The Choice

Chapter 1, The Choice

Chapter One

"Get on the plane. It'll be fine. I've got your tickets and passport taken care of. We practiced this. You know what you need to do." Dan McKenzie was broad shouldered, with an exquisitely lean body and mesmerizing hazel eyes perfectly situated on his lightly freckled, aristocratic face. His nose was a little too large, with a small bump at the bridge where he'd broken it, at the end of his brother's fist, as a child. He also had a firm mouth that she knew, all too well, could set her soul on fire. He was quite the package, with a magical face that could belong to some fairy-tale hero and all that unruly reddish hair, which he trimmed himself. He was a fine specimen of a man, standing nearly a foot over Marcie's average height, with well-sculpted hands that knew how to touch a woman.

"I thought you were coming with me and we'd finally have time away together?" Marcie's soft voice trembled. Her heart sank. This wasn't what she expected. What was he doing? This was supposed to be their time to rekindle their love—time to lift off whatever had been oppressing him. She needed him so much but felt him slipping through her fingers like dry grains of sand, while she struggled to hold on.

Dan leaned back, his hazel eyes dark and sober, as he crossed his arms over his chest. How could she convince him to come with her? She had so much fire and passion for him, that it tugged a cord deep inside her.

What was it about him? He was dressed so casually, in a T-shirt and blue jeans, but the man could wear a grain sack and would still look good. He wasn't handsome, but he was pretty. Unfortunately, even letting her down didn't shake the mega chemistry that attracted her to him. It made her want him more. Just looking at him, she wondered if Zeus himself had been the image Dan was cut from. He had long, solid arms; a tight, firm ass; and long, lanky, well-muscled legs that she knew, all too well, intertwined nicely with hers. And those lips—man, she loved to kiss them, as had scads of other women. After all, the man was a magnet for women; like honey is to bees. He said, time and again, that women were always landing in his lap. He could have had anyone he wanted, so why had he chosen her?

"Can't, Marcie. I'm too busy, you know that. I have faith in you. You can do this." Before Dan could turn away and open his door, she reached over and grabbed his wrist. He leaned over the middle console separating the bucket seats, but hardness tightened his muscles like a brick wall between them as she held on.

"I love you." Panicked, she felt some part of him slip away. His body, his eyes, everything about him seemed to take a step back from her, as if he were holding some part of himself in a secret location and had forgotten to tell her. He hovered a few inches away, gazing out the front window, resting his other arm over the steering wheel. He didn't once try to pull his arm away from her grasp.

"I don't understand what's going on. We were so close, and you've been pulling away—bit by bit."

Dan glanced over in a way that told her his patience was thin. "Marcie..."

She placed her hand over his mouth. "Dan, please, I don't know what to do. I feel you pushing me away. You ask me to babysit your marijuana plants, but I don't see you anymore. Then you ask me to go to New Orleans, which I thought was a trip for us. Now, I'm going alone. Why are you pushing me away?" Shaking, she couldn't bear the thought of losing him. He no longer looked at her with that deep, magical spark that said she was important to him—that they were connected at a cellular level as soul mates. That had been after Granny died, when she'd felt so alone on Las Seta. After she met him at the farmers market, he said he fondly remembered her from high school, and they had spent hours talking. Every week after that, he showed up at the market, where she sold her herbs, to see her. He connected with her on a level no one else ever had. He understood how different she was. She felt things from other people, their emotions, and she had a love for nature and felt the need to protect the environment—to respect Mother Earth. What excited Marcie, and still did, was his ability to pick up warning vibes, just like she could.