Fateful (12 page)

Wondering what time it was, Danielle’s
eyes flew to the alarm clock, which she’d forgotten to set, then
widened in horror.
I’ve got to get
moving!
she thought, when she noticed how late it was.
She sprang from the bed, and forced her body to cooperate while her
muscles continued to protest. It felt like she’d actually been hit
by that lamppost.

Wanting to look nice, she slid one of her
favorite dresses off the hanger. The linen was white and the design
was vintage-inspired. She’d purchased it from a trendy boutique
that blended modern-chic with an antique twist into their fashion.
Of course it was too froufrou for Brianna, but Danielle had an
affinity for things of the past. And it seemed the perfect thing
for a guy like Ethan.

After yanking off her pajamas and donning her
bra, she let the soft fabric glide over her head and then gazed at
herself in the mirror. Her fingers traced the delicate lace trim
and pin-tucking details, then she frowned. “Hmm, maybe this is too
dressy.” Her gaze landed on the denim jacket hanging over the back
of her chair and she reached for it, knowing that would dress it
down. The forecast promised a warm day compared to the day before,
so she selected flats instead of boots.

Danielle could hear Ethan speaking with her
uncle. Why couldn't he be late for once? He’ll have to wait this
time, but her heart fluttered excitedly at the thought of him
actually being there, and she was relieved he hadn’t bailed out.
Finally she’d know who or what she was dating and how it seemed
like they already knew each other.

She gave her hair one more critique, tucked a
rebellious wave behind her ear, and inspected her lip-gloss.
Luckily the bath last night had freshened up her tresses, but just
in case, she misted herself with an eau de toilette that was a
mixture of berries, blooms and musk. She drew one big breath and
let it out slowly as she slipped on her shoes and then left to
descend the stairs, wondering what his reaction would be to her
dress.

Ethan stood from his seated position when he
heard her coming down. Apparently it was something ingrained in
him—always rise when a lady enters a room—another one of his
cultured traits that enchanted her. When she saw his face, a wave
of relief washed over her. She’d never seen that look of total
captivation on his face before, but as she got closer, she was
startled to see deep emotion darken his blue eyes, much like storm
clouds taking over a clear sky.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered as that
strangely welcome wave of dizziness assailed her.

“Nothing,” he chuckled. “Everything is
perfect.” He leaned down to place his lips against her ear. “I
nearly fainted when I saw you coming down dressed in white.” He
straightened, beaming at her in total awe.

The dancing pixies found their way to
her middle again, and—
Why is he so
familiar?
—was the question that continued to slide
through her thoughts. Catching her elbow, he obviously noticed how
she swayed when he made eye contact. Why was he more open with it
now, compared to last night?

“Am I over dressed?” Still thinking the
difference between last night and now was puzzling, she stroked her
dress to make sure it was laying flat. It was an unnecessary
action, it didn’t need it.

“No. You’re absolutely breathtaking. Shall we
go?” he suggested, lifting her hand and slipping it around his
arm.

“Yes,” she breathed. She must have stared
into his alluring eyes a little too long because she was pretty
much whirling now. Clearly, Ethan remained aware of this because he
let her lean on him as he led her to his Jaguar. Danielle realized
then … he knew that he made her feel dizzy and he must know
why.

Once they were seated, she asked, “Where are
we going?”

“We’re going to the place I grew up, my
childhood home.”

“That sounds nice. Is it far?” Anxious to
finally get answers, Danielle didn’t want to wait much longer. If
she could get him to spill it now—that would have suited her.

“Not really.”

Danielle frowned at his vague reply, as he
reached over to hold her hand. He must have been sensing her
impatience. He glanced at her while he interlaced his fingers with
hers, his eyes raking over every inch of her. “Did I mention you
look lovely today?”

“Yes, you mentioned it…”
Don’t change the subject!
“I mean
how long will it take us to get there?” Danielle asked pleasantly,
hoping he didn’t notice her teeth grinding.

Ethan chuckled softly. “Patience, mon
chérie.”

“That’s French. What does that mean?”

“Patience,
my
darling
.”

“Right, that’s what I thought.”

“Then why did you ask?” He chuckled again,
but his words remained kind, patient.

“I was just making sure.” Danielle pouted,
folding her arms across her chest, letting go of his hand in the
process. This small talk was getting to her. She didn’t want to be
patient. She wanted answers now. Mentally, she stomped her
foot.

“Why are you sullen, Danielle?”

She exhaled sharply, but knew he didn’t like
the fact that she’d removed her hand from his. “I’m sorry. I’m just
not as patient as you.” She kept her petulant expression, but
returned her hand, which he took back gratefully.

“Patience comes with time.” Ethan grinned to
himself, remembering a joke it seemed. “We’ll be there soon. I’ll
tell you everything then. I want this to be special, and telling
you in the car simply won’t do.”

Ethan eyed her silently for a moment then
suddenly released her hand, slung his arm around her shoulders and
tugged her close. After placing one kiss on the top of her head, he
took in a deep breath. Not releasing her, he hesitated before
saying, “You smell like a vanilla cupcake.”

“Uh, thanks.” That would be the shampoo from
last night.

“I like it, although I haven’t eaten cake in
a very long time.” Danielle thought she felt his lips pull into a
smile. “‘Sugar and spice, and everything nice…. That’s what little
girls are made of.’” After quoting the nursery rhyme, he then
chuckled to himself.

Recalling the verse, she said, “So are you
made of frogs and snails and puppy dog tails?”

“I don’t know. I may be more toad-like than
you realize, though I believe the rhyme goes ‘snips and snails,’
not ‘frogs and snails.’”

“Really?” She’d never heard it that way.
“What’s a snip?”

“Good question.”

Ethan rested his cheek against her head as he
drove. Danielle turned her nose into his chest, as she leaned
across the thin center console. She couldn’t resist breathing in
his scent as well. After that day in Uncle Nick’s garden, he’d only
granted her faint whiffs of it here and there, never allowing her
to inhale the full concentrated strength of it by keeping her at a
distance. She realized then that he’d been reclusive about sharing
this as much as his eye contact.

Until now. Where was he taking this
relationship? Not that she minded, because in truth she really
liked him, despite the fact she didn’t know what his secrets where
yet, she was actually liking the change. Liking the
forwardness.

She took full advantage as the musky potion
filled her lungs and made her dazed. It was the perfect distraction
to her impatience, and she was contentedly quiet the rest of the
ride.

Releasing his hold on her, Ethan parked his
car at the edge of a lone street, lined with forest on either side.
Ever the gentleman, he came around to open the door and help her
out. Danielle hadn’t expected such a secluded place. She couldn’t
see any homes anywhere because the trees were too thick. He pulled
a blanket and a large picnic basket from the trunk. The blanket he
draped over his shoulder, then hooked one arm through the handle of
the basket.

“Now we walk a ways.”

She looked at him surprised. “Which way are
we walking?”

“Through the woods.”

“Ethan,” she said, pointing to her dress, “a
white dress, ballerina flats and hiking through a forest? Why
didn’t you tell me? I could have dressed for a hike.”

He laughed. “The dress is perfect.”

“But—?”

Ethan continued to laugh as he scooped her up
into his arms—which were already loaded—and strode off into the
forest. He walked with ease, even under his heavy burden, following
no trail through the uneven terrain.

Danielle couldn’t argue, her white dress
would be smudge free and she wouldn’t have to tromp through weeds
and bugs in a pretty little pair of flats. Resigned, she wrapped
her arms around his neck, resting her nose against his delicious
skin ... realizing Ethan was dropping the walls of casual courtship
between them rather quickly, not that she minded as his fragrance
filled her lungs.

After what seemed like a good two miles, he
shifted her weight. Drawn from whatever spell was holding her, she
lifted her head to see ancient ruins nestled amongst the trees,
seemingly forgotten. Only a fraction of the crumbling stone
structures could be seen as thick green moss clung to what
remained. With wild poppies springing up amongst the long grass
covering the ground, it looked like an enchanted place where
fairies dwelled. The large structure must have had many rooms, but
arched doorways were most of what remained. The scene was
beautiful, mythical, worthy of a painting.

“Wow,” Danielle breathed.

Immediately wanting to paint it, she was
already deciding ... acrylic or watercolor? Danielle began trying
to remember every detail. The deep shade of the surrounding trees,
the way the light filtered through them and settled on the ruins
with a green-tinged glow. She considered her shades of paint as she
took in the mottled gray and tan colors of the weathered stone. The
browns, the reds, the muted blue of the sky as it tried to show
through the clouds.

Ethan had told her what this place was, but
she’d already forgotten.

Gingerly, Ethan placed her down on a piece of
crumbling stone floor, and moved to spread the blanket out over the
grass. Next he settled the basket onto it and then returned to
retrieve her. He held her hand as she curled down onto the
blanket.

After rolling up the sleeves of his white
shirt, he lounged casually on his side, and propped himself up on
one elbow. The sunlight glinted off his rich golden hair, creating
the illusion of a halo. Danielle’s heart fluttered at the unearthly
sight, thinking God could come down at any moment to gather his
angel back up into Heaven.

“Hungry?” he said, interrupting her
angel-swooning.

Between ogling at him and trying to memorize
this place so she could paint it later, hunger was the furthest
thing from her mind, but after the mention of it, she realized she
was. “Oh ... yes, actually.”

He set a pretty china plate on the blanket in
front of her and then reached back into the basket. An array of
different gourmet food items followed as he arranged it all in
front of her on the plate.

“Where did you get all of this?”

“I prepared it myself.”

Danielle looked at him in total amazement
because the items he served looked very complicated and not at all
homemade. Could he possibly be any more irresistible? For a short
moment she thought she could forget the strange happenings of last
night, but just as quickly changed her mind. She did want to
know.

“I spent a lot of time with the family cook
as a child. She liked having an assistant. I loved learning how to
concoct delectable things to eat, and I loved good food. I later
went to culinary school.”

Danielle took a bite of the delicious
sandwich he’d given her, then froze. His comment reminded her of
the reason they came here in the first place. The place he grew up.
Swallowing, she set the sandwich down and looked at the ancient
ruins surrounding them. She knew Ethan could tell by the look on
her face that it was finally registering in her brain. This is
where he grew up! This place that was clearly older than him, this
structure—which had obviously been in a state of rubble for longer
than he appears to have been alive—was his childhood home.

“Ethan? I—”

He set two fingers softly to her lips to stop
her, then let them slide away as he spoke. “Danielle, may I do
something first?” A mixture of emotions rolled across his
expression, so many she couldn’t pinpoint anything specific. “I
need you to know something, before I tell you everything.”

Speechless now, Danielle only nodded in
reply.

Her gaze lifted to his familiar, magnetic
eyes. What did he want to do? Then she knew as he leaned toward her
and cradled her face with his hands. He slowly dipped his head,
their noses brushing as he aligned his lips with hers. Danielle’s
hands rose up to meet his and her lashes lowered as his mouth
pressed against hers. His musky scent swirled around her and made
the kiss delicious and sweet.

When he pulled away her hands tightened their
grasp on his. She didn’t want him to stop because it was like
kissing someone ... someone she’d already kissed before? Yes, it
was like a first kiss, but also not.... Ethan smiled at her
reaction, gifted her with another soft kiss, then brushed his cheek
against hers so he could whisper into her ear. “Do you feel
it?”

If he was talking about the déjà vu thing
between them, she could feel it. “Is that what you wanted to show
me, but couldn’t last night?”

“Yes.”

“So that’s it? We recognize each other?” With
her brow furrowing, she again considered the events of the night
before and couldn’t see how this explained it. “I don’t get it.
What happened last night?”

“The two things are separate.”

“What?” Her confused gaze shot his way. He
still wasn’t making any sense at all.