Stormy Passion (2 page)

But why hadn't he been at the airport? He had
to have known she had never been here before and everything would
be strange to her. She held her watch under the light at the end of
the bench. Midnight. Maybe he had been at the airport, but had
given up hope that she was coming and had left.

Danielle leaned over the boat rail so she
could better see the island's lights as they twinkled and danced in
the distance. Somehow, she felt as though something wonderful was
about to happen to her, and she was more than ready.

She hiccupped, then giggled. She was actually
nervous about seeing Steven. She felt like a virgin. Again, she
giggled, followed by more hiccups. Had it been forever since she'd
made love?

Yep, one year, six months, and three days.
But who was counting?

The sound of the sluggish engines slowing
down only added to the butterflies in her stomach. Fifteen minutes
later, the boat scrubbed the dock, then gave a final lurch, making
Dani nearly slide off her seat. She stood and grabbed the rail.
Holding tightly to the rail, she stumbled back to the gangplank,
but stopped short when she didn't see any form of transportation
again.

The captain approached her. “Is something
wrong, miss?”

“
There aren't any cars.”
She glanced around the deserted gravel parking lot. “Can you call
me a taxi?”

The captain chuckled and cocked an eyebrow.
“I take it you've not been here before?”

“
No.” Danielle shook her
fuzzy head slowly. “This is my first time.”

The captain folded his arms across his chest
before he spoke. “Cars aren't allowed on Sea Horse Island, ma'am,
nor telephones. It's either bikes or electric golf carts. Where do
you need to go?”

This was it! The final straw. She hiccupped
again and cursed silently. She was tired, tipsy, and lost.

At least Steven could have made some kind of
arrangements for her. The captain cleared his throat, bringing her
back to the immediate problem. Danielle fumbled nervously in her
pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, which she handed
to the captain.

“
Six-nine-nine Sandy Lane.”
The captain rubbed his chin. “James!” he shouted over his shoulder,
and instantly a short man dressed in a striped shirt appeared by
his side. “How about taking one of those carts and delivering this
lady to six-nine-nine Sandy Lane. And don't be wastin' any time,
'cause we're pulling out in ten minutes.”

Relief washed over Dani as she reached for
the captain's hand and thanked him profusely. How much more could
go wrong with this weekend? she wondered as she stashed her things
in the cart.

As they idled along at a snail's pace, she
noticed how big and beautiful each home was, at least what she
could see of them in the dark. When she didn't think they could get
any lovelier or bigger, the cart swung toward the most magnificent
home of all.

A white two-story house stood at the end of a
cul-de-sac with decks all around and a most unusual bridge that
arched over the driveway, connecting the house to a gazebo filled
with glass windows. Accent lights cast multicolored lights and
created shadows up into the palm trees and down on the flowers and
pampas grass.

“
Here you are, miss. It's
probably the grandest home on the island. They just finished it
about three months ago. It’s call Serendipity.”

“
I'm impressed,” Dani
admitted, realizing her speech was a little slurred as she swung
her legs out of the cart. “Thanks for the lift.”

“
No problem,
miss.”

Danielle picked up her luggage for what she
profoundly hoped was the last time today, then wearily climbed the
two flights of stairs. At the top, she stopped to catch her breath
and listened to the whispering pampas grass. She'd been on the go
since ten o'clock this morning and it felt good to know that she
had finally reached her destination. She rang the bell.

No answer.

Now what was wrong? She hiccupped. “Damn!”
Taking matters into her own hands, she turned the doorknob and
found it unlocked, and stepped inside. She entered what appeared to
be the kitchen. Maybe, Steven had gone to bed.

Well, he could just get up!

“
Is anybody home?” Dani
called while she deposited her luggage in a pile on the white,
shiny floor.

“
I'm in here,” a rich male
voice responded from another part of the house. “I'd just about
given up on you.”

Relief washed over Danielle. Funny. She'd
forgotten how deep Steven's voice sounded. Still, it had been a
long time.

So that's why he hadn't been at the ferry to
meet her. He thought she wasn't coming. “I'm sorry I'm late,” she
called as she kicked off her shoes. “My plane had a two-hour
delay.”

“
No problem. Grab the
champagne out of the fridge and join me in the bedroom.”

No need to wonder what he had on his mind.
Danielle smiled before an uncontrollable giggle slipped out. And
her earlier irritation at being stood up somehow vanished. It had
been so long since she’d been held.

Suddenly, she didn't feel so tired, just
tipsy. She was more than ready, but first they were going to have a
long talk.

When she opened the fridge, she saw two
beautiful T-bone steaks, and her mouth watered as her stomach
rumbled, reminding her breakfast had been ages ago. She reached
over them and grabbed the green bottle.

Grabbing two glasses, she walked down the
hall. The lights had been dimmed. “W-where are you?” Dani called,
then hiccupped.

“
I'm in the last room
straight down the hall on the left.”

She followed his instructions, gliding her
hand down the hall as she realized the pills and booze were taking
their toll. Then she remembered she’d taken Susan’s Valium, too.
Maybe that was the problem. Woozy, she paused in the doorway, and
leaned against it so she wouldn’t fall down.

“
Don't be shy,” he
said.

The bedroom was dark except for a low-burning
fire in the hearth. Wispy curtains fluttered in the breeze sweeping
in through the sliding glass doors. Her eyes searched for the man
she longed to see and found him lying on a king-sized bed. She
could make out his lower body clad in shorts, but not his face,
which was hidden in the shadows.

“
I like the fire. September
nights can be cool,” she said as she moved toward him. In the
distance the ocean rolled and flung itself against the shore with a
crash, sounding as if it were in the bedroom. A cool breeze brushed
her cheek. She looked to her right and saw he'd left the sliding
doors open so they could hear the ocean.

“
Nice touch.” She nodded
toward the doors. “I love the ocean,” she told Steven as she handed
him the bottle and corkscrew. “This place is beautiful.”

“
I'm glad you approve.” He
took the bottle, but not before his fingers glided over
hers.

Her heart fluttered. She blinked a couple of
times because she was seeing double. And, of course, she hiccupped.
“I--I'm sorry. I seem to have developed hiccups.

“
So I hear.” He chuckled.
“Evidently, you've not had champagne before.”

“
W--what makes you say
that?”

“
Champagne doesn't require
a corkscrew,” he said and laid it on the nightstand.

She watched his skillful hands as he
maneuvered the twist wire. He took his thumbs and pushed at the
cork, but instead of the top flying across the room, he
successfully managed to capture the cork in the palm of his hand.
He'd become a real pro.

Warmth spread over Dani's body as she
realized that shortly his hands would be maneuvering over her. What
had she said about talking first? They really should talk.

He filled the glasses she held, then placed
the bottle on the nightstand. For just a minute, Dani was tempted
to turn on the lights so she could see his face, but since he'd
gone to so much trouble to make this a romantic evening, something
he’d never done before, she wouldn't spoil it. Hope filled her.
Maybe Steven had changed.

“
Welcome.” He clicked his
glass with hers. “We'll have to help you get rid of those
hiccups.”

“
T--that would be a
blessing.” She smiled, then gave a toast of her own as she felt a
surge of longing so intense that she ached with it. It had been so
long. “To a night of memories,” she countered when her glass
touched his.

The hell with talking.

Dani gulped the bubbly liquid, knowing she
should sip, but suddenly she was nervous. Very nervous. And getting
drunker. Something told her this wasn't the Steven she remembered.
Again she thought his voice sounded strange. Or maybe the booze had
muddled her mind. Why hadn’t Steven taken her into his arms?
Finally, she said, “Aren't you going to kiss me?”

“
I'm going to do more than
that, sweetheart, but first another drink.” Adrian reached for the
bottle and replenished the glasses.

At first Adrian had been uncertain about his
odd birthday present. But now ... Adrian needed a moment to compose
himself. He'd been expecting a high-class call girl, but when she'd
appeared in the doorway the light from the living room had shown on
her silver-blonde hair, giving her the appearance of an angel. And
when she'd paused by the candles, the soft glow on her face had
taken his breath away.

Must be the booze.

She was beautiful and poised. And normal.
Except for the hiccups. Nothing like he'd expected. What a birthday
present! Of course he’d been drinking and probably wasn’t thinking
his best.

For a split second, he wondered if he could
keep her instead of sending her away tomorrow. Maybe, just for
tonight, he could reevaluate his earlier decision about women. And
he knew -- that was the liquor talking.

Adrian touched her knee. She tensed. Shy? How
refreshing, he thought. Patiently, he waited for her to relax
before he slid his hand along the silkiness of her leg. The
over-powering desire to kiss her struck him like lightning hitting
a tree. She trembled. God, the woman was sexy. He took the glass
from her hand and placed it next to his on the nightstand.

“
Come here,
sweetheart.”

The minute his hand slipped under her skirt,
Dani stopped breathing. Instantly, her hiccups were cured.

“
Don’t you want to shed a
few clothes?” he asked.

Dani stood and began unbuttoning her silk
blouse. She tossed it on the floor; next her black bra came off,
revealing her puckered nipples. She unhooked her skirt and let it
slide across her stomach, teasing her sensitized thighs before
hitting the floor.

He took her wrist and pulled her toward him.
She wanted to taste his lips. And she was more than ready to make
up for lost time as he coaxed her down to him.

She marveled in the feel of his skin as her
hands slipped across his bare chest. The hair tickled between her
fingers. He felt different. Maybe a little more muscular than
before, probably from all the hard work he'd been doing. She caught
his manly, musk fragrance just before she leaned down and brushed
his lips.

His kiss was light, tantalizing, or more to
the point, teasing.

And strange.

Had she forgotten everything about him? The
firm pressure of his hands drifting across her shoulders, then
moving lower gave her the feeling he was holding back until she was
ready.

Consideration ... she liked that.

She traced a finger along his strong jaw,
taking in every detail beneath her hand. She didn't remember his
jaw being so square. If only she could look into his eyes.

He took her hand and placed a kiss on her
open palm, then pulled her closer. He groaned as he seized her lips
in a devouring kiss that sent Dani's head spinning with stormy
desire and shedding her inhibitions. She hardly noticed as his
other hand clamped around her waist and pulled her over him to the
other side of the bed. Just that quickly they had switched
positions. He was on top and in command with his lips moving
insistently on hers.

A long dormant desire surged through her, and
somewhere in the back of Dani's mind a voice told her Steven had
changed. She had never felt like this before. Something about him
seemed so manly, so strong, so unique. Whatever doubts she had, she
pushed aside.

He kissed her now with such tenderness that
she clung to him as a hungry, urgent passion crept across her body.
He parted her lips. She moaned with pleasure as she touched her
tongue to his. A delicious shiver slid down her spine.

He pulled back for just a moment, then
crushed her to him again, taking her mouth with urgent hunger. He
brushed his hand down the length of her back until it came to rest
on her hips.

Adrian was hot ... hard ... and ready. This
young woman beneath him was slowly driving him to the edge of
insanity. She wasn't aggressive or bold, but when she arched her
body into his, his body trembled with burning desire.

She touched him almost shyly and clung to him
as if she were afraid he'd leave her .... Leave her? Hell, a
million dollars couldn't get him out of this bed.

She was good. Damn good!

Bracing his arms, he reluctantly pulled away
from her tempting lips. He noticed her puffy mouth and black, sooty
lashes lying on the shadows of her cheeks. “You're beautiful,” he
whispered, thinking again that she looked like an angel.

Her eyelids fluttered open. “Thank you,” she
said, wishing she could see his face clearly. But the pills had
taken their toll and blurred her vision. Right this minute, Dani
loved him more than she ever had, and didn't hesitate as she raised
her hand to his cheek, feeling his smooth skin beneath her fingers.
“I want you,” she told him.