CHAPTER 29
Kenzie
A long, flowing linen dress was perfect for the balmy night air.
I decided to wear it to dinner along with a pair of beaded sandals. I pinned my mass of dark brown hair up on my head, then went downstairs.
Our meal had been set up in the living room, French doors open to the white sand just beyond. It was breathtaking, the way the moon hit the water. The light broke into a million little pieces, sparkling like diamonds. The scent of the water wafted in on the breeze. I was sure I’d died and gone to Heaven.
My dinner partner wasn’t so bad, either, dashing as always in a pair of khaki pants and a perfectly pressed linen shirt. It was the most casual I’d ever seen him, but he still looked fresh and put-together. The light color of his clothing set off his tanned skin, the flash of white teeth as he smiled.
“This place suits you,” he said, kissing me before pulling out my chair. “You look more relaxed than I’ve ever seen you.”
“Yes, well, that might have to do with our morning activities.” I winked, and he chuckled.
Sex, combined with a satisfying sleep, had left me refreshed and ready for more. I let my worries go with the wind, deciding to live in the moment as best I could. I feared I wouldn’t be able to get to sleep tonight if I let my mind continue to assume Aaron was someone other than who I thought he was. But, then, Aaron would probably be more than happy to tire me out. It was strange feeling sore, beaten, and battered, but still feeling like I needed more of what he had to offer.
“I do what I can.” He lifted the dome covering my plate, and I gasped at the beautifully plated food. “Fresh tuna—I mean, they caught it this afternoon,” Aaron explained. “The best you’ll ever have, seared to perfection.”
Along with the fish was a medley of vegetables, the whole thing resting on a bed of rice.
“It looks exquisite. I almost don’t want to eat it,” I admitted with a laugh.
“I’ll eat it if you won’t. Trust me, you’ll never taste anything like it.” He dug in with relish, and it occurred to me that I hadn’t eaten since the flight over. One taste told me he wasn’t kidding about the quality of the fish—it melted on my tongue.
“So, what’s in store for us tomorrow?” I couldn’t wait to meet with the designer. My hope was that I would finally feel like I was a part of something.
Reed had always held me at arm’s length, and I was tired of sitting on the sidelines. It wasn’t in my nature to sit back and watch. I liked getting my hands in the dirt and taking action. I wanted the coach to put me in the game. I was ready.
Aaron’s face maintained a blank, expressionless look. “Why don’t we talk about that when we’re finished eating?” he suggested. “I don’t like to talk about business while I eat.”
“Since when?” I asked with a laugh. “It seems like you always want to talk business.”
“Not while I eat.” His words were clipped.
I looked back and realized with a start that we’d never eaten together before. How was it that I could feel so familiar with him, yet know so little? I didn’t even know where he grew up, or how, or if he had a family. There was so much left to discover. I had to stop kidding myself, thinking I knew him so well.
Sex didn’t equal intimacy—something he proved time and again. No matter how great he was at pushing me to incredible heights, it remained only a test of endurance until he started to open up and see that I wanted more.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, going back to my food.
“Are you going to pout now?”
My head snapped up, my instinctual reaction being the need to hurl his insult back in his face. “I wasn’t pouting. I was reminding myself how little I know you, yet I willingly got on a jet with you and traveled nearly halfway around the world only to be insulted.”
“I wasn’t insulting you. I was only pointing out the way you sulked.”
“In an insulting tone of voice. Why is it too much to ask about the purpose of this trip?” I swallowed down the last bit of food I had on my tongue. “What are you hiding from me?”
He sighed, plucking the napkin from his lap, throwing it onto the table. I watched as he paced the floor behind his chair.
How had things taken such a turn, and so quickly? It wasn’t my fault, and I refused to let him corner me into thinking it was. If his intentions were pure, he wouldn’t evade every question I posed.
“Do you see how ridiculous this is?” I asked. “I don’t think I’m overstepping my bounds by wondering why I’m here and what we’ll be doing. Why do you act as though I don’t have a right to know?”
He glared at me, and I shivered like the temperature had dropped thirty degrees.
“Why do you have to keep pushing?” he muttered. “Why isn’t this enough for you?” He spread his arms out to the sides and looked around.
“Because I’m not some toy you can carry around in your pocket and use whenever you feel like it. You can’t just tell me what to do and give me a bullshit excuse and expect me to swallow it. I’m beginning to believe we’re not here for a meeting at all.”
“We are,” he assured me.
“So why is it too much to ask that you’re a little more upfront with me about it? Why do you get so insulted that I want to know? I’m eager to do a good job for you—I thought you would appreciate that, instead of treating me like the enemy.”
“You’re not the enemy. There’s no enemy here.” He suddenly looked very tired. His voice reflected it, too. “I’ve been unfair, and I’m sorry. This is a business trip, and my meeting earlier in the day was with my legal team. There will be another meeting tomorrow. There’s a lot riding on this trip. A hell of a lot. You’ll know more tomorrow, I promise.”
He came to me, crouching down beside my chair. I searched his dark eyes, trying to detect a grain of truth there. I saw his sincerity and how badly he wanted me to believe in him.
There was nothing I could say.
“All right.” I shrugged. “I believe you. But please, stop shutting me out. I know you have your reasons, but I hate it. I hate feeling this distance between us.”
He ran a hand up my arm. “I didn’t think there was any distance between us.” I heard the real meaning of his words in the tone of his voice and I pulled my arm away to make a point.
“I don’t mean physical distance. I mean this tension, these walls you keep putting up. You don’t know it, but it’s very difficult to deal with you when you act that way. I want us to be close, not just in bed. We work together. You gave me a job. I want to do a good job. How can I when you keep putting up roadblocks?”
“I don’t see it that way, but I can see how you could.” I almost whooped with joy at his concession—it was like pulling teeth to get him to admit he might be in the wrong and that little grain of give felt like a victory.
“Just stop pushing me away. Please.” I took a chance in reaching for him, holding his face in my hands.
Something in his expression changed, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he leaned in, kissing me so deeply it took my breath away.
“Whoa,” I gasped when the kiss ended, my head a little fuzzy. “That was one for the record books.”
He only chuckled as he stood, and returned to his seat with a smile on his face. “Now, if we haven’t destroyed dinner by letting it get cold, let’s enjoy.”
“If this is dinner, I can’t wait to see what dessert’s all about,” I mused, eating with a much lighter heart.
“Oh, I’m in charge of dessert. I think you’ll enjoy it.” I grinned when I saw the look on his face, the light in his eyes.
I’d had something else in mind entirely, of course, but I thought it might be more memorable to do dessert his way.