kara that.

“Does that mean you’re open to dating again?”

“I’ve never stopped dating, Kara.”

“You were dating with a purpose before, Marti. Mainly, to drive the guys crazy, playing them before they could think about playing you.”

Yes, for years that had been her mode of retribution, and her target had been men with reputations as womanizers. She had proven two could play their game and because of it, she’d earned the reputation in Charlotte of being a certified bitch.

It was a reputation that could not be redeemed, so she’d had no choice but to move away and start a new life elsewhere. She’d believed that Montana would be the perfect place. And it had been…until a stalker had made his presence known, intent on destroying her peace.

“Well, I hope you use that time in London to your advantage.”

Kara’s words penetrated her thoughts. “To my advantage, how?”