Mortal Wish Read Free Page A

night. “Evening, Luke.”
    “Hi Claire. The usual?”
    She nodded and watched how he prepared her Whiskey Sour the way she liked it. Might as well go out in style, she figured. When he put it in front of her, she lifted her glass to her lips and took the first sip.
    The man next to her turned. “Cheers.”
    She almost choked and quickly set the glass back on the counter. The man next to her was Jake, who she’d crashed into as she was running down the stairs at the Bed and Breakfast.
    “Oh!” Just like earlier, she was unable to form a coherent sentence.
    This time she couldn’t blame her monosyllabic response on the fact that they’d bumped into each other. No, she had to admit that she was tongue-tied because Jake exuded such pure maleness that her entire body was bursting into flames. She’d had her share of boyfriends, of course, good looking ones, too, but she’d never been with a man like the one who now gazed at her with such intensity that she wanted to rip her clothes from her body and offer herself to him.
    Good God! What was she thinking? She was clearly going mad. Yes, she was finally slipping into insanity, unable to control her mind.
    “Hi,” she said quickly before the silence between them stretched any longer. “Guess this is the only bar in town.” She sounded silly in her own ears, but Jake smiled at her nevertheless.
    “Not much of a nightlife here on the island, I gather. Besides, it’s off season. But I suppose that’s not why people come here.” He gave her an expectant look.
    “Have you been to the hot spring?” she asked him and took another sip from her drink so that her hands had something to do and he wouldn’t notice that they trembled.
    “Not yet. I’m not in a rush. It’ll be there when I’m ready.”
    She stared at the bottles that were lined up on the shelves suspended over the bar, nodding in agreement. “Still figuring out what you want?”
    He shook his head. “I know what I want.”
    Claire was surprised at herself. She wasn’t one to start a candid conversation with a stranger, but oddly enough, his openness was inviting her to talk as if they’d known each other for a while. Maybe it was because they were two lonely strangers in a bar, both with a wish they wanted fulfilled. Even though she couldn’t imagine what Jake could possibly wish for: didn’t a man like him have everything? Looks, strength, power? Women throwing themselves at his feet?
    “Do you believe in it?” she heard herself ask.
    “The hot spring?”
    She nodded.
    “I don’t know what to believe.”
    “Is that why you’re waiting?” She turned her head to look at him.
    His blue eyes locked with hers. “Is that why you’re going every day? Because you don’t know whether to believe in it?”
    Her breath hitched. “You seem to know an awful lot.” If she were in a large city, she would be worried about him being a stalker. However, she knew how things on this island worked: nothing stayed a secret for longer than five minutes.
    Jake shrugged, then took a sip from his red wine. “The islanders seem to keep a close eye on who’s visiting the hot spring.”
    “They’re very protective of it,” she agreed and downed the rest of her drink in one big gulp. She made a gesture to get down from her bar stool, when she suddenly felt his hand on her forearm.
    “Don’t leave,” he said quietly. “I didn’t mean to scare you off.”
    She hesitated, staring at his hand, then lifted her gaze to his face. His eyes were warm. She allowed herself to get drawn into their blue depths.
    “Dance with me,” Jake whispered.
    “I… uh,” she started.
    “What have you got to lose? It’s just a dance between two strangers. I’ll be gone in a couple of days, and you’ll never have to see me again.”
    He was right. She had nothing to lose. And why shouldn’t she allow herself to sway with the rhythm of the music, a stranger’s arms holding her for a few minutes, making her forget her