Regin opened her mouth to protest, but her words were lost. He ruthlessly took advantage of her partially open lips. He tasted better than she remembered, like warm honey, hot sex, and all man. Regin melted like butter in his hands. His skin was tight as his muscles strained over her body. She wanted to strip him naked and feast on every inch of his perfect body. She could feel his body tightening, demanding release, but Galen held back. Some part of his mind must have remained sane to remember her injury. His touch was demanding but gentle against her sore flesh.
He gentled his hold, but didn’t withdraw his arms or lips. He continued to kiss her, slow, wet, passion-filled kisses that somehow seduced her as she seduced him.
Galen’s rain scent wrapped her in a daze of desire, making her burn to feel him in her. Unconsciously her hips circled against his, causing a moan of desire from Galen’s throat. Regin’s own groan was swallowed as his mouth devoured hers. Touching, tasting, and exploring every secret recess of her mouth.
Regin felt Galen’s hand shake as he reached the waistband of her pants. The feel of naked skin must have shocked him because his hand froze on her stomach before he moved again. His hand pulled her arms tighter against his own when his fingers slipped over her wrist, and Regin couldn’t stop the cry of pain forced from her lips.
She could tell that in Galen’s dazed condition it took a few moments to realize it was her blood coating his hand.
Cursing out loud for his weakness, Regin watched Galen lurch to his feet, gulping air into his oxygen deprived lungs. He turned his back to her and Regin wanted to crawl under the throw and hide in embarrassment.
Galen raked one unsteady hand through his hair, attempting to control his body, while the other discretely adjusted the obvious tightness of his jeans. Turning to face her, she saw his face was once more a mask of indifference. “Regin, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Just give me a minute and I’ll see to your cuts.”
Regin looked at his back, at the broad shoulders gasping for air and the clenching and unclenching of his hands. She knew she should be angry. She had every right to be.
She’d come downstairs seeking his aide and, instead of cleaning her cuts, he kissed her until she’d forgotten she’d ever been cut. Worse she’d been kissing him back with as much passion, wanting to devour him until they were no longer two separate bodies but one.
She knew it wasn’t completely his fault. There was some chemistry between them that couldn’t be denied. Her body went up in flames whenever he was near and when he touched her she forgot to breathe.
It wasn’t like her. She never reacted this way to any man. It had to be the storm and their close proximity. There was no other explanation. They simply couldn’t stay here alone together without this happening again. Regin knew the next time they touched it wouldn’t end with mere kisses. She would have to possess his body.
To save them both embarrassment, she spoke without thinking. “No big deal, Galen. We’re both adults. Nothing like a hurricane and threat of death to put you in the mood, huh?” she quipped, not noticing the tensing of his shoulders as she continued. “It’s nature’s reaction I suppose. When lives are endangered, the natural reaction is to procreate and continue the species and all that. We’re adults. We are ruled by reason not lust. No big deal, it won’t happen again, right?” Was that her babbling? Geez, who was she trying to convince, him or herself?
Regin didn’t know how she made her voice sound so easy and carefree, but she was desperately grateful. The last thing she wanted was another scene like the one before. She was hanging on to her sanity by a thread, and she prayed he wouldn’t say anything to snap it.
“Sort of like Mother Nature’s survival instinct?” His back was still turned so she couldn’t see his face, but his voice sounded calm, even amused.
“Something like that,” she muttered her agreement. Even though it had been her idea, something inside Regin became angry when he agreed so easily.
Galen moved to sit beside her and clasped her slightly shaking hand in his own steady grasp. “The storm won’t last forever.” He gently chucked her chin with his fist. “And we sure as hell aren’t Adam and Eve, right? So, no big deal.”
He patted her hand again before getting to his feet. “Tell you what; I have a nice bottle of wine I’ve been saving for no special reason. Why don’t I break it open and salute Fate, Mother Nature, and the very lucky Snoopy.” He managed to wiggle his eyebrows in a lavish manner before continuing. “Then we’ll get your clothes off—to see to your cuts, of course.” He had the audacity to wink at her.
He didn’t wait for a reply, but walked out the door whistling the theme from Peanuts.
Regin was glad he hadn’t made her stand because her knees were shaking so badly they wouldn’t support her body. Her lips throbbed. Her breasts ached. The man turned her into a brainless, sex craved lunatic and he wasn’t even trying. This wasn’t what she had signed on for. Not the storms, crashing windows, life threatening limbs, or the sexy guide. “I want my nice, normal, boring life back. Where nothing ever happens unless I know it before hand,” she said to the empty room.
Her life was predictable, some might even say boring, but it was safe and safety was the most important thing. She wasn’t about to let go of it lightly.
Not to mention, the man laughed at her bandages in the same breath calling her beautiful. There really was something off about him. Galen’s behavior was rapidly changing the more time she spent around him. When they first met, Regin thought him broody and sullen. Now, after spending so much time alone, she started to see a new side of Galen Matthews. One that was too easy to trust and even easier to like.
The quiet of the room pressed down on her. Sounds of the storm were carried inside with the flashes of lighting. It was getting worse. Regin wondered how long the power would last and what they would do once it was gone. She certainly didn’t want to roam around this huge house in the dark. It sent shivers up her spine to think of all the things that might go bump in the night.
Of course she could always sleep with her host. It was a surefire way to keep herself safe from ghosts and creepy things, but who was going to keep her safe from Galen? “No one, that’s who,” Regin answered her own unspoken question. “Besides, the man knows nothing about my past or nightmares.”
If she slept anywhere near him, Regin knew Galen would hear. Then the questions would begin. She wasn’t ready for that. She wanted just a few more days of peace.
Maybe she could offer to sleep on the sun porch with Annie. It looked warm and cozy, and no one would get within fifteen feet of her with Annie around. The dog would alert her to trouble long before it came. Yes, the sun porch with its comfy furniture, bright walls, and festive paintings would be the perfect place to hide until the storm played itself out.
Regin turned to look out the window to see how strong the wind and rain had become in the last few hours. It was amazing to see the fury of Mother Nature. She hadn’t realized the storm had picked up intensity in the past few hours since the windows had all been blocked by wood.
She drew back the curtains and settled back into the butter soft couch, resting her head as she watched lightning slice the sky. “It is rather beautiful.” Regin spoke softly in the empty room as the wind danced through the trees and the rain sparkled within the lighting. It made her problems and confusion with Galen fade into the background.
Regin was almost asleep when a noise jolted her back. Instinct kept her body from moving; she used only her eyes to survey her surroundings and was stunned to realize the last crash of thunder had taken the power with it. She’d sat in the darkened room. Regin smiled a little at her own stupidity.
The noise came again. This time from the direction of the wide windows. With the lights out and the storm outside, she had little chance of discovering where the noise was coming from. Regin had to wait for another burst of lighting before she decided to move.
Then a burst of light broke though the darkness and li
t the entire island. Regin concentrated on the window and tried to see beyond the reflection of the room in the pane created by the mirror hanging over the fireplace.
There...a flash of movement from beyond the room. Was something or someone caught out in the storm? More likely it was a poor animal stuck running from the thunder and rain.
“Yes, it must be an animal,” Regin tried to convince herself. “There’s nothing else it could be.”
Lighting flared again and Regin looked toward the windows. A scream of terror became trapped in her throat as a face looked back at her through the water running over the window. A man was on the other side of the thin pane of glass. The face partially hidden in the shadows and retreating from light.
It was a man’s face. He seemed familiar to her, holding something in his hand that swayed in the wind, something that looked like a ribbon being buffeted by the storm.
Regin’s mind froze. She couldn’t take any more. She leaped off the sofa and turned to run only to find herself held prisoner in a pair of iron strong arms.
“Hush now, Cher. It’s only the power and nothing to be frightened of.” Galen’s voice was pitched low to soothe her. Regin knew he could feel the tremors shaking her body and waited for him to demand answers.
Regin’s arms slowly unwound from her own waist to creep around Galen’s. She held him in a firm grip. Holding him close, the feel of his hot, hard body pressed against hers brought a small amount of comfort to her terror filled mind.
Galen was now Regin’s only reality. Her own only hold on the thin grasp of her sanity.
****
Normally Galen would have taken instant advantage of her willingness, but something in Regin’s manner held him back. It wasn’t just the words she’d spouted so coldly a few minutes before. Her clasp was almost desperate. Regin wasn’t holding him out of desire to finish what they started. Instead, she seemed to be holding on to him in fear.
He quickly scanned the room finding nothing out of place but the curtains that had been drawn back. The storm was in full view of where she’d sat. Had the crash of thunder frightened her?
Galen didn’t think so. Regin wasn’t the type to cling to a man, much less one she openly disliked, over a few minor rumbles. Could she have seen something out there? Or worse, someone?
“Regin, love, what happened? Was it the noise of the storm?” She didn’t answer, but pressed her body more firmly against his already tense one. “Did the power going off startle you? The thunder? The lighting?” Again no response. He paused before asking his last question. “Did you see someone out there?”
Regin’s response was instant and had fear pumping through his blood stream. Her body convulsed in his arms, her breathing labored, and sheen of sweat covered her. Beneath his fingers, he could feel her skin becoming colder.
He had his answer.
****
Two hours later, Regin lay asleep on his bed knocked out by the sleeping pills Galen had callously forced down her. She swallowed them as trusting as a child when he told her they were mere aspirin.
Galen couldn’t force himself to leave the bed. He sat there long after Regin had fallen asleep and wondered what the hell she had seen in the falling rain to startle her so badly. If indeed it had been a man, what were the chances it was Shawn Townsend? How could he have found her in the middle of nowhere?
He ran a hand ruthlessly through his hair. What did it matter how he’d found her. Galen’s sources at the Bureau still couldn’t fathom how the man managed to escape one of the country’s harshest maximum security prisons. Townsend had left no trail, no broken wire, no prints, nothing that could lead the police to an escape route.
If Townsend had been that good breaking out then it would only make sense he could find Regin no matter where her friends tried to hide her.
The only thing worse, in Galen’s mind, was easily how he’d brushed aside Tatum, Elliot, and Damon’s concerns. He had been so sure that, when Townsend broke out, the last place he’d want to go was anywhere near Regin Neff. He’d been wrong.
Or had he? Could it have been some other lost soul? A Cajun swamp dweller coming out from hiding due to the severity of the storm? As quickly as he formed the idea, he dismissed it. No native around his island would lurk in the dark scaring the hell out of an innocent woman. The people here would have come straight to the front door, pounding and demanding entrance and shelter.
Galen rose from the bed, careful not to disturb Regin’s drugged sleep. He didn’t want anything setting off another nightmare. He would consider it a miracle if she got through tonight without one. He walked slowly to the window staring sightlessly outside.
She’d been trembling and close to shock when he carried her upstairs. Regin had said nothing when he undressed her, doctored her wounds, and pulled one of his own old cotton shirts over her head. She was like a zombie doing whatever he asked, not questioning anything he said or did.
And Galen didn’t like it one bit. This timid creature wasn’t the same Regin he’d fought with when they first met. That Regin had battled back, never gave any ground.
Galen stared past the sheets of falling rain trying to see what or who had scared her into this shell. He could see nothing beyond what he expected. Sheets of rain pounded the earth, wind tore branches from surrounding trees, and the water rose from the Gulf trying to take back a portion of the land.
Beyond his sight, Galen knew the guesthouse would be dark and silent. Without power, none of his alarms would be activated. He didn’t want to risk leaving Regin alone to start up the generators. The only things Galen could rely on tonight was the Beretta strapped to his shoulder holster and Regin’s fiercely protective dog curled at her mistress’s feet. As if sensing his thoughts, Annie lifted her head from the mattress, whined softly, and gently jumped to the floor before padding to Galen’s side.
He reached down and ran a hand over her soft silky fur. “What do you think, girl? Is he out there?”
Annie licked his fingers and pushed her head against his hand. “We’ll keep her safe, huh, Ann?” The dog let out a low growl, assuring Galen she would do whatever it took to keep her mistress and friend safe. He ran his hand along her head to her ears, absently scratching her favorite spot.
He turned back to the window, wondering what the hell he was going to do now. Every instinct born to him told him to call in the troops. But what if he and Regin were wrong? What if she hadn’t seen anything other than debris flying by?
But he wasn’t being paid to doubt his instincts. He would have a team in place by morning.
Galen slowly shook his head. He would use whatever and whoever it took to keep Regin safe. She wouldn’t have to know about the extra guards stationed around the island and woods.
Galen knew deep in his gut that Regin wouldn’t have reacted this strongly to a stray branch floating by. Someone had been out there watching. And even worse, he knew someone was waiting. Waiting for Galen to slip up and leave Regin alone for an instant. And when he did, she would be gone.
He leaned his forehead against the glass, grateful the storm had blown the wood off this window so his view was unobstructed. Galen didn’t like not being able to see out, but worse yet he hated the thought of someone else looking in.
There was something bothering him about that window, something he should remember but couldn’t put his finger on it. His gut was telling him something was wrong with this picture. Something he had overlooked. Maybe it was a case of nerves stretched too tight over too long a period of time. Galen would look over the situation in the morning. But he doubted he’d find whatever it was he thought he was missing.
Whatever or whomever had been out there was gone now. Galen was sure of it just as he was sure they would be back. They wouldn’t give up till they had what they had come for.
Regin.
Revenge against the woman who had tried to put Townsend away for the rest of his life. Revenge enough to equal the score by taking Regin’s life. And the madman wo
uldn’t settle for anything less but her blood on his hands.
He would start first thing in the morning. Galen would call in his best men, explain the situation and the man he thought they would be dealing with. It was getting too close to home for him to placate his ego thinking he could cover her alone.
All Townsend needed was a minute when Galen turned his back or for Regin to wander off as was her habit. He needed more than one pair of eyes and ears to protect her. He needed the best for her and that’s exactly what he was going to give her.
Galen’s eyes strayed again to where Regin lay under the mountain of covers on his bed. He liked seeing her there. He liked it too much. It felt too familiar. Regin was getting to him and damn if he knew how to stop it.
He concentrated on her face, wondering what it was about Regin that kept him locked so tightly in desire he couldn’t think of another woman much less see one. She filled his thoughts, his mind, and somehow his heart. Galen didn’t want her there. He had no place in his life for a woman, especially one that attracted trouble like bees to honey.
Even worse—he genuinely liked her. She was smart, funny, sexy as hell, and she didn’t have a clue what she did to him. He enjoyed spending time with her.
Regin laughed at him. How long had it been since anyone had dared laugh at him much less to his face? Galen couldn’t remember the last time a woman had laughed anywhere near him. The women he dated were more interested in one singular aspect and it sure as hell wasn’t his sense of humor. “When did this start? How did it start and is there any way for me to stop it?” he questioned himself aloud.
Looking down on Regin’s peaceful face, Galen felt the answers flow into him.
He had known her at the bar.
The feelings of guilt and rock hard lust crashed equally within his shocked system. He’d known she was somehow supposed to be part of him, but he fought it.
Then there was the night he dumped Regin into the pond. Galen had felt her presence and personality like a living thing within him. It was how he knew her. How he knew she wasn’t the type of woman to blow things out of proportion nor would she make up tales to win a man’s sympathy.
Familiar Strangers Page 14