you."
His fingers burned against her
skin. It was a heat that went much deeper than the moment. "I came to California to find out if I am more than my gift. But it's so integral to what I feel and
think and see. Maybe I can never separate myself from it."
"Maybe you shouldn't
try."
Nathan's voice and touch tugged at
her heart the way no other man's ever had. Fighting their pull was becoming
more and more difficult.
Thankfully he leaned away, stood,
and took their dishes into the kitchen. When he returned, he held an
electronic tablet in his hand. "I'd like you to look at this."
As Nathan handed her the device,
Gillian leaned forward. It was a map of France.
"I thought looking at it might
give you a sense of where the girls are."
He always talked about the girls,
not Leona. Did he think of her when he thought of Dana and Maddie? As Nathan
towered over Gillian, his expression intent, she realized she cared about how
much he thought of his ex-wife. A warning bell went off in her head, and she
bit her lower lip.
Focusing on the map, she followed
her instincts, wondering why she hadn't thought of this. Too interested in
what was happening between her and Nathan? Her finger went to a particular
spot. "There."
Nathan asked, "Have you ever been
to France?"
She shook her head.
"Studied France?"
She shook her head again. "I
studied Spanish."
He almost smiled. "The area
you just pointed out is where the Chateau des Fleurs is located. I suppose
Leona and the girls could still be in that area somewhere."
"I wish I could tell you
more..."
As her voice trailed off, he took
the tablet from her hands. "I'm pressuring you."
"You want answers. I'm sorry
I can't give them."
He laid the device on the counter.
"We both need to relax. How about a swim?"
"I don't know..."
"It's a beautiful night."
"It's getting dark," she
murmured.
"The pool has lights."
She didn't know why she was
fighting the idea. Sure, you do. Her mind formed a picture of Nathan in a
bathing suit, and her insides quivered.
He waited for her answer.
What would they do if they didn't
swim? "I've never been in a pool at night. It'll be a new
experience." She pushed her chair away from the table and stood.
"I'll go change."
#
A few stars twinkled in the
darkening sky as Nathan lowered himself to the edge of the pool. He had
suggested they swim, hoping he'd cool off. Standing close to Gillian, sitting
close to her without wanting to touch and kiss her was getting more and more
difficult. The urge to pull her into his arms was strong. Too strong.
The sliding glass doors opened, and
Gillian stepped onto the patio. Even though a lacy white oversize shirt
covered her from shoulders to knees, his body tightened as he glimpsed her
curves molded by the white one-piece suit underneath. So much for cooling off.
With an uncertain smile, she asked,
"How's the water?"
"The solar cover keeps it
warm. It's just right."
She opened the gate and came into
the pool area, unfastening one button and then another.
Nathan slid into the water so Gillian
wouldn't see what was happening to his body. "So why didn't you ever
learn to swim?"
After tossing her cover-up onto a
chair, she came to the steps. "When I was little, I was out on the lake
in a canoe with two older cousins. They started horsing around and the canoe
tipped over. The safety pillow I'd been sitting on fell out of reach. I went
under a couple of times before my cousin Jim pulled me to a raft. After that,
I sat on the edge of the dock. I didn't go in the water."
"You must have missed out on
fun in the summers. Didn't your friends tease you?"
"Deep River isn't Los Angeles, Nathan. When a group of us went to the pool, we gossiped and watched boys.
We didn't care about the breast stroke or the crawl."
He cocked his head. "You
watched boys, huh? The same way boys watch girls?"
"I'm not sure. Exactly how do
boys watch
His fingers burned against her
skin. It was a heat that went much deeper than the moment. "I came to California to find out if I am more than my gift. But it's so integral to what I feel and
think and see. Maybe I can never separate myself from it."
"Maybe you shouldn't
try."
Nathan's voice and touch tugged at
her heart the way no other man's ever had. Fighting their pull was becoming
more and more difficult.
Thankfully he leaned away, stood,
and took their dishes into the kitchen. When he returned, he held an
electronic tablet in his hand. "I'd like you to look at this."
As Nathan handed her the device,
Gillian leaned forward. It was a map of France.
"I thought looking at it might
give you a sense of where the girls are."
He always talked about the girls,
not Leona. Did he think of her when he thought of Dana and Maddie? As Nathan
towered over Gillian, his expression intent, she realized she cared about how
much he thought of his ex-wife. A warning bell went off in her head, and she
bit her lower lip.
Focusing on the map, she followed
her instincts, wondering why she hadn't thought of this. Too interested in
what was happening between her and Nathan? Her finger went to a particular
spot. "There."
Nathan asked, "Have you ever been
to France?"
She shook her head.
"Studied France?"
She shook her head again. "I
studied Spanish."
He almost smiled. "The area
you just pointed out is where the Chateau des Fleurs is located. I suppose
Leona and the girls could still be in that area somewhere."
"I wish I could tell you
more..."
As her voice trailed off, he took
the tablet from her hands. "I'm pressuring you."
"You want answers. I'm sorry
I can't give them."
He laid the device on the counter.
"We both need to relax. How about a swim?"
"I don't know..."
"It's a beautiful night."
"It's getting dark," she
murmured.
"The pool has lights."
She didn't know why she was
fighting the idea. Sure, you do. Her mind formed a picture of Nathan in a
bathing suit, and her insides quivered.
He waited for her answer.
What would they do if they didn't
swim? "I've never been in a pool at night. It'll be a new
experience." She pushed her chair away from the table and stood.
"I'll go change."
#
A few stars twinkled in the
darkening sky as Nathan lowered himself to the edge of the pool. He had
suggested they swim, hoping he'd cool off. Standing close to Gillian, sitting
close to her without wanting to touch and kiss her was getting more and more
difficult. The urge to pull her into his arms was strong. Too strong.
The sliding glass doors opened, and
Gillian stepped onto the patio. Even though a lacy white oversize shirt
covered her from shoulders to knees, his body tightened as he glimpsed her
curves molded by the white one-piece suit underneath. So much for cooling off.
With an uncertain smile, she asked,
"How's the water?"
"The solar cover keeps it
warm. It's just right."
She opened the gate and came into
the pool area, unfastening one button and then another.
Nathan slid into the water so Gillian
wouldn't see what was happening to his body. "So why didn't you ever
learn to swim?"
After tossing her cover-up onto a
chair, she came to the steps. "When I was little, I was out on the lake
in a canoe with two older cousins. They started horsing around and the canoe
tipped over. The safety pillow I'd been sitting on fell out of reach. I went
under a couple of times before my cousin Jim pulled me to a raft. After that,
I sat on the edge of the dock. I didn't go in the water."
"You must have missed out on
fun in the summers. Didn't your friends tease you?"
"Deep River isn't Los Angeles, Nathan. When a group of us went to the pool, we gossiped and watched boys.
We didn't care about the breast stroke or the crawl."
He cocked his head. "You
watched boys, huh? The same way boys watch girls?"
"I'm not sure. Exactly how do
boys watch
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