CHAPTER 26
Lungs bursting, muscles straining, Riley ran along the seawall, legs pumping to the beat of the waves crashing along the shore. The seawall spanned the perimeter of Vancouver’s historic Stanley Park, and was usually crowded with bikers, joggers, walkers, and roller bladders but as night yielded to the dawn, it was as deserted as a ghost town. Running at daybreak every day afforded her the solitude that she craved. Alone she reveled in the beauty of the mountains cleaving the sky and the shimmering ocean. Together they acted as a balm, soothing her tortured soul. Since running anesthetized the torment of her shattered heart, she ran as fast as she could for as long as she could, pushing her body beyond endurance, wishing she could run all day and night so that the pain that tore at her heart would never return. Inevitably, her stride shortened, slowed and stopped. Bending at the waist, she touched her knees, took in huge lungfuls of the crisp, salty air. Jumping off the sea wall, she landed on the beach and removed her running shoes. Burying her toes in the soft silky sand, still damp with the morning dew, she walked to the water’s edge.
The ocean was a deep inky blackness against the dark navy of the sky. The westering wind whipped the waves into huge, frothy swells before they fled screaming towards the shore. As the numbing effects of running began to wear off, she felt her hear twisting inside her chest, the knifing pain made her gasp. It happened daily but she was always surprised at the intensity of her heartache, the wound always fresh, never dull. She had finally accepted that Cole had never loved her. She had been guilty of wishful thinking. Sarri and Max had tried to help, but she could not bear their concerned looks. She had needed to be alone in order to heal so she had come back to Vancouver a month ago hoping that time and distance would hasten the healing process but the pain of rejection and unrequited love was still as fresh as ever.
She had tried as hard as she could to forget Cole and to glue the pieces of her broken heart together. But it proved impossible. She missed him. Nights were the worst. His amber eyes, full of the love she had glimpsed in the cave, haunted her passion filled dreams. His hands on her body felt so real that she woke up in the middle of the night, tangled in the sheets, sweaty and aroused, his burning touch still lingering and her mouth bruised from his hungry kisses. The rest of the night was spent in sleepless torment while her loins and heart ached for a man she could never have. Hot tears stung her face while she waited for each dawn and the brief respite from pain that her daily run would bring.
A screeching gull streaked past her head startling her back into the present moment. She dashed away a tear that clung to her lashes, surprised that she still had any tears left since she had cried a river over Cole. Dipping her toes into the ocean, she suppressed a shudder as the frigidity sent a jolt of pain surging through her body. She welcomed it since it distracted her briefly from the constant ache in her heart. She wished she could forget Cole and the passion they shared. She believed that such passion only came around once in every lifetime. She would never feel such passion and longing again. Maybe she could find someone else but she knew that what she would feel for him would be a pale version of what she felt for Cole, like the moon is a pale reflection of the sun.
A tingle of awareness raced through her body, she spun on her heels and her eyes locked with Cole’s. Blinking, certain that she was seeing a mirage, a mere trick of the rising sun climbing out of the ocean, its slow kisses inflaming the dawn sky causing it to blush in myriad rosy orange hues. But the image of Cole lingered, standing several feet in front of her, at the exact spot where sea met sand, oblivious to the waves tumbling over his feet. His flowing honey colored hair tossed by the playful breeze, his amber eyes brimming with love. Hardly daring to believe her eyes, she snapped them shut, and counted to ten before opening them again. He was still there, the same expression in his eyes. Smiling, flashing his adorable dimples, he held out his arms.
Suddenly, she was running, faster than a starving leopard giving chase to its prey, running towards him even as he was racing towards her. She jumped the last foot that separated them and he caught her in his strong arms, biceps bulging, as he spun her round and round. Riley wrapped her arms and legs around him, pressed her body against his. Laughing, she tilted her head back, stared into his laughing face, and her breath caught in her throat as his smoldering amber eyes fastened on her lips. Bending his head, he kissed her gently but the passion flared and the kiss grew hungrier as each tried to devour the other. He loved her. It was in his kiss, his eyes, the way his hands roved her body. Joy exploded within her. No words were spoken. The kiss spoke volumes. Cole lost in the sweetness of her, rejoiced that this incredible woman belonged to him. And he belonged to her. He had found his true destiny at last.
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