Heat Wave

by Donna Hill

  She shook her head. Ian Harrison was not the first man she’d ever had sex with, for heavensake. She reached for the knobs of the shower and turned on the water. This was crazy, she thought, even as her kitty cat still purred for more.

  About an hour later she was finally feeling and looking more like herself. She donned a tank top that came halfway down to her stomach and a pair of old shorts that she’d had since college and padded down to the kitchen. Her tummy growled as she rummaged around in the fridge to fix something to eat, then she remembered that Ian had promised breakfast.

  Humph. So much for that. She took out the carton of eggs, some wheat bread for toast, and set up the coffeemaker. She was just beating the eggs in a bowl when she heard a car door slam. She strolled over to the side window that faced Ian’s house.

  Her pulse began to race. She looked closer. It was Cara, tossing what appeared to be an overnight bag into the backseat of her car. What the . . .

  Ian stood shirtless in his doorway. His pajama pants hung low on his hips. Cara blew him a kiss, strutted around to the driver’s side, and got behind the wheel.

  Nina couldn’t move. She was paralyzed with disbelief and outrage and stood rooted in the same spot long after the car was gone.

  She sat at the kitchen table staring at her cold eggs and lukewarm coffee. No wonder he didn’t want to come in last night; he’d already made plans with Cara to take her place. Is that what they’d talked about when they danced?

  She was an idiot! An idiot to give it up to a man she barely knew. Ian and Cara had a history. He’d admitted as much, and obviously it wasn’t over, no matter that he’d denied it. What he’d really done was lie to her.

  Her throat tightened. She would not cry. She wouldn’t. She pressed her lips tightly together and blinked away the burn in her eyes.

  Finally she pushed back from the table and stood, tossed her uneaten food in the trash and the coffee down the drain. She drew in a deep breath of resolve.

  Fine. They’d made no commitment. He was free to do what he wanted. And so was she. She went upstairs, put on a bathing suit, threw on a sundress in bright orange, and grabbed the sunscreen, a wide floppy straw hat, towel, blanket, the first novel she laid her hands on, ID, and her keys, stuffing the necessities in an oversized tote bag, and marched out.

  She didn’t dare look in the direction of Ian’s house or she was liable to throw something through his window. She got behind the wheel of her car and pulled off, and never saw him stepping out of his house with a breakfast tray topped with a red rose.

  Nina made a quick stop at the deli and ordered a sandwich, got several bottles of water and some fruit, got back in the car, and drove for a good twenty minutes, wanting to get as far away as possible. She drove through town, beyond the shops and the docked boats, to the other end of the sandy shore. She drove around until she found a place to park, then hiked down to the beach.

  She scanned the expanse of beach and spotted an area not too close to the water and with enough shade that she wouldn’t have to move anytime soon or be disturbed by anyone. Spreading out her blanket, she then pulled her dress over her head, shoved it in her tote, and settled down with her book. Much to her dismay, it was a romance novel.

  Page after page detailed the blistering romance between a young nurse and a rising star doctor, and the sex scenes had Nina in flashbacks of her liaison with Ian. Finally she couldn’t take it anymore and tossed the book aside. In romance novels the heroine always gets her man and they live happily ever after. Yeah, in romance novels. This was no novel. This was her life and she’d messed up big time. There was no happily ever after in her book.

  She dug in her bag for the sunscreen and liberally applied it to all the exposed parts of her body. A big mistake people of color make is thinking that they can’t get sunburned or, worse, skin cancer. Melanin or not, she had no intention of being a statistic. Returning the sunscreen to her bag, she removed her sandwich and took a few bites, contemplating the rest of her weeks at the Hamptons. Number one, she would stay the hell away from Ian. Two, she’d find something to do every day. She’d never gone waterskiing. Maybe she would try that. And she had brought the pages of a manuscript she’d been working on for years with her in hopes that the change of environment would inspire her. That would certainly keep her busy.

  She’d be fine and before she knew it, her time would be up, and she’d go back home and pretend that none of this ever happened. She pulled the hat down over her eyes, laid back, and closed her eyes. Maybe when she woke up it would all be a bad dream.

  After an hour and Nina had not returned, Ian emptied the wasted food into the garbage. He was sure he’d said they would have breakfast together in the morning. Maybe she’d forgotten or changed her mind. He’d been over to her place twice. Her car wasn’t in the driveway and there was still no answer when he rang the bell.

  When he saw her drive off, he figured maybe she was making a quick run into town. Obviously he was wrong. He didn’t have the time to dwell on it or the inclination to uncover the mysteries of a woman’s thought process. He had a big day ahead of him. It was opening night and he was already behind schedule waiting on Nina to return.

  He gathered his things and headed out to his car, dropped everything in the backseat, then walked across to Nina’s front porch. He stuck a note in her door and took one last look at her empty driveway before he pulled off.

  A low and distant rumble penetrated Nina’s dreams, followed by a splat of water on her belly. She jumped up. Her hat toppled to the sand and her tote bag tumbled on its side. The horizon had turned an ominous gray. Dark clouds raced across the sky. She looked around. The beach was all but deserted save for a few intrepid souls. She tugged her dress over her head and pulled it down. Another drop of water hit her, followed by another. She scrambled to gather up her belongings, shoving what she could in her bag and tucking the rest under her arm. If there was one thing she remembered from her Georgia summers with her grandmother, it was to stay away from trees and beaches during a storm.

  She ran off in the direction that she remembered parking her car and the heavens opened. Before she was halfway there, she was drenched. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. The rain came down in blinding sheets and her feet sunk into the wet sand, making running nearly impossible. Her hat blew out of her hand and sailed off into the storm. She tried to cover her eyes from the swirling wind and blowing sand as she tripped and stumbled her way to shelter.

  Mercifully she reached her car, wiped the water from her face, and searched in her bag for her keys. A crack of lightning lit up the sky. Her dress was stuck to her body, and her feet were caked with sand. She couldn’t find her keys. She pushed everything around inside her bag. No keys.

  Her heart pounded. They had to be in there. She looked again and came up empty. Oh hell, what was she going to do? It was miles back to her house and there was no way she could make it in this weather. She’d brilliantly decided to find the most secluded spot on the beach and now she was paying the price. There wasn’t a soul in the vicinity who she could ask for help, and the only person she knew in the whole town was Ian. She had no intention of having him come to her rescue.

  Wait. Lauren. She’d given Nina her phone number the night they’d met. She pushed her wet hair out of her face and took her wallet out of the bag, thumbed through the contents. Her body deflated in defeat. It wasn’t there. Why would it be? Nothing had gone right since she’d awakened this morning.

  She felt tears stinging her eyes. She slid down the side of the car and dropped her head to her knees. What was she going to do?

  Thunder boomed, followed by rapid snaps of lightning, shaking her to her core. She couldn’t stay out here. It was dangerous. She looked around at nothing but miles of sand and darkness. Standing and trying to shield her face from the onslaught of mother nature, she tried to determine which way to go. She was so rattled she’d totally lost her sense of direction. Now she did cry.

  Ian was busy
checking with the chef to ensure that the menu was ready for the evening. They were scheduled to open at seven for dinner. Entertainment would start at nine. According to his hostess, Marissa, they were booked for the night. Reservations had been made weeks in advance in anticipation of opening night. He’d built a solid reputation for quality, exquisite dining, an eclectic blend of entertainment, and professionalism. His customers always returned, and word of mouth had brought people in from far and wide. So the storm didn’t bother him. His customers were loyal, and even if a few didn’t show up, he would still have a pretty full house.

  “Sea bass is the house special tonight. You’re sure we have enough?” he asked his chef.

  “We have plenty.” He patted Ian’s shoulder. “Not to worry.”

  Ian’s jaw clenched. He nodded then walked away.

  “Ian, there’s a call for you,” Marissa shouted out, holding up the phone.

  Ian crossed the dining area and walked around the bar to where Marissa was at the reception podium reviewing reservations.

  “Thanks.” He took the phone. “Hello. Hello? I can’t hear you. Who is this?”

  Static and a muffled voice that sounded as if it were coming from under water filled the line, breaking the words into indistinguishable particles.

  Ian held one hand to his free ear in the hopes of blocking out any excess noise. It was definitely a woman.

  “Hello. Who is this?” He frowned, then his pulse kicked up a notch. “Nina. Nina, is this you? I can barely hear you. What? Stranded . . . Where? Do you know where you are?” He strained to make out what she was saying and the line went dead. He looked at the phone in disbelief.

  The lights flickered. Marissa gasped. An unbelievably loud boom like the earth opening up filled the air, and the sky lit up for an instant like the Fourth of July.

  Quickly Ian pressed caller ID. Although the name didn’t show up in the dial, the number did. Accustomed to freak storms, he quickly jotted down the number in the event that the phone lines went dead. He dialed the number from his cell and prayed that the call would go through. His blood heated as a dozen unpleasant scenarios played out in his head. The phone rang. Pick up. Pick up. The scratchy sound of the line being answered on the other end allowed him to release the breath he’d held.

  “Ian! I’m stuck.” Her words felt as if they were being whipped into the maelstrom and she had no idea if he even heard her.

  “I’ll come for you. Tell me where you are.”

  “Not sure. At the farthest end of the beach. It’s empty out here.” Her voice began to break. “I can’t see.”

  “Can you get to any shelter?” he yelled into the phone.

  “No. I’m near my car.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  “Sounds serious,” Marissa said when he’d disconnected the call.

  “A . . . friend is stranded. I don’t know how long I’ll be. If things get too bad, I want you to lock up. Don’t worry about tonight. We’ll play it by ear.”

  Marissa nodded and patted his shoulder, urging him toward the door. “I can handle it. Go to your friend.”

  He grabbed his jacket from the hook behind the desk, checked for his cell phone and his keys, and pulled the door open, only to be blasted by whipping winds and rain. He tried to shield his face with his arm as he pushed against the wind to get to his car.

  The streets were deserted. The sky was black as pitch. The few streetlights that were on flickered limply. He got to his car and struggled against the wind to get the door open. He turned on the car and then the high beams, which reached out and hung in the darkness like two ghosts.

  What was she doing way out on the other end of the island? he wondered as he pulled away from the curb and headed toward the beach. Being near all that open water was the last place anyone should be in this kind of weather.

  He gripped the wheel. He should have told her to move a safe distance from her car. Although being inside the car during a lightning storm was safe because the car was grounded, being outside of one was a different story. Everything about a car potentially could attract lightning.

  He stepped on the gas, splashing through at least a half foot of water that doused the windows and momentarily blinded him. The wipers were working overtime and almost to no avail. As fast as they pushed the water aside, it was replaced with twice as much.

  The trip under ordinary circumstances should take only about twenty minutes. But with virtually no visibility and flash flooding it would easily take twice as long. Twice as long for Nina to wait for him to get to her. Too much time. Anything could happen.

  He wouldn’t focus on that now. He needed to keep his head in the game and his eyes on the road.

  Nina had wrapped her towel and blanket around her and was huddled by the rear tire of her car. Even though it was at least ninety degrees, she’d begun to shiver. She was no longer sure if it was a chill or fear.

  She’d never in her life felt so utterly helpless and alone. This was totally unbelievable that she’d found herself in this dangerous, if not ridiculous, situation and needed rescuing of all things.

  She hugged herself tighter as a chill rippled through her. Next she’d have pneumonia on top of everything else. Resting her head on her knees, in one hysterical thought she wished she could call for Lassie like Timmy did in the sixties black-and-white television show, and have the rescue collie lead her to safety through the blinding storm, because she certainly felt like she’d been mistakenly cast in the reality television show Survivor—her against the elements.

  What if Ian never found her? What if something happened to him along the way? It would be her fault. It was crazy to think that this storm would never stop and that she’d never be found, but that was exactly how she was feeling until she thought she spotted headlights piercing through the rain.

  Nina pushed herself to a standing position and was quickly knocked against the side of the car, banging her hip. She tried to wave in the hopes that she would be seen as the wind and driving rain whipped the blanket and towel around her, lassoing her legs.

  Ian spotted her up ahead. The car rocked back and forth and it struggled for traction. The last thing he needed was for the both of them to get stuck. He turned off the ignition but kept the lights on, got out, and half walked, half trudged to where Nina was huddled.

  When he reached her, no words were exchanged between them. She tumbled into his arms and he held her trembling body against the warmth of his. His kisses were quickly washed away with the rain, but he kissed her face anyway.

  “Come on,” he shouted, draping his arm around her and pulling her close. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Chapter 10

  Nina didn’t even pay attention to where they were going. She was so tired and weather-beaten that all she wanted was a hot bath and dry clothes.

  Ian ushered her into his house, and before she could get her bearings, he’d swooped her up in his arms and carried her upstairs to the bathroom. He turned on the tub while he ordered her to strip out of her saturated clothes. He gave her his robe to put on while the tub filled, then added some sea salt to the water to take out any aches that may be brewing.

  Nina pulled down the seat to the toilet and sat down. “Thank you,” she murmured.

  Ian glanced at her. “I’m just glad you called.” He wanted to ask her what she was doing out there, what happened to her car and to their breakfast date, but decided that there would be time enough for that. “Water is ready. Hope it’s not too hot.”

  She shivered and gingerly walked over to the tub. She’d never felt more vulnerable in her life. And the fact that she’d done things with this man and he’d done things to her that should have stripped away any apprehensions didn’t matter. She quickly turned her back to him and let the robe fall from her shoulders to the cool sea blue mosaic tiles and stepped into the steamy water.

  Her entire body moaned with pleasure as she sunk down into the tub, the water rising up to her neck. She leaned back and clo
sed her eyes, enjoying the first moment of peace since she’d awakened. This morning. The reason for her current dilemma came hurtling back. Cara. Her eyes flew open and she looked around. Ian was gone. She hadn’t heard him leave.

  Was the lovely Ms. Cara going to wind up down in his living room, waiting to greet her after her bath? She felt her ire rise along with the steam from the water.

  She roughly scrubbed her skin with the cloth he’d given her, reached for the soap, and lathered. His scent immediately filled her nostrils and for a moment she felt lightheaded with the heady memories of him. She drew in a breath. Whatever the situation was between him and Cara didn’t really matter. She was in his house, in his tub. He’d come out into a blinding storm to get her. He didn’t have to. That had to mean something, a little something—didn’t it?

  Nina secured the belt of Ian’s robe around her waist and padded downstairs to the mouthwatering aroma of simmering chicken and the sound of cool jazz. She found him in the kitchen, chopping vegetables.

  He turned at her approach, and the smile he gave her and the light in his eyes warmed her more deeply than a hot bath ever could.

  “My mum always said chicken soup was the cure for anything. Don’t want you catching cold from being out in the weather. Made you a cup of tea in the meantime. Hope you like apple cinnamon.”

  Her heart filled. She nodded and came to sit at the table. “My favorite, actually.”

  He chuckled. “Mine too.” He looked at her for a moment, wanted to say what he really felt, but thought better of it. No point in leading her on by trying to make more out of what was only a temporary situation. She’d given him no indication that she wanted more than a summer fling, anyway. He returned his attentions to dicing vegetables and dropping them in the boiling pot.

  Nina sipped her tea. There was so much she wanted to say but didn’t dare. He’d really think she was a fool if she opened her mouth and the words in her heart tumbled out.