Page 45 of Captivating Nights

“When did you know?”

Zane knew that one day he’d have to answer that question and he looked out the window at the tropical countryside streaking past them. “To be honest, the night I saw her on the balcony. Something told me to look in that direction and ever since, I haven’t been able to keep my eyes off her.”

He was a Dominant, for fuck’s sake, and they didn’t just walk around falling in love with strangers. But he had. Having always balked at the notion of ‘love at first sight,’ he now knew it really was possible. And as quickly as she captivated him, she could destroy him just as easily.

Shifting in his seat, relief flowed through him when he saw the sign for the dive shop just ahead of them. Xavier swerved into the parking lot and as soon as the car was put into park, Zane jumped out and headed straight inside the building.

“Can I help you with something?” the woman behind the counter asked.

Trying to keep a top on his temper, Zane forced himself to remain calm. “Are there any boats out there in the water still?”

“Actually, there are two of them,” she answered and before he could say anything else, she continued. “There was an engine failure with one, so another of our fleet went out to Dog Island to retrieve the divers.”

“Engine failure,” Xavier said from the doorway. Thank fuck he was here. Zane could never deny that his friend had a much more level head where things like this were concerned. Deferring to the other man, he walked over to the large window, trying to see anything out there in the water. “How long ago was that?”

Zane turned, interested in hearing the answer for himself. He’d made a vow to never go back out on another boat again after what had happened with Elena but was seconds away from breaking that promise. He’d hijack one of their boats in a heartbeat and scour the entire sea if he had to in order to find his girl. He’d just found Calista and had no intentions of ever letting her go.

“They’re about twenty minutes out and the rescue boat left around a half hour ago. I’d say they should be pulling up to the dock in the next ten to fifteen minutes. Why don’t the two of you have a seat,’” the woman replied.

Zane was about to do that when he noticed a wall of photographs. One in particular stuck out to him. Crossing the width of the room in seconds, he snatched up the three pictures lying side by side of Calista in the water. God, she was fucking beautiful. He traced her face with his thumb, never taking his eyes off hers. They were shining with wonderment and joy. It finally dawned on him that her innocence was the light he needed to brighten his darkened world.

By this time, Xavier had seen what he was looking at and joined him. Zane watched the myriad of emotions cross the man’s face. His friend was as fucked up in the head as he was. Smirking, he dropped his voice low enough so only he’d hear him. “She’ll probably tell us both to fuck off and we’d deserve it.”

“You’re probably right, but it doesn’t mean we have to, Z,” Xavier said and then stopped when they heard voices.

As soon as the double doors opened, Zane almost fell to his knees to thank the heavens above. He watched others as they walked in before finally laying eyes on Calista. “Angel,” he breathed and watched her lips turn up into a smile.

He met her halfway before wrapping his arms around her.

“How did you know where to find me?” she asked.

“The driver told us where he’d taken you, belleza. Are you ready to go?”

“I am, but can I go ahead and buy my pictures?” Cali looked at the wall, and Zane motioned for Xavier to grab them.

“Xavier will purchase them while we wait in the car.” Zane looked down at her drenched clothing. “You’re going to catch a cold.”

He led her outside and once she was seated in the backseat of the car, he turned the heat on so she could start to warm up. A few minutes later, Xavier exited the dive shop with a gift bag in hand. As he slid into the driver’s side, he handed them to her, then started the car. Calista began to tell them about the dive and what had happened afterward while both men remained silent. When he looked over at his friend, he could tell that he was thinking about the same thing as him.

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