I used to love the rain and thunder when I was younger. I loved how the earthy air smelled like mysterious loamy green forests. The bright thunder in the dark sky. Raindrops pattering against I used to love the rain and thunder when I was younger. I loved how the earthy air smelled like mysterious loamy green forests. The bright thunder in the dark sky. Raindrops pattering against the windowpane.

Rain storms have always been magic to me.

At some point growing up, I learned to become afraid of rain storms. They made me feel powerless. Storms were a force of nature that I had no control over.

Now I tell myself that rain storms are simply an annoyance. Something to avoid getting caught out in.

That's what I tell myself.

___________

A week passed quietly, things settling comfortably back to the normal day-to-day drudgery of work and life. By the time Friday came about, the memories of Calen and that night seemed like nothing more than a far away dream.

I usually loved that my work office was downtown, but today wasn't the case. Luke was supposed to pick me up since we had decided to carpool to work that day but he had to work late. Now I was stuck waiting for the bus to take me home. It wouldn't have been too bad except for a sudden August downpour deciding to make an appearance the minute I stepped outside.

Thoroughly soaked and freezing, I huddled under some flimsy tree branches in hopes of respite from the rain. I didn't have an umbrella with me and the tiny bus stop shelter was already jammed packed with people also trying to hide from the rain.

I cursed when a car zoomed through the deep puddles on the street and water splashed over me like a mini tidal wave. Shivering, I searched in vain for a glimpse of my bus, wishing for the tenth time that I had just driven to work that day.

"Emma?"

The familiar low musical voice saying my name, so wholly unexpected, caused a sudden surge of heat curling through my body.

It couldn't be him, could it?

Turning slowly, I fought to keep my face expressionless. But when I saw him standing only a few feet away holding a large teak-handled black umbrella, I couldn't stop from flinching.

Calen Bryn.

It was him. He watched me with cool blue eyes, waiting to see what I would do next.

I tried for a casual expression and tried to force out a polite greeting, but nothing came out. It was hard to even think straight at the moment when suddenly all of the memories I've been trying to suppress of that night were rushing back in excruciatingly painful detail.

Even so, my memories of him still paled comparison to the reality of him standing in front of me now. I had only seen him at night before. Under the full light of day, his masculine beauty was a lush landscape of rich vibrant contrasts. Soft waves of tousled ebony hair, warm summer bronzed skin, and eyes the color of oceans in the rain.

"Do I have something on my face?" He drawled, a slightly wicked curve to his lips making me flush.

Unable to pretend he hadn't caught me staring, I raised my chin. "Sorry, I'm just surprised to see you. Do you work around here?" The excuse was lame but unable to offer up anything else.

"My office is only a block from here." He eyed my drenched state. "Is there a reason you've decided to stand outside in the rain?"

"I'm waiting for the bus." I gave him a stiff shrug. "And it's not too bad out here. I'm completely fine."

"Not too bad--" He bit off the rest of the sentence, sighing. "Emma...you're drowning."

"It's just a little rain. Not a big deal." I waved a sodden arm, feeling even more self-conscious than before with the way his sharp gaze scanned over me. I already knew I had to look like a bedraggled rat right now.

"This is more like a monsoon, Emma. Hardly just a little rain." He murmured.

"Well, I'm fine." I told him, teeth clenched. "It was nice to see you. Goodbye."

His eyes gleamed at my response as if I had made a supremely funny joke instead of the casual dismissal I was striving for.

Without warning, he reached out and grabbed my hand. Before I could even think to resist, he had already pulled me smoothly next to him and had positioned the large over me.

I blinked rapidly to clear the water from my eyes, reeling from the quickness of what had just happened. The break from the rain was welcome. Not as welcome was the realization that up close he was even more dazzling. All glittering knowing eyes and a wicked smile that hinted at things I didn't want to even guess at.

I jerked away, almost stumbling in my haste to escape, but he tucked my arm firmly into the crook of his, preventing me from moving even an inch.

"Even if we're not friends, I can still offer a drowning lady some help, can't I?" He asked mockingly.

"Like I said earlier, I'm not drowning--" I started to say, but didn't get to finish.

He was suddenly moving again, taking two large steps backwards. Since my arm was still tucked in his, I was pulled along for the ride. Before I could yell at him, a car zoomed past us and a huge wave of water sprayed over the space where we had just been standing.

I ground my teeth, unwilling to thank him.

"How about I get you out of the rain and drive you home." He looked at me from the corner of his eyes, a hint of deviltry flashing in the blue depths. "Unless you prefer to stay here and continue getting splashed by cars?"

A few women at the bus stop nearby twittered, giggling and looking at me like I was an idiot. Their dazzled expressions when they looked at Calen told me they'd happily trade places with me in a second.

"You've made your point." I said shortly.

He gave a small laugh and began walking, pace slow in deference to my shorter legs. I still struggled to keep up. My ridiculous heels that had looked so cute that morning, were completely useless for stomping through the puddles. In some areas, the water rose nearly to my ankles.

"Where are we going?" I asked irritably even though I couldn't help but be grateful for the umbrella.

He gave me a brief once over. "My place, it's not too far from here."

I put the brakes on, shaking my head. "Nope, I'm not going to your place. Are you kidding me?"

A slight smirk twitched his lips. "That's where my car is parked, Emma. What did you think I meant?"

My face flushed so hotly I was surprised I couldn't see steam rising. "You could have started with that instead."

"It's not my fault you have a dirty mind." He said blandly.

"Let's just go." I muttered, shaking my head.

His smirk grew but didn't say anything else, for which I was grateful.

We walked in silence for about a block. I was silently castigating myself for letting him get to me when suddenly my wet feet slipped out of my heels. My ankle twisting, I lurched forward.

Without missing a beat, Calen dropped the umbrella and spun around to catch me neatly around the waist.

I blinked furiously, trying to see through the fat droplets of rain and struggled to straighten myself up. With minimal effort, he brought me upright and steadied me.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Generally I'm not this clumsy, but for some reason, I seem to trip a lot around you." I said, feeling like an idiot.

A grin flashed across his face before he let me go.

I watched from beneath my lashes as Calen crouched down to pick up his umbrella. He was wearing what had probably been a really nice suit at one point. Now the rain sluiced down unchecked over his body, plastering the expensive cloth to his body like a model at a wet tee-shirt contest.

I looked away, castigating myself for ogling him again. A woman would have to be blind not to notice the powerful muscles bunching in his thighs as he rose back up.

Trying to distract myself, I surveyed the surrounding area to get my bearings. We were by the Guthrie Theater. In the distance, I recognized the sloping hill of Gold Medal park and the faint outline of the Stone Arch bridge beyond.

People hustled past us, their umbrellas bobbing bursts of bright color against the gray rain slick pavement and gray overcast skies. Some looked panicked, cowering underneath their umbrellas and trying to avoid larger puddles. Others looked gleeful, grins lighting wet faces and purposefully splashing through the pools of water without care.

I glanced down at myself, giving a rueful shake of my head at the pitiful sight. My clothes were a sodden mushy mess and I only had one shoe on. Without warning, I burst out laughing.

"Are you okay?" Calen asked, stepping back next to me. With one hand, he held the open umbrella over us again. In the other was one of my pitiful looking heels.

Still laughing, I danced away from the umbrella, shaking my head.

"Okay, is this a new game?" He asked, raising his brow.

I kicked off my remaining heel and looped it around my wrist. Raising my face to the rainy sky, I closed my eyes against the cold drops.

"I used to love rain storms when I was a kid. I had forgotten just how glorious they can be."

"You find this glorious?" He asked, cool blue eyes assessing me as if I were a puzzle, one he hadn't quite figured out yet.

I turned to him, grinning. "I'm already soaked to the bone so the umbrella isn't going to help much more at this point."

He snapped the umbrella shut. "All right. No umbrella. So, what now?"

"Hand me my other shoe." I took the heel and looped it around my wrist with the other one.

"Now, it's time to run to your car!" I shouted enthusiastically, hopping from one feet to the other.

He scanned me, lips curling slowly into a devilish smile, as if he had just solved the puzzle. Ignoring him, I turned and began sprinting down the sidewalk.

Our mad dash through the rain felt insane, yes, but it also felt incredibly free. Water splashed against my legs, like the waves of the sea upon the shore. For a moment I was a little girl again, holding onto my best friend's hands as we giggled and splashed our way through a May thunderstorm.

"You have no idea where we are going, do you?" Calen shouted next to me after a few seconds.

"Nope!" I yelled back, uncaring. He reached out and grabbed my hand, yanking me to a stop.

"You were taking us in the opposite direction from my car. Maybe you should let me lead." He drawled.

I looked up at him, suddenly finding it hard to breathe from more than just the unexpected cardio. His hair had become a wild mass of ebony waves framing his face. Through the curtains of silvery rain, his eyes gleamed bright as sapphires.

As we stared at each other, the world seemed to slow. Raindrops paused in midair, surrounding us like a shower of starlight, enclosing us in a moment that was too intimate to bear.

With a growl, he suddenly turned away. Brusquely, he tugged me by the hand he was still holding and took off in a fast walk. I followed, letting him tow me along like a limp netted fish caught in the nets. The earlier euphoria drained away from me with each step. Competing emotions and thoughts raced across my mind, darkening my mood.

It seemed like only seconds, then we were at the entrance to his building and heading down in an elevator to the underground garage. A prowling dark British green Jaguar gleamed in the dim interior like the eyes of the predator it was named after.

He opened the door for me and I numbly clambered inside. The leather seats were smooth against my wet skin. The sandalwood and autumn scent of his cologne filled my nostrils and I fought the urge to wallow in it.

He slid into the driver's seat and shut the door. "Where to?" He asked without looking at me.

Woodenly, I gave him my address, trying to breathe through my mouth and wondering what the hell had compelled me to ever think that running through the rain without an umbrella was a good idea. As he started the car, I wrapped my arms around my body, shivering as cold and exhaustion started settling in.

"Your lips are blue." He cursed softly. Starting the car, he pressed some buttons to turn on the heater.

As he began driving, the flowing air from the vents became hotter. I soaked in the warmth gratefully. Even so, I was still cold deep inside my core where the heat couldn't seem to reach. It felt as if there was ice encasing my internal organs. Finally, exhausted, I started dozing off in between fitful bouts of shivering.

Calen stopped the car and got out. I watched groggily, unable to summon enough energy to be curious. In what seemed like seconds, Calen returned and settled back into the driver's seat. He was holding a steaming cup in his hands.

Reaching over, he carefully placed the cup in my hands, his lean elegant fingers closing over mine firmly so that I wouldn't drop it. I stared at our intertwined hands, the sight unexpectedly erotic.

"It's hot tea. Please drink it, Emma." He said. Gently, he released my hands.

"Thank you." I croaked. Lowering my eyes, I raised the cup to my lips and took a careful sip. The hot liquid felt incredibly good as it traveled down my frozen insides. Once the cup was empty, he took it from me.

"Let's get you home." His voice was low, soothing. I nodded tiredly, closing my eyes.

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, we were parked outside of my house. It was dark outside and the rain seemed to have stopped.

I jerked upright in my seat, blinking as I tried to focus. "How long was I asleep?"

Calen looked over at me. "Just a few hours." He said calmly, as if it was no big deal.

While I stared at him in shock, his own posture was completely relaxed, hands were loosely draped over the steering wheel.

"You should have woken me up!" I scrubbed at my face and then glanced at my watch. "It's almost midnight. Luke is probably worried to death."

"I tried waking you up earlier." He said, lips quirking briefly. "But you took a swing at me and refused to budge. I thought about carrying you in, but I wasn't sure how happy your husband would be seeing a stranger carry his unconscious wife. Waiting for you to wake up seemed the better option."

"I'm really sorry about that. I've been told I wake up like an angry bear after hibernation." I muttered. Grabbing my purse and phone, I tried to unbuckle my seatbelt, fumbling at the lock until I released it.

"It's quite alright. You hit like a girl. It didn't hurt too much." He glanced at me, the light mockery glittering in his eyes making my face flush.

"I guess I'll head in now." I said quickly, opening the door. "Thank you again for driving me home. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Emma." He said softly, looking away.

I scrambled out of the car. Juggling my purse, shoes, and keys in my arms, I almost ran to the house. The nape of my neck prickled, as if I could feel him looking at me. It was probably my imagination.

Feeling guilty and unsure why, I unlocked the door with shaking hands and half stumbled inside, an excuse for Luke poised on the tip of my tongue.

Only to find that nobody was home.

I leaned against the door, shutting it behind me. Dropping my things to the floor, I slid down and pulled out my cell phone to check my messages. There was a text from Luke. I opened it and stared at the words, my stomach churning.

The message was from hours ago, sent in response to my text from the bust stop telling him I was taking the bus home.

Good choice. By the way, I'm going to head out with the clients tonight. Planning on a late night so don't wait up.

My breath whooshing out, I dropped the phone. I tilted my head back and stared up at the pretty chandelier of our pretty foyer, blinking back stupid tears.

Luke hadn't even noticed that I wasn't home. Other than that one text, there was nothing else from him. No follow-up call or text to ask if I got home okay. After a few minutes, I picked up the phone again and texted him a brief message to say goodnight.

Minutes went by without a response. I sighed, berating myself for even bothering to send the text. He wasn't going to respond. He usually shut his phone off during these kinds of outings. He didn't like being bothered when he was with his clients.

I got up from the floor and shuffled my tired body up to our bedroom to get ready for bed. My cell dinged as I was in the bathroom taking off my wet clothes to take a shower.

Surprised and happy that Luke had actually responded, I ran out to the bedroom and picked up my cell phone.

I frowned in confusion, staring at the screen. The text wasn't from Luke. It had come from a strange number.

Just checking to make sure everything is okay.

I slowly texted back. Who is this?

The response came almost immediately. A small shiver of shock went through my body when I saw the message.

It's Calen. Your non-friend.

I sank down onto the bed, still in just my bra and panties, staring blindly at my reflection visible in the tall ornate mirror leaning against the opposite wall. My reflection stared back; a pale face with large hazel eyes and cheeks flushed a hectic scarlet, framed by a tangle of frizzy brown hair tumbled around narrow shoulders.

As if someone else was controlling my movements, I began typing a message back to him.

I'm fine. How did you get my number?

Phil gave it to me. I asked him for it.

My face burned. He had asked Phil for my phone number? Why? My cell dinged again. I regarded Calen's text, heart pounding.

I hope Luke wasn't too worried.

Feeling cornered, I lied. What business was it of his anyway?

He was super worried but everything is fine now that I'm back safely. Thanks again and goodnight.

I turned the sound off and flipped my cell face down on the nightstand so that I couldn't see any more responses.

Deciding to forego the shower, I turned off the lights and slumped back into the bed with a groan. Flipping onto my back, I pulled the comforter up to my chin, then rolled around until I was wrapped up like a big human burrito.

Dangerously I allowed my thoughts to drift to Calen. Who was this guy? And what in the hell did he want with me? Was he playing some sort of sick game with me? A man who looked like that didn't need to chase a woman. Especially someone who was married. Unless that was the draw for him?

I buried my face into my comforter, letting the fluffy warmth seep into me and fell into a restless slumber. I dreamed I was a child again on the swings at the playground; stomach fluttering as I flew higher and higher into the skies, no longer sure which way was up or down.