Chapter 5 Part 3

Delanie felt something touching her foot. She stretched, wiggling her toes. A hand slid up her leg, past her knee, leaving her feeling decadent. Her body heated, she wanted to roll towards the touch.



Bright sun splashed across the bed, causing her eyes to squint shut. Why hadn't she drawn the blinds? Then it hit her.



Bahamas.



Wild storm.



Stranger.



Goodness, what the freak was she doing. She jumped out of bed, stumbling on her shoes. Her heal cracked against the wall. She muffled the cry of pain, not wanting to wake the Sam until she knew how the hell she was going to react to sleeping in the same bed as a stranger.



Sam stirred, rolled over, and snuggled against the pillow she'd walloped him with after losing another hand of poker last night.



Her heart squeezed, wistfulness lumped in her throat. She closed her eyes, remembering last night, all they had talked about, the way his eyelashes laid against his cheeks when he closed his eyes to think. How he kept his lids lowered halfway when he was bluffing. Her reaction to losing that had little to do with anger and a whole lot to do with sexual frustration.



When had she stopped using her brain and started thinking about sex with this guy. Damn, she hadn't even slept with Rhye, and here she was wanting to fuck Sam's brains out. What would happen if she went over and ran her hand under his shirt? What if she slid out of her clothes and pressed her breasts up against his cheeks?



"Get a grip," Delanie whispered as she high tailed it out the door and down to the kitchen. Sam had to go. She couldn't do another relationship so soon. Rhye had broken her heart. Sure, they had been done with for a while, but she still hurt.



The storm had blown through last night, and they played cards way past the rain. She laughed at his jokes. He entertained her with wild stories. Never once did he try to kiss her even though tension had crackled through the room.



She grabbed a grapefruit and cut it in half, wrapping one half in plastic and putting it in the fridge. "How did this happen?"



"What?"



Delanie jumped and spun around. Sam still looked sleepy in a dreamy, take the hunk back to bed, sort of way. Her heart jackrabbited, and her face grew warm.



"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."



"No, no. I'm fine."



"Would you mind if I take a shower?" Sam stretched his hands overhead as he yawned.



Delanie gulped and her knees wobbled. Just thinking of him naked and wet made her giddy.



"Or I could just go."



She was being such a dork. "No, please take a shower. I'll run your clothes in the washing machine and get them dry for you."



"Would you mind if I bring up a few more things. I don't want to impose, and I can compensate–"



"No."

He looked shocked that she'd yelled. Now she felt bad.



"Listen, I'm just a little jumpy. I know we said we didn't want to talk about who we are, but if you knew then you would understand."



He moved closer, invading her personal space. Only inches separated them. Her body went into overdrive. His fingers touched her chin, tilting her head so she had to look at his beautiful face.



"No talking about the past right now. I can't. Maybe next time we meet."



"But–"



"Shhh." He stroked her hair as he took in all of her features. "If you think I'm going to let you go then you're crazy. I am leaving the island, mostly to clear my head. Last night was the most amazing night I've ever had. And don't even try to deny it, I saw it in your smile, and I can see it now."



"I don't know what you are talking about."



He barked out a laugh that startled her. "Don't lie. There's so much sexual tension flowing between us I'm surprised we haven't caught fire."



"Oh God." She melted into him, her hips pressed against his thighs. "I can't right now."



"I know."



"What? You said you didn't know who I was."



"Not know like that. I know we can't hop into bed right now. You are worth more than a one-night stand." He held her at arms length, putting almost a foot of space between them. "I'm going to go down to my boat and get my clothes. I'll start the washer and then I'm going to go for a run. After that I'll switch the clothes over to the dryer and take a shower."



"Why are you telling me this?"



"I don't want you to feel pressure to stick around. I can take care of myself. I'm not going to rob the place or take anything of value. I know you have no idea who I am, but I'm trustworthy in this."



"This is too much."



"I know. I feel it too." Sam dropped his hands from her shoulders and spun around. His steps were stiff as he moved to the French doors. He pulled one open and looked back at her. "Don't think that just because I'm walking away now means I want to walk away. Delanie, I will never forget you. I will find you no matter where you go, and when I do it will be different. I hope you are ready when that time comes."



Delanie watched Sam disappear into the foliage. She grabbed her grapefruit and stabbed at the juicy center. If this were one of her movies she would be naked and in the shower when he came back from his run, or five guys in ninja masks and swords would burst through the door. At the moment, she didn't know which scenario would be best.



She looked down at the half eaten fruit, disgusted with her trail of thought. She tossed the remains into the trash and slipped on her hiking shoes. Climbing up to the point would be a good way to work off her frustration.



Living in the shadow of the star machine that was her career would be tough for any guy, let alone a nobody who wasn't used to the business. Sam was too nice. He would be eaten alive by the sharks that preyed on movie stars.



She started off fast, jogging up the cement path across the island. The exercise burned off her frustration. As she climbed up to the lookout point her heart sank. Sam would make a perfect mate, if only her life wasn't so damn crazy. It would be stupid to hide, but she would do exactly that until he left the island.

Copyright Sara Thacker 2011