“I can walk by myself, you old coot,” Mrs. Trigali said, but Mallory noted with amusement that she didn’t pull her arm away. Chuckling softly, she closed and locked the door. When she turned around, she discovered Adam stood directly in front of her, highlighted by the pale golden glow spilling from the kitchen where the candles she’d lit burned.

Before she could so much as draw a breath, he dipped his knees and scooped her up into his arms.

“Now…” he murmured against her lips. “Where were we?”

8

Saturday, 10:00 p.m.

ADAM HELD MALLORY in his arms and headed swiftly toward the darkened hallway, which he assumed led to the bedrooms. “Where’s your room?” he asked.

“This way,” she said, clicking on her flashlight and pointing with the beam. “Last door on the right.” She nibbled on the side of his neck and he increased his pace. “Give up on the sofa?”

“I thought it best to get out of the foyer and as far away from the front door as possible. I survived one interruption-barely-and even liked your neighbors in spite of their bad timing, but it’s not a scenario I want to repeat.”

“Good thinking. You know, without the air-conditioning running, it’s going to get really hot in here soon.”

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s really hot in here right now.”

“Exactly. So probably we should get these clothes off.”

“Couldn’t agree more.”

“How about first one to get naked wins a prize?” she suggested, slipping her fingers beneath the V opening at his neck to touch his chest.

“Works for me-especially since I don’t see anybody being a loser in that contest.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he heard a faint musical sound. He paused and listened for several seconds. “Did you leave that radio on?”

“No. That’s my cell phone.” She worried her bottom lip. “I should-”

“Don’t even think about it.” He started toward the bedroom again, but before he’d taken one step, another sound chimed in. He stopped again and groaned.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“My cell phone.”

She buried her face against his neck and made a noise that sounded like a muffled laugh. “We should probably answer them.”

“You’ve got to be kidding. Whoever it is can wait.” He didn’t bother to add I can’t since it seemed patently obvious. He started walking again.

“They’ll just call back.”

“That’s what voice mail is for.”

“It might be my mom,” she said. “Worried about me with the blackout. If I don’t pick up, she might decide to drive over here.”

That stopped him like he’d walked into a brick wall. “Where’s your phone?”

“Kitchen counter.”

“Mine’s in my bag in the foyer.” Muttering a litany of very creative curses, he turned around and walked swiftly back down the hall. A noise that sounded suspiciously like a giggle vibrated against his neck. “You’re not laughing, are you?”

“You have to admit this is sort of funny.”

“I do? Maybe funny later. Not funny now.”

“I guess we could ignore the ringing and call whoever it is back in ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes? Ten minutes? Sweetheart, if you think you’ll only be in that bedroom for ten minutes…” He shook his head and gently lowered her to her feet. “Not happening. Of course, I have to actually get you there first, a task that’s turning into a Holy Grail-type quest.”

He strode into the foyer, grabbed his bag then walked back to the kitchen. Settling himself in the far corner, he fished out his cell phone, noting that she’d already answered hers. He glanced at his missed-calls list, which indicated Nick had been the person phoning him. A spurt of guilt worked its way through his frustration. A blackout couldn’t be an easy situation with a new baby.

Bracing his hips against the counter, he watched Mallory lean against the opposite wall. He dialed Nick’s number, but received a busy signal. Then, in an attempt to forestall another interruption in case she heard about the blackout on the news, he dialed his mother’s number in South Carolina. Her answering machine picked up and he left a brief message assuring her he was fine and he’d check in again tomorrow. Then he redialed Nick and this time the phone rang. Waiting for his friend to pick up, he noticed Mallory had ended her call and set her phone on the counter. She shot him a heated look filled with the wickedly playful mischief he remembered so clearly-that had so thoroughly bewitched and inflamed him. Then she walked slowly toward him in a cat-stalking-its-prey way that spiked his temperature another few degrees.

Nick’s voice sounded in his ear. “Hello.”

With his gaze glued on Mallory, Adam said, “Hi, Nick. Everything okay?”

“Except for the no lights, no power thing, yeah, we’re fine. Caroline’s actually asleep, and Annie’s lit a bunch of candles. I was calling to check on you. Where are you?”

All thoughts of answering were driven from his head when Mallory pressed herself against him, raised up onto her toes and lightly bit his neck.

“Hell…” he said on a soft exhalation of breath.

“Yeah, it’s hot as hell. But where are you? Still at the studio?”

“No.” He managed to get out the word before gritting his teeth when Mallory’s hands skimmed underneath his shirt. He reached for her with his free hand, but she smiled and shook her head at him.

“Finish your call,” she whispered, her fingers trailing over his abdomen. “Don’t mind me.”

Yeah, right.

“Damn, you’re not stuck on the expressway, are you?” Nick asked. “According to the last radio news report I heard, the traffic’s turning into a nightmare.”

She lowered his zipper and slipped her hands inside the waistband of his boxer briefs.

“I…I’m here on the island,” he managed to say. “Uh, safe and sound.”

She freed his erection then slowly sank to her knees before him.

“Good. You want to come over here and crash?”

He looked down and watched her slowly swirl her tongue over the head of his penis. A guttural growl rumbled in his throat.

“Adam, dude, you okay? I can barely hear you. Damn cell phones.”

“I’m…good.”

She drew him into the satiny heat of her mouth, and he dropped his head back, squeezing his eyes shut. “I’ve gotta go, Nick.”

“You coming?”

“Huh?”

“You coming over?”

“No. Thanks,” he said through gritted teeth, his breathing jagged. “I’ve already got…ahhh…place to stay.”

“Okay. Talk to you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow. Right. Bye.” He shut the phone and dropped it. Before it even hit the floor, he was sifting his hands through her silky hair. Lifting his head, he watched her draw him deeper into her mouth and he sucked in a sharp breath. Every nerve ending tensed, ignited with the erotic pull of her mouth, the teasing glide of her tongue. His muscles involuntarily flexed and he thrust forward into the warm, wet heat.

Sweat broke out on his forehead and he clenched his jaw to hold off the increasing need to come. When he couldn’t take any more, he grabbed her shoulders and urged her to her feet. After fastening his button to keep his pants up, he scooped her into his arms and headed purposefully toward the bedroom. She snatched up the flashlight from the counter as he walked past.

“You don’t play fair,” he said.

“Hey, all’s fair in making love.”

“Wait until it’s payback time.”

“Hmm. Is that a threat-or a promise?”

“Both.”

“Hopefully I won’t have to wait too long. But I don’t know-we’ve headed down this hallway before.”

“And nothing is stopping us this time. I turned off my damn phone.”

She combed her fingers through his hair. “Clearly we’re on the same wavelength. I did the same thing. And I spoke to my mom and best friend, reassured them of my safety, so no worries.”

“Good.” He entered the bedroom, then lowered her to her feet at the edge of the bed. “Now, as I recall, before we were so rudely interrupted-again-we’d just agreed we should get these clothes off.”

“I remember,” she said, her eyes glittering in the dim light. “Ready, set, go.”

In the history of mankind, there might have been a guy who managed to get his clothes off quicker than Adam, but he strongly doubted it.

“I win,” he said, eyeing her skirt and panties that she’d only managed to lower to her knees.

She released the material and they slid to the floor, pooling at her ankles, leaving her naked. Her gaze strolled slowly over him, lingering on his erection. The erotic image of her, on her knees, drawing him into her mouth, slammed into him. He could almost feel her lips gliding over him and he involuntarily jerked in response. When her gaze rose to meet his, her eyes brimmed with a heat that he imagined matched his own.

“Either you cheated, or you set some sort of world record,” she said in a smoky voice.

“World record.” Wanting, needing his hands on her, he reached out and clasped her hips then moved closer…until his erection brushed against her stomach. “Besides, how could I possibly cheat? Clearly I have nothing up my sleeve. Are you saying I didn’t win fair and square?”

She splayed her hands on his chest then slowly rubbed herself against him. He could practically hear whatever small amount of blood still remained above his neck whooshing down from his brain to his groin.

“Actually, I was thinking that it wasn’t really fair for you because clearly I’m going to benefit from you winning.”

“That’s okay. I don’t mind sharing. Especially with you.”

“Still, you had an unfair advantage. I’d already unzipped your jeans-”

“For which I thank you-”

“-and I had to set down the flashlight.” She nodded toward the beam of light rising from the night table to point toward the ceiling, casting the bed in a hazy glow. “That cost me several crucial seconds.”