Stormy Passion (12 page)

“
So when does my plane
leave?”

“
This afternoon at
five.”

“
But it's one now,” Dani
protested. “And I thought the ferry wasn't going to start back up
again until tomorrow.” Had he made special arrangements for that,
too? She wondered.

“
I checked, and they're
going to make two afternoon runs. The Power Company needs to get
another power crew out here. It seems many of the residents want to
come see their homes.”

His business-like tone got the facts across
with little emotion, and Dani had the impression he couldn't wait
to get rid of her. Staring at him, not knowing what to say, she
thought, this is it.

The whole wacky weekend was coming to an end.
She'd known it would. But now, instead of being happy to go home,
she felt completely numb inside.

“
I guess I'd better go and
pack.” She managed a fake laugh. “Oops, I guess there's nothing to
pack. I forgot, I lost everything, too. I'll get my suitcase, and
say goodbye to Angus and Nettie.”

Was it her imagination, or had the air
suddenly turned much cooler?

“
Dani.”

Chapter Seven

Dani turned to look at Adrian.

It took all her will power not to cry.

Adrian didn't say anything, his gaze moving
with frank masculine appreciation over her face.

Dani would give anything to know his
thoughts. Would he ask her to stay? Would she throw caution to the
wind and say yes? The silence lengthened until she heard nothing
but the waves slapping the shore.

Unable to stand the silence any longer, she
opened her mouth but Adrian spoke first.

“
Never mind,” he said. “It
wasn't important.” Turning away from her, he added, “I'll wait for
you out here.”

Dani stared at his rigid back for a long
moment. Well, what had she expected? Words of undying love? She
couldn't deny the evidence any longer as she turned and entered the
store. Seeing it through a haze of tear-blurred vision, all she
could think was that Adrian didn’t care for her.

What had she hoped for after three days?

Even telling Angus and Nettie goodbye was
more difficult than Dani had imagined. What was wrong with her
today? She usually didn't cry so easily. Now she couldn't keep the
tears from sliding down her cheeks.

The couple seemed surprised she was leaving
so soon, but made her promise to come back and visit them. Dani did
promise, though she knew she would never visit this island again
because if she did she would always wonder what if?

It was time to go.

She wheeled her luggage down to the end of
the dock where Adrian stood staring out across the sound. He seemed
not to have moved at all, but Dani could sense the barely
controlled power coiled in his body, as if he were wrestling with a
decision.

“
I'm ready.”

Adrian’s head jerked up and he stared at her
as if he hadn’t expected to hear her. “The ferry will be here in a
minute,” he finally said, pointing to a white and yellow boat
headed their way.

“
I guess this is where I
say goodbye.”

“
Not yet.” Slipping his arm
around her waist, he added, “I'll ride the ferry with
you.”

Dani laid her head on his shoulder and
neither said a word while they waited.

When the boat docked, Dani saw the homeowners
who had come to check on their property. A couple waved at Adrian
as they left the boat. Then she and Adrian boarded.

“
It's good to see you
survived.” The captain greeted her as they found a seat. “I see you
found the young man you were looking for.”

Dani didn't bother to correct him. She merely
smiled. She knew if she opened her mouth she'd cry. She wanted to
be strong and show Adrian it didn't matter that she was
leaving.

Even if her heart was breaking.

The bluish-green waterway barely rippled. How
calm it seemed compared to the last few days. Nothing compared to
the hellish weekend they'd been through. The ferry chugged along at
a steady pace toward the mainland.

Danielle wrapped her sweater tighter around
her. She felt an odd sort of cold as she sat on the bench next to
Adrian. As if her insides were shaking.

They stared out across the waves in silence
lost in their own thoughts. Adrian shifted, then took her hand in
his. The warmth of his skin enfolded her icy fingers. She wondered
if he felt as miserable as she did. He had barely said a word since
they’d left the dock.

Was he hoping the ferry would never make it
to the mainland? Back to the real world. Back to a life that didn't
include each other.

It had started off as a simple weekend with
someone she loved – or, at least, someone she'd thought she loved.
It had ended with her finding the man of her dreams – in a complete
stranger.

But she couldn't call Adrian a stranger
anymore, Dani thought wryly. They'd faced death together. They’d
made love. And when she'd been hurt, he'd cared for her.

Only a fool would think that anything could
come of their relationship. Yet something had developed between
them. She'd never felt like this before: happy one minute, sad the
next. It was very confusing.

Why couldn’t anything be simple?

Adrian had told her right up front that he
wasn't the marrying kind. Now where did that thought come from?
There was no way she could marry a man she'd known so briefly, one
who would probably chase any woman that walked by . . . another
Steven. What was it about her taste in men?

She could see the dock. Their minutes grew
shorter. In less than an hour, it would be as if nothing had ever
happened--much like hurricane Felix, when he had come and gone,
leaving destruction in his wake. Only no one wouldn't be able to
see the destruction this weekend had caused her.

She'd never see Adrian again.

Adrian got up then moved to the side of the
ship. He clutched the rail so tightly his knuckles turned
white.

How had this happened? How had he let himself
get emotionally involved with a blonde haired, blue-eyed woman who
could make his knees buckle with her smile?

And he was going to let her walk out of his
life. She'd go back to that son of bitch, Steven, and they'd get
married and have children. Adrian tightened his grip on the
rail.

And he would continue working and, of course,
dating different women, women whose names he wouldn’t even remember
the next week. Then he'd forget about Danielle Kapur just like the
rest of them. It had been nothing more than a weekend fling, he
told himself over and over again. He sighed and ran his hand
through his hair. Then why did he want to hear her utter those
words she'd said after they were through making love? Why had he
wanted her to say, “I love you, Adrian.”

It was probably just as well . . . because if
she had uttered those words, there would be no way he'd let her
walk out of his life . . . no way.

Adrian turned, his back to the rail, and
faced her. “Come over here, Dani.”

Dani shivered as she stumbled over to him. If
anything she was more confused than when she had arrived three days
ago.

Stopping in front of him, she wanted to say
something--anything, but what? Adrian's eyes seemed to bore through
her as if he, too, were searching for some answer. Lord knows, she
didn't have any answers.

Adrian sighed and enfolded her within his
arms. “I guess this is goodbye, sweetheart,” he murmured as he
rested his chin on top of her hair. “You're shaking, Dani. Wrap
your arms around my waist and I'll share a little body heat with
you.” He held open his coat in invitation.

She laid her cheek against the solid muscles
of his chest and heard the quickening of his heart beneath her ear.
“I-I don't know why I'm so cold. It's a little chilly out here, but
not dreadfully cold.” Her teeth chattered, and she truly felt as
though she were coming apart at the seams.

“
I won't soon forget you,”
Adrian murmured, his voice sounding strange. He went on, “We shared
some pretty memorable moments.”

“
Yeah, like bumps on the
head,” Dani half-laughed, half-sobbed. “I hope you don't plan on
making dates with call girls in the future. You might get more than
you bargain for.”

“
That was a stupid birthday
present,” Adrian said, nuzzling aside the hair near her ear. “My
friends will never believe what really occurred this
weekend.”

“
You mean you're going to
tell them?”

“
If you mean am I going to
sit in a bar and tell every little detail that happened, the answer
is no. I wouldn't do that to you. What happened between us is
personal.”

She needed to fight her own battle of
personal restraint, but she felt herself slipping. “Thank you,”
Dani whispered. “Listen, I was there and I still don't believe what
happened.”

The boat jarred then as it nudged against the
dock, and she knew this was it. The wonderful, magical fairy tale
was coming to an end.

Adrian wasn't going to ask her to stay.

Dani drew back and looked at him with eyes
that were bright with unshed tears. “Aren't you going to kiss me
goodbye?”

She didn't have to ask twice. He swooped
down, his lips taking hers in a shattering kiss. He held her so
tight she had difficulty breathing. But she really didn't care. Air
wasn't what she needed. She molded herself to his hard body. They
fit so perfectly, and every hard plane of his body gave her
evidence that he wanted her no matter what he said. He couldn't
hide that fact from her. She might never lay eyes on him again, but
she was determined he'd never forget this kiss.

With a skilled expertise, she felt Adrian's
hands as they sunk into her hair holding her head while his kiss
changed from demanding to gentle. Dani clung to him with a
helplessness she couldn't control. Instinctively her mouth opened,
and she welcomed his tongue, trying to block out the anguish she
knew was coming.

He stroked her back, his fingers warming her.
Dani no longer had control. If he made love to her here on the deck
then so be it. How could she ever go back to her dull, routine
life? Adrian sucked the very life from her, and she was but a
split-second from ripping his shirt open to better feel his skin
next to hers.

Adrian couldn't get enough of the fabulous
woman captured within his arms, the stunning face, or the kiss that
had sent him over the edge. He hadn't planned to make love to her
with his kisses, but that's exactly what he was doing.

Each time his tongue thrust into her
velvety-soft mouth, he could picture them making love. Her long,
sun-kissed body seemed made for him. He shivered and lowered his
hand to her hips, pulling her pelvis next to his throbbing
erection. There couldn't be any questions in her mind that he
wanted her like no other. Wanted, but couldn't have. This was
goodbye, and that thought became a glass of ice water splashed over
his head.

Adrian tore his mouth from hers and held her
away from him. However he couldn’t keep from looking at her as he
searched for the right words. He wanted to say,
Stay with me,
Dani, if
only for awhile
. But he'd end up hurting her
when he became bored, which he always did. He'd push her aside.
What a bastard he was. Dani deserved better.

“
Let me help you with your
bags,” he finally muttered when he could think of nothing else to
say.

Instantly, sanity returned.

A gust of cold air swept between them,
removing what little warmth remained. So this was it, Dani thought,
blinking back the tears that spilled from her eyes. “Don't worry. I
can get them myself.”

“
You always did have a
thing about your luggage,” Adrian said wryly. “But I insist,” he
said, picking up the bag as if it was empty.

“
Where are your bags?” Dani
realized that she hadn't seen him bring anything aboard.

“
I left them at the house.
I'm going to go back and check on Angus and Nettie, then I'll be
leaving. I just wanted to see you safely on your way.”

Or did he mean out of his hair? Dani wondered
with a touch of bitterness. “That's nice of you.”

They left the boat and moved over to a yellow
cab. He put her damp bags in the cab and gave the driver
instructions before coming around to where she stood.

Adrian took her hand and held it in both of
his.

If only he would ask her to stay, but Dani
realized he wasn't going to do that. “I hope you had a nice
birthday, Adrian Massimino.”

He chuckled and held her hand up to his lips,
brushing her knuckles with a feather-light touch. “I'll always
remember my thirty-ninth birthday and September storms with much
fondness.”

She gave him a teary smile as he stared at
her.

He reached out and snatched her to him in a
powerful hug. It took a few moments before he whispered in her
hair. “Don't, Dani. I'm not worth your tears.”

In the background she heard the cab driver
clear his throat. If she had a gun, she'd shoot the man.

“
It's time.” Adrian held
the door for her and Dani slid in. Adrian leaned down to her open
window and said, “Have a nice life, Danielle Kapur. I hope Steven
makes all your dreams come true.”

Adrian felt as though his guts were being
torn from his body as he watched the cab drive away. For a brief
moment, he wanted to run after the cab and beg her to stay, but he
fought the impulse.

No matter what he felt, he was doing the
right thing.

He wasn't sure how long he stared at the now
empty road. Finally, he heard Captain Bass call from the dock that
it was time to shove off.