Leaving Dawson the next morning was the hardest thing Kate ever did in her life. Which was why she took the coward’s way out and decided to leave before he woke up. No matter how much she hated herself for doing it, she simply couldn’t trust herself to say goodbye to him without bursting into tears. She was on the verge even now. And that would completely ruin everything.
Swallowing hard, she tore her gaze away from the handsome man sleeping soundly beside her and carefully slipped out of bed. Tiptoeing across the room, she picked up her bra and panties from where they lay on top of her dress and put them on, then stepped into the satin gown and zipped it up as quietly as she could. She bent down to pick up her shoes next, but then hesitated as a twinge of guilt assailed her. While this thing she had with Dawson might just be a weekend fling, it wasn’t right to just leave without a word. She should at least leave him a note.
Forgetting about her shoes for the moment, she padded over to the desk. Behind her, Dawson stirred in bed and she threw a nervous glance over her shoulder. Getting caught sneaking out of his room would require more explanation than she could give without crying. But to her relief, he was still asleep.
Breathing a soft sigh, Kate took out a piece of hotel stationery and picked up a pen, but then hesitated again. What did a girl say to a guy like Dawson? Words didn’t seem enough, so in the end, she kept it simple.
Dawson,
Thank you for the most wonderful weekend of my life.
Kate
She stared at the paper for a moment, then let out a sigh. Putting it in an envelope, she wrote Dawson ’s name on the front, then walked over to the bed and placed it on the pillow beside his, careful not to disturb him. Fighting the urge to bend over and give him one last kiss, she picked up her shoes and the bridal bouquet she’d caught from Rachel the night before and quietly slipped out of the room.
Kate hurried down the hall to her room, tears blurring her vision. Her chest hurt so much she could barely breathe and once inside, she had to lean against the door to steady herself. Dear God, it felt like her heart was actually breaking.
Choking back a sob, she took off her gown and carelessly stuffed it into her suitcase along with the rest of her clothes, then changed into fresh underwear before putting on jeans and a T-shirt. After that, she grabbed her stuff from the bathroom and shoved everything haphazardly into her toiletry bag. Later, she would probably regret packing so hastily, but right now, all she wanted to do was get out of there. She didn’t even take the time to redo her makeup or brush her hair, but just ran her fingers through its long length on her way to the door.
Hand on the knob, Kate turned back and gave the room a quick look to see if she’d forgotten anything when her gaze settled on the bridal bouquet she’d tossed on the bed. Her first instinct was to leave the damn thing, but for some reason, she found herself snatching it off the bed to take it home.
Fortunately, the rest of the hotel was still asleep at that time of morning, so Kate didn’t encounter anyone on her way down to the lobby. The desk clerk seemed a little surprised she was checking out so early, but made no comment other than to tell her to have a nice day. As she pulled out of the parking lot a little while later, she berated herself for not checking the ferry schedule before she left, but to her relief, it was still at the dock when she got to the marina. Parking her car on board, she got out and went up to take a seat in the enclosed deck.
Since the ferry wasn’t due to leave for Anacortes for almost half an hour, Kate had a lot of time to wonder if she’d done the right thing by leaving. What if she’d been wrong about Dawson? What if he was the kind of guy who was open to a long-term relationship? She was thinking maybe she should go back when the ferry pulled away from the dock.
Her heart sank. Well, it was too late now. It was probably for the best anyway.
Letting out a sigh, Kate walked outside to stand at the railing. No one else was out there, so she could be alone with her thoughts and as she watched San Juan Island retreat in the distance, she blinked back fresh tears. She wondered if Dawson had read her note yet. Did he regret their parting as much as she did? The idea that he might just shrug and toss her letter in the trash hurt almost as much as leaving him and she swallowed hard.
Kate was so lost in her own misery she didn’t even know someone had come out on deck until they were standing right beside her. Confused and a little annoyed that another passenger had to invade her space when there was a whole deck to make use of, she turned her head to see who it was, only to gasp in surprise when she realized it was Dawson.
At first, she thought she was imagining him, that her mind had somehow conjured up his jean-clad form to torture her even more, but when his beautiful brown eyes met hers, she knew for a certainty he was really there. His hair was tousled as if he’d just run his hand through it, and he was breathing hard, too, like he’d been running.
“ Dawson,” she breathed. “What are you doing here? I-I mean, I thought you’d be taking a later ferry.”
“I was, but then I woke up and found your note and…” He shook his head as if searching for the right words. “God, this is really awkward. I don’t even know if I should have followed you. But I just knew I’d be kicking myself for the rest of my life if I let you go without telling you how I feel. So, when I discovered you’d checked out of the hotel, I decided to come after you.”
Kate’s heart seemed to stop in her chest. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?
“Look Kate, if my chasing after you like this makes you uncomfortable, then I’m sorry. I know we both agreed to hook up for the weekend and that it was just supposed to be about the sex, but it ended up being more than that for me. I didn’t plan on falling for you, but somewhere between making love to you that first night, having dinner on the balcony off my room, and dancing with you at the wedding reception last night, I did fall for you. Hard.” He reached out to gently cup her face in his hand. “What I’m trying to say is that I’d really like to keep seeing you when we get back to Seattle. I want to see where this thing between us can go. I hope you feel the same.”
She gazed up at him, too stunned to do anything but stand there.
The corner of his mouth edged up. “When I practiced this whole speech in my head as I was hauling ass to catch the ferry, I imagined you saying something encouraging at about this point in the conversation.”
Kate blushed. She opened her mouth to tell him she did feel the same way, but nothing would come out. Deciding to just show him how she felt instead, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. That must have been good enough for Dawson because he kissed her back with a passion that left her breathless.
“I take it that means you’re okay with us continuing to see each other,” he teased when he lifted his head.
She laughed. “Okay with it? Dawson, it’s what I wanted since the first night we slept together.”
His brow furrowed. “Then why did you leave?”
She gave him a sheepish look. “Because I wasn’t sure you’d feel the same. And because I wasn’t as brave as you are. If you’d been the one who left, I would never have had the courage to come after you.”
He reached up to gently brush her hair back from her face, his mouth quirking. “I didn’t stop to think about being brave when I decided to come after you. I just knew if I didn’t, I’d be making the biggest mistake of my life.”
She kissed him again. “Well, I’m glad you did. It’s just good you were able to make the ferry before it left. You must have checked out of the hotel in record time.”
“Speaking of that, I’m going to have to turn around and go back to San Juan Island when we get to Anacortes.”
It was her turn to frown. “Why?”
“Because I was in such a hurry to catch you before you left I didn’t check out of my room. Actually, I didn’t even bother to take any of my stuff.”
She shook her head in amusement. “No problem. I’ll go back with you.”
His eyes darkened with a look she was coming to recognize. “You know, I don’t have to be out of the room until noon. If we get back in time, we might be able to slip in a quickie.”
Her pussy tingled at the suggestion and she let out a little moan as she went up on tiptoe to kiss him again. “And what if I can’t wait until we get back to your room?”
He chuckled. “Well, then I suppose we’ll just have to find someplace on the ferry to make do until we get back.”
She shivered with anticipation. That added a whole new meaning to the phrase love boat. “What do you suggest?”
He took both her hands in his and started backing toward the door that led inside. “Ever make love in a storage room on a ferry?”
She laughed. “I’m pretty sure I haven’t.”
Dawson gave her a wolfish grin. “Me, either. Let’s go find one and try it out.”
Kate couldn’t follow fast enough.