Stormy Passion by Brenda Jernigan Page A

Angus and Nettie's place had
survived the storm intact. They had a generator, so a few things
worked.
    Adrian leaned back against the hard chair and
continued his vigil, waiting for Dani to come to. If he shut his
eyes, he could still see the water tearing her out of his arms.
He'd barely had time to put the life jacket into her hand, before
the water overcame them.
    Dani moaned, and he turned his attention to
her. Would there be irreparable harm? Again, he wished he'd sent
Dani away where she would have been safe.
    He heard the door open behind him.
    Nettie quietly crossed the room and touched
his shoulder. “How's the lass?”
    Adrian jerked around. “Still unconscious.” He
bent his head and massaged the back of his neck. “I thought by now
she'd be awake.”
    “ The lass has been through
aplenty. It might take a little while, but don't ye fret none. I
checked her vital signs, and she's fine. My nursing ability only
goes so far, however. If Danielle doesn't come to by this
afternoon, we'll radio for a helicopter.
    “ Don't ye want to get some
rest, son? Ye've not had a bit of sleep since the hurricane hit.
I'll be glad to sit with her for a little while.”
    “ Thanks, Nettie, but she's
my responsibility. I'll stay until she opens her eyes.”
    After Nettie left, Adrian cursed himself
again for endangering Dani's life. How arrogant he’d been to
believe that he could outwit Mother Nature. He should have sent her
home, and he would as soon as she was able to travel. He closed his
eyes and drew in a deep, long breath. This simple weekend away had
turned out to be anything but simple.
    Adrian rubbed his thumb across the top of her
hand. He'd dared her to take a chance, and look where it had left
her. A pang of guilt washed over him. Laying his head down on the
bed, he reluctantly closed his eyes, silently praying that Dani
would wake up and not hate him.
    Somehow that was very important. Even if he
wasn’t sure why.
    Adrian didn't know how long he’d slept before
he felt a slight flutter of something against his hand.
Immediately, his head came up, and he was wide awake. He stared
into a pair of confused blue eyes, shimmering with tears. And
something else he couldn't quite read.
    “ How do you feel?” he
asked.
    She blinked a couple of times, then touched
her dry lips with the tip of her tongue. “You-you're not dead.”
    “ No.” He smiled, saying a
small prayer of thanks that she was alive. Apparently, she cared
enough to worry about him. “I'm very much alive.”
    Adrian reached for a glass of water from the
nightstand. “Here, take a sip.” He held the glass to her lips,
supported her head, then watched as she managed a few sips. He
couldn't remember when he'd taken care of someone, he thought as he
returned the glass to the nightstand.
    “ But I couldn't find you.
There was so much water.” Dani thrashed her head around in
confusion. Adrian placed his arm across her chest, taking her hands
to calm her.
    “ I thought you'd drowned,”
she whispered when she stilled. Her eyes focused on him. A tear
trickled out of the corner of her eye, and he felt like he'd been
slugged in the stomach as emotions he hadn't felt in a long time
came alive.
    She cried for him. Not Steven.
    For him.
    When was the last time a woman had cried for
him? His wife had had the ability to turn her tears on like a
spigot when she wanted something, but there was no mistaking that
Dani’s tears were genuine. Adrian hadn't realized how much his
ex-wife had soured him against women until he'd met Dani.
    “ What happened?” Dani asked
as she struggled to sit up.
    “ The hurricane paid us a
little visit.” Adrian grabbed a couple of pillows and placed them
behind her back before he spoke. “Tomorrow I'm going back to look
at the house.”
    “ Where are we? And how long
have I been in bed?”
    “ At Angus and Nettie's. And
you’ve been unconscious for about twenty-four hours. Since we’re on
a small island it takes longer to