Forgotten Love (Derrien Island Trilogy) Read online

  “Really no, it was my fault, I will be fine, I’m sorry I interrupted your game, uh what’s your name?”

  “Marcus, my name is Marcus Nicholls”.

  Marcus watched as she struggled to place her legs beneath her to stand. He almost admired her obvious act of bravado and wondered why she seemed to feel the need to pretend that she was okay when it was clear that she wasn’t.

  “Marcus, honestly I’m fine, I have experienced worse before. It comes with the territory with us artsy types. Our bodies are present but we are always off somewhere else in our minds,” she laughed wincing slightly at the pain as she tried to place additional pressure on her leg to stand.

  “Well, at least allow me help you over to that bench there and I’m not taking no for an answer! Besides sitting on the bench should make it easier for you to apply the ice,” added Marcus with determination.

  “Here’s your ice,” said one of the players as he returned just then, handing her a cup filled with ice cubes.

  Natasha thanked the player for the ice and surveyed the many concerned faces which encircled her, before she finally agreed to allow Marcus to help her over to the nearby bench. All of the attention was getting a little embarrassing now, especially since she’d noticed that the one called Marcus was more than a little attractive where her taste in men was concerned. Just a brief observation already revealed that he was built exactly like the type of man she’d always envisioned would be perfect for her.

  “Okay you guys go on and continue the game without me. I will be back later to continue the slaughter,” he said amid the laughter and taunts of the players as they returned to the court. He ignored them and placed his hand gently under her elbow supporting her as she walked slowly over to the bench with a slight limp.

  As she walked Marcus couldn’t help but notice that despite her injury she stood with an excellent posture and he wondered if she was a dancer, after all she did say that she was an artsy type.

  “You got me pretty good with that ball Marcus. I thought I was hit by a car or something else at first,” she admitted while trying to dissolve the tension with a half-joke. It was a really hard hit she’d received which meant that Marcus carried some amazing strength in his arms. Forcing herself not to check out his muscled frame at that moment she once again raised her sheer wrap to apply the ice to her thigh.

  “Yeah, sorry about that again,” he replied. “That serve was meant strictly for the other team’s demise. I played inter-varsity volleyball in college and serving is one of my strong points,” explained Marcus apologetically.

  “I can tell. Listen like I told you don’t have to stay here with me if you don’t want to. I’ll be fine in a few minutes. You can go back to playing your game.”

  “I know, and you keep saying that. I want to stay right where I am now. What’s your name?”

  “It’s Natasha, Natasha Mitchell.”

  “Natasha”, repeated Marcus relishing the sound of her name on his lips. For some reason he was having a difficult time staying focused on just her injury. He already knew that he was not taking no for an answer concerning taking her to the doctor, but he decided not to press the issue any more for now.

  Right now, he was battling this feeling that he knew her even though to his knowledge he had only met her for the first time that day.

  God, she was beautiful! That first glance into her green eyes generously rimmed with thick dark lashes only invited him to gaze at her even more closely. Her heart shaped face was framed by waves of shoulder-length cascading black hair parted in the centre of her head, which shone against the vibrant beauty of her brown skin. Something about the smoothness and the colour of her skin reminded him of a cup of hot creamy milk chocolate. When she spoke she did so with eloquence revealing a set of pearl white evenly set teeth. She was beautiful enough to qualify as a celebrity and all this without any makeup on her face. Her beauty was all natural and all her.

  Her skin was impossibly smooth and her body was well toned like someone who exercised regularly. She carried an air of confidence about her but yet, he could see that she was not overbearing or proud. Case in point, he was quite aware that this situation could have turned out very differently. She had every right to be angry with him right now and in fact, if he was at home in the US, he could be looking at a potential lawsuit. But he knew that people tended to see life much differently here on Derrien Island and were much more tolerant of the mistakes of others.

  Natasha could sense the warmth of Marcus’ lingering gaze on her face as he said her name slowly and she had the odd thought that somehow he was savouring it like one would slowly savour the taste of a bite of chocolate until it melted. It was very disconcerting to have such manly eye candy sitting so close beside her stripped to the waist and wearing only a pair of black and gold board shorts, with a leather chain with a sharks’ tooth pendant around his neck. At first she thought he might have been a local because of his dark brown skin, but when he spoke, his American accent was unmistakable. He was about six foot three and when he stood; her head barely peeked above his strong looking, broad shoulders. He was muscular but not bulky and when he moved his muscles flexed smoothly along his neck and arms. Strangely enough, she did not feel threatened under his gaze but rather a sense of curiosity about who he was in addition to simply admiring him. His deep-set hooded eyes radiated a good nature with a touch of mischief and were widely spaced below a deep forehead and thick, black eyebrows. He had high cheekbones and a large well formed nose. When he smiled his lower lip appeared fuller than the top lip, revealing even white teeth. He was completely shaven but she could see the slight shadow of a full beard and sideburns beneath his skin. His entire body glistened with a thin sheen of sweat obviously produced during his volleyball game.

  “Are you here alone?” he asked breaking into her thoughts. She hoped that she had not been staring at him with the same open-mouthed wonder she was beginning to feel inside.

  “No, I came here with my girlfriend Ashley. I left her down at the other end of the beach while I took a walk by myself. Sometimes I like to just come here during the day to relax and listen to my favourite songs. You know, to swim, walk and sing. I find it to be a great way to escape and just let loose and be me. Here at the beach there is nothing to stop me from just having a good time. But why am I telling you all of this?”she said suddenly thinking that she was taking it for granted that he was interested in listening to her babble about her hobbies. She laughed nervously while lowering her eyes.

  “I don’t mind hearing about it at all,” replied Marcus noting how her eyes sparkled as she spoke about her love for her the outdoors and her music.

  Instead of continuing to speak about herself, she shifted the conversation and asked, “Are you a tourist Marcus?”

  “Yes and no. I was born and grew up in New York but I recently relocated here to Derrien Island,” said Marcus with a swell of pride. “Moving here was my dream for many years and I made it come true early last year. There is nowhere else in the world I would rather live than right here on this island.”

  “Wow, really?” I think that is so interesting because for most people here, the dream is to leave the island life behind and go to the big city. You know, to live the American dream?”

  “Not for me. I have been visiting Derrien Island since I was a child and I just fell in love with the place. It really is so beautiful here and I think that anyone who has the chance to settle here is really lucky,” he replied with genuine admiration.

  “I guess living here all my life has caused some of that degree of attraction to wear off for me, but I can see why you might feel that way,” Natasha replied.

  “I don’t think the attraction could ever wear off for me,” said Marcus at that moment looking into Natasha’s eyes. On the surface he was talking about Derrien Island, but somehow he knew that his words were directed at this unique green-eyed beauty who sat before him.

  “I don’t mean to be so forward with you but, your e
yes are such an unusual colour Natasha. Where is your family from?”

  “I get that question a lot actually. Both of my parents were born right here on Derrien Island but we believe we may have a Dutch European ancestor we don’t know that much about,” she replied laughing as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. My mother also has green eyes.

  The sound of her laughter stirred something so deeply primal and almost possessive in him, and he knew that he did not want this conversation to end just as yet. Just as he was about to respond to her, a shorter but attractive lady in a yellow bikini approached them and sat beside Natasha on the bench.

  “There you are I was looking for you everywhere. I almost thought you got lost!” she said jokingly.

  “Oh hi Ashley, no, I’m, not lost and as you can see I had a little accident ...

  “Accident? What happened?” asked Ashley with alarm. “Your parents are going to flip when they hear about that! You know how they get about their one and only daughter!”

  “Calm down Ashley, there is no need to bother my parents, it’s just a small impact bruise,” said Natasha lifting away the hand holding the cup of ice so Ashley could see that it wasn’t that bad.

  “I was walking with my earphones on as usual and accidentally wandered onto the beach volley ball court, and I got hit pretty hard. Actually, Marcus is the culprit who did the damage,” she said as she turned her head to face Marcus with a trace of humour in her eyes.

  Marcus was utterly mesmerized! Natasha was simply breathtaking and he wondered if she could tell what a potent effect she was having on his pulse rate. Not only was she was just injured but she could still find a reason to laugh about it. The women he knew in the past would have been screaming curses at him right about now for ruining their perfect tan or hair! But Natasha was taking it all in stride and that alone was more than a passing curiosity for him. The movement of her hair across her shoulders, her gorgeous eyes and her obvious sense of humour were extremely attractive to him.

  “Oh hi Marcus, I’m Ashley” she said with a small wave.

  ‘It’s nice to meet you too Ashley,” Marcus replied.

  “So Natasha, how does your leg feel right now?” Ashley asked redirecting her attention to her friend.

  “The stinging sensation is fading but the bruise looks a bit dark,” said Natasha.

  “Hmm, I think you had better get that checked out.”

  “Ashley, I could not agree with you more”, interjected Marcus quickly. “I’ve already offered to take Natasha to see a doctor but she refused. Maybe you will have more luck convincing her than I did.”

  “He’s right Natasha! That looks really purple! Are you still sure about refusing his offer?” asked Ashley.

  “To tell the truth I am considering it now, because my leg has swollen a little since I got the impact,” Natasha replied with a groan.

  “I think you should take Marcus up on his offer. Stand up and let me see!” demanded Ashley.

  Natasha stood up but not before her friend Ashley saw her wince as she did so.

  “Okay, no buts or arguments, you are going to get that checked out right now,” said Ashley.

  “You sound like my mother!” said Natasha.

  “Well someone has to do it! You can be so stubborn sometimes, but I love you anyway,” replied Ashley in a bossy tone, resting her hands on her hips.

  Sighing forcefully, Natasha knew that continuing to fight both of them would be an uphill battle that would take up far too much of her energy and Ashley knew that she hated to fight. In fact, she would do all that she could to avoid fighting.

  “So Marcus, you’re not some kind of axe murder or serial rapist right?” asked Natasha in a resigned tone.

  Caught off guard by her question, Marcus laughed out loud but then seeing the twin serious expressions on both her face and Ashley’s he sobered up quickly.

  “No, I am not an axe murderer nor am I a serial rapist. Here’s what, I can let you take my picture with your phone’s camera and you can also ask someone else to do it so that someone else has evidence that I was with you. Would that make you feel safer?” Marcus asked.

  Both Ashley and Natasha looked at each other and spoke in a way that Marcus could only describe as telepathic before Natasha shouted across to the other volleyball players who were about forty feet away.

  “Hey, is Marcus an okay guy? Can we trust him to take us to the clinic?” shouted Natasha.

  Everyone playing stopped and looked around and paused and finally Sheldon began jogging toward them.

  “Is this man harassing you?” asked Sheldon teasingly.

  “No he’s not, but we want to know if we would be safe with him taking us across to the medical centre.”

  “There is nothing safe about Marcus Nicholls, this guy is a total jerk and a shameless playboy!” joked Sheldon.

  “Sheldon!” warned Marcus through gritted teeth.

  “Okay, okay, okay, sorry, I just can’t help sticking it to my friend here, that’s how we roll. Marcus is a decent guy; in fact he is pretty well known and is the assistant manager at that popular seafood restaurant, Shores in Cedarville. He is too well known to do anything stupid! You will be fine.”

  “I offered to let them take my picture for evidence too,” added Marcus.

  Natasha could see that Marcus was telling the truth but knew that it was better to be safe than to be sorry. So she gave Sheldon her phone a brand new Sony Ericsson with combined camera, and mp3 player, to take the picture.

  “Hey, I heard about these all-in-one phones, I am planning to buy one later this week,” said Sheldon impressed with how up to date her technology was.

  “My parents like to make sure I can be contacted whenever and wherever necessary so that usually means my having the latest gadgets,” said Natasha rolling her eyes.

  “Okay trade phone specs later, just take the pictures,” said Marcus impatiently glaring at Sheldon. For some unspeakable reason he was in a hurry to have this woman in his car, and to spend just a little more time with her, alone. It was not as though they were going on a date, he chided himself quickly. It was just a doctor’s visit and no more. But, despite the inward argument in Marcus’ head he knew that his irritation meant something much deeper than he was willing to admit at that moment.

  Once the photos were taken, Marcus offered to help Ashley take their belongings to his vehicle while Natasha waited for them to return on the bench.

  That day, instead of Ashley driving her own car, they had opted to come by bus to have a little more freedom and an excuse to stay out longer. With both she and Marcus gone for the moment it gave her a chance to replay all that took place since meeting Marcus in her mind and the fact that she was having an undeniable attraction of the deepest kind to this stranger. If the ball had hit her on the head she might have blamed that for the reactions she was experiencing in her body, but that simply was not the case. He had such kind, yet sexy eyes and he radiated calm and an aura of manliness that made her feel safe just by sitting and talking with him. In fact, now that she thought about it, she had every opportunity to get angry when she saw and heard his apology while she was on the sand but somehow once she saw his sincerity, being angry was not even a consideration for her anymore. If she wasn’t careful she could find herself really falling hard for this guy.

  Not even the fact that his muscular body shone with sweat and featured patches of sand, could diminish how attractive, appealing and very disarming he was. This was clearly not a boy just out of his teenage years, but, she was guessing that he might actually be in his late twenties and made a note to ask him later. She had always found guys her age to be so immature and clueless when it came to women so they made it pretty easy for her to stay focused on her studies at college. She simply ignored their poor attempts at capturing her attention.

  Besides that, her parents were very strict about her getting romantically involved before laying the foundation for a good career for herself. It was important to th
em that she would not be dependent on any man for her living. Those lectures and impossibly high expectations among other reasons had caused her to flee the house every day for the last five days that she had been back home from college overseas. Inside she was dreading how many excuses she needed to come up with for the next three weeks to get away from her parents before she had to leave for Georgia again. She loved her parents but they really knew how to drive her crazy sometimes with their constant unsolicited advice.

  Ashley understood her predicament very well and so far made sure that she always had an event and a willing alibi. It was not as though she was going out seeking trouble. All she wanted was a rest and some time just to be herself without the world of burdens and expectations on her shoulders. Music and her artwork were the only things that could lift her above everything that she found overwhelming, until now.

  Today, she would have to add Marcus to that list, because even though she could still feel the impact of the ball on her leg, she found herself forgetting about the pain and noticing him. She noticed so many things about him in the short time they had been talking. Like how good he smelled, with a hint of aqua cologne and sea air combined and how he bit his lower lip briefly whenever his gaze on her intensified. It was as though he was imagining what she would taste like if...

  “Okay, we are back, so let’s go.” said Ashley walking up behind her. “Marcus took all of our things to his car already. Can you walk?”

  “Yes, I can,” said Natasha quickly, rising to her feet in surprise as she dusted the remaining sand from her wrap. She couldn’t believe that she was just sitting there about to fantasize about Marcus. She didn’t even know him like that!

  “She won’t need to!” came a voice that she was beginning to realize had a potently stirring effect on every cell in her body. Suddenly, two strong arms scooped her up and she realized that Marcus has picked her up and he was striding purposefully across the beach to the parking lot. Pressed against his muscular chest she could smell his clean male scent heightened by his cool after-shave. He had put on a T-shirt when he went to the car so she was not in contact with his skin but with the soft texture of his cotton shirt.