Or anything else.
“Daeg?” His name was a muffled question.
“We need to leave.”
He swung the door open and stepped out onto the porch to survey the scene. The worst of the storm was over. A quick glance at his wrist said six o’clock. The sky was overcast, but there was more than enough light to see the water lapping over the cabin’s porch and the damage littering Sweet Moon’s parking lot. Plenty of mess, but again, nothing he couldn’t drive over or around. He eyed the Jeep and decided the vehicle was still operational since the water was only halfway up the wheel well.
Dani sat up when he stepped back inside, a sleepy smile on her face as he sloshed toward her. She’d pulled his T-shirt on at some point during the night. The neck was too large, sliding down her shoulder and exposing the pale lines from her bikini straps. She looked imminently delectable.
Focus, soldier.
“There’s room for one more.” She swept back the duvet with an impish grin, making space for him, and his T-shirt rode up around her waist, giving him a flash of creamy thigh. He wasn’t sure she was wearing panties.
Hell.
She looked at him hopefully and he had to stop this.
“We’ve got water,” he said, and her expression froze. He should have led up to the reality check. He couldn’t tell if she was disappointed or mad or something else altogether.
“Right,” she said and crawled to the edge of the bed. His T-shirt fell around her, giving him a clear view of her chest. He wanted to reach over and cup her full breasts, thumb the nipples until she was moaning against his mouth. And from this angle he could clearly see that she wasn’t wearing panties. He bit back a groan.
“So we have to get going,” he said desperately.
She nodded thoughtfully, collapsing back on the bed. “Because otherwise we’re going to float away on an inch of water.”
She wasn’t taking this seriously. He didn’t know whether to laugh or argue, because he liked this new, playful Dani, but the water was still there.
“How many steps on the porch?”
“Three.” She didn’t open her eyes.
“And how much clearance between each one?”
“Six inches or so. I get it. There’s at least two feet of water out there, all of it itching to come join us inside the cabin.”
He opened her dresser and pulled out shorts and a T-shirt. Maybe he should let her do it, but he was in a rush and he liked choosing for her—so he sorted through the lacy bits and then added panties and a bra to the pile. Her underwear drawer was all pretty thongs and cute boy shorts, but nothing practical for what might end up being a swim back to town. Hell, Dani herself wasn’t as practical as she liked to pretend.
She liked surprises.
He grinned at the sensual memories of last night. Yeah, and he’d enjoyed surprising her.
“Get dressed.” He dumped the clothes on the bed and she groaned, pulling the duvet over her head.
“I can’t tempt you back into bed?” The covers hid her voice, but the sensual invitation was clear.
“We need to go.” He heard his own voice and wanted to wince. No fun, that was him. Sure, part of him wanted to crawl back into bed. The rest of him was just plain confused. Town was the smart plan. Town was what they should do.
“Right.” She appeared from under the duvet and grabbed her clothes. “Are you up for driving today, or am I doing the honors?”
He tested his knee. Sore, but he’d do.
“I’ll drive.”
“Okay.” The covers rustled as she pulled on her panties and shorts beneath his tent of a shirt. He turned away. He wasn’t looking. Much. Still, when she whipped off the shirt, dropping it on the pillows, he could see marks he’d put on her breasts. He ran a hand over his jaw. Rough stubble. Yeah. Definitely his fault, like so many other things.
“You want me to carry you into the bathroom? To save your feet getting wet?”
“I won’t melt,” she said.
She disappeared into the bathroom and he settled for getting dressed and loading up the Jeep. He’d sort out his feelings and what had happened between them in that bed later, he promised himself. Keeping Dani safe was his number-one priority, and he wasn’t losing anyone else. This hasty evac was simply a retreat from the rising water—and, just possibly, from the unexpected emotions she stirred in him.
No. This was tactical, practical, strategic.
He told himself that again as he secured their things in the vehicle, and then once more as he drove Dani down the road.