Private 02 - Private Paradise

hard lessons on the kind of damage a man could do if he didn't keep a lid on his rage. But the idea that she thought he was capable of ditching her to wait out the storm by herself, combined with the gut twisting fear he'd experienced when he watched her fly over the side of the boat, tangled together with the unrelenting sexual frustration of the last week had brought fury roaring to the surface.
    He grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a shake and got his face right up close to hers. “Goddamn it, Carla, I know I was shitty to you, but do you really think I'm such a selfish asshole that I'd leave you alone with a fucking hurricane barreling down on you?”
    “ It would have been the smarter thing to do,” she said with a belligerent tilt to her chin, her eyes narrowed in a glare.
    His fingers tightened on her shoulders. “I think we established a long time ago which one of us is the brain trust around here. I don't give a shit about being smart. I care about making sure you stay safe.”
    “ In that case,” she said, her jaw softening, “thanks for coming back for me.” Her eyes lost their defiant glimmer and in that instant, her guard disappeared and Sam saw exactly how scared she was under her toug- as-nails I-can-handle-anything-you-throw-my-way-exterior.
    The anger drained out of him and he pulled her to him, resting his forehead against hers. “I think my heart actually stopped when I saw you go over the rail.”
    She let out a muffled chuckle. “I think mine stopped when that door nailed me.”
    “ Oh, shit, how bad are you hurt?” Sam asked, feeling like even more of an asshole for manhandling her. He pressed his palm against her sternum, frowning at the way she winced.
    “ I got the wind knocked out of me, but I think I'll just have a big bruise.” She looked pointedly at his hand where it rested between her breasts. In spite of everything, he felt the blood surge in his groin at the feel of full curves against his hand.
    The wind kicked up another notch, and the rain started to fall harder. Sam pulled his hand away and helped Carla to her feet. She looked out over the sea, churning with whitecaps. “They're not going to have time to come back for us.”
    Sam put his hand on her shoulder, felt the tension quivering under her skin. “No.”
    They had no choice but to wait out the storm.
    ###
    Carla took Sam's hand and let him lead her up back up to the main building. Soaked, her chest aching where the door had slammed into her, she tried to put her fear aside as they prepared for the coming storm. Panic wouldn't help either of them.
    Instead, she stayed close to Sam, following his lead as he gathered supplies to help them through the storm. If he shared any of her panic, it didn't show as he moved calmly, purposefully through the main lodge, putting together everything they might need.
    It surprised her how calming his presence was. The way he faced the challenge, did what needed to be done with no unnecessary drama or emotion. Carla had never thought of Sam as someone who could make her feel safe, but right now she couldn't think of anyone more capable of helping her see the storm through safely.
    Maybe he really has changed. Maybe he really has become someone you could depend on.
    She shoved the thought aside and went to help Sam gather the last of the supplies. In addition to the already packed emergency kits complete with flashlights, shortwave radios, emergency food, and bottled water, Sam gathered up extra batteries and several more bottles of drinking water.
    “ We should go start the generators in case the power goes―”
    Sam cut her off. “We don't have time,” he said as he shoved everything into a duffel bag. “We need to move to the other side of the island where we'll be less exposed.”
    Carla nodded. Though she dreaded going back out into the wind and driving rain, she knew they would be safer on the leeward side of the island when the main thrust of the storm hit.
    Once again, Sam reached for her hand, and she didn't hesitate to thread her fingers through his as they stepped out into the storm.
    Carla ran, clutching Sam's hand like a lifeline as the rain came down in heavy, blinding sheets. The wind blew so fiercely it snatched the air from her lungs, picking up anything and everything that wasn't nailed down. A lounge chair someone forgot to secure went flying by her head as they sprinted around past the pool deck, down to the path that ran along the beach around