* * *
The setting sun made diamonds appear across the waves, and Janna realized that she'd been at her easel for hours. She wondered what Brice was up to. Picking up her crutch she moved toward the stairs. She decided not to bother him and try the descent on her own. Clutching the railing she slowly made her way down. When she reached the bottom, a small burst of triumph filled her.
It was strange. She'd always been athletic, always sure that her body would be up to any task asked of it. But these past weeks, she'd felt weak as a baby, as if she was learning to walk all over again. Still, she was confident that her strength was returning, and that the pain seemed to be a thing of the past.
She shuffled into the kitchen and was surprised to find it empty. But a glance out the back door showed her where Brice had gotten to. He turned when she opened the door, a frown marring his perfect features. "Where'd you come from?" he asked. "Why didn't you call for help on the stairs?"
"Didn't need it." To prove her progress, she crutched her way over to a chair and sat down. "See?"
"Very good," he said, smiling. "The doctor should be impressed tomorrow morning."
"The appointment is tomorrow?" She couldn't believe it had been almost two weeks since she'd left the hospital. Time flies when you had good company, it seemed.
"Indeed," he said. "And I hope you're hungry, because dinner will be done soon. I thought we could eat out here."
Janna nodded and noticed how nice the table setting was. A vase of wildflowers graced the table, which was set with dishes, silverware, and cloth napkins. A bottle of wine sat on ice, and a carafe of water was beside it.
"Smells delicious," she said, realizing how hungry she was. And thirsty. The wine looked particularly tasty. She'd been avoiding alcoholic drinks since the accident, worrying that it might interfere with the pain meds. But tonight she felt like risking it, and bravely poured herself a glass. One wouldn't hurt, right? It wasn't as if she were operating heavy machinery, after all.
Soon Brice had finished his grilling and was filling her plate with salmon, rice, and a medley of grilled vegetables. It smelled heavenly, and when she raised her fork to her mouth, she realized it tasted even better.
"Wow, Brice, this is delicious," she raved, digging into her food in earnest.
"Thanks," he said, a shy smile on his face.
They ate in silence, Janna wondering at the transformation of her millionaire playboy. When they'd met, she was sure that he wasn't looking for anything serious, that she'd be just another notch in his very long belt. Instead, he'd tried time and again to convince her that he wanted her, that their relationship was something real. And now she was beginning to believe his words. Gone was the elitist asshole who'd sent a security team to follow her around without her knowing. All she could see was the compassionate, wonderful man who'd spent the last two weeks taking care of her.
She took another sip to cool the heat of desire rushing through her and noticed that her glass was empty. Janna refilled it, hoping the crisp white wine would diminish the flush of lust she was feeling. It didn't help, however, when she realized Brice was giving her his dimple-revealing smile. "Ready for dessert?"
"Yes," she answered, then took another gulp of wine as she pictured the dessert she really wanted. Him. Naked. At her mercy.
He returned and placed a cup of some scrumptious chocolate concoction before her. "What's this?"
"It's tiramisu," he replied. "Try it."
She dipped her fork into the mixture and brought it to her mouth. "Mmmm," she moaned. "This is fantastic. You made this too?"
"I did," he said, and she caught the hunger in his eyes as she moaned again over another bite. He evidently wasn't immune to her either. Suddenly the atmosphere was stifling hot, and as she drained her second glass, she realized the wine could do nothing to help.
They finished dessert as the sun sank beyond the horizon. Janna poured the rest of the wine into her glass, took a drink, and suddenly become conscious that it was one drink too many. She was floating on a cloud of painless bliss, a fuzzy pink cloud that was as soft as Brice's kisses.
"Would you like to go inside?" he asked when he saw her shiver lightly.
"I suppose." She tried to stand up. She failed. Falling back into her chair, she began laughing.
"Too much wine?" he surmised, a slight frown on his face.
"Too much good food," she countered, making him smile.
"Allow me to come to your aid, dear lady," Brice replied, lifting her from her chair and cradling her close.
"Always the gentleman," she quipped.
"Not always."
The words went straight to her core, lighting her up and making her flush with longing. Brice moved inside, heading down the hall and up the stairs. He entered her bedroom and set her gently on the bed. He turned on the bedside lamp, then came back to her, bending down to press a kiss against her forehead.
He turned to leave, but she grabbed his arm before he could pull away. "Don't go," she said, forgetting her promise to herself not to fall for him again. All she could think about was spending the night with him, in this bed, wrapped around each other.
His smile was sweet, but he shook his head. "We have to leave early tomorrow for your doctor's appointment. You should get some rest."
"I don't want to rest," she said with a pout. "I want you."