Nine Lives - Danielle Steel Page 0,70

together.

“I missed you, Maggie. You were gone for such a long time.” He sounded wistful, and she nestled closer to him.

“It was only six weeks.” She looked up at him with his blue eyes and gray hair, and had the odd feeling that they had always been destined to be together. They were soul mates, despite how different they were.

“I hate it when you leave,” he said softly.

“When you clear things up with the IRS, you can come with me.” But she couldn’t see him in her suburban life in Lake Forest. Maybe in Chicago or New York. Despite his even more humble beginnings, he had become far more sophisticated than she was. He loved the trappings of his life, and she was happy on the boat with him. When they reached Portofino late that night, after anchoring outside the port, they went for a moonlight swim together. There was a castle lit up far above them, an ancient monastery, and the tiny port looked like a postcard. His crew had floated candles on the water for them, and then left them alone to swim in peace. They took their bathing suits off once they were in the water, and left them on the ladder leading back up to the lower deck. He had a way of making everything seem perfect. He created magic for her.

They swam for a few minutes and then he kissed her, and she dove under the water and swam away from him. He chased her until they both had to come up for air and he kissed her again as their bodies shimmered like ivory just below the surface.

“How did I ever get lucky enough to find you again?” he said, looking at her in wonder as she put her arms around his neck and wrapped herself around him.

“If I hadn’t come to Europe, I would never have found you.”

“And you’d be leading a peaceful life in Lake Forest without me,” he said, kissing her neck, and feeling her breasts against him.

“And bored to death,” she admitted. It was the first time she had ever acknowledged it, even to herself. Her life without him would have been fatally dull, which it never was with him. A little too exciting at times, but most of the time, she enjoyed the life she shared with him. The past six months had been some of the happiest of her life. She loved coming home to him. They swam for a little while longer, and then decided to retire to his cabin, which was large and comfortable and beautifully decorated. They laughed trying to struggle back into their wet bathing suits, and laughed harder when they couldn’t get into them. Paul managed to put his on inside out, and the bottom of hers had slipped back into the water and disappeared when she left it on the steps. The crew had left towels for them, and she managed to wrap herself in one and get back up the ladder, as they laughed like mischievous children and scampered back to his cabin. Their bathing suits lay in a wet heap on the floor a few minutes later, and they celebrated her homecoming, and then fell asleep in each other’s arms, as the boat rocked gently. There was nowhere on earth that Maggie wanted to be, except with Paul.

* * *

—

They took the tender into port the next morning to have coffee in town and explore the shops in Portofino. Paul bought two enormous Super Soakers and an arsenal of water guns and water balloons, while Maggie bought two new bikinis and a pair of sandals.

“What are those for?” she asked him when she saw the bags full of water guns.

“They’re for Aden and me,” he said proudly. He had bought a pirate flag to go with them, and she laughed at him.

“He’s going to love you. I’m not coming out of our cabin with you two on the loose.” He showed her the water balloons he had bought too, and she was still laughing at him when they got back into the tender to return to the boat. “How old did you say you are? Twelve?” He had ordered new fishing poles for them too, and was going to take Aden diving. Maggie had said he could, since Aden was certified. It made her think that Paul should have had children of his own. He would have been good with them. She wondered if he should be with