Cassie. She shook her head and began backing away from him. She felt both hurt and anger when she thought of all the time they had spent together, all the things they had done. And all of it had been nothing more than calculated moves on his part.
That realization filled her with humiliation. “You bastard! How dare you use me that way! I want you out of here. Out of my hotel,” she all but screamed. “And you can go back and tell Parker that your mission wasn’t accomplished. Hell will freeze two times over before I give him anything!”
It only took her a minute to snatch her boots off the floor and then she stormed past him and went to the sofa to grab her jacket and purse. Brandon was right on her heels.
“Listen, Cassie, please let me explain. I told Parker just now that I was going to tell you the truth.”
She whirled on him. “You’re lying!”
“No, I’m not lying, Cassie. I tried telling you the truth last night.”
“It doesn’t matter. You lied to me, Brandon, and I won’t forget it. And I meant what I said. I want you out of my hotel or I will order that my staff put you out.”
With that said and without taking the time to put on her boots, a barefoot Cassie opened the door and raced out of the suite.
Brandon studied the roadway as he drove toward Cassie’s home, barely able to see due to the intense rain pouring down. By the time he had made it out of the suite after Cassie, she had gotten into her car and driven off. He had gone back inside and done as she’d demanded by packing, and within the hour he had checked out.
He had called his pilot to cancel his flight off the island. He refused to leave the Bahamas until he had a chance to talk to her again, to clear himself. Nothing mattered other than getting her to believe that although his intentions might not have been honorable when he’d arrived on the island, after getting to know her, he had known he could not go through with it. And he had tried telling her the truth last night.
But deep down he knew that none of that excused his behavior in her eyes. He also knew that she had a right to be angry and upset. He owed her an apology, which he intended to give her, and nothing would stop him from doing so. Not even the threat that Hurricane Melissa now posed since she had decided to head in this direction.
The hotel had been in chaos with people rushing to check out. No one wanted to remain on an island that was in the hurricane’s path. But even with all the commotion, Cassie’s staff had everything under control and was doing an outstanding job of keeping everyone calm and getting them checked out in a timely manner. For Cassie to be at home and not at the hotel was a strong indication of how upset she was and just how badly he had hurt her.
He inhaled a deep sigh of relief when he pulled into Cassie’s driveway and saw her car was there. He hoped she had no intentions of going back out in this weather. From the report he’d heard on the car’s radio, the authorities were saying it wasn’t safe to travel and were asking people to stay off the roads since there had been a number of major auto accidents.
He glanced at her house when he brought the car to a stop. Judging the distance from where he was to her front door, chances were he would be soaked to the skin by the time he made it, but that was the least of his concerns. He needed to clear things up between them and he refused to entertain the thought that she wouldn’t agree to listen to what he had to say.
He opened the car door and made a quick dash for the door. The forecasters still weren’t certain if Hurricane Melissa would actually hit the island or just come close to crossing over it. Regardless of whether it was a hit or a miss, this island was definitely experiencing some of the effects of her fury. He was totally drenched by the time he knocked on Cassie’s door. He had changed into a pair of jeans and the wet denim material seemed to cling to his body, almost squeezing him.
The door was snatched open and he could tell from Cassie’s expression that she was both shocked and angry to see him. “I can’t believe you have the nerve to come here.”
“I’m here because you and I need to talk.”
“Wrong, I have nothing to say to you and I would advise you to leave,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“We have a lot to say and I can’t leave.”
She glared at him. “And why not?”
“The weather. The police asked drivers to get off the road. If I go back out in that I risk the chance of having an accident.”
Her glare hardened. “And you think I care?”
“Yes, because if there’s one thing I’ve discovered about you over the past few days, it’s that you are a caring person, Cassie, and no matter what kind of asshole you undoubtedly think I am, you would not send me to my death.”
She leaned closer and got right in his face. “Want to bet?”
From the look in her eyes, the answer was no. At that particular moment he didn’t want to bet, but he would take a chance. “Yes.”
She glared at him some more. “I suggest that you go sit in your car until the weather improves for you to leave. You’re not welcome in my home.”
“If I do that then I run the risk of catching pneumonia in these wet clothes.”
Evidently fed up with what she considered nonsense, she was about to slam the door in his face when he blocked it with his hand. “Look, Cassie, I’m not leaving until you hear me out, nor will I leave the island until you do. If you refuse to do so here today then whenever you go back to the hotel I’ll make a nuisance of myself until you do agree to see me.”
“Try it and I’ll call the police,” she snapped.
“Yes, you could do that, but imagine the bad publicity it will give the hotel. I’d think the last thing you’ll want for the Garrison Grand-Bahamas is that.” He knew what he’d said had hit a nerve. That would be the last thing she would want.
Except for the force of the rain falling, there was long silence as she stonily stared at him before angrily stepping aside. “Say what you have to say and leave.”
When he walked across the threshold he glanced around and saw what she’d been doing before she’d come to answer the door. She had been rolling the hurricane shutters down to cover the windows. “Where’s your staff?”
She glared at him. “Not that it’s any of your business but I sent them home before the weather broke. I didn’t want them caught out in it.”
“But you have no qualms sending me back out in it,” he said, meeting her gaze.
“No, I don’t, so what does that tell you?” she stormed.
He crossed his arms across his chest and gave her a glare of his own. “It tells me that we really do need to talk. But first I’ll help you get the shutters in place.”
Cassie blinked. Was he crazy? She had no intention of him helping her do anything. “Excuse me. I don’t recall asking for your help,” she said sharply.
“No, but I intend to help anyway,” he said, heading toward the window in the living room.
She raced after him. “I
