Read Online Stormbound with a Tycoon by Shawna Delacorte - Free Book Online
Authors: Shawna Delacorte
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refused to be relegated to the confines of her bedroom in order to read a book. He said he would entertain himself and she wouldnât even know he was there. Well, so far he had been a dismal failure at both. He didnât seem to be making any attempt to entertain himself, and there was no way she could ignore his presenceâ¦regardless of how much she tried.
She watched him for a couple of minutes before it dawned on her that he seemed more preoccupied than merely restless. Her mind turned to Dylan Russell the man rather than Dylan Russell the distraction. Why would someone like him want to be in such solitary circumstances? A man who had turned partying into an art form was not the type who would want to be alone. Quite the contrary. That type usually needed to be surrounded by other people so that they wouldnât be alone. Yet there he was. He had refused to leave, refused to consider her option of checking into the lodgeâ¦when it had still been an option.
It was a strange situation, one she didnât understand, but the more she watched him the more she wanted to know. It had gone beyond her fascination with a sexy, desirable man. He had become an enigma. There was something very real going on inside him and she wanted to be able to understand it.
He opened the cabin door and wandered out to the porch. She watched him through the window. He appeared temporarily content to stand there, staring at the rain and sipping his coffee. She rose from the couch and joined him, eliciting nothing more than a quick glance acknowledging her presence.
âYou seem very restless and preoccupied with something. I suspected the isolation here would not be to your liking. I donât understand why you thought this would be the type of place you would be comfortable with. Even if the power was on, there isnât even a television or VCR. Justin and I agreed that we wanted to use the cabin as a true getaway.â
âThatâs exactly why I wanted to use it, tooâ¦itâs a true getaway.â
She waited, hoping he would offer more information, but he continued to stare out at the rain. âBut you seem so restlessââ
He jerked around and glared at her. âI wanted to do some hiking, all right?â He hadnât meant to snap out the words like that, cutting her off in midsentence, but his restlessness and inability to concentrate had made him irritable. He glanced at the serious expression on her face and managed a weak smile as he tried to make light of the situation. âBeing in the woods, communing with natureâ¦that kind of thing.â
âYou certainly could have done all the hiking you wanted from the lodge.â
He ignored her comment, choosing instead to look up at the stormy sky. âDoes it seem like itâs letting up a little bit? Maybe weâll be able to see some sun before the day is over.â
He knew exactly where she was going with the conversation, wanting to know why he wanted to be atthe cabin and had refused to leave, and he didnât want to tread that path again. It was something he hadnât clearly figured out for himself yet and certainly a topic he was not prepared to discuss with anyone else. It was all too personal and came from a place of vulnerability that he didnât want anyone to see. Then he thought of Rose and Stanley Clarkson again. The guilt over what had happened welled inside him, quickly accompanied by his fear over the direction his life was headed if he didnât make some drastic changes. Yes, he had lots of things to work out, and running through it all, clouding his thinking, was something he hadnât planned onâ¦the very real distraction of an intriguing woman who literally took his breath away and made his blood race.
Jessica glanced up at the stormy sky. âI donât think so. Weâll be lucky if the rain lets up before morning. Sunshine is an entirely different topic.â
She watched him a
She watched him for a couple of minutes before it dawned on her that he seemed more preoccupied than merely restless. Her mind turned to Dylan Russell the man rather than Dylan Russell the distraction. Why would someone like him want to be in such solitary circumstances? A man who had turned partying into an art form was not the type who would want to be alone. Quite the contrary. That type usually needed to be surrounded by other people so that they wouldnât be alone. Yet there he was. He had refused to leave, refused to consider her option of checking into the lodgeâ¦when it had still been an option.
It was a strange situation, one she didnât understand, but the more she watched him the more she wanted to know. It had gone beyond her fascination with a sexy, desirable man. He had become an enigma. There was something very real going on inside him and she wanted to be able to understand it.
He opened the cabin door and wandered out to the porch. She watched him through the window. He appeared temporarily content to stand there, staring at the rain and sipping his coffee. She rose from the couch and joined him, eliciting nothing more than a quick glance acknowledging her presence.
âYou seem very restless and preoccupied with something. I suspected the isolation here would not be to your liking. I donât understand why you thought this would be the type of place you would be comfortable with. Even if the power was on, there isnât even a television or VCR. Justin and I agreed that we wanted to use the cabin as a true getaway.â
âThatâs exactly why I wanted to use it, tooâ¦itâs a true getaway.â
She waited, hoping he would offer more information, but he continued to stare out at the rain. âBut you seem so restlessââ
He jerked around and glared at her. âI wanted to do some hiking, all right?â He hadnât meant to snap out the words like that, cutting her off in midsentence, but his restlessness and inability to concentrate had made him irritable. He glanced at the serious expression on her face and managed a weak smile as he tried to make light of the situation. âBeing in the woods, communing with natureâ¦that kind of thing.â
âYou certainly could have done all the hiking you wanted from the lodge.â
He ignored her comment, choosing instead to look up at the stormy sky. âDoes it seem like itâs letting up a little bit? Maybe weâll be able to see some sun before the day is over.â
He knew exactly where she was going with the conversation, wanting to know why he wanted to be atthe cabin and had refused to leave, and he didnât want to tread that path again. It was something he hadnât clearly figured out for himself yet and certainly a topic he was not prepared to discuss with anyone else. It was all too personal and came from a place of vulnerability that he didnât want anyone to see. Then he thought of Rose and Stanley Clarkson again. The guilt over what had happened welled inside him, quickly accompanied by his fear over the direction his life was headed if he didnât make some drastic changes. Yes, he had lots of things to work out, and running through it all, clouding his thinking, was something he hadnât planned onâ¦the very real distraction of an intriguing woman who literally took his breath away and made his blood race.
Jessica glanced up at the stormy sky. âI donât think so. Weâll be lucky if the rain lets up before morning. Sunshine is an entirely different topic.â
She watched him a
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