us.”
“You’re the one who would have cared, Mel. My reputation was already shot. Folks saw me as dirt poor, no-account, and a troublemaker.”
“You were a troublemaker.”
He ignored that little truism. “And you were the town princess, too good for the humble masses. Hell, your mommy and daddy had nothing but contempt for the rest of us, and they would have had me shot if they knew I’d asked you out.” He shrugged, looking awkward for just a moment. “I figured you might go if no one would ever know about it.”
She stared at him, appalled at his perceptions, feeling sick deep inside herself. He was right in predicting her parents’ reactions. They wouldn’t have been pleased. But to think of Adam as sincerely wanting to date her... Well, that would take a major attitude adjustment. He’d been so cocky back then, as if he’d been unaware of his poverty, of his social circumstances. He’d always seemed so self-contained, unaffected by others, especially by her.
Could he have felt as vulnerable as she did?
“Why?” She asked it simply, the question uppermost in her mind. “Why would you have wanted to go out with me?”
His expression became almost ruthless. With the black headband wrapped around his fair hair, his bare shoulders glistening in the hot evening sun, he looked like a savage.
His golden eyes glittered with intent, and then without a word he grabbed her by the back of the neck, pulled her closer and pressed his mouth to hers.
For a mere second he was still, the pressure firm. They both seemed frozen, afraid to move. Then he groaned and twisted and gathered her closer, his mouth opening, devouring. She felt the hot stroke of his tongue, urgent and deep, the sharp touch of his teeth, and she gave a small groan of her own.
His arms closed around her, bringing her as near as he could get her. Everything about him seemed to be hot and hard, like a steel inferno. Pressed against his damp chest, she felt every ragged breath he drew.
Being alone with Adam like this, hearing the things he claimed, was a fantasy come to life. As a young woman, she’d built a world around the idea of luring in the irresistible Adam Stone. Everything about him had excited her, and compared to him, other men had seemed lacking—including her fiancé. “Adam—”
His teeth nipped her earlobe and made her gasp. “Sh,” he whispered, barely breathing the word so that all the fine hairs on her body stood at titillated attention. Her body felt ripe, hungry.
“Tell me that you want me, too, Mel.”
Oh, she did. She really did. “We...we need to talk, Adam.”
He leaned back to give her a warm smile, his gaze searching, pleased. “But you’re not denying you want me.”
She started to, only the words wouldn’t come out, not with him looking at her that way. His hands stayed busy, slowly pushing the white shirt open and brushing over the exposed skin of her shoulders, arms and throat as if he couldn’t quite touch her enough. Everywhere his fingers trailed, she felt gooseflesh rise, making her more sensitive. He appeared almost reverent, his gaze so hot she felt the touch of it against her skin.
She’d secretly dreamed of being with him like this, and she wanted so badly to give in. But she knew she’d caused him a lot of grief, and first she had to remedy that. She leaned away from the temptation he offered. “I want to buy the resort, Adam. I owe it to you.”
Very slowly, he released her. His expression was cold, blank. “There was a bidder right behind me.”
“So I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
He jerked to his feet, then stared at her. “I don’t want your charity, Mel.”
“Charity?”
“I don’t live on the riverbank anymore. I can damn well take care of myself, without your interference.”
His attitude stunned her. “You’re being unreasonable, Adam. I can afford to do this—”
“And I can’t. Just like old times, huh?”
They stared at each other in heavy silence. He was so distant, so sarcastic, it was as if the delicious kiss had never happened. Melanie bit her lip to keep her emotions in check. His feelings were plain, but then, so were hers. She knew what she needed to do, she just didn’t know how Adam would react. “You’re a bullheaded jerk, Adam Stone.”
He turned away to observe the shoreline. After several more seconds, he said, “It’s going to be dark soon. We should finish checking out the house to see if there’s anything in there we can use.”
The setting sun cast everything in shadow, lending an eerie quality to the island. Adam disappeared behind the house, and she didn’t bother to follow him. How had everything changed so suddenly?
“I’ve found us some food.”
She stared at him, carefully hiding her hurt. He held out two withered oranges.
“Behind the house.” He watched her as he spoke, and she had the feeling he was trying to gauge her mood. “The orange tree isn’t much to brag on, but next to that is a palm tree loaded with coconuts. We won’t starve.”
Fighting with him wouldn’t solve anything, so she tried for a look of enthusiasm. “I can live with fruit.”
He looked relieved, and even smiled at her. “They were probably planted by whoever used to live here. According to the guidebook, citrus trees are usually only on the mainland. There’s even a wild strawberry patch here, though it looks like the bugs have gotten to most of them. And some thorny blackberries.”
He dropped the fruit in the sand by her feet, then went around to lever himself into the front door again. Watching Adam climb wearing no more than form-fitting Skivvies was a unique experience. Muscles and tendons flexed and pulled tight across his back and shoulders. His thighs were long, athletic. She crept closer to the house to peek inside.
It had obviously been no more than a functional fishing cabin. There were no separate rooms, just a few dividing walls. At the back of the house were an old porcelain tub and toilet, a broken mirror still on the wall. Various broken tools, dishes and garbage littered the inside.
“It’s not exactly cozy.”
Adam snorted. “If it rains again, and it will, at least we’ll be able to keep dry. And I think I might be able to drag that tub outside to collect the rainwater.”
The tub was dirty, chipped and rusted. “Pray, for what?”
“To drink and bathe, sweetheart. Unfortunately, there’s no catering service here, no ice machine right around the corner, no hot showers. Or haven’t you accepted yet that we’re stuck here?”
She really wanted to smack him. “We’ll be rescued soon.”
“Dream on.” He began heaving at the tub. A large slithery snake glided from beneath and slipped across the dusty floor to disappear into a crack between the wall and the baseboard. It moved so quickly, neither of them had time to react. Adam turned to her, one brow raised, and she quickly ducked out of sight.
Sometimes,
