Notorious in Nice by Jianne Carlo

they’ve caught it in the earliest stage, it’s operable. The prognosis is optimistic, but there is a chance he could lose some motor skills. Right now he’s having migraines often and suffers dizzy spells. The operation’s in New York in three weeks. I’m going with him and staying during his recovery.”
    “I am so sorry. He’ll be fine, Terrence, and live a long and happy life. I feel it here.” She pointed to her aching heart.
    “Chinese philosophy?” Doubt and cynicism pulled the corners of his mouth down more than gravity ever would even if he lived to a century.
    “I’m too mixed up for one philosophy to do the trick.”
    Her voice wavered; she’d never shared these thoughts with anyone, not since grade nine, and she could still hear the mocking laughter of her classmates if she closed her eyes. For long seconds, she hesitated, but the rightness of this man, the absolute conviction they were bonded, fated, gave Su-Lin the impetus to continue.
    “My mother was a Catholic who adopted many Taoist principles and lived by them. My father picked from Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. I added in a bit of Christianity and came up with something that works for me.”
    “And my brother’s fate -- where does that come from?”
    Dawn streaked the dark sky and a golden hue rimmed the horizon.
    “Here’s where it all breaks down -- intuition.”
    “Women’s intuition?”
    She’d never seen him so somber, and he fiddled with the pendant he always wore. If nerve endings made a noise, alarm bells would fill the air. Su-Lin had never had a best friend; her closest confidante as an adolescent had been her neighbor’s cat, Spartacus. Her mother had retreated into the past and a strange combination of Mandarin and Swedish before Su-Lin’s fourteenth birthday. She called on every ounce of learned courage.
    “No, Su-Lin’s. Whenever I meet someone, I sort of know if my fate’s entwined with theirs. I knew you would be my first lover. And I know your brother will be happy.”
    One eyebrow lifted and his lips twisted, and she knew he thought her naive, perhaps even foolish.
    “What about Emma and James? Where do they fit?”
    “It’s not that I can predict the future. I only know if someone will play a big part in my life or not. As strange as this may sound, I don’t see them in my future, and I wonder about that.” She tilted her head. “You don’t like Uncle James, do you?”
    “He treats you like a child.”
    “Aunt Emma says he feels guilty about not contacting me earlier. He’s settling a trust on me, Terrence. For the first time in my life, I won’t have to worry about money. I’m truly grateful to both of my relatives. Besides,” she said and lifted a shoulder, “they’re all I have.”
    “So, according to Su-Lin’s intuition, your relatives won’t play a part in your life.” He traced the outline of her ear, and a delicious shiver-shudder chased the hairs at the nape of her neck. “And I’ll be your first lover. How long are we together?”
    She tried to keep her face neutral but couldn’t make eye contact, instead studied the backs of her hands. “I can’t tell. The way you make me feel clouds things in my mind.”
    “I begin to suspect you’ve what the Irish call an old soul.” He cradled her face, large, callused palms radiated heat and comfort, and she leaned into his hold.
    “I know I’m not like other girls my age.” A smile curved her mouth, and she sought to distract him. “The sun’s coming up.”
    “Let’s watch it from my balcony, shall we?” One arm crept around her waist, the other cradled her knees, and Terry stood, holding her high against his chest. Before she could blink three times, they were lying on his cabin’s balcony, their cheeks kissed by a playful Mediterranean breeze.
    She loved the way he liked to watch dawn break.
    “Like it?”
    He’d unrobed both her and himself in record time. Dazzled by the rapid turnabout in his mood and their location,