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The deep flush of temper slowly receded from Bernard's face as he glanced at B.J. Jerking his chin to send the newcomer on his way, he wiped at his lower lip with the back of one hand, smearing a tiny trickle of blood.
Playing rapidly on her advantage, she spoke again. “I must apologize for my husband, Bernard. He tends to be overprotective when it comes to me.”
“There's no need for you to apologize, Mrs. Andreas. A man must protect his most valuable asset, isn't that right, Daniel?”
Daniel's arm twitched again, as if he was strongly tempted to hit Bernard again. B.J. held on tightly, her heart in her throat.
“I want to talk to Drake,” Daniel growled. “Now.”
“I'm sorry, Mr. Drake is away from the resort this morning. I'm sure he'll want to meet with you as soon as he returns.”
“That's just as well,” B.J. said firmly. “It will give my husband a chance to get his temper under control.”
She tried to inject wifely exasperation into her tone, calling on memories of her mother's voice when she was annoyed with her husband of more than thirty years.
Bernard motioned toward the walkway that led back to their suite. “I'm sure you'd like to rest and freshen up. Coffee and brunch will be sent to your suite as soon as you let the staff know you're ready.”
“Thank you,” B.J. said, keeping a firm grip on Daniel's arm. “We would like to go to our suite for a while. Come along, Daniel.”
She was almost surprised when he complied without further resistance.
B.J. was prepared by now for Daniel to sweep the rooms for listening devices when they returned, and he did so swiftly. Only then did he return to where she waited in the sitting room.
“You played that scene with Bernard perfectly,” he surprised her by saying. “Exactly the way I hoped you would.”
“Who was playing?” she demanded, planting her fists on her hips to stare at him. “I thought he was going to pound you into the sand. And then order that other guy to shoot you to finish you off. Did you see the look on Bernard's face when you hit him? He was furious.”
With a rueful look on his face, Daniel flexed his right hand. “The guy's got a jaw made of granite. I thought I'd crushed my knuckles.”
“Then why did you hit him?”
He shrugged. “I can't afford to be seen as weak in front of these guys. They know I know we were stranded there deliberately. I couldn't let it pass without striking back.”
“This whole situation just gets more ridiculous by the minute,” she muttered, turning away in disgust. “I swear men have a broken chromosome or something that makes them act like idiots.”
“You won't hear any argument from me,” he replied with an undertone of amusement. “But since that's the equipment that was issued to me, I've got to make the most of it if I want to win the game.”
“Let me guess. The one who dies with the most toys wins?”
“Close. The one who stays alive longest with the most toys wins.”
“And the one who gets killed trying to collect those toys?” she asked in little more than a whisper.
“That guy should have stayed on the bench.”
Moistening her lips, she looked over her shoulder at him. “And what about the people who get in the way?”
After only a slight hesitation he answered, “Usually, even despite the player's best intentions, they get run over.”
Having carried the strained metaphor as far as she could take it, B.J. turned abruptly toward the bedroom. “I'm going to take a shower.”
He made no move to detain her.
Ten minutes later she stood with her eyes closed and her face turned into the warm water cascading from the brass-plated shower head. The shower soothed her skin and relaxed her tight muscles, but it couldn't wash away the memories of the previous night that would probably haunt her for the rest of her life. Nor could it dilute the fear that something terrible would happen to Daniel if he continued on his present course—whatever that was.
When Daniel's big hands closed gently on her shoulders, she gasped, nearly inhaling a mouthful of water. She had forgotten how very silently he could move. How unpredictably he could behave. And when those hands slid around to gently cup her small, wet breasts, she moaned and went liquid in his arms.
“It occurred to me,” he murmured against the back of her neck, “that I never told you how special this morning was for me.”
