The Intruder

No sooner had they left the highway when, memories almost immediately came flooding back to Bella as the cab passed one familiar road after the other. Few houses had changed radically over the past five years, Mrs. Wentworth's front yard on the corner still stood out as a fabulous oasis with a variety of orchids and exotic flowers that had certainly no natural right to bloom in the chilly spring weather.

As the distance between the familiar buildings grew, so seemed to grow the tight feeling she was developing in her chest. The houses in the neighborhood turned into a mute welcoming committee, each of them standing as a mile stone of her childhood she barely felt worthy of glancing at as the cab started to climb up the hill of their dead end street.

Minutes later it was gone. She was standing on her. There was no glass window to hide behind anymore, Bella realized, gazing up at the white walls of the two story house, bathed in the soft, warm glow of the midday sun. Colorful tulips stood gracefully tall along the short stone way, shaded by giant oak trees on both sides and leading straight up to the front door. Even the high pitched ding-dong of the bell hadn't changed. Everything seemed to match her memories, the familiarity of the scene putting her mind at ease and making her oddly comfortable despite the circumstances. It felt simply safe, familiar and warm. Like home.

After tugging at the bell for a second time in vain Bella shrugged and started to fish for the keys in her purse. Martha must have gone shopping and forgotten about the time. The idea seemed highly unlikely for her though, since her aunt had always requested for lunch to be served at 12 am sharp. Turning the key in the lock Bella felt her heart grow heavy again; the changes of life didn't seem to spare her home either.

Dragging her luggage over the threshold she took a look around, smiling at the old housekeeper's thoughtfulness as she spotted the small table in the hallway that was decorated with fresh white tulips, her aunt's favorite flowers. She walked around downstairs enjoying the warm and familiar feeling that radiated from the living room. Her gaze travelled over a selection of beloved family pictures and came to rest upon a few landscapes that seemed to reflect the floral mood of their area yet were unfamiliar to her eyes. The whole house seemed spotless and yet lived in, bearing the touch of the remarkably caring perfectionist she remembered Martha to be.
Leaving her suitcase downstairs she climbed up the wooden staircase, spotting more acryl paintings that she didn't remember, most of them picturing simply a bouquet of flowers, barley fields, an ocean sunset or other nature-related topics. She walked past the closed door of the master bedroom that used to be Catherine's. Part of her wanted to believe that she was inside there, just taking a nap after lunch and by the time she had settled in, her aunt would wake up and welcome her home with a radiant smile and a loving embrace. She glanced back at her door before entering her own childhood room and noted with disappointment that it remained closed.

Surprised to find that her room had been changed into what she suspected to be a guest room, she looked around curiously and ended up rather shocked. The walls that once had been pale yellow with tiny blue flowers scattered all over them carried now a quite daring shade of violet. The furniture had been moved completely and was replaced by a large four poster bed that had clearly become the eye-catching center of the room. There stood a brand new chest of drawers, ebony in color with a few big white candles providing a strong contrast to it, and a matching dark dresser with a small chair completing the ensemble.

The fact that her aunt had practically erased her presence and belongings from her home tugged at her heart yet she was left fairly little time to bask in her disappointment as she spotted the two dark framed, eye popping paintings that seemed to reign the room. They were placed right opposite each other: above the bed and at the far wall.

Bella swallowed, feeling her cheeks heating even by simply starring at the black and white artwork. Both presented explicit and highly graphic scenes. Her eyes grew wide as they took in the picture above the violet oriental-style embroidered cushions that were decorating the bed covers. Shadows fell mysteriously on a nude couple, entwined in the throes of passion. Facing each other they were kissing with hunger evident in their features, their muscles tensed by the powerful embrace of lust they seemed engaged in on the rumpled sheets. Her attention fell upon the man in the picture, his strong masculine facial features seemed nicely counterbalanced by his high cheekbones and his unrealistically long lashes resting on flushed cheeks. His lips looked perfectly kissable, as far as she could judge, his silky hair just long enough for the woman to curl her fingers around a few strands as she seemed to forcefully pull his head back to crush her tongue between his willingly parted lips.

The woman's face was partly hidden by the way her head was turned, partly shadowed in the picture, but Bella couldn't help to admire her body language. Rubenesque would have been the artistic word for her frame, yet her body was mostly hidden behind the embrace of his muscled beauty. While the picture radiated a well balanced moment of mutual passion, there was something possessive in the way her fingers were pulling at his hair, the way her other arm was grabbing his shoulders. She seemed graceful and in control even in such a moment of complete abandon while the man's face appeared to be almost in an ecstatic haze.

She took a deep breath and a breathy "wow" escaped her lips. When her pulse had started racing she didn't know. Dragging her eyes away from the entwined couple she focused her attention on the picture opposite from it. Done in a similar style and playing equally well with the concept of shadow and light, it presented the very same two people it seemed, but in a moment of intimacy that was apparently lacking the heat of the other, yet carried a warmth that touched Bella in a completely different way.

The man was kneeling nude in front of the woman whose body seemed partially hidden in this picture as well, although her curvy hips and thighs seemed to draw the observer's eye, especially since his well-built arms were circled around her waist just above them, hugging her standing and slightly bent form close to his body. The man seemed to be leaning on her a little, his face resting on her roundish belly as he looked up at her. Even though his eyes remained closed in both pictures, his face carried a softness that spoke of adoration, gratitude and happiness in such a warm way that it made Bella's heart ache with a longing desire. While the woman's face was completely hidden as she bent down, whispering something in his ear, she noticed her long hair was pulled into a messy bun, her arms holding him safe and close in a loving and caring embrace.

The young woman sighed, feeling a rush of emptiness overwhelm her heart as she looked back and forth between the two paintings. Standing between the depictions of flaming lust and glowing love she felt suddenly very cold and started to back out of the room, her gaze still alternating between the two pictures. No, this wasn't her room anymore ... nor her home, she had to admit sadly.

With tears welling up in her eyes she suddenly turned to flee the room, flee the pictures that had burnt themselves into her mind, flee the loneliness that seemed to overwhelm her heart. She just wanted to run and cry and forget about her aunt's death, that damn company, her empty and meaningless life back in Rosemount, her heart and mind crying out simultaneously, pleading with life to leave her alone and let her forget about everything!

Her vision was too blurry to see what she had run into that threw her off balance and sent her stumbling right back into the room. Her confusion only grew as she found herself starring into a pair of shimmering gray eyes, tinged with ever so tiny flecks of green. Her mouth hanging open her mind barely registered that she wasn't about to fall anymore, but was rather held in a firm grip by strong arms. Yet the realization didn't tear her from the spell of the moment she had been under.

Yes, that must have been it: bewitched! That was the only logical explanation her mind could conjure up. Why else would she be held in the arms of a ravishingly handsome naked man wondering if his impossibly long lashes would tickle her lips when she kissed his eyes awake in the morning. His lips looked sensually full and inviting, a dark rosy shade contrasting with the lightly tanned skin she still could feel to be slightly moist as her fingertips caressed the soft and sparse hair on his chest.

Besides looking tempting enough to send her tongue tracing absentmindedly along the contour of her own lips, his lips did also move. The sensual way they parted and curved finally into a bemused smile, which she could even see to be reflected in his eyes, made her almost miss that he was actually talking to her. The man from the paintings had come alive and was now holding her in his arms and talking to her, smiling and whispering sweet nothings to her about his never ceasing love, just before he would scoop her up in his arms, lay her gently down on the bed and make love to her till the morning light...

Bella smiled back at him lazily through the veil of her surreal and overly vivid imagination.

"Miss? Can you understand me? Do you speak English?" she heard the words echo from afar and needed a moment before she could associate them with the impatient frown of the piece of art brought to life in front of her.

She blinked a few times, waking from her reverie and reflected his confused expression with her cheeks turning bright red and the blush creeping down the pale skin of her neck, accented even more by the white shirt she was wearing. She cleared her throat a few times and ended up coughing, most likely from nerves as she stepped back mortified and tried to look anywhere but at him.

"I ... uh ... you ... " She swallowed and took a deep breath with desperation showing on her face since where ever she looked in the room, he seemed to be all around, either entwined with the woman in the picture or standing before her on his own. He was a full sized image as real as the warmth that she still felt radiating from her fingertips that had brushed his skin.

The pleading look she gave him earned her finally a relaxed smile and an understanding nod. He moved silently across the room with a grace that seemed completely unaffected by his nudity, retrieved a black silky robe from the closet that once had been hers and put it on. She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. Growing more aware of the situation though, she used the moment to grab a large candle from the drawer and hide it behind her back.

She cleared her throat again and was positively surprised by her demanding tone.

"Who are you and what are you doing in this house?!"

The man turned with a bemused expression on his face, making his way towards her with smooth and slow steps as he answered.

"I'm Andrew Richmond and I live here." he stated matter of factly, offering his hand.

Bella's stern look turned into confusion as she glanced down at his hand and clutching the candle tightly in her own, she grew more and more positive that he must have gained a few inches since he had held her, because he for sure didn't look so tall and intimidating just a moment ago. Trying to act brave she raised her chin with stubborn determination.

"I'm Isabella Daniels and I know you don't! You ... you .. intruder!" she frowned and bit her bottom lip as his friendly smile turned into hearty laughter.

What a wonderfully rich voice he had. Soothing enough to rock a baby to sleep with a lullaby yet with a depth and strength to it that would have made her feel instantly safe, if only it wouldn't have come from a complete stranger standing in her bedroom in nothing but a bathrobe!

He pulled his hand back and shrugged nonchalantly at her lack of manners, still regarding her with a relaxed smile.

"Well, it's an unusual pleasure to meet you Miss Daniels. And please rest assured, I do live here," he added with a boyish wink that made her stomach do a flip-flop in response.

She was still staring at him bewildered as his face turned thoughtful for a moment with a darkness appearing in his features that made her feel uneasy all over again.

"Please accept my condolences Miss Daniels. Catherine was an exceptional woman." he said, his voice growing hard enough to make her frown.

She nodded mouthing a thank you, but the words just wouldn't come and the silence between them seemed to stretch to an unbearable point before Andrew motioned for the door, holding it wide open.

"Now, if you'd excuse me?" She nodded again without a word, yet didn't move. The man sighed with an impatient air that she didn't like at all. "Miss Daniels, I'd like to get dressed and would appreciate a bit more privacy than you were willing to grant me so far."

Bella blinked and inched out of the room slowly, her eyes never leaving his moody face. Stepping outside she felt instantly a rush of relief which lasted but a moment.

"Miss Daniels?" She cringed and tensed immediately again at the barking tone of his voice, wondering if her mind had just played another trick on her when imagining that wonderful laughter she'd been practically drooling over.

"Yes?" She looked back over her shoulder with such tired and frightened eyes, they immediately sent him cursing under his breath and wishing to light them again with the dreamy adoring gaze they had when looking up at him that first moment.

Instead he tightened his jaw and held out his right hand.

"My candle, please." He ordered calmly but couldn't conceal the green flecks of amusement dancing in his own eyes at the embarrassed expression on her face as she handed back his property.

"Oh, yeah. Uh ... sorry, about that." she forced a tight smile.

He shook his head and sighed in defeat. He wanted to blame her, to accuse her, to make her suffer and feel every aspect of the pain she had caused Catherine. He was supposed to feel angry, even enraged, yet the bitterness and loneliness that had accumulated within his heart since he was forced to say farewell to his companion of the past 4 years seemed to cease as he looked into the soft brown eyes of the shy young woman in front of him. She looked sad, tired, confused and more than a little lost, her gaze reflecting so well how he had felt inside.

"I'll get dressed and will have breakfast started in a few minutes. Come and join me and we can talk," he offered with a small friendly smile.

"It's well passt noon," Bella remarked with unconcealed suspicion in her voice.

He raised a challenging eyebrow. "You mean, you have already had breakfast?"

She shifted from one foot to the other looking up at him with an embarrassed look.

"Uh, no. I was too nervous to eat on the plane." she confessed, her tummy joining in with a rumble that was loud enough to draw another hearty laugh from him and make her face turn a variety of red.

"Well, then better figure out what you'd like to have by the time I get downstairs!" he said closing the door with a dazzling smile that made her forget to breathe for a moment.

"Wow!" She whispered for the second time that day but soon remembered her situation and made a run for the phone in the kitchen. This stranger was getting to her senses in a rather uncomfortable way; she'd have to make sure to get rid of him as soon as possible. Considering her stomach's protest though, she might as well wait until after breakfast.

Andrew, on the other hand, was busy with his own worries. The person he was supposed to become devoted to had been the object of his hatred all this time and now, he was growing weak and caring, even protective, just because of some lost little girl look!

He fumed with disgust at his own lack of loyalty to the woman who had given him so much, made him the man he had become, while browsing in his drawer for a white polo shirt to wear. His gaze fell upon a thin strap of soft leather and along came the familiar feeling of longing and a tender rush of bittersweet memories as his fingertips caressed the silver buckle.

He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. It was her final wish. He had promised to cast all doubts aside and respect it. He would trust her judgement and do his utmost to make her proud. He knew he owed Catherine so much more than that, but after having met her niece he had to face the reality of having committed to an almost impossible task.
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