Page 32 of Beneath the Dawn

She paused and then added, “And coming here to Wild Rose Point was another plus. I’ve discovered that with you, I can be myself without having to pretend to be someone I’m not. When I’m making love with you, I don’t feel anger. I feel pleasure. I don’t feel like getting even, I just feel like…getting it. From you and with you. As much as I can, and as often as I can. In your arms I feel safe and secure. Does that make any sense?”

He reached out and tenderly touched her cheek. “It makes perfect sense.”

She stared into his eyes, needing to see that he meant what he said. When she saw the truth, she couldn’t hold back her gratitude. Sometimes, she thought he knew her better than she knew herself. “You are one of a kind, Dante. Do you know that?”

“Am I?” he asked, smiling.

“Yes.” Needing to show him just how much she appreciated that, she playfully shoved him on his back and proceeded to straddle him.

CHAPTER 12

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the diner with me?” Dante asked Marti.

“I’m sure. I had a big breakfast this morning and I’m really not hungry. Besides, I’m enjoying this book and want to finish it.”

“Do you want me to bring you anything back?”

She smiled up at him. “A slice of salted honey pie would be nice.”

“That won’t be a problem,” he said, before leaning down and brushing a kiss across her lips. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. I think I’ll get my order to go.”

She chuckled, knowing why he would. “Okay, but I’ll still miss you until you get back.”

He grinned. “That’s what I’m counting on.”

Dante thought about how different the past three weeks had been for him. Sure, he’d been with his fair share of women. But he certainly hadn’t spent the majority of his time with one, basically from sunup to sundown. He wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t been living it. But here he was, spending every moment he could with Marti, and he loved it.

There hadn’t been any more screaming incidents, and so far, she hadn’t shared anything about what had brought that on or why her family thought she was in London. So he decided to accept what she said until he had a reason to do otherwise. She no longer showed signs of fear, even when they spent time on Main Street around others. She seemed comfortable with the people they met and liked having fun.

And he liked her. He liked her a lot.

The one thing he regretted was that she’d be leaving in a little more than a week. He knew how she felt about committed relationships, and she knew the way he felt, too. And they had pretty much decided to hook up again next year in Wild Rose Point. Although neither had spoken those plans out loud, they’d both dropped enough hints. And honestly, there was no reason they should not, since they would most likely still be single and uncommitted.

So why was he finding this so difficult?

Over the past three weeks, they had discovered how compatible they were. Their ‘Things in Common’ list had grown by leaps and bounds. If he hadn’t known better, he might have wondered if she was his soulmate.

But the bottom line was that he did know better. Besides, he didn’t believe in such things, although he knew for a fact that his father had.

Mario had told him more than once that the reason he would never entertain the thought of remarrying was that LaRosa Messina Avera had been his one and only true love. His soulmate. Dante believed it. After all, he’d seen women come on to his father more than once. But although he’d been kind to them, Mario had never taken any of them seriously.

Dante adjusted his aviator sunglasses on his eyes as he drove toward Salty Dog Diner. He was just about to make a turn onto the road that led to Main Street when a guy on a motorcycle sped past him, headed toward the cove. The man wasn’t wearing a helmet—something that was against the law in Oregon. And even more odd was the fact that he was hiding his face behind a mask.

Suddenly, a feeling in the pit of his stomach made Dante slow down. He frowned and wondered about the cause of it. Then he recalled his father’s assertion that he had a sixth sense for detecting trouble or danger. And at that moment, he knew that motorcycle meant trouble.

He quickly made a U-turn, searching for the motorcycle, but didn’t see it anywhere. With a sinking feeling, he knew it had turned onto the private road leading to Lasco Cove. He slammed his foot on the gas pedal as he reached for his phone to call Marti, hoping she had hers with her.

***

Marti closed her book and sighed, basking in the happy ending. She used to love reading romance novels when she’d been in high school and college, but after the incident with Malcolm and his friends, she couldn’t make herself pick up a book unless it was a thriller. The only reason she’d relented and read this novel was because it had been left in her hotel room in New York, and she figured she might as well take it. Now she was glad she had. Although a happy ending would never be hers, other lucky people could have one, people like her sister Kara and her parents. They truly loved the people they had married, and she was incredibly happy for them. She just wasn’t willing to reach for that kind of love again.

She gazed out at the ocean. It was hard to believe that in less than ten days she would be leaving Wild Rose Point. She would miss this place. And she’d miss spending time on the beach, relaxing on Dante’s furniture. It was their private oasis. Sometimes she would come out and enjoy some time alone, reading, listening to music, or just chilling. And other times, he’d join her…and rock her world. They’d had two more beach date nights since the first one, and she loved each and every one of them.

She shifted her gaze to the huge boat docked nearby. Dante had rented it again, promising her another day of fishing. She had rather liked it once she got past the part of putting shrimp on her hook. And since he always cleaned whatever fish they caught and cooked it, she was all in.

Leaning back against the soft cushions of the lounger, she was about to close her eyes and take a nap when her cell phone rang. She recognized the caller--Dante. She dug her cell phone out of her tote bag. He was probably calling to make sure she hadn’t changed her mind about wanting anything from the diner. Or he could be calling because he already missed her. She smiled at the thought of that.

“Yes, Dante?”