Treasured Secrets (26 page)

‘She's sleeping now,' he said.

‘Did she say any more?' Mother Maria asked.

‘No.'

‘Archer, there's something else.' Rosalina stepped back and looked up at him. Her chin dimpled and the worry in her eyes deepened. He dreaded what else there could be.

‘Your father's grave is here.'

Archer drew a sharp breath, then rubbed his temples as he closed his eyes. He never believed they'd actually find his grave, so he'd never prepared for it. He should be overwhelmed with sorrow; strangely, though, he felt at ease with it.
Maybe it was time?

‘Do you want me to come with you?' Rosalina pleaded with her eyes.

Archer was crippled with turmoil, unable to move or speak. Thankfully, Rosalina made the decision for him when she reached for his hand and led him behind Mother Maria. They arrived at the end of a gravel path, stepped onto a large grassy field and Mother Maria pointed to the top of the hill. ‘I'll leave you two alone.'

Archer squeezed Rosalina's hand, seeking reassurance. Finding his father's grave had always seemed an impossible dream. Now, with each step he took towards it, drops of sorrow built in his chest. The father he remembered was vibrant, full of life, capturing every experience with nothing but gusto and driving his wife crazy with his boyish enthusiasm.
Would seeing his grave change all that?

Twenty or so tombstones occupied the gravesite and it wasn't long before they found the headstone they were looking for. A white marble cross marked it. The inscription read:

Wade Thomas Mahoney

Feb 16th 1961 – June 14th 1992

Husband and father.

A man who knew how to live.

May Heaven be as exciting!

Archer brushed away stray blades of grass at the base of the marble, then turned and sat beside the headstone. Rosalina sat beside him and drew her knees to her chest. He draped his arm over her shoulder and stared into the sunset. The view was truly magnificent. Beyond the luscious green field the scene took in the entire town of Skala and almost three quarters of Patmos Island. The surrounding waters were still a vibrant blue, despite the fiery setting sun. Many islands dotted the ocean. Some showed signs of occupation. Others were a jumble of green vegetation and white cliffs.

He could easily picture his mother sitting in this very spot staring out over the ocean, day after day. ‘I've wasted years hating her, you know.'

‘You didn't know the truth.'

‘She was hurting so bad. I never stopped my hate long enough to consider what she went through. What she saw would've sent anyone crazy.'

‘It would have been horrible.'

‘She was so much in love, she couldn't live without him.'

Just before the sun completely absorbed into the horizon, Archer and Rosalina allowed its final rays to help them find their way back to the kitchen. Mother Maria was waiting for them, the floral bag propped up on the table like a grand trophy.

Archer didn't want to open the bag at the convent, so they said their goodbyes to Mother Maria with promises to return very soon. They began their walk down the steep, winding road, both quietly absorbed in the events of the last couple of hours. Soon the full moon popped up and provided ample light to guide them.

They were nearly halfway down the road when Rosalina spoke. He was surprised she'd waited that long. ‘So what do we do now?'

Archer had thought of nothing else since they'd said goodbye to Mother Maria. No matter which way he looked at it there was only one thing to do. ‘We finish what we started. What my dad started. We find the treasure. He would've wanted that.'

She smiled up at him and the glow from the moonlight made her look even more beautiful. He felt grateful that Rosalina was there to share today with him and the overwhelming current of desire he had for her was now even greater. But he had to wait. Rosalina would tell him when she was ready.

A car pulled over and the matronly woman behind the wheel offered them a lift. They accepted, and arrived at the beach a short while later. Almost as soon as Archer stepped out of the vehicle, he heard Jimmy laughing. The raspy, deep-throated cackle was unmistakable, and by the sound of it, Jimmy had a few drinks under his belt. But if it did nothing else, the laughter made everything seem normal again.

Jimmy, Alessandro and Ginger were still seated at the same table. A dozen or so bottles cluttered the chequered cloth and it was obvious they'd all had more than their fair share of alcohol. Alessandro could barely sit up. Jimmy and Ginger were debating something, and it was near impossible to follow Ginger's slurred words. Jimmy, however, seemed to be managing, and was still topping up their drinks.

Jimmy's eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he saw Archer. ‘Hey, 'bout bloody time you got here. Where you been, man?' Jimmy filled up another couple of glasses and held them up for Rosalina and Archer.

‘It's a long story. Tell you tomorrow.' Archer accepted the glass but had no intention of drinking just yet. He needed to get this lot safely back on board
Evangeline
first.

The moment Rosalina sat beside Alessandro, he leant over to whisper in her ear, but he was loud enough for them all to hear anyway. ‘I really like Ginger.'

Rosalina laughed. ‘That's great, Alessandro.'

He raised his bushy eyebrows in alcohol-induced surprise. ‘You're not mad?'

‘No, I'm happy for you.'

‘Oh.' He swayed towards Ginger and she caught him before he fell off the chair.

‘Have you guys eaten?' Archer asked.

‘We were waitin' for you,' Jimmy said.

‘I think we better order before you all pass out.' Archer reached for Rosalina's hand and they went inside to order. When they were out of earshot, he said, ‘I'll wait till tomorrow to tell them everything.'

‘Good idea. I don't think they'll remember much of tonight anyway.'

Back at the table, Archer fended off Jimmy's enquiries about his afternoon by topping up his drink and relaying stories of their days back in Australia. The pizzas arrived and were devoured in a matter of minutes.

The moon was high in the sky when Archer called it a night.

The instant Alessandro stood Archer figured it was going to be a long walk back to the jetty. Alessandro had trouble putting one foot in front of the other and Ginger wasn't much better. Between the two of them they spent as much time on the path as they did in the sand. But if their infectious laughter was any judge, they were clearly having fun. It wasn't long before they were all laughing with them.

They were only halfway back to the yacht when Jimmy decided he'd had enough and tossed Alessandro over his shoulder. Alessandro's meagre attempt to fight him off was short-lived, and he either fell asleep or passed out. He looked like a sack of potatoes over Jimmy's shoulder and Ginger trailed behind them like a little lost puppy.

After much laughter, the ramshackle group finally climbed aboard
Evangeline
. Jimmy carried Alessandro to his room and Archer and Rosalina were sitting at the bar when Jimmy returned.

‘Don't think we'll see much of him tomorrow.' Jimmy looked as if he could flop into bed, too.

‘You guys seemed to be having fun,' Rosalina said.

Jimmy nodded. ‘Yeah, they're good people. Where did you go? The way you shot outta there, thought you must've shit your pants.'

Archer huffed. ‘Just some business to attend to. I'll tell you about it in the morning.'

‘Afternoon!' Jimmy snorted. ‘I'll be sleeping in tomorrow, so don't even think about waking me early.'

‘I promise.'

‘Did you see where Ginger went?' Jimmy asked.

Rosalina shrugged. ‘To her room I guess.'

‘She's got the hots for Alex.' Jimmy smirked.

‘I'd say it's mutual,' Rosalina said.

‘Lucky bastard.' There was no malice in the way he said it. Jimmy knew when his match was met. ‘Right, then. See you tomorrow.'

‘Night, Jimmy.'

A short while after Jimmy left, Rosalina reached for the floral bag, which Archer had concealed by the side of the lounge, away from view. ‘Do you want to have a look?'

‘Not tonight. I'm exhausted.'

Rosalina placed her hand on his leg and let her fingers fall down his inner thigh. ‘Not too exhausted, I hope.' She ran her tongue over her bottom lip.

Her breasts rose and fell with each breath, and when her gaze fell to his lips, he couldn't resist the urge to kiss her. Their lips touched and she returned the kiss so tenderly, so sweetly, and when a groan trembled from her throat it took all his might not to make love to her right then and there. Her lips parted and their tongues met in a delicious dance. He absorbed her scent, her touch, her sounds. It was a kiss that said everything — I trust, I need, I want, I love.

Archer surrendered to the desire burning through him. He scooped Rosalina off her chair and she wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing tight. Her hot breath brushed his ear and the throb in his loins intensified. He switched off the lights as they left each room. In the moonlight, the woman in his arms looked heavenly. Archer paused outside his room and pulled back. Her eyes were a seductive haze. ‘Your room or mine?'

‘Mine.'

In four long strides he was at her door. He pushed through, closed the door behind him and reached for the control panel. With the tap of a few buttons, the blinds began closing and the lights dimmed.

He placed one knee on the bed and gently eased her onto the covers, positioning her close to the middle. Her dress fell to the side, revealing her long, golden legs. Every thumping heartbeat made Archer want her more. He placed his palms on the bed on either side of her legs, and bent down to take the soft fabric of her dress in his teeth. As he crawled up her body, tugging the dress from her, her breathing deepened and she wriggled beneath him, allowing the dress to be free. When he was directly above her, his face mere centimetres from hers, their eyes locked. Her lips pouted as if plump with their own desire and when her lips parted a fraction, heat surged to every part of his body.

‘Kiss me, baby,' she said.

He didn't need to be asked twice. He released the dress, and when their lips met he smelt her familiar scent of vanilla and orange as he tasted the sweetness of her tongue. Her throaty moans mingled with his, convincing him she wanted this as much as he did. She was ready. He slid off her to one side and she pulled her dress off over her head. She reached behind her back to unclip her bra. It was off in a flash and quickly cast aside.

He cupped her full breast, welcoming the weight into his palm and her sigh of pleasure had his groin hardening even more. He eased down to sample her nipples, rolling his tongue around each delicate bud and then gently sucking until they peaked hard. She ran her fingers through his hair, pulling him upon her, arching her back to meet him, urging him on. Knowing she wanted him nearly drove him over the edge.

Caressing her breast again after all these months was like capturing a slice of heaven. Everything about her was heaven — her touch, her smell, her luscious body. His manhood was at full attention, strangled within his jeans, but he wasn't ready to release it from the constraints of the coarse fabric just yet. He wanted to ravish Rosalina first, to satisfy her pleasures.

Her hands were under his T-shirt, warm on his chest and soft against his hardened nipples. When she squeezed them, he gasped. The look in her eyes matched the deep passion burning within him. He tore off his shirt and gasped again when she reached up to suck on his nipple, first one, then the other.

When she fell back, a lock of her hair curled upon her right breast, tantalisingly hiding it. But Rosalina hid nothing. She was an open book, every emotion was expressed and now, finally, he was ready to show her his raw feelings, too.

He stood up, tugged his jeans off and tossed them aside. Then, resisting the urge to tear her underpants from her body, he instead tugged them down with his fingers, inch by inch. As her eyes followed his every move, he saw shimmering desire within her pale blue irises. She threw her arms back and her breasts wobbled their own luscious dance. Her pants were released and his breath hitched when she wrapped her long legs around him, skin to skin. His erection touched her opening and every muscle in his body hardened. He'd waited far too long for this moment and he pulled back slightly to stop himself from exploding.

She whispered his name as if he were an apparition, and her voice was seductive velvet that nearly drove him over the edge again. He drew her closer but she winced when his hand passed over her bruise.

He'd completely forgotten about that. ‘Oh, babe.' He eased back to look.

But she cupped his cheek, drawing his eyes to hers. ‘It's okay, don't worry.'

The thought of anybody hurting her made him draw her closer. She planted kisses along his neck, making the hairs on his neck rise to meet her. He guided his hand down her flat stomach, pausing for a moment at her perfect naval, then continuing down to run his fingers through her small patch of dark hair. Her breath caught when his fingers slid into the hot zone between her legs. His heart thundered in his chest and her little sounds of pleasure ensured he probed her sweet spot even more. He wanted to savour this delicious moment, drawing it out for eternity.

She raised her hips, begging for him to drive his fingers into her, and he obliged with gentle rubbing at first, but increased intensity in tandem with her hip movements. Her eyes glazed over, lost in the moment, and he had to concentrate with all his might to contain himself. Rosalina climaxed with a primal gasp and her body shuddered with release.

She was still gasping for breath when he cupped her breast again and sucked on her dark pink nipples, rolling his tongue over the peaked bud.

‘Do you have any condoms?'