Don't Tempt Me by Julie Ortolon

Author:Julie Ortolon
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: award-winning author, Man-Woman Relationships, Uncles, Texas author, Contemporary, General, Romance, USA award-winning author, Galveston Island (Tex.), Pirate treasure, Galveston Island, Fiction, Corpus Christi Bay (Tex.), Contemporary romance, Love Stories
ISBN: 9780312983499
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2004-01-29T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

"Believe in me," Adrian had said. "No matter what happens, I'll be here for you."

The words haunted Jackie throughout the night, making her battle the covers, until finally she gave up on sleep. Rising before daybreak, she dressed in shorts and slipped quietly from her cabin. A predawn hush lay over the island as she headed down the beach toward the jogging trail.

Even then, Adrian's words hounded her at every step. "Trust me. Trust me. Trust me." His voice matched the rhythm of her feet, sounding more like her father each time. "Trust me, kid, everything's going to be all right."

Ironically, he'd always said that just before they had to scramble to escape arrest by some port authority. Sometimes they managed to sail away in the nick of time, but twice they'd forfeited their boat and everything on it. The shock of loss never quite left her, to have all her personal belongings snatched away without warning.

And here was Adrian asking her to trust that some disaster wasn't waiting just ahead. Or that if disaster did strike, he wouldn't bail out on her as other friends had.

Oddly, though, she wanted to believe him with a depth of yearning that frightened her.

She picked up her pace, trying to outrun memories of the past and current temptation. She pushed herself harder as she finished her first lap around the island and started a second. She ran until her legs ached and her lungs burned.

"No matter what happens, I'll be here for you."

You will not, she silently railed, her heart pounding louder than the crunch of gravel beneath her shoes. Don't believe him, don't believe him, don't believe him.

Her own words finally drowned his out just as a stitch started in her side. She stumbled to a stop and bent forward with her hands braced on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath. Her head felt ready to explode, but at least the urge to trust Adrian's good intentions had vanished. Which proved she could outrun anything if she ran far enough and long enough.

Pressing a hand to her side, she straightened so she could walk and cool down.

"I was wondering how long you'd last at that pace," a voice said from the woods.

With a shriek, she turned to find she'd stopped before one of the bungalows. Carl Ryder sat on the porch steps wearing a black wet suit and drinking a cup of coffee. So much for outrunning the things that chased her.

"How long ... have you ... been out here?" she panted.

"About three laps. Are you training for a marathon?"

"No, just ... running." She motioned toward his body. "You planning to dive in the dark?"

"If I thought it would keep the press away, I might do exactly that." He glanced skyward. "Except it's not exactly dark anymore."

She looked up as well and found the eastern sky had lightened to a clear azure with a blaze of orange. "So it isn't. Which means it's time I got back to my ship.

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