Cinderella Search by Gill Judy Griffith;

Author:Gill, Judy Griffith; [Gill, Judy Griffith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 1808640
Publisher: Open Road Media
Published: 2012-10-31T23:52:00+00:00

Chapter Six

STEVE USED HIS ROOM key to open the side door of the inn and stepped silently inside. It was nearly three o’clock in the morning and everyone was sleeping. He’d spent the evening aboard a sailboat moored at the marina, visiting with a congenial couple he’d met at the inn. They were on the last leg of a round-the-world cruise, and had many fine tales to tell. Each time he’d made to leave, they’d urged him to stay and opened another bottle of wine.

The last couple of hours, he’d declined the wine, but continued to enjoy the stories. Even after leaving them, though, he hadn’t felt ready for bed, so he went for a walk, enjoying the whisper of the breeze in the branches of the firs, cedars, and the big madrona tree and the starry beauty of the night sky. He knew he should be tired considering the hour, to say nothing of a day spent giving kids pointers on archery, helping restring homemade bows and helping to weight homemade arrows, but he wasn’t.

He felt as if he’d never want to sleep again. What he wanted to do was relive those crazy moments he’d spent with Lissa. Maybe that was why he’d kept himself so busy all day and half the night, to try to keep thoughts of her, memories, at bay.

But, when he was alone, they came crowding in. He eased the door shut, making sure it was securely locked. Then, as he turned, he saw the glow of a lamp in the lounge. It cast a circle of light over Lissa’s dark hair, sending shafts of copper, topaz and mahogany through it. She held a book on her lap, but gazed up at him. She rose to her feet and met him as he came down the last step into the lounge.

Tonight, her skirt was shorter, just above her knees, and she wore a sleeveless blouse with it. Her feet were bare, her braid slightly frayed, but her eyes glowed with a luminosity that spoke of things he wanted to hear. Her scent rose to him, tightening his throat. He’d avoided her since that morning’s episode aboard her boat, knowing they both needed space. But the time for that was over.

“Hi.” She sounded as if she was experiencing the same kind of difficulty he was in getting oxygen to her lungs. Maybe she, too, had done some hard thinking. “Busy?”

She shook her head.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” If she wanted to escape, he wanted to give her the opportunity. Wanted to? No! But he knew he should. What he wanted was to rush her, to rush with her into a hot love affair and maybe more.

“I did,” she said. “For a while.”

He took a step closer. “And then?”

He watched her swallow. “And then I woke up. You’re out late.”

He told her where he’d been. “After I left them, I went for a walk and … thought.”

“Oh.”

“I think we need to talk,” he said.

For a long moment, she continued to gaze at him.

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