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.
“Thanks for your help,” Adrian acknowledged gruffly. “Now go back in. I'll be right behind you.”
She didn't argue this time, but turned and ran for the house, feeling as if she were wading against the tide. The wind wrapped around her legs each time she took a step forward, then a gust would push her backward. The sand felt like tiny pins pricking her skin. Finally, she made it to the front door.
Adrian had really impressed her this morning when they had helped the McLeods get ready for the hurricane. He'd made sure they were safe and sound before ever touching their house--she meant his house. No, she meant this house, because she still wasn’t completely sure who the house belonged to. His abrasive attitude notwithstanding, maybe there was more to Adrian than she'd first thought.
She dried off as best she could, then finished taping the window. The task completed, she rummaged in the linen closet for towels for Adrian. Hearing the front door open, Dani rushed back out to the foyer. “Here, I thought you might need these.”
She stifled a giggle at the sight before her. Adrian stood in the hallway, soaked from his battered head all the way down to his tennis shoes. She reached up to push the hair from his forehead, and that was when she recognized a strange sense of tenderness surging through her body. She pulled back and handed him a towel instead. The scratch on his forehead didn't bleed, but would probably leave a bruise.
Saying nothing, he accepted the towel from her. He was so wet that, in spite of his attempts to dry himself, he couldn’t keep up. The dripping water made such a puddle that Dani used another towel to dry his legs.
“You need to take a good hot shower,” Dani said as she mopped up the water from his feet, then worked her way up his well-muscled legs to his jeans.
He didn’t respond.
“Did you hear me, or have you lost your voice?” Dani looked up at him just as his hands captured hers.
“Better let me finish that,” he said huskily, and pulled her to her feet.
She hadn't realized just how far her hands had wandered up his leg, but when she did, her whole body flushed scarlet.
“I--I'm sorry. I was just trying to help. Y--you've been out in that weather all day. A--and--.”
“So you do care, sweetheart.” He grinned at her in that devilish way she was coming to know . . . and love.
Danielle cursed herself for her embarrassment. She certainly wasn't going to let him get the upper hand. “I'd dry off a wet dog, too,” she insisted stubbornly.
Adrian chuckled. “Well, I'm glad I rate so high on your list.” He dried his hair then draped the towel around his neck. “I'm going to take a shower, and I suggest you do the same when I'm finished. It might be a while before we have hot water again. I also think we need to have a good dinner tonight. I'm sure we'll lose power before morning. How do T-bones sound?”
“Wonderful! I'm about to starve. I'll put the baked potatoes on and make a salad.”
“Sounds good. I'll do the steaks after my shower.”
Adrian watched Dani walk to the kitchen before he went into the bedroom, shut the door, and blew out a big whiff of air. Why in the world had he agreed to let a female stay with him? Hadn't he learned long ago that women always wanted something? They spelled trouble. His ex-wife had taught him that women were not to be trusted, no matter how pretty the package. And Dani Kapur was certainly a pretty package.
His wife had swept him off his feet. She'd been gorgeous, and she'd done and said all the righ
t things. At first. She had seemed perfect. Too perfect. That should have been his first clue.
Her true personality hadn’t begun to show through until after they were married. Only then had he realized that she was nothing more than a gold digger and his money was just what she wanted to put her on a social register.
After two years of separation, he still had no regrets. He had dated so many women over the last two years, he couldn't keep the faces and names straight.
But he wouldn't forget Danielle Kapur's face.
Adrian pictured her with the towel and chuckled as he remembered Dani trying to be helpful by drying off his legs. He knew she didn't have any idea what she had been doing to him. If she'd moved just a few more inches higher, she'd have found more than she wanted to know. He couldn't deny, no matter how much he wanted to, his strong attraction for the petite blonde. But he was better off single. He wasn't too sure this was a good idea having Dani in the same house with him.
On second thought, as a man of the world, he could most certainly handle one blue-eyed, blonde female. That is, after he took a cold shower.
The icy water quickly brought him to his senses, followed by a relaxing hot shower. He hoped he was doing the right thing by giving Dani shelter from the storm. If he'd acted soon enough this morning, he could have called a helicopter in to pick them both up. However, Angus had assured him that the island wouldn't get a direct hit, so Adrian had decided to stay. He told himself it was to protect his million dollar investment, but he wondered if the real reason could be that he wanted an excuse to spend more time with Dani and to find out what made the lovely Danielle tick?
He just hoped the storm proved to be milder than their brief relationship. One way or the other this would be one interesting weekend.
Dani neatly wrapped the potatoes in tin foil and slipped them in the oven. After setting the dials to bake and turning on the timer, she peeked between the boards over the small kitchen window to see what was happening. She could barely see the street lights for the rain, but lightning streaking across the dusky sky told her the hurricane would soon be here.
Deciding there was nothing she could do about the weather, she began preparing the salad. Even though she'd never admit it, she felt at home in this strange kitchen making their meal. For all she knew, Adrian could be a mass murderer, she thought, and she shivered as her mind spun with all kinds of crazy notions.
She could see the headlines now. “I spent the weekend with a mass murderer and lived to tell the story.” Dani giggled. She had always wanted to write the great American novel. Maybe this would be good research. If she survived the weekend. She had to admit one thing, though. In spite of having every reason to hate Adrian, there was something about him she liked. He had been a tower of strength in the face of this storm, and she felt comfortable with him. Rather like an old shoe.
A chain of mistakes and coincidences had thrown them together, and for a moment, she wondered if fate had stepped into her life. Could Adrian be her Prince Charming? No. She shook her head vehemently. Did she really think that? If so, she'd finally lost her mind.
There couldn't be anything right about this whole situation.
“I'll take over,” Adrian said, coming up behind her as he dried his hair with a snow-white towel. “You get your bath.”
His black hair still glistened with moisture, and he smelled squeaky clean and cuddly. There was something about a freshly bathed man that was decidedly erotic. Stop it! she warned herself. “You don't have to ask twice.” Dani took off her apron and handed it to him. He smiled, and her stomach tightened as she turned and hurried from the room to safety.
After her shower, Dani stretched down and touched her toes. She felt muscles she'd long since forgotten. She had probably done more physical exercise today than she had in years. Wrapping her hair in a towel, she stepped over to her suitcase. The first thing she spotted was the black, lace gown. Heavens no! That would never do.
With a sigh, she settled on pair of cut-off jeans and a pink cropped top. After she dried her hair, she decided to take the easy way out and put her hair up into pigtails, letting each dangle over her shoulder.
Now how could any man flirt with such a childish hairdo?
Satisfied with the results, she put her thing away in her suitcase. Of course, no one said Adrian wanted to flirt with her. Dani sighed as she realized her logical thinking was short-circuited tonight. The left and right side of her brain seemed to be in a tug-of-war. Maybe he'd found her lacking in bed last night.
Thinking back on their day together, she realized he'd been a perfect gentleman since he'd learned of her dreadful mistake. As she opened the bedroom door, she wasn't sure exactly how that made her feel.
“I hope you're hungry,” Adrian said as he set a sizzling steak on her plate and the other on his.
The aroma put her taste buds in high gear. “I'm starved,” Dani admitted when she took her seat. “How did you know how I liked my steak?”
“I guessed rare. I hope I was right. If it isn’t, we can always put it back on the stove.”
“You were absolutely right,” she grudgingly admitted. The man did everything perfectly.
“Did you hear any more about the hurricane?”
Adrian set a tea pitcher on the table before taking a seat. “It must be pretty close, because I'm only picking up static on the radio. I'd guess we'll feel the brunt of Felix in another four, maybe five hours.”
“I sure hope this house is made of brick. You know what happened to the three little pigs.”
Adrian chuckled then reached out, placing his hand on hers. “I can assure you, hurricane Felix can huff and puff, but he won't blow our house down. He might do a little damage, but that's all. Some extra precautions were taken when this house was built. I guess now we'll see if it works.” He cut into his steak. “You still look worried.”
“I guess I am.” She reached for the butter. “Why didn't you leave when you had the chance?”
“Are you sure you want to know?”
She nodded and waited for his answer.
“I knew you were still on the island. And I figured your boyfriend had stood you up because I usually bump into everyone on this small place, and I didn't remember seeing any strangers. With him not around, you would have been stranded here. Alone. And no matter what you think, I'm not a complete jerk.”
Dani almost choked on the lump in her throat. She didn't know what to say besides, “Thank you.” He would do that for a perfect stranger? She was finding Adrian had many facets to his personality.
“Besides, the island isn't expected to take a direct hit, so I feel we're pretty safe.”
“I hope you're right.”
He smiled and raised his brow a notch. “Trust me.”
She returned his smile thinking, not on your life.
They enjoyed the rest of dinner in silence. Dani was starved. This had to be the best meal she'd had in a long time. Or perhaps it was the company, she reluctantly admitted. She glanced at Adrian when his attention was elsewhere and found herself growing curious. He had a beautiful olive complexion and intriguing dark brown eyes so dark they appeared black. A lock of raven hair had fallen out of its place, making him all the sexier . . . probably to anyone else . . . not to her, she tried to convince herself.
Adrian cleared his throat and pushed the chair back gaining her attention. Only then did she realize she'd been caught staring, and her cheeks warmed with a blush as he smiled broadly. At least this time he was gentleman enough not to point out the fact. Maybe he did have a few good qualities.
“Since this is going to be a long night, we need something to do,” Adrian paused, looking at a skeptical Danielle.
“Such as?”
“Why don't we play a game of monopoly to pass the time?”
“That sounds like fun,” she said.
“Good. I'll get the game and set it up while you remove the dishes.”
“You've got a deal.”
A
drian watched the way her pigtails swayed as she reached across the table to get his plate. Her top pulled up and he glimpsed the velvety smooth skin on her torso and, inconveniently, he recalled the way it had felt last night when she was lying on top of him. When she smiled, her magnificent eyes sparkled like aquamarines. How could that jerk--her so-called boyfriend--stand her up? His opinion of Steven grew even worse.
Adrian pulled the game out of the closet, hoping this small diversion would keep Dani's mind off the approaching storm. He sensed a frightened woman, and he tried to ignore the stab of guilt that had kept her here with him.
He removed the board, unfolded it and placed it on the coffee table. Then he started counting out the play money.
She was much better off with him and the hurricane than that shiftless, no good fiancé. After all, she'd be safe with him, Adrian thought, easing his conscience slightly.
It took Dani no time to clear the table and load the dishwasher. Normally, she dreaded this regimental routine, but tonight she found herself humming as she wiped off the counter top, placing the spices back where they went. Strangely, she seemed to know where everything belonged. Then she realized she felt much too comfortable here. This wasn't her home, she reminded herself. And Adrian wasn't her boyfriend.
“Are you about finished?”
Dani jumped at his deep baritone voice, and her humming came to an abrupt stop. Hopefully, he couldn't read her thoughts. “Just about.”
“What was that tune you were humming?” Adrian asked as they went back to the living room.
“Just a little tune that floats around in my head.”
“Does it have a name?”
“It's not a popular tune. I watched a Disney movie with my niece and the tune just sort of stuck.”
“But it does have a name?”
Dani knew he would laugh at her childhood tune. But it was apparent he wasn't going to give up as he positioned himself on the floor opposite her. “Yes,” she finally admitted.
Stormy Passion Page 5
