Stormbound with a Tycoon (7 page)

“You certainly could have done all the hiking you wanted from the lodge.”

He ignored her comment, choosing instead to look up at the stormy sky. “Does it seem like it's letting up a little bit? Maybe we'll be able to see some sun before the day is over.”

He knew exactly where she was going with the conversation, wanting to know why he wanted to be at
the cabin and had refused to leave, and he didn't want to tread that path again. It was something he hadn't clearly figured out for himself yet and certainly a topic he was not prepared to discuss with anyone else. It was all too personal and came from a place of vulnerability that he didn't want anyone to see. Then he thought of Rose and Stanley Clarkson again. The guilt over what had happened welled inside him, quickly accompanied by his fear over the direction his life was headed if he didn't make some drastic changes. Yes, he had lots of things to work out, and running through it all, clouding his thinking, was something he hadn't planned on…the very real distraction of an intriguing woman who literally took his breath away and made his blood race.

Jessica glanced up at the stormy sky. “I don't think so. We'll be lucky if the rain lets up before morning. Sunshine is an entirely different topic.”

She watched him a moment longer as he stared ahead blankly, not acknowledging her comments. She carefully measured her words, wanting to know yet not wanting to antagonize him with her prying. “I still don't understand why you insisted on staying here rather than at the lodge.”

He turned his gaze on her, sending a little shiver of anxiety through her body. She wasn't sure what to make of his expression. It was as if he had chosen to no longer accommodate anything other than his own thoughts and concerns. A new level of uncertainty rose inside her, but she refused to allow it to deter her from her goal of finding out why Dylan Russell had shown up out of the clear blue to invade her personal sanctuary.

“There isn't anything here that wouldn't be more
comfortable and convenient for you if you were at the lodge.” She looked at him questioningly, waiting for a reply.

Something flashed through his eyes but it disappeared before she could read it. Could it have been anger? She shifted her weight uncomfortably under the scrutiny of his unrelenting stare. Had she pushed him too far? A hint of trepidation shivered through her body.

“I don't mean to be rude, but I don't believe my reasons are really any of your business.” Dylan turned his gaze away from her, once again seemingly staring out at nothing in particular. “Besides, since neither of us can leave it's a moot point.”

Jessica bristled at his attitude. “Quite the contrary…I believe your having climbed into my bed makes it very much my business.”

T
he second the words were out of her mouth Jessica wished she hadn't said them. She vividly recalled the moment Dylan's arm slipped around her waist and the way his body nestled against hers. The sensual heat produced by the memory quickly spread through her body until it touched every part of her existence.

She hated not having any better control over her thoughts and feelings than what had been happening to her since the moment she opened her eyes that morning. She gathered her resolve. Absurd, that's what it was. She was not about to allow her hormones to dictate to her, regardless of how sexy and desirable she found this man.

“The bed was empty when I climbed into it.” He forced a lightness to his voice, attempting to take the edge off the tenuous situation. “So technically you crawled into bed with me.” The memory of those
early-morning minutes spent snuggled together in a warm bed washed over him. There had been no intentional intimacy between them. It was all very natural and comfortable. It felt very right, not at all the same as with other women over the years.

He regarded her a moment longer. Things were already strained enough without him making it worse. He placed his hand at the small of her back and guided her toward the cabin door. “Come on, let's go inside. It's too cold to be standing out here.” He extended an encouraging smile as they stepped back inside. “Besides, there's a perfectly good fire in the fireplace that's going to waste.”

Dylan put forth his best effort to be pleasant. He stoked the fire and added another log. “There…that should do it for a while.”

Jessica stood in front of the fireplace, hugging her shoulders. “The heat feels good.” She rubbed her hands together as her chill began to subside. “I didn't realize how cold it was out there, although I think it's the damp as much as it is the temperature.”

“Yes, that damp air has a way of cutting right through you before you realize it, and suddenly you're chilled to the bone and can't seem to get warm again.” It was an inane conversation made up of polite yet strained comments. He sauntered across the room to the couch, picked up the book she had been reading and leafed through a couple of pages.

“I've been meaning to read this.” He set it down and turned toward her. “Is it any good?”

“Yes, I'm enjoying it. I started it on the flight from New York to Seattle and I'm anxious to finish it.” She knew she would enjoy it a lot more if she had been able to concentrate on what she was reading, due
only in part to Dylan's restlessness and more to the sensual energy that seemed to emanate from him. “Justin read it and passed it on to me.”

His gaze darted around the cabin, not really landing on anything in particular. “How's Justin doing?” He pulled a couple of chairs in front of the fireplace, sat in one and indicated the other one for her. “We didn't get a chance to talk. I sent an e-mail about using the cabin and he sent me the key. In the brief note he enclosed he said he'd been very busy. Is he still flying for the charter company?”

She seated herself in the other chair. It was obvious he was trying to make small talk, something to ease the tension. She knew he was right. Circumstances had marooned them at the cabin. She needed to put forth the same effort. She was very much aware of how close together the chairs were, but it somehow seemed very cozy—the fireplace, the sound of rain on the roof and the most desirable man she had ever encountered seated at her side. So why was she being assaulted by waves of apprehension?

“He's still flying for them. He's been flying his maximum allowed hours plus putting in lots of extra time with other functions. He has an opportunity…” She hesitated, not sure if she should tell Dylan about Justin's plans.

“An opportunity? You mean the partnership? He mentioned it, saying it was something he wanted to check out, but never said anything else about it. Is he going through with it?”

“Well, since he's already said something to you about it, I guess it won't hurt if I fill you in. The information isn't common knowledge yet, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything to anyone.”

“No problem. I'm very good at not revealing things that need to be kept private. Most of my business transactions required that type of discretion.”

“What's happening right now is that he's buying half the charter company he works for, with a five-year option to buy out the other half at a predetermined price. He looked at it from all angles and finally decided to go through with the deal. As the senior pilot he's been able to pretty much set his own schedule, take the flights he wanted and be off when he wanted. As one of the owners it will mean a lot more responsibility and a long-term commitment.”

A subdued laugh escaped Dylan's throat, one of irony more than amusement. “Funny the way things turn around—” he became reflective as he stared at the flames “—sometimes when you least expect it.”

“Oh? Like what?” She cocked her head and looked at him, her keen interest in what he had said written all over her features.

He ignored her question, once again sidestepping her attempt to delve into what he considered private matters. He felt much more comfortable discussing something
safe
like Justin's plans. “Will being one of the owners mean that he won't be able to take any more of the flights himself? I know how much he loves to fly.”

“That was one of the considerations he had to deal with. He won't be able to take as many flights, but it's something that will allow him to plan for the future and build a career should something happen that would prevent him from being able to fly. He gave it a lot of thought. We discussed it several times, and he finally decided to make the commitment. He plans to
buy out the other half of the company as quickly as possible.”

A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “He hasn't said so, but I know he's a little worried about being able to come up with the money to exercise his option on the other half. He doesn't want to incur an unreasonable amount of debt, but he doesn't want to let this deal slip away, either. It's really a terrific opportunity. I've thought about maybe taking all my savings and investing in the company as a 10 percent owner which will help ease the amount of money he needs.” The smile soon became a soft laugh. “It's interesting to think of being business partners with Justin, but it's certainly a possibility….”

He reached out and gently touched her cheek. His voice held a tenderness that surprised even him. “That's the first time I've seen you smile since we woke up this morning.” He plumbed the depth of her eyes while trying to ignore the surge of desire pushing at his senses. “You have a lovely smile. You should do it more often.”

He saw her uncertainty and quickly withdrew his hand. He stared ahead at the flames. He became reflective and somewhat distracted as he voiced his thoughts. “Interesting that Justin should be thinking and planning for the future beyond being a pilot. I've…uh…sort of been doing a little of that myself lately.” It was an admission he hadn't intended to make, but the words had just sort of slipped out.

He quickly covered his inadvertent comment by pursuing the interesting bit of information she had given him. “How does he plan to finance the buyout? Is he okay right now for purchasing half, with exercising the option as the only problem?”

“I'm not really sure. Why do you ask?”

“I can help him with the financing, both now and the additional amount he'll need later.”

“You mean…uh…” She was not sure how to word it so it didn't sound like an accusation. “You mean by making this one of your
business deals?
”

He turned in his chair until he directly faced her again. He studied her for a moment. Her expression was more one of wariness than it was antagonism. “You say that as if you were accusing me of doing something illegal…or at the very least unethical.” He studied her for a moment before answering her question. “No, I meant I'd lend him the money if he needs it.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “But there's a great deal of money involved…you don't even know how much he needs.”

“You're right, I don't know how much money we're talking about.” He had been too comfortable sitting in front of the fire talking quietly with her and had allowed himself to become vulnerable to her questions. He didn't know what to say, how much to reveal. Should he say the simple truth, that he was a multimillionaire with a great deal of his fortune able to be quickly converted into cash? He decided against it. He didn't want to take a chance on her misinterpreting what he said, of her thinking he was trying to buy Justin's gratitude. Or worse yet…hers.

He reached out and brushed his fingertips across her cheek. Once again the band tightened across his chest. What he had told Jessica about being discreet had been true. He never discussed his business deals with anyone other than those directly involved in the transac
tions. He never discussed his personal finances with anyone.

“How can you say you'd lend him the money if you don't have any idea how much it would be?” The warmth of his touch sent tremors of excitement through her body as his fingertips lingered against her cheek. What was there about Dylan Russell that cut through her down-to-earth common sense and knocked her for a loop? Whatever it was, it frightened her emotionally while at the same time holding her in the grip of his physical nearness as sure as if he had been actually restraining her.

“I guess I meant I'd do what I could to see that he was able to make the purchase.” He slid his fingers along her jaw, then cupped her chin in his hand. His voice dropped to a soft, seductive tone. “I'd hate to see him miss out on something this important if there was anything I could do to help.”

Her words came out in a breathless whisper. “That's very nice of you to offer.”

“Justin is my friend…my best friend.” A lump formed in his throat. A rush of sadness filled him as the remaining words escaped in a quiet hush, so low that they were almost inaudible. “Perhaps my only true friend.” He chased the moment of melancholy away before it overwhelmed him.

He leaned forward until he was within inches of her face. He wanted so much to kiss her, to taste the delicious-looking mouth that had been driving him crazy all day. The uncertainty that had earlier invaded his consciousness once again returned to plague him.

“How about you, Jessica?” He succumbed to the urge as he brushed his lips lightly against hers. He didn't dare allow the gesture to linger in the form of
a true kiss, even though it was what he wanted to do. “Are you my friend, too?”

He saw the same bewilderment mirrored in her eyes that clouded his own senses. Had he just made a colossal mistake? He had never experienced quite that reaction to a woman. She was the type with which he had no experience—honest, self-reliant, capable and down-to-earth—qualities he found very appealing. It was more than merely wanting to get a beautiful woman into bed. It was so much more. What was happening was as frightening to him as it was intriguing.

And lurking in the middle of his physical attraction to her was a growing awareness of how easy it would be for the physical desires to turn into an emotional involvement…something he knew all too well had to eventually lead to some sort of a commitment. He had been down that road before. He led with his heart and it had taken him all the way to the altar, then kicked him in the teeth and left him a member of the walking wounded. It had been a painful lesson, and one he had carried with him all these years. It was an experience he didn't want to repeat.

Then, as if on cue, that vacant spot in his life he wanted to fill jabbed at his awareness, quickly followed by an invisible shiver of panic. Another roadblock flew in his face in the form of a nagging reminder that she was more than just another woman. Even though she was no longer an underage teenager, she was still Justin's sister. He already had enough guilt to wrestle with over what had happened to Stanley and Rose Clarkson because of him. He didn't need to further compound his self-created upheaval. But all those good intentions didn't shake his thoughts about
her or lessen the possibilities that he knew would present themselves as the evening unfolded.

For the first time in his adult life he didn't know what to do or how to proceed where a woman was concerned. Perhaps he had already done too much. He tentatively reached out and framed her face with his hands. Her slightly parted lips seemed to be beckoning him forward in spite of the wariness in her eyes and the caution blanketing her features. He closed his eyes for a moment, took a calming breath, then backed off.

The subdued daylight that had fought its way through the gloominess of the storm was fading into evening. Somehow over the course of a tension-filled day she had invaded his senses totally and completely. Now that night approached and they had settled into a more comfortable mode of easy conversation, the temptation of her nearness had become almost irresistible. But unlike the others over the years, he could not assume anything with her.

He nervously cleared his throat and tried to bring a sense of calm to the anxiety that fueled his confusion. “I'd better bring in some more wood.” He rose from the chair, took the poker and jabbed at the last burning log.

“That's…uh…a good idea.” She ran her hand across her nape, but it did nothing to still the tremors that materialized the moment he touched her. She skimmed her fingertips across her lips. She could still feel the heat of his touch. When he brushed his mouth against hers it had literally taken her breath away.

“While you're doing that I'll get out the oil lamps.” She spotted the lamps she had already taken from the cupboard. “I mean…” Her gaze darted nervously around the room. Apprehension churned in the pit of
her stomach. She felt totally lost as if she were trying to find her way through unfamiliar territory. “I'd better find the bottle of lamp oil, some more matches and check on batteries for the flashlight and the radio.”