Page 68 of Death

Turning her head away from me so I can’t see her face growing red, she mumbles, “I’m just going to make sure you eat and drink and rest and…you know, things like that.”

Another chuckle bursts from me. “I’d like that very much.” I tug at her hair. “But I’d like it even more if you looked at me.”

She shakes her head. “No. I’m looking at the view.”

“There’s nothing but water. I’m a better view,” I tease her, feeling completely relaxed.

“Stop,” she mutters, turning her back to me.

I wrap my arm around her front and pull her backward so she can lean against me.

She takes hold of my arm and rubs her cheek against my bicep.

I press a kiss to her hair, then I ask, “Have you thought about your future?”

She nods.

“Want to share those thoughts with me?”

Ciara’s quiet for a while before saying, “Grace just had a baby, so she must be very busy.” She pauses for a moment, then adds, “And she’s married. I don’t know Dominik. When I met him, the marriage was arranged between him and me, and he was terrifying.” She falls silent, and I patiently wait for her to continue. “I don’t think I’ll be able to live with them.”

“You can always use one of the apartments in the main building. It’s right across from Grace’s house,” I tell her, wanting her to be aware of all the options available to her.

She shakes her head, and turning in my arms, she presses close against my side and rests her cheek against my chest. “I’ll see how things go with Grace. She’ll probably insist that I stay with her.”

I lean my head closer to hers, my lips a breath away from her hair. “Is that what you want?”

“I don’t know,” she admits.

When she says nothing else, I drop the subject and stare out over the water.

Chapter 20

CIARA

Santiago helps me off the yacht, and I grip his hand tightly as he leads me up stairs that are made from stone. It actually looks like they’ve been carved into the side of a cliff.

Wearing a pair of jeans and a pretty blouse, I hope I look okay. I freshened up on the yacht, but I worry that I should’ve put more effort into my appearance.

I want to look my best, so Grace won’t worry about me. I’m even wearing socks that reach all the way to my knees to make sure the scars around my ankles don’t show.

My heart beats faster and faster, and as we begin to walk down a path, I tug on Santiago’s hand. “Wait!”

He stops immediately, and seeing the panic on my face, he moves in front of me. “Breathe,mi pequeño sol.” He gives my hand a squeeze. “I’m right here.”

I nod and try to calm my nerves.

When I blow the air slowly over my lips, he asks, “Ready?”

As ready as I’ll ever be.

“Yes.” We continue to walk, and I try to focus on the tropical scenery around me. I hear water, and when we cross over a wooden bridge, I look over the side at the stream below.

During the call, I saw a stream behind Grace.

My heart sets off at a crazy pace again, and as we come around a bend, a big building stands straight ahead, and to my left is a house. The architecture is Asian, blending seamlessly with the surrounding plants and trees.

“Ciara!” Grace shouts, and only then do I see her as she runs over a bridge that leads to the house. She’s wearing a long white dress that hangs loose on her body and sandals.