Stormy Passion (11 page)

She had to keep reminding herself that he’d
been dishonest with her. What other secrets had he kept inside?

All Dani’s reasoning power told her she
couldn't possibly love a man she'd only known a few days. It had to
be infatuation, because it would never work out. They didn't even
live near each other.

Maybe what she felt would be like the flu,
and would go away in a couple of days. That was it. She had a case
of temporary insanity!

Dani moved into the room a little farther and
waited for Adrian to look at her.”Can we go for a walk?” she asked,
struggling hard to keep her agitation from showing.

“
Isn't safe, Lass, with so
many power lines down,” Angus volunteered.

“
I see.”

“
I'd like some fresh air
myself.” Adrian stood and took her hand. “It will probably be safe
on the pier.”

They walked along the pier toward an arbor at
the end. “The sea has a very strong smell,” Dani commented.

“
Probably because it's been
churned up. To look at the water now, you'd never think about how
violent the sea can get.” He leaned against the rail, folded his
arms, and looked at Dani. “I'm happy you're not hurt.”

“
Me, too. And I'm glad
you're not dead.” She gave him a small smile. “That was scary.” She
moved over beside him and looked out at the water while she
summoned the courage to ask. “Why did you tell me you're not
married--when you are?”

He turned his head to the side, his
expression unchanged. “And
who
said I was married?”

“
Nettie. She made a comment
that I was nicer than your
wife
.”

“
She's right.”

“
Then you are
married?”

“
Kind of.”

“
You bastard!” Dani swung
at him but he caught her wrist. “Until you, I would never have
believed I’d sleep with a married man, and I loathed anyone who
does.” She turned to jerk her hand away, but he wouldn't let go.
“Now you've made me into one of those people I hate.”

“
Why are you getting so
upset?”

“
I just told you
why.”

“
If you'd purposely set out
to sleep with me, it would have been different. But you ended up in
my bed by accident.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks. “You're still
married.”

“
Not the way you think.
I've been legally separated for two years, and my divorce will be
final three months from now. Does that make you feel
better?”

“
Somewhat.” Dani relaxed,
then realized that she was making a complete fool out of herself.
He didn't really owe her any explanation, and she was acting like
they were engaged.

“
It really doesn't matter,”
she added dully. “After tomorrow, I won't see you again. I'll be
with Steven.” She wasn’t sure why she’d thrown in Steven’s name,
but she had. “And you'll go back to your life.”

The mention of Steven's name irritated
Adrian. “It's just as well,” he snapped. Then, in a somewhat
indifferent voice, he added, “I'm not the marrying kind. I tried it
once, with little success, so it's probably better we don't get
involved.”

“
You flatter yourself, Mr.
Massimino,” Dani said, turning her back to him. “I don't believe I
said anything about getting involved.”

Adrian pulled Dani around to face him. He
wasn't quite sure why it irritated him that Dani could brush him
off so easily, but it did. “Would you like to show me how much you
don't care,” he whispered into the side of her neck. “Tell me you
don't care.”

“
Stop.” She pushed against
his chest in a half-hearted attempt to stop him.

As he caressed her ear, Adrian promised
himself that he wasn't going to fall in love with Dani. He was
attracted to her, plain and simple. However, he wanted to enjoy
every moment until they parted company. Then he would return to
work as normal.

Adrian moved his mouth over hers and kissed
her with all the passion he possessed. Though she tried to resist
him, she soon gave in. Her mouth was like velvet as he explored it,
pulling her up on tiptoe and forcing her to wrap her arms around
his neck. His blood soared when he held her in his arms like
this.

When he finally pulled his lips from hers, he
murmured, “Would you like to correct your earlier statement?”

He watched her eyes as his question
registered in her mind. That fiery spark reappeared and her chin
jutted. He definitely loved that about her.

“
All right,” she muttered
defiantly. “I do feel something for you.”

“
Thank you.”

“
But I feel something when
I have a stomach ache, too.”

Adrian smiled but didn't rise to the bait.
“Listen, we met under the most unusual circumstances. I'd say we
can't be held responsible for most of the things we've done. Don't
you agree?”

He watched her until she finally nodded.

“
I'd like to spend our last
day together forgetting about the rest of the world. I don't want
to fight or argue. I just want to enjoy being with you. Take a
chance, Dani. Forget about your promises and commitments, and be
mine for as long as we have.”

His words wove a magic spell around her. Each
word tugged at her heart.

Let go.

Take a chance.

She rested her head against Adrian's chest,
listening to the steady rhythm of his heart. As much as she hated
to admit it, this felt right and good. Confusion had her doubting
everything as she murmured, “I'm yours. At least, for now.”

The next morning seemed cooler, but then
September weather was always unpredictable. Dani had gotten a
turquoise tee-shirt out of the store with a promise to Angus she'd
pay for it as soon as she located her purse. Of course, they
insisted she didn't have to pay.

Dani smiled as she pulled the tee-shirt over
her head. They were such nice people. She wondered if she'd ever
see them again.

Of course not
. She shook the absurd
notion out of her head as she gazed at her reflection. Her
tee-shirt had a white seahorse right in the middle with the words
Seahorse Island: A Fairy
Tale Come True
written below
it. The phrase just about described this weekend. All she needed
was a happy ending.

At least, she had the shirt for a souvenir.
That and a lot of memories.

Dani started making up the bed. “Fairy tale,”
she repeated. She had come to meet Peter Pan, she'd stayed in
Neverland, and Prince Charming had rescued her. She laughed without
humor, an odd noise that didn't sound at all amusing. The harder
she tried to ignore the truth, the more it persisted. Her time at
Sea Horse was coming to an end.

But she could handle this, she told herself,
dashing away a tear that had carelessly slipped down her cheek.

After all, it wasn't like she and Adrian were
in love or anything. She'd only known him for two days. She’d get
over him. Surely she could ignore the miserable feeling in the pit
of her stomach, agree with her conscience that she had liked making
love to him, and go about enjoying their last day together.

Adrian hadn’t seemed too troubled when he
left this morning, so if he could do it, so could she.

She sat down on the bed and slipped on her
stiff tennis shoes, thankful they hadn't gotten washed away. She
started for the door and reached for the light switch before
reminding herself that the electricity was still off. Some habits
never changed . . . like Steven, she thought ruefully. He was a
very bad habit she intended to break.

Adrian sat at the breakfast table drinking
coffee with Nettie and Angus. Dani joined them for their meager
breakfast of bagels and coffee, and then they were off.

Only one golf cart remained operational, and
Adrian started it while he waited for Danielle. He placed several
beach towels over the wet seats in hopes of keeping their clothing
dry.

Adrian had mixed emotions today. He needed to
get back to work, but despite the major catastrophe he’d just
experienced, he felt more relaxed than he had in years.

And he wondered if the woman walking toward
him had had anything to do with his laid-back attitude. Even in the
midst of all this debris, she was like a soft, glowing light that
made everything seem right. Dani was special.

And because she was, he'd say goodbye and
leave her to the nice life she had planned. He, on the other hand,
would go back to the corporate jungle and bury himself in work,
settle his messy divorce, and go out on a date every now and
then.

Life would be simple. Planned out--and
mechanical.

Life would be dull.

“
Hop in,” Adrian said as
Dani eyed the less-than-perfect vehicle. “I think I've fixed it so
your clothes won't get too wet.”

Adrian guided the cart slowly down the
street, dodging debris and potholes. The power crews had arrived,
and several men were perched up on poles securing lines.

“
This could have been so
much worse,” Adrian commented.

“
It looks like a bomb went
off in places. Yet, others have only slight damage. And look at all
the debris.”

“
The newer homes were built
to stricter hurricane codes.” Adrian looked around. “All in all,
I'd say we were lucky.” They pulled into Sandy Lane. “There she
is.”

“
At least, the house is
still standing,” Dani said in a rush. Until that time she hadn't
realized she'd been holding her breath, expecting the worse. “Oh,
look, the gazebo is still intact.”

“
The only problem is the
deck leading to it seems to be missing.” He turned to her, and his
hand came down over hers possessively. “I think the house is pretty
sturdy, but I want you to promise me you'll be careful just the
same.”

When they entered the house, Dani almost
cried. The once beautifully-decorated house had furniture turned
upside down, and a blue shell crab scurried across sodden carpet.
Seaweed dripped from some of the light fixtures, and a musty odor
permeated the atmosphere.

Dani wrinkled her nose with dismay.”Oh my
God. What a mess! How are the owners ever going to fix this?”

“
Guess I’ll have to ask
them,” Adrian said. “I’m sure it will have to be gutted, then
refurbished. This time steel doors and shutters will be installed
so this won't happen again.”

Dani maneuvered through the mess to the
bedroom to try and find her luggage. After a few minutes, she
located her Pullman, but not her purse. She began to panic as she
looked under the upturned bed, in the bathroom, everywhere she
could think to look, and could find nothing.

Her plane ticket, her credit cards, her
driver's license, and money. All of it! Everything was gone! She
turned and bumped into Adrian, who had been standing behind
her.

“
My plane ticket. My purse.
It's gone!”

“
I imagine your purse got
washed out the door,” he said matter of factly.

She clutched his arm. “You don't seem to
grasp the situation. My money is gone. How am I going to get
home?”

His mouth quirked with humor. “I guess you'll
just have to live with me.”

“
I'm serious.”

“
So am I.”

She blew out a short breath. This wasn't a
time to joke – even if the thought of living with him was more than
a little tempting. “I don't have any money!”

“
Don't get in a tizzy. I'll
buy you another ticket.”

“
I can't take money from
you.”

“
Then we're back to the
original offer.”

“
I wish you'd be
serious.”

“
Look.” He put his arm
around her shoulders and moved her back to the bedroom. “I'll lend
you the money, and you can pay me back. Will that ease your
conscience?”

She hesitated. “Just as long as I can pay you
back.”

Once they were settled, they started looking
around to see what needed to be done and what could be saved. There
was so much to do, and it was hard to know where to start.

Dani took her luggage out on the deck -- what
was left of it anyway--so the sun could dry it out. She suggested
moving the furniture, but Adrian told her that would have to wait
for the insurance adjusters to arrive. So, needing to do something
productive, she pretended to pick up small things, though all she
was doing was moving things around. She wanted to cry every time
she looked at the damage.

At lunchtime, they returned to the store.
Adrian disappeared while she made herself a sandwich.

She decided to be nice and make one for
Adrian, too. She had the funniest suspicion that he was up to
something, but couldn't put her finger on the exact feeling.

She'd wandered out on the pier with her lunch
and was enjoying the sunshine when Adrian found her.

“
Thanks for the sandwich.”
He took a bite and propped his leg and hip on the rail.

“
What have you been
doing?”

“
I just booked your
flight,” he told her before taking a sip of his soft
drink.

“
Just like that. But
how?”

“
I used Angus' portable
phone.”

“
But I thought no phones
were allowed.”

“
It's a short-wave radio
There are no permanent phones allowed on the island. There aren’t
any cell towers on the island. However, I choose to leave the world
behind me when I come here, and a cell phone is the last thing I
wanted around me.”