Even if they did get caught, maybe it would be a good time to spend some precious moments alone with Victoria.
'Well, then, why don't we just take rooms for the night and I can spend as much time with her as she can stand?' Diego thought to himself as they rode along the beach, their horses' hooves kicking up the water and splattering their pants.
Because he wouldn't be alone with her in a tavern full of people, he finally surmised. Bits of time alone with her were few and far between and he wanted to remain in her sweet presence for as long as he was able. For once, he wanted to be selfish.
The prospect of being stranded in an early summer storm, with the woman he loved, invigorated him. He found that he had more energy than he knew what to do with and watching her beautiful locks bounching down her back as she rode beside him was doing nothing to rid himself of this pent up energy.
When the rain started, they were within sight of the windmill they would take shelter in.
Victoria was disgusted with him once again. He was getting used to this reaction from the fiery Seņorita. They didn't stay in Santa Paula, like she had suggested, and now they would have to ride out the storm in this dark, dusty, old windmill.
Diego quickly built a fire and Victoria sat as close to it as she could, warming her chilled fingers.
He brought in extra wood and set it beside the fire. At least they would stay relatively warm for the night.
Diego was nervous, and had Victoria been more observant, she would have noticed his strange reaction to their closeness. He needed to separate them for a bit. He was a caballero, a gentleman, and he couldn't give the slightest impression that he was going to take advantage of this situation.
He looked around the room, his eyes finally settling on the bench Victoria was sitting on to warm her hands. He needed to find a way to move her from it so that he could use it as a barrier between them, if only for the time being.
Before his courage failed, he reached down and pulled her from the seat, muttering a nervous, 'Excuse me,' in the process.
He quickly laid out the blankets and the make-shift pillows, much to Victoria's distaste. She had not expected that they would be spending the night. She had not been prepared for it.
Diego had to admit that he had been wrong. He thought the storm would not last the night, but it looked like it had rolled in between the mountains and was not going anywhere anytime soon. As the fire crackled and burned, Diego's thoughts turned to the woman lying not more then a few feet from him. He could easily toss the barrier between them away and confess his secret in the privacy the windmill afforded.
As she recounted stories her mother used to read to her over a fire, Diego's heart cried out for his own lost mother and for the companionship and love he felt with the woman next to him. Would she feel the same if he were to reveal his secret to her now? He couldn't help but think she would be furious with him. She quoted numerous chapters of poetry that she could remember her mother reading to her when she was a child.
Several times Diego would interject and finish the poem or add a comment.
She stared at his back, wondering why she was feeling uncomfortable with him all of a sudden. His voice had changed and was much softer, yet deeper. It reminded her of another who had quoted poetry to her numerous times, or had left a poem on her pillow surrounded by beautiful, fragrant bouquets of roses.
Her words awoke a fire inside of him and the poetry she was quoting brought back instant memories. He finished one particular passionate quote and she stopped. The silence was deafening as he wondered what she was thinking.
Before he could say any more, and he wasn't sure if he would have if given the chance, the wind blew open the door threatening to toss his crackling fire all over the room.
Diego leapt to his feet and Victoria watched him close and latch the door tightly.
She shivered as the wind penetrated her clothing. Diego noticed this and quickly removed his jacket, wrapping it snugly around her shoulders.
The warmth filled her body and she stopped shivering immediately. She was all too aware of how close Diego was to her, his hands resting gently but firmly on her shoulders.
For the first time in a long time, he looked into her eyes, and what she saw there frightened her. His hair, mussed by the wind when he slammed the door shut, had fallen over his eyes, making him look years younger. But the unmistakable fire she saw simmering in his eyes was something she was not used to. The Diego she knew avoided direct eye contact with her. She had always found his reaction to her quite endearing. He was shy around woman, or at least, he appeared to be.
He never looked into her eyes, like another she loved. But why would she want him to? She would much rather look into Zorro's. But her mind kept wondering why Diego avoided direct eye contact with her. Was there something he was hiding? She wondered every so often. When Diego would do something so strange that she would do a double take or do something that made her think he was not who he appeared to be. Those circumstances were rare, but they did happen. And they had been happening a lot more lately. She would have to ask him one of these days. But first, she was curious as to why he had suddenly decided to look her in the eyes. Little did she know, she was about to find out.
He decided that he couldn't hold back his desires any longer. It was becoming too difficult. He could no longer be in the same room with her without acknowledging her presence with a smile or a knowing glance. No matter what the consequences, he would tell her tonight.
And what better way to begin than with a kiss.
Her body tensed as his lips lowered to meet hers. She found that she was stunned into place, unable to move, as his tongue parted her lips and slipped into her mouth.
The sensation was not all that unpleasant and she found herself leaning against his chest for support. Some long denied attraction was pulling at them and she found herself unable to resist its alluring temptation.
Diego was elated when she didn't resist. He could feel her body tense and then relax as his hands slid from her shoulders to cup her cheeks, pulling her deeper into his kiss.
A small sound escaped the back of her throat and his lips slid to her jaw. She had to concentrate to hear what he whispered into her neck.
Three little words that she had never heard from her masked man's lips, slipped from Diego's as easy as blood flowed through veins. He whispered small endearments into her neck and all at once the reality of what they were doing slammed into her senses like a meteor.
She shoved him away a little too roughly, her eyes searching his in the dim light of the room. She could tell she had startled him with her quick movement, and his hands slid to his sides. The silence that followed the movement was maddening as each searched for a way to begin.
Victoria couldn't think fast enough, a way to ask him the questions that were tumbling through her mind like a landslide.
Diego couldn't find a way to begin the explanation of why he had compromised their friendship in such a fashion.
Finally, it was Victoria who recovered first and, her voice shaking as much as her hands, reached toward him and cupped his cheek in her palm. She could see him take a deep breath and close his eyes. She couldn't tell if he enjoyed the contact or if he was weighing the consequences of a huge decision.
Whispers echoed in her mind. Things Diego had said in the past combined with Zorro's romantic words and she could see the similarities between the two men. Why she had not seen it before, she couldn't explain.
But she had seen it before! She had noticed all those striking similarities and had shoved them aside for examination later. Well, now, it appeared, later had advanced on her like a tiger stalking it's prey.
She struggled to keep herself calm. She was furious but she needed to give him the chance to explain. She could see the stress marring his handsome features.
"You have some explaining to do." Her eyes sparkled with excitement and regret. Now she knew the identity of her masked love. What was she going to do with the information?
"You expect me to be mad and upset with you?" She asked calmly.
When he nodded she slammed her fist into his chest, " Well I am! And you can start by explaining to me just why you decided to keep such an important secret from me!"
He chuckled and captured her balled fists in his hands and extricated her fingers. He kissed them one at a time, while staring at her reaction.
She was visibly shaken as she tried to combine her image of Diego, the soft-spoken, unconcerned man, with the romantic, dare-devil image she had of Zorro.
He could tell she was finding it difficult and he smiled as if to reassure her.
"We are one in the same, Victoria and if you need further proof, I will give it to you."
He held her hands gently and placed one flat against his chest so she could feel his heart beat.
She nodded before she really knew what she was doing. Did she really want more proof? What proof could he provide her here in this dark, windmill.
Holding one hand over hers, where it rested over his heart, he lifted her chin with his finger end bent over to place another kiss against her lips. This time, it was a soft, gentle, probing. Nothing like what they had shared earlier, but everything like how Zorro had kissed her in the past. The familiarity of the simple gesture sent her senses into overload. She took a deep breath, for the first time, noticing the fresh smell of his clothing, the very masculine scent that permeated her senses.
Everything about him was familiar now that she knew. From his simple smile, to the way his eyes took in everything around him even when they were focused solely on her, to his gentle kiss and caress, she could see the same gestures that her masked man exhibited when she saw him.
Her silence unnerved him and he continued, "What would you like to know? Where should I start?"
If she had any doubts before he spoke, they evaporated quickly from her mind now. The two men were one in the same and she was going to have to get used to that fact.
"Why don't you start by telling me why?"
She was getting weak-kneed and he could tell. He lifted her effortlessly off the floor and carried her to the fire. Pulling the blankets off the floor, he wrapped one around her shoulders and the other around his own. The fire warmed them as Diego recounted the events that had led him to take on the guise of Zorro.
His voice was calm and soothing as the rain pounded against the rooftop and the lightening flashed outside the window.
Soon, she was leaning against his chest, his arms draped casually around her shoulders, staring into the crackling flames of the fire. Seeing, in the dancing flames, her life that was forever embedded in the past, and the new life she would now have because of this revelation.