tremors that shook her body in uncontrollable waves.
He made a rough sound of wordless comfort and pressed her closer. In spite of the urgency of the situation, she became startlingly aware of him and howhe felt plastered to her. And how he felt wasâ¦incredible.
The wind continued to blow, bringing in more cold rain and the tinkling sound of glass scattering over the floor. âThe glass from the window,â he murmured in her ear, and slipping an arm beneath her, he lifted and turned her so that she lay in his lap, his body hunched over hers, protecting her from the elements the best he could. As a gesture, it was the sweetest one that anyone had ever made for her. But the sweetness contrasted sharply with the decidedly not sweet feelings making themselves known within her.
âAre you cut?â His voice was hoarse with worry, probably because she was staring at him like an idiotâas she sat there realizing her best intentions to stay away from men for their own good were about to fail.
âSuzanne?â
Still shakingâthough now she wasnât sure it was all from the coldâshe shook her head.
He cuddled her closer, one hand on her still quivering belly, his face only an inch away. His gaze burned into hers, dark and intense. âAre you sure?â
The shivers had really taken over her body now, so she nodded. Weak with relief and fear, it was about all she could do.
Clearly not willing to take any chances in the dark, he reached for the flashlight on the floor at his hip and ran it over her, looking for himself.
She glanced down and saw what he saw⦠Her wet, clinging, now thoroughly see-through tank and panties, both of which had risen to levels they shouldnât have, both of which revealed her in all her unwieldy glory, and she slammed her eyes shut.
âItâs okay,â he whispered roughly, clearly mistaking her movement for fear. Holding her close, he cupped her head in his big hand. âYouâre okay. Letâs get you out of here, how does that sound?â
âIâIâll be f-f-fine.â
âOh yeah, you will.â Still holding her, he used his free hand to lift a radio to his mouth.
Because her ears seemed to be ringing, she didnât quite catch the conversation. Exhausted, she set her head on his chest, which allowed her to feel the vibration of his deep voice, and for some reason, it was horribly seductive. He smelled good, her sexy hero. And Lord, he felt good, too.
How had this happened? One moment sheâd been in a deep slumber, dead to the world. The next sheâd been startled right out of that sleep by the loudest crack of thunder sheâd ever heard, followed immediately by another crack, not from Mother Nature this time, but from the tree.
Sheâd leapt off the mat Taylor had let her borrow, just as the tree crashed through the ceiling and window.
Overwhelmed by the near-miss, a little stunned that she was alive, sheâd sat there until sheâd heard Taylorâs frantic voice calling for her.
Now sheâd been rescued by the man whoâd so mesmerized her earlier, the most amazing, strong, sexy man sheâd ever laid eyes on.
But he was just a man.
And for better or worse, sheâd sworn off the entire species. Sheâd even vowed so to Taylor. Handy that vow, as without it, her resolve might have been weakened by the feel of his rock solid, incredibly warm body against hers.
A flash of blinding lightning lit the room, and with it came an accompanying boom of thunder that seemed to echo inside her head, making her act impulsively, which meant she tried to crawl up Ryanâs body.
He hugged her. âWeâre getting out of here, I promise.â
She gave a jerky nod, and he rewarded her with a gentle squeeze of his hands. âIn the meantime,â he said. âPretend youâre somewhere else, anywhereâ¦like your nice, toasty bed, fast asleep, okay?â
She could imagine