The Daddy Box Set

I laughed, even though I knew it was a little mean. “Hey, I was one of those newbies not too long ago. I thought for sure the island was going to sink or be blown away. Thank God I had Maria to keep me grounded.”

“I thought you’d be out there dancing in the rain,” he joked.

I lowered my voice/ “I like to dance naked when the tropical storms roll in.”

He snapped his head back, before shaking it at me. “I want to be there when you do that.”

Shrugging and doing my best to be completely nonchalant, I said, “Eh, we’ll see.”

He leaned in, and I thought he was going to kiss me, but he stopped himself, seeming to realize where we were. “Be careful. I’ll call you later?”

“Please do. If phones are still working, that is.”

I headed home and went through the drill, checking flashlights, filling up the empty two-liter pop bottles we kept for this purpose with water, as well as the bathtub, and made sure we were ready. My phone chirped. I checked, and instantly my stomach got butterflies when I realized it was from Ian.

My place.

Before answering him, I called Maria to make sure she would be okay if I left. She was going to be riding out the storm with Jake anyway, so I was free to leave.

I replied with a text of my own.

Later. After dark.

I didn’t want to risk anyone seeing me going to his house. With everyone headed home, the risk was too great. I spent some time packing up a few clothes and tossed in one of the flashlights and a bottle of water, in case he wasn’t really prepared.

The wind was picking up, and the rain was starting to come down harder by the time night fell. I dashed to my car, doing my best to avoid getting soaked before carefully driving to his house. The sense of danger was making me giddy. I kind of liked the storms that were prone to this area. There was an element of danger that always made me feel alive. Combined with the inherent risk of my relationship with Ian, I was feeling a little wild and crazy.

I felt ready for anything, as if I were one of those daredevils that jumped off 100-foot cliffs. My adrenaline was pumping, and all I could think about was wrapping my body around his and riding out the storm with a marathon sex session. As the rain fell against my windshield, increasing in intensity, it kicked up my own nervous energy.

Would he want me like he did the last time, when I had barely crossed the threshold of his door before he had me pinned against the wall, ripping my clothes off? The delicious memory had me pressing the gas pedal a little more than I should have. I couldn’t wait to see him, to ride out this storm with him, hunkered down with no prying eyes around.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Ian

Headlights in the driveway alerted me to Tessa’s arrival.

“Hey, get in here,” I said, opening the door and pulling her in out of the rain. It was really starting to come down. Her hair was stuck to her face where it had fallen out of the loose ponytail she wore.

Leaning down, I kissed her before closing the door. I had been longing to kiss her for too many hours that had stretched into days. I needed her, but for now, a kiss would have to do.

“I can’t believe how fast that storm came in,” she said, laughing as she wiped the hair away from her face. “You’re stuck with me now. There is no way I’m driving home in that.”

With my arms around her waist, I anchored her to me. “I have no intention of letting you go anywhere,” I said, in a soft voice. “I have you now. It was all part of my plan,” I joked, waggling my eyebrows in what I hoped was a sinister look.

She laughed, which meant I had failed completely.

“Come on, I’ll grab you a towel,” I said, untangling my arms from around her and grabbing her hand, leading her down the hall.

She quickly dried off her face, arms, and hair before declaring it to be good enough. I watched her, like a lovesick little boy.

“So, what’s your plan?” she asked.

Looking at her, I was happier than I’d been in a very long time. I needed to tell her the truth, to come clean about Miriam, but not yet. I wanted to enjoy what we had before I had to burst her image of me. I had suffered plenty, so I convinced myself I was deserving of this tiny bit of joy, even if I knew it wouldn’t last.

“First of all, I’m going to cook you dinner,” I started.

She smiled, stepped in closer to me. “What are you making for dinner? I have a couple ideas about what I want,” she said, in a low voice that said far more than her words.