Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

***SIMON***

S imon was no longer in control of the rage pounding through him, couldn't have controlled the fist that connected with Corey's face with a crunch of bone if he'd wanted to. He'd never hit another human being before, not as an adult, and found that he was very satisfied with the result when the other man went flying through the air and landed in a heap on the sand. When Corey rolled over, blood pouring from his nose, whining like a little boy, he turned and scooped Kira into his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked, crushing her to his chest. "I know I shouldn't have been following you, but when I saw that guy taking you down the beach, I couldn't help myself."

Kira wrapped her arms around him and held on, her entire body trembling, but didn't say anything for a long time, "He's drunk," she finally said. "I didn't want to go with him, he forced me. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't followed us. Thank you, Simon."

"Well, you were doing a pretty good job of defending yourself," he said. "I bet getting hit with that bucket really hurt. "

"It didn't even slow him down," she said, then shivered. "Then you showed up."

He looked down at her, "He didn't hurt you, did he?" he asked, the rage slowly starting to build again.

She shook her head. "No, not really. It just scared me mostly," she said, then looked over at Corey, still rolling around on the ground. "He doesn't look very scary right now."

"I guess we'd better go tell Max what happened," Simon said. "Do you think you can make it back?"

"I'll be okay," Kira said, "just don't let go of my hand."

"That's a deal," he said, threading his fingers through hers.

Max handled Corey and his friends quickly and quietly without the rest of the guests knowing anything was wrong, and he could tell that Kira was relieved. "If you're not up for socializing, I'd be happy to make you some dinner," he said when they finally had a few minutes to themselves. "I make a mean omelet."

"Oh, Simon, that's very sweet, but I don't want to let that jerk ruin the night," she said. "Let's go eat some crab and forget all about it."

When the crab was nothing but a pile of empty shells, the fire had burned low, and they'd eaten their fill of the delicious deserts brought down from the village, Simon offered to walk Kira back to her cabin. They took their time strolling back down the beach and along the trail that led to the cabins, the moonlight above their heads all the illumination they needed.

"Thank you for coming to my rescue tonight," Kira said when they got to her cabin. "I should be mad at you for following us, but I know you were just worried about me."

"I was a little jealous, too," he admitted. "But mostly I was worried."

"It's nice to have someone worrying about me," she said, stepping up to him. "I'm going to kiss you now, because you've earned it."

Simon sucked in a breath. Desire blossomed in his eyes but he didn't move, so she slid her hands up his chest and around his neck, then stretched up on her toes and brushed her lips across his. When he still didn't move, she pulled his head down and captured his lips like he'd done to her, then slipped her tongue into his mouth. Simon groaned, making her bolder, and when she felt his arms wrap around her, she moaned deep in her throat.

When Simon finally pulled away from her, they were both panting, and they stared at each other for a few seconds, dazed by the passion she'd awoken. "I promised to help Montgomery fix his boat tomorrow morning, but I'm free after that," he said. "Maybe we could go for a hike or something."

"There you go mentioning that something again," Kira said, grinning up at him. "You have a one-track mind, Mr. Nelson."

"Guilty," he said. "But after a kiss like that, can you blame me?"

A blush spread across Kira's cheeks, "It was a pretty good kiss, wasn't it?" she asked. "Maybe we should try it again, you know, just to make sure it wasn't a one-time thing."

"That sounds like as good an excuse as any to kiss you again," he said, then lowered his mouth to hers.

When they finally parted, the passion between them was burning brightly, and all he wanted to do was carry Kira inside and make love to her, but he held back, something he'd never done before. He watched until she disappeared inside the cabin, then headed back to his cabin, not the least bit sorry to be going home alone. For the first time in his life, he wanted something special, he wanted a real connection with a woman, and he was willing to wait for it .

The next morning, he stopped by to see Max on the way down to the dock to help Montgomery, "Well, you're up early this morning," his friend said when he stepped into the kitchen. "What are you up to?"

"I'm going to help Montgomery fix that boat I destroyed," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "It seemed like the least I could do, and afterward, he's going to give me a sailing lesson, and I'm going to pay attention."

Max laughed, "Good for you," he said. "You want some coffee before you go?"

"Sure, why not," he said, sitting down at the table. "I don't have to be there for another half an hour."

Max filled two mugs, grabbed a plate of doughnuts, and sat down with him, but a phone in another room began to ring before he could even take a sip of the coffee. "That's the satellite phone," he said, getting to his feet. "I have to get it. Hopefully it won't take long."

He sipped his coffee and munched on a doughnut while listening to Max's muffled voice in the other room. Then, he got up to refill his cup. A second later, Max came back into the kitchen, "We've got a problem," he said. "Do you know where Kira is?"

His stomach knotted up with worry, "She and Mary Beth have a surfing lesson this morning, but I don't think it's until later," he said. "What's wrong, Max?"

"Kira needs to call home. They've had some problems," Max said. "Has she told you anything about what's been going on in her life?"

He shook his head, "And I didn't ask, God, I'm a jerk," he said. "Just tell me what's going on."

Max shook his head, "I don't think that's my place," he said. "But I think you'd better come with me. If you care about Kira, now is the time to show it."

***Kira***

Kira drained the last of her coffee and set the cup in the sink, "Are you about ready?" she called. "We need to leave in five minutes, or we're going to be late."

Mary Beth came sailing out of the bedroom, her beach bag over her shoulder and opened her mouth, but a knock on the door interrupted her. Changing directions, she went to the door and opened it. Max was standing on the porch, Simon behind him, and the look on his face made her stomach drop. The smile on Mary Beth's face faded and she stepped back, opening the door further to let them in.

"What's wrong?" Mary Beth asked. "I know that look."

"Maybe we should all sit down," Max said, then looked over at her, and she felt the like the air had been sucked out of her lungs.

"Just tell us what's wrong," she said, bracing her hands on the back of a chair until her knuckles turned white.

Simon was next to her instantly, "Come on, Kira, sit down," he said, guiding her into a chair. "I'll be right here with you."

Max sat down across from her, "I just got a call from your dad, and before you start freaking out, he said that everyone is fine," he said, giving her a second to let that sink in. "As soon as we're done talking, you can call him, but he wanted me to tell you that Virginia showed up at their house last night demanding that they hand Kiley over to her. They called the police, and they took her away. Kiley was never in danger; he wanted me to make sure you understand that."

It took her a second before she could make her lungs work and she felt a little lightheaded, "Kira, it's okay. Everyone is fine," Simon said, sinking down into the chair next to her and taking her hand. "I want you to try and take a couple of deep breaths. "

She looked over at him, then down at their joined hands and managed to fill her lungs with air, "That's good," Simon coaxed, reaching up and pushing her hair behind her ear. "Do that one more time for me."

This time her lungs fully expanded, and the fog in her brain cleared, "I think I'm okay now," she said, then looked over at Max. "What else did he say? Can I call him now? I think I need to go home."

"That can be arranged if that's what you want," Max said. "But maybe it would be safer if your parents and Kiley came here until this is settled. I'm sure we can find a place for them to stay, and I'll send a private plane for them so they don't have to worry about passports."

She felt tears prickling her eyes, "You'd do that for me?" she asked. "Thank you, Max. I knew that Edward and Virginia were unhappy about the way the trial went, but I never thought they'd go after Kiley."

"I'm going to make a few phone calls and get everything arranged," Max said, getting to his feet. "I'll leave the satellite phone with you so you can call home. Let your parents know that a car will be coming to pick them up in a few hours, and remind them to pack for island weather."

"Hold on, Max, I'm going with you," Mary Beth said. "I need to use your computer and telephone. I need to get to the bottom of this and find out what's going on back there."

Five minutes later, the front door closed behind Max and Mary Beth, leaving them alone, "I have to call my parents," she said, picking up the phone. "I won't feel better until I hear their voices."

"I understand," he said. "Do you want me to leave you alone?"

She looked over at him and shook her head, "No, I wish you'd stay," she said. "I'm sure this is all very confusing for you. I promise I'll explain it after I call home."

"Kira, you don't have to explain anything to me," he said. "I just want to be here for you."

"Thank you, Simon, that means a lot," she said. "But I think you deserve an explanation."

"But it can wait until after you make that phone call," he said. "You go ahead, I'll be right here. I'm just going to get you some fresh coffee."

Kira dialed the number then waited, her heart pounding in her chest, afraid that no one would answer, but her father's voice came on the line. "Everything is fine, sweetheart," he said. "I don't want you worrying."

The tears she'd been holding back came flooding to the surface and ran down her cheeks, "Dad, what happened?" she asked. "Are you sure you're all okay?"

When she hung up ten minutes later, she felt much better. "They're okay, and they'll be here tomorrow, so I'm going to try and stop worrying," she said, setting the phone down with a sigh. I just can't believe it's not over yet. I thought when the hearing was over that would be the end of it. That woman is crazy."

Simon pulled her into his arms, "I couldn't help but overhear your side of the conversation," he said. "Tell me about your daughter. Maybe that will help."

A smile spread across her face, "She's the love of my life," she said. "Her name is Kiley, and she just turned a year old."

"I bet she's just as pretty as her mother," Simon said, rubbing her back. "It sounds like her father is trying to take her away from you."

She nodded, "Since the day she was born," she said, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hands. "I met her father when I started a new job at a publishing house. I was a junior assistant, and he was in upper management. He told me he wasn't married that he'd been waiting for a woman just like me, and I believed him, then I got pregnant, and everything changed. I found out he was married the same day that human resources called me in and tried to coerce me into having an abortion. When I refused, they fired me and Edward pretended that I didn't exist until I gave birth. Then, he was suddenly very interested."

"He sounds like a real asshole," Simon said. "The story isn't over yet, is it?"

"No, it gets worse," she said, letting out another long sigh. "I was still in the hospital after having Kiley. She was maybe eight hours old. Edward showed up in my room and served me with custody papers."

"Kira, that's horrible," he said, pulling her closer. "You really have been through a hard time. I wish you would have told me sooner."

"I was trying not to think about it while I was here," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "It took me a year to beat them in court. Edward's wife Virginia tried to destroy me. She spread rumors, even tried to plant drugs in my house. She can't have children, and I guess me having Edward's baby sent her over the edge, but I never thought she'd try to steal Kiley."

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry all of this happened to you," Simon said. "I can't even imagine what you've gone through."

"I was doing pretty good until this happened," she said. "I really thought it was over."

"Maybe you should go lay down for a while," he said. "A nap might help. You look completely worn out. I'll stay here with you while you sleep."

She thought about it for a second, then shook her head, "Edward has ruled the last two years of my life," she said. "I'm not going to let him do it anymore. Let's go on the hike you were talking about. There's nothing I can do here but worry. Having some fun will get my mind off things."