Литература Исландии: от саг до Оулавюра Сигюрдссона. Евгений Стаховский

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      MADISON HAD BEEN HAVING the strangest dream. As she slowly woke up, feeling coolness on her face, she realized she must have drifted off on the plane. The cool air had to be coming from the vent over her seat.

      She shifted, but didn’t open her eyes right away, liking the dream a little too much. In it, she’d already arrived at her destination—a tropical resort where she intended to hide out for a week. She’d entered her room, exhausted, sweaty, miserable and nauseous from the long cab ride—necessitated by her landing at the wrong Costa Rican airport. Just another example of how quickly she’d had to get out of the U.S., how desperate she’d been to get away.

      Things hadn’t gotten much better on her arrival. The doorman had been arguing with a deliveryman, the guy at the check-in desk barely spoke English and kept suggesting she wait for a woman who was apparently on break. She’d lost patience, demanding her key and dragged her own suitcase through the thickly vegetative grounds.

      Arriving in her room, wanting nothing but a cold shower and bed, she’d entered, kicked off her shoes, and had been stunned to behold a naked Adonis standing with his back toward her.

      That was how she knew she’d been dreaming. Men that gorgeous, that utterly perfect, didn’t exist outside of dreams and fantasies. Even Tommy, admittedly one of the handsomest men alive, wasn’t built like that.

      The man’s hair had been dark, almost black, short, thick and wavy. And his bare body had been a thing of art. Broad shoulders had flexed as he’d leaned in the doorway, as if wanting to soak up the outdoors. His strong back was delineated with muscle that rippled with his every movement. Smooth skin encased a slim waist and hips, and he had an unbelievably perfect butt and long, powerful legs.

      He’d turned around to reveal a strong, handsome face, masculine and unforgettable. Broad of brow, with deep-set, heavily-lashed brown eyes, slashing cheekbones, jutting chin with a tiny cleft, and a sexy, half smiling mouth.

      Unfortunately, her dream state hadn’t left him completely uncovered in the front. Her brain had inserted a coy white towel. She wanted to dive back into the dream to see it drop. Oh, she hoped she didn’t have to open her eyes before that towel dropped.

      But, wait...it had dropped. Hadn’t it? For some reason, she remembered it on the floor. But she couldn’t remember if he’d let it fall as he took her into his arms to passionately kiss her or what. Stupid dream really needed to come back and fill in all the blanks. Or at least most of them. The most interesting ones. She wasn’t going to let herself wake up until it did, not even if they landed and started deboarding the plane.

      “Open your eyes.”

      She growled in her throat.

      “Come on, open up. You’re okay.”

      That voice was seriously messing with her good dream vibes. But it was, she had to concede, a nice voice. Deep, sexy, masculine. Was it a flight attendant, rousing her for landing? Or was she still dreaming about Mr. Tall, Dark and Built?

      “Come on, sweetheart.” Coolness brushed her temples, soft, featherlight, then her mouth. “Take a sip.”

      Moisture kissed her lips. Was her dream guy giving her champagne? She swallowed.

      Water. Not champagne.

      And that moisture on her temples was sliding down into her hairline.

      And...and...this wasn’t a dream.

      Her eyes flew open.

      Definitely not a dream.

      “You,” she breathed.

      It had really happened. She’d arrived at the hotel, walked into her room, seen a gorgeous stranger, and, what? Fallen and hit her head or something? What other reason would there be for her to be...where was she?

      It took only a second for her to gather her wits. Holy shit, she was lying flat on her back in a bed. And this handsome, bare-chested stranger was sitting right beside her, tenderly pressing a damp facecloth to her forehead, eyeing her with visible concern.

      “You’re okay. Take deep breaths. Drink a little more.”

      She obediently sipped from the water bottle he placed against her lips, trying to kick her brain back into operation.

      “What happened?”

      “You fainted.”

      “I never faint.” Girlie-girls fainted, and Madison was not a girlie-girl. She’d never been the type who’d wilt like a flower, especially not in front of some man.

      Some man who’d apparently picked her up, put her on the bed and taken care of her.

      “There’s a first time for everything.”

      She frowned, still having a hard time believing it.

      “Why would I faint?”

      “When was the last time you ate?”

      “I can’t remember.”

      “Well, that could have something to do with it.”

      Yes, it could.

      “You don’t look like you’ve slept much lately, either.”

      She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a full, uninterrupted night’s sleep. “I slept on the plane. Or...maybe that was a dream of a dream. Hell, I don’t know.”

      “You looked pretty uncomfortable when you arrived. Sick maybe.”

      Sick? Maybe sick at heart. Heaven knew she had reason, considering what her life had been like in recent weeks.

      “Do you think you’re going to be okay? Should I have the hotel call an ambulance?”

      “Good heavens, no!” That was all she needed. More attention. So much for slinking unnoticed into another country and hiding from the world for a while. “I just... I was really carsick. I guess I flew into the wrong airport and it took hours to get here, with no air-conditioning and tons of twisty roads.” Ugh, when she thought about all those ups, downs and hairpin turns, she felt her stomach roll over.

      “You need to eat something.”

      It rolled again. But she knew he was right. Something light would probably be good.

      She scrunched her brow, trying to recall the last time she’d sat down for a meal, and honestly couldn’t remember. Crackers on the plane probably didn’t count, though she’d give her right arm for some right now, if only to settle her churning stomach. Whether it was still churning from the drive here or from the fact that this gorgeous stranger was sitting close beside her on a bed, she had no idea.

      “Why don’t I order something from room service?”

      “You don’t have to do that.”

      “You know what they say, save someone’s life and they become your responsibility.”

      She rolled her eyes. “Saved my life, huh?”

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