A Reunion And A Ring (Proposals & Promises 1)

Surely fate’s sense of humor wasn’t this twisted!

He blinked up at her and she wondered for a moment if he even recognized her in the shadows. Though he didn’t release her, his fingers relaxed their grip. “Jen?”

Of all the improbable possibilities she could have imagined for the start of this poorly planned vacation, falling into bed with Gavin Locke wouldn’t have even been on her list. She stared mutely at him, unable to think of a thing to say. Her heart pounded in her chest, her throat suddenly so tight she couldn’t draw air in, much less force words out. Once again memories filled her mind in a rush of images so vivid that she could almost feel his hands sweeping over her bare skin, could almost taste his lips on hers, could almost hear his low, hoarse groans of arousal and satisfaction.

Even as her face warmed and her pulse raced in reaction to those arousing flashbacks, she struggled to tamp them down again. She’d simply been caught off guard, she told herself irritably. It was only natural that unexpectedly finding Gavin in bed, half-naked, would remind her of all the times she’d seen him that way before. Just because she’d long since moved on didn’t mean she’d forgotten her reckless, youthful love affair. Just as remembering didn’t mean she hadn’t put it all safely behind her.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded. “How did you get in?”

His words roused her into a response, though she wished her voice emerged a little steadier. “I came in through the front door. What are you doing here? Did you break in?”

“Did I... No, I didn’t break in! I used my key.”

Following his sweeping gesture, she glanced toward the nightstand. Beside the plastic lantern sat a couple of medication bottles, a holstered handgun and a metal ring holding several keys. She swallowed, unable for the moment to look away from the weapon.

“Look, Jenny, I’m running on too little sleep, and I’m fairly pissed that someone got all the way into my bed without me hearing a thing, so maybe you could start explaining. Why are you here?” His voice was a growl underlain with steel. It was deeper than she remembered, but his cranky tone was familiar enough. She’d heard it often during the last few weeks of their ill-fated college romance.

She lifted her chin, refusing to be cowed by his mood. “I rented the cabin from Lizzie, the agent at the leasing company. I paid in advance for the weekend, and I have the paperwork to prove it in the other room.”

His fingers loosened even more in apparent surprise, and she took the opportunity to snatch her arm away and move a step back from the bed.

He seemed to process her explanation slowly. Perhaps his mind was fuzzy from whatever was in those prescription bottles. “Lizzie rented the cabin to you?”

She nodded. “She said there was a cancelation and that it was available.”

“Lizzie is a...”

A clap of thunder drowned out his words. Probably for the best. When the noise subsided a bit, Gavin shook his head, tossed off the sheet and swung his bare legs over the side of the bed. He wore nothing but a pair of boxer shorts. Though she’d seen him in less, that had been a long time ago, and seeing him like this now was not helping to ease the awkwardness of this encounter.

She became suddenly aware that she was standing in front of him with her wet blouse hanging open, revealing the lacy bra beneath. She reached up hastily to tug the shirt closed, fumbling with buttons. Her foot throbbed, she didn’t know where her phone had landed and her hair still dripped around her face. In her wildest imagination, she couldn’t have predicted her retreat starting out like this.

Seemingly unconcerned with his own state of undress, Gavin stood just at the edge of the lantern’s reach. Lightning flashed through the nearby window, revealing, then shadowing, his hard face and strong torso. As inappropriate as it was, considering the circumstances, she still felt a hard tug of feminine response somewhere deep inside her. The years had been very good to Gavin Locke.

She cleared her throat. “If you want to see my paperwork...”

“Come on, Jenny, you know I believe you. Besides, I’ve dealt with Lizzie enough recently to know that your story is completely plausible.”

The wind howled louder outside, so Jenny had to speak up to ask, “Are you saying she rented you the cabin for tonight, too?”

“She didn’t have to rent it to me. I own this cabin now.”

“Oh, crap.” When had he bought it? Why? She had a vague memory of it belonging to an old friend of his family’s, but she’d never imagined Gavin would now be the owner.

“You can say that again.” He shook his head in disgust. “I told Lizzie not to rent the place this week, that I needed it myself. I should have known she’d get it mixed up. She’s new at the job and she’s incompetent.”

“I...” A gust of wind blew so hard she could feel the cabin being buffeted by it. Something hit the roof above them and she cringed, glancing up instinctively. She couldn’t help thinking again of the tall trees surrounding the place. She suspected a branch had just fallen on the roof, and she hoped it wouldn’t be followed by the whole tree.

Gavin looked up, too, and then staggered, as if doing so had made him dizzy. He put out a hand to steady himself and nearly knocked the lantern off the nightstand. Without thinking, Jenny moved to steady him, her hands closing over his shoulders. He flinched away from her grip on his bandaged shoulder, and it was obvious that she’d hurt him. Even as she snatched her arms back, she realized that his skin had seemed unnaturally warm.

Frowning, she reached out again, this time laying her palm tentatively against his cheek. She tried to keep her touch relatively impersonal, merely that of a concerned nurse. “You have a fever.”

He brushed her off. “I was sleeping. I’m probably just warm from that.”

“No, it’s definitely a low-grade fever. Is your shoulder wound infected?”

“I’m taking antibiotics,” he muttered.

“Since when?”