Carved in Stone: Monochrome Destiny Read online

  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.

  “Ready to have a go at casting?” Andrew’s words trickled over Robyn’s shoulder tensing her muscles and rendering her insides molten.

  “Yes,” she nodded, feeling pliant beneath his arms. What was it he was doing to her?

  “This time when we flick to the left, let go of the line.” His tone was instructive. How could he keep so calm when she felt so out of control?

  “Okay,” Robyn nodded in affirmation but she wasn’t convincing herself. Andrew’s words were sliding over her mind, she wasn’t able to pay much heed and she knew her body was going to be unable to do as instructed, not with him sitting so close.

  Andrew pulled the rod to the right and then Robyn felt the pressure of his hands on hers as he flicked it left. She let the line free from under her finger and was amazed as the line flew out of the reel and the float and bait landed in the water twenty feet from the boat.

  “Not bad,” Andrew said, still holding her. His chin rested on her shoulder, his cheek against her ear, heating her to boiling. She couldn’t help but tilt her head towards his. Her subconscious wanted to be as close to him as possible. He tightened his arms and they sat for a moment, still in the relative silence of the ocean, the only noise the gentle lapping of waves against the hull and the creaking of the ropes and sails.

  “Do you want to try that again?” he whispered in her ear.

  “Yes,” she was breathless and it came out as a whisper.

  Taking charge, Andrew reeled in the line. The long fingers of his right hand still covered Robyn’s, but he held the line between his index finger and thumb as he reeled. When it was the same length as when they had started, Andrew let Robyn hold the line again and lifted the wire bail. Again, with his hands over hers, they cast the line. It went further this time. Andrew reeled it in again.

  “Do you want to have a go on your own this time?”

  “Uh, no.” Robyn didn’t want him to remove his hands from hers. The feelings that surged through her, the effect they had on her heart, the way his touch made her respond was addictive. She didn’t want him to move and tensed at the thought of him getting up, at the thought of him letting go.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered against her cheek.

  Robyn’s body trembled as she wondered if Andrew had felt her tension, if he knew just how desperately she wanted him to keep hold of her. Perhaps he only thought she was worried about messing up the cast. She didn’t want Andrew, or any man, thinking that she needed him.

  Andrew took his hands off of Robyn’s and crossed his arms over her stomach, hugging her to him.

  His arms were long and wound around her no problem but Robyn wanted to be closer. The thought travelled through her mind even as she began to speak, “Andrew?”

  “Yes.”

  She felt the word more than heard it. She couldn’t believe that she was going to do this but her desire pushed her further. “How much danger am I in of falling in?”

  He tensed momentarily before answering. “None, with me here.”

  Robyn swallowed some of her nerves. “Then why am I still wearing the lifejacket?” Her pulse rocketed at her own words. She couldn’t believe how emboldened she was being.

  Andrew stilled, considering the options and then without sound or whisper, he reached around Robyn and unclipped the strap at her waist. Her heart hammered as his hands moved the zip gently and slowly down, his breaths dancing over her collar as he pulled the jacket from her arms and carefully placed it aside before wrapping himself around her once again.

  God his body felt good! Robyn could feel the hardness of muscle in his encircling arms as she held the rod, turned the reel and made ready to cast again. Against her back she could feel sculptured muscle despite her jacket as she lifted the bail and then put her hand swiftly back on the rod. Wondering what that taut chest would look like under her gaze, she leaned back into him as she practiced her swing a couple of times, breathing deeply, and then on the third flick, she let the line go. It sailed out away from the boat as Andrew squeezed her tight.

  “You’re a natural,” he whispered into her ear and then he gently kissed her neck. His warm lips met her skin. Her pulse went wild beneath his graze and remained exhilarated as he lingered. Robyn closed her eyes and leaned her head back against him in response, exposing her neck and jaw, desiring more, more touch, more intimacy.

  Robyn’s grip loosened on the fishing rod and it slipped from her hands. Andrew’s arms, lightning fast, reached out and grabbed it before it could fall into the ocean.

  “Sorry,” she sucked in a breath and blinked as his mouth broke away from her skin.

  “I distracted you. Here have another go. I promise I’ll behave this time.” His voice was as smooth as silk, as he gave her back the rod but it had deepened.

  Robyn took the rod. The line was still reeled out from her previous cast so, copying what Andrew had done, she controlled the line between her thumb and forefinger and turned the reel. It took longer than when Andrew had done it but eventually the line was back in. She set the rod up again and cast the line. Andrew
kept his arms around her and his cheek at her ear but he refrained from kissing her again.

  Robyn cast the rod over and over, reeling the line in herself between casts. She was getting quite used to it and regularly got the hook to fly out away from the boat. She was concentrating so much on getting the casting right that she forgot all about the purpose of this exercise until the line jerked in her hands. Robyn gasped as Andrew’s head lifted from her shoulder and his hands came over hers to grab the rod.

  Andrew helped Robyn slowly reel in the fish. She let him guide her movements as the creature thrashed about in the water, moving closer with each turn of the reel. Tilting the rod up, the fish lifted out of the water, flicking its tail as if it were still swimming and Andrew swung the fish towards them. He caught it and carefully detached the hook from its mouth before leaning around her to throw it in the basket.

  “Your first catch,” Andrew turned to her, delight in his eyes.

  Robyn couldn’t help it. Hormones surging, she simply had to act. When she saw his smile as he leaned over, she twisted, laid the rod on the deck and caught his face in one palm. As she touched his cheek, Andrew looked at her with a combination of anticipation and wonder before she drew him to her, pulled his lips to hers and kissed him.

  It was meant to be slow, sensual and delicate but the heat hit instantly and underneath that, something primal; need. With one hand on the back of his neck, holding him so that she could take what she needed, Robyn slid her tongue across Andrew’s bottom lip and heard a guttural groan before those confident hands grasped her and pushed her down onto the deck. In seconds, Robyn found herself underneath Andrew, pinned and desperate for his touch. His hands were in her hair, on her face, tracing the line of her neck. His mouth was devouring, his tongue exploring and she could hear her own whimpers and moans as each touch, each caress detonated sensations deep within her.

  Robyn writhed beneath him, tugging at his clothes with frantic hands. Her fervour drove him wild as he tasted the decadence of her mouth. Her needy tongue danced around his, flicking, sampling and he groaned deep in his throat at the pleasure of her touch. He broke from the feast of her mouth and traced a line of kisses down her jaw, his tongue flicking out and sampling as he nipped and kissed his way to the soft velvet of her neck. She moaned softly and pulled his head closer as she twisted her head to the side to give him more room. His lips sealed over her pulse, the frantic beat of her heart pounding beneath his touch and he suckled there until her body lifted from the deck, arching beneath him. She was so responsive to the lightest of touches. He could imagine her reaction to his lips on her breasts or the intimate pink folds of her sex. The thought made his already straining manhood jerk violently against the constraints of his jeans. Never had he been so desperate to bury himself in a woman.

  Robyn’s hands tore away from his hair and instead grappled with his sweater. She pulled the knitwear up like she was desperate to rid him of the barrier between them. His own hands trailed under the hem of her shirt, where they met the soft skin of her stomach, hot and quivering to his touch. He groaned as sparks electrified his need.

  Robyn’s hands found his skin, her nails sliding deliciously over his shoulders and her touch nearly unmanned him. Grabbing her wrists, he lifted her hands above her head and forced them down to the deck, stretching her delicious body out beneath him. Holding both slender wrists in one hand, he further explored her sensuous skin that now gleamed in the light where her shirt had pulled up over her stomach. She writhed beneath him, a burning fire of molten need and he knew he could have her, take her there and then on the deck. It was that thought that sent fear through his veins and he jerked back, desperate to get himself back under control.

  Robyn looked up at him in desperation at first before shock widened her eyes and she dragged her shirt down to cover her exposed flesh.

  “An interesting response to catching a fish,” he managed as his breath began to recover.

  Robyn’s chest heaved as she dragged in precious air. “I nearly. . . We nearly.” Mortified by her response to Andrew, Robyn began to drag herself away from him and tug her clothing back into place. Christ! She was lying on the deck of a boat in the middle of the ocean. What the hell had she been thinking?

  Andrew, still breathing heavily, closed his eyes before slowly opening them. “Yes. We certainly did, but as neither of us is ready for that, perhaps we’d better get back to fishing.”

  She stared up at him, wondering what thoughts were behind those radiant eyes. “More fishing?”

  “We need the distraction.” A half smile tugged at his lip and Robyn felt at least a little comfort in the knowledge that she was not alone in her embarrassment.

  “Yes.” Her eyes watched as he crawled slowly backwards and sat back on his haunches. He then held out a hand to help her to sit up.

  Handing her the rod, Andrew settled back into his position behind her, arms hugging her to him, chin resting on her shoulder.

  “I think this was safe,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Just,” she answered, feeling his warm breath slide over the places his teeth had only moments ago nibbled.

  Robyn pulled up at the cottage in the dark. The smile on her face reflected her mood. She couldn’t conceal it. The day had been wonderful, lazy and romantic. Who knew that the aloof and disdainful man she had met when she first arrived would prove to have such powerful allure?

  Robyn walked to the door happy and carefree. One look at what awaited her dispelled the warmth from her system and instead, left only ice.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  The best way to deal with a bully is to show them that you’re not afraid. The advice that Robyn readily gave to pupils could easily be applied to her own situation. It was, as she discovered, easier said than done.

  She marched purposefully across the central hall as soon as lessons were finished on Monday afternoon. She had spent her weekend stewing with a rage she could barely contain. Now, her heels clipped out a rhythmic countdown as she stormed into the Maths corridor. Each step denoted the closure of distance. If she could fight to win a Go-Karting race, she could face Derek Ellis. She just needed the same resolve to complete the task that she had found on the track. Robyn found that resolve when she had seen what he had left dangling from her door when she got back on Saturday.

  Barbie! He’d used a Barbie doll not only because Kat looked like one; tall, slim and blonde, but because he referred to her that way when he gossiped. Where he had gotten the clothing from Robyn didn’t know, but it had been the same pink T-shirt and pink lined tracksuit that she had often worn to work. Robyn had known immediately who the effigy was supposed to be.

  None of that was particularly worrisome. It could have just been a prank. The rest however, was just sick. Barbie had been attached to the door by a noose. Neatly fashioned from twine, it dangled Barbie from the door knocker like some gross image of death. To cause further hurt, Barbie had been wearing a small sign around her neck. Crafted like a chalkboard it read, ‘ONE DOWN, ONE TO GO’.

  Clip, clip, clip, Robyn’s footsteps echoed off the walls. It was the end of the day but she knew Derek Ellis would still be in his classroom. Clip, clip, clip, the sound of heels on hard wood accompanied her walk as she closed on his classroom. Clip, clip, clip, rhythmic and steady, her feet sounded out the calm beat of her resolute heart.

  Stopping, Robyn peeked through the glass panel that gave a window into Derek’s room and saw that he sat at his desk, alone.

  Clip. She entered the room without knocking.

  “What, precisely, is your problem with me?” Her voice was deep, angered and steady. She’d been practising all day.

  Derek turned quickly, her entrance startling him. Shock rapidly changed to anger as his eyes widened. “How dare you barge in here,” he shouted as his body rose to its full height, one foot already closing the distance between them. Thunder rolled across his face and waves of anger raged in his dark eyes.

  Robyn’s strength ebbed
as she faced Derek, but she only had to think of that doll to help reinforce it.

  “I want to know what your problem is?” She could feel the surging adrenaline like heat boiling beneath the surface of her skin and her words retained some of that fire.

  Derek smirked, stepped towards her and grinned menacingly.

  “You and your slapper friend do not belong here. That is what my problem is.” He was inches away from her. His deep voice coated with utter disdain. The words slithered off of his tongue. “One down, one to go.”

  Robyn heaved in a breath. “You will not bully me out, do you understand? I am not leaving.” Her control was slipping as her anger flared furiously white. She hated the sadistic man in front of her but the fact that she was half his size had her holding herself back from administering the first blow.

  One viciously strong hand struck out and grabbed her by the throat. Fingers encircled her neck and squeezed just enough to make her perfectly aware that snapping her neck would be easy and of little consequence. Derek used his grip to pull her to him and hold her terrified stare as he bent down to her level.

  With a half grin, he barked out words. “You will leave, Darrow. Eventually they all do.”

  Trapped, Robyn could only stare.

  The fingers on her neck gripped for one, long moment more and then released her with a simultaneous shove towards the door. She spun around staggering to the closed door as fast as her shaky legs would carry her. Her hand lifted to grasp her own throat. Air seeped in and out in hurried gasps as her fingers fumbled with the door handle but she finally managed to pull the door open and escape.

  Robyn’s feet clipped down the long corridor, back in the direction of her classroom. The clip of her heels no longer sounded the countdown to confrontation, but instead the dirge of defeat.