Rendezvous by Sami Lee Page B

without each other.
    Cassie woke from a fitful sleep just after dawn, the truth blaring in her head like a siren. She didn’t want to live without him, and he didn’t want to live without her. She’d seen that truth in his eyes as he’d told her he’d never forget their week together, when he’d made love to her beneath a moonlit waterfall. He didn’t want a life without her any more than she wanted to go on without him.
    So why was she blindly doing what Reed Dalton told her to do?
    With a sudden burst of fiery determination, Cassie leapt out of bed. Unquestioning obedience wasn’t her style, a fact she was going to have to remind her stubborn husband of. She yanked on jeans and a T-shirt and stormed off the yacht without bothering to even run a brush through her hair.
    She had to get back to her cousin’s house, pack a bag and book a flight to Sydney. With any luck, she’d get there before Reed signed the divorce papers. If she didn’t, she’d simply tear them up in front of him and demand he talk to her instead of shutting her out again. She’d had enough of being shut out of her husband’s heart to last a lifetime. She wasn’t accepting it anymore.
    Cassie ran along the wharf, her sneakers slapping on the wood. A few of the yacht dwellers were up already, and they watched her speed by with curious stares. Cassie paid them no mind. The only thing she cared about was getting to Sydney so she could start her life over again.
    She was still running full pelt when she passed Steen’s Chandlery. She was so focussed on reaching her car that she didn’t see him at first. It wasn’t until he called her name that she came to an abrupt halt and spun around.
    Reed was sitting on the bench seat in front of the chandlery, wearing the same clothes he’d been dressed in yesterday and sporting a dark beard shadow that, along with the crinkled shorts and T-shirt, made him look a wreck. A rumpled and wonderful wreck.
    He stood when she saw him, took a few steps toward her. “I went to the airport. I didn’t get on the plane.”
    Cassie took a step forward as well, until there was only two feet separating them. She could hardly believe he was here. Her heart still raced from running, and the sight of Reed standing before her wasn’t going to make it calm its pace anytime soon. “I can see that.”
    “You see, I remembered I have a lot of leave owing to me. I haven’t taken a day off in the past year because I didn’t want to spend my down time with anyone but you. I called the sarg.” He lifted the iPhone he still held in his hand. “Woke him up. Man, he was pissed. But he granted me a month off, effective immediately.”
    “A whole month?” Was he saying he wanted to stay here with her for the month? What about after that?
    “Yeah.” His lips tilted in a half-smile that caused Cassie’s racing heart to melt. “I was hoping we could spend some more time together. Figure this out properly. Said a lot of stuff yesterday that I’ve been kicking myself for ever since. The fact is, I don’t want to live without you, Cass. I can’t do that and have any chance of being happy.”
    She’d sensed it, but hearing him say it was so much better. Speechless with gratitude, with relief, Cassie took the last step forward until they were standing chest to chest. In a flurry of movement, Reed’s arms went around her. A shaky breath stuttered out of him as he squeezed her tight.
    Cassie wound her arms around his waist and breathed in his scent, revelled in the joy of being in his embrace again. Her husband. The only man she’d ever loved, or ever would love if she had anything to say about it.
    “I was coming to Sydney to knock some sense into you,” Cassie said.
    There was a smile in Reed’s voice. “I’ve no doubt you would have done it.”
    “I was going to rip up the divorce papers. I’m sorry I ever sent them. I only did it because I didn’t think you wanted to fight for me.”
    “I only said I’d sign them