Читать книгу Tall, Dark and Texan - Annette Broadrick, Annette Broadrick - Страница 9

“Oh, I don’t think so,” he replied, vaguely aware that his body was already responding to her.

She studied him in silence for a couple of moments, then as though speaking to herself, she said, “I think we need to get you home.” She stood and took his hand. Giving a slight tug, she smiled and said, “Let’s go.”

Conversation at the bar lessened. Dan glanced over and saw that most of the gathering was looking his way. Well, why not? He had this gorgeous woman coaxing him to take her home. He still was a little unsure how he’d lucked out, but he wasn’t going to question his good fortune.

He slowly stood, a lopsided smile on his face. “Whatever you say, honey,” he said.

“My name is Shannon. Think you can remember that?” She wrapped her arm around his waist and steered him to the door. He laughed. Damn. He must be doing something right.

He pushed the door open and stepped outside. A nice breeze caressed the island, coming off the Gulf. Dan took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air after the closeness of the bar.

A quarter moon hung in midsky, shedding enough light for him to see the surrounding area.

“Great time of the year to be here, isn’t it?” he asked, expansively.

She stepped away and watched him as though expecting him to fall over on his face. He took her hand. “I had no idea October would be the perfect time to come to the island. Few tourists, great weather. What more can ya ask?”

“It’s November,” she replied, leading him toward a small sports car. She opened the passenger door and nodded. “Get in. I’ll drive you home.”

He nodded wisely and followed her directions. “Good idea. It’s a long walk back. Normally I enjoy the walk, but you seem to be in a hurry tonight.”

He leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes.

Shannon walked around the car and slid into the driver’s seat. She looked over at him and shook her head. Oh, Dan, what are you doing to yourself? Now that she was here, she could see why Mandy was so concerned.

Thank goodness she was ready for a little vacation of her own. Dan was right about this time of the year. Seasonal rains hadn’t started and it was too early for the winter tourists.

Mandy had told her where the condo was located. She stopped at the gate. “Dan? What’s the security code?” She waited. “Dan?”

“Hmph?”

“The security code.”

“Oh.” He rattled off the numbers. She prayed he’d remembered the right ones. The gate swung open as soon as she punched them in. So far, so good. She drove to the parking lot, pulled in and parked, then turned to him again.

“Okay, big guy. You’ve got to help me here.”

Dan opened his eyes and sat up, looking around him.

“Damn, I keep falling asleep. Or maybe I keep waking up.” He looked at her, his smile growing. “Oh yeah. You are definitely a part of my dream.”

She tried not to roll her eyes. She got out of the car and came around to his side. He’d managed to get out on his own. He grasped her hand and practically dragged her over to the building’s entrance. A security guard recognized him and opened the door.

“Evening, Mr. Crenshaw,” the man said.

“Yep,” Dan replied without pausing. He marched over to the elevators, punched the button and the door immediately opened. With innate courtesy he waved her inside, then stepped in behind her.

“What floor?” she asked.

“Top one.”

“Mmm. Must have a great view.”

“Good enough.”

Neither spoke until the doors opened and he stepped out ahead of her, fumbling in the pocket of those tight cutoff jeans for the key. Once he opened the door, he made a graceful sweep of his hand. “Welcome to my humble abode.”

Humble was a definite misnomer. The place was alight in mirrors, glass and chrome. A sweeping expanse of Berber carpet flowed to walls of glass. She could see a long balcony that wrapped around the outside of the condo.

“Would you like a drink?” he asked.

She turned and saw that he stood behind a wet bar, holding up a bottle. She smiled, amused despite the circumstances. “Uh, no, thanks. Maybe later.”

He flashed that charming smile at her once again, the one that had always made her knees wobble. “Would you like to see the rest of the place?”

She clasped her hands at her waist and nodded. “Please.”

He gave her a whirlwind tour of the dining room and kitchen, which was filled with every appliance needed to turn an average cook into a prize chef. She idly peeked into the pantry and the refrigerator.

They were empty.

There were three bedrooms, each with its own complete bath. Well, that would make things a little simpler, she decided, following him into the master bedroom.

Ah, the view from here was spectacular. He could lie in bed and watch the moon as it arced across the sky.

Dan closed the vertical blinds and turned back to her.

“What did you say your name is?”

“Shannon.”

“That’s a pretty name.”

“Thank you.”

“How did you know my name?”

“Well, that really wasn’t difficult, since I’ve known you for most of my life.” She walked over to the rumpled bed, straightened the covers before turning them back. “Why don’t you get some rest? We’ll talk in the morning.”

He stalked toward her and said, “I don’t think either one of us will be getting much rest, do you?” He wrapped his arms around her and found her lips with his.

She hadn’t expected him to grab her like that. She struggled, trying to place her hands on his chest. Somewhere along the way the kiss changed, became more seeking, less demanding, and she found herself relaxing in his arms.

This was Dan, after all. He would never take advantage of her. Besides, wasn’t this exactly the fantasy she’d lived with for years? However, he didn’t need to know that, and she sure wasn’t going to let him think that he’d successfully seduced her.

With a quick twist away from him she stepped back, trying to catch her breath and maintain her composure, as well. There was no reason for him to know that she didn’t have much experience in the seduction department.

Her sudden evasion caused him to lose his balance. Luckily he fell forward and ended up facedown on the bed.

He didn’t move.

She ventured closer. He was sprawled across the bed, his head on the far pillow, his body angled so one foot dangled over the side. He’d lost his flip-flops. She studied him for a moment, then decided to leave him there. She draped a light blanket across him and left the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

Shannon spotted the phone in the living room. This was as good a time as any to contact Mandy. She took the cordless phone out onto the balcony and sank into one of the comfortably padded chairs. She punched in the numbers from memory, then listened to the phone ring at the other end of the line.

As soon as Mandy answered, Shannon said, “Hi, this is Shannon. Mission accomplished. I found Dan this evening.”

The relieved sigh from the other end winged its way to her ear. “Thank God. How is he?”

Shannon smiled to herself. “He could best be summed up as having gone native. He might not have gone as far as the South Seas, but he looks like your typical beachcomber.”

“Has he lost weight?”

“Now that, I couldn’t tell you. Remember, I haven’t seen him in several years. I must say, he looks healthy enough to me.”

“I’ve been so worried. I managed to get in touch with him earlier today and we had a horrible fight.”

“Well, he didn’t give me any trouble. I found him at a local hangout and suggested we come back to his place.”

“Oh, good. Did he recognize you?”

“Are you kidding? He hasn’t a clue who I am or why I’m here. I have a hunch he won’t be nearly so happy to see me come morning.”

Mandy sighed once more. “I really don’t know what to do anymore, Shannon. And Rafe’s no help. He says everyone at the plant is very understanding of the situation. Thank goodness there are good shift managers who can oversee what needs to be done without supervision.”

“I can understand your concern. After all, I have a couple of big brothers, too. If either of them went off the deep end like this, I’d be worried sick as well.”

“I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate your volunteering to look after him for me.”

Shannon laughed. “I have a hunch the job’s going to get much tougher when morning rolls around. But I can handle him. As I said, I’m used to dealing with my brothers.”

“I hope you’ll be able to enjoy the island, as well.”

“Oh, I certainly intend to do that. I haven’t been down here in more than five years. I have some serious sunbathing to do.”

“I’m sure once Dan gets his act together, he’ll thank you for what you’re doing for him.”

“I won’t hold my breath. Besides, I’m still hoping to fill one of the positions currently being offered at his company. So if he’s feeling all that appreciative, he can hire me.”

“Ah,” Mandy replied with a chuckle. “Your ulterior motive reveals itself.”

“Absolutely. Of course he may never want to lay eyes on me again after this little jaunt, but that doesn’t matter. I was unemployed when I offered to do this. He can’t fire me since he hasn’t hired me.”

“He’ll be furious when he finds out I sent you down there.”

“Oh, he won’t hear it from me. I’ll keep in touch. Take care. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Shannon hung up, found the key to the apartment and went back downstairs to her car, where she got her luggage out of the trunk. The security man helped her with it, made certain she managed to get the pieces inside the elevator and waved her off.

All the way up the elevator she couldn’t help but wonder what the guy must be thinking, since Dan hadn’t come back down to help her. Maybe she’d introduce herself as his sister. Not that it mattered what he thought. Unless, of course, Dan wanted to protect his own reputation.

Back in the condo, she chose one of the guest bedrooms and unpacked before showering and getting ready for bed. First thing tomorrow she’d go to the grocery store. Well, maybe not first thing. Her favorite occupation whenever she was on the island was to get up at daylight and walk to the jetties to watch the sunrise.

She had a hunch Dan wouldn’t be stirring that early. After that, however, she would be off and running, doing what she could to make Dan’s life on the island a living hell.

What, after all, were real friends for?