After the Rain (The Twisted Fate Series Book 1) (18 page)

25

It reminds me of Chinese New Year

There was something so pure and innocent about her. Child-like, even. The way she laughed out loudly and played with the sand. The way she looked at things like she was looking at it all for the first time ever. She was like a child at Christmas, opening a brand new shiny toy. Ripping open the wrapping with excitement. It was such an endearing quality; it was the quality that he liked most about her.

The problem was, Marcus was starting to like
everything
about her. She was a perfect balance of sweet and naughty. The thing that had happened in the helicopter…there were almost no words to describe it. To describe how erotic and raw it had been, yet intimate as well, in some strange way, even though there had been a complete stranger only a few feet away. Because he knew now, from the expression on her face as she smiled up at him, that he wasn’t some pervert who’d taken advantage of her close proximity during the helicopter ride. She’d responded to the closeness of his body as he’d responded to hers; she’d craved that intimacy as much as he had.

Her smile seemed to light up the world around her. Her hair made everything bright and colorful. She literally was like a rainbow after a storm.

She was all of those things and more. On top of all that, the thing that most people probably overlooked was her intelligence. Her fiery personality, her sense of self-sufficiency. She didn’t rely on others for anything, and she gave Marcus a run for his money. She was passionate about what she did and what she believed in. Okay, so maybe he didn’t believe in the power of Tarot cards and ancient aliens, but he admired her conviction. Despite her size and appearance, she was probably one of the strongest women he’d ever met.

Perhaps she’d had to be, because of the tough life she’d led. It killed him to think of her like that. No family to support her and care for her – not unlike him in a way, of course, but he’d never wanted for money and material things. He’d never needed to barter for goods because he had no money, or take dangerous taxis around town or worse, walk. He hated that she had to do those things. Because she deserved it all. She deserved everything. And fuck, he wanted to give it to her.

He couldn’t say how it had happened – it was total madness and completely illogical and against everything he wanted or believed in or planned for – but he wanted her. He wanted her in other ways; not to fuck her against a car, or date her for only six weeks. It was bigger than that.

Perhaps many would say “rebound”, and believe that this was just some mad fling he needed to get over Emily. But it wasn’t. He was sure of that – he’d never felt like this before about anyone, and it frightened him. It amazed him and terrified him all at once. But he also knew that he was the one who was bound to get his heart crushed and broken, in exactly six weeks’ time. He knew that if he let his feelings run away with him and he acted on them, he was going to end up being the sucker…

But maybe it was worth it. It certainly felt like it might be. Were a few moments with Stormy better than nothing at all?

He couldn’t take his eyes off her now as they walked to their rooms. The receptionist had given them the keys and his heart had almost fallen out of his chest when he noticed that their rooms were right next door to each other. He was so tempted to slip the receptionist some money and whisper, “
pretend you
only have one room left
”
…
but he hadn’t.

And he was so reluctant to say goodbye to her when they both slipped their keys into the locks. His mind was drawing a blank as he scrambled to think of something to say to make her stay. To make her not close that door behind her…

“Do you want to go for a swim soon?” Stormy spoke and Marcus’s heart sang out. He opened his mouth to reply when she quickly corrected herself. “Oh… nevermind, I don’t have a costume.” Marcus was about to say they could go buy her one, but she had already come up with another plan. “Should we go for a walk on the beach? I’m dying to see more of this place.”

Marcus felt the involuntary smile forming on his face. “I’d love to.”

“Meet me on the beach in an hour,” she said, and disappeared into her room.

As Marcus walked inside his own room, he regretted even more not offering the receptionist a bribe in exchange for a little white lie. Because he wanted Stormy in this room. In that four-poster bed and in that huge bath that looked out over the sea. Marcus suddenly felt like a sixteen-year-old boy again, getting ready to go to the dance with the hottest chick at school. He had a shower, washed his hair and brushed his teeth – twice. He rummaged through his bag, feeling almost womanlike in his sudden indecision over what to wear. He’d never obsessed about what to wear so much.

After trying on several things, he opted for a casual pair of shorts and a shirt. He then stood in front of the mirror and obsessed some more with his hair, brushing it and gelling it into various styles. None of them seemed to be good enough, so he eventually just ruffled it up and left it. He then practically emptied a bottle of cologne on himself, and immediately regretted it. This was a casual walk on the beach, not a date. Too much cologne, what would that say? So he jumped back into the shower, washed it off and was much more sparing the next time he put it on.

He was about ten minutes early when he got to the beach. He had been so eager to see her that he had almost sprinted down. But he felt like he was going to go mad waiting for her, as he paced up and down the little stretch and practiced several cool and casual poses against the palm tree.

And then she came…

And she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. She was wearing a plain white t-shirt (no bra, he noted immediately with a pleasurable little shudder) and some blue shorts. She had tied the scarf around her head and her hair was in a big, messy bun. Tufts of color were jutting out at different angles, reminding him of fireworks. It was utterly ridiculous and just about the cutest thing he’d ever seen.

“What’s so funny?” she asked when she reached him, obviously noting his massive smile.

“Just your hair. It reminds me of Chinese New Year.”

“Oh my Goddess,” her eyes widened and she gasped. “That’s exactly what I was going for!” And Marcus could see she was being dead serious. He burst out laughing.

“Do you realize that you are officially the silliest person I have ever met, Stormy-Rain?” And he couldn’t fight it – he placed his hands on her shoulders.

She smiled at him and shrugged.

Deciding to stop even trying to fight it, he added, “You look really beautiful.”

She smiled at him and blushed prettily.

“Thanks. I feel a bit weird in these clothes. They were a bit boring, hence the head scarf vibe.”

Marcus shook his head. “Trust me. You could never look boring.”

Stormy looked down and ran her hands over her shirt. “Thanks again for buying me these clothes, I really appreciate it.”

“It’s a pleasure.”

“I just hope I find my suitcase, or I’ll be wearing these for the rest of my life.” Stormy brushed off the comment with a small, dismissive laugh, but something about her statement didn’t sit quite right with him.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, that was all the clothing I had.” She sounded so causal as she delivered this news.

“What?” Marcus was shocked. “In that bag? All the clothing you own?”

Stormy nodded. “I don’t really have much.”

“Why did you put it all in that one bag, though?”

“Oh, because I’m kind of moving when I get back home,” she replied flippantly, flicking some sand up with her toes. They had both started walking down the beach now, so close that their shoulders were almost touching.

“Where are you moving to?” Marcus’s heart skipped a beat as he suddenly worried she was moving to another city. But when he turned and looked at her, she just shrugged.

“Not sure, really.”

“How can you not know where you’re moving too?” He was totally confused; this seemed a little haphazard and vague, even for Stormy.

“Oh, I’ve been evicted, so I’m not sure where to go next! Maybe someone will loan me their couch for a night or two, and then I guess I’ll just see where the wind takes me.”

Marcus felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach. “You have nowhere to live?”

She shook her head and Marcus’s mind shifted into overdrive. Technically, he knew this wasn’t his problem; it wasn’t like they were dating. But there was no way he could let her be homeless.
No way.
And he certainly wasn’t okay with her sleeping on people’s couches and God knows where else. He was overwhelmed with the desire to swoop in and rescue her. But he knew she would hate him thinking that way about her. He got the feeling she wasn’t good at asking for help, or accepting it, even when she needed it. But he had to figure something out. She deserved more.

“So, how exactly do you make money? What are the things you actually do?” Marcus was wondering if there was some kind of sly way of paying for a year’s worth of Tarot card readings or aura clearings, or whatever other strange thing she had on offer.

She walked ahead of Marcus now and turned to face him, walking backwards down the beach. She’d picked up a palm frond and was trailing it in the sand, making a pattern as she went.

“Well, I do some card readings and Reiki and crystal massages. Not a lot, though. Um…” She swooshed the palm frond playfully, as if she wasn’t at all bothered by the fact she was going to be homeless. “Then sometimes I paint pictures and sell them… Lilly usually buys them, though.” Stormy rolled her eyes playfully. “I wrote and directed and acted in a play last year, but theatre never makes money, although it did get a really good review which was cool. Sometimes I play guitar at the old age home, but that’s just volunteering. Sometimes they give me things, though. One of the old ladies there, Margret, always bakes me biscuits, but I’ve never had the heart to tell her that she’s putting in salt, not sugar. And then… I don’t know, whatever.”

Marcus suddenly felt angry, though he wasn’t sure why. “Is there something you
want
to do, though? Like some sort of job or career? Or studying, even? It seems like you have a lot of different interests.” Her previously carefree attitude seemed to wane a bit and Marcus noticed a certain sadness in her expression. It broke his heart.

“ I don’t know,” Stormy shrugged. “I like helping and healing people. Especially using crystals. Um… I like theater, especially acting, although I love directing, too. I’ve always wanted to teach drama to kids, or music even – perhaps musical theatre. I like painting too; I think it can be very therapeutic.” She shrugged again. For someone who didn’t know what she wanted to do, it sounded like she had a very long list of options. “But I kind of had to drop out of school so…” Her voice trailed off and she fiddled with the palm frond distractedly.

“Why did you drop out of school?” he asked, sensing the sadness in her voice that she wasn’t doing a particularly good job of hiding.

She stopped walking and turned to look at the sea. “There was this thing with one of my foster dads. I ran away from them and then kind of had nowhere to go for a while.”

Marcus’s blood suddenly started to boil. “What
thing
?” he asked through a tightly clenched jaw. He wasn’t sure what he would do if she told him a story about someone taking advantage of her in that way.

“Nothing hectic,” she replied. She was avoiding his gaze now. “He was just a bit of a pervert and I got him to back off, but after a while I just couldn’t bring myself to stay there anymore.”

Fuck.
He was trying not to show it, but he wasn’t coping with this conversation. The more he learned about Stormy, the more he admired her, but he also felt deeply saddened. She had not had an easy life, not at all. The same thought kept coming back to him, over and over again: she deserved more.
She deserves so much more.

“How many foster families did you live with?”

She shrugged again. More sadness. “Two.” She hesitated. “Unless you count those other weirdos I stayed with for exactly three days before running away. So three, I guess.” Stormy finally looked up and met his eyes again. She must have sensed his thoughts, because she gave him a playful smack on his arm and suddenly smiled.

“But it wasn’t all bad! When my dad married Lilly’s mom, those were the happiest few months of my life. We were like a real family for a while. And also when I lived with Lilly and her dad much later on once he won custody of her, that was pretty cool, too. I even inherited some big brothers.”

Marcus suddenly felt ashamed for complaining about his childhood. His parents might have been away a lot, but no one ever mistreated him or took advantage of him. He always had a roof over his head, and people who cared – even if it wasn’t in the most affectionate or hands-on sort of way – and he’d had the opportunity to go to the best school and university in the country.

“Come, let’s feel the water!” she suggested brightly, turning and running towards the water’s edge. But he knew now that just below that smile of hers, was a little part of her that was in pain. A part of her that clearly had regrets and unfulfilled wishes. She may act like she was okay with everything and enjoyed the so-called freedom of her life, but Marcus was now positive that there was a part of her that probably longed for a family and some kind of stability. The things that she’d been denied her whole life.

It suddenly struck him that perhaps, deep down, they actually wanted the same thing.

26

You only live once in this life

Stormy had never felt such a warm sea before. It was the temperature of a heated pool, and on closer inspection, was completely see-through. She waded in until the water had crept up to her knees.

“Come in,” she called to Marcus, who was still standing on the beach, watching her. He had a queer look on his face; she hoped it had nothing to do with what she’d just told him. She’d encountered a lot of judgment over the years, for not finishing school or not having a home or money, and she wondered what Marcus thought of her right now. She usually didn’t care what people thought – she could always brush it off easily, like water off a seal’s back – but the idea of dropping in Marcus’s estimation was a thought she didn’t like at all. Stormy had always wanted to finish school and had even started doing some correspondence courses. But trying to feed yourself, keep a roof over your head and studying at the same time always proved challenging. Then she’d met a woman, Joy, who’d offered to teach her the basics of crystal healing and Reiki, out of the goodness of her heart, really. And Stormy had loved it. She’d always wanted to take it further and get certified, but that had never really happened. Theatre she didn’t really need to study, that just came naturally to her, since her father was a director and she’d spent so much of her childhood in theatres. She was good at what she did, she knew that. But some people just couldn’t see past the lack of “formal” qualifications.

But Marcus was smiling at her, and she sensed no judgment in his look. He started running towards her and she felt her heart do cartwheels. As he waded in, a small wave broke at his ankles and splashed his shorts. He bent down and tried to wipe the excess water off. Stormy thought it was adorable – they were in the sea, for heaven’s sake. Seas contained water. Water splashed.

Stormy waded in further until the water was at her thighs. She desperately wanted to jump in and swim.

“Hey, don’t go too far,” Marcus called to her, sounding a little panicked.

“What could happen?” Stormy smiled at him.

“I don’t know. Sharks. Rip tides. Stinging jelly fish,” he replied worriedly.

She raised a brow at him. “As if!” And with that, she jumped into the water with a splash. The water was warm and crystal clear. As she swam, the white sand was whipped up and floated around her like little flecks of silvery white glitter. In the distance, she could see a few colorful fish making a quick escape – no doubt from her. She popped up to find Marcus staring after her in what seemed to be absolute horror.

“Oh, stop being such a baby!” Stormy splashed the water as hard as she could and some of it splattered across his top. “Come on in. You only live once in this life.”

Marcus was not sure submerging himself in the ocean was the best idea right now. If there were a wet t-shirt contest happening, Stormy would win hands down. He glanced around to see if anyone was looking, suddenly feeling rather possessive and protective over the girls. Not that they were his,
per se
. But he wanted them to be.

“Come on, is someone a scared-y puppy?” Stormy teased him.

Marcus laughed. “Cat. Scared-y
cat
, Stormy. You know you mix up every idiom ever invented?”

She shrugged carelessly. “Dog, cat, parrot, tortoise, they’re all pets,” she said playfully, with a little glint in her eye. He wondered if she realized that her wet top was totally see-through, and whether she knew what effect she was having on him.

Oh hell,
why not?
He jumped in and swam up to her. The water was warm and still, perfect for swimming. Marcus and Stormy’s eyes met and he felt that familiar feeling again – that unique mix of emotions. There was downright lust,
obviously,
but much, much more than that, too. He smiled at her, this strange little creature bobbing up and down in the water with strands of pink hair sticking to her face and neck.

“Don’t cry over spilled…?” Marcus looked at her questioningly and she quickly caught on.

“Um, don’t cry over spilled milk! Ha, even I know that one!” She looked smug and triumphant.

“Okay, let me think of another… Ah, a bird in the hand…?”

He knew he’d caught her out on this one. The cute, coy smile that broke out across her face told him so.

“Um… a bird in the hand doesn’t beat around the bush?”

Marcus laughed, so hard this time that he created little ripples in the water around him. He couldn’t remember laughing this much with anyone before.

“Hey, don’t tease me!” Stormy protested with a smile and splashed him with water again.

“You are
so
going to regret that!” He swung his arm and made the biggest splash he could. The water flew through the air and smacked Stormy through the face.

“That’s it!” Stormy threw herself towards Marcus, trying to push him under the water, but failing miserably.

“Are you seriously trying to dunk me?” he teased her, deeply amused – tiny Stormy had launched herself at him with such wild enthusiasm. She’d pushed with all her might, but he still remained unmoved. “You know I could dunk you with my baby finger if I wanted to,” he threatened her playfully. Stormy laughed and then unexpectedly wrapped her arms around him. Marcus was determined to make the most of this moment; he certainly didn’t need any more encouragement from her. He reciprocated by pulling her closer until they were nose-to-nose. They simply stayed there, looking at each other, until Stormy reached up and touched his nose gently.

“I like your nose,” she said softly.

Her statement made him smile again. Of all the things in the world she could like, of course she would pick a nose. “Why?”

“It has personality,” Stormy explained, running her finger down the bridge of his nose. He didn’t think anyone had ever done that to him before. It was so strange and sweet and intimate all at the same time. And it surprised him how damn turned on he was by it.

“Personality?”

She nodded. “It says strong and powerful, intelligent and friendly.”

“Um…” Marcus took her finger away and held it in his hand. “I also like your nose,” he said, intertwining his fingers with hers. She didn’t resist; in fact, her eyes seemed to drift down to his mouth and back to his eyes. “And I really,
really
like your eyes.”

Stormy’s eyes seemed to light up even more at this. “Thanks. I bet you say that to all the girls,” she teased.

Even though Marcus knew this was just friendly, flirty banter, he wanted to make it clear to her that he didn’t. He
didn’t
say that to all the girls, because she was special.

“I actually don’t, Stormy. In fact –”

But suddenly she was looking over his shoulder, distracted. “Camels!” she gasped, clearly delighted. She let go of Marcus and started wading quickly through the water towards the beach. Marcus turned to see about five huge camels, draped in red and gold fabrics, standing on the sand nearby. A few had sat down in the shade of the palm trees. It was quite an odd sight to see camels on the beach, and Marcus was intrigued. He followed her out quickly.

In typical enthusiastic Stormy fashion, she was already talking to the man standing next to the camels, but Marcus couldn’t help notice the look on the old man’s face…“Stormy!” he called after her urgently. “Come here quickly, please.”

Stormy obeyed and came skipping up to him. “What?”

Marcus’s eyes drifted down to where her wet, see-through shirt was clinging to her breasts. He hated the fact that someone else had just seen that. And knowing Stormy as he did, she was totally oblivious to it, and even if it were pointed out to her, she probably wouldn’t mind.

Marcus pulled his shirt off over his head and wrapped it around her, tying it at the back with a knot.

“There. Better.”

She leaned in and gave him a small kiss on the cheek, before turning and running back to the camels. Marcus followed closely behind and as he passed the old man, he flashed him a warning look. He hoped it conveyed his sentiments accurately:
look at her like that again, and
I’ll punch you
. A coy look flashed across the old man’s face and he held his hands up in surrender. Marcus smiled back at him. The guy looked like he was well into his seventies, after all, and had just snuck a quick, innocent look. He didn’t blame him, really – how could he? Not only was Stormy one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen, but her enthusiasm and playful exuberance made her even more attractive, especially because she was so open and friendly with everyone.

“Hey, don’t go too close. Those things bite,” Marcus warned Stormy, leaning forward and pulling her hand away when he noticed that she had gotten too close to the camels.

“I just wanted to pat the big guy,” Stormy protested, reaching out again. Marcus grabbed her hand once more.

“You don’t pat camels!”

“Actually,” the old man stepped forward, looking skyward as he spoke, “you can touch, and you can also ride. You want a ride?”

Stormy turned, her eyes lit up with excitement. “Yes!”

“Absolutely not!” Marcus was
not
riding a camel. Dangerous. Smelly. Diseases. Flies.

But then Stormy looked to him and said “Please,” her eyes all wide and pleading, a small smile playing at her lips.

And all his resistance crumbled. He couldn’t say no. And he realized, in that moment, that she had him. Hook, line and sinker.

She had him.

If she smiled at him like that, there was probably nothing in the world he wouldn’t give her.