Touched by Lightning [Dreams of You] (Romantic Suspense) (11 page)

“Why do you want to help me?”

Adrian turned around, and there was a strange light in his eyes. “I can’t explain it. I just do.”

She nodded, understanding not being able to explain things. What she did not understand was the feelings this man invoked in her. It was hopeless to feel giddy, flushed…hopeful. What could she possibly hope for? He couldn’t save her. He wouldn’t stay around. Yet, she found herself hoping that he’d kiss her again. Ah, it had felt so wonderful to be kissed, to be touched.

He dropped down to the beach and started scooping moist sand into a pile. A slice of skin showed beneath his T-shirt and jeans as he worked.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“What does it look like? I’m building a sandcastle.”

CHAPTER 7

Adrian loved the sound of her laughter as she watched him shape the large mound that would be the main part of the castle. One of the images in the tunnel showed Nikki doing this very thing. Who was that boy kicking in her sandcastle? He wanted to know but couldn’t ask.

She knelt across from him and started pushing sand toward the mound. Sure, it was silly. He wasn’t even sure what had possessed him to do it. In fact, he was still stunned at his last impulsive move—kissing her. He didn’t want to get involved with Nikki, beyond trying to help her. Celine had said their destinies were entwined, not that they would be lovers. Besides, Nikki had squelched his attempt to help her. So why was he building a sandcastle with her? He should be going back to the house and packing, arranging for an earlier flight back to New York. He should certainly not be kissing her or thinking of doing it again.

She looked up at him, her green eyes sparkling. Realizing he’d been staring at her, he dove back into the work at hand, shaping the first turret. She watched him, then started building one on the other side. Her teeth were white as she smiled at him. She took good care of them, and she always smelled clean, though he didn’t detect the musky perfume she’d had on before. Her blond hair hung over her shoulders in soft waves, dragging in the sand when she leaned forward. A faint smile tinged her features as she worked at their creation. Crackers wandered over to investigate, but Adrian threw a stick to distract him, not wanting this sandcastle destroyed.

Nikki had to be one tough kid to survive for two years on the streets by herself. Right now, though, she seemed like a china doll, the sun reflecting off her pale skin. Her delicate fingers worked with precision, making the turret perfect.

When she started to look up, he turned and searched in the immediate area for shells. He collected a pile and pressed them into the sides of the castle, just as she had done years ago. She watched him, a dazed expression on her face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, though he knew what she was thinking.

She shook her head, then reached over and took a few of his shells to stick on her turret. When they finished the last two turrets, they decorated the courtyard with twigs and colorful coquina shells. Adrian laid on his stomach, working intently on one of the turrets. With a tiny stick, he drew a window, carving out a tiny hole.

“What are you doing?” she asked, leaning over his shoulder. Her hair tickled down his arm.

“This is where the princess is kept prisoner.”

She raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything at first. After a minute, she asked, “And where is the prince who will come to save her?”

He turned, his cheek less than an inch from hers. “Right here.”

Her reaction made him regret the impulse. With a shuttered expression, she moved away and crossed her arms in front of her.

He stood, brushing off the sand, giving her a moment to herself. After a minute, he couldn’t stand the silence. “I think we should go for a swim.”

She swiped her hair out of her eyes, looking at the aqua waters rushing in. “Be my guest.”

He walked nearer to her. “How cold do you think it is? Can’t be that cold.”

“Warm enough for the tourists from Canada, maybe.”

He grabbed her around the waist, lifted her and readied to hoist her into the water. She wriggled, though he was surprised at how light she was. And how thin.

“No! Put me down!”

He was standing in ankle deep water with her in his arms. She had ceased her struggle, realizing it was safer to stay calm.

“On the count of three. Ready?”

“No!” she screamed, though her voice was filled with laughter.

“One.” He started swinging her. “Two.” She started struggling again. “Three!”

The nightmare flashed in his mind: sucking in cold water instead of air, drowning. The water he saw through Nikki’s eyes was black, so she would not drown with the sun sparkling through the ocean. Still, he swung her upright instead of out, holding her squarely around the hips to keep her feet out of the swirling water. She looked down at him, haloed by the sun behind her. Her fingers were clenched on his shoulders, and her breath came heavily.

“Okay, maybe I won’t.”

He held onto her and walked backward to the beach. Her fingers relaxed their grip, and his shoulders felt warm where she touched them. She appeared uncertain as he remained holding her, meeting her gaze. With her hair falling forward to frame her face, she looked childlike and free. Then he saw her shoulder, bared as her sweater skewed from her struggle. A lacework of scars covered it. He let her slide slowly down in front of him, but she already adjusted her sweater to hide her shoulder. She didn’t meet his gaze, and he knew she’d seen him looking at it. When she started turning away, he pulled her back.

“Nikki…”

“Please…” She tried to turn away again.

Adrian didn’t let go of her arm.
Nikki, tell me about the fire. I felt it too, and I still do.
“Tell me what happened.”

She shook her head, biting her lower lip. “No.”

He pressed her scarred hand to his lips again, then held it up, studying the disfigured skin. Did it go all the way up to her shoulder? And where else? Not that it mattered.

“Fire,” he stated.

“Adrian, please.”

She tugged her arm, but he wouldn’t let go. Instead he turned the palm toward him and kissed it gently. Closing his eyes, he kissed each finger, savoring the feel of her skin, scarred or not. Beneath the screech of a sea gull, he heard her breath catch. The wind whispered, but he paid no heed to its warnings to stop.

If you seek her out, you may be able to save her. But I see danger in that. For her. And you.

When he opened his eyes, Nikki’s were closed. Her head was tilted back, her lips parted. He could not resist that invitation. It hadn’t been so long since he’d kissed a woman, but nothing felt the way kissing Nikki did. He wanted more.

Adrian pressed her hand against his chest and kissed her. She started but didn’t move away. Her eyes remained closed as he continued to kiss her. Her tongue hungrily sought his, and he obliged her with equal passion. Touching the line of her jaw, he deepened their kiss. Her free hand joined the one on his chest, and they both slid upward to his shoulders.

He wanted to crush her to him, to hold her close and take away all her shame and fear. He remembered, though, how fragile she seemed, so he ran his fingers along her arms instead.

Tenderness warred with heat inside him as his body awakened. Her fingers curled through his hair at the nape of his neck, and he shivered at her touch. He wanted to comfort her, but he also wanted to lay her down on the warm sand and make love to her. The thought jarred him, making love to BlueFire after all these years.

Crackers started barking, and Adrian looked up. Nikki backed away, wrapping her arms around herself in that protective manner. A couple approached, holding hands and enjoying the kind of intimacy long-term couples shared. For the first time ever, Adrian envied them that.

“Crackers! Come here, silly dog,” he bellowed.

Crackers made his way to Adrian, all the while keeping his eye on the couple as they walked past. His tail flipped through the air so fast, it almost became invisible.

Nikki headed back toward their coats. He motioned for Crackers to follow and caught up with her. She looked straight ahead. Even though her expression was sober, her skin was divinely flushed. He walked beside her.

“We shouldn’t have done that,” she said.

“Maybe not.”

She faced him. “Adrian, this will lead nowhere.”

“You’re right.”

“It’s pointless.”

“Probably.”

She raised her arms, then dropped them with a long sigh. “Will you do it again?”

When Adrian pulled her into his arms, Nikki melted in his warmth. His lips devoured hers, swallowing her up. After a few moments, he held her tight, enveloping her completely in his embrace. Oh, to be held like this. She felt safe, warm, and loved. Loved? No, not that, but everything that went along with it. She felt his breath on top of her head, then the feel of his cheek resting there. Was it possible to make this moment last forever?

Her arms had slid automatically around his waist, and her cheek rested against his hard chest. The worn fibers of his T-shirt were soft against her skin. His body radiated heat, along with a male scent mixed with spicy deodorant or cologne. She wanted to scream, to cry, to laugh—all at once.

The feelings rushed in over her on the sound of the waves behind them. Sun-warmed sand crept up between her toes. She felt tiny wrapped in his arms, like some small creature seeking solace from the cold, harsh world around it. His heart beat steady and strong; her own pounded out an exotic rhythm.

After several minutes, she expected him to get tired of standing there like that. He didn’t indicate it, if he did. She could have stayed there all day, all night. Maybe all month. She didn’t want to feel that way. Well, parts of her did, but not the sensible part. Of course, if she’d been sensible at all, she wouldn’t have let him kiss her the first time, much less all the others. Despite her self-chastising, she found herself smiling. Okay, she could be sensible later, when it counted.

It was Adrian who finally broke the spell, moving back a foot. “I’m afraid if I stay here much longer like this, I’ll find myself in an embarrassing and uncomfortable predicament.”

She flushed, fighting that involuntary urge to look down. Being held felt so innocent and wonderful, but Adrian was a man, after all. A man. What would he think if he knew she was a virgin? He pulled his T-shirt low over his jeans, then reached for her hand. She noticed the trembling in her fingers as she slid them into his warm grasp.

Sure, Jack had tried his best to make their engagement more solidified. They did the petting thing, but something always held Nikki back. She’d never even told him that he would have been her first. Jack was so into the whole social scene, she was sure he wouldn’t understand how she didn’t fit in or didn’t want to. The more Mother pressured her to be social, the more Nikki shrunk into herself.

Adrian helped her into her coat, and they walked up to catch a taxi. She tucked her hair back and slid her hood on. He watched her but didn’t say anything. His strong arms scooped Crackers up as he headed toward the stairs to hail a cab.

It was late afternoon when the cab dropped them off in the city. Crackers had fallen asleep with his head on her lap on the ride back. Now he hardly moved at all.

“I’d better get going,” she said, though her heart told her to stay.

“If you must.”

She looked at Crackers. “I must. Come on.” As she started walking away, Adrian’s laugh made her turn around.

“I don’t think he’s going anywhere.”

Crackers was lying down, snout between his paws. Bits of sand jumped each time he exhaled. Nikki snapped the leash on him and pulled, but he didn’t budge. She thought of the exhausting trip she’d made carrying him the last time. She was even farther from her van now.

“Nikki, I realize you don’t want me to know where you stay, but if you want me to carry him somewhere, I will. You can always pick him up later.”

So, he’d figured that out. She doubted Dave would let her leave the pup in his office again. If she tied him up somewhere, someone could hurt him or take him before she returned with the van. She looked at Adrian, who was fully aware of her predicament. Could she dare trust him? The memory of his kisses clouded her senses.

“Follow me.”

He picked up Crackers and walked beside her. All the way back to the alley in which her van was parked, she debated on letting him know where she lived. Of course, she never left her van in the same spot. A man who held a dog like that couldn’t be a killer or a double-crosser. He just couldn’t.

When they rounded the corner and walked into the alley, Adrian stopped at the sight of the brown van. “This is where you live?”

“Uh huh.”

She slid open the door and stepped aside so he could set the dog on the pillow bed she’d made. He looked around at her abode as he did so, taking in the orange carpet, brown carpeted walls, and all the tiny things that made it home. Her Steiff bear sat on the tiny bed, as if waiting for her return.

“Wow.” He nodded and smiled. “This is really something. At least I know you’re relatively safe at night.”

That made her smile. He cared that she was safe. A warm rush washed over her. She thought of inviting him to stay, but in this mood, she was likely to crawl back into his arms. She was already in enough trouble as it was. Her heart pitter-pattered when he touched her chin.

“See you later, okay?”

She could only nod. His fingers remained against her skin for a moment as he looked in her eyes. She watched him go, then climbed into her van, slid the door closed, and hugged her teddy bear close. No, this couldn’t be happening to her. She couldn’t be feeling dangerously close to falling in love.

Too late. She couldn’t wait to see him tomorrow. She couldn’t wait to feel his mouth against hers again. When Ulyssis warned her to stay away from Adrian, he had no idea how right he was.

Rita paced back and forth with each empty ring. Damn, where was Adrian, and what was he doing? Men were so rude, taking off and not telling the women who loved them why. Stanley had sounded worried, and rightfully so: it wasn’t like Adrian to run off like this. He was obviously going through something, and she had no qualms taking advantage of a possible weakness to get closer to him.