Chapter Two

 

Outside, the rain pelted the sidewalk with a drumming force, and the damp air immediately had her shivering. So much for waiting out the storm. She would have to make a run for her car if she was ever going to get home, and her new boots would be ruined. Still, she hesitated.

How did she know my name?

Shaking her head, she pushed her damp hair from her face, watching the rain for several moments. It was still coming down in buckets, but standing there thinking about it wouldn’t get her home. Pulling in a decisive breath, she ducked her head and dashed into the downpour. And was met by a brick wall.

She landed on the wet sidewalk. When she looked up she had to blink through the rain to see what—or who—she’d run into, and her breath caught in her throat.

He had the broadest shoulders and unruly, dark hair. She would have called him clean cut—he had those square, defined features—but his dark, too-long hair looked as though he’d run his hands through it, and it was sexy as hell. But when he pulled his glasses off to reveal the most startling blue eyes she’d ever seen, she had a quick flash of Superman.

Oh yes, definitely a man to leave a girl breathless.

God, his eyes were blue—the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. Mesmerizing. Several moments passed before she realized he was apologizing and offering his hand to help her up.

She blinked as he grabbed her by the elbows, pulling her to her feet and back beneath the awning. My God, he was beautiful. Beautiful in the way men could be, but rarely were, as though his features had been carved from fine marble. And those remarkable eyes…

She could smell the lilacs again, sharp and clear in the damp air.

Suddenly dizzy, she swayed, and he slid an arm around her waist to steady her. His touch hummed like the soft echo of an electric current running through her body, lighting her up with need.

“Are you okay?”

She heard a faint hint of an accent there. Irish, maybe?

Nice. Nice face. Nice, broad shoulders. Shoulders I could lean on.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she managed to say while pushing her curls out of her face.

Had the fall shaken her up, or was it him?

Oh yeah, it was him.

“Lord, I’m sorry.” Yes, definitely an Irish lilt in his deep voice that had a sexy rasp to it. “I was trying to get out of this rain and you ran out right in front of me…not that I’m saying it’s your fault.”

“No, of course not. It’s fine.”

“You sure you’re all right, then?”

“I think I am. Yes.”

The truth was, she was feeling a little lightheaded. The whole world seemed blurry, as though she were seeing everything through the rain. Everything except his stunning face. Stunning and somehow familiar.

Did she know him from somewhere? Surely she’d remember a man this gorgeous. No, she’d never seen him before, she was sure of it.

Wasn’t she?

The lilacs were dissipating, just that faint whiff at the edge of her senses, but it was still distracting. This whole situation—this entire day—was distracting. What in the world was wrong with her?

“You do seem a bit shaken up.” He paused, looking around. “The least I can do is buy you a coffee. There’s a café across the street. Unless you’d rather get home? But I promise not to knock you over again.” He held up one hand. “Scout’s honor.”

She smiled. “Were you ever really a Boy Scout?”

“Me? No, never. No Boy Scouts where I come from, but it sounded good, didn’t it?”

She found the smile spreading across her face. “It did.”

“So, despite my lack of scouting experience, would you like to have some coffee with me? Or do you feel as if you should get home after me knocking you to the ground like the oaf I apparently am?”

“No, I don’t want to go home.” She shook her head, then tried again. “I mean, I’d love some coffee.”

Actually, she would love to go home with him, but she wasn’t about to say so. When was the last time a man had made her feel like this? This exquisite sense of anticipation simply standing next to him, this buzz of desire running sharp and hot through her body?

He took her arm, an old-fashioned gesture she loved immediately. She felt steadier with her arm in his. Steadier, and yet that current was still there, lighting her up inside.

“Shall we make a run for it, then?” He smiled, a dazzling flash of perfect white teeth.

Destiny nodded. “Let’s do it.”

They ran through the rain. By the time they reached the other side of the street she was wet through her light cotton wrap sweater and even her jeans. She was surprised to feel a surge of disappointment when he let go of her arm to open the door of the café for her, letting her pass through before him and into the blissful, coffee-scented warmth.

The place was done in a cozy ’50s diner style, with red vinyl booths, black-and-white tiled floors and shining chrome accents. An aproned waitress led them to a booth and immediately brought them coffee.

Her polite stranger stirred some cream into his cup. “I just realized I don’t know your name.”

“It’s Destiny. Destiny Walker.”

“I like that, your name.”

“Do you? Thank you.”

Her cheeks heated, her pulse fluttering. God, she felt like a schoolgirl with her first crush, but she couldn’t help her response to him. He was too good-looking, too charming. Still, that didn’t explain why his approval pleased her the way it did. Glancing away, she concentrated for a moment on straightening her silverware until it lined up evenly on her white paper napkin, trying to ignore the pulse of need between her thighs.

Beautiful man. Beautiful, wide shoulders. What would he look like under his dark gray shirt?

“I’m Reece Kellan, by the way.”

He pulled her hand into his, giving it a small squeeze, and again she felt that strangely familiar rush of warmth along with the sting of pleasure. And something else…what was it? She could swear she saw herself mirrored in his eyes… it had to be a trick of the light coming through the rain falling outside the window.

“It’s nice to meet you, Destiny. Very nice. Although…have we met before? Swear I don’t mean that as a line, but I have this odd feeling.” He shook his head. “Never mind. You’re going to think I’m crazy. I’m not, I promise you. A bit clumsy, yes, but not crazy.”

“I didn’t think you were. And anyway, falling into you was my own fault.”

“Why do I feel grateful for that?”

When he smiled she felt it in the pit of her stomach before it spread lower. She’d been so distracted by his blue eyes earlier she’d failed to notice his lush mouth. A man shouldn’t have lips that full, that kissable. And the tiny scar at one corner—that small imperfection in his otherwise perfect face only made him sexier.

She curled her hands around her cup to warm them, and maybe to keep herself from reaching out and running her fingers over that plush lower lip of his. She could imagine the silken feel of his mouth beneath her fingertips, the wet tip of his tongue…

Stop it. Talk to him like a normal person.

Clearing her throat, she crossed her thighs beneath the table. It didn’t help, the seam of her jeans pressing on the aching need there.

“So, where are you from, Reece?”

“I live a few blocks from here.”

“No, I meant your accent.”

“Do I have an accent?”

He grinned, a dimple creasing one cheek, and she felt it like a shock to her system. His too-blue eyes gleamed with amusement, that beautiful gaze surging through her as though he’d reached out and stroked her skin, making her sex pulse, her blood hum with heat.

She took a moment to pull in a breath. “Well, you’re not from around here, and I doubt that brogue is from Texas. I’m assuming it’s either Irish or Scottish.”

“A little bit of both, actually. I was raised in Ireland, then went to university in Edinburgh, but I’ve been here for nine years. I was pretty certain I sounded like a native Californian by now.”

“Almost.” She grinned at him. She couldn’t help it. His smile was warm, and his friendly banter put her at ease despite the raging desire she was finding harder and harder to ignore. And the accent coming out of that mouth—a little bit of the exotic—made her think again about touching him, pressing her fingertips to his lips until he sucked them into his mouth.

Her sex went warm, wet.

Pull yourself together Destiny. He’s just another guy.

But it didn’t feel like it, with every nerve in her body on full alert simply sitting there making small talk with him.

She didn’t want to talk anymore. She wanted to take him home, to strip him down, to touch him.

To fuck him.

When had she become so impulsive?

He pulled his glasses out of his shirt pocket and grabbed a menu. “Are you hungry?” he asked her, sliding the glasses onto his face.

She had another image of Superman as Clark Kent and wondered if his naked body would be as powerful as it looked beneath his shirt and jeans. She would love to find out. Now. A small quiver ran down her spine, arrowing deep into her belly.

“Um, maybe. What looks good?”

Reece raised his gaze to hers and held it there for a long moment. A corner of his mouth quirked. He shook his head a little and glanced back at the menu. “How about cherry pie?”

Had she imagined the look he’d given her? A look that danced with the same heat roaring through her, flustering her so she could barely keep track of what they were talking about.

“Pie?”

“It’s very American, you know.”

He was definitely flirting with her. And she was liking it. Loving it.

“Is it? Well, then I suppose we’ll have to have some to celebrate you becoming a native Californian.”

She lifted her cup and sipped her coffee, letting the smooth heat of it slide down her throat. She licked a drop off her lip and watched him follow the motion with his gaze.

Oh yes, there was some heavy chemistry going on, and it wasn’t one-sided. Their gazes locked. She recognized the heat there, naked heat. She wanted to feel the scorch of it on her skin. Wanted to feel him all over.

Forget pie. Forget everything.

She wanted to take this man home with her, to do every wicked thing to his body she had ever imagined. She didn’t want to think about why he felt so oddly familiar, didn’t want to think about the fact that they’d just met. It didn’t seem to matter with him. All that mattered was the driving need to touch him, taste his skin, feel him pushing inside her. She had to clench her hands to keep from reaching out toward him. And as that thought passed through her mind, Reece lifted his hand, moved it toward her, pausing before brushing a stray curl from her cheek.

There was confusion in his eyes, his dark brows drawn together.

“Destiny…this is so strange. You’re certain we’ve never met? But no, I’d have remembered you. Still…you’re familiar to me. And so beautiful.”

His hand was resting on her cheek, and she felt a surge of emotion she didn’t understand along with the desire shimmering over her skin like liquid fire.

She shook her head. She couldn’t think.

“And your name is Destiny,” he said, his voice a low murmur as he pulled his hand away, pausing to flex his fingers. “Hard to believe, this whole thing. But yes, maybe it’s destiny, after all.”

She opened her mouth, but found she couldn’t speak. There was such intensity between them—it made no sense. And yet he seemed to be feeling it, too. What was happening here?

“What’ll you have?”

The nasal tone of the waitress broke through the haze of desire, and Reece turned to the woman to order the pie. Destiny took a moment to collect herself. What was she thinking? She’d just met this man. But her whole body sang with lust, every pulsing note about sex—hard and fast and primal. His cock pushing into her, her sex wet, clenching. His hips pistoning, driving deep, deeper…

She drew in a long breath and tried to swallow the moan that nearly escaped.

“Only one piece, I think,” Reece said. “We’ll share it. And plenty of whipped cream.”

Whipped cream.

Oh yes, pure sex, this man. He seemed nice, too, a rarity in Los Angeles, where every other guy she’d dated since moving there had turned out to be an actor—or a wanna-be actor, which was always worse. They were all incredibly self-involved, and not one had shown the least sign of gallantry. Reece seemed different from all of them. In fact, he seemed altogether too good to be true. Too handsome, too kind. Lord help her if he was an actor.

“So, what do you do, Reece?”

“I’m in the tech industry.”

Relief flooded her as he removed his glasses and tucked them away, and she had to suppress a lustful sigh. That Superman thing again.

Reece’s gaze drifted toward her coffee cup for a moment, and she realized she’d been running her fingertip around the rim—unconscious flirtatious behavior, she knew. What surprised her was that she was doing it. But this man… oh, God, this man.

He licked his lips before he continued. “I write software, which doesn’t make very interesting coffee conversation. I own the company, but the back end of running a business makes for fairly dull discussion, too—as you can tell, I’m a great bore at parties.” One corner of his beautiful mouth quirked in a grin. “And you? It’s got to be far more interesting than my sad tale.”

“I’m a clinical psychologist.”

“Does that mean you spend your days in a lab wearing a white coat?

“I have a private practice, so it’s more an office than a lab. And no coat.”

“Ah, too bad. I rather liked the image of you in a lab coat. The sexy doctor look.” The quirk at the corner of his lush mouth spread into a full grin, his dimple flashing.

Her cheeks warmed and she squeezed her thighs tighter, pleasure a small, scalding thrum between them. An image formed in her mind: Reece undressing her, pulling white cotton from her shoulders, baring her breasts, her nipples hard and ready for his touch.

She watched as he lifted his cup and took a sip of his coffee. He had great hands—large and strong. There was something about the way they were built, the way the flesh lay over bone and muscle, that made her want to touch them, to feel them on her body.

Reece leaned forward, and she caught his scent, fresh and clean with just a hint of something earthy.

Nice.

“I like you, Destiny Walker,” he said.

Reaching across the table, he traced his fingers over the back of her hand. A small whisper of pleasure followed the path of his touch—his words—and spread, settling in the damp vee between her thighs, almost as though he’d touched her there. She shifted in her seat, trying to ease the ache, but it was growing worse by the moment.

The pie arrived, and he withdrew his hand.

“You first,” he offered.

He was a gentleman, and she liked that. She liked him. But she really couldn’t eat—not with him sitting across from her, making her system hum with a nearly unbearable need.

“Oh, I’m not very hungry, but you go ahead.”

“What? You have to have some, it looks too good not to eat. Here, just try a bite—and don’t worry, I haven’t had the kitchen staff poison it, I swear.”

“Boy Scout’s honor again?” she asked, grinning.

“Absolutely. Or simply my own. Come on—have a taste.”

He speared a small piece on his fork and lifted it to her lips, the cherries a dark, gleaming red, and she took it into her mouth. It was sweet and tart at the same time, delicious. Juice dripped over her lip, and before she could raise her napkin, he reached out and wiped it away with his thumb. Her body simmered at his touch, and her tongue darted of its own accord to taste the heat he left behind. And as she watched, he put his thumb to his lips and licked the juice off.

Ah, God.

Her sex went hot and soaking wet all at once, her whole body melting. She wanted that mouth on her. Anywhere. Everywhere. There!

Stop it.

She had to stop thinking like this—like some hormone-driven teenager. She was someone who tended to be sensible about things, logical. But the moment she’d met Reece Kellan, logic had gone out the window.

Even his name running through her mind made her hot.

Just keep talking. Try to act like a normal person. You cannot fuck him here on the table.

Nope. No fucking on the table. Just conversation.

She cleared her throat. “So, tell me, how did you end up with your own software company, Reece?”

“I started at a big Silicon Valley firm and quickly discovered I didn’t quite fit into corporate structure. I think it may be cultural. Where I was raised, people are more relaxed in their day-to-day lives. Friendlier. There, in Silicon Valley, it seemed like everyone would do whatever they could to advance the corporate ladder.” He glanced away before adding quietly, “No matter who they hurt on the way up.”

Ah, something deeper going on there. She was trained to read people’s body language, and it was clear some story lay behind that evasive glance, but she hardly knew him well enough to press the issue.

Instead, she changed the subject. “How did you end up in the States to begin with?”

He paused to take a bite of the pie, then licked a bit of whipped cream from the tip of his fork before answering. Again, she felt that lancing heat in her sex as his tongue flicked from between those plush lips.

Yes, his mouth on my skin…

No. Focus.

“Well…that’s a sad story, and one I don’t tell often. But I’ll tell you, for reasons I don’t quite understand. I came here to marry an American girl.”

“What happened?” she asked quietly, curious, but hesitant to pry where she might not be welcome.

He shrugged, making her notice again the breadth of his shoulders, the way the rounded muscle lay beneath his sweater. “I suppose the simplest answer is that I married the wrong woman. We worked in the same industry—for the same company, in fact. She was smart, ambitious—too ambitious. Ultimately, she chose her career over our marriage.” He shrugged again. “That’s when I decided to get out and I moved down here. That was almost three years ago.”

“Why L.A.?”

“I like the weather, and wanted to be near the beaches. The ocean soothes me in a way nothing else does. And I can write software from anywhere on the planet, as long as I have my laptop. What about you? Why did you become a psychologist?”

She laughed. “I’m nosy about people, I guess. That’s what my best friend Janie says, anyway, and although she’s teasing me when she says it, I think she’s right.”

He chuckled, a deep, husky sound that made her think of sex. Who was she kidding? Everything about him made her think of sex.

“I’m serious,” she went on. “I’ve always been curious about what makes people tick. The human mind is fascinating. And I like to figure things out, figure people out.”

“I suppose you have me figured out already?” He forked another bite of pie, the cherries glistening red before they disappeared between his lips.

His mouth would be all sugary sweetness if he kissed me now.

She cleared her throat. “Maybe a little. I think we’re both people who like to figure things out, analyze, find a solution. Isn’t that what programming software is about?”

“Sure, you’re right there.” His dark blue gaze steadied on hers once more and his voice lowered. “I’d like to find out what else we have in common.”

She was burning all over—heat and need and a craving she couldn’t describe, even to herself. She’d like to find out, too, and not only in bed, although her body wouldn’t let her forget the intense chemistry buzzing between them for a moment. But she liked this man, felt comfortable with him in a way she never had with a man she was attracted to. Attraction usually made her edgy, defensive. But being with Reece, wanting him, felt natural, even this overwhelming lust. For once, she didn’t want to analyze things too closely. He made her feel good in every way, and she just wanted to feel it for a while.

They talked then, while the rain continued to cascade in a steady downpour outside. They talked about everything—movies, literature, art, travel, all of the things that interested her and which seemed to interest him, as well. He made her laugh, with his accent and his relaxed, humorous take on life. She found herself wishing she were a bit more like him, had that attitude of easy acceptance. And the whole time her body yearned for him. She found herself leaning into the table, her ribs pressed into the hard edge, her legs crossing and uncrossing until her pussy ached so hard with need she could barely stand it.

She had no idea how much time had passed when the waitress interrupted them by slapping their check on the table.

“Sorry, but we’re only open until five.”

Reece reached for his wallet, scowling at Destiny when she pulled some cash from her purse. “Call me old-fashioned, but I couldn’t possibly let you pay.”

Her Nana would have called him a gentleman. She would have liked him. And there was Nana, popping into her head again. She put her money away, and they both stood.

“Well, I guess this means—”

Reece interrupted her. “Destiny. I don’t want our afternoon to end.”

“I don’t either. I’m…not sure why, but I don’t.”

Reaching out, he grasped her hand, turned it palm up, and laid a gentle kiss in the center. His lips were burning hot against her skin, and she had an odd flash of…what? It took a moment for her mind to clear enough to see the images flashing there: a darkened room, a big bed, a lamp casting amber light over bare skin. Pleasure lancing into her body as he pushed into her, filling her, the scent of his skin all around her, the sharp scent of sex. Her legs wobbled.

“Let me make dinner for you. I live only a few blocks from here. I can drive you to your car afterward.” His voice was low, rich.

“I…”

“I know. I wouldn’t normally presume to ask a woman to my house the very day I’ve met her, and truthfully, I’m a terrible cook, but this…feels different. I can’t stand to see you go. Say you’ll come with me. Say yes.”