Page 30 of Beneath the Dawn

Marti walked back to the window. She’d already missed a few minutes of ogling Dante, and she could certainly talk to her sister while checking him out at the same time. “You actually met him before,” she said.

“Really? Who is he?”

“Dante Avera.”

As if he could hear his name on her lips, Dante glanced up at his window at that moment and smiled. He had known she would be there watching him. He waved, and she waved back.

“I don’t know any Dante Avera,” Kara said, reclaiming her attention.

“I’m not surprised that you don’t remember him. It’s been years. Twenty-nine to be exact. You, Dante, and I were kids at the time.”

“Marti, we never traveled to London when we were kids.”

“I know that. I ran into him here in London. We originally met that summer in Wild Rose Point.”

“Wow, that was a long time ago. It was the first and only time you went there. I’m hoping that now, since I signed my share of the house over to you, it will become a place you begin visiting again.”

She had no doubt that she would, Marti thought, watching Dante maneuver his body through the water. “Maybe I will next summer.”

“I only remember him vaguely,” Kara said.

“That’s understandable, since you were only around five at the time.”

“How on earth could you have remembered him after all these years?” Kara asked.

“It was he who remembered me,” Marti said. “Our Goshay silver-gray eyes gave me away.”

“Wow. Although I really don’t recall him, I’m sure he looks different after all this time. Is he good-looking?”

“Oh, yeah… And we’ve been spending a lot of time together.”

“Hot diggity! He lives in London?”

“No, he lives in Arizona and was visiting his family in Italy. He decided to make a stop and spend some time here. Lucky for me that he did.”

“I bet. What else do you know about him?”

“He’s single, never been married, five years older than me, and he works as the general manager of a resort in Sedona Valley.” Marti figured that should satisfy her sister’s nosiness for a while. But to be certain, she added, “We’re getting reacquainted as nothing more than friends, Kara.” It was hard for Marti to keep a straight face with that lie when she and Dante had slept together almost the whole time she’d been here.

“Yes, but that could lead to more, Marti. The way the two of you ran into each other after all these years, and with him recognizing you… It sounds like fate. If I were you, I wouldn’t close any doors.”

If only her sister knew. When it came to Dante, she’d already closed the door to any possibility of there ever being more between them. However, she wasn’t closing her legs. She always looked forward to the times he was between them. “I’ve got to run. He’s on his way here.”

Marti could say that with a straight face since Dante had gotten out of the water and was headed toward the house. And she knew what to expect when he got there. They would shower together and make love, then share coffee.

“Okay then. Goodbye, Marti. I’m so happy for you. I got good vibes about you and Dante Avera.”

She had news for her sister. She was getting good vibes too, but for a totally different reason. With only two weeks left before she left Wild Rose Point, she was going to do everything in her power to make sure he would not forget her and would be glad to see her again next summer.

“Goodbye, Kara. Give the girls a hug from their favorite auntie.”

***

Water cascaded over Dante and Marti as they stood beneath the showerhead. This had become a ritual that he enjoyed immensely after his morning swim. Knowing she would be here waiting for him was something he would definitely miss when she left. But there was no need to think about the future right now. He was going to enjoy every moment of the present.

Dante reached out and cupped the side of Marti’s face, and then he leaned in and kissed her. He just couldn’t get enough of her. Before their shower ended, he would have touched, kissed, and licked every inch of her naked skin. She tasted as hot as he felt and more delicious than anything he’d ever eaten. Marti Goshay was all female. Irresistibly so. And whenever they came together, day or night, she could pull everything out of him—passion, desire…raw, sexual need.

Like she was doing now.