“Kit, I—”
He spoke quickly, overriding her halting attempt at an apology. “Let’s, er, not discuss it any more right now, okay?” he asked, standing to button his shirt. His movements were a bit stiff, as if he was experiencing physical discomfort.
Savannah supposed that he was, at that.
Her own body thrumming in irritable frustration, she stood and straightened her clothes. One of her shoes had fallen off; she groped for it awkwardly.
The romantic music continued to play from the other side of the room. Savannah winced when she recognized the tune. “People Will Say We’re in Love.”
She turned away from Kit to slip into her shoe, hiding her reaction to the number.
This wasn’t at all the way she’d hoped to end her last evening with Kit, she thought regretfully. It had been such a perfect day, such a beautifully romantic evening. She’d wanted him to remember her with pleasure, not with disappointment
THEY WALKED BACK to her cottage in silence. Savannah was peripherally aware of the beauty of their surroundings—the full moon, the starry sky, the fragrant, night-blooming flowers—but she was even more aware of Kit, walking close beside her and yet seeming very far away.
He turned to her at her door. “Are you all right?”
She moistened her lips. “Yes. I’m fine, thank you.”
She didn’t ask how he was. She suspected that he was still suffering from acute frustration.
She almost started to apologize again. And then she reminded herself that she had nothing to apologize for, really. She had had every right to call a halt when she’d become uncomfortable with going further.
Her caution came from experience. She’d made enough mistakes in her past. She hadn’t wanted to make another one tonight
Besides, she thought, it really was best to end the interlude between them now. No explanations. No regrets. Nothing but very sweet, very romantic memories.
It was all she dared ask of this man who was so very different from all the other men she’d known.
Kit waited until she’d unlocked her door, then touched her shoulder.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said gently, perhaps letting her know that he wouldn’t hold her rejection against her.
Savannah only smiled rather sadly in return, ignoring the nagging little voice inside her that urged her to tell him the truth about her departure plans. There was no reason to, she assured herself. Once he learned that she was gone, he would forget all about her soon enough. They didn’t even know each other, really.
It wasn’t as if there’d ever been any chance of anything permanent developing between them.
Given the choice, Kit would probably be no more enthusiastic about exchanging awkward goodbyes than she was, Savannah told herself.
She reached up impulsively and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for making this such a special vacation for me.”
He reached for her. “Savannah—”
She took one last look at him, then turned quickly away to open her door. “Good night, Kit.”
He caught her when she would have slipped inside, drew her toward him and pressed his mouth firmly, forcefully against hers for one long, thorough kiss. There was a glint of satisfaction in his eyes when he finally drew back, leaving her trembling and aching for more.
“Good night», Savannah,” he said gruffly. “Dream of me.”
Maybe he’d considered it an appropriately romantic line with which to conclude the evening, she thought as she closed herself into her silent cottage. But somehow his words felt more like a prediction—or a curse.
She suspected she would dream of him for years to come.
Knowing that it would be a while before she would be able to sleep—if at all—she went into the bedroom and pulled her suitcase out of the closet. She might as well pack now to save time the next morning. She would be on the first launch off the island, just after dawn.
And there would be no regrets, she assured herself. No one had been hurt. No promises broken. No dreams shattered. She’d spent a few hours with a wonderful man and, though she’d come dangerously close, she hadn’t done anything foolish.
The mistakes of her past had taught her well.