Carved in Stone: Monochrome Destiny (15 page)

Andrew
didn’t give up.  The Audi caught up.  Robyn’s acceleration advantage
was outweighed by his higher top speed and she could do nothing as he overtook
and got ahead before their turn off.

Furious,
she followed him, determined to regain her position but they didn’t get
far.  Andrew slammed his brakes on, making her do the same, and slewed his
car to a stop.

The
Audi came to a halt at an angle across the road, impassable.

Robyn
jumped out of her car as Andrew’s door opened.

“What
the hell do you think you’re doing?”  Temper threatened to take control as
she slammed her door and stormed over to him, her blood boiling.

Andrew’s
movements were fast, a blur to her angered vision.  As she approached his
car, he got out, slammed the door, and pushed her into the vehicle’s
side.  Caged by strong arms and a furious temper, Robyn froze.

Andrew’s
face was inches from hers, his fury hot between them.  “What am I
doing?  I’ll tell you what I’m not doing.  I’m not driving like a
lunatic, hell bent on wrapping myself around a tree.  I’m not throwing my
car around blind bends and hurtling past unseen junctions as if luck is my
airbag.  I’ve a good mind to take those bloody keys off you and throw them
so far that you’ll never see them again.”  He glanced down at her hand
where the keys were held tightly in her fist before returning his enraged stare
to her face.  Anger had coloured his cheeks and paled his lips.

Robyn
met fury with fury.  “Don’t you dare
comment.
 
You were the one who came up behind like a madman.  You were the one who
overtook me!”

She
could feel her chin sticking out with indignity but no manner of will was going
to pull it in.

She
could swear his eyes flared.  “Have you got a death wish?”

“I
could ask you the same question.”  She was breathing fast, her heart
hammering as she struggled against her anger and Andrew’s proximity.  Was
it getting hotter?

He
leant into her, their bodies so close.  “I must have, to want to be mixed
up with you.”

Andrew’s
mouth slanted over Robyn’s in an instant.  His body pinned her to the side
of his car and in a frantic dance of desire she was taken, dominated. 
Heat poured through her; a heady cocktail of pleasure, desire and
seduction.  It diffused into her skin, boiled her tissues and made her
body gelatinous.  She lifted her arms, circled and pulled with greed even
as Andrew’s firm fingers slid seductively up her sides and over her
ribcage.  She was a slave to the overriding sensation that swept into her,
a slave that was trapped between two immovable objects and for once she felt at
home, safe.

There
was no reason to hold back any longer.  Kat was gone and her own feelings
exploded to the surface with volcanic force.  Robyn wanted Andrew as much
as he wanted her.  He could have taken her there, in the road, in the
daylight.  She had no care for anything but Andrew, but the impatient
blare of a horn drew him back.

“Go
home, Robyn, before I take this farther than either of us is ready for.”

Following the
directions Andrew had given her, Robyn drove through town.  Turning where
indicated, she noticed the houses becoming older, smaller and more like
traditional Cornish cottages.  The road levelled off and continued through
flat, narrow, winding streets, until ending in a small parking area. 
She’d not been to this section of the town before, hadn’t known that
Porthmollek
had much more to offer than the High Street.

The
day was glorious, with crisp skies and a hint of warmth in the air, a promise
of oncoming summer.  The wind was not strong, but she was glad for the
jacket she had slung on over her shirt and jeans as she got out of the car and
began the rest of the journey on foot.

Robyn
felt buoyant.  She’d done it.  She’d survived another week. 
She’d forced herself to walk through that school door every day and she’d made
it.  In fact, it was becoming easier.  Jane Symonds had sat with her
at lunch on Wednesday in one of the very rare times that she had dared ventured
into the staff room and Daniel, Pete and Jonathan spoke, when she saw them,
with a charming banter.  Robyn missed Kat, how could she not, but at the
same time, she was finally starting to fit in.

On
foot, Robyn was directed out of the car park and past the little cottages to a
small harbour.  Square and holding several small vessels, it looked a
little out of place in the town.  She had always known that
Porthmollek
had been a fishing village before farming had
taken over as the main industry, but somehow she hadn’t thought about where
that fishing had taken place.

Checking
her directions, Robyn circled the murky water of the harbour.  She felt
like she was stepping back in time.  Boats gently rocked in the calm
waters of the imprisoned sea and she took the chance to admire the array of
vessels docked in the small space.  Tired little cabin cruisers, hard worn
dinghies, and a beautiful sail boat gently rode the waves.  Larger boats,
those that would not fit into the harbour must be in the outer dock which Robyn
couldn’t see but assumed was beyond the behemoth of a wall that she now walked
beside. 

Following
the path as instructed, she looked around confused when she came to the
end.  In front of her was the harbour entrance, with its gate open it was
a gaping hole twenty feet wide filled with water.  There was nowhere else
to go.

Checking
the directions again, Robyn stepped forwards to look down into the murky
water.  There was no way across the harbour entrance.  She turned the
sheet of paper over to see if there was more on the back, but found it
blank.  She had followed everything correctly and looked around
bewildered.

Then
she heard a throat clear, above her.

Stood
upon the white sailing boat, moored against the harbour wall, Andrew gave Robyn
a half smile.  Her mouth dropped open.

She
had been expecting fishing poles and riverbanks, or waders in the sea. 
Wasn’t that how people went fishing?  A sailboat had never even entered
her mind.

Andrew
held out his hand to help Robyn aboard, his smile guarded.   Grabbing
the offered hand, she stepped up and wobbled a little as he pulled her onto the
deck.

“Welcome
aboard.”  He studied her carefully, gauging her reaction.

“I
thought we were going fishing?”

“We
are.” He replied innocently and stepped back to allow her to move further onto
the craft.

“I
wasn’t expecting a boat.” Robyn looked around.  The boat was
beautiful.  Polished wooden decks, white trim, chrome railings, someone
had spent a lot of time on her.

Andrew
grinned.  “You don’t mind do you?”

She
shook her head and smiled at him.  “No, I just had different
expectations.  This is much better.”

It
was a date, a real one.  Andrew had asked and she had accepted. 
There was no denying the attraction between them and neither could ignore the
heat any longer.  She could hide from this attraction, deny it, but it
felt inevitable somehow and there was no reason to hold back any more. 
Kat was gone.

Andrew
led Robyn to a sunken part of the deck.  She had no idea what to call it,
but noted that the wheel was just across from her.

“You
need to wear this.”  Andrew pulled a life jacket from a hidden compartment
underneath part of a bench seat and Robyn looked up at him bewildered.

“I
can swim.”

She
found the curve of Andrew’s lips delicious as command filled his eyes.  “I
don’t doubt it, but that water is cold.  Put this on.”

Begrudgingly,
but without choice, Robyn pulled the jacket over her coat and held herself
steady when Andrew stepped close to her to fasten it.  His long fingers
made light work of the clips and straps but his firm grip, proximity and
assuredness had her holding her breath until he was finished.

“Sit
here.”  Andrew gestured to a seat and she moved without speaking.

Robyn
watched Andrew as he gracefully walked around and untied the boat from the
harbour wall.  Having never been on any kind of boat in her life, Robyn
didn’t know what to expect and the thrill of anticipation sparked and fizzed in
her blood.  She watched Andrew’s assured movements with fascination.

Scuttling
noises came from her right and Robyn glanced over to see a long nose poking out
of the cabin.  Max tore up the steps and ran over to her, tail wagging,
giddy with excitement, just as Andrew jumped down and took the wheel.  He
looked back to check that she was alright and seemed happy to find her distracted
by the crazy pooch, who was now wriggling on his back at her feet, demanding a
stomach rub.  Petting the dog with one hand, gripping the boat with the
other, Robyn watched Andrew start the engine and begin to steer them out of the
harbour.

Andrew
stood, dressed entirely in black, in contrast to the clean white of the
boat.  He was striking in black jeans, black shoes and a black turtle neck
sweater.  It made her stomach tighten into an uncomfortable knot just to
look at him.

Andrew
swept through the harbour entrance with ease and headed out to sea.  Robyn
watched him steer the boat deftly as the wind rustled his hair and she noticed
that he didn’t wear his own lifejacket.  She should have felt the
imbalance of it, but instead she felt only a heady excitement.

Under
the power of the machinery they made steady progress away from the
harbour.  When they were far enough out, Andrew switched off the engine
and moved around the boat pulling ropes, turning cranks and raising
sails.  Max ran around after him, overjoyed.

Robyn
could only watch, having no idea how all the ropes and pulleys worked, as
Andrew ducked the boom, when it swung across the boat, as the sail was caught
by the wind before tightening the ropes and snapping the sail into place.

Eventually,
Andrew took the wheel again and under the power of wind alone, steered along
the coast.  Max sat beside Robyn, as if he was holding her hand. 

The
wind blew them forwards at a faster pace than the engine and the boat leaned as
pressure poured into its canvas sails and they sailed past the beaches and
cliffs of the coast and headed further out to sea.

“You
have a boat,” Robyn stated, shaking her head when she found her voice
again.  They were getting so far away from land that it was difficult to
make out its outline in the distance.

“It’s
not mine.  I borrowed it for the day.”

“You
borrowed a boat?” she couldn’t help but sound incredulous.

“It
belongs to a friend.” Andrew shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as if
everybody was doing it.

“And
you can sail?” she asked.  Not to question about the fact that he could
sail because clearly he could, but more to question why he hadn’t mentioned
this before.

“Well
yes, of course.  I was brought up by the sea you know.”  He pulled a
wicked smile that had things clenching inside her.

When
the land seemed incredibly far away, Andrew pulled in the sails.  The boat
sat upright once more.

“Come
on, let’s go fishing.”  He held out his hand.

Robyn
let him lead her to the stern.  The narrow walkway consisted of light coloured,
lacquered wood and she carefully walked each step before sitting at the chrome
railing towards the back of the boat, her feet dangling over the edge. 
Andrew disappeared below as Max ran to a blanket on the deck, not far from
Robyn’s position.  She watched him walk to it, sniff, circle around and
finally settle down, his face towards the breeze.  The boat lilted on the
waves.

When
Andrew reappeared, he was carrying two fishing rods and a basket.  This
was more like what Robyn had been expecting; a fishing rod with line and a
reel.  She’d never used one but thought she could figure it out easily
enough.

Andrew
walked to her, standing without holding the rail with his feet planted firmly
apart to balance, and attached something to the line about 15cm from the
end.  He then placed a hook at the end of the line.  He put bait on
the hook and handed it to Robyn.

Robyn
took the rod and looked it over, playing with the reel.  It was lighter
than it looked, but the length was cumbersome and she gripped it in both hands
tightly, worried that she would drop it into the sea.  When she looked up,
Andrew was staring at her with pursed lips.

“Have
you ever been fishing before?”

“Does
catching crabs in rock pools count?” she jested.

“No.”

“Then, no.
I haven’t.”

Andrew
put his rod down and moved to stand behind Robyn before slipping down to sit
behind her.  His long legs stretched out on the deck on either side of
hers and she held her breath as he shuffled forwards.  She could feel the
lifejacket press into her back as he closed the gap between them.  Andrew
slid one arm around her waist, clutching her to him as he reached around her
with his other hand and held the fishing rod.

Cradled,
Robyn’s heart stopped.  She could feel the gentle warm flow of his breath
on her neck, caressing her skin as it blew over her.  Her body responded
with a pleasant shiver.  A lump grew in her throat as her stomach was
filled with a thousand butterflies all taking flight.

“Put
your hands here and here,” Andrew whispered into her ear.  He pointed to
the fishing rod and she moved her hands to the desired locations as quickly as
her frazzled brain would allow.  He then put his hands over hers and
immediately the snakes of warmth seeped into the depths of her skin.  It
was heaven, cradled in strength and sensation and the rod began to lower as she
struggled.  She couldn’t concentrate.  She was overwhelmed by his
proximity, his touch, her reaction.

“Hold
it like a firm handshake,” he instructed, unaware of her current impairment.

“Okay,”
she had only a small voice and it was all she could do to use it.

Andrew
adjusted the reel’s position, moving the line parallel to the rod.

“Use
your index finger to hold the line here.”  Andrew pointed to the line and
Robyn hooked it with her finger, feeling another breath brush past her skin.
 He had no idea what he did to her.  It wasn’t just his touch, it was
him; the controlled, ever measured self-awareness that made her feel secure
within the realms of his embrace, and although she could damn herself for it
later, for being so needy of others, she couldn’t help but bask in it now.

“I’m
going to release this bail here.  When I do, you need to keep hold of the
line there.” Andrew pointed at the line hooked in her finger. “Because the rest
of the line will unwind by itself if you don’t.”

It
was hard to concentrate when his every breath left goose pimples on her neck
but she breathed out slowly and nodded.  Andrew pushed a wire catch on the
reel upwards.

“Now,
we are going to cast this together, alright?”

Another nod.

“This
is a side cast.  You use your wrist only, to get the stroke, not your
whole arm.”

“Okay,”
she said softly.  She tried to pull herself together and concentrate on
his instructions but his warmth was gently making its way up her arms.

“It’s
like a graceful flick and we are going to flick the line in that
direction.”  Andrew pointed to the left. “And as we do, you’re going to
let go of the line.”

“I’ll
try,” she said, a little worried.

“It’s
alright.  Nobody gets it right the first time.”  He reassuringly
placed his hand over hers again, “let’s practice the movement first.”

“Okay,”
Robyn managed with a gulp.

“Keep
hold of the line.”

 She
nodded in response.

Robyn
allowed him to direct her hands in a smooth motion.  Just using the movement
of her wrists they pulled the rod to the right and then flicked it back left
smoothly.  They did that a few times until she was doing the movement with
him rather than just letting him guide her.