Page 32 of Hideaway Reunion

Brayden frowned at her. “You think the storm will hang around that long?” He blotted his hair with the towel, then peeled off his shirt.

“No, of course not.” She really hoped she wasn’t drooling. But seriously, the man’s chest was a work of art. And he loved her. Had kissed her. He didn’t pressure her for more, leaving it up to her how much she reciprocated and how fast things moved. If they moved at all.

How much time did she need?

It felt as if she’d already lost so much time to her assumption that being more than friends was too much of a leap. Too much risk. Yet here he was, seemingly okay with all of it, exercising incredible patience while she decided how she felt.

“Roni?”

She’d just stopped, sort of frozen in place as her world shifted on its axis. Again. Seriously, how many upheavals did one woman need? She clutched the towel in her hands without using it while her hair and clothing dripped on the floor.

“Hey.” He stepped closer, bringing all that masculine temptation with him. “You okay?”

“Oh, sure.” She thought her face might crack with her sudden smile. “Of course. I… I was thinking about cleanup and contingency plans.” Liar. “Fast, strong storms can leave debris everywhere.” She didn’t mention her concerns about microbursts. Those intense weather pockets could create excessive damage.

With trembling hands, now that the air conditioning had chilled her skin, she dried her hair. No point in focusing on yet another potentially negative outcome. They weren’t planning on hosting inside the house tomorrow. Everything had been slated for an outdoor event. She could shift things around if necessary, but the whole point was to have fun out on the private beach, to remind people that it was there and protected for a reason.

“You’re shaking.” Brayden took the towel and bundled it around her. His fingers brushed her skin and she shivered more. “You’re freezing.”

“Rain and AC will do that.” He was already nudging her along toward the suite. “Why aren’t you affected?”

“Who says I’m not?” His voice had dropped to a low grumble and chased the chill away with a zing of anticipation. He stopped at the bathroom door and gave her a nudge. “Go on and get warmed up.”

“And you?” Should she just invite him to share the hot water? That would be one way to leap over the friendship hurdle and straight into lovers’ territory. Maybe that was exactly what she needed to do. “Bray⁠—”

Suddenly the lights flashed, dimmed, and went out completely. She wasn’t sure what to make of that as a sign for or against her idea to charge headlong into a new phase of being with Brayden.

Silence descended over the entire house. All the usual ambient noises were quiet. The only sounds were the howling wind and rain pelting against the house.

“I’ll go turn on the generator,” Brayden said. “Stay here.” Using the flashlight on his phone, he went for a clean, dry shirt.

“I won’t.” If he could strip, so could she. “You start the generator, I’ll pull the shutter over the slider.” She wiggled out of her tank top and tossed it toward the bathroom. His phone gave off enough light for her to find a warmer t-shirt. And her jacket this time. Not much point in changing her shorts until they were back inside.

When she looked up from zipping her jacket, he was staring at her. Hard. As if seeing her for the first time. Surely, she’d changed shirts in front of him before. Never without a sports bra, though. Was that the issue?

Lightning flashed, followed by a bellow of thunder that shook the windows. They both flinched. “Come on.” She held out her hand. When he took it, she knew the next time they touched, she’d be ready for more. “Let’s do this.”

A slow smile lifted Brayden’s mouth and she followed her intuition. Kissing him, fast and quick, before they stepped into the storm again.

She was wrestling with the latch for the protective door when a deafening, explosive crack rent the air. Lightning strike in the trees. Way too close. Ozone stung the air and she sneezed.

“Brayden!” She spun around, searching through the darkness for a broken tree limb or flames, grateful she didn’t see anything near the house.

A heartbeat later came the crash and shudder of a limb hitting the ground. But it wasn’t as simple as that. There were more sounds in the mix. And a flash of orange sparks arcing up from the construction site.

But it wasn’t the falling limb that made her heart stop.

It was the scream.

CHAPTER 11

Brayden heard Roni’s shout and the scream that followed. He came racing around the house, arms pumping and feet pounding. His heart was lodged in his throat. Was she hit? Injured?

“Roni!” he roared, spotting her bright yellow jacket. “Wait!”

She was running away from the house, into the tree line. In nothing but those cutoff shorts and a flimsy jacket. The scrub brush in those trees would scratch and scrape her legs. What was she thinking?

As if she’d read his mind, she turned and called back over her shoulder, “Someone’s hurt.”