AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nathan rose and approached the wet bar. He poured himself a drink and looked toward Alyssa. She shook her head. He didn’t attempt to serve Cullen. When neither Piper nor Emma returned, Cullen stood. “Perhaps it’s best I leave for now.”
Nathan downed his drink. “Better yet. Don’t come near my family again.”
Cullen scowled, started to say something, and thought better of it. He faced Alyssa instead. “Alyssa, it was great seeing you again. Please, when you’re back in New York, look me up.”
“She won’t.”
“Nathan, enough!” She moved ahead of him to escort Cullen to the door. Aziz appeared from nowhere to open it, and all of them froze. Rain poured in great sheets, and the sky hung heavy with dark clouds. Even before Aziz could respond, a gale wind swept in and almost whipped Alyssa off her feet. Nathan’s arm came around her waist, and he hauled her back to his chest. Not for the first time, she appreciated his strength.
“You may stay until this is over,” he said with grudging acceptance. Alyssa suspected if Cullen had been alone, Nathan would have kicked him out into the storm. He didn’t have such strong feelings against the man’s sister. Even still, Alyssa considered Nathan’s attitude blown out of proportion. Raising his voice might have been better than the cold treatment he displayed right then.
On Nathan’s orders, Aziz went off to inform Talia of the guests sticking around, maybe even spending the night. Alyssa decided to leave the two scowling men in the foyer and to go find the women. She rounded a corner, hearing voices, and came upon Piper crying at Emma’s words.
“I’m sorry. I can’t take it anymore. You’re ashamed of me, and I deserve better. We’re through. I’m leaving.”
Alyssa moaned and approached them. “I guess you haven’t heard. There’s a storm. We’re all getting cozy tonight.”
Chapter Eleven
Alyssa woke from her sleep with a start. She lay on Nathan’s chest and felt the slow rise and fall that said he hadn’t roused. What had she heard to disturb her? A shout? The clock on the bedside table read three a.m. She climbed from the bed and tiptoed to the balcony doors to pull the curtains aside. From the look of things, the storm had passed. Down the beach, someone stumbled along. She frowned. Don’t tell me that idiot woman is out there pining over her girlfriend.
She checked the bed behind her, and the memory of lying in Nathan’s arms washed over her. The pull came on too strong, driving her to want to stay at his side or feel him on top of her again like they’d done earlier. No, she couldn’t do that knowing Piper wandered outside with a broken heart. No one in her family knew the truth, so waking someone else seemed pointless. She doesn’t even like me!
Grumbling, Alyssa pulled on the clothing she’d discarded whe
n she and Nathan came upstairs to bed. She chose flip-flops for easy removal once she walked on the sand and then left the room. Outside, a cool wind stirred her hair. She pushed the tendrils away as she scanned the beach. Piper had disappeared. With a sigh, Alyssa turned to walk around to the front of the house, but movement to her left stopped her. Someone else was out here. She was sure she’d seen the hulking figure of a man. Fear tightened the muscles in her throat, and she forced a swallow. Time to go back in the house, where safety lay.
Clouds drifted in the sky, allowing the moon to shine brighter and illuminate the beach even more. The gentle waves lapped at the shore, giving a creepy and a peaceful feel to the night. She took a few steps back to the house, and then an unmistakable shout rang out. That had been Piper.
Alyssa ran in the direction she’d heard the woman, and this time she spotted Piper standing up from the sand. She swayed on her feet, and Alyssa shook her head. Drunk at three in the morning and on the beach. Talk about dangerous.
“Piper!” Alyssa picked up the pace, but the wet sand dragged at her feet and seemed deeper than previous days she’d walked there. She gained ground on the woman and opened her mouth to call out again when something jerked her from behind. She went down hard, the wind knocked out of her chest.
“Alyssa, are you okay?”
She froze. “Cullen, what are you doing out here?”
He squatted beside her, serene as if they had run into each other during the day and not the middle of the night, as if he hadn’t just stopped her from helping Piper. Her heart hammered, and her mouth had gone dry. A buzzing in her head made it feel like she’d pass out any second, but by force of will, she struggled to calm down.
“I was forced to spend the night, remember?”
She peered over her shoulder in the direction she’d seen Piper. The woman had disappeared again. “I have to go. I think Piper’s upset and drunk. It’s not safe out here for her.”
“Yeah, even a peaceful place like this can bring trouble for a woman.”
She eyed him, wondering if he meant someone other than Piper—like her. Did he hold it against her that much because she’d turned him down? The man should be able to get any woman he wanted.
“I’m glad you understand.” She stood, but he grabbed her arm. A jerk away didn’t unsettle his grip, and she frowned at him. “Let me go, Cullen.”
“Come riding on my boat with me.”
“Are you nuts? It’s the middle of the night.”
“Best time. No one will disturb us.”
“I don’t think so. Now let me go before I scream.”
For a moment, she thought he wouldn’t, but he released his clasp and stepped back, holding his hands up in surrender. “See? I’m not a bad guy.”
