Stormy Passion (9 page)

She should pull away.

She pressed closer.

Caution be damned. This might be the last
night I’m alive, Dani thought.

She clung to Adrian's shoulders. His hand
slid under her crop-top until he held her breast in his palm. With
magical fingers, he seemed to know exactly where to touch. She
squirmed when his knuckles rubbed across her taut nipple, and she
made direct contact with his hard arousal. This time she knew what
she was doing.

But they couldn't do it here. Not now.

Adrian dipped his head and kissed her
shoulder while he held her. He wanted to make love to her--slow and
leisurely this time. But the storm intruded, growing worse by the
minute. There wasn't time. What if they didn't make it through the
hurricane?

No. He'd never let anything happen to Dani.
Damn. He was letting her get too close, but he had control. His
scattered thoughts considered all the pros and cons of what they
were doing. They'd have this weekend, then part company. No harm
done.

Adrian pulled back. “Dani, I’m not the kind
of man who wants strings attached.”

“
I don’t believe I asked
you for any.”

“
Touché. But I do want to
make love to you, Dani,” he whispered against her neck and heard
her swift intake of breath.

“
We can't. We shouldn't.
The storm.”

“
Damn the storm! Nothing we
do will stop it from coming.”

Adrian punctuated his statement by slipping
her top over her head. Then, feverishly, he began placing soft
kisses on her chin and down her neck.

He told himself he was just distracting her
from the hurricane. But he knew better.

Dani reached out and hooked her thumbs into
the back of Adrian's shorts, feeling the elastic of his briefs, the
warmth of his skin. Slowly, she slid her hand around to the front
and unsnapped his jeans, questioning her sanity the whole time. She
needed to stop now. He must think she was a sex-deprived human
because every time he touched her she fell willingly into his arms.
Now she was shamelessly undressing him, tugging at his shorts when
they wouldn't cooperate, then shoving them down.

She felt the same urgency he must be feeling.
Like this might be their last time together and undeniable
magnetism was drawing them irrevocably together. She needed more of
this blissful torment. She needed Adrian close to her. No matter
how much she'd denied it all day, the undeniable and dreadful fact
was she wanted Adrian.

He encircled her waist with his hands, then
lifted her up on the kitchen counter. He pushed his index finger
under the center of her bra and unsnapped it freeing her breasts.
Dani’s breath caught in her throat. All around them lightning mixed
with howling winds, protesting at being kept out of the house,
warning them to be careful. The noise all but vanished when Adrian
leaned down and hungrily sucked at her nipple.

Dani gasped. She threaded her finger through
his hair. She couldn't believe they were doing something this
crazy. That was her last thought before she became lost to the
splendor of his lovemaking.

Her body grew hotter as his hand moved lower,
kneading and caressing her flesh, until he found that special spot.
Dani’s senses reeled as if short-circuited. She could hear the
thunder and the wind whistling around the house, but all thoughts
of danger had been pushed from her mind.

Adrian captured her mouth and simultaneously
dragged her against him. Spreading her thighs, he eased into her.
His hands moved gently down the length of her back as she arched
her body against his silken tongue. And then the sweet ecstasy
began, until they both found what they’d been looking for, their
bodies in exquisite harmony with one another, soaring higher and
higher until they reached the peak of delight.

The world tilted, then Dani floated back from
euphoria. She wanted to shut everything out and linger in the
moment, but reality was all around her. Her arms were still wrapped
around Adrian’s neck, so she nestled her forehead beneath his chin
while she waited for her breathing to return to normal.

Dani didn't know what to say or what to do.
Mostly, she didn’t know how she felt.

Confused. Dazed.

Satisfied.

Absolutely crazy.

Adrian eased her off the counter, letting her
slide down his firm body. “Why don't you go to the bathroom and get
cleaned up? There's some water in the sink.”

She drew in a shaky breath and politely said,
“Thank you.” Had he sounded a little stiff--a little formal? Why
did she feel such a letdown? Had she expected undying words of love
when she was sitting naked on his kitchen counter?

She picked up her jeans and top and moved to
the bathroom.
Come on, Dani, face it. It was
sex. Pure
and simple. Sex
. He said he wanted no strings and, obviously,
he meant it.

She had never been in a situation like this
before. Maybe this is what they called a one-night stand, only hers
was lasting the weekend. Still, their lovemaking had felt special
to her, not cheap and dirty.

Adrian braced his hands on the counter. When
he looked down, he realized his shorts were still around his
ankles. What in the hell was he doing? He'd sworn off getting
emotionally involved with another woman. Besides, Dani Kapur wasn't
available. She'd said so herself, though her words didn't match her
actions. He wondered if Dani really loved the absent Steven. Or was
she just used to the idea of Steven?

After Adrian adjusted his clothes, he picked
up the lantern and went to check on the door one more time. He
placed several extra strips of silver duct tape over the cutting
board, hoping it would hold until morning. After this weekend, he'd
definitely take a few more precautions so they would be protected
next time.

He paused, wondering where the
they
had come from. He shook the thought from his brain, bent down and
blew out the candles. Carefully, so as not to stub his toe in the
dark, Adrian made his way to the bedroom where he placed the lamp
on the hearth.

Glancing around the room to see if anything
else needed to be done, he felt helpless. Mother Nature was calling
all the shots. He just hoped she'd be kind.

Dani entered the room, and Adrian cast a
quick glance at her, his gaze following the sway of her hips. He
could feel himself responding again.

“
It's going to be a long
night, Dani. I think we should try and get some rest. We'll need
our strength tomorrow. I thought it would be a little safer in
here.” He sat on the bed and patted the side where she should
lay.

Dani wanted to laugh. Safer! Maybe for him,
but she wasn't sure anywhere near Adrian would be safe. He must
have seen her hesitation, because he said, “I only have sleeping on
my mind.”

She watched him a moment longer, then
reluctantly climbed onto the bed, making sure she kept a safe
distance from him. The room was dark except for the small light at
the hearth and the flashes of lightening that seemed to be
everywhere.

The wind howled. The house squeaked. All
around her she heard water crashing, and she pictured their house
in the middle of the ocean. Then she remembered the waves slamming
against the window. The minutes ticked by.

A zapping noise much like a gun went off
across the street. “What was that?”
Coward
, she thought.

As if he sensed her need, Adrian reached out
and pulled her next to him. “Don't worry, Dani. I won't let
anything happen to you. Maybe if we talk, it'll help you
relax.”

“
Maybe,” she muttered, her
tone a little unsure.

“
Do you have a
family?”

“
No. I was hatched,” Dani
grumbled, then immediately regretted her thoughtlessness before she
spoke. “I'm sorry. You're trying to be nice, and I'm being
sarcastic. Let me start again . . . my mother and father live in
Dallas. I have a sister who's a doctor and a brother who's a
lawyer. And, you might say, I'm the family failure.”

“
Why do you say
that?”

“
Because it's true,” she
admitted, feeling her usual worthlessness. “I've never really
accomplished anything important. I was never the smartest in class.
I don't have a big title behind my name, a large house, or a large
car.” She sighed. “I've not even accomplished the simple task of
marrying Steven to make my parents happy.”

And they wouldn't understand this at all.

“
I believe you're being a
little hard on yourself.” Adrian gave her arm a squeeze. “Surely
your parents love you for who you are?”

“
I didn't say they didn't
love me. I don't know.” She shrugged. “It's just that they're
always so disappointed in me.”

Adrian chuckled. “I'm not disappointed. And
one thing is for sure, we'll never forget how we met.”

“
Yeah, every time I hear
hurricane warnings, I'll think of you.” Indeed, he reminded her of
a hurricane, blustering into her life, sweeping all her logical,
safe thoughts before him, then the deceptive calm, followed by
what?

“
At least I'll be
remembered.” He rested his cheek on the top of her head, and Dani's
traitorous heart flipped over.

The house shook. Dani gasped and snuggled a
little closer to Adrian. She hated to admit it, but she did feel
safe in his arms. “Your turn. Tell me about your family.”

“
I come from a big family.
I've four brothers and three sisters.”

That didn't really surprise her. She could
picture the big family around the dining room table filled with
bowls of spaghetti and mounds of garlic bread while everyone
laughed and had a good time. “Are you the oldest or youngest?”

“
Try middle. I'm one of the
lost children.”

“
Well, at least, nobody
watched everything you did.”

“
That's true. It took a lot
to get noticed in my house.” She liked Adrian’s easy manner; it
made her relax.

“
So, what did your parents
do to feed so many?”

“
We're Italians. What
else--we cook. They own a couple of restaurants in Bar
Harbor.”

“
So you work there,
too.”

“
I didn't say that.” He
pushed up and looked at her with a raised brow. “I said, my parents
are into food.”

“
That's right. I forgot.
You don't discuss your employment.” He was amazing, she thought, he
seemed to have his own set of rules, which he didn't bend. Not even
for her. She wondered what it would be like to bend Adrian just a
little? “I bet there's some good food served at your
house.”

“
You better believe it.
Garlic runs deep in my veins.”

“
Listen.” Dani raised
herself up on her elbows and listened.

“
It’s quiet.” Adrian
commented. “It must be the eye of the hurricane passing
over.”

“
That means we're only half
through.” Dani slumped back down and sighed. “It's going to get
worse.”

“
Precisely.” Adrian took a
blanket and threw it across them. “Listen, we need to get some
sleep. We're going to need all our wits by morning. Do you think
you can sleep?”

She snuggled closer to him. At the moment, he
was her tower of strength, her Prince Charming and Sir Galahad
rolled into one. “Only if you hold me.”

He slipped his arm under her neck and pulled
her tightly against his length. “I can do that.”

“
Adrian?”

“
Hmm?”

“
Thanks.”

Chapter Six

A loud crash followed by a tremendous jarring
jerked Danielle out of a deep sleep.

Darkness surrounded her. She couldn’t see and
her eyes burned.

She couldn't breathe . . . And she was wet.
Not only wet, but . . . . My God, she was underwater.

With instinct born of fear, Dani flailed
frantically through the water. She needed air. She must get to the
surface. She couldn't hold her breath much longer.

Just when she thought she wouldn't make it,
her head broke through the surface, and she gulped in life-saving
oxygen. What had happened? Coughing and sputtering, she treaded
water, trying to calm her racing heart. She had to think.

The saltwater stung her eyes like gritty
grains of sand. She blinked, wishing she could cry to clear her
eyes, but she was too terrified to shed tears.

What had happened? Her body trembled with
shock. In her dazed state, she couldn’t make sense of any of
this.

“
Hurricane,” she remembered
finally. She had barely mumbled the word, but she’d swallowed a
mouthful of water in the process. She coughed and brought her hand
up to her lips, discovering that she had something clasped between
her fingers. She couldn’t see it but she could feel that it was an
orange life jacket. She struggled into it.

The darkness obliterated everything except
her fear as she floated in the chilling water with absolutely no
idea where she was. She could hear the wind, but couldn't directly
feel it-- which made no sense whatsoever. She wasn't sure how long
she'd bobbed like a cork, but finally the early morning sunrise
began to shed a little light, and Dani realized she was still in
the house, shoved into an air pocket near the ceiling.

Water . . . bedroom . . . Adrian!

Where was he? He'd been holding her . . . and
vaguely she remembered him shoving a life jacket at her. She had
the
only
lifejacket.

“
Adrian!”

He couldn't be dead. Couldn’t drown. Not when
he'd saved her life. No. It wasn't fair. Please let him survive,
she prayed just before a wave slammed her into a beam and she knew
no more.