Tornado Allie (3 page)

Seeing Drake and Allie, they stopped, Taryn flushed and Jack looking like a kid who had gotten caught with his hands in his girlfriend’s cookie jar.

A sound similar to a train whistle warned of the impending danger.

“What is that?” Taryn covered her ears.

“The finger of God announcing its presence,” Jack said, his long black hair blowing in every direction. He grimaced. “Do we have time?”

“I don’t think we have a choice,” Drake said. “Let’s go.”

As they raced to the van, the sky darkened to an eerie onyx tinged with green and the storm raged, cloud-to-cloud lightning cracking over their heads, letting Drake know they weren’t going to escape the twister’s wrath.

The air had grown so thick it was as if he was wading through the ocean against eight-foot waves. The pressure squeezed him like a vise, making it difficult to take a deep breath. He tightened his grasp on Allie’s hand, worried the wind would blow her away from him.

His ears popped almost continuously. Bits of wheat, grass, and earth slapped at his skin. His eyes and mouth were dry and gritty. He slid his tongue over his gums, disgusted by the amount of dirt it collected.

He heard his sister’s shout and fought against the wind to turn his head in her direction. She’d fallen to her knees, but before he could react, Jack hoisted her off the ground and took her hand.

As they approached the van, the rain stopped and, oddly, the air smelled like freshly baked bread.

The wind’s roar grew louder. He’d once taken a boat ride near the Niagara Falls. This tornado sounded similar to that giant waterfall. He didn’t feel any of the excitement he’d felt standing near one of nature’s greatest wonders—only fear, knowing they were too late to outrun the cyclone.

They struggled to open the doors of the van and jumped into the vehicle. Half-dollar-sized hail battered the windshield. Drake punched the gas. He’d driven no more than a block before the outer winds hit. Helpless, he said a silent prayer, knowing they were at Mother Nature’s mercy.

The tornado lifted the front of the minivan into the air. They hovered above the ground for a moment before crashing back down. The winds pitched them back and forth, tilting the vehicle on its sides, and then it spun them in circles.

Taryn and Allie screamed in the backseat. His breath stalled in his chest, and his heart accelerated into a triple-time beat. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he wrestled the wind for control of the van.

He should’ve never allowed Taryn and Allie to come on the storm-chasing tour.

A lifetime later, the twister tossed them to the side of the road and continued its journey into another field. The winds slowed, and the noise quieted to a low rumble.

He took a deep inhalation to steady his nerves and tore his fingers from their tight grip on the steering wheel. “Is everybody okay?”

“Yeah, man, I’m golden,” Jack said. “That was one hell of a ride. Too bad we didn’t get the chance to record it. Taryn, you kosher?”

“I think so. I’ll let you know as soon as my heart starts beating again. What about you, Allie?”

Allie didn’t respond.

He didn’t think it was possible, but his heart raced even faster. Was Allie injured? Why wasn’t she answering? He swallowed down the lump in his throat and jumped out of the van.

He didn’t bother to assess the damage to his vehicle, but there was no missing the dent in the driver-side passenger door. His stomach plummeted to his feet.

He’d never forgive himself if she’d been harmed.

Sliding open the door, he held his breath.

Allie snapped her head to the left, her eyes wide.

Thank God she was conscious.

He exhaled and raked his gaze over her, assessing her for injuries. She had a small scratch on her cheek, grass in her hair, and she was covered in dirt, but he didn’t see any bruises or blood.

He released her seat belt and took her hand. “Are you okay?”

She blinked several times and parted her lips but didn’t speak.

Was she in shock? All the information he’d learned in his emergency medical care class about the condition came rushing back to him.

He placed his thumb over the pulse point in her wrist, relieved to discover it strong and steady. Her complexion was rosy, her skin was warm, and her pupils looked normal and responsive.

She wasn’t in shock, at least not the physically dangerous kind. So, why then was she not responding?

He dug into his pocket and pulled out his cell. “I’m calling 9-1-1.”

She reached out and tugged on his shirt. She pressed her lips together, but a giggle escaped. Then as if someone had replaced the oxygen with nitrous oxide, she tossed back her head and laughed so hard, tears rolled down her cheeks.

Taryn moved closer to her. “I think she’s lost it.”

“Maybe we should check for a head injury,” Jack said.

Drake stared at her for a long minute. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. When his sister introduced them a few days ago, it was as if he’d been punched him in the gut. For a few moments, he hadn’t been able to breathe.

This was the friend Taryn had told him about? Honestly, he still thought of his sister as a child, so her friends were automatically lumped into the same category. But Allie was all woman. Had her beauty been limited to her outer appearance, he wouldn’t have given her another thought, but hers went bone-deep. It hadn’t taken more than a brief conversation with her about her experience with cancer to see her strength and her enthusiasm for life. She hadn’t allowed her illness to break her spirit, and she hadn’t let a little tornado break her either. He admired her for it.

Shaking his head, he smiled and laughed right along with her, releasing all the stress of the last ten minutes. The more he laughed, the more relaxed he became. Apparently, laughter was contagious, because Jack and Taryn joined them.

They’d survived the tornado without anything more than a couple scratches and dents. If he’d learned anything today, it was that he’d better seize his opportunity before he lost his chance. Life was short. It was time to put his promise into action. Tonight, he’d do everything in his power to make Allie his.

Chapter Two

“Hey, it’s Tornado Allie,” called Eric as he and his wife spotted her sitting on a high stool at the hotel bar.

She gave a small wave, her cheeks heating as the other storm-chasing guests hooted and hollered for the fifth time since she and Taryn had shown up for a celebratory drink. Apparently the story of their dangerous brush with the tornado and her subsequent laughter had made its rounds before they’d returned to the hotel.

Now everyone called her Tornado Allie.

She’d been called worse.

They were lucky. A different tornado had hit a nearby town and destroyed several homes and a school.

Allie sipped on her second mojito, already feeling the effects of the first. In the past, she’d merely slammed shots for the sole purpose of getting buzzed. Now she planned to actually taste her drinks.

Mojitos were yummy.

A husky rumble of laughter from across the room made her stomach drop and her nipples harden underneath her tank top. She pivoted on her chair and glanced over her shoulder at Drake standing between Miranda and Natalie like the filling in the middle of their sandwich. She didn’t doubt for a second the girls were thinking the exact same. She couldn’t blame them.

Mojitos weren’t the only yummy thing in here.

Like her, he had taken a shower to wash away the grime and dirt from the accident. Still wet, his hair was a couple shades darker than his normal caramel color, and it curled at the ends, especially around his ears. Rather than wearing another one of his official
Blow Me Away
shirts, he’d thrown on a simple white tee that accentuated his thick, ropy biceps.

The guy would look great on television. He had a straight nose, high cheekbones, full lips, and long eyelashes, all of which taken individually would appear quite feminine, but together on Drake—
100 percent tasty alpha-male goodness
.

How did a storm chaser get such a hot body? What did she really know about him other than he was Taryn’s older brother?

Since they’d met, she hadn’t seen him lose his cool once, and with more than a dozen guests—several of them at one time or another complaining to him about mundane things that would have driven Allie crazy—it couldn’t be easy. Yet through it all, he’d remained controlled. Even when the tornado had thrown their van like a die-cast car, he’d stayed calm.

What would it be like to have all that control concentrated on her?

“Earth to Allie. Are you sure you didn’t hit your head?” Taryn waved her hand in front of Allie’s face.

She realized she’d missed what her friend had said. “Sorry. I was lost in thought.”

“Care to share?”

“Care to share what you and Jack were doing in the shed?”

Allie had seen all the signs of Taryn having the hots for Jack. Every time those two were within twenty feet of each other, the chemistry was so combustible, Allie was surprised it didn’t end in a chemical meltdown.

Taryn lifted her drink. “Well played, my friend. We’re all entitled to our secrets. Especially when they concern opinionated men with rock-hard abs and a tight ass.”

From behind them, a deep male voice she recognized as Jack asked, “Anyone I know?”

Allie twirled around on her chair to a grinning Jack. And Drake.

“Are you eavesdropping on us?” Taryn asked.

Jack folded his arms and leaned in closer to her. “Nah, but since my ears were burning, I figured you were talking about me with Tornado Allie.”

“You’re delusional.” Taryn crumbled the napkin into a ball and threw it at Jack. With one hand, he caught it right before it hit him in the face. She grabbed her purse off the top of the bar and slid off her chair. “Drake, I don’t know how you could stay friends with such a Neanderthal.”

Drake raised his hands. “Keep me out of this.”

Taryn kissed Drake on the cheek. “I’ve got a phone call to make. Allie, I’ll be right back.”

Jack punched Drake in the shoulder and casually strolled away as if he wasn’t planning to follow Taryn.

Drake pointed at the seat. “Mind if I sit here until she gets back?”

“We both know those two aren’t coming back anytime soon.” Her Drake-a-titis returned with a vengeance. She grabbed her purse and pulled a cherry sucker from it, just in case she needed it, and then dropped her bag on the bar between her and Drake.

Drake winced. “How are you feeling? Any residual soreness from the accident?” He dropped onto the stool beside her and pivoted, brushing his knees against hers.

Heat infused her body at the subtle sensation of his crisp hairs rasping against her smooth skin. “Nothing worth mentioning. I think most of my aches are from the hours driving in the minivan. I’ll have to make an appointment for a massage when I get back home.” Once she returned to the privacy of her apartment, she’d take care of all those inner aches caused by this week’s sexual frustration.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “You live in Cleveland, right?”

“I did, but I recently moved to Chicago for a job.” It was one of the hardest decisions she’d ever made, but soon after recovering from pneumonia, she’d left her family and friends and moved to the new city on her own. She hadn’t regretted it for a second.

With a gleam in his baby blues, he sat up tall and inched forward in his seat, wedging his knee between both of hers. “What do you do?”

Sharp arousal thrummed through her, and she fought the urge to squeeze his knee between her thighs. “You happen to be looking at the producer of Chicago’s lowest-rated morning news program.” Needing something to hold in her trembling hands, she picked up her purse from the bar.

“You’re kidding. I—” Drake shifted in his chair, knocking his elbow into her purse.

As it toppled to the floor, several items spilled out, and she immediately took inventory of it. Her lipstick…a compact mirror…her cell phone…her suckers…

And her naughty list.

She slid off the chair and crouched to pick everything up, but Drake was quicker.

“Sorry about that. I’ll get it for you.” He lifted the piece of paper and held it out to her. She knew the moment he caught the words “naughty list” because he froze. Then he stood with the list still in his hand and started to read it.

Mortified, she laughed, shoving everything else back in her purse. “That’s my bucket list. I guess I could cross off seeing a tornado.” She got up from the floor and waited for him to return it, but he seemed mesmerized. “May I have it back, please?”

He trapped her between his warm body and the cool bar, his focus entirely on her just as she’d fantasized. “You want a one-night stand?”

“TELL ME MORE about your naughty list, Allie.”
Who would’ve thought sweet little Allie had such a sexy, dirty mind?

As of this afternoon, three hurdles had stood between them.

He’d jumped the first one an hour ago when he, Jack, and Cole had voted unanimously to reverse their “no fraternizing with the guests” policy right after Drake had given Jack permission to pursue Taryn on the condition Drake would kick his ass if he broke her heart.

Then Allie had tossed the second hurdle out of their way without even knowing it existed, innocently mentioning she worked at a news station in Chicago. Based on her description, she worked for the same news station he’d signed a contract with last week, accepting the job as their new meteorologist.

He had a feeling one night with her would never be enough, and thanks to this amazing turn of events, they’d have the opportunity for more.

Beginning tonight.

She swallowed hard, gazing at his chest in rapt fascination. “I already told you about my bucket list. This one’s like that. Only…for sex,” she whispered, a faint blush crawling up her neck.

“You have anyone in mind?” Gently tipping up her chin.

Glazed eyes. Dark dilated pupils. Flushed face.

Hell yeah. She wanted him.

He held his breath as he waited for her response, his gut tightening at the thought of some other guy making all her sexual fantasies a reality.