“We’ll leave for the ship after lunch, so sleep in. I’m sure you’ll need it after tonight’s events. I’ll take Sienna to breakfast. Then we’ll do a little shopping. Take the extra time to pack and read the material the doctors faxed me. We should be back by lunchtime. Call your family and tell them what we discussed. I’m sure they’ll love to hear the news from you.”
“I will.”
“And let your mother know I’m doing this for you, Alexandria, not her,” he added and left.
Through flooded eyes, I stared after him as he disappeared into his bedroom. He knew about Mom. He might not have said it, but he knew about our strained relationship. Maybe that was why they’d asked me to move in with them years ago.
I turned off the lights and locked myself in the bathroom so I wouldn’t wake up Sienna with my sobs. My brother could walk again. No, he would walk again. And run. And play ball and be happy. He’d go back to being the cocky guy who used to drive me crazy years ago.
Part of me wanted to call him and tell him the news now, but it was close to midnight in Idaho, and he often went to bed early after taking his meds. I texted him instead and then washed my face. Red-rimmed violet eyes stared back at me when I glanced in the mirror. I smiled. Tonight would have ended differently because of my valiant pool adventure, but this was perfect.
Snores came from Sienna’s bed when I left the bathroom. She was going to be over the moon. Before the year was over, she and her father would be as close as I had been with mine after my mother died, I vowed. It was the least I could do.
I crawled into the second bed, but I was wound up too tight to sleep. Smiling, I stared at the ceiling. Tommy walking again was something I’d hoped for but never thought would happen. Things were about to change because of one man and one decision I’d made six years ago.
Keith Sinclair was the richest man in my hometown, Clairfield, Idaho, and the heir to the Sinclair fortune, which included mines around the country and abroad. Great-great-grandpa Sinclair had owned mines around the area and founded the town. In fact, it was originally called Sinclair Town, but one of their ancestors changed it to Clairtown and then Clairfield. The Sinclair name was still on most of the buildings.
Despite their many properties across the country, the Sinclairs always maintained their mansion in Clairfield. So no one had been surprised when Keith, the only son to Old Man Sinclair, had brought home his bride from California and settled there. The local gossips had said the marriage wouldn’t last because Myrna, a former model, had been used to the limelight. She’d proven them wrong. She’d loved the quiet life. Then her health had started to fail. That was why I’d gotten the babysitting job right after Sienna was born.
After Myrna died, Keith Sinclair had packed up and moved to his other home in Malibu. I’d thought I’d never see Sienna again. A week later, right after I graduated, Mr. Sinclair had come back and offered me the nanny job for the summer, and now for a year. I still couldn’t believe it. Tommy wasn’t going to either. Maybe Mother would stop resenting me so much. A few more tears escaped, but I was smiling as I fell asleep.
Something woke me up hours later. Naturally, my eyes flew to Sienna’s bed. It was empty. Then I felt the warm bundle curled up beside me. I chuckled, starting to sit up.
Oh, forget it. I was letting her stay for the rest of the night.
My eyelids started to close. The next second, they flew open. We weren’t alone in the room. Even in the dark, I caught a movement from the corner of my eyes.
Heart pounding, I slowly turned my head, and my eyes met the shadow looming over us. He was so close the rest of him blurred except his eyes. I’d recognize those silver eyes anywhere.
What the…? Instead of fear, anger slammed through me. “You have five seconds to get the hell out of my room before I scream.”
He lowered his head and sniffed just like he’d done earlier. This time he made a disgusted sound. “I don’t get it.”
So I hadn’t washed off the chlorine from my hair after I jumped into the pool to save his annoying ass. That didn’t mean I stank.
“Get out,” I snarled between clenched teeth, my hands clenching.
“You are a prickly one.” Amusement sharpened his voice.
“And you are a pervert. Leave before I call the police.”
“Your police mean nothing to me.” He straightened but continued to peer at me.
My fist shot out and connected with his nose. The crunch didn’t surprise me. I threw mean punches. Came from fighting bullies all my life. He cursed and staggered backward.
“What was that for?” he asked with outrage.
“For being in my room, you jackass.” Sienna stirred. I reached behind me and put my arm on top of her. “Out before I scream,” I snarled.
“I think you broke my nose,” he mumbled.
“Good. That will teach you not to sneak into people’s rooms.”
“I’m going to enjoy taming you, she’lahn. Just wait and see.” He walked to the door leading to the balcony, his movement so fast his coat flew behind him. He opened the curtains and disappeared outside.
Pissed, I went and locked the door. The sick piece of shit. Who breaks into someone’s hotel room and sniffs them? Tame me? Who did he think he was?
A paralyzing numbness spread through my body, and my eyelids grew heavy. I staggered, barely crawling beside Sienna before my eyes closed. It was as though some force was pulling me under.
Had that man pulled the mind control crap he’d laid on the woman earlier? I fought to stay awake and analyze what had just happened, but the fog spread fast, dulling my mind and my senses. The bastard hypnotized me was my last thought before darkness sucked me under.
CHAPTER 3
Light filtering through the curtains woke me up. I sat up and naturally turned to check on Sienna. She was gone, and her pajamas were on the floor. Typical. Events of last night rushed back, and I jumped out of bed. Had I imagined Mr. Sinclair telling me about my brother’s surgery and offering to watch Sienna while I packed?
Another memory teased me, but it was hazy. Something else had happened last night. I sneezed. Not once but three times. Hell and damnation. I couldn’t afford to be sick on a cruise. This was payback for being impulsive. No more saving idiotic, ungrateful jackasses.
Then, the memories from last night gelled, and anger followed. That silver-eyed fiend had snuck into my room to smell me. And what had he said? He didn’t get it? Didn’t get what? That a puny girl saved his ass from drowning? I hoped he’d spent the night in excruciating pain from a broken nose. Taming me? In his fucking dreams.
Mr. Sinclair wasn’t in his room. I called him first and confirmed he and Sienna were together. Then I dialed my brother’s number. Tommy didn’t pick up. Damn. I’d wanted to share the good news with him first before calling the Wicked Witch.
“Did you mail us more money?” was her first response.
“Not yet.”
“Then why are you calling me? Send it. Then call me back.”
“Wait. Please. Listen.” She didn’t hang up, so I talked, and she actually listened without interrupting. Then she started to cry. I was surprised. In the last two years, she’d become so impatient with Tommy I’d forgotten she loved him. “Don’t cry, please.”
“This is the best news I’ve heard in a long time. My baby will walk again. Play ball. He might even go pro.”
I grimaced. “Let’s take it one step at a time.”
She laughed. “I can’t help it. What a nice a man. Thank Mr. Sinclair for us. I’m happy he offered to help us and you, for once, decided not to be selfish and sacrificed something for your brother.” She went on and on about what I owed my brother.
Don’t respond. Let it go. Go to your relaxing place. I was under water, drifting, relaxing. Her voice became a distant drone. Despite what Mr. Sinclair had said, I hadn’t told her he was helping Tommy because of me. Unfortunately, it would have only shut her up for about a minute before she came up with an
other angle of attack.
“Now, will you send us more money?” The grating hard tone returned, and my peace disappeared.
“I will. Tell Tommy I called.”
I logged onto my bank account and sent her the money, then showered and rummaged through my suitcase for something to wear. Shorts, sports bra, and a nice lacy top.
Breakfast had been over hours ago, so I didn’t bother going downstairs. No loss there. The hotel food sucked. Or maybe I’d become a snob from months of living with the Sinclairs. The last two days, we’d gone to a nearby bistro for breakfast.
I threw my wet pajamas from last night and Sienna’s dirty clothes into the washer and packed while they washed. Once they were dry, I finished packing the suitcases and rolled them to the living room, ready for the trip to Port Canaveral. I did a last minute check of the rooms and my overnight bag.
Passport, phone, e-reader, laptop, Sienna’s favorite mermaid book, and a change of clothing for both of us. I was ready and set for this cruise. Nothing could possibly go wrong.
I sneezed. Damn. I needed cold meds. I grabbed my laptop, a keycard, and the manila envelope Mr. Sinclair had given me last night, and left our suite.
Something did go wrong the second I entered the foyer. My I’m-looking-forward-to-my-first-cruise good mood disappeared when I spied Storm and his men near the entrance. They were even bigger in daylight.
Levi and Mr. Nice were having a heated conversation while Storm listened without contributing. All three men wore black tank shirts, matching cotton pants with strings on the side, and funny looking boots with big flaps. One would think they were members of some elite military unit, all muscles and chiseled bodies, and similar tattoos around their necks and arms.
But the tattoos said they lived by their own rules. Levi must spend hours in front of a mirror grooming that moustache and beard of his. If he weren’t such a shithead, I’d say he was the hottest black guy I’d ever seen, and I’d seen some hot ones on the screen. Clairfield had zero diversity.
Mr. Nice’s long and wavy mane was in a man bun again, and he kept stroking his beard. Even from here, I could see his long lashes and sexy lips. I still thought he was the prettiest of the three.
Storm looked even more unapproachable during the day, hard, in your face, and features chiseled as though made out of marble. His shaggy hair was messy as if he’d run his fingers through it. I hoped his nose still hurt. From where I stood, I couldn’t tell whether it was swollen or not. I hoped it swallowed his face.
Ignoring them, I walked to the little mini mart by the front desk and selected something to eat—yogurt, a bag of nuts, and apple juice. I added a box of cold meds to my purchases.
“Those won’t be necessary,” Storm’s familiar voice said from behind me. The sudden change in air temperature should have warned me. The man generated heat like an oven.
I pretended he wasn’t there, but my body betrayed me. I sneezed. Twice. Shit. Pissed that he’d witnessed it, I skirted around him and took my purchases to the front desk. He followed.
“I’d like to charge this to our suite, please,” I told the lady behind the desk. We’d been at the hotel for two days while Mr. Sinclair finished his business meetings, and Sienna had picked up a few things from their store, so the front desk staff knew who I was and our suite number.
“I said you don’t need these.” A masculine hand plucked the boxes from the counter and replaced them with two boxes of day and night cold gels.
The cashier’s eyes drifted to the area above my head, so I knew she was staring at him. I refused to turn around and acknowledge him even though the heat burning my back indicated he was close behind me.
“I already bought some when I heard you sneeze upstairs,” he added, sounding amused.
Don’t talk to him. Don’t talk to… Wait.
“You heard me?”
The cashier’s dreamy gaze didn’t shift.
“I have exceptional hearing, Lexi. Or should I call you Alexandria?”
Bet he hid Spock ears under all that thick hair. “I don’t need anything from you, Storm.”
“Too bad. You said you’d hold me responsible if you caught a cold. You caught a cold. Now be a good lass and accept my offer gracefully.”
Really? Was that how he wanted to handle this? With disdain and holier-than-thou attitude? I turned, hating that I had to look up past his chest, strong, masculine neck, and chiseled lips to meet his eyes. His nose wasn’t broken. It looked normal. Hell, it looked perfect.
Oh, and those eyes. They were lethal and full of something that made my stomach clench, and I hated it. Why did nature gift such gorgeous eyes to this despicable man? He wasn’t handsome in the classical way. Apart, each of his features would not be considered perfect. But together, they created an unforgettable face. Then there was his body.
What was he anyway? A walking ad for body perfection? The black tank top spread taut across his broad chest and hinted at his rock-hard six-pack. It didn’t help that I’d seen a lot more than hints last night.
He stepped closer as though he had to be in my personal space. When he lowered his head and took a sharp inhale, I wanted to deck him. He didn’t just smell my hair again.
What the heck was his problem? I had shampooed my hair this time, and it smelled amazing. I turned my head and sniffed. Yep. I smelled like a million bucks, thank you very much.
My annoyance must have shown because he put some distance between us. Keep going, pal. Perv with hair fetish.
Everything about him bugged me. His broad shoulders, his narrow hips, and even the way he planted his powerful legs like he was some freaking king of the hill. My instincts told me to walk away, but I refused to give him the satisfaction. I was here first.
He crossed his arms and studied me with narrowed eyes, a tiny smile curling the corner of his lips. I’d bet some women found his I’m-hot-and-I-know-it attitude appealing. Not this girl. I might window shop, but I wasn’t buying, and assholeness wasn’t cute.
“Go away,” I said.
“I will as soon as you take the bottles, Alexandria.” He glanced at the woman behind the desk, who needed a tissue to wipe her drool.
Way to set back the women’s liberation movement a decade, lady. Couldn’t she see what an arrogant creep he was?
“Actually, charge all her purchases to my suite, she’lahn. She did something foolish because of me, and not only is she sick now, she missed breakfast this morning.” There was a subtle change in the timbre of his voice. Just like last night, it became smooth and hypnotic, and the sexy accent returned.
“Of course, sir,” the front desk lovesick idiot said, her grin so wide it rivaled the Grand Canyon.
“Could you tell the kitchen to make her something decent to eat?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. She’ll wait for it.”
My jaw dropped when the woman left to do his bidding. He turned as though to leave, and I blocked him. I only reached his chest, but I was ready to annihilate him.
“I don’t need your charity, so you better call her back or undo whatever mind control you pulled to make her obey you. And FYI, I didn’t do something foolish. I thought you were drowning and dived into that pool with one thought in mind. To rescue you.”
“I didn’t need to be rescued.”
“You were drowning.” I threw my hands and stepped back. “I don’t know why I’m explaining myself to you, Neanderthal.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Perhaps you feel guilty for eavesdropping on my conversation? Heard anything interesting, she’lahn?”
Heat rushed to my face. I was seriously beginning to hate that word she’lahn. It sounded just as insulting as Tuh’ren.
“Do you mean before you decided to off yourself?” I asked. “Next time try for privacy before discussing personal matters.” I stepped back, and he followed. “And FYI, most people seek therapy when they’ve lost someone and face their problems head-on, not take a coward’s way out and jump.”
“Kissed you?” I injected as much loathing in those two words as I could possibly muster. “You’re the last person I’d want to lock lips with.”
“Yet you did. Yes, my friends told me. Then you pounded on my chest like a crazed person.” He rubbed his chest, his tank top sliding up with each movement to reveal the skin around his waist. I was determined not to stare. I’d gotten an eyeful of his nether regions to last me a lifetime. “Now you defame my character. So let’s hear it.”
Of all the ungrateful… “Giving you mouth-to-mouth and pumping on your chest is part of CPR, pal. I’m not apologizing for either.”
“CP what?”
What was it with these people? “Don’t pretend you don’t know what it means. And what were you doing sneaking into my room in the early morning, huh?”
His eyebrows shot up. “You dreamed about me? What did we do? I hope it was fun.”
“For me, yes. You, not so much. I broke your nose. You’re lucky I didn’t call the police.” He went a few shades paler under his tan while I grinned with devilish glee.
“I was not in your room, Alexandria.”
“Yeah, it was your doppelgänger. Please, do I look like an idiot to you?”
“I don’t sneak around.” He leaned closer and added in a low voice, “When I claim you as mine, I’ll do it openly and in front of my people.”
“Oh gee, really? And here I was hoping you’d corner me on your balcony in the middle of the night to do it in secret.” I hoped he got the sarcasm. Men like him rarely did. From the corner of my eye, I saw the woman manning the front desk return. I faced her, but her bright smile was for him.
“I’m sorry, but the kitchen is closed for breakfast. There are several nearby restaurants that cater to our guests. I could call them and have them deliver something.”
I wanted to snap my fingers in front of her eyes to get her attention.
Storm: Phantom Islanders Part I Page 4