Free The Waiting Game by Unknown Page B

actually see the gold was a U.S. agent. He arrived at his rendezvous point minus the treasure. No one really knows what happened." Adrian shrugged. "And thus are legends born."
    "You added the bit about the secret incriminating documents?" Sara hazarded.
    "It’s called literary license. I needed an extra fillip to make the tale more than just a treasure hunt."
    "You certainly accomplished that." Sara shuddered. "I really empathized with your hero. I think I fell a little in love with him."
    There was a moment of silence from the other balcony and then Adrian said very calmly, "I’d much rather you fell in love with me."
    Chapter Four
    Perhaps it was the knowledge that she was concealed in the shadows of her balcony and that Adrian was isolated, in turn, on his own little island that made Sara feel safe enough to indulge the dangerous curiosity. Or perhaps she was still wondering just how much she had learned about him from reading his book. Then again, it might have been simply a woman’s endless need to probe a man’s words, searching for the real meaning. Whatever the cause, she couldn’t resist asking the question.
    "Why?"
    "Because I think it might be very pleasant to have you fall in love with me."
    The answer was straight enough, Sara had to admit to herself. Straightforward and honest. Just like the man. The bluntness of it served to wilt the small blossom of excitement within her before she’d even had a chance to fully analyze it. She stifled a small sigh of regret.
    "Pleasant," she mused. "That sounds a little insipid."
    He seemed surprised at her interpretation. "No. Not at all. I’ve learned to value the pleasant things in life," he continued slowly. "Pleasant things are civilized. They bring an element of grace and gentleness and peace into our lives. A glass of wine before dinner or a can of beer on a hot afternoon, a late-night walk on a beach, a friend you can trust with your life, a woman whose love is unshakable even if she knows you’ve been to hell and back. A wise man values such things."
    "It must be the writer in you that can put the love of a woman in the same category of pleasantness as a glass of wine. Don’t expect a woman to be impressed, however. We like to think we’re special," Sara said with a degree of lightness she wasn’t feeling.
    "You’re not going to take me seriously, are you?"
    "Not tonight. It’s two o’clock in the morning and we’ve had a disturbing day. I feel a little strange after reading Phantom; restless in some way. And as for you, you’re a man whose understanding of life’s pleasures seems to be different from the way other men view them. I’m not sure I understand you. All in all, I think there are too many jumbled emotions and unknown factors hanging around tonight for me to risk taking you seriously." She said it all very easily but Sara believed every word she was uttering.
    "You may be right," Adrian agreed. He paused before asking, "Are you always this cautious with a man?"
    She laughed in spite of herself. "It’s the only area of my life in which I am careful. Or at least that’s what my family would tell you. A woman can get burned falling in love with a man who’s only
    interested in the superficial pleasures and pleasantries life has to offer. And there are so many men out there who are only interested in the superficial things. Uncle Lowell is right. But then, he usually is when it comes to judging people."
    "I’m different, Sara," Adrian told her as he faced the sea. "I’m not one of your superficial wimps."
    "No, I don’t think you are. But I’m a long way from figuring out just exactly what category of male to put you in, Adrian Saville. And until I do…"
    "You’ll be cautious?"
    "I think so. Good night, Adrian." Deliberately breaking the spell, Sara turned and stepped back into her room. Resolutely she closed the sliding-glass door and pulled the curtain. She stopped for a moment, listening to the silence, trying to examine the strange