The knock at her door nearly sent her out of her skin. “Who is it?” she asked, almost angrily.

“Me. Justin.” Kelsey went over and opened the door, and they stood there looking at each other. There were dark circles under his eyes, a gauntness to his cheeks where the last few days had finally taken their toll. “I…just wanted to check on you…to see if—”

“If I’m still seeing things?” The words were out before she could stop them. She turned away and sat on the foot of her bed.

“Look,” Justin said at last, “I don’t know what happened out there tonight…what you saw or heard…I do know that something was wrong. That something terrified you. I guess…well, I guess I just went crazy for a minute, diving in and not finding anyone. I guess I just kept thinking about Beth and…” His explanation trailed off, and his eyes lifted, bewildered. “I’m really sorry about your dad.”

So he and Skip had heard that part, too. Kelsey stiffened as Justin crossed the room and sat down beside her. “This whole thing…I guess it’s been like a nightmare for you.”

And again she numbed her emotions, her body, her mind. It took a while to even realize that Justin’s fingers had slipped beneath her chin, were tilting her head so their eyes met. So blue…so beautifully blue…

“Oh, Kelsey,” he whispered, and his lips met hers, his arms strong in their gentleness, wrapped around her, easing her down, holding her close, keeping her safe… “Kelsey,” he murmured again, and for just one brief, sweet instant, pressed against him, heartbeat to heartbeat, all her walls and defenses crumbled uselessly, finally away…“Kelsey…I need you…”

She didn’t want him to stop, didn’t want to leave his arms—yet she was almost relieved when Neale’s footsteps sounded in the hall, bringing them back to reality.

At the door, Justin glanced over his shoulder and gave her a slow smile. “Do you think you’ll be all right or should I stay?”

Her heart was fluttering so uncontrollably that she stammered. “I…can sleep.”

“I’ll see you in the morning then.” He backed out of the room. “Good-night.”

For a long time she lay there, staring at the door, at the place on the bed where he’d been…where he’d held her… She climbed under the covers and switched off the lamp, smiling a little at the darkness and the chill and the rattle of the wind at the windows.

But then she pretended the blankets were Justin’s arms…

And all the terrible fears, all the dangers, faded away at last into a deep blue dream of Justin’s eyes.

Chapter 20

THE LIFEGUARD FLATTENED HIMSELF against the lighthouse wall, his eyes wide and fixed in terror on the rocks below.

It wasn’t her!

This couldn’t have happened—couldn’t have—not to him—not when he’d planned so carefully…

The wind was like the inside of his head, screaming and shrieking, like she had screamed…like she had screamed and screamed, the whole way down until she’d finally hit those rocks and lay still…