A Masterpiece Of Our Love (The Masterpiece Trilogy Book 1) (10 page)

This time, nothing stopped them. All he had to do was say something. He needed to tell her how he felt. He could at least give her a chance to tell him no before chalking it up as a lost cause.

Just enjoy the time you have with her and leave it alone. What good are you to anyone right now?

*****

Becca didn't know what, but something seemed to be bothering Hunter. Most likely it just had to do with being exhausted and figuring out the boat dilemma, but she had a feeling it was more than that. She wasn't about to pry, so she hoped he'd talk about it. That, or she needed to tell her overactive mind to be quiet.

She sighed in relief when they stepped back on the main island. She stood beside Hunter as they thanked Shane. Before they'd climbed off the boat, Hunter handed something to Shane. It looked like a card. He'd asked the man to give it to the owner of the house and that he'd send them something. What had he meant by that?

"I'm thinking of showering, cleaning up and then heading back to the marina to deal with the boat," Hunter informed her. "You want to head down with me, or just stay in your room to relax?"

"I'll come down with you," she responded quickly. Loose strands of her hair tickled her nose, and she pushed them away. Hunter hadn't stopped looking her over. His gaze swept over her, focusing somewhere low. Was he looking at her legs to see if her knees were swollen? When it rained, she had the worst pain flare-ups. So far, she'd fared somewhat lucky, but if asked, she wouldn't deny they did hurt. Becca put a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "I'm fine, Hunter. I know you're looking to see how my knees are." She shot him a smile to let him know she appreciated his concern.

His eyes narrowed before he let out a laugh. "I think you know me a little too well." He threw her comment from earlier back at her. "You know I worry about you," he said gently.

"And you know I appreciate it." A gust of wind blew across the marina, spraying droplets of ocean water upon unsuspecting tourists. "Looks like we're in for another windy and possibly stormy day. How about we go and clean up, then find out about that boat before another storm rolls in."

Hunter turned toward the water for a moment before nodding. "Sounds like a plan. Why don't we meet at the main entrance in a half hour. Is that enough time to freshen up?"

"More than enough." They made their way back to Range's. Becca couldn't wait to get out of these clothes and into something cleaner. She had to charge her phone and check for messages, too. As the inn came into her line of view, she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"I echo that sentiment." Hunter chuckled. "What a night." They entered Range's and headed for the elevator. As the doors enclosed them in the small space, he turned to her again. Gently touching her face, Hunter inched closer. "Bec, I feel like we should talk about that kiss. That's the second time we've kissed and this year, I don't want to walk away without talking about it."

So that was still bothering him. And second kiss? So he did remember what happened four years ago. Well, shoot! She felt the heat rush to her face. She was so not ready to talk about this yet.

"It was just a kiss," she said softly. "We were caught up in the moment." Just a kiss? Oh, that was the wrong way to describe it. Hunter's kiss was on another level of amazing. She didn't know how to put it into words. She could get lost in a kiss like that under an umbrella in the rain. Or standing by the ocean while the sun set as the chilly waves danced around their feet.

Just like that, the room filled with an unseen energy charge between her and Hunter. What was that all about? She melted inside as his lips parted. What stopped her from kissing him again was the elevator. It jerked to a stop, signaling the arrival on her floor. The doors pulled apart.

"I'd better go," she muttered, tearing her gaze away from his face. She whirled and bolted, unsure of what to make of the tension she'd just felt. It wasn't the bad kind, not at all. It was the I-want-to-do-something-crazy-with-you kind.

Before the doors closed, she heard Hunter's quiet words. "It was more than just a kiss."

Back in her room, she leaned against the closed door and sank to the floor, touching her lips as if she could feel Hunter's still on them from yesterday. His voice echoed inside her head with his last comment. Yes, it was more than just a kiss.

For the past twenty years, Hunter had been her friend and mentor. On many occasions, he had been her protector and voice of reason. He was the one who knew her weakness and fears, yet still loved her despite them.

Four years ago, something changed. And this year, it seemed to evolve. She had to push it out of her mind when he fell out of contact. She'd left it alone.

Until now.

Could it be they were both overly sensitive at making it through another storm ravaged accident and they were having mixed feelings, or could it be so much more?

Remembering the half hour time frame they'd set, she rose back to her feet, wincing at the way her knees trembled. She pulled the phone from her purse and plugged it into the charger.

After a ten minute long hot shower, Becca felt refreshed again. Hair wrapped up in a towel, she grabbed another one and wrapped it around herself. Time to find something to wear.

Within minutes, she was dressed. She ran a brush through her hair and grabbed a clip she'd left on the bathroom counter the last time she'd been in her room and studied herself in the mirror. She already looked much better. Too bad she was still groggy, sore, and achy. Another few nights of good rest and she'd be good as new.

She grabbed her purse and stared at her phone. It hadn't been long enough to charge. Oh well. She may as well leave it and just go meet Hunter. Beeca stopped in surprise at the door when she'd noticed something on the floor. A thin white envelope had been been shoved under the door. What was that all about? A note from Hunter maybe? She bent to pick it up and rushed out of the room in order to not be late. She'd check it in a little while.

Hunter paced in circles but stopped as he caught sight of her. He had a deep scowl as if something were wrong. He never gave her time to get to him. He practically ran toward her and stared down at something. Before she could say anything, Hunter reached for the envelope. "You got one too?" he asked, his voice strangled.

"One what? I don't know what it is. Wait ... too? What are you saying?" Becca was confused. Her heart thumped against her ribcage wildly.

"It looks exactly like the one I just got!" Hunter grunted, tearing open her envelope. She didn't even have time to think and wonder why he was opening her letter. He swore under his breath and pulled a crumpled up piece of paper from his pocket and put the two side by side.

Curious, Becca craned her neck to look. She gasped. Both letters had the same message.

Happy reunion, Rebecca and Hunter. Hope you'll enjoy another reunion soon. With me. I remember it all.

Becca's skin turned ghostly white. Hunter slipped an arm around her to ensure that she didn't fall. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know, but I sure as hell don't like it. Bec, what if this person is here and was the one that messed with the boat?" He was acting paranoid. That just couldn't be! But if the anonymous sender knew they were here, why was it so hard to believe they could have done that as well? In this case, he'd prefer himself losing his mind and not tying up that boat properly over someone trying to sabotage them. "Let's go see about the boat and what we can do, then I'm going to have a chat with the front desk people at Range's. Someone knows our room numbers, our whereabouts..." He'd come here to get away from trouble, not have it follow him here! He folded both notes and handed Becca's back to her. "Sorry I opened yours and didn't even give you a chance." He felt bad. He'd reacted without thinking. With a nod, she dropped it into her purse without a second glance. Hunter raked a hand through his hair, trying to gather his thoughts. Now more than ever he didn't want to let Becca out of his sight.

Who would send such a letter? Why? And what the hell did it mean? He walked briskly to the marina and realized he should probably wait for Becca to catch up. He stopped and turned to her. He frowned when he noticed her limp. "Is the ankle still bothering you, or is it your knees?" he asked quietly when she caught up to him.

She bit her lip. "Little of both."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Hunter, I spent years in a wheelchair. I don't always want to sit back," she snapped. Immediately, her hand flew to her mouth. "Dang it, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be jumping all over you."

She was just on edge. Becca pretty much never snapped at anyone, especially him. He brushed his fingers gently over her shoulder, moving to her cheek. "I know. I shouldn't hover so much either. You're a good judge of what you can and can't do. I need not try and undermine your decisions. Forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive. We're both pretty worn out and on edge, with good reason." A smile tugged at her lips. He wanted to lean over and kiss them again. His pulse quickened at that thought. Now he couldn't stop thinking about her lips and kissing her? What's gotten into him? In silence, Hunter took her hand. They made their way to the marina and found the small boat rental shack. Inside the worn down building, the musty smell slammed Hunter's nose. The guy should really open up the door and let some air in. It was way too stuffy in the place. Hopefully this would be quick, so they could get out of here. He already felt the heat rush to his face from being too warm. A small box fan was the only slight reprieve. He wrinkled his nose in distaste.

Hunter leaned on the counter and waited for the short, heavyset man behind it to pay attention. When he turned around, the man smiled warmly. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah. We rented a boat yesterday and had a bit of a mishap after we were caught in that surprise storm." Hunter proceeded to tell the man yesterday's events and hope for the best. He hadn't seen the boat so far, but it didn't mean they hadn't moved it elsewhere if someone found it.

With a few clicks on the small computer, the man pulled up their information. "Someone brought the boat in a couple hours ago. There is some damage, but it's not much."

Hunter sighed and pulled out his wallet. He handed the man his business card. "I'll take care of everything once you have an estimate on what it'll cost. I have no problem paying for them."

The man blinked in what Hunter figured was surprise. He picked up the card and studied it. His gaze flicked from the card to Hunter's face, then back down again. He nodded and put the card in a drawer. "Thank you. I'm sure my manager will be in touch." He went back to the computer and rattled off the amount for the boat rental itself. "I won't charge late fees for going over your time. That storm did come up quick. I'll just have those waived."

Hunter guessed the only reason he chose to do that was because they would get a ton of money from him for the boat damages, have someone fix it for cheap and then pocket the rest. It didn't matter. "I appreciate it." He took a quick look at the screen and handed over his credit card. After the transaction was finished, he signed the receipt and put his card back in it's rightful place. "You go ahead and call with that estimate and I'll send a check. Thanks for your time." He nodded at Becca and they turned to leave.

Once outside, Hunter blew out a breath. The breeze felt good on his face. It was nice to be out in fresh air again. How could anyone work in that little shack for hours on end? He sure wouldn't be able to stand it.

"At least they found the boat," Becca said softly. "Do you want me to go half with you on the repair bill?"

"Absolutely not!" Hunter almost yelled, flabbergasted. "No really, it's okay." She'd been about to protest. "Let's get on over to Range's and see what they can tell us about these letters. I'm more than a little rattled about this."

The employees at Range's couldn't seem to tell them a thing. "You mean to tell me that someone can walk in here, find our rooms and just leave notes and no one sees this? Come on, you have no surveillance tapes? No way do I believe you don't even have a little bit of security around here. I know this is a pretty big tourist attraction." Hunter curled his fists as his side.

"Sir-" The petite blonde stared at him with wide eyes as she pursed her lips.

"Look at what this says!" Hunter slapped his crumpled note on the desk. "My friend here got the very same one! Our rooms aren't close to each other at all. There has to be something you can do to look into this." He could start making some serious threats toward Range's, but he hoped it wouldn't come down it. Other than this incident, he'd never had an issue when staying here. An incident like this wouldn't normally boil his blood, but when it came to Becca's and his safety, he'd do whatever he had to do.

The woman stared at the paper and let out a gasp. "You both have one of these?" Her gaze traveled to Becca for confirmation.

Becca pulled her note from her purse and held it up, saying nothing.

"Oh dear," the woman said quietly. "Okay Mr..."

"Mr. Beckman. Hunter Beckman."

She nodded. "Mr. Beckman, I will look into this right away."

Hunter gave the woman a rundown of when they'd been in and out of Range's since he'd been here. His note had not been delivered when he first made it into the room. It had to have been sometime while he was in the shower. He could only guess the same for Becca, but he had no idea. If that were the case, someone had their itinerary and location down to a tee, which scared the shit out of him.

"Please see that you do. I'm upset about being followed and having notes left for us." Hunter narrowed his eyes, sending her a silent message. The young lady swallowed and gave a curt nod. Slightly satisfied, Hunter stalked away from the desk.

"Wait up!" Becca called out from behind him.

He stopped. "I'm sorry. I keep leaving you behind. I'm really agitated over this and I don't always think before I act."

"I know. It's okay."