When he finally drew back, he could barely see her face. He reached down and ran his thumb over her cold cheek, cupping her face in his hands. I think we should go inside, he shouted.
Come with me, she replied. Annie grabbed his hand and drew him deeper into the storm. They ran toward the lighthouse, the beam of light guiding the way. When they reached the door, she pulled a key from her jacket pocket and unlocked it. They stumbled inside, Kit scampering in, too, and shut the door behind them.
A moment later, Rourke heard a switch flip and the interior was flooded in light. He stared at the spacious room, a circular iron stair dominating the center. Like most of the lighthouses on Cape Breton, this was a pyramidal-shaped tower that narrowed as it got taller. Annie walked over to a small painted table and set the lantern down. She grabbed her cell phone, holding it up to him as she unplugged it. Charged, she said.
The room was quite cozy, with antique furniture scattered around the perimeter. Bathroom is through that door, she said. If you want to take a hot shower, you have to turn on the water heater and wait about an hour.
I dont need a shower, he said. At least not now.
Rourke wandered over to the table and examined the old radio sitting on top of it. He flipped it on and found it turned to a station playing Celtic music. The strains of fiddle and mandolin echoed upward.
The wind howled outside and the old wooden structure creaked with each gust. Im going to go up and watch the storm, she said. Rourke watched as she climbed the stairs. Her skin was flawless, pale, marked only by a light dusting of freckles across her nose. Her auburn hair curled gently around her face and shoulders. And that body. Had no one here ever noticed how beautiful she was?
Everything about her was made for a mans touch. Most of the women in New York City worked out two hours a day to get a body like Annies. She was lithe and fit, not from spending time in a gym, but because she lived a simple life.
She needed so little to be happya roof over her head, a warm fire, a good book. And she needed him, at least for the night. He closed his eyes and wondered at the fates that brought him here.
Had he followed his original plan, hed be back on the mainland by now, headed toward the border and Bangor, Maine. Hed intended to stop there for the night, but now, hed be spending the night in Annies bed.
It felt right. Though they didnt really know each other in the traditional sense, there was a connection. He felt it every time he touched her...and kissed her. Maybe this had all been part of some cosmic plantheir encounter at the hardware store, the coming storm and the memories that flooded his mind upon seeing her.
He opened his eyes, then crossed the room to the circular stairs. He crawled upward to the top, into the darkness, and when he reached the platform, he found her standing near the window, her hands pressed against the thick glass.
The light was so blinding that he had to squint every time it made a rotation. He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Annie leaned into his body.
My mother died on a night just like this, she murmured. They found her body the next morning, on the rocks.
What happened?
Annie shrugged. She was sad. Depressed. Suicidal. Shed always been troubled, but my father thought he could fix her. Thats why he brought her here to live. Away from the city. Away from temptation. But she was so miserable here.
Im sorry, he said.
He blamed himself. He used to row out into the cove in the middle of the night. He said he could hear her, he could talk to her. They found his boat right over there, she said, pointing. They never found him. We buried an empty coffin next to her in the cemetery.
Rourke slowly turned her toward him. Youve had a lot of loss in your life.
Annie nodded, reaching up to touch his face. Make love to me.
Here?
Anywhere, she said. I dont care. I need to get these thoughts out of my head.
He took her hand and led her to the top of the stairs. Lets go back to the house.
* * *
THEY RAN BACK through the storm, Annie breathless with anticipation and a bit of trepidation. If she were listening to her instincts, this would not be happening. Shed always maintained a careful distance in her physical encounters with men. But the only thing she could think about with Rourke was getting as close to him as possible.
The moment they stepped inside the house, Annie reached for the zipper on her slicker. But he grabbed her hands and warmed them between his, slowly drawing her toward the fire.
She could hear her heart beating, could feel the pulse in her veins. Every physical sensation seemed more acute, and when Rourke slowly began to remove her clothes, she grasped his shoulder, afraid that her knees might buckle beneath her. First her gloves, then her slicker, Rourke tossing both on the floor.
Annie didnt want to wait any longer. The storm inside her body was raging out of control and the only way to quell it was Rourkes touch on her naked body. But he would not be deterred. When she reached for the hem of her hoodie, he grabbed her hand. Slow down, he said, brushing his lips against hers. Let me get the fire going.
The only place well be warm is in bed, she said. Annie pulled the hoodie over her head. The cold air prickled her skin into goose bumps and brought her nipples to hard peaks.
Rourkes breath caught as his gaze drifted down to her naked breasts. My hands are cold, he said, his fingers skimming around her waist.