"I think you were right about the drinks," she said ruefully. "I'm beginning to

feel the effects."

He opened the door to the lobby for her and waited until they were in the elevatoralone before he said, "I'm afraid you're going to have a bad headache in themorning."

They stepped out of the elevator and he unlocked the door to the condo. Onceinside, she replied, "Probably. But it will be worth it."

He nodded. "Hope you feel the same way in the morning." They walked toward their

bedrooms. They reached hers first.

"Thank you for tonight. I hope you weren't bored," she said.

"Not at all. I don't think I gave the business a thought for, oh, at least thirty

minutes." He grinned at her.

She smiled. "I don't know what I'm going to do about you."

"A good-night kiss would be nice."

His comment caught her off guard. It was the last thing she'd expected to hear

from him.

"Of course," she said and leaned toward him. She closed her eyes, expecting a peckon her cheek. Instead he slowly drew her into his arms and brushed his lips againsthers. What was happening to her? Was it the rum that suddenly made her melt against him...and put her arms around his neck?

By the time he loosened his grip, they were both gasping for air.

"I've wanted to do that all evening," he said hoarsely.

"I didn't know," she murmured and rubbed her finger along his strong jawline andcheek. Jodie attempted a smile. "Well, good night," she managed to say before shestepped into her room and closed the door.

Dean closed his eyes and stood there. What had he done? Was he out of his mind?He'd taken advantage of the fact that she was there with him, which wasunconscionable.

And why hadn't she slapped his face!

Now he knew exactly how she felt pressed against him, how she tasted as her soft

mouth opened to his like a budding flower. He'd not forget it, nor would he forgetthe fact that they still had five days together before heading back to Chicago.

He shook his head and strode into his bedroom. He stripped off his clothes andheaded for a much-needed shower and some stern self-talk. Getting involved withJodie Cameron would be the height of recklessness.

Unfortunately for his peace of mind, he'd discovered tonight that he'd beeninvolved with her for years.

The first thing Jodie knew the next morning when she opened her eyes was that Deanhad grossly underestimated the effect of the mai tais. She didn't have just aheadache; concrete drills were going off inside her head.

The second thing that registered was the heavenly scent of freshly brewed coffeewafting its way into her room. The thought of coffee was the call of the sirensthat drew her out of bed. She put on the thick terry-cloth robe that was in thebathroom, carefully brushed her hair-even her scalp hurt this morning-and went insearch of the elixir that might help her live.

Dean sat at the kitchen bar, next to the coffeepot, reading the paper. He glancedup when she moved carefully toward him.

"How're you feeling?" he asked, his voice low.

She almost whimpered. Even that much noise made her head hurt worse. "I shouldhave stopped after the first drink," she whispered. She filled the large coffee mugsitting beside the pot to the brim and immediately lifted it to her mouth. It wastoo hot to drink, but she could live off the aroma for a moment.

"Aspirin will help," he said, nodding toward a bottle there on the counter.

She filled a glass with water, took a couple of tablets and sat down on the barstool next to Dean.

He wore shorts, a shirt and sandals. He looked rested and fit. She could almosthate a person for that when she felt like something that had washed up on theshore. He continued to read the paper, and for the first time she fully appreciatedhis taciturn personality.

She sipped her coffee and squinted out the window. The sun had been up for hours,but at this particular moment she didn't care if she ever saw the sun again.

Dean laid the paper on the counter and got up. He walked over to the expanse ofwindows and drew the drapes closed.

"How did you know?" she asked with relief when he seated himself once again. Heflicked on the small light near where he sat.

"I've overindulged myself a few times in my thirty-odd years. I know what it'slike."

She placed her mug on the counter and rested her head in her hands. "The drinkstasted so innocent. I had no idea..." Her voice faded.

He raised his hand to rub her back in sympathy but thought better of it. Hecleared his throat. "I know the idea doesn't sound appealing, but you'll feelbetter once you get some food inside you."

"You are absolutely right. The idea doesn't sound at all appealing."

He grinned and picked up the phone. After ordering them both breakfasts, he hungup and looked at her. "Nibble on some toast, drink some juice-"

"Are you kidding?" she asked in horror, dropping her hands from her head. "I'llprobably never drink another glass of juice again."

"It wasn't the fruit juice that caused your pain."

She groaned. "You're always so logical."

"So are you, most of the time. You'll feel better as the day wears on."

"That's a relief. Right now I'd have to get better to die."

He chuckled but didn't say anything else.

When their meal arrived, he opened the door and took the tray, giving the waiter atip before closing the door and bringing the food to the bar.

Jodie eyed the tray skeptically at the same time her stomach growled. Like it ornot, she needed to eat something.

Did Dean always have to be right?

Miraculously by midafternoon she was beginning to feel almost human again. Notwell enough to go outside just yet, but better. Anything was an improvement.

Dean had left after breakfast and hadn't yet returned. She wondered where he'dgone. Not that it was any of her business. He might have hooked up with one of thewomen they'd met at the luau last night.

She frowned at the thought.

What was the matter with her? He'd dated a number of women since she'd worked forhim and she hadn't given the matter a thought. Until last night, she hadn't figuredhe had much passion in him.

She'd definitely been proved wrong there. She groaned at the memory of herresponse to him. If she hadn't felt so awful this morning, she probably couldn't have faced him.

At least he'd been a gentleman and hadn't mentioned what had happened last night.

Jodie finally went in and showered, the water having its usual soothing effect on

her. By the time she dressed and returned to the living room, she felt human again.She heard the key in the door and glanced around as Dean let himself inside. When he saw her, he grinned and said, "Ignore the ransom note, I managed to escape."

Six.

Jodie jumped up and stared at him in shock. "You were kidnapped?" she asked, her

voice going up.

He paused before closing the door. "Sorry, I was just making a joke. I was gonelonger than I expected to be." She lowered herself back into the chair, feelingsilly for overreacting. "How are you feeling?" he asked, making himself comfortable on the nearby sofa.

"Much better than this morning, thank you."

"Did you eat anything for lunch?"

"I ordered some soup. I wasn't up to going downstairs."