Swept Away by Toni Blake Read Free Book Online Page A

probably going to end up with post-traumatic stress syndrome. She sneered at him behind his back. And it’s all your fault.
    Trying to think more pleasant thoughts, she retrieved two bright, flowered place mats from inside. Setting plastic plates of hot pink on the mats, she decided to pair them with lime green glasses from the multicolored picnic set her mother had brought out to the island last summer.
    It wasn’t until she caught herself folding a napkin to make it pretty that she dropped it to one of the plates, then gasped. Already it had begun. The transformation.
    Only maybe it didn’t feel so awful. Which was good.
    Until another glance up at the expanse of Brock’ s broad shoulders and tanned back told her that maybe, just maybe, it didn’t feel so awful because she was with him. Stranger or not.
    It was an unthinkable thought. Not to mention impossible. So she decided to ignore it.
    If it were Ian standing there grilling those steaks, I’d be anticipating this meal just as much. Because I’d still have a boat. And I wouldn’t be stranded. With someone who might turn out to be a madman. A really hot madman, but a potential madman just the same.
    A blip of memory flashed in her brain. She’d once been attracted to Brock because he’d seemed just a little bit dangerous. Now he seemed a lot dangerous.
    But that does not mean I’m a lot attracted to him.
    God, stop talking to yourself about him already. She needed a distraction that went beyond napkins and plates. “How are those steaks coming?” Of course, she took a few steps toward him as she spoke, and putting herself physically closer to the long-ago object of her desire made the distraction aspect of the question a little less than effective.
    “Almost ready. You want to check the baked potatoes for me, kitten, and see if they’re done?”
    As she grabbed up a fork and leaned over the grill to poke into a foil-covered potato, she eyed the two juicy steaks sizzling alongside and voiced the thought in her head. “You realize you’re eating one of my meals.”
    “One of your meals?” He didn’t get it.
    “I didn’t exactly expect or bring enough food for company.”
    He shifted his eyes to hers, his generally jocular manner draining away instantly. “How much food don’t we have? Because if this is a legitimate problem, I’ll skip the steak and let you reheat it another day.”
    His response left her stunned. She hadn’t anticipated him dropping into serious mode over this —more than anything, she’d just been trying to point out that he was an interloping nuisance. “What would you eat?”
    “I could get by on a potato.” She must have looked doubtful, since he added, “Trust me, I’ve gotten by on less.” He sounded so matter-of-fact, like it was nothing, and she couldn’t help wondering again just what he’d been up to for the last ten years. Or maybe he was talking about when he was younger—she knew he’d grown up poor.
    Her voice came out smaller than she’d planned. “No, you can have the steak.” She cleared her throat and tried to speak more normally. “We just can’t have a meal like this every night. But I have cold cuts and snack foods—and there might even be some canned stuff in one of the cabinets, I’ll have to check.”
    “Only if you’re really sure there’s enough.” He still sounded so serious. “The last thing I would want, kitten, is to leave you hungry.”
    She lifted her gaze to his, thinking he’d just said a mouthful, considering their past—even if he hadn’t heard the double entendre in his own words. Despite herself, she could still feel just how very hungry he’d left her once upon a time.
    Only the slow heat that invaded his eyes indicated that her look had drawn the double meaning to his attention. He leaned toward her ever so slightly, but enough that she could soak in the musky scent of him, as his voice came deep. “I wouldn’t, you know. Leave you hungry. In any way. If I had