don’t know. If I’m not in the field anymore what good am I? My skills have no value anymore.”
Just then she yawned.
Ryan laughed. “Am I boring you?”
He was anything but boring. She couldn’t believe how much she enjoyed his company. She loved being with him, just talking, as they got to know each other better. The other men she knew certainly weren’t interested in engaging her in conversation.
“No, remember I’m a city girl and I sit at a desk all day. I guess I’m just not used to so much sunshine and exercise.”
He nodded. “It seems like everyone is packing up. We should, too.”
“Yeah, I think I’ll be calling it an early night tonight. Especially after last night.”
“Last night?”
“I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep.” She studied him, giving him time to confess that he was her mysterious lover.
“Traveling does that to me for days on end, too.”
Upset that he continued to hold his secret close, she stretched out her fatigued limbs. “I’m so tired, I could sleep through a hurricane.” She glanced up at the sky, noting the dark clouds moving in on the horizon. A low rumble sounded in the distance.
When Ryan smiled at her, she drew a breath, deciding then and there that Ryan Thomas was the perfect package. A man who gave her the best sex of her life during the night and who treated her like a woman during the day.
Now, if only he’d admit that Ryan and Tarzan were one and the same…
6
O kay , so maybe she couldn’t sleep through a hurricane, after all. Shivering, Lauren pulled the covers up to her neck and listened to the gale-force winds pound against her small cabana. The clock beside her flickered with the threat of a power outage.
Damn, this was kind of scary. She wondered whether Danielle and Abby were just as afraid. Deciding to go check on her friends, she climbed from her bed and pulled on a pair of jogging pants and a matching gray jacket. After slipping into her running shoes, she crept to her door. When she pulled it open, lightning crackled overhead and she nearly jumped out of her skin.
She glanced back at her clock and noticed it had powered down. When she turned back to her door, she came face-to-face with Ryan. He stood outside in the pouring rain, wearing a yellow slicker with the hood pulled over his head.
He reached out and covered her hands with his. “Lauren, are you okay?” She heard genuine concern in his voice.
Despite the chill in the air, everything inside her warmed when she looked at him. She pulled him inside, out of the pelting rain.
“I was just on my way to check on Danielle and Abby. Some storm, huh?”
“Yeah, power is going down all over the resort. I came to check up on you.”
Her heart skipped a beat at his thoughtfulness. “I’m okay.” It was a half-truth. Normally she wasn’t afraid of storms, but normally she wasn’t on a secluded island in the middle of nowhere surrounded by huge trees, either.
“Everyone is headed up to the lodge. The generator is going and they’ve built a fire in the stone fireplace. I believe there are even marshmallows and hot chocolate.”
Her stomach rumbled, and not in a good way, at the thought of more marshmallows. “Sounds cozy.”
“Do you have a raincoat?”
She’d come to the island prepared for two weeks of sunshine. “I never thought to bring one.”
“Here, we’ll share mine.”
He opened his huge coat. When he hauled her inside, she melted against him. Okay, that was it. That sweet gesture could easily cause her to fall in love with him.
As he ushered her outside, his body protecting her from the elements, she asked, “What about my friends?”
“I’ll walk you to their cabins so you can check up on them.”
Lauren tried Danielle’s cabin first and found Danielle and Ethan inside with tangerine-scented candles lighting up the room. The ambiance inside the cabin seemed very warm despite the fierce storm outside. Danielle had assured her that they were quite
Just then she yawned.
Ryan laughed. “Am I boring you?”
He was anything but boring. She couldn’t believe how much she enjoyed his company. She loved being with him, just talking, as they got to know each other better. The other men she knew certainly weren’t interested in engaging her in conversation.
“No, remember I’m a city girl and I sit at a desk all day. I guess I’m just not used to so much sunshine and exercise.”
He nodded. “It seems like everyone is packing up. We should, too.”
“Yeah, I think I’ll be calling it an early night tonight. Especially after last night.”
“Last night?”
“I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep.” She studied him, giving him time to confess that he was her mysterious lover.
“Traveling does that to me for days on end, too.”
Upset that he continued to hold his secret close, she stretched out her fatigued limbs. “I’m so tired, I could sleep through a hurricane.” She glanced up at the sky, noting the dark clouds moving in on the horizon. A low rumble sounded in the distance.
When Ryan smiled at her, she drew a breath, deciding then and there that Ryan Thomas was the perfect package. A man who gave her the best sex of her life during the night and who treated her like a woman during the day.
Now, if only he’d admit that Ryan and Tarzan were one and the same…
6
O kay , so maybe she couldn’t sleep through a hurricane, after all. Shivering, Lauren pulled the covers up to her neck and listened to the gale-force winds pound against her small cabana. The clock beside her flickered with the threat of a power outage.
Damn, this was kind of scary. She wondered whether Danielle and Abby were just as afraid. Deciding to go check on her friends, she climbed from her bed and pulled on a pair of jogging pants and a matching gray jacket. After slipping into her running shoes, she crept to her door. When she pulled it open, lightning crackled overhead and she nearly jumped out of her skin.
She glanced back at her clock and noticed it had powered down. When she turned back to her door, she came face-to-face with Ryan. He stood outside in the pouring rain, wearing a yellow slicker with the hood pulled over his head.
He reached out and covered her hands with his. “Lauren, are you okay?” She heard genuine concern in his voice.
Despite the chill in the air, everything inside her warmed when she looked at him. She pulled him inside, out of the pelting rain.
“I was just on my way to check on Danielle and Abby. Some storm, huh?”
“Yeah, power is going down all over the resort. I came to check up on you.”
Her heart skipped a beat at his thoughtfulness. “I’m okay.” It was a half-truth. Normally she wasn’t afraid of storms, but normally she wasn’t on a secluded island in the middle of nowhere surrounded by huge trees, either.
“Everyone is headed up to the lodge. The generator is going and they’ve built a fire in the stone fireplace. I believe there are even marshmallows and hot chocolate.”
Her stomach rumbled, and not in a good way, at the thought of more marshmallows. “Sounds cozy.”
“Do you have a raincoat?”
She’d come to the island prepared for two weeks of sunshine. “I never thought to bring one.”
“Here, we’ll share mine.”
He opened his huge coat. When he hauled her inside, she melted against him. Okay, that was it. That sweet gesture could easily cause her to fall in love with him.
As he ushered her outside, his body protecting her from the elements, she asked, “What about my friends?”
“I’ll walk you to their cabins so you can check up on them.”
Lauren tried Danielle’s cabin first and found Danielle and Ethan inside with tangerine-scented candles lighting up the room. The ambiance inside the cabin seemed very warm despite the fierce storm outside. Danielle had assured her that they were quite
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