“What are you doing here?” I pushed at the wet hair clinging to my face.
“I’d come from the terminal, to see if there was anything I could do, and to talk to Mr. Branford. The storm’s taken out all our communications and he should know that.”
“Are we in any danger?” My teeth were chattering. James ushered me along the veranda and down the front steps to his cart.
“Get in.” He was already behind the wheel as I slid in beside him.
“We’re actually out of the direct path of the storm. This is about as bad as it’s going to get. But the lightening must have hit something. It won’t be until tomorrow before someone can go check.”
James turned the cart and headed toward my room. “It’s more of an inconvenience, really, except for the wedding.”
“Oh, god. That’s going to send Claire over the edge. I’m pretty sure she didn’t envision getting married in the dark during a tropical storm.”
James laughed, a sound that did more to warm me than the clammy slicker. “They’ll have so many candles lit it will be brighter than noon in there. It’s actually quite romantic. There’ve been couples who requested to be married by candlelight.”
I tried to image what it would look like and I decided it would be romantic. The villa had looked lovely, if dim, with the candles flickering on the tables. The space where the ceremony was to be held was smaller, more intimate, so with enough candles to actually light the space, it would be breathtaking.
The lights of the cart barely cut through the rain but I trusted James knew where he was going. And he did, driving practically up the steps of my room. I slid out of the cart, turning back to James.
“Thanks, James. For everything. You’ve helped me so much. I really appreciate it.”
He put a hand on my arm. “My pleasure, Dana. I know it hasn’t been easy for you. Vienna doesn’t seem like the most tolerant of bosses.”
The rain was lashing against the back of my slicker and running down my legs. I clutched my shoes, leaned forward and quickly planted a kiss on James’s cheek.
“Listen, if you’re ever interested in working here, don’t hesitate to talk to Mr. Branford. He’s always looking for hard working people and I know he’s taken a liking to you.”
I looked at James in shock. Work here? On Breaker Island? That really would be a dream come true.
“Seriously? You’re not just saying that?”
James shook his head. “The truth. But now, get inside, girl. You’re soaked through. Here, take this.” He reached behind him, grabbing one of the battery operated lights. He flicked the switch and its soft glow surrounded us.
I climbed out of the cart and ran up the steps, my bare feet slapping against the wet wood. James waited, the lights of the cart shining on the door, until I was inside before turning the cart around. With him, much the light left and I was left with my little circle of yellow from the lantern.
For once I was happy with my little room. It was cozy and warm, the wind and rain distant noises. I dropped the slicker on the tile floor by the door and stripped out of Lisa’s dress, hanging it on the back of the bathroom door, my wet lingerie dumped unceremoniously in the sink.
The warm water from the shower felt like heaven. I’d pulled the pins out of my hair and let the water run through it and down over my shoulders, letting it warm me. I scrubbed the make-up off my face, rinsed the soap bubbles away and turned off the shower.
Bundled in my nightgown and big terrycloth robe, I made a detour to the tiny kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine and a glass, and remembered the corkscrew. I slipped out of the robe, pulled back the covers and crawled between the sheets. I could hear the wind outside but I felt safe and warm, even if I was jobless and semi-stranded. The curtains around the bed made it feel cozy, like I was on the high seas in a ship, stowed away safe in my cabin.
But there was nothing I could do about the jobless situation at this minute. I wrestled the cork out of the bottle and poured myself a big glass of the pale amber liquid. The wine was fruity and sweet and made a nice puddle of warmth in my stomach.
The lantern on the bedside table cast a soft glow across the bed and I sat in its circle of light and thought about what had happened. I’d lost my temper, and it cost me my job. That was a problem. I didn’t want to go back to being a waitress, but I didn’t see any other choice. I thought about calling Lisa, letting her know, but she’d worry and there was nothing she could do anyway. I’d just have to look for something when I got home. Maybe Dom would take me back.
Or maybe I’d take James’s suggestion and talk to Nigel. There was no harm in asking. I was flattered by thinking it might be legitimate, but in my heart-of-hearts, I couldn’t see myself leaving my family or Lisa, or my cat, and relocating to a tropical island, no matter how beautiful that island was or that I was paid to be there.
After a while, the wine made me not really care so much that I didn’t have a job. I was still on a tropical island. And there was still a wedding tomorrow. I thought about Ben and Claire. I wished them well, although I really didn’t think they were right for each other. But everyone needs to make their own decisions and Ben was an adult, capable of making up his own mind.
I still had one dress in my luggage, nothing as fancy as the wet green silk, but presentable enough. Even though I wasn’t the wedding planner’s assistant any longer, I found I still wanted to go to the wedding.
The wind was blowing, something banging rhythmically outside my room. I listened, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from. I sat up in bed, peering around the curtains, surprised to see a light outside. It was near the patio, feebly spilling across the floor of my room.
I clambered out of bed, stumbling through the semi-darkness to the French doors. There was a pool of yellow light on the patio and in the middle of that light stood Ben. I threw open the doors. The wind whipped at my hair and tugged at my nightgown, rain pelting against my bare arms and legs, sending shivers through me. I grabbed his arm, pulling him inside.
“Ben! What are you doing? You’re soaked.”
Ben stood, barefoot, just inside the doors and dripped a puddle on the wood floor. I ducked into to the bathroom and grabbed one of the remaining bath towels.
“Here.” I held it out to him and he looked at it, and then down at his soaking wet clothes, and we both burst out laughing.
“I’m not really sure where to start.”
“Start at the top, I guess? Wait...” I ran to the bed, grabbed the robe and held it out to him. “You can change in there.” I pointed to the bathroom.
He took the towel and the robe, along with his lantern. His face was cast in eerie shadows and he paused before shutting the door, the look on his face unreadable.
I closed my eyes, drawing a deep breath. My mind was starting to work again and I wondered what the heck he was doing here, in the middle of a huge storm, barefoot and soaking wet.
“Do you want some wine?” I called through the door. “I just opened a bottle.”
There was a muffled sound that I took for yes. I grabbed a second glass from the kitchen and filled the it, topping off mine as well. And then I glanced around my little space. There wasn’t much for seating, other than the bed and a tiny table with two chairs, and I had a brief moment of panic.
Before I could get too wound up in the potential impropriety of sitting on the bed with someone’s fiancé, Ben opened the bathroom door and stepped out.
Pretty much any thoughts I had left my head then. While the robe I’d given him had been big and fluffy on me, on Ben’s much larger and taller frame, it hugged his body. He’d tied the sash around his waist but the neck of the robe was open. I tried hard not to stare, but his smooth skin and broad chest were almost too much. I bit my lip and turned away, fumbling for the glass of wine I’d poured for him.
“Here...” I held the glass out and he took it, watching me as he took a swallow, smiling. My nightgown was wet and I could feel a breeze snaking along
the floor, chilling my feet, and I wrapped my arms around myself.
“This is good. Nigel must have had James stock your room with some of his better wines.”
I nodded, pretty much speechless. That little moment dragged on and I finally shook myself. As awkward as this might be, we couldn’t just stand in the middle of the room drinking wine.
“I’d offer you a chair, but...” I glanced around the room, rubbing my arms.
“You’re shivering, Dana. Here...” He took my hand, leading me to the bed, the last place I wanted to go. He set his glass next to mine on the bedside table and whisked back the curtain before he pulled back the covers.
“Get in. Cover up. You’ll catch cold otherwise.” He stood, looking down at me. I started to giggle.
“What’s so funny?” His brows came together, the tiny furrow between his eyes deepening. I’d seen that look before.
“Nothing. It’s just...you look like Sophie, like your grandmother. She gets that same little line between her eyebrows...”
Ben was shaking his head. “I’m sure you did. And did you do what she wanted?”
“Oh, well...yes, I did.” I sat down, scooting up against the head of the bed, tucking my legs beneath me. Ben reached down and pulled the covers over me, then handed me my wine.
“This will take the chill off.” He didn’t sit on the bed, but started walking around the room. It didn’t take him very far away; the room really was small when there were two people in it.
“Ben.” He turned as I spoke, standing in the shadows at the foot of the bed.
“Why are you here? There’s a huge storm outside, the lights are out...”
“Alex told me what happened at dinner. And I wanted to apologize, to see if you were okay.”
My eyes went wide. “Ben, that’s really thoughtful, but I’m fine.”
“But you got fired. Vienna fired you for being there, at the head table.”
I was glad for the dim light in the room and that Ben was still in the shadows. I’d have to finesse the facts just a bit, tell a tiny lie. There was no way I was going to tell Ben that Vienna had accused me of being a gold-digger, of going after him first, and then Alex.
“She did...she said that, again, I’d overstepped my bounds...with you and then Alex. She was right; the last place I should have been was at the head table, during the rehearsal dinner.” I closed my eyes. It was close enough to the truth.
“She has to see it was unplanned, that everything was chaos. There wasn’t really anything you could do, Dana. It didn’t bother me.”
“But it did bother Claire.” My voice was low and I twisted the sheet in my fingers.
Ben sighed, running his hand through his damp hair. I’d seen him do that before, with Claire, a gesture of frustration.
“Everything seems to bother Claire. It wouldn’t have mattered if it were you there, or not. She’d have found something to be upset about.” He broke into a rueful grin.
“Did you see where Gwen ended up sitting?”
I nodded, grinning back. “The absolute last place she wanted to be seated. Next to Sophie.”
“It was the whole reason behind changing the arrangements. And in the end, it still didn’t work out the way she wanted it.”
Ben’s grin faded. He came around the end of the bed, leaning against the corner post. Our eyes met and in that instant something passed between us, a tiny spark of heat, a connection. And in that instant I saw more pain behind Ben’s eyes than I could have imagined. Tears instantly welled in my eyes and I blinked them away quickly.
“Ben? What else? Something’s not right.” I leaned forward. “Tell me.”
He sat on the end of the bed and I was conscious of his weight dipping the mattress. My heart started beating in a stuttering little staccato rhythm, and equal parts fear and anticipation raced through me.
He sat, looking down at the floor and his face was lit by the nearest lantern. I looked at his profile, the long straight nose, the strong jaw. I could see the curve of his lashes resting against his cheek. In that moment, he was beyond handsome. I swallowed hard and waited.
“This whole thing...the wedding, I mean. It’s like some kind of obstacle has been thrown at us, one after another. Most of it doesn’t bother me, but Claire seems so upset by the littlest thing. She keeps telling me it’ll be different after we’re married, after we’re settled in New York. When I go back to work and she...” His voice trailed off.
“She what?”
“That’s it. I don’t know.” He looked at me and shrugged. “She really has no plans. The job she just left—the part-time thing with the charity—I thought she’d want to keep that. It was something she was good at, that she liked. Or I thought she liked it.” He shrugged again.
“She quit last week, just like that. Don’t get me wrong. She doesn’t need to work, if she doesn’t want to. It’s not about the money at all. But I don’t know what she’s going to do with herself. The wedding plans have consumed her for so long and now, after...I don’t think being a housewife is something Claire’s cut out for.”
“You think she’s going to be bored?”
He looked at me, his eyes questioning. “Wouldn’t you? I mean, if you didn’t have plans or a goal or something to occupy your time? I can’t imagine her not wanting something of her own, just one thing. But it’s like nothing exists for her, after tomorrow.”
“Does she...do you, I mean, both of you...do you want kids?”
His head dropped, his gaze fixed on some spot on the floor. I didn’t think he was going to answer. But when he did, his voice was choked with emotion.
“I do. But Claire has made it clear she doesn’t. She said she wouldn’t want to subject any child—her child—to the kind of childhood she had.”
This time I let the tears roll down my cheeks. “Ben...you can’t...that’s so sad. Just because her childhood was bad doesn’t mean...I mean, she won’t be like her mother. You’d be there, as their dad.”
I saw the glint of tears in his eyes. And that broke my heart. I pushed the covers aside, crawling on my hands and knees the small distance between us. I put my hand on the back of his head, softly caressing his hair, kneeling beside him.
“Ben. You can’t give up something so important, something that means so much to you.” I squeezed his shoulder and he put his hand over mine, but he still wouldn’t look at me.
“Right?” I gently pushed against his shoulder until he turned toward me and I saw the raw hurt in his eyes, misted over with tears.
“But I can’t desert her, not now. I’m all she has.”
“Ben...” I touched his face with my fingertips.
That unreadable look was back on Ben’s face, as he gazed at me. Or maybe it wasn’t as unreadable as I wanted it to be. Maybe it was a look I didn’t want to recognize. Because if I did, I’d have to face something I’d been hiding from myself. I’d have to face the fact that the harmless crush I had on Ben was something else, something far deeper. I’d have to face that I wanted him. And that he wanted me.
I leaned forward and so did he and our lips met. There was a moment, so brief it was gone before I realized, of hesitancy on my part, but not on Ben’s. There was no hesitation at all on his part.
And then Ben turned, pushing me down onto the bed, his lips against mine, claiming my mouth quickly, fiercely. I’d never been kissed like this and it took me by surprise. But despite the weight of him pressing me to the bed, of his hands cupping my face, of his lips devouring mine, I felt free and light and his equal.
I ran my hands over his face, through his hair, holding him to me as I strained up against him, seeking more contact with him, with those lips, that mouth, as he shifted over me on the bed. My heart thumped so loudly I could feel it in my fingertips and I was sure he could hear it.
After a long time he broke away, looking down at me, his eyes no longer misty with tears but bright, like sapphires.
“Dana...” The sound of my name on his lips, so
soft, barely heard above the sound of wind and rain, did things to me, ignited the warmth from the wine and sent tendrils of heat through my body. I arched my back, pressing up against Ben, wanting more contact.
Ben buried his head against my shoulder, his body moving against me, in counterpoint to my movements, slow and powerful and wonderful. The brush of his mouth behind my ear had me moaning softly. I ran my hands over his shoulders and down his back, digging my fingers into the thick fabric of the robe, aching to touch him, skin to skin.
The heat in me grew, my desire for Ben hitting me hard, low, almost knocking the breath out of me. I suddenly wanted to be out of my damp nightgown, wanted him out of the robe and I wiggled beneath him. He lifted his head, eyes locked with mine, reading my thoughts, the movement of my body.
Ben rose above me and with eager fingers I undid the sash on the robe. With graceful movements he was out of the garment, tossing it aside. All that was left between us was the thin fabric of my nightgown.
One hand slid down my leg, cupping my thigh for a moment before searching for the hem of my gown. With infinite slowness he began tugging the fabric up my leg, his eyes never leaving mine. I was twitching in anticipation, the hard contours of his body already evident, pressing against me.
Ben watched me as his fingers moved higher, taking the gown up over my thighs, slowly up over my hips. He leaned down, kissing me slowly, deeply, teasing me with his tongue against my lips as his fingers teased against my skin.
I had his face in my hands, the subtle prickle along his jawline mesmerizing to my fingers. My body was moving on its own now, trying to slide out of the gown, wiggling and twisting. I felt his lips curving into a lazy smile and I opened my eyes, pulling away.
“You think this is funny?” I returned the smile, stretching my arms over my head, the invitation clear, paving the way for the gown to be history.
“I’m enjoying myself. Like Christmas. I don’t tear the wrappings of the packages. Unwrapping them is half the fun.”
“I’m a paper shredder. I’ve been known to tear the bows off with my teeth.”
Seduction in the Sun: Adult Romance Box Set (9 Sizzling Tales with BBW, Billionaires, Bad Boys, and Alpha Males) Page 27
