Stormbound With A Tycoon. Shawna Delacorte
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seemed to be conspiring against her. She had found herself enmeshed in one calamity after another. First it was the rain as she drove to the cabin, then finding the power out when she had arrived and finally total bedlam masquerading in the person of Dylan Russell.
It was an impossible situation. He would have to leave as soon as he finished in the bathroom. It was bad enough to wake up in the same bed with him by accident, but to allow him to continue to stay in her cabin was out of the question. Determination took a strong hold. Her mind was made up. She would be tactful, but firm. Maybe Justin had promised him the use of the cabin, but even Dylan should be able to recognize what an impossible situation they had.
Then that same determined mind drifted back to the moment when she woke that morning to find his arm curled around her waist and his body snuggled against hers. She could still feel the sensual warmth that radiated from his bare skin in those moments of half sleep and half wakefulness. She vividly recalled each and every plane, angle and line of his well-defined torso when he had propped himself up on his elbow and flashed that deliciously wicked grin. Rogue, scoundrel, playboy, charmer—whatever word you wanted to use, it personified Dylan Russell to a T. No way was he the type of man she could ever be seriously interested in, the kind who would be happy to settle down with a home and family—no way at all.
She shook off the thoughts and the mental image, then took another swallow of her coffee as if trying to drown out her errant musings. She reaffirmed her resolve. Her mind was made up. He definitely had to go, and the sooner the better. Her decision was final. There was no way she would change her mind—no way at all.
A second later, in an act of total defiance against her conscious wishes, her mind drifted to what it would be like to kiss him. The idea had come uninvited and did nothing to calm the desires she had been trying to deny. She set down her empty coffee mug with a resounding thump and busied herself closing windows to keep out the cold air.
A few minutes later she heard the bathroom door open. She fought the urge to look in his direction. She could not allow him the opportunity to sucker her in again with those green eyes and that devastating smile. But as before, her heated desires overruled her intentions. Against her better judgment she glanced in his direction. That was all it took. Her resolve instantly melted away. He looked casual, comfortable and far too sexy.
Three
Jessica knew she needed to say what was on her mind before she totally succumbed to the suggestion of untold pleasures hidden in the depth of Dylan’s eyes and behind that smile.
She turned her gaze away from him, preferring to focus her attention on an inanimate object. She chose the table lamp. A nervous tremor made its way through her body. “I…uh…I’ve been giving this some thought. Before anything else happens, we need to settle the problem of who is going to use the cabin. I do understand that Justin promised the cabin to you based on the fact that I was supposed to be in New York, but it should be obvious to you that the circumstances have changed. I’m not in New York. And…well, what with the electricity being out and all…”
She drew in a steadying breath in an attempt to quell her rising anxiety. “Well, I just think you’d be more comfortable at the lodge. It’s only a few miles from here, down on the main road.”
“No. I wouldn’t be more comfortable at the lodge.”
“What?” She snapped her head in his direction as the shock spread through her body. His words caught her totally off guard. His unwavering gaze provided no hint of what he was thinking, yet it set her anxieties on edge. She stared at the lamp again, unable to hold the directness of his eye contact. There was nothing tentative or unsure about his attitude or the physical stance of his body language.
She forced her words, even though she knew they sounded less firm than when she started. “The lodge is very nice. I’m also sure it will be much more to your liking than being here without any activities or other people to socialize with.”
He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall. His voice was calm and very matter-of-fact, his words firm without being argumentative. “This cabin is only half yours. The other half belongs to Justin. You informed him you would be in New York for three weeks. So, taking you at your word, he promised use of the cabin to me. Since you’re the one who showed up without checking first, I believe I have the right to stay.”
She grabbed the fireplace poker and jabbed at the remnants of the morning’s disastrous fire in an effort to play for time as she carefully chose her words. She didn’t want to get into an argument, but she wanted to make her position clear. She turned to face him.
“Whether I’m supposed to be in New York or not isn’t the point. The fact is that I’m not in New York…I’m here.” She caught the edge surrounding her voice and took a steadying breath in hopes of smoothing it out. “I’m truly sorry this unfortunate situation had to occur, but I really do feel that the lodge will be far more to your liking. This cabin certainly can’t be the kind of place where you would usually stay. This type of isolation must be quite different from your normal routine.”
She wrinkled her brow in concentration for a moment. “In fact, I can’t imagine why you would want to stay here at all.”
A spark of anger flared with his words. “My normal routine has its times of isolation.” He paused and took a deep breath before muttering, “But I’m sure you wouldn’t understand that.”
She saw something in his eyes and heard it for a brief moment in his voice. A hint of vulnerability? As quickly as it materialized it quickly disappeared, to be replaced by a facade of calm control. It was just a glimpse, but enough to tell her that there was more going on inside his head than he was saying or willing to show. What was he hiding? Then another thought occurred to her. Rather than hiding something, could he be hiding from someone?
She had no idea what he had specifically been doing over the years, only what her brother had told her. Perhaps his “business deals” were really scams to fleece unsuspecting people out of their money. A sick churning in the pit of her stomach told her just how much she hoped that wasn’t true. She studied him for a moment. He looked so calm and collected, as if nothing could ruffle him. She wished she felt as in control as he looked.
It didn’t matter to Dylan how much she pushed him, there was no way he had any intention of staying at a lodge surrounded by the distraction of vacationing people who were there to enjoy themselves. Nor did he want to end up confined inside the four walls of a hotel room in order to have quiet and solitude. And the small apartment he maintained in Los Angeles wasn’t as large as the cabin. It was hardly anything more than a place to change clothes and grab a night’s sleep between flights to some exotic vacation locale or an international business meeting. The idea of pacing the floor of his apartment surrounded by other buildings in traffic-congested Los Angeles didn’t work for him at all. Justin’s mountain cabin in the middle of the forest was the ideal solution to his needs. And even with Jessica there, it was still much better than any of the other options.
Or perhaps it was because of Jessica being there.
A little shiver of panic darted through his body in response to the unwelcome thought. It was more than wanting the use of the cabin, he needed it. He hadn’t even informed Justin of exactly how much he needed to be away from everything, to think out his life and make decisions. He knew his best bet was to offer her a compromise, to try to convince her to do it his way, even though her expression projected a stubborn determination that left him uneasy.
He relaxed his stance, unfolded his arms and softened his manner as he crossed the room toward her. He turned on the charm that had served him so well over the years. “There’s no reason for this to be causing such a big problem. This cabin is large enough to easily accommodate both of us without our being crowded together.” He warmed to the idea, his voice taking on a seductive quality. “You have your bedroom, and I’ve already moved my things to the other one. I think we can coexist without any problems.” He flashed his best trust me smile. “Don’t you agree?”
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