Billionaire's Island Bride (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) (16 page)

They’d entered the
sitting room and Dare was walking over to the table to rest the lantern down
when a loud crack rent the air and the lights went out.  Erin screamed and
reached blindly for Dare.

“It’s okay, Erin,
it’s okay.”  His voice came to her from across the room and then he was beside
her, gathering her trembling body close to his.

“Wh…what was that?”

“Probably a tree
uprooted by the wind.  It sounded like it crashed into the house.”  Dare
stroked her back as he spoke, soothing her jangling nerves.  “I’m guessing it
fell on a power line and that’s why the lights went out.  I’ll go check-”

“Oh, no, you won’t.” 
Erin clung to him.  “You’re not leaving me in the dark all by myself.”

“You’ll be
alright.  I’ll leave you with the lantern and take the flashlight.”

“I’m coming with
you.  I’m not staying here.”

“Erin,” Dare said
with an exasperated sigh, “you’re safer here.  I don’t want you exposed to
danger.”  As he spoke he reached behind his back to pry her fingers open.  “I
have to go check what's happening at the other end of the house.”

He loosened her
arms from around his waist and stepped away.  Erin almost cried out but she bit
down on her bottom lip and swallowed, containing the fright that threatened to
creep up from the pit of her stomach.  She pulled her robe tighter and went to
stand beside Dare who was testing a huge flashlight.

He looked over at
her when she came near.  “Why don’t you lie down for a bit?  You have to take
it easy, remember?  You’re in your sixth month now.”

“That doesn’t mean
I’m an invalid,” she retorted.  “I don’t need to lie down.”

He reached out and
rested a hand on her shoulder.  “I want you to.  You can have the loveseat or
just go into my bedroom.  You’ll be a lot more comfortable there.”

“In the dark?  All
by myself?  I don’t think so.”

“We've discussed
this already, Erin.  You’ll have the lantern-”

“No, I’m coming
with you.”

“Jeez.”  He blew
out an exasperated breath.  “Talk about stubborn.  Okay, come on, but stay
behind me at all times.  When I open the door any kind of debris can fly in.  I
don’t want you getting hurt.” 

"And what
about you?”

“I can take care
of myself.”

Erin snorted. 
He’d spoken like a typical man.  And that was why she was making sure to follow
him.  She’d be there to make sure he didn’t do anything rash.  He was a man and
men did stupid things sometimes, thinking they were strong and brave and therefore
near invincible.  Well, not this time.  She’d be there to save Dare from
himself.

And it had
absolutely nothing to do with being scared about being left alone with just a
lantern as company.

With Dare in the
lead Erin padded back down the hallway in her bedroom slippers even as the wind
howled outside.  The sound had gotten louder now, sounding like a huge freight
train rushing by, and Erin’s heart pounded harder with each passing minute. 
When would the assault end?  Would the house still be standing when it was
over?  Would they still be alive?

That didn’t even
bear thinking about.  She shook her head and kept on walking, making sure Dare
was just within the reach of her arm.

When they got to
the foyer he pulled out a second flashlight, clicked it on and handed it to
her.

  “I’m going over
to the west wing to see what happened.  You stay here.”  With those words he
began to turn toward the hallway.

Erin grabbed his
arm.  “You said I could come with you.”

“I know,” he said,
his face grim.  “I changed my mind.  There could be broken glass everywhere. 
The downed power line could have even started a fire.  I don’t want you
anywhere near that.”  He shook his head.  “I should have left you in the suite
where you were safe.”

“No, you
shouldn’t,” she retorted.  “You’re not leaving me here so let's go.”  Before he
could object she set off down the hallway, her flashlight on high beam,
marching on as if the darkness ahead didn’t bother her one bit.  She breathed a
sigh of relief when, with a grunt of what was probably exasperation, Dare
followed her.  As they walked Erin could feel a current of wind that flowed
stronger and stronger as they went farther into that section of the house.

What she saw when
they got to the west wing made her realize the reason for Dare’s concern.  The
huge mango tree that used to stand by the window of Francine’s bedroom had
toppled over in the wind, smashing through the roof and leaving a gaping hole. 
The wind rushed through like air blown down a funnel, creating a miniature wind
storm inside the room.  As the beams from both flashlights lit up the area Erin
could see papers, leaves and debris strewn all around and rain streaming in
through the damaged roof.

“Jeez, this is
bad,” Dare murmured and stepped inside to get a better look.

A sudden gust of
wind tore a plank from the jagged roof, sending it flying across the room. 

“Watch out,” Erin
yelled.

Dare swiveled
round, the light of his flashlight cutting through the air.  He never even saw
it coming.  The plank slammed into Dare’s side and smacked him on the head with
a crack that echoed around the room.  The flashlight was the first to fall. 
Then, like a hill of flour in a torrent of rain, Dare crumbled and collapsed
onto the sodden floor.

“Dare!” Erin
screamed but there was no answer.  All she could hear was the deafening,
diabolical roar of the hurricane winds.

CHAPTER TEN

“Oh, no,"
Erin cried out and ran to kneel at Dare’s side.  Her robe was immediately
soaked with the water running freely on the floor.  She shone the flashlight
onto Dare and saw that he had fallen face down on the floor, water only inches
from his nose.  And he was not moving.

“Oh, God,” Erin
whispered.  “God help me.”

Quickly, she
propped the flashlight on a pile of cushions nearby then reached for Dare,
lifting his face clear of the water.  Without hesitation she sat in the water
and slid her legs under his head to lay it on her lap.  Then, gently but
urgently, she patted his face.  “Dare, wake up.  Please, honey.  I need you to
get up.”

Her desperate
pleas fell on deaf ears.  Dare had been knocked unconscious.

Erin looked
around, her mind racing.  They could not stay there with water swirling around
them and the shrieking wind threatening to pelt them with more debris.  But
what could she do?  She couldn’t possibly lift Dare but she couldn’t leave him
there either.

Then her eyes flew
to the cover on the bed.  If she could just roll him onto it then she could
drag him out of the room and out of danger.  Erin reached for a pillow that had
fallen to the floor.  Gently, she slid Dare’s head from her lap and laid it on
the soft support.

Slowly, she pulled
her hand away and she almost cried out again.  Her hand was smeared with
blood.  She had to move quickly.  Dare was hurt even worse than she’d realized.

Braving the
howling winds she half-dashed, half-waded to the bed in the middle of the room. 
The cover was soaking wet and heavy but she had no choice.  She stripped the
bed of its cover and dragged it over to where Dare lay.  She spread it out on the
ground then slowly, gingerly she lifted his head then she heaved and was just
barely able to shift his head and torso onto the fabric.  His bottom half was
easier.  When he was stretched out on the cover she propped the flashlight on
his chest, angling it so it lit her path.  Then she grabbed two handfuls of the
cover and pulled.  He did not budge.  Kicking off her now sodden bedroom
slippers she planted her feet on the ground and heaved.  And that’s when he
began to move.  Inch by inch she dragged Dare through the door and out into the
hallway.  Inch by inch she pulled him to safety.

By the time she
got him out of the room and at a safe distance away she was panting from the
effort.  Unable to go further she slid down in a heap beside her prostrate
husband.

Drawing up her
legs she wrapped her arms around them and dropped her forehead onto her knees. 
What was she going to do now?  Dare needed help but even if she got phone
service what ambulance would come running in the middle of a hurricane?  But
what if he slept himself into a coma?  Heavens, what was she to do?  She
couldn’t just sit there all night.

Worn out with
worry, a soft sob escaped Erin’s lips and then another until she was sobbing in
earnest.  What made it worse, the harder she tried to stop the faster the tears
came.  Where had the practical levelheaded Erin gone?  Pregnancy had turned her
into a mountain of mush and she didn’t like it, not one bit.  But still she
could not stop crying.

“Erin, are you
alright?”

The sobs froze in
Erin’s throat.  Her head snapped up and she peered down at Dare who was still
stretched out on the cloth but this time his eyes were open.  Those wonderful
gray eyes were staring back at her.

“Dare,” she said,
her voice breaking, “you’re back.”  She scrambled to her knees and reached over
to gather him in her arms.  When he flinched she drew back.  “I’m sorry.  I’ll
be gentle.  I promise.”

“It’s okay,” Dare
said in a hoarse whisper.  “I’m fine.”  His eyes roamed the hallway.  “How did
I get here?”

“I brought you out
here,” she said gently.  “You were about to step into Francine’s

 room when a
flying board slapped you.  It knocked you out cold.”

“And you…brought
me out here?”  He looked around then slowly raised himself on his elbows.  “But
how?”

Erin shrugged.  “I
dragged you out.  On the blanket.”

“You did what?”  Dare’s
eyebrows shot up.  He struggled to sit up then swayed and put a hand to the
back of his head.  “I got clobbered real good,” he said with a groan.

“Yes you did, so
move slowly.  Very slowly.”  She put out a hand and gently held his chin then
turned his head ever so slightly.  She shone the flashlight on his head.  There
was a gash at the back of it but thankfully it was not as bad as she’d expected
and the blood had already begun to dry, matting the hair to his scalp.  That
was good.  It would stem the flow.

Erin got up and
held out both hands to Dare.  “You’re soaking wet.  We have to get you dry
before you fall sick.”

“I can get up,” he
said, ignoring her outstretched hands.  He put out a hand and, using the wall
as support, slowly and carefully got up from the floor and stood looking down
at her.

She could see he
was far from steady.  Without hesitation she went to stand beside him and
pulled his arm across her shoulders.  Then step by step they made their way to
the safety of Dare’s suite.  There, Erin stripped him of every article of
clothing then helped him into the bathroom where he washed away the grime from
his recent repose in the pool of water on the floor.

Erin felt no embarrassment
at Dare’s nakedness.  All such cares were swallowed up in her concern for him. 
With the dispassion of a nurse she toweled him dry then placed a robe around
his shoulders and led him to the bed where she tucked him in.

Dare leaned back
into the pillows with a sigh then looked over at her standing by the bed.  “Thank
you,” he said.  “You make an excellent nurse.” Then he waved his hand toward a
huge walk-in closet.  “There’s another robe hanging on the hook by the door. 
Why don’t you change?  You’re all wet.”

Erin didn’t need
to be told twice.  She’d begun to shiver and she knew it was because of the
damp clothes clinging to her body.  She got the robe then went back to Dare’s bathroom
where she shed her garments and took a quick shower.  Within a few minutes she
was back at Dare’s side.

The color had
returned to his face and he was looking like his old self again, dark and deliciously
sexy as the lantern cast its golden light on his bare chest.  He’d pushed the
robe away and now lay in the bed, naked from the waist up.  And he was watching
her.  Those gray eyes like molten steel now bored into her, making her blush.

Slowly,
suggestively he licked his lips and her nipples tightened in response.  She
breathed in, her nostrils flaring, and she clenched her hands by her side. 
What in heaven’s name was he doing to her?  Even in his wounded state he still
had the power to seduce her.  Without a word and without a touch he was turning
her insides to jelly.

And as the wind
wailed its dirge outside Erin knew that at that moment what she wanted most was
to be in Dare’s arms.

Dare lifted his
arms and folded them behind his head, looking very much like an overlord
surveying his property.  “What do you want, Erin?”  he asked, his voice a bold
and confident whisper.

He knew.  Heaven
help her, he knew how much she wanted him. 

“Erin?”  As he
said her name he cocked an eyebrow, looking very much the rake.

She swallowed. 
Then she decided to take the plunge.  She wanted him.  So why should she deny
herself?