lifted her face into the wind briefly before boarding an elevator with Darren.
“Everyone seems really excited,” she said.
“They are,” Darren assured her. “It’s a great ship and it’s always fun to go out on the first cruise.”
Probably would be, she thought and told herself that one day she’d have to try it. Right now, sitting on an island beach with nothing to do sounded pretty good.
She had no idea what deck they were on when the elevator stopped and they stepped off into a luxurious hallway. But it was quiet with none of the eager abandon down on the main decks. Darren led her to a door at the end of the hall, then opened it for her.
“Mr. Buchanan said you should just go on inside, ma’am,” he said, then strode quickly away, back to the elevator.
Rita walked into the massive suite, closed the door behind her and for a second, all she could do was stare with her mouth open. It was more than elegant. It was opulent.
Midnight blue carpeting was so plush her feet sank into it. There was a huge living area, with a flat-screen TV, an electric fireplace and several couches and chairs all done in cream-colored fabric. There was a bar, and out on the private balcony, she could see a table and chairs as well as lounges.
She’d love to get a look at the rest of the suite before she left, but for right now... “Thomas?”
Someone stepped into the room from the terrace, but it wasn’t Thomas. Even before he spoke, she knew it was Jack because her blood started bubbling and her heart leaped into a gallop.
“Thanks for coming, Rita,” Jack said.
She backed up. Cowardly, yes; she’d be embarrassed later. “What’re you doing here? Where’s your father?”
“That’s the thing. He’s not here. I asked him to call you for me, since I figured you wouldn’t speak to me anyway.”
“You were right about that,” she snapped and turned for the door. She had to get out of there. Off the ship, back to the bakery.
But Jack was too fast and his legs were much longer than hers. He beat her to the door and stood with his back against it, blocking her way.
“Move, Jack.”
“Not yet.”
“You really don’t want to push me right now,” she warned, though she didn’t know what she could do to move him if he didn’t want to be moved. Gina would kick him, but Rita just wasn’t the kicking kind. Too bad.
“Just hear me out. Then if you want to leave, I won’t stop you.”
“Why should I?”
One corner of his mouth quirked up and her heart thudded painfully in her chest. “Because you’re curious. Admit it.”
She hated that he was right. Hated that he could make her body burn with a half smile and hated that just standing this close to him made her want to lean in and take a bite of his lower lip. “Fine. Talk.”
He shook his head. “Not here. Come in. Sit down.”
When he took her arm, she pulled free of his grasp. She didn’t trust herself to stay mad if he was touching her and she really wanted to stay mad. She’d earned it, hadn’t she?
“No,” she said. “I’m not sitting down. I’m not staying. Just say whatever it is you want said and get it over with.” She felt a little wobbly. Too many emotions churning inside at the same time. Didn’t he know how hard this was for her? Didn’t he care at all? Shaking her hair back, she said, “Unless you’ve brought me here to declare undying love, then just let me go, okay?”
“That’s why you’re here,” he said softly.
“What?” She couldn’t have heard him right, Rita told herself. Jack wouldn’t have said that unless he had another agenda. “What’re you saying, Jack?”
“I love you.”
She swayed in place and he instinctively reached out one hand to steady her. Tears blurring her vision, Rita slapped at his hand. “No, you don’t. You’re just telling me what you think I want to hear.”
Irritation bloomed on his face. “I should have known you wouldn’t react the way I expected you to. You’ve always surprised me, so why should now be any different?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m trying to tell you that I was wrong. That I love you. That I want you—but if you’re not going to believe me why bother?”
“I didn’t say I didn’t believe you—” She broke off, stared up into his eyes and saw, along with sparks of exasperation, the love she’d always hoped to see. “You love me?”
“Now will you sit down?” he asked.
“I think I have to,” she said. She was shaking all over and her heart was pounding so quickly it sounded like a frantic drumbeat in her ears.
Once she was perched on the couch, Jack started pacing. He glanced at her and said, “You were right.”
“Always a good start,” she said. “Right about what?”
“Pretty much everything.” He paced away from her, then whirled around and came back. “I was hiding. Not just from pain, but from life. I didn’t really see that despite how many of you kept trying to tell me. I guess it’s not easy for a man to admit he’s been a damn coward.”
“I didn’t say you were a coward.”
“No,” he agreed, “that’s one thing you didn’t say. But it’s true anyway. Hell, Rita, seeing Kevin again, it shook me. Then the wedding, him and Lisa, you and me... It was like an overload or something. My brain just exploded.”
“So you told me to leave.”
“It seemed like the right thing to do at the time—”
She started to speak but he cut her off for a change.
“—but it wasn’t. Damn it Rita, I’ve missed you. Your voice, your scent, the taste of you. Hell, I miss that loud laugh of yours so much I keep thinking I hear it echo around me.”
“Loud?” she repeated.
He grinned. “Loud. And sexy as hell.”
Rita took a breath and held it, really hoping this was going to keep going the way she wanted it to.
“That day in the desert almost finished me and did a hell of a lot more to Kevin.” Jack stopped pacing, stared into her eyes and said, “But he got past it. Moved the hell on, found a life, while I was still stuck in the past, trying to rewrite history.”
“Oh, Jack.” She was glad to hear that he had done some thinking, but she hated hearing him put himself down like this, too. It was, she thought, the way of family. I can call my sister names but if you do it, we
