Love on the Edge: Nine Shades of Romantic Suspense, page 167
He’d wine and dine her on the island, wait on her hand and foot if he had to, whatever it took to convince her he was genuine and get her to open up to him.
It was his only chance he had to win her love…
*
Adrian didn’t wake again until they landed some hours later. Devon leaned over and smiled at her. “Hey there, enjoy your nap?”
She nodded and yawned, covering it with the back of her hand as she blinked the sleep from her eyes. She snuggled against his chest when he lifted her from the couch and carried her into the bright sunshine of the tropics. Instinctively she ducked her face against his neck as they came into the light, then blinked a few times.
When they adjusted she looked around. They’d landed at a good-sized airport. People bustled here and there but no one paid them any attention. He carried her to another waiting limo and helped her to stretch along the seat before joining her in the cool confines.
“Comfy?” he asked as they pulled away, heading for the resort.
She nodded, letting her eyes slip closed. Her muscles were still sore and weak, her burns painful, especially those that had gone deep into the tissue on her arms, but she was managing. Had even gone almost a day now without a pain pill…
She blinked open her eyes when the limo slid to a smooth stop and sighed, swinging her cast-covered leg around. It was due to come off and Devon had promised his doctor would pay a visit to the island the next week.
He lifted her, carrying her as if she weighed nothing and for once, she let herself enjoy the moment. She relaxed in his arms as they strode through the lobby and directly to a suite of rooms.
He settled her in one then directed the bellboy to the other with his bags. As the young islander unpacked his things, Devon took care of hers. He gently laid her suitcases on the end of the large bed then waited with an expectant look for her to say where she wanted what.
She smiled at his thoughtfulness and started giving directions…
*
The next week, as promised the doctor appeared and sequestered them in her room to remove the cast. When the small saw had cut through the plaster, she grimaced and closed her eyes. She didn’t want to know what would lay underneath.
A crack filled the room and moments later she felt the cool air touch her skin for the first time since the accident. The doctor moved away but she still didn’t open her eyes.
“You can look now, Ms. Hoyle,” the older man’s voice filled her senses. “It’s not as bad as you might think.”
She finally gave in when curiosity got the better of her. Slowly she cracked one eye then the other and looked down…
The doctor was right; it wasn’t as bad as she had imagined it would be. A long scar knitted together down the length of her leg. It was pink around the edges still, and she gave a wince at its tenderness when her fingers played along the surface. Her leg was thinner that it should have been but after several months under plaster that was to be expected. She knew that physical therapy would bulk the muscles back to their former state. For the most part that was the extent of damage to that leg. She sighed and let a tentative smile play at her lips.
“See, not so bad,” he said with a smile of his own. “I would guess, with some time and fresh air, even that will fade to nothing,” he told her, his smile widening. “Now, let’s see to the rest of you, shall we?”
She sighed, but nodded, bolstered by the lack of damage to her leg. She held up the worst arm and closed her eyes again as the doctor slowly began to peel away the white bandages. She’d never looked when the doctors or nurses had changed them before and now that they were coming off, she still didn’t have the courage to open her eyes.
She felt the cool air from the resort hitting her skin in small increments and was surprised she could feel much at all. The doctors had told her the nerve damage to one arm was extensive and she might not regain much sensation…even after she was fully healed. But laying there, eyes tightly closed, she felt the brush of the doctor’s fingers and the air as he unwrapped the cloth.
Bit by bit, he exposed the mangled remains and sighed. It wasn’t a good sound to her ears and her eyes flew open to lock with his. “What?”
“Well, to be honest it’s not as bad as I thought it might be.”
She felt him pick up her arm and start to examine the ruined flesh.
“I had a chance to go over your file and I expected it to be worse,” he said carefully. He took some moments to examine the scared tissue and she shut her eyes again, turning her head away. “It looks to be healing nicely, but I would suggest keeping it covered if you go outside.” He set her arm back on the bedcovers and reached for the other.
Her right arm, the one he’d just examined had been damaged the worst in the fire. The rest of her injuries had come from the initial blast and smoke inhalation. The internal damage had come from the explosion itself and the impact with the wall and the door. The few other burns she had suffered were theorized to have happened in her rescue, when the firemen carried her to safety. So it was when Dr. Serigi removed the bandages on her left arm she didn’t feel as much trepidation. She waited for him to say something and smiled when he spoke.
“I would say that your left arm is going to be just fine,” he admitted and she let out a long sigh of relief.
As he bent to her other leg and began to remove the few bandages on its surface, she lifted the arm and slowly opened her eyes. As with her leg, it wasn’t as bad as she feared, and she let herself look at the wounds closely. Most of them were only second degree burns. But one, on the underside of her forearm, was deep and looked suspiciously like a doorknob.
“Must have been laying against it,” she muttered to herself.
“Did you say something, my dear?” Serigi asked as he continued working on her other leg.
“No,” she said, looking down to give him another tentative smile. “How’s it look?”
“Not bad, not bad at all.”
She looked down again. Another sigh of relief pushed past her lips as the damage to this leg was only minimal. A few spots here and there would scar, certainly, but nothing that wouldn’t fade in the years to come…at least she hoped so. All that was left now was her face. The doctors warned her, because that side of her face had been exposed to most of the heat and flames, it was the worst of the surface damage she’d suffered. She took a shaky breath, closed her eyes and nodded slowly. She’d not so much looked in a mirror in the hospital or since coming into Devon’s care, and as he removed the bandages, she knew why.
His soft intake of breath told her all she needed to know…
But the Doctor tried. “Would you like to see?”
She kept her eyes closed and shook her head. “No, but thank you,” she returned. “A—are they healing okay?”
Serigi took her chin in his fingers and turned it this way and that. “They are. But I should warn you, it’s not a very pretty sight,” he said honestly.
She gulped, hard. “I know.”
“There is plastic surgery, though.” He went on confidently. “I think once everything has healed fully, it would alleviate most of the damage.”
She opened her eyes. “Thank you, Doctor Serigi. I appreciate you coming all this way.”
The older man laughed. “My dear, do you honestly think I’d pass up the chance at a second honeymoon with my lovely wife, courtesy of one of my patients?”
“Honeymoon?”
Serigi nodded, smiling. “Devon offered us the use of one of his suites on another floor if I’d come down and look after you.”
She chuckled softly. “Well, thank you nevertheless…whatever the reasons and I hope you and your wife enjoy yourselves while you’re here.”
Serigi nodded again. “Oh, we will, believe me.” He reached over and jotted down his suite number. “If you need anything, please feel free to call me, my dear.”
She knew she’d have to brave a mirror at some point and now was as good a time as any. Heaving herself out of the bed, she reached for the pair of crutches she’d yet to use and slowly hobbled toward the bathroom.
Chapter Fourteen
“Well?” Devon asked anxiously as Serigi exited the room.
Serigi held his classically typical black bag in front of him. “It’s not as bad as I feared it would be. She’s had good care and most of the damage is superficial. The broken leg healed well, so with therapy it should be fine. Her other leg didn’t take near the damage I thought it might have, and her arms, specifically the right one, will be fine given time.”
Devon knew a ‘but’ was coming and he waited silently.
“Her face is in bad shape, Devon,” Serigi supplied after only a slight pause. “From the reports that I read, the basement door on top of her saved her from a lot of the damage, but unfortunately the theories that her face was exposed to the heat and the flames were correct. The left side,” he paused again and sighed. “It’s bad. There’s extensive damage to not only the tissue, but some of the muscles as well. I just want you to be prepared before you see her again is why I mention it.” The doctor stared into his eyes for a long moment as if searching for something. “If you really care for that young lady in there, use those skills that made you famous and act like it’s not a big deal.”
Serigi was the second person in the last weeks that thought he was so shallow that Adrian’s looks would make a difference. The truth of it was he found her beautiful…in all ways; at least in all the ways that mattered.
“I’ll do my best,” he said softly, then shook the older man’s hand, showing him out of the suite.
*
He waited a day, giving her time to settle in. He knocked on the connecting door and waited.
“Come in.”
He opened the door and strode confidently into the room. He’d decided after Serigi had left that no matter how bad it looked he would never let it show. He smiled at her as he eased on to the bed, his smile never wavering even after he got his first good look at the damage. “Good morning.”
It was bad…as bad as the doctor had said, and for just a moment he was thankful for his years of acting experience. “I thought you might like to have breakfast out on the balcony this morning. Do you feel strong enough to get there on your own, or would you like me to carry you?”
Adrian’s surprise was clearly written on her face when he acted like nothing was wrong. “I—I can make it.”
He rose off the bed with a nod. “Good,” he said, the smile never slipping. “It’ll be ready by the time you get there.”
With that said he spun on a heel and left her to dress and make her own way. He’d also decided the previous evening that he wasn’t going to coddle her. She needed to get on her feet, needed to know she could do things on her own again and most of all needed to know that he hadn’t brought her to the South Pacific out of pity.
She appeared in the doorway a few moments after he’d sat down and he smiled at her again. He poured them juice, milk and coffee and waited for her to settle in a chair. “I thought you might like to see some of the island later on in the week,” he said, taking the cover off her plate and digging into his own. “I booked us on a fishing trip, a cruise around some of the bays and a whale-watching run.” He smiled over the rim of his coffee. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“N—No, I—I don’t mind,” she stammered slightly.
Devon couldn’t help but smile to himself, hoping she would realize he didn’t mind being ‘seen’ with her in public.
*
And it worked…
Over the next several weeks they went everywhere together. The beach…deep-sea fishing…whale watching…swimming…
They partook in all of the island’s offerings. Fortunately the resort he’d chosen catered to celebrities and they were never questioned or looked at twice by any of the natives. It was as if the two of them were nothing more than a normal couple enjoying a vacation.
As they strolled along the beach early one morning, Devon took a chance. Reaching for her hand, he gave her a tentative smile and intertwined their fingers, sighing softly when she didn’t pull away.
“Are you enjoying your stay?” he asked as they meandered along.
She nodded in the early morning light. “I am.”
“I’m glad.”
She moved just a step closer to him, squeezing his fingers. “Me too.”
In the sunshine, fresh air and stress free environment, Adrian recovered quickly. With physical therapy she gained strength every day and by the end of the first month, could walk without the aid of a cane or crutch. Her skin, from all their activities began to take on a healthy glow. The scars began to fade, bit by bit and Devon found himself falling deeper and deeper in love with her.
He loved her smile…when she gave it. Loved her laugh even more and found they shared much of the same quirky sense of humor. He loved her quick mind, the way it could take a problem, analyze it and come to a suitable solution within moments. He told her as much one day as they shared lunch during a fishing trip.
“Have you always had such a quick mind?” he asked as he spread out a blanket and began to unpack the picnic provided by the resort.
Adrian chuckled and eased herself down on the bow of the boat. “I think so,” she admitted, though she wasn’t bragging. She grabbed a piece of fried chicken and took a bite before expanding on the answer. “I learned early on in life that I had to entertain myself.” She took in a deep breath and her normally icy blue eyes warmed as she spoke. “The nannies tried, they did, but most of the time my parents hired older women, which didn’t leave me a whole lot of options.”
A bit of pity flashed across his heart. “Was it tough?” Now that he’d gotten her loosened up enough to talk about her past, he didn’t want her to shut down again.
She nibbled at the chicken. “Sometimes.” She paused and for just a moment he thought she might not go on, but she did. “When I was little, I used to dream that I was a lawyer. I would pretend to divorce my family, take all their money and leave them cold and alone on the streets,” she admitted, dropping her gaze away.
He reached out and tucked a strand of her new hair back behind an ear, letting his fingers linger on her cheek. When she didn’t immediately look up, he crooked a finger under her chin and gently forced the issue. “Was it that bad?”
She shrugged. “I don’t suppose so. I’m thankful my parents never physically abused me,” she said softly. “But their refusal to acknowledge me was sometimes worse.”
The meal was forgotten and he leaned over to softly kiss her lips then leaned his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry.”
She chuckled. “I’m not,” she said in a cool tone. “They made me into the person I am.”
He pulled away with a smile of his own. “The Ice Queen?”
She nodded and lifted a bottle of water in mock salute. “The Ice Queen.”
*
The kiss had shocked her. It wasn’t even a real kiss, but the tenderness he’d shown was something she wasn’t accustomed to. Later on that evening, as she lay in bed, she reached up and touched her lips. Closing her eyes, she relived the brief moment and a tingle spread across her skin.
What was it about Devon Varick that attracted her so? Aside from his obvious good looks and nice body, there was something more…something else about the man that was cracking through her cold, impenetrable shell. She couldn’t put her finger on it though, couldn’t name it and it was frustrating.
The more time they spent together, the stronger the pull became. At the oddest times in the last month she’d found herself wanting to do things for him. Two weeks ago was the perfect example. They’d gone on a private picnic to the far side of the island. He’d rented a Jeep and driven them into the wild vegetation.
It’d taken them nearly an hour to get there and by the time they’d arrived at the beautifully secluded beach she was sore and hot. Normally she would have groused about it, but that day she’d remained quiet, calm and comfortable despite the bouncing of the Jeep and the heat.
She crawled out, her eyes widening at the tiny little nook of heaven created by tall cliffs of rock. She smiled happily at the pristine white beach. Without thinking, she’d grabbed up the basket and headed off. By the time a shocked Devon had arrived to join her, she had the picnic laid out and was easing onto the blanket. She filled a plate for him, handing it over then started on her own.
She hadn’t realized it until much later what she’d done and at first it had bothered her. At least until she caught herself cooking them a meal about a week later. She couldn’t remember why he’d left but when he’d gotten back, dinner was ready.
The suite had a small kitchenette, one he’d kept stocked and she’d managed to weave together an exotic meal of macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, chips and beer. She wasn’t the cook that Devon was…probably never would be, but it was the effort and he’d appreciated it with beaming praise and a wide smile.
She pillowed her head on a hand and let her mind drift…
She smiled as she remembered him interacting with the island’s native children. When they’d wander the markets of the small town, the youngsters would follow along with happy smiles as he bought them candy, trinkets and toys. He always made sure each child, from youngest to oldest, had something during their trips and she couldn’t help but see what a good father he would make someday.
She remembered the time they’d come upon an older woman in her booth, struggling to move a heavy loom from one side to the other. Men moved all around them but none had stopped to help…save Devon.
Without thinking he’d moved aside the curtain to the stall, entered and lifted the equipment then waited for her to direct him. The woman had given him a toothless grin and nodded happily when it was right where she wanted it. She smiled to Adrian next and looked over her wares. She picked out a beautiful blue and white throw blanket and passed it out of the stall.
