Stormy Passion (6 page)

“
Oh?” He raised a brow, and
immediately she felt trapped. And worse off, he knew it. She saw
his expression grow serious as he leaned down and whispered so only
she could hear him. “What's wrong, Dani? Are you afraid to take a
chance? Afraid to live a little?”

“
W--what do you
mean?”

“
If you stay with me,
you're afraid you won't be able to keep your hands off me.” His
eyes held a dare.

Of all the conceited, arrogant men she'd ever
met, this one had to take the cheese . . . she meant cake . . . she
never could get her sayings right.

“
I am not,” she informed
him with a bravado she really didn't feel. Deep down she knew he
was right. She didn't trust herself to be in the same room with
Adrian Massimino, much less living with him in close
quarters.

“
Then what's the
problem?”

Her face burned. But she couldn't say a thing
because he knew—somehow, damn him, he knew. He manipulated her much
too easily, and she should hate the very ground he walked on.

Everything about Adrian Massimino shouted
danger--beware! Then he looked at her with those mocking eyes, and
she knew right then, she'd show him. One way or the other, she'd
show him. Dani was a modern woman who could resist any man she
wanted to.

“
How about if I promise not
to make the first move?”

She really didn't see that she had much
choice. And since he'd promised . . . she shouldn't have any
problem at all because
she
sure
wasn't
going to make
the first move. However, she couldn't seem to make her mouth work.
He held her speechless with his dark brown eyes.

Angus came back to the counter with a box
brimming with nails. “Well, lass.” He picked up his pencil to take
Adrian's order. “Ye goin' tae brave the storm with us?”

“
It appears so.” She
glanced again out at the churning sea.

“
Don't ye be worrin' none.”
Nettie scooted around her husband and patted Dani's hand. “Adrian's
a big, strong lad and he can take care of ye.”

That's what I'm afraid of
. Dani wanted
to shout, but again, she was struck speechless. Then she almost
choked when Nettie whispered to Adrian, “I like this wee one better
than the last.”

No wonder they were not surprised to see him
with a woman. It was commonplace for him. He probably had several
girlfriends. He probably brought a different woman to every
hurricane.

Adrian nodded but instead of setting the
little Scot straight, he smiled and whispered some nonsense in her
ear.

Dani’s toes burn with indignation. He was
going to let this nice couple think that she and he were an item.
She thought about telling them both the truth, but what would she
say
? I never met the man before today, and I know nothing
about him beyond the bedroom
. She opened and shut her mouth
twice.

In this case, it was better to remain
mute.

Adrian stepped up to the counter. “Let's get
a couple of boxes of these nails. And I need at least ten sheets of
plywood.”

“
And, of course, hammers.”
Dani held one up, tested the weight, then looked at Adrian with a
glow in her eyes. “This might prove useful in more ways than
one.”

“
Really?” He arched a brow.
“It would take more than a hammer, sweetheart,” he
countered.

She really didn't doubt his words. If Adrian
Massimino wanted something badly enough, she couldn't imagine
anyone stopping him. He struck her as ruthless and ambitious. Yet,
somewhere hidden, she also sensed a warm man. She blinked and
wondered when she'd become a shrink analyzing others. She certainly
hadn’t been a good judge of character so far. Her hormones
definitely reacted to his sensuous voice. Instinctively, she moved
away from him, finding the safety of the counter.

“
I don't believe I asked
yer name, lass?” Angus's loud, booming voice startled her. He
placed his hand over hers. “Sorry, lass. My, but yer a wee bit
skittish.”

“
My father used to shout a
lot,” Danielle said without thinking. “I don’t like it.” She
politely stuck out her hand and said, “My name is Danielle
Kapur.”

“
The saints be with me
today.” Angus patted his heart. “I've found ye.”

“
I beg your
pardon?”

He reached behind the counter and pulled out
a slip of paper. “I've a telegram for ye. And when I took it tae
the address on the paper ye wasn't there.” Angus rubbed his chin as
he thought for a moment. “Guess ye was at Adrian's. Anyway,
here.”

She took the note and unfolded the yellow
Western Union paper. After scanning the words, she refolded the
message, then slipped it back into her shorts pocket.

“
I hope it wasn't bad
news.” Nettie's voice brought Dani back to the present.

“
No. Just a note from a
friend,” she said, trying to sound casual. She looked at Adrian,
then glanced quickly away. “I'll take some of these things to the
cart.”

She heard Adrian's voice as he spoke to
Angus. “We'll take this stuff to the house, and be back to help you
and Nettie. I still need a few more things.”

Dani gathered up several bags of supplies and
hurried out to the cart. The need to be by herself for just a
minute made her move that much quicker. She left the others
behind.

She had to read the telegram one more
time.

Chapter Four

Once Danielle settled herself in the golf
cart, she pulled the telegram out of her pocket, and read the
bold-face type, wondering why the contents didn't surprised
her.

Sorry, Dani,

Something came up. Can't make it. I'll

call you later.

Love you, Steven

Dani eyes blurred with tears. She was a total
failure when it came to love. Were all the good men taken? Or was
she the only one who could find the losers? The ones who could
never seem to make a commitment.

Her parents had thought Steven was perfect
for her, and her sister had said she was a fool for not dragging
him to the altar sooner. He still professed his love, though he
sure had a funny way of showing it.

Dani stared out at nothing as she wondered
what it would be like to have a man whose eyes lit up anytime she
drew near, someone who only had eyes for her. She wasn't sure she'd
ever know.

A few minutes later, Adrian joined her in the
cart, throwing his packages behind the seat. “I take it Steven
stood you up,” he commented as they drove away from the store.

“
He did not,” she
automatically defended. She couldn't give Adrian the smug
satisfaction of being right. “Steven missed his flight and can't
get another for a couple of days.”

“
Gee, I'm sorry I'm going
to miss him.”

I bet you are,
she thought, wondering
why Adrian didn't seem to like someone he'd never met. He was hard
to figure out.

The rest of the ride passed in silence, and
Dani decided it was probably best that Steven hadn't arrived. Now
she wouldn't have to explain anything to him about last night. She
wasn't too sure she wanted anyone to know about this whole weekend.
. . ever.

When they arrived at the beach house, Adrian
said, “Help me unload everything, and then we'll go back and give
Nettie and Angus a hand.”

“
I like your friends,” Dani
said, climbing out of the cart.

“
They're good people. I
knew them long before the house was built.”

“
This is yours?”

“
Do you find that so
surprising?” He picked up a sheet of plywood. “Grab the other
end.”

“
You just don't look like
you could afford it,” she said as they stacked the board with the
others.

“
Thank you.” He grinned at
yet another insult. “Is there a way I'm supposed to
look?”

She shrugged. “Well, no.”

“
Remember, Dani. Money
can't buy you happiness, but it could buy
you
some lessons
in manners.”

Wondering what he meant by that, Dani eyed
Adrian as he finished unloading the cart. He hadn’t answered her
question.

And what was wrong with her? She usually
wasn't so sharp-tongued. It's just that Adrian brought out her bad
side. At the same time, she felt relaxed in his company, and she
realized it was because she wasn't trying to impress him. Usually,
when she was around men, she tried very hard to be perfect, saying
and doing all the right things.

Can't buy you happiness
, Dani thought.
What an odd statement he'd made. The words ran through her mind on
the way back to the store. Was she really trying to buy happiness
with Steven? Or was Adrian trying to tell her he was unhappy? She
could sense something troubling him, but she had no idea what it
could be. Maybe he was trying to warn her not to get too attached
to him.

On that account, he didn't have to worry.

Adrian Massimino wasn't for her.

After they finished helping Angus and Nettie
board up the windows, Adrian and Dani returned to the beach house
to start the long process of battening down the hatches. Together
they stood on the front deck, she holding the plywood as he
hammered.

Dani glanced toward the beach. The ocean
roared, waves crashing as they slapped the shore, drenching them
with misty spray. Closer and closer the tide crept, reaching with
its frothy fingers. But the strength of the storm couldn't hold her
attention like the strength of the man by her side.

Adrian's wet shirt clung to his back,
allowing tanned skin to peek through the fabric. Of course she'd
never tell him that he had the body of a god. He'd already caught
her staring a couple of times, and she was glad when he insisted
the weather was getting too rough for her to remain outside.

Dani had asked herself more than once today
if she were dreaming. Just what in the hell was she doing here in a
strange place, with people she didn't know, preparing for one of
Mother Nature's worse catastrophes?

She placed her hands on the small of her back
and straightened as she glanced over the contents of the pantry.
They had plenty of canned food, matches, candles, and enough
supplies and water to last several days if needed.

Several days locked up with Adrian.

Just exactly how was she going to act as if
everything were fine with a man she'd made love to but didn't
actually know? This morning she thought she wouldn't have to worry
about ever seeing him again, and she wouldn't have to think about
these alarming feelings she had when he touched her or smiled at
something she did.

She was in love with another man--or had
been--so she should feel nothing for Mr. Massimino. But she did
feel something, animal attraction, lust . . . something. She shook
herself. Her life at the moment wasn't normal, so that's why she
was having all these weird thoughts, she tried to convince
herself.

At least Adrian had promised to behave. Not
that he’d needed to, because she wouldn't be stupid enough to go to
bed with a stranger twice. Of course, he wasn’t a stranger now, a
tiny voice told her.

She picked up a roll of masking tape, turned,
and went into the living room to tape up the big set of windows. It
had been a couple of hours since she'd last seen Adrian, and she
wondered where he was. She peered out through the glass and saw him
busy securing loose objects and boarding up windows, but he'd
evidently run out of plywood because these large windows remained
to be finished. So she decided to tape the rest and hope it
held.

Dani wished she had a television set to see
which way the hurricane was traveling. And how fast Felix was
moving. Would the island take a direct hit? Never mind! She shut
her eyes and rubbed her temples. Maybe it was better they didn't
know anything because she could become hysterical at any
moment.

She ran the masking tape horizontally across
the windows, peeking through the slits to watch Adrian outside, all
the while telling herself she was only mildly curious at what he
was doing. While he attempted to gather the deck furniture, Adrian
struggled as he moved toward the house, disappearing around the
corner.

The clinking of metal drew her attention to
signal flags bouncing around on the pole, straining to be free. The
rain and wind blew them almost straight out now and the whole sky
appeared gray and threatening. She sure hoped they knew what they
were doing. Danger was coming closer.

This could be her last night on earth.

Adrian reappeared and started to take down a
wooden sign hanging off the deck, but the wind tore at him, making
the task difficult. Didn't he know it was time to come into the
house? His shirt had been ripped, and it flapped in the wind. Water
ran in rivulets off his stubborn chin.

Dani’s heart twisted as she watched him
struggle. At the moment, he reminded her of a drowned puppy--not a
luscious hunk.

Suddenly a gust grabbed the sign, slamming it
against Adrian's forehead. Dropping the tape, she dashed outside to
help him.

The winds were stronger than she had
imagined, and it seemed to take forever as she fought her way to
him. “You're hurt! Let me help you.”

He jerked around. “Get back in the
house!”

“
No!” Dani blinked against
the rain, refusing to move. “You're bleeding. Besides, you said I
had to help.” She grabbed one end of the sign, and he got the other
and together they successfully maneuvered it off the hooks. She
stared at the wooden plank and laughed, releasing all her built-up
tension. The sign to the beach house read
Serendipity.