High-Risk Fever (3 page)

And look at me, dressed in a simple bathrobe. How unsexy. Probably have mascara smeared all over my face, too
.

When she’d fantasized about seeing the Latin beauty again, she hadn’t imagined such an awkward mess.

She stormed through the kitchen door and turned on the light. Though white-tiled and clean, Brian’s
cuisine
was old-fashioned and sparsely furnished. She filled the steel kettle with water, put it on the stove, and turned on the gas.

To be honest, his conduct was nothing new. It had started after they’d married. She had overheard her father giving Brian advice on how to run the bed and breakfast, apparently assuming his son-in-law would take over as custom dictated. No one had asked her opinion. In the beginning, Brian had looked sheepish, as if ashamed of his abusive patriarchal behavior, and she’d obeyed his orders so he wouldn’t feel even more uncomfortable. But, little by little, they fell into a pattern, a frustrating habit she could only deplore because he was so unlike the man she’d fallen for. Whenever she objected, he would raise his voice, the same way
Papa
did when
Maman
dared argue with him. In an attempt to accept the situation, she told herself Brian loved her, and that his devotion to the family business was the most important thing. He was doing his fair share of the domestic tasks, anyway.

Lost in thought, she barely heard the low voice behind her.

“Anne?”

She spun around and stifled a gasp.

The handsome Italian stood cross-armed in the doorframe. Despite tired eyes and cold clothes glued to his body—spandex pants leaving nothing to the imagination—his lips were flushed in contrast with his pale, damp skin, and he exuded the same charismatic self-confidence as earlier.

He smiled. His first gesture of kindness since they’d met, so touching, her chest ached, and so surprising, it took her a while to recover.

She swallowed hard. “Yes?”

“Your name, Anne?”

Again, the thick roll of the
R
. What a charming accent.

She nodded, took a deep breath. “And you, Micaela?”

“Sì.”

The blond—Todd, she remembered—appeared in the door, pressing Micaela aside, and behind him stood her big bear of a husband.

Todd’s green eyes darted from Anne to the Italian and darkened. “What are you guys talking about?”

Micaela shrugged. “Our names.”

“Ah.” Todd gave an exaggerated nod, as if having been told something of great importance, and glared at his friend. “Speaking of which. Did he tell you, Anne, why he has a girl’s name?”

“No.” His hostile tone surprised her.

“’Cause when he was born, the doctors couldn’t tell if he was a boy or a girl, so his mom chose a girl’s name.”

Brian chuckled at his side. “Tough luck.”

“Yeah.” Todd’s eyes gleamed with mockery. “His prick looked like a clit, and his nuts hadn’t fallen down yet. So he’s told me, anyway.”

She blinked from the man’s spite. Why did he ridicule his friend? Was it jealousy because he wanted to be the one flirting with her?

Brian sent Micaela a wink. “You coulda changed it to Micae-
lo
.”

The Italian shrugged, somber eyes fixed on a spot behind her.

At that moment, the water boiled, saving them from further conversation. She turned to pour it into two mugs. After adding a few spoons of cocoa and sugar, she gave the steaming mugs to the young bicyclists, avoiding their gazes.

Brian scratched his head with a sigh. “So, let me show you the shower, I guess. It’s upstairs.”

They turned off the light, left the kitchen, and climbed in line up the creaking stairs to the landing. Todd went to the bathroom for a shower, Brian to the spare toilet, and Anne offered to get Micaela and his companion some clothes.

Cocoa mug in hand, the gorgeous Italian followed willingly, walking next to her on the bare floorboards with the grace of a panther. They entered her small peach bedroom with the dark-wood furniture.

He sniffed the air and glanced at the ruffled bed sheets with a grin, black eyes sparkling. Could he tell Brian and she had just had sex?

She chose to ignore him and opened Brian’s closet. Her husband was a big man, and his clothes would be large for the two guys, but they had no alternative.

“What do you want to wear?”

When he didn’t answer, she turned to him.

He stood in front of the full-length mirror beside the bed, bending to remove the bicyclist pants, his bluish but very sexy ass pointing toward her. His long, black locks hung like a curtain, hiding his face as he struggled to pull the spandex down his shivering legs.

After a few groans of frustration, he straightened and gave the bundle of wet clothes on the carpet an irritated kick. At the same time, his reflection in the mirror showed the full length of his masculine body. Skinny, but with neatly defined muscles in all the right places, suntanned and beautiful and, by God, sporting a magnificent cock. Dark, just like she’d thought.

Todd’s spiteful comments resurfaced. Well, Micaela had definitely had his birth problem fixed.

She swore the penis grew before her eyes, thickening and lengthening, a fascinating metamorphosis, sending a sharp signal of lust between her thighs. She blinked, believing she must be dreaming—but, no, this perfection of a male specimen stood in front of her, tempting the hell out of her hungry body.

With a deep breath, she let her gaze travel upward from the half-erect organ to the hairy, muscular chest, and farther up to his handsome, grinning face.

Grinning! Yes, above a self-satisfied smile, a pair of black, smoldering eyes met hers in the mirror.

Oh, no
. She quickly looked away. The picture of dear Brian making love to her earlier flashed in her mind. The way he’d finally attempted to satisfy her in bed outweighed any issue she might have with him. How could she then behave like this, openly admiring the aroused body of another man?

Micaela gave a low, teasing chuckle. “What is problem, you no like?”

Of course she did, but she refused to admit her interest.

“Don’t you?” He tilted his head, teasing.

“I’m a married woman, Micaela.”

“Is easy. You like or no like.”

She glanced back with a severe look. “You can’t talk to me like that. Do you understand?”

He frowned. A shiver ran through his body, and he tightened his jaw. Wrapping his arms around his trembling torso, he threw a sideways glance at the tempting bed sheets before looking back at her. “I’m cold.”

She shrugged. “You should take a hot shower.”

“No, Todd still there.” He nodded toward her bathrobe. “Give me.”

What?
She widened her eyes. She wore nothing underneath, and Brian could come in any time. Or Todd. She shook her head. “Take Brian’s clothes.” She pointed to the open closet behind her.

“I’m freezing.” He rubbed the goose bumps on his arms. Before she could react, his hands shot to her bathrobe and opened it. Cold air from the room brushed her exposed nipples.

With a gasp, she put her hands on her breasts and closed her eyes, couldn’t or didn’t want to see his reaction.

His breathing hitched, too. “
Che bella
.”

“Stop it.”

He stood still for a moment, short, regular pulses of heat drifting to her from his breath. With a sudden tug, he slid the warm fabric off her shoulders, leaving her nude.

She opened her eyes and reached out for the robe, but he snatched it away from her, laughing. If only Brian would play with her like this. Her nipples hardened from arousal.

The toilet in the hall flushed.

In the next instant, a deafening detonation shook the entire house as if the sky itself exploded above the roof, and the light bulb in the ceiling snapped. Total blackness enveloped them.

Now what?

No longer able to rely on eyesight, she focused on her other senses, holding her breath as everything happened at once. Todd called for help from the bathroom at the end of the hall, Brian yanked open the door to the adjoining toilet with a curse, and Micaela’s breathing in front of her picked up pace. Her heartbeat pulsed in her ears like a high-speed locomotive.
Tch-tch-tch
... .

Afraid of what might happen if she moved, she remained still as a corpse, nude and helpless. The aroused Italian stood so near, the salty scent of his sweat and wet hair surrounded her. He might complain of being cold, but steady, unmistakable heat drifted from his body, brushing her naked skin. And with her husband a few meters away, she’d never been so close to…serious, fucking trouble.

She widened her eyes, trying to discern Micaela’s shape in the immediate dark, but sensed him more than she saw him. Her heart palpitated.

Again, Todd shouted from the bathroom, sounding angry. Maybe he didn’t dare climb out of the slippery tub.

Brian’s voice resonated in the hall, drowning out the drumming of raindrops on the roof tiles. “Wait a sec, Todd, I’ll get a flashlight. Anne, are you all right?”

Oh. A simple question, but the fear of discovery hit her like a punch in the gut. She choked, trying to reply.

“Anne?” His tone held a hint of worry. Footsteps came down the hall, with the soft, tentative grazing of fingers on the wood-paneled wall and the familiar sound of her husband’s breathing.

Time to get a grip. “Y-yes, I’m fine.” Her voice echoed somewhat, as if amplified by the dark emptiness.

“It was just a lightning strike, baby. It cut the power.”

“I know.” Though no one could see, she nodded.

A deep intake of breath before her caused the hair on her neck to stand. She resisted the urge to lift her hands and feel around in the blackness.

Micaela, get away from me!

She couldn’t believe he dared stand there, with her husband so close. Maybe he trusted not to be seen. Or maybe he didn’t care. She remembered his incredible arrogance outside, on the bicycle, how he’d kept his hand locked on hers.

A tiny piece of metal scraped the wood panel in the hall to her right. Brian’s wedding band. So near the door.

Her throat tightened. She needed to make Micaela get back. She clenched her sweaty fists and searched the nothingness for some idea of how to make him move.

Todd’s third cry from the end of the hall came in the nick of time.

She bit her lip. “I think Todd needs help.”

“I know. Where’s his friend?” Brian stood close.

She almost jumped. Her heart in her throat, she turned toward him, but couldn’t see the outline of his big body in the dark. “Uh, I don’t know.” She blushed as she pictured Micaela’s smirk in front of her. “Maybe he’s gone downstairs.”

“Don’t you worry, sweetie. I’m gonna go find the flashlights at the top of the stairs and help Todd outta the bathroom.”

“Y-yes, you do that.” She nodded again, swallowed. “I’ll wait in bed.”

“Okay, baby. Be safe and warm. I’ll take care of everything and be right back.” The sound of footsteps and fingers grazing wood diminished as he left. “Ugh, I gotta check on the other guests, too.” A knock on wood across the hall. “Hey, in there. It’s just the power. Stay put, okay?”

A muffled response.

Anne sucked in a breath of relief and tried to still her galloping heart.

Todd called again, in the distance, impatient. Brian replied he was on his way before knocking on three more doors.

The warm breathing to her left came closer. Not knowing what to anticipate, she turned to the invisible presence.

A loud bang detonated somewhere over the village. She counted the seconds until the lightning strike. One, two. A sudden flash of white snuck in between the shutters, enough to reveal the side of Micaela’s face and his curving lips.

Blackness took over again. Anne blinked, regretting the new loss of sight.

Cold fingers reached out of the void and found her shoulders. She gasped and stepped backward, bumping into hard, horizontal bars—the shelves in the open closet.

He followed her. Goose bumps grew on her skin as his large hands slid down her arms, molding around her elbows. With mild force, he tugged at her wrists, pulling her hands away from her breasts.

She tried to resist, but he was stronger.

Brian called from the bottom of the hall. “Found the flashlights!”

Shit
. Stuck against the shelf, pinned by another man, she would be revealed as a cheater! It didn’t help that the responsibility was Micaela’s.

A small click reached her ears, and in her peripheral vision, a tiny ray of light danced in the dark of the hallway before steadying. In the next moment, a door opened at the end of the hall, and Brian’s low voice sounded through the wall separating them.

Her chest constricted. Again, she tried to pull her hands to her, but instead of letting go, Micaela closed the distance between them. His hard cock brushed against her.

Oh God
. Delicious heat rushed from her inner thighs, spreading through her stomach. Need competed with fear, pushed aside reason. Bent on betrayal, her hips shot forward, pressing against him, but it was wrong. She shouldn’t allow this. “Don’t. Please.”

Todd’s voice sounded again, nearer, calmer, probably thanking Brian.

Piercing the dense blackness to her right, two white rays appeared, crossing each other like tiny laser beams in the night.

Micaela stepped back and released her wrists.

She gasped with relief. They would not be discovered.

The soft rustling of fabric indicated he put on the bathrobe, and quick breaths revealed his hurry.

Without a word, Anne pushed away from the closet, stepping sideways to avoid bumping into him—and possibly his hard cock again—and moved toward the large double bed.

The same moment she lay down on the mattress and pulled the cold sheets over her naked body, Micaela’s cheerful, innocent voice sounded in the hall, greeting the two other men. “You okay?”

“Yeah, fuck.” Todd sighed. “I can’t believe this shit.”

“Me neither. We didn’t have time to get clothes before
bang
, the light went out.”