Paradise Lust Read Online Free PDF Page B

As if in answer, a bird cawed brashly, and she almost laughed into Danny’s mouth. What universe had she ended up in? An amazing one , she answered herself.
    This was all so crazy—she didn’t know this man at all. Yet the kiss felt familiar, was in fact the first familiar thing she’d encountered since coming to Bali. Despite the fairytale setup, the surreal surroundings, the other-worldliness of life here, she was somehow connecting with Danny on a more substantial plane. In the realm of the “real world,” whatever that was. She grasped Danny’s shoulders tighter.
    But at that same moment, she felt his hands retreat from under her shirt, and then—no, please don’t—move off her body, only to come back down, lightly, on her shoulders. He pulled his face away and looked at her, holding her, quite literally, at arms’ length.
    “You’re freezing,” he said, looking concerned.
    “I’m what?” It took Adele a moment to process the words. When she did, she noticed that, to her surprise, she was freezing. The hot raindrops had turned into cold, damp clothing pressed against clammy skin.
    “Jesus, you’re shivering like crazy,” he said, and let his hands drop from her shoulders as he bent down to grab the towel. “You’ve got to take those clothes off.”
    She couldn’t help but laugh. “You can’t be serious,” she said. The magic of the kiss had vanished. She was freezing cold and it turned out he just wanted to get in her yoga shorts. Indignance seemed obligatory.
    “I’m completely serious. Your lips are practically purple. Don’t worry, this isn’t some elaborate scheme,” he laughed too, and the playful glimmer in his eye made her soften again. “Even I can’t control the island weather, believe it or not.”
    She only looked at him, eyebrows raised. She crossed her clammy arms across her rain-soaked chest.
    “Seriously, come inside, take a hot shower, and I’ll get you something dry to wear for the walk back to your cabin.”
     
    During her entire shower, she’d been half expecting Danny to bust into the bathroom and join her, and she’d been surprised—and, fine, maybe a little disappointed—when her shower had ended sans interruption. In fact, when she’d emerged, it seemed that her shower had been the furthest thing from his mind. He was hunched over a glowing laptop, completely absorbed in what looked like marketing analytics, oblivious to her presence until she lightly cleared her throat.
    “Hey!” He spun around. “You’re done already? I’m sorry, I got wrapped up in something, hang on, I’ll go find you something to wear that’s not enormous.” He started for the bedroom door then turned back, gesturing vaguely toward the couch, visibly forcing himself to look at Adele’s eyes rather than her towel-clad body. “Make yourself at home, I’ll be out in a sec.”
    So now she sat, listening to the roar of the waves underneath the still spattering raindrops, perched on his couch uncomfortably—was it possible to sit demurely in a towel and be comfortable? She was warm and dry, and felt grateful for how this strange yet familiar man had taken care of her. Other than that, she had no idea how she felt.
    I just need to breathe. Find some calm in myself. My wise mind knows what I want . She repeated the learnings and mantras of her practice, and reflected that tomorrow’s asana would be a good time to reflect. She would wake up ten minutes early to get in some extra meditation. She needed to calm the chaos in her brain.
    Then the door opened.
     

Chapter 5
     
    When he opened the door from the bedroom to the living room, Danny didn’t know what he was expecting or hoping for. Well, he knew what he wanted , viscerally at least. But there was something dangerous about this woman. Not that he thought she had any bad intentions toward him—no, he didn’t pick up anything like that—but he had the feeling that she could really throw a wrench in the vision he had for his