Instant Attraction, Part 20
Safari
By Miesque
miesque48@hotmail.com

RATING: PG-13 (a bit of necking, some flirting, sexual innuendo...wait!  Don’t skip ahead to the end! *G*)

SPOILERS: Possible for S7, if TPTB had any good sense :)
STORY SYNOPSIS: An Old Testament rainstorm, a stuck SUV, a beachball to the head and kava kava leads to Kerry making a confession.

DISCLAIMER: The characters of Luka Kovac and Kerry Weaver are the sole property of NBC, Warner Brothers, Amblin, and Constant C.  

SONG: ‘Thing Called Love’ by Bonnie Raitt
PRAISE TO: My Canadian mentor for editing, suggestions and help with writing love scenes, about which I am...well, a little
prudish.

LAUGHING BECAUSE: Spell-check did some rather interesting things with 'Pratt' and the words to these song lyrics-barely caught them in time.  If you see something weird in here, it's spell-check's fault. :)

PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS: Instant Attraction; Room For Rent; Fired; Blackout; On The Line; Point of Refuge; Heart to Heart; Double-Take; Broken Valentine; In Memory...; Paint It Black; Hope Springs Eternal; Bridges; My Brother’s Keeper; Getting the Shift; Sister Wolf; Eye of the Storm; Grounded; Learning to Fly



Kerry was eating breakfast in one of the resort restaurants, sitting on the veranda, looking out over the brilliant blue ocean. Her dinner last night with Luka had gone well, and so far, her hands were still trembling from the experience. They had lingered at the table, talking until late into the night, until finally he politely told her he needed to get some sleep. It was a minor letdown, for Kerry, that he left, but she could tell that he was starting to catch on. Maybe... just maybe...

She was stirring her glass of iced tea, watching parasailers bobbing in the water like plastic bath toys. It really was a beautiful place - a perfect spot to get away from it all. To hell with the conference, she thought. Why would I want to confine myself indoors, listening to dry speeches when I could be out here, getting some much-needed sunlight? So long as I don’t get freckled, that is...

Glancing over, she saw Luka standing at the bar, talking to the bartender. She hoped he wasn’t drinking this early in the morning. When he saw her, he raised his hand slightly in greeting, but made no move towards her. She gestured for him to come sit with her, and after collecting what appeared to be a soda, he strolled over and sat down.

“Morning,” he said, giving her that shy smile of his. She grinned back.

“Sleep well?”

“Yeah, I did, actually. Left the doors open and listened to the sea. It’s very... soothing, isn’t it?”

Kerry allowed her imagination to run away with her. It would have been more soothing, for her, if he had stayed last night. Just the idea of being in his arms, listening to the pounding sea, touching his skin and feeling him...

“Kerry?”

“What?” she asked, looking around.

“Is something wrong?” He looked concerned.

Kerry shook her head. “No.  I’m just fine.” She smiled and gestured for the waiter to come over. “Could I have some tea... with extra ice, please?”

“Sure.” The man looked at Luka. “Would you like to order anything, sir?”

“Yeah. Scrambled eggs and toast, please.”

“Coming up.”

“Do you always have the same thing for breakfast?” she asked.

“I usually don’t have breakfast.”

She sighed. “But that’s not healthy, Luka. You know the old saying... ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’.”

“Yes, I know,” he grinned. “But I usually have no appetite at all.”

“We all have appetites for something,” she countered. “What do you have an appetite for?”

That question startled Luka. Was she flirting with him? He had lain awake, thinking about what she’d said over dinner, and he had been grappling with it ever since. Women had flirted with him in the past, and he had allowed it to a certain extent. Carol had flirted-hadn’t she?-but this was a lot different. Kerry didn’t seem flirtatious, yet he had a feeling she was capable of being very... forward. Besides that, she was wearing a very pretty floral dress that did a lot for her figure. His eyes kept wandering from her face to her bosom and below, and now he was looking at her mouth again and thinking about...

“Luka?” Kerry’s voice interrupted his thoughts, and he started, shifting his focus to her eyes now.

“Yes?”

“Are you going to attend any of the speeches today?”

“Uh...” It took him a minute to get his mind out of the gutter. He stammered for a moment, and Kerry watched him, her heart starting to beat a little faster. He had been looking directly at her breasts, and if that didn’t mean something, she didn’t know what did. “No... not today, I don’t think. I think I’ll... tour the islands a bit, you know?”

“Sure.”

“Maybe you could,” he said, wrinkling his nose up at the sun, “forego the speeches and come with me?”

She pretended to think it over for a moment, drawing it out a little first. Squinting up at the sun like that, he’d suddenly looked like the way he must have when he was a kid-and it was almost too much for Kerry. It took all her strength to keep from just kissing him.

“Okay. I’ll go some other night.”

“Good...” His scrambled eggs arrived just then, and Luka looked at them glumly. When the waiter left, he looked at her. “Watery eggs,” he muttered.

She just laughed.



Luka had rented an SUV, figuring a good four-wheel drive would serve their purposes pretty well. He helped Kerry into the passenger seat and they headed off on what Luka called a ‘Consonant-Finding Tour’. “Let’s see... ‘Captain Cook was beaten to death by natives after he and his men brought venereal disease to the island’,” Luka read from a tour book. “And that’s pretty much how the tourist trade is today, with only a few minor alterations.”

Kerry playfully whacked him on the arm. They drove through Honolulu, got headaches from the Magnum P.I. shirts, and ate lunch in a Polynesian restaurant. Then they headed west.

They were both surprised to find that the west side of the big island was dry and cactus-populated. “A desert on a tropical island?” Luka asked her as they got out to view somebody’s cattle ranch in a little valley below.

“Well, I’m just as surprised as you...it’s not what I had in mind,” she admitted. “Where to next?”

“East, I guess. I think I had this image of Hawaii being nothing but emerald green valleys... a kind of tropical Ireland, you know?”

He went back around to help her into the SUV. The footing wasn’t good, though, on the rocky ground and she slipped and fell into his arms. She instinctively wrapped an arm around his neck and looked up into his eyes. Shyly, she motioned to the stubble that was beginning to appear on his jaw. It was dark, with a surprising amount of grey for a man so young.

“You’re already getting five o’clock shadow,” she whispered. “And it’s barely one...”

“Yeah.”

His gaze was straying to her mouth again, and Kerry took a deep breath. Any wrong move on her part could scare him off, but there was nothing she wanted more than to kiss him. He was going to have to make the first real move, though. She was getting a little impatient, and slipped her hand to his neck, then up into his hair.

That seemed to be the signal he was waiting for. Slowly, carefully, he bent down to kiss her, drawing her up to him but still being cautious. He half expected her to push him away, but instead she wrapped her other arm around his neck and pulled him closer. At first, they were both tentative, but it wasn’t long until the kiss became deeper and more passionate. Kerry’s hands slid forward to his shoulders, feeling muscles that had been hardened by a hard life. She felt the pressure of his arm around his waist, his other hand moving up to her breasts. She sighed softly as he hoisted her up into the seat of the SUV.  He took a deep breath and pulled back, looking at her with an anxious expression on his face.

“We should get going,” he said at last. “Where would you like to go next?”

To bed, she thought. But that was too soon, too fast. “East.”

He nodded, waited until she had pulled her legs in, and closed the door. Then he leaned against the car for a moment, catching
his breath. Kerry Weaver certainly knew how to kiss-and it had been way too long since he’d had a real kiss... that is, a kiss from a woman who really did care about him-a woman he knew he could trust. He looked over and saw an elderly couple watching him with obvious interest.

“Honeymooning?” the man asked him.

Luka grinned. “In a manner of speaking.”



“Needless to say, this is not a place to try the Belly Flop,” Luka said. They were thousands of feet up on a spectacular cliff, which plunged like Hollywood morals to the churning water below.

“You’ve never given any thought to cliff diving?” she asked.

“No... I certainly haven’t. I may be stupid, but I’m not crazy.”

“How about surfing?”

“No.” He attempted a ‘California surfer dude’ accent. “Like, I am so totally not into that.”

“What are you in to?”

He raised an eyebrow at her, and she smiled mischievously at him. “You know, I think we should visit Molokai tomorrow. I’ve always liked missionaries.”

It took no time at all for Kerry to get his meaning, and when the realization hit her and a smile spread across her face, he pulled her to him and kissed her again, with an eagerness that made her knees buckle. There were a few other tourists looking at the cliffs and the waterfalls, but they found the gorgeous man and the pretty redhead far more interesting to watch. Some of them even took pictures.



“All right,” he said. “What now?”

They were sitting on beach chairs, looking out over the water. It was late afternoon, the air had cooled down, and they were sipping daiquiris. They had kicked their shoes off, and Luka was watching people coming out of the water. Kerry glanced at him, amazed for the thousandth time at his raw, confident sexiness. He was a beautiful, magnificent animal, sitting there wearing sunglasses and sipping his drink.

“Look... that guy just peed in the ocean.”

She burst into laughter. Luka had spotted three people doing that so far.

He grinned at her. “Maybe it’ll keep the sharks away.”

Kerry gave him a playful shove, and he laughed.

“Kerry?! Kerry Weaver?”

She looked up and saw, to her horror, none other than Dr. Jane Pratt standing there, staring at her in amazement.

“Dr. Pratt,” she said, levering herself carefully to her feet. Luka stood up as well, and Jane stared up at him, wide-eyed. He was looking pretty spectacular, Kerry thought - another reason I should keep him out of general public view. He was still wearing those light khaki pants, but had stripped off his dress shirt in favor of a white T-shirt. He was still a little too thin, but all in all he looked... breathtaking. “Uh... this is Dr. Luka Kovac. Luka, this is Dr. Jane Pratt...”

“Pleased to meet you,” Jane said, shaking Luka’s hand. He gave her one of his dazzling smiles but said nothing.

“So are you here for the medical conference, Kerry?” Jane was still casting curious looks at Luka, obviously intrigued. And did Kerry see envy in her old rival’s eyes? Well, of course. Jane wasn’t here with a gorgeous Croatian, that was for sure. Amazing, Kerry thought, how confident I’m feeling right now. Maybe it’s the daiquiri, or the fact that he’s kissed me twice so far... but if Jane Pratt so much as lays a finger on Luka, this drink will be down the front of her blouse before she can say ‘aloha’.

“Where is...he from?” Jane asked, looking at Luka again before turning her attention back to Kerry.

“He’s from Croat,” Luka answered.

Jane looked suitably embarrassed, and Kerry cleared her throat. “Yes, I am here for the conference.”

“Really? I didn’t see you at the dinner last night or at any of the speeches this afternoon...”

“I was... uh... touring the island a little. I’m sure I’ll get to at least a few of the speeches.”

She could almost hear what Jane was thinking. ‘Sure, Kerry... whatever. As if you’d leave that beautiful specimen of the human male sitting here on the beach to go listen to a speech on diseases of the skin!’. But Jane only smiled. “Well, I look forward to seeing you... again.”

“Sure,” Kerry said, giving Jane an equally fake smirk.

Luka had observed this little conversation with interest, and now stepped forward to observe Kerry standing there with a faraway look in her eyes, stirring her drink.

“Does this change anything?” he asked her nervously. He didn’t want to lose this. He didn’t want to lose her.

She looked at him for a moment, weighing everything carefully. “No,” she said firmly. “Not a bit.”

Gently, he took her hand in his. Kerry almost spilled her daiquiri when he turned her palm up and kissed it lightly, then turned her hand over to kiss the back. He kissed her wrist, feeling her pulse racing, and pulled her a little closer finally brushing his mouth gently across hers.

That did it for Kerry-she came all undone. It was the most erotic-and romantic-thing anyone had ever done to her. She stared at him, her heart pounding, wishing he’d kiss her again. He seemed to read her mind, because he did exactly that - more intimately this time, taking his time, still holding her hand, rubbing his thumb against her palm as he gently explored her mouth. She sighed against him, letting herself get lost in this moment.

Luka wondered why he hadn’t noticed how beautiful she was-and how sexy. She felt so warm and soft in his arms - so right. The taste of her skin was intoxicating - he couldn’t resist kissing her neck and her shoulder before lifting her palm to kiss it again. He liked the scent of her-roses, maybe - and the softness of her hair.

His mouth found hers again, and his kiss became bolder, but still so gentle that Kerry was sure she was melting. She slipped her hands up to run her fingers through his hair, noting how thick and soft it felt. She stood on her toes to kiss his neck, just below his ear, tasting the salt of his skin and breathing against him before lifting her head to receive another warm kiss...

They were startled out of the moment by a beach ball bouncing off Luka’s head. He pulled away and watched as a young kid - probably that paper boy from a few days ago - came running up, retrieved the ball, and dashed away. He glanced at Kerry, who was blushing bright pink. Blushing? Kerry Weaver? He grinned at her, and she grinned back.

“I think a lot has changed, Kerry,” Luka said quietly. “A lot.”

She nodded in agreement. But she reminded herself of one important thing: Luka needed time, even now. He needed time and space to heal, to recover from the painful blows of the past nine years. He was feeling again, coming to life, and in that process some wounds would have to be reopened so the right balms could be applied. No matter how much she wanted him - and God, how she wanted him now-it was too soon to push anything. There was no rush, anyway. Besides, there was nothing more erotic, more pleasurable than delayed gratification. Just take your time, she told herself. He’s going to recover, and there is no way on God’s earth I’m going to give this up. I will not be lonely any more. And I don’t want to live without him.

“So...” He looked down, thinking carefully. He was having a hard time thinking at all, after having kissed her like that. “What do we do now?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “Uh...we could date.”

“We could do that,” he agreed. “What do Americans do on dates?”

“Movies, dinner, theater, opera... anything you like... within reason.”

“What do you mean by ‘within reason’?” he asked, winking at her.

“Well, I mean, I can’t go roller skating or bowling,” she laughed. “But I’m a great cook, and since you already live in my basement, we can eat our meals together and rent movies on Saturday night, order take-out Chinese, talk about our day... that kind of thing. The sort of things other people do.”

He nodded. “Right. I think I could handle that. But remember, Kerry... I’m pretty rusty at this.”

She looked at him, smiling. “I’m hardly an expert on it,” she said softly. “We’ve both got a lot to learn.”



“Hot galloping drat!” Kerry said, holding a plastic trash bag over her head. “It’s raining!”

“Yes, I gathered that,” Luka said. “My God... they said it rains about three hundred inches a year on this side of the island, but it’s apparently all coming down today! I don’t think I’ve seen raindrops this big before.”

“It’s terrifying, isn’t it?” she yelled over the noise. “Maybe we should get back in the car?”

“That’d be a good idea.”

They clambered back in, both already soaking wet. She laughed as a deluge fell, making it impossible to see out the windows.

“My God,” he said. “Soon animals will be lining up two by two.”

“I don’t guess you can see well enough to drive,” she said, still laughing.

“No... can’t see a thing...” He shook his head like a dog, splashing water on her. Kerry playfully ruffled his hair, and he slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. She put her forehead to his chest, drinking in the male scent of him, which blended perfectly with the smell of rain. She loved him... that was something she was going to have to tell him soon. But now, her mind was on the more immediate situation. She raised her face to him and he kissed her hungrily, undoing the buttons, one by one, on her soaking blouse. His fingers were cool against her skin, and she moaned softly as she touched her, his mouth having moved to her neck and now to the gooseflesh of her bosom, his tongue flicking lightly against her neck. Kerry’s entire body was tingling, and she felt a little light-headed-the inside of the SUV was getting terribly warm, and the windows were steaming up already.

“You taste good,” he whispered against her shoulder. She spread her fingers on his chest, suddenly shy, and completely vulnerable. It was unlike anything she’d felt before.

Kerry undid the buttons on his shirt, pushing the wet material back, running her hands down to his chest for a moment before moving back up, reveling in the warmth of him-it was almost too much for either of them, and he pulled back a little, watching her for a moment. She saw hunger, as well as anxiety, in his beautiful eyes, and she touched his face, reassuring him. He turned his head and kissed her fingertips, causing her to smile. Tentatively, she traced her finger over the scars on his shoulder and across his chest leaving a trail of light kisses in it’s wake, then raised her head to kiss him softly. She was caught off-guard by how intensely he reciprocated. He caught her hand and pressed it over his heart, and she felt it beating strongly. For a moment, she stared up at him, her eyes wide with wonder. This is it, she thought. He knows.

He kissed her again, but much more gently, pulling her up into his arms. Then he turned her around so that she was lying back against his shoulder. She turned her head and he kissed her again, his hands splayed on her belly. Kerry sighed and closed her eyes, relaxing completely, listening to the rain, giving herself over to the possibilities of what lay ahead. There was no need to rush. Rushing would only ruin it, she realized. It’ll be all the better if we wait.

They fell asleep together, listening to the rain falling, wrapped up in each other.



Don't have to humble yourself to me,
I ain't your judge or your king
Baby, you know I ain't no Queen of Sheba
We may not even have our dignity,
this could be just a powerful thing
Baby we can choose you know we ain't no amoebae

Are you ready for the thing called love?
Don’t come from me and you, it comes from up above
I ain't no porcupine, take off your kid gloves
Are you ready for the thing called love
I ain't some icon carved out of soap
Sent here to clean up your reputation
Baby, you know you ain't no Prince Charming
We can live in fear or act out of hope
For some kind of peaceful situation
Baby, how come the cry of love is so alarming ...

Ugly ducklings don't turn into swans
And glide off down the lake
Whether your sunglasses are off or on
You only see the world you make

Are you ready for the thing called love?
Don't come from me and you, it comes from up above
I ain't no porcupine, take off your kid gloves

Are you ready for it?
Are you ready for the thing called love?
Don't come from me and you, it comes from up above
I ain't no porcupine, take off your kid gloves

Are you ready for it?
Are you ready for love, baby
Oooo yeah babe
Are you ready for love?



“What do you mean, we’re stuck?!” Kerry shouted.

“Well, let me get a dictionary... stuck: I believe it means ‘bogged down’, ‘stranded’, ‘trapped’, ‘unable to move’...”

“Very funny!” she snapped. Amazing, she thought. This is our first fight. Better be careful.

“I used to have a predilection for driving four-by-fours in off-road conditions,” he said wearily, virtually ignoring her. “It was very good exercise.”

“Oh yeah?” she said, putting her hands on her hips (leaning against her cane only a little, wanting the effect of standing up straight). “All right, smartypants, you can get some exercise by pushing it out of the mud!”

He looked at her for a moment, amused, then picked up a handful of mud and stood, waiting. Kerry raised her cane and threatened to whack him with it if he threw it, but instead she burst into laughter. “Why you big...!”

He grinned at her. “I’m sorry... sorry about getting us stuck, that is. Pushing won’t help, I’m afraid. I’ll need to go find something to use as traction.”

She nodded. “So I guess spinning the wheels...?”

“Would only get us deeper,” he answered, running a hand through his hair. She nodded, her mind immediately wandering into the gutter. Deeper, she thought. From the way he had kissed and caressed her, she knew that Luka would be amazing in bed - tender, attentive, gentle...and passionate. And now, she could only stand here watching as he looked around for something he could use for traction.

“Okay,” he said. “Kerry, maybe you could look around for some pieces of wood... fallen branches, that kind of thing?”

“Sure,” she nodded, and began looking around.

After that, it was a comedy of errors. Luka shoved pieces of wood, leaves, a fallen-down sign that ironically read ‘Mudslide’, rocks and anything else he could find, under the front wheels of the SUV. After two hours, he was covered with mud and Kerry knew he was getting frustrated.

“All right,” he said. “Get in and do what I tell you.”

For a moment, she opened her mouth to object to such a sharp command, but she finally nodded and climbed in.

“Now, I want you to try and go backwards a little.”

She backed the SUV for what seemed like just two or three inches. Luka disappeared below the front of the car, and re-emerged a few moments later. “Okay...now go forward. Don’t let the wheels spin if you can!”

Inch by agonizing inch, the SUV made it’s way up out of the mudhole, Luka having moved to the back, pushing with all his might and getting even more mud all over him in the process. In less than fifteen minutes, they were back up on the gravel road. The SUV was almost unrecognizable, Luka looked like a savage, and Kerry wondered how he’d ever get clean enough to drive.

“You drive,” he said. “I’m knackered.”

She nodded, and watched as he climbed-actually squelched-into the front seat. He didn’t care that he was making a mess-he was exhausted. Quickly, she grabbed a blanket out of the back seat and handed it to him. “I have a feeling the rent-a-car place isn’t going to be happy about this,” he said, covering a yawn. “And neither is my back.”



It was night, and they were at a luau-the scent of roasting pork, tropical fruit and flowers in the air, tiki torches burning all around them, hula dancers shaking their hips to loud music. In between sets, Luka commented to Kerry that the dance
movements told the story of a tourist who spent every last nickel in Hawaii and died in the Great Vowel Plague. She giggled and put a flower in her hair. Luka watched her for a moment, then leaned against her, just before the music started again. “You look beautiful!”

She blushed pink and smiled.

A group of dancers began pouring a strange-looking brown liquid into wooden cups and passed them around to everyone.

“What’s this stuff called?” Luka asked a waiter.

“Kava kava...or ‘awa,” the waiter replied, having to shout to be heard. “It’ll knock you out...”

Luka was sure it would. It tasted awful, but he took a sip anyway, having been trained to adopt a ‘when in Rome’ attitude to wherever he found himself.  Eat the food, pretend to enjoy the local customs so long as they didn’t involve human sacrifice, and then go home and try to recover.

The ‘awa definitely had a numbing effect. Luka found himself feeling a little sleepy after just one cup. Kerry had already consumed hers, and was swaying side to side to the music, watching the hula dancers, even humming along.

“Kerry?” he asked, leaning toward her. “Are you okay?”

She laughed, shaking her head and closing her eyes. “I feel wonderful!”

“You do?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do,” she said. “I’m here in... or is it ‘on’?... Hawaii and I’m sitting here eating roasted pig and eating tropical fruit and drinking a narcotic with a gorgeous guy from Croatia... why shouldn’t I feel wonderful?”

“Well, if you say so,” he answered, still concerned.

She was wobbling a little. Then she looked at him, and smiled happily. “You’re so beautiful,” she said. “Don’t you know how beautiful you are?”

Oh God, he thought. She’s wasted.

“Thank you, Kerry. That’s very nice of you, but... maybe we should go back to the villa and you can sleep this off, okay?”

“Will you stay with me?” she asked.

“Sure.”

She giggled. “Oh, that’s good. Hate sleeping by myself... hate it! God, I feel good. My leg doesn’t even hurt... I just feel tingly all over and hot.   Do you feel hot, too, Luka?”

“In what sense?” he asked. He took a drink of ice water. What, was she blind? he wondered.

“You know...” She paused, trying to find the right word, but her mind was in a cloud. She couldn’t think about or see anything... all she could see was him. “I love you so much, Luka. I just adore you... you’re wonderful.”

He stared at her, startled, sure she was delusional. “I’m not much of a catch,” Luka said gently. “Are you sure you want to throw yourself into this particular ocean?”

“I don’t care... I just... I can’t imagine being without you. I...” She stared up at him, hoping he’d kiss her. “I love you. I don’t want to give this up... I’d quit my damned job if I had to...”

Luka touched her face, smiling at her. “Don’t do something like that on my account,” he said. “I’m hardly worth losing your career over.”

“Don’t laugh at me!” she said, hurt. “I meant what I said...I...”

“Shhhh...” Luka kissed her lightly, tasting the ‘awa on her lips. She sighed happily, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down, nibbling lightly on his lower lip. Then she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

“Love you,” she whispered. But before he could say it back, she was out.

“Kerry?” He shook her gently, but she was sound asleep. “Wow...and I thought I couldn’t hold my liquor.” He gestured toward the waiter, who came strolling over. “Could I have the check, please? And call us a cab...”



“Good morning.”

Kerry sat up, felt dizzy, and thought better of it. She lay back down, and realized she was in a bed... but definitely not in her villa. Even more, she was in a rather interesting state of undress-down to her underwear.

Luka was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her with interest. It had definitely been an entertaining night. She had come awake some time after midnight, insisted on dancing with him until she kind of collapsed in his arms and said something about ‘making out’. He had happily obliged her, but didn’t take it too far - that would have been wrong. He hadn’t been involved in ‘groping’ in quite a while, but it had been very enjoyable. There was so much passion and fire in this woman-she was so intriguing... and very sexy. The more he looked at her, the more he realized how really lovely she was. That skin, that hair, those pretty green eyes, that slender figure.

Davor had told him, a few days after Carol left, that eventually Nurse Hathaway’s face would vanish from his memory. That he would forget about her entirely. Well, he had forgotten her-she was just a name from his past. In fact, he couldn’t remember what she looked like. All he saw-all he wanted to see-was Kerry.

She had told him she loved him last night. He had told himself that it was the ‘awa speaking, but he knew better than that, and had almost told her her loved her, too, before she passed out. Even totally smashed, Kerry Weaver would never say something like that to just anyone. She guarded her heart so well, kept her vulnerable side hidden so carefully.

Amazing, how fast this can happen. He had fallen in love with Tatjana in an instant. It had taken Luka a little longer - a year or so - to fall for Kerry, with several ‘bumps in the road’ before he got to this moment in time. Maybe it was the process of maturity. ‘The days of my youth have passed away’... where had he heard that phrase? But they certainly had. Young love is wonderful-that was true-but it was just as good when you’re older, when you have more experience, when you’re wiser. He and Kerry had seen a lot of miles, gone through rough times, and they both had the scars to prove it.

For some reason, Luka could see right through all her defenses from the very start and right now, as she lay there, pulling the sheets up over her body, peering up at him and blushing, he could see something of the child she must have been. The lost, abandoned child she had been so long ago - the child that had learned to put up a shield she thought was impenetrable. But
Luka knew he had broken that shield down, just as she had done with his.

“You must have been a beautiful little girl,” he said softly.

“I wasn’t,” she answered. “Could you hand me a T-shirt or something?”

He handed her one of his dress shirts. Quickly, she pulled it on, and he grinned at her. “I’ll bet you kept your hair in two long braids... a sweet little red-headed girl. I never saw a redhead until I went to Zagreb for the first time.”

Kerry only got pinker. He stood up and watched as she climbed out of bed, levering herself up with her cane. “Where are my glasses?” she asked, her voice squeaking again. A good sign, he thought.

“On the nightstand.” He went around and retreived them for her. “You should try contacts... your face is much too pretty
for these things.”

“My face... my face gets puffy when I’m... I’m upset... and I’m getting older...”

“We all get older, Kerry,” Luka said quietly. He wouldn’t let her have the glasses just yet. Instead, he kissed her, gently brushing his mouth over hers, just enough to confuse her. She stared up at him, a bemused expression on her face. “Age has very little to do with wisdom, right?”

She nodded, still flustered. Something was bothering her. She had said something last night, but she couldn’t recall what it was.  What had she told him?

“Luka...”

He turned back to look at her. “Yeah?”

“What happened last night?”

“You fell asleep after one cup of kava kava,” he answered, stuffing his hands in his pockets and grinning. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone sleep so soundly before. It was like undressing a doll.”

“You...you undressed me?”

“Couldn’t have you sleeping in your clothes, could I?”

She was so pink now that Luka expected her to burst into flames at any moment. “I... I mean, you... took my clothes off?”

“Yes. I did. Before that, though, you woke up and insisted we dance... and then we... uh... necked for a while, and you went back to sleep and that's when I undressed you. Took a while.”

Her eyes widened. No wonder her skin was still tingling. And he was standing there, smiling at her, eyes sparkling. “Would you like some breakfast, Kerry?”

“Yes,” she said quickly.

“Good. I ordered room service... a little of everything. It’ll be here in a few minutes.”

She nodded, and when he left she sat down on the end of the bed and racked her brain for some memory of what she’d said last night.

Then, like a lightning bolt, it hit her. She had told him she loved him.

“Well,” she said out loud. “If I can get it out when I’m in my right mind, he might be more inclined to believe me.”

Luka came back in just then, and raised an eyebrow. “Now if kava kava makes people talk to themselves, then we might be in trouble.”

She smiled. “I’m okay. Is breakfast here yet?”

“Yep. Come on.”

“I’ll be out in a moment.”

He nodded and left again. Kerry stood up, checked herself in the mirror, and sighed. “Well, you’re not the Queen of Sheba. You’re not Rita Hayworth. You’re a rather plain, red-headed spinster with a bum leg. But...” She searched for a brush, and finding it, did her best with her hair. “You’re also a woman, and damn it Kerry, you’re in love.”

With that, she took a deep breath and went out to greet the day.

To be continued...