Griffin had been trained in hand-to-hand combat of a savagery Jeremy could not even imagine, but he chose to shrug off the captain’s threat rather than respond with violence. But first he locked his hands around Jeremy’s wrists and pressed down hard.
“Those two don’t need your protection, and it was Darcy who dumped me, not the other way around. But that wouldn’t concern you, would it? As I see it, the only problem we’ve got today is the rain. Understood?”
Jeremy responded with a grudging nod and, when Griffin released his hold on him, he dropped his hands to his sides. “You’ve not been here long. You don’t know how hard those two have worked, and Defy the World won’t survive this storm.”
“It’s just a little rain,” Griffin argued. “Everything will dry out.”
Jeremy swore a particularly foul oath, a favorite among sailors. “It’s kept the tourists away, and they aren’t making a cent. Hell, I can’t either, but I don’t have their overhead.”
Cold, Griffin hugged his arms across his chest. “You needn’t worry. If they get behind in the rent, I’ll not evict them.”
“Not until September, you mean.”
Unwilling to debate his plans, Griffin leaned toward the stairs, but before he could take a step, Christy Joy opened the door behind them and drew them in.
“Are you all right?” she asked. “I heard you thumping around on the roof, and the water has stopped dripping into the bathtub.”
“Then our mission was a success,” Griffin assured her. “As soon as it stops raining, I’ll have the roof repaired properly and the eucalyptus at the back of the property trimmed so its leaves won’t clog the gutters again.”
Slipping by Christy Joy, he headed on down the stairs. Darcy was waiting at the bottom. Twink was again at the children’s table drawing a blue whale. They were both watching him with a wide, curious gaze. “Anything else you need?” he asked.
“Not right this minute, but they’ve just run a news bulletin on the radio. A mud slide has closed Highway 1 five miles south of town.”
“I hadn’t planned on driving down to LA this afternoon anyway,” Griffin replied.
He just doesn’t get it, Darcy swore under her breath, but as she paused to censor her response for Twink’s benefit, the power failed and the shop disappeared in the resulting darkness.
Griffin pulled Darcy close. “Does this happen often?”
In spite of being cold and wet, he was as solid as a door, and she didn’t struggle against him. “Not until today it hasn’t.”
Twink giggled. “This is cool.”
“Just stay put, sweetheart,” her mother called. “Darcy, there’s a flashlight behind the counter. Can you find it?”
“Just give me a minute,” Darcy offered quickly, but rather than release her, Griffin tightened his embrace and dipped his head to capture her mouth for a long, slow kiss that erased all thoughts of flashlights from her mind. She had to grab his coat to steady herself before she finally pushed away.
“You’re all wet,” she scolded. “You’ll get sick for sure.”
“No, I won’t. I’m never ill. Now let’s find that flashlight.”
At the top of the stairs, Jeremy stood with his arm loosely looped around Christy Joy’s waist. Her curls brushed his check and, filled with longing, he leaned closer to drink in her subtle perfume. Even with the storm, enough light seeped through the windows for him to make out her profile. She appeared perfectly relaxed as she waited for Darcy to provide some
light, but he had to force himself to keep breathing. Now he envied Griffin his shameless bravado, but before he could emulate it, Christy Joy turned toward him, slid her fingertips along his cheek and raised her lips to his.
Her kiss was feather-light and yet somehow so delicious that he simply had to have more before she grew convinced he was the stupidest man ever born and shoved him down the stairs. He didn’t just brush his lips tenderly across hers either. He kissed her as though she were his own dear wife and he hadn’t been in port in years. He didn’t stop until he felt the flashlight’s beam cross his face, and even then, he couldn’t step away.
Darcy hadn’t meant to interrupt such a tender moment and quickly aimed the flashlight toward the shop. “Let’s light some of the scented candles until the power comes back on. Come on, Twink, help me find some tall ones.”
But rather than move, Twink sat staring up at her mother with a narrowed, suspicious gaze. Then she bolted from her chair, dashed up the stairs, and on past Christy Joy into their apartment.
“Oh, God, I’m sorry,” Jeremy moaned.
“She’ll get used to it,” Christy Joy responded, and she gave him a hasty kiss before she followed her daughter.
Jeremy remained at the top of the stairs, grateful Christy Joy hadn’t shown Twink’s speed as she’d left him, but nevertheless certain he’d caused her another problem she didn’t need. Then he sneezed.
“God bless you,” Darcy cried. “You see, I knew you two were going to get sick, and now with no heat, it will probably turn into pneumonia.”