Sweat beaded on Arden’s palms as he pulled up his vehicle to the gate at the end of his driveway. Normally he left it open, not wanting to bother with waiting on it to open or close. But knowing he was bringing Keera back to his place, and knowing no one had been caught yet for stalking her, he was more concerned about her safety than about a mere convenience for himself.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“My house,” he said.
“Is this a good idea?” she asked, and he wanted to tell her, Probably not.
“It’s a great idea,” he told her instead. He turned away before he could try to analyze what she was thinking. He didn’t want anything to stop him from driving forward, from the sight of her in his home.
Of course, he knew she’d been expecting him to take her to a restaurant. When she hadn’t protested him taking her on a date, he’d been elated. When she’d made the comment about it not being a date because he hadn’t kissed her, he’d been desperate to get her alone.
He’d been aroused from the moment he’d first met her. But the more time he spent with her, the more he realized that there was so much more to this woman than merely a pretty face and smoking-hot body.
She was beautiful, funny, sassy, brilliant, and had a heart she was dying to share with the world. Something had happened to her that made her afraid of doing just that, and Arden realized he could easily look into her history, find out what it was that had made her so afraid. With most people that’s exactly what he would have done.
But with Keera, he had stopped himself. He didn’t want to invade her privacy. He needed to make her trust him enough that she would voluntarily share her story. There was a piece of her that was so vulnerable, it broke his heart. But the strength of her also impressed him.
She wasn’t a victim, not by any means, and she didn’t want to play one. That fact alone made him respect her. If he added to all of that the rest of her assets, he wondered if he was ever going to let this woman out of his life.
He was beginning to think the answer to that was a big fat whopping no. Instead of that filling him with terror, it filled him with peace. Maybe after this night together, after he hopefully got a few more answers, he’d have to go see his mom. His sister was still visiting, since her husband, Ace, had been called away for something, and she said she couldn’t stand sleeping in her bed without him there.
“Does any of your family live with you?” she asked.
“Trying to figure out if we’ll be alone?” he asked with a waggle of his brows.
“It’s a pretty big place,” she said, her cheeks turning a little pink.
“I live alone, but my sister could drop in at any minute. She’s staying with Mom and Dad right now ’cause her husband, Ace, is out of town for work.”
“What does he do?” she asked.
“He’s military, and damn good at it,” he told her. “And as much as the thought of my baby sister being in any relationship is terrifying, I have to admit I respect the hell out of my brother-in-law. He loves my sister with a passion that’s consuming and more than obvious, so he’s earned my respect.”
“I bet it wasn’t easy for him with four big brothers towering over him,” she said.
Arden laughed. “Ace isn’t easily intimidated, which is the only kind of man Dakota would ever be with. And while he might have a tough exterior and put his ass on the line to save others, he still has zero insecurities over worshipping his wife and giving her the respect she deserves. That’s made all of us like him and his brothers.”
“What’s your sister like?” she asked, making him smile even more.
“Ah, Dakota is amazing, and stubborn, and absolutely determined to do anything her brothers can do. We’d all gladly die for her, but now she has a husband who’d walk over a lava flow to get to her, even if it was only to tell her one last time how much he loved her before he was pulled under. That kind of devotion can’t be faked. That kind of love was the only kind Dakota would have ever accepted,” he said.
“Wow, you’re more of a romantic than I would’ve thought,” she told him.
He thought about that for a couple of seconds. “That’s the only way to love,” he admitted. “Somewhere along the path I’ve been on, I’ve realized my own goals have changed. I don’t want to just get by. After seeing how happy my sister is, then watching how devoted my brother Kian is to his beautiful wife, I want more.”
Arden looked at Keera as she nervously chewed her bottom lip. Was she the one he’d find he couldn’t live without? He honestly didn’t know. But one thing he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt was that he was intrigued enough to find out if he’d be willing to let her go—or willing to walk through fire for her.
He pulled into his garage and turned off the engine. His heart thudded as he stepped from the car. He hadn’t brought a woman to his place in years. He hadn’t had this house very long, but even the place before this had been his sacred area, and he hadn’t wanted it tainted with the memory of some one-night stand.
But Keera Thompson certainly wasn’t a one-night stand. And his goal in bringing her to his place wasn’t to get her into bed. He wouldn’t fight that if it were to happen, it just wasn’t his goal. He wanted to see how it made him feel to have her inside his walls. He was about to find out.
He opened her car door, and she was silent as her hand drifted to Max’s head. She might not realize it, but anytime she was nervous, scared, sad—anything, really—she reached for the dog. And Max seemed to always know when she needed him, because he would walk extra close to her, lean his head against her, comfort her. The two had bonded in a way Arden had never bonded with an animal.
Arden did like the mutt, though he wasn’t actually admitting that to his smug brother or to Keera, but he liked having him around. He might grumble and moan at Arden, but he was also brilliant and useful, and . . . okay, he was damn likable.
The second he opened the door into his house, the smell of garlic and parsley, onions and oregano, and other enticing flavors hit their noses. Arden’s stomach growled its appreciation of such delectable scents, knowing wherever those scents led, food was available for consumption.
“Oh, you got dinner from Bianchi’s, didn’t you?” Keera asked, not even noticing anything about his house as she followed her nose.
Arden was almost disappointed she was seemingly unimpressed with his place, but then again, since she had called him a snob, he realized that maybe he should be grateful she wasn’t thinking too much about it. And admittedly, the aroma coming from his kitchen was ridiculously enticing. He’d give her the tour later.
They rounded the corner to his kitchen, and Angela, his tiny wisp of a housekeeper, or more aptly, the woman who ensured he didn’t live in a pigsty and had food in his refrigerator, stepped away from the counter to greet them.
“I was hoping to get out of your hair before you got home,” Angela said, grinning at both of them.
“Then you wouldn’t have gotten to meet Keera,” Arden told her.
“I’ve been looking forward to it,” Angela said. “A new person can’t move into this town without everyone knowing about it.”
Arden noticed how Keera tensed at Angela’s words. She really didn’t like to be the center of attention. He wasn’t sure if it was because she had something to hide or if she was just a private person. If it was the latter, he could completely understand.
“I like your town. It’s very nice to meet you,” Keera said after a second too long.
Angela was a sweet woman who had moved to town a year before. She had a little girl who was full of energy, and this job had been perfect for her, as Arden was more than flexible with the hours.
“I’m sorry you’ve been having so much trouble at the school and now at your home,” Angela said.
“We’ll get to the bottom of it,” Keera assured the woman.
“I have no doubt about that. I’ve gotten to know the Forbes family quite well, and once they start something, they don’t stop,” Angela said with a laugh.
“That’s for sure,” Arden agreed.
Max was making laps around the kitchen island, the delicious aromas a little too much for the dog to take.
Angela laughed and told them, “I’ll get out of your way so you can enjoy a nice meal. It looks like Max is ready for dinner.”
“Yeah, he can have his dog food,” Arden grumbled.
“Don’t be such a bully. He can share with me,” Keera said. “Isn’t that right, Max?”
The dog immediately moved to Keera’s side with his head against her, his favorite position. Arden couldn’t believe he was growing jealous of a dog. But he wouldn’t mind his head resting against her, especially if they were naked.
He ripped his gaze away from Keera before those thoughts could go any further. For one thing, he needed to feed her, and for another, he didn’t want her to think he’d brought her to his place just to get her into his bed—though he’d do a happy dance if she wanted to go there.
“Have a nice evening,” Arden told Angela.
She left, and it was just the three of them. Arden moved over to the stove where everything was sitting on warmers. The table was set, so Arden pulled out a salad bowl and began mixing the precut ingredients.
“Can I help with anything?” Keera asked.
“Nope. You’re a guest. I want you to sit back and enjoy,” he told her.
Arden liked having Keera in his kitchen. It was nice, and so damn domestic. He could picture the two of them coming home together after a fulfilling day at work, preparing a meal, sitting down and eating, then rushing to the bedroom . . .
He had to stop himself again from allowing his thoughts to go off in that direction. But it wasn’t an easy thing to do. Keera was on his mind all the time now, and with her in his house, it was making it even worse. There was just so much to this woman that he wanted to know, and the only way to do that was to get her to let down her guard.
When the salad was put together, he fed Max, then told him to go lie down, which the dog did, surprisingly. Keera seemed a little disappointed to have the mutt leave her side. Maybe Max was a good defense for her. He wanted to assure her they didn’t need a chaperone. He could behave if he had to.
“Let’s sit,” he told her.
She followed him to the table, and he poured them each a glass of wine. She took a sip and sighed as the flavors hit her tongue, and just like that, Arden was thinking of the bedroom again. It appeared Keera wasn’t able to do anything that didn’t turn him on.
“Want me to dish you up?” Arden asked.
Keera laughed, the sound instantly warming him. “I think I’m capable of doing that much at least,” she assured him. He pulled the lids off the dishes, and Keera sighed again.
“I’m going to get fat if I keep eating this food,” she said as she took a nice helping of ravioli.
“Nah, you run around too much for that,” he assured her.
“I need to start taking time to go to the gym again. My last apartment complex had a nice workout room. This one doesn’t,” she complained.
“I have a great setup here. Feel free to use it anytime,” he offered. He wouldn’t mind her in his gym, not one little bit, preferably in one of those sexy little workout bras and a pair of barely there shorts.
“Thanks, but I like the noise of a gym, and the motivation of watching others and seeing how they change through the months,” she told him.
“I’ve never paid attention to things like that,” he admitted.
“I’m always watching people. Some people say that humans are so predictable, but I disagree. I see miracles all the time, and I’ve seen how a strong will can supersede expectations. There’s nothing more motivating than a Cinderella story for me. I like to see someone beat the odds.”
“I like to see the same thing,” he told her. “We had a kid a few years ago who went through some pretty hard knocks in life. His father had been an abusive alcoholic, and he could have chosen a wrong path. But instead, he worked hard, studied even more, trained twice as much as the other kids, and decided he wasn’t going to allow his circumstances to define who he was,” Arden said.
“What happened with him?” Keera asked.
They took their time with their food, neither of them in a hurry as they enjoyed each other’s conversation. Yes, he really could get used to this.
“He got a football scholarship to University of Oregon. He’s on the dean’s list and on his way to becoming an attorney,” Arden proudly said. He didn’t admit that he’d also provided an anonymous scholarship for the kid.
“That’s great,” Keera said, her eyes lighting up. “That’s why I love my job so much. Those success stories make the hard days worth it.”
“I agree. I knew from the moment I stepped into my first course at Stanford that I would teach. It was just who I decided to be.”
“Wow, Stanford. Nice school,” she said.
“After growing up in rainy Washington, I wanted some heat,” he told her. “I should have chosen Hawaii, though. But then I might not have come back.”
“Yeah, that would be a tough one. But I have to admit I couldn’t live on an island. I would feel too trapped. Going on vacation to an isle is one thing, but not being able to jump in my car and go anywhere I want is unacceptable.”
“I’ve never thought about it that way. You can always hop on a jet,” he told her.
“Not if an EMP strike hits and all the planes are grounded. Then you’re trapped in a small place. You’d have to live off coffee and pineapple,” she said.
“As long as I had coffee, I’d survive,” he said. “Imagine the world without a good cup of java.” He shuddered to even think such a horrible thought.
“That would be the ultimate punishment for me,” she told him, seeming just as horrified at the idea.
The conversation was light as they finished their meal. By the end of it, Arden knew one thing for sure—he wasn’t letting her go.