by Ginna Gray
"Oh, my Lord. He got the building super to let him in!"
Dani looked down at her crumpled flannel gown and groaned. She didn't want to see Jason at all. And most especially not looking as she did. Her complexion was a ghastly gray, her runny nose was red and swollen, her eyes were watery and her hair, which hadn't been washed in almost a week, was a tangled, oily mess.
The soft thud of the door being shut jerked Dani out of her horrified stupor, and with a little squeak she tottered the last few feet, dove into the bed and stuck her head under the pillow, pulling the covers over for good measure.
After a moment the mattress tilted as Jason sat down beside her on the edge of the bed. The cover was pulled down to her waist and hard hands gripped her upper arms. "Come on, honey. It won't do you any good to hide under there."
"Go away," Dani insisted, but the words were merely a muffled croak that Jason ignored.
"Don't be silly, love. Come on out," he coaxed as he tossed aside the pillow and turned her over. "I need to see just how sick you are."
His face wore a look of concern and his gravelly voice was amazingly soft and tender, but Dani was too upset to notice. When he tried to feel her forehead she batted his hand away. "Go away! You have no right to be here! Just go away and leave me alone!" she cried, but Jason merely brushed her protest aside.
"There now, honey. Don't get yourself upset," he crooned as he reached to pull her into his arms. "Besides, I love you. That gives me the right."
Weakened by her illness and the stress of the past ten days, Dani's defenses crumbled and she struck out at him with her fists. "Stop it! Stop it!" she cried, raining weak ineffectual blows across his chest and shoulders. "Just cut out the act! You don't love me. You only want to marry me because I'm intelligent and attractive. I know that now, so you can stop pretending."
"Hey. Hey. What is this?" Jason lowered her back down to the pillows and captured her flailing hands, pinning them to the bed on either side of her head as he studied her resentful face. "What are you talking about?"
"You're just like all the others," Dani accused him bitterly in a rasping little voice. "My natural mother, my adoptive parents, Chad, Frank Manders—they all just wanted to use me."
Puzzled, Jason frowned at her vehemence. "Use you? How?"
"Frank wanted me to marry his weak-kneed son just so there would be someone to run his business when he retired. Chad butters me up so that I will continue to finance his education." Dani lay limp, drained by her struggles, her chest heaving, but she managed to glare at him defiantly.
"And the others?"
Dani laughed weakly. "Ah, yes, the others. My mother used me to hold on to my father when their marriage was failing, threatening to take me and disappear if he ever tried to divorce her. Then, after he died in a car crash, she could hardly wait to dump me." At Jason's blank look Dani smiled starkly and looked him right in the eye. "My mother didn't die. She gave me away. Signed papers putting me up for adoption and took off like a shot."
"My God."
Jason's face paled but Dani pretended not to notice. "Sophie and Joe adopted me almost at once, and at first they seemed delighted to have me. But they didn't really want me. As I told you, I was merely their catalyst. Once they had children of their own I was shoved into the background."
Dani looked at Jason resentfully, her blue eyes for once blazing with temper as she spewed out all the pent-up hurt and resentment she had kept inside for years. "And you? You want only the best, don't you, Jason? Especially when it comes to the mother of your children. She has to be someone who can give you heirs who are not only beautiful, but bright enough to hold on to all you've managed to accumulate. Isn't that right?"
Releasing her hands, Jason sat up and stared at her in silence for a moment. Then to Dani's astonishment he threw his head back and roared with laughter.
"Oh, sweetheart, you're not nearly as bright as I thought you were if you really believe that I want you only because you're beautiful and brainy," he choked. "Have you by any chance looked in a mirror lately?"
Dani shot him a resentful look, then lowered her eyes sullenly, her fingers plucking at the full sleeves of her flannel gown. "I'm sick," she muttered in an offended voice.
"I know, sweetheart," he said tenderly, cupping her chin and forcing her head up until she met his caressing gaze. "And you look perfectly wretched, but right at this moment I love you as much as it is humanly possible for a man to love a woman."
Dani was totally taken aback. She stared at him, her expression faintly shocked. "I don't believe you," she said after a moment, but the accusation was halfhearted at best, and in her eyes hope mingled with doubt and fear.
"You will," Jason pronounced confidently. "But we'll straighten all that out later. For now we need to concentrate on getting you well."
"I don't need you to take care of me," Dani said aggressively, her wan colorless face mutinous.
But the words were barely out of her mouth when her rebellious stomach gave a mighty heave. Dani threw back the covers with a moan and scrambled
from the bed. With Jason's help she just managed to make it to the bathroom in time.
"Yes, I can certainly see that you don't need my help," he said a moment later as he gently washed her face with a cool cloth.
Dani was weak and shivering and didn't have the strength to retort. When he lifted her in his arms to carry her back to bed, she laid her head listlessly on his shoulder, too spent to care one way or the other.
When he had her settled Jason tucked the covers up under her chin and stuck a thermometer in her mouth. He disappeared into the bathroom and returned a few minutes later with a wet washcloth that he folded lengthwise and laid across her forehead. After plucking the thermometer from Dani's mouth he held it up to the light and squinted at it, and his pale brows shot upward. "We've got to get some liquids down you," he stated emphatically, and turned on his heel and left.
He was back in a few minutes, carrying a cup.
"What is that?" Dani demanded suspiciously when he eased her up into a sitting position.
"Tea. It will help settle your stomach."
Dani groaned. "No, it won't. I already tried that and it won't stay down."
"Probably because you drank too much at one time." The cup he lifted to her lips contained, at most, a tablespoon of tea. It was barely a swallow but sliding down Dani's parched throat it felt deliciously wet, and she sighed. "If that stays down you can have another ounce in about half an hour," he told her.
Miraculously, it did stay down. And so did the next swallow, and after that Jason doled it out to her every ten minutes until Dani finally drifted off to sleep.
When she awoke three hours later her fever was down somewhat, but she was cranky and listless and her back hurt abominably.
Jason dribbled more tea down her and rubbed her back, and she dozed off again.
The procedure was repeated throughout the day, and finally by evening Dani seemed a little better and had only a light fever, though she was still weak and fretful. Jason fed her a soda cracker and a cup of clear broth for dinner. Afterward he wrapped her in a blanket and set her in a chair while he changed the sheets. By the time he tucked her in bed again Dani was so exhausted she fell asleep in the middle of telling him that she was much better and he could go home.
The next morning when she awoke her temperature was normal and the nausea was completely gone. She was still weak as a kitten but feeling well enough to be uncomfortably aware of her grubby state.
I've got to have a shower, she told herself, resolutely throwing back the covers. The room dipped and wavered when she stood on her feet and Dani grabbed for the bedpost and held on tight. When it finally righted itself she shakily inched her way toward the bathroom. She was halfway there when Jason entered the room.
"What the devil do you think you're doing?" he thundered. "Get back in bed!"
Dani jumped and stumbled and had to grab hold of the dresser to keep from falling.
Jason was beside her in a blink, scooping her up into his arms.
"Oh, Jason, please," Dani wailed. "I've got to have a bath."
Frowning, he started to refuse, but the pleading look on her pale face got to him, and he hesitated beside the bed. "Please, Jason," she wheedled. "I feel so yucky."
He grimaced, relenting. She was so weak she could barely stand, but he knew it would probably make her feel better. "Okay. But I'm warning you, the door stays open and I'll be standing guard right outside."
He ran a warm bath, then carried her into the bathroom and set her down beside the tub. When he started to unbutton her gown she stopped him, giving him an indignant look that made him laugh. "Okay, okay," he desisted, holding his hands up and backing away. "But just remember, I'll be right outside. If I hear any loud thumps or even long silences I'll be back, modest or not."
At first all he heard was gentle splashing, but when that was followed by the sound of spraying water he pushed away from the wall, frowning. "Dani, what are you doing?"
"Don't worry. I'm still sitting down. I'm just rinsing with the hand-held shower."
"Oh." Jason subsided back against the wall, only to come springing away from it again a few minutes later when the sound of water gurgling down the drain was followed by a loud thump and a splash. "What the devil are—"
He bit off the question then poked his head around the door and saw Dani struggling to climb out of the tub. Muttering darkly, he crossed the room in two strides, grasped her under the arms and plucked her out.
"Jason!" Dani shrieked, trying desperately to cover herself with her arms. But it wasn't her body that drew Jason's attention. It was the wet tendrils of hair that hung around her shoulders.
"Dammit! You washed your hair," he accused, breathing fire. "I knew I shouldn't have left you alone in here. Now you'll probably get pneumonia."
"Will you please get out of here!"
The shrill pitch of Dani's voice finally penetrated Jason's rage, and for the first time he noticed her utter mortification, her futile, frantic little attempts to protect her modesty, and his face softened. Still holding her by the shoulders, he stepped back and slowly, leisurely took in every dip and curve of her slender body. "Oh, love, you're so beautiful," he murmured when his eyes once more met hers. Dani's breath caught when she saw the desire that was blazing in the tobacco-brown depths.
A deep flush washed over Dani from the soles of her feet to her hairline as she stood quivering under that sensual look. "Jason, please," she whispered pleadingly.
Though obviously aroused, Jason was not immune to her distress and he smiled tenderly. "Don't fret, love," he said in the softest of voices as he reached for a towel and gently wrapped it around her. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. And anyway, in a couple of weeks you'll be my wife, so there's no reason to be so skittish."
Though Dani's heart gave a little leap at the calm statement, she stared at him belligerently. "I broke our engagement, remember?" she said, but her voice lacked conviction and she knew it. He seemed so sure of himself and his ability to convince her of his love. And the trouble was she wanted desperately to be convinced. Was halfway convinced already. Surely a man wouldn't play nursemaid to a woman, as he had, if he didn't love her. At least a little. Would he?
"As soon as you're well enough we'll have a quiet wedding, with just our families there," he said as he methodically dried her, blithely ignoring her statement.
Dani's growl of exasperation was lost in the folds of flannel as Jason slipped another clean granny gown over her head. She glared at him as he buttoned it up to her throat, but when he'd finished he dropped a quick kiss on her soft, mutinous mouth and said, "It'll all work out. You'll see."
"Jason, will you listen to me. We aren't—"
"Hush. We'll talk about it later."
Then, to Dani's utter astonishment, he carried her back to bed and proceeded to dry her hair.
It was an exquisitely intimate experience. There was something both touching and sexy about having this large, rugged man tend to her in such a personal way. He set her sideways so that she was propped against the headboard, and knelt behind her. As he wielded the brush and blow dryer his body touched hers repeatedly, its strength and warmth tantalizing her. Even weak as she was, Dani felt a thrilling, purely feminine response to his maleness. Every now and then he would pause and run his hand through her hair, testing its dryness, and the feel of those strong callous fingers against her scalp sent shivers skittering down her spine.
"Oh, Jason, that feels so good," she murmured sleepily as he lifted and stroked and smoothed her hair until it lay about her shoulders like a shimmering silk cape. Dani was aware of him with every cell of her body, every quivering nerve ending. But even so, the exertion of bathing had sapped her energy and the rhythmic stroking of the brush and warm rush of air made her so drowsy she was asleep before Jason could turn off the dryer.
He smiled down at her tranquil face and gently tucked the covers up around her chin. After placing a soft kiss on her forehead, he quietly left the room, pulling the door shut behind him.
Then he went straight to Dani's desk in the alcove, flipped her address book open to the L's, picked up the phone and punched out Joe and Sophie's number. When Sophie answered he said, "Mrs. Edwards, this is Jason St. Clair. I think we need to have a talk."
Chapter 11
Dani slept peacefully until noon. When she awoke, Sophie and Joe were sitting beside her bed.
She started and blinked when she saw them. "What are you two doing here?"
"And where else should we be but with our daughter when she's sick?" Sophie chided gently, patting her hand.
"Your mother's right," Joe muttered in agreement. "You should have called us."
There was hurt and sadness and deep regret in their eyes, and seeing it, Dani felt a knot of unease tightening in her chest. Looking down at her hands, she nervously plucked at the blanket "He told you, didn't he?"
"Yes. Everything." There was a moment of charged silence, then Sophie grasped Dani's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Oh, Dani, love, we're so sorry.
We hurt you and we never meant to. When Jason told us how you felt, we were shocked. Sweetheart, we had no idea that you felt this way."
Dani pressed her lips together to stop their trembling, but she didn't look up.
"We do love you, Dani," her mother said with quiet urgency. "We always have. You've got to believe that. When we adopted you we thought we were the luckiest people in the world." Sophie stopped and smoothed a shining strahd of sable hair away from Dani's temple and smiled. "You were such a beautiful little thing, with all that dark hair and big blue eyes, and we were so proud of you.
"But... well... it soon became obvious that you were a very special child. You were more than just beautiful. You were brilliant. And... well, I guess that sort of intimidated us."
Dani flashed her a hurt look and Sophie bit her lower lip anxiously, her brow furrowing. "Oh, darling, try to understand," she pleaded urgently. "Joe and I are simple, ordinary people. Just average. We felt so.. .so.. .inadequate. You were so smart and composed and self-sufficient. You never made demands, never complained, never asked for help. You just quietly went your own way, and it seemed to us that you didn't need us, that there was nothing we could give you."
"If we gave Chad and Charlene more attention than you it was because they demanded it. Those little devils have never been shy about letting you know what they want and expect. You know that. Why, just look at how demanding Chad is with you. He knows darn well that you love him, and the feeling is mutual, which is why he takes it so for granted."
Dani looked faintly surprised as she digested that, but then her face grew solemn again. "And what about Charlene? I can't believe that there is any love there. She can barely stand me, and you know it."
Sophie sighed, but it was Joe who spoke, and for once there was an acerbic bite to his voice. "That's just jealousy. Pure and simple jealousy," he said disgustedly. "She rese
nts you because you're beautiful and smart and successful, all the things that she'll never be. It's a childish attitude and we keep hoping she'll outgrow it, but..." He shook his head, and the look he exchanged with Sophie held sadness and shame.
Lifting Dani's hand, Sophie placed it against her cheek and looked at her daughter beseechingly. "We tiptoed around you because we didn't quite know what to do with you, but we loved you every bit as much as we loved the twins, Dani. And we've never stopped. I swear it," she added quietly.
Choked with emotion, Dani was unable to speak. The sweet ache that swelled her chest and squeezed her throat was almost unbearable, and for a moment she stared at the blanket, her chin wobbling uncontrollably. Tears welled up in her eyes. She fought to hold them in check but it was impossible, and when she finally looked up at her parents they trickled over and ran down her cheeks. "I... I love you, too," she said brokenly.
With a little cry, Sophie sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled Dani into her arms. Holding her daughter tightly against her bosom, Sophie rocked her gently and cried, too.
And then Joe was there, holding them both, and his own tears added to the flow. In a tumult of endearments and promises and apologies, they clung to one another, each reaching out, striving to heal the hurt long years of misunderstanding had wrought.
Hours later, when Sophie and Joe had left, Jason appeared in the doorway. He leaned against the door-jamb, arms folded over his chest, and studied the soft expression on Dani's face. Their gazes met and held, and after a moment he raised one pale brow. "Mad?"
A warm smile slowly curved Dani's mouth. "No. I probably should be, but I'm too grateful to be angry."
"Are you ready to talk about us now?"
Dani grew suddenly breathless and she swallowed hard. "Yes, I think I am," she managed in a voice that quivered ever so slightly.
Smiling, Jason came to her and sat down on the edge of the bed. He leaned forward and braced an arm on either side of her head and looked directly into her eyes. "Since this seems to be a day for clearing up misconceptions let me make it clear that the reason I want to marry you—the only reason I want to marry you—is because I love you," he stated in a firm, no-nonsense voice.