September Storm (8 page)

"I do," Dani admitted softly.

"Well, one thing we know for sure."

"What's that?"

"Steven isn't your Prince, because he stood you up, and no Cinderella would put up with that."  Adrian held out his hand, offering her the dice.  "Here, you roll first."

"He had a good excuse."  She took the dice, her fingers brushing Adrian’s warm skin, the contact making her pulse flutter.  Then she thought a moment and returned the dice.  "I'm a liberated woman.  You can roll first."  Besides, she knew it was bad luck to go first.

"If I'd been in his shoes, nothing short of death would have kept me away."  Adrian rolled doubles and advanced his car six spaces.  "Oriental, I'll buy it."

Dani decided to ignore his comment.  "Where do you live?"

Adrian rolled again.  "Doubles again."  He snapped his fingers and grinned before moving his piece confidently around the board.  "New York."

"You like it?"  She wrinkled her nose as she pictured dirty streets and nothing but large, concrete skyscrapers.

"St. James Place, I'll buy it."  He counted out the money before he answered her question.  "It's all right.  Let's just say it's convenient to my work."

She watched him roll again.  "What do you do?"

"That's hard to explain."  His eyes never left the board.  It almost appeared as if he was taking this game very seriously as he completed each move.  "Here it's your turn."

She wondered why he avoided the question, but she took the dice and rolled snake eyes.  Frowning, she counted one, two.  "Community Chest."  She reached for a card and turned it over so she could read it.  "Advance to St. Charles Place."  She moved her thimble, then shook the dice again.

"Tell me something about yourself, other than you're engaged to Steven."

Dani knew she could do better than two.  She threw the dice.  "I live in San Antonio and work for an advertising agency."

"That sounds like interesting work."

"Oh, it is."  She looked up at him.  "I love it." She counted out the six spaces.  "Community Chest again."  Pulling a card, she read.  "Go directly to jail.  Do not pass go.  Do not collect $200.  Damn!"  She put herself behind bars.  "I work for a company called The Art Group. We've grown a lot in the last year, and if I land the account I'm working on, it will be the largest account we've ever had.

"And you do good work."

"Of course, I do."

Somewhere lightning struck a transformer, and the house was pitched into darkness.  Dani gasped. 

"I guess the storm has arrived."  Adrian's calm voice eased her fears a little.  "It got here quicker than I thought it would," he continued. "Just a minute, and I'll get us some light.  I had anticipated this and put out several large candles."

Dani heard him striking a match in the bleakness.

"Here's one for you."  He gave her a candle, and she set it on one of the end tables.

"And one for me."  He placed his on the other table.  Then he proceeded to light a couple of hurricane lamps.

"Okay.  That solves our problem for now.  Let's finish the game."  He hurried back over and took his seat on the floor.  “Wouldn’t you know the generator nor the shutters never arrived.  I heard they were on back order.”

They played for another hour until all the property had been bought and the stakes grew higher.  Dani had most of the deeds, but Adrian had the ones that counted-—the ones with hotels!  Luckily, she'd missed his prime real estate the last few times around, but it was her turn again.

Dani rolled an eight.  She moved her thimble to Park Place, which Adrian owned and where he’d established a hotel.  "That's just great!  You have wiped me out," she complained as she counted out her money to him.

"Just remember, Dani,” he paused and gave her a wink, “when it comes to things I want, I'm always a winner.  I always go after the things I really want."

C
hapter Five

Dani didn't doubt Adrian’s statement for a minute.  Masculine strength settled into the carved lines of his chin and jaw.  She sensed a powerful man sitting across from her.  One with a good head for business, if this game held any indication.  "Just what do you do for a living?"

The amusement died within his searching eyes, and he regarded her with gravity before he spoke.  "You can ask me anything but that."

"Why?"

Adrian leaned back and studied her. "Because it's the first question women always ask.  I don’t want to be judged by what I do for a living.  I could be the biggest son of a bitch around, but have a high-power job, so everyone would accept me because of the money I make." Adrian's knitted his brows, and his face closed as if he guarded a secret.  "Does that make any sense?  No one would ever bother to look at the person within."  He pointed to his chest, then shrugged.  "Let's just say, I get tired of all the phoniness.  Maybe I’m nothing more than a house sitter, but a damn good one."

Well, she’d most certainly hit a sore spot. And she really didn't understand why he was making an issue of it.  It was only human nature to ask what someone did for a living.  Besides, they had to talk about something.

Evidently not his employment, however.

Dani gave him a doubtful look, but agreed that he did have a point.  Adrian was probably unemployed--that's why he wanted to avoid the subject.  She'd try to remember in the future.

A loud thump hit the side of the house, and Dani flinched as the wind ripped away one of the protective sheets of plywood which had covered the front window.  "Look, you already have most of my money,” she finally said. Maybe we should put the game up for now.  The way the wind is howling, the hurricane must be very close."

He glanced over his shoulder.  "I think you're right."

After they put the game away, Dani walked over to the glass window and looked out while Adrian positioned a few candles around the room.  “Oh my.”  Dani’s hand flew to her mouth.   All she could see was water.  A mountain of water.  And it was headed right for them!  An involuntary scream slipped from her lips as a wave crashed on the deck and slapped against the glass doors.  Pain shot through her head as a gush of saltwater doused her.

Adrian jerked her backward.  "What the hell. Don't you know how dangerous glass can be during a storm?"  Adrian spun her around. "Christ," he swore, holding her face between his hands.  "You have a piece of glass in your head. Hold still."

The saltwater stung her eyes, causing her to blink several times.  She winced.  Adrian reached up and pulled a shard of glass out of her forehead as water sprayed in through the broken window.

Dani reached for the spot and felt sticky blood between her fingers.  "How bad is it?"

"You could use a couple of stitches, but we're going to settle for a bandage."  He took Dani’s hand and led her to the kitchen.  He jerked open a door, grabbed a dishtowel and said, "Here.  Hold this towel over your cut while I block up that hole before the ocean makes it bigger."

"Wait!"  She grabbed his arm.  "It's too dangerous.  You just said so yourself."

"I know what I told you.  But, as you can see, the water is coming in through that hole faster than I’ll be able to mop it up.  If I leave it, it'll only get worse."

She held her breath while Adrian stuffed a towel in the hole, then took a thin cutting board and placed it over the hole.  Another wave smacked the door, drenching him.  He wiped the water from his face and tried again, holding the board in place with some wide, silver duct tape. He was losing the battle so Dani came to the rescue with a dry towel.

“I told you to stay in the kitchen!”  When he saw that she wasn’t going to move, he added, “Jesus! You’re hard headed!”

“I know. Now hold the board and I’ll tape it.”

After several anxious minutes, he finished his task and once again they held the sea at bay. Adrian took a deep breath and said, “Thanks. Let’s get back to the safety of the kitchen.”

He stopped to pick up a kerosene lamp before returning to the kitchen.  After he set the lamp on the bar, he turned up the wick so he could focus his attention on her.

"Lean back against the counter, and I'll get a wet cloth and some adhesive bandages.  Here, keep some pressure on the cut," he said while he searched in a drawer beside her.

"You need to dry yourself off first," Dani suggested.

He looked down at his shirt.  "I guess you're right."  He rubbed his hair vigorously with a blue towel then disappeared into the bedroom. In a moment, he returned dressed in a red plaid pullover.  He moved her hand from her forehead and examined the lump.  Dani’s heartbeat soared.

"This could have been much worse," he commented, gently washing the blood from the wound.  “Let me put some salve on the cut. Mom says it cures everything.”

“You have a smart mother.”

“Of course.  She had me.”

Dani smiled, but that faded the minute he touched the cut.

“Hold still and I’ll give you a treat when I’m finished.”

She flinched from the pain but held still while he fussed over her.  She definitely didn’t want to miss the treat.

Awareness swirled through Dani.  Adrian’s warm breath teased her forehead and reminded her that she could reach out this very minute and touch his lips.  She could kiss him while sober to see if it had been as good as she remembered or merely a figment of a sodden mind.  Probably the latter, she tried to convince herself.  Closing her eyes briefly, she couldn't seem to stop her trembling . . . and her wondering.

"What's wrong?" Adrian asked softly.  His hand moved up her arm. "You're shaking."

And you're too close
, she wanted to say.  But she didn't really know if the storm or Adrian had produced her quivering.  Thunder rumbled all around them which didn’t help.  Finally she said, "I'm scared."

Something about Dani’s voice lit a fire in Adrian.  He pushed her wet blond hair away from her face and set loose the sultry scent of coconuts and p
ineapple that suited her well. The pupils of Dani’s eyes had grown dark and round. He rubbed his thumb slowly across her cheek. The storm's excitement had entered his soul, uncoiling the primitive desire within him.

Somewhere the wind howled and an electrical transformer blew. She jumped. He slipped his hand around to the back of Dani's head, pulling her to him, his eyes never leaving hers.  He didn't want her to run.  He didn't want her scared.  He really didn't know what he wanted . . . except this one thing, and he wanted it now.  Brushing her lips in a feather-like touch, he hoped this one kiss would satisfy him.

It didn't.

The trees scrubbed the house.  Walls creaked.

Adrian’s other hand slid down her back until it came to rest on the upper part of her bottom. Still dissatisfaction coiled within him.  He had to feel her next to him so he could savor every contour of her perfect shape.  He needed to finish what they had begun the night before. Tightening his hold, her breasts crushed against his chest, he coaxed her mouth open and lost himself in the sweetness he found.

Her fingers slid across his nape and into his hair.  He nuzzled her neck. “You smell so good,” Adrian murmured, and realized this was the first time
she actually perceived who she was kissing, and it made his blood soar, blocking out all thought of hurricanes or impending danger.  The real danger lay here in his arms.

He pressed his lips against her mouth and demanded a response from her as lust took over. He teased and tantalized her mouth.  He wanted to hear his name on her lips.  And he wasn't sure why.  She was someone he barely knew.  But definitely someone he wanted to know better.  A part of his mind warned him not to get involved with this woman, but thank God, he wasn't listening.

Dani knew she had lost her mind.  But Adrian kissed her like she'd never been kissed before.  When he thrust his tongue deep inside her mouth, he made every man she'd ever dated seem like a mere boy.  Adrian was so strong . . . so much a man.  His shattering kiss sent her spiraling off into a place where nothing existed except the man in her arms.

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.”