Chapter Two
Kane drove Halley to her house on the beach. He didn’t need directions until they got closer, since he didn’t know exactly where she lived. She was quiet on the trip over and he let her be, mostly because he didn’t plan to just drop her off and walk away. He had, while upstairs washing up, thought quite a bit about this enigmatic woman and whether he wanted to put in the effort to pursue her.
He normally didn’t have to work hard to get a female into his bed. Not that he was bragging, but ever since he’d been aware of his interest in the opposite sex, they’d come easily and willingly. He hadn’t had many long-term relationships, mostly because no one woman had held his interest for long, but he wanted to get involved with someone who could be with him for the long haul. His parents had had a good marriage despite his father’s failings. His mom had put up with the gambling, probably because it hadn’t been as bad when she was alive to keep him in check. And though Kane hadn’t met the right person, he’d like to.
Of course, he was plenty busy with his family, keeping his father on the straight and narrow and keeping an eye on his sister’s kid when he could.
Once he arrived at Halley’s cottage, which was a name many houses in this area had, he realized it was a misnomer. He took in the beautiful structure, the water lapping in the background, the gorgeous porch in the front, and the visible wraparound deck in the back, and he was struck with the enormity of Halley’s family’s wealth.
It didn’t bother him, not in the way of she’s out of my league. Which was odd, considering ever since Liza had slept with him, led him to believe she was interested in a relationship only to dump him when her summer at the beach ended, with her amused comment that he’d believe she’d remain involved with a mechanic, of all things, he avoided the women who vacationed here during the season. Women who rented the type of house Halley lived in for the hot months of July and August. But nothing about Halley screamed standoffishness because of either her money or family status, so he immediately put it out of his mind.
Nothing really mattered but chemistry and the genuineness of a person, or so he believed, something he’d never found in the summer visitors. But Halley, for all her wariness about people, was as genuine as they came. No airs. So yeah, he’d decided, though he didn’t know her well, he wanted to go for the pursuit.
He parked the car he drove, a classic royal-blue Camaro, and climbed out, determined to beat or at least meet her around by her side.
She’d already swung her legs out and stood, glancing at him with a confused expression on her pretty face. “What are you doing?”
“Walking you to your door,” he said with his most charming smile on his face.
“But… this isn’t a date. You’re dropping me off after doing me a favor.”
“Aah. But my father raised a gentleman, and a gentleman always walks a lady to her door.”
She shot him a skeptical glance. She was on guard, as she should be, because he wasn’t planning to leave her on her front porch and walk away. Not if he could help it.
“Your house is gorgeous. Have you lived here long?” he asked as they walked up the gravel drive and along the well-gardened, cultivated path leading to the door.
“Yes. And no.” She hesitated, then said, “My aunt bought the house five years ago, while I was living with my sister in the guest cottage on the property of the family’s main house.”
She didn’t elaborate on where that was. Everyone in Rosewood knew of the Ward Estate and she obviously knew it.
“So you moved in then?” he asked.
She shook her head. “For a while I used it as a painting studio. I figured my aunt would rent it out, but she insisted the place was mine. I wasn’t exactly comfortable accepting a house as a gift.” She shrugged awkwardly. “But the view and the peacefulness for my work, well, they couldn’t be beat. I spent more and more time here painting, sometimes staying overnight. Eventually I just moved in.” She blushed, obviously uncomfortable.
He understood. Who gave this kind of expensive house as a gift? It was beyond generous. He sensed there was more to the story with her aunt that he wouldn’t be getting from her now.
She pulled her keys from her purse, deliberately dangling them in front of him. “I’m here.”
And you can go now. He heard the unspoken words and grinned. “I was kind of hoping for a tour of the place.”
She rolled her eyes at him in a gesture he found cute. “Kane, this is a small… ish,” she conceded, “Cottage on the beach. There’s nothing to see.”
“Except the view from the back,” he corrected her. “I love the water. I’d like to see.”
He wasn’t backing down. If he lost this battle, he’d lose the war. She’d push him away; he’d drive off and lose ground. Not happening.
“Fine,” she said in light of his persistence. She unlocked the door and let them inside.
He stepped over the threshold. For the décor, she had minimal beige furnishings. The walls were also a cream with light blue molding and accents, and he could see from the front entrance straight through to wall-to-wall windows with the ocean in the background. The view was spectacular. No wonder she found this a perfect place to paint.
He crossed through the house and stood by the glass, looking out at the gorgeous scenery, the lapping waves and beach beyond. “You’re damn lucky to live here,” he said. “Can I take a look out back?”
“Sure.” She unlocked the slider and they stepped out onto the deck. “Steer clear of that side,” she said, pointing to the right, where the deck seemed to fall off midway through.
There were stairs but no railing to help her down, but at least she could easily get to the beach, with its clean sand below and the lapping water hitting the shore. If this were his place, he’d spend most of his time out back. From the looks of the beautiful barbeque grill gleaming in the sunlight on the far side of the deck that was finished, that had been her plan.
“What happened? Are you mid-construction?” he asked.
She came up beside him. “It turns out that the deck was rotting underneath and I had to have it torn down. The guy I hired to do the work building the new one wasn’t reliable. He didn’t show up on time, sometimes he didn’t come at all, or he’d leave early. The supplies were purchased and are under that tarp.”
She pointed to the dark, heavy plastic covering what was probably lumber and other materials.
She shrugged. “I haven’t had a chance to make phone calls and try to find someone else reliable to finish the job.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets and studied the half-finished project. “It’s a shame when people can’t run a business,” he muttered, frustrated on her behalf. He did all the handiwork at his father’s place and enjoyed that kind of work in his spare time. This looked like a big job.
“I have a list of contractors. I just have to dig in and actually make the calls.”
She started to head back into the house and he took her cue, following her inside, his gaze on the graceful way she walked, the subtle sway of her hips, and the flirty way her dress floated against her legs. Beautiful long legs he could envision wrapped around his hips. He adjusted his pants and bit back a groan.
She shut the door and locked it again, turning back to face him. “So that was the deck and the back. As for the rest of this place, it’s a normal house. So now that you’ve seen it…”
“You’d like me to leave. I got the message.” He shoved his hands into his front pockets. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll go if you agree to one date.”
She sighed, her pretty lips pursing. “Kane, don’t make me turn you down again.”
“I’m persistent. One of these days, you’ll say yes.” He was sure of it.
An unwilling smile pulled at her lips. “Arrogant much?” she asked.
“Just certain. Because I intend to keep asking, and at some point, you won’t be able to turn me down.”
She shook her head along with treating him to an eye roll, as if the suggestion was insane. “We went over seven years without running into each other. What makes you think you’ll see me again so you can keep asking?”
He winked at her, the answer obvious. “Because now I know where you live and I have your SUV. Good-bye, Halley,” he said with a grin. She was a challenge and he didn’t mind at all.
He treated her to a raised hand, his version of a wave so-long, and headed for the door, leaving her open-mouthed and speechless.
Just as he’d planned.
* * *
The Blue Wall was the main restaurant in town. Upscale on one side, where you would go on a date or for a nice dinner, and a bar with live music some nights on the other. The walls were, of course, an aqua blue to match the ocean, and inside the restaurant, there was an enormous fish tank that was spectacular.
Halley sat with her sister in the restaurant, having polished off a delicious lobster dinner, and was now tackling dessert.
“You know I’m proud of you, right?” Halley asked. “I mean, you sold a house nobody else could. You’re a goddess.”
Phoebe beamed, dressed every inch the successful business woman. Her long white-blonde hair was pulled back in a sleek, low ponytail, and she still wore the cream-colored suit from her earlier home showing. They were sisters, but they looked nothing alike. According to their aunt Joy, they each favored a different parent. Neither Halley nor Phoebe remembered much of what their mother looked like, and their dad had been in the army, deployed to Iraq and killed in action when Halley was three.
“I am a goddess, aren’t I?”
“An arrogant one.” Halley laughed. “But I love you.”
“And I love you.”
They said it often, making up for lost time.
Phoebe raised her champagne glass and took a sip.
And Halley dug into her dessert. Called Fire and Ice, it was vanilla ice cream and mixed heated berries, with a sugary crust on top.
“This is delicious.” She slid the spoon into her mouth again, savoring the sweet and tart mix, moaning at the taste. She had a sweet tooth and she was in heaven. “I’m glad you dragged me out tonight for this alone.”
Phoebe waved her spoon at Halley. “You know what your problem is?”
“No, but why am I sure you’re going to tell me?”
Phoebe grinned. “You don’t give things a chance. You stay holed up in your ivory tower—”
“House on the beach,” Halley corrected her.
“And you assume you’re going to hate every new experience.”
“Untrue. I’m trying to get my work out into the world.” She wanted one of the bigger Manhattan galleries to pick up her paintings.
She didn’t want to do showings where she had to be present, that went against who she was, but she wanted to make real money selling her paintings. She could only charge what people deemed they were worth, and right now she made enough for expenses. She wanted more. Unfortunately, she felt like she’d hit a wall with her latest work, and she wasn’t sure what was wrong. Or how to change it.
“That’s your work you want out there. Not you. But…” Her sister’s expression softened. “You’re good. Your time will come.”
“I hope so.” Gallery owners visited their beach town in the summers and frequented Glaziers Galleries, where Halley showed her paintings. She just needed the right piece to catch the right person’s eye.
“I know so,” Phoebe said. “But back to my point. Tonight proves you’re wrong. New experiences are good for you. You should be more open-minded.”
Halley glanced down at her dessert bowl. “Because I liked the ice cream, you’ve decided I’ll like every new experience?” she asked.
Phoebe rolled her eyes.
If they were kids, Halley thought she’d have stuck out her tongue. But she couldn’t really know what Phoebe would have done when they were children. They’d been separated and sent to different foster homes. Halley had been all of three. Phoebe had been six. And Juliette, she’d been all of two years old when her real father, a different parent than Halley and Phoebe’s dad, had taken her away for good. Their loving mother had all but sold Juliette to her biological father in exchange for cash to support her drinking and drug habit, and when the neighbors reported her for neglect, Halley and Phoebe had been taken away next.
Halley shook her head and shivered at her thoughts. Most of that information had been passed on by their aunt in a kinder manner than Halley transposed in her own mind.
“Halley!”
Phoebe snapped her fingers and Halley returned to the present. God, why did her thoughts still travel back to the awful past?
“Where were you?” her sister asked gently.
Halley swallowed hard. “Nowhere important.” But it was time to go home, maybe paint a little and get lost in her work. She already knew sleep wouldn’t come easily, if at all.
“Honey—”
She shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I’m fine.” She didn’t want to get into a discussion about her thoughts with her sister.
Phoebe studied her for a long moment, as if assessing what she wanted to say. “Let me get the check and we’ll go next door for a drink or two.” She met Halley’s gaze, her narrowed green eyes daring her to object.
“Yes, I know you were just about to say you wanted to go home. Not happening. This is my celebration and we aren’t finished having fun.”
With a sigh, Halley took the final scoop of the dessert, savoring her last bit of enjoyment for the evening.
* * *
Kane watched Halley slip a spoon into her mouth, close her eyes, and savor whatever dessert she was eating with relish. In a halter dress with pastel flowers, she stood out in the room. Her lips closed over the spoon, and he could almost hear her moan of delight. His dick hardened in his pants at both the sight and the direction his imagination took him. Halley, with those glossed lips, pulling him into her mouth and sucking. Deep.
He swallowed a groan and forced himself to remember where he was, and why. His sister, Andrea, worked as a hostess at the Blue Wall on weekend nights, and when Kane hit the bar, he stopped by to say hello. Seeing Halley here was a shock. Twice in one day after a long drought—he took that as a sign telling him not to give up despite her reluctance to go out with him. She didn’t see him and he kept in the shadows. As he’d told Halley, he knew where to find her now.
“Andi!” he said to his sister, who had just returned to the front of the restaurant. She was dressed in a black skirt and a button-down white lace top, holding menus in her hand.
“Hello, Kane. How’s my brother?” She kissed his cheek. “Here for a few drinks and some fun?”
“Actually I’m a man on a mission.”
She placed a set of menus beneath the hostess stand. “Really.” She studied him through a narrowed gaze. “Who is she?”
He leaned on the wooden podium. “She’s interesting and unique. And she paints,” he said, knowing he was giving Andi nonsensical information. But she was female. She’d understand he was making a point. The woman on his mind wasn’t someone that he’d consider a one-night stand.
“You have a crush on someone. More than a crush, you’re really interested. Who is she?” Andi’s brown eyes twinkled with enjoyment.
He tapped her nose. “That is none of your business.”
She stepped toward him with a sigh and tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. “I’ll find out eventually.”
“I’m sure you will.” When he was ready for her to know. After he’d made progress.
“Good luck,” she said, patting his cheek.
He’d need it. He doubted he’d see Halley at the bar, so he’d need to plan his next step.
Except he was wrong. He was on his second beer, shooting the shit with Paul Carver, an old friend, when she walked in alongside her sister. Paul whistled. “Who is that?” he asked, his head tracking the women as they headed toward the other side of the bar.
“Which one are you looking at?” Kane asked, curling his hand into a fist, growing quickly possessive of the woman who had already left an indelible mark on him.
“The gorgeous blonde, of course.”
Kane relaxed, the tension in his shoulders easing. “Good. Because I’d hate to have to break your jaw,” he said, more good-naturedly than he felt with the blood still pumping through his veins.
Paul barked out a laugh. “So you’re staking a claim on the other one?”
“Already staked, my man.”
“What do you say to a dual approach?”
Kane placed his beer on the bar counter and inclined his head. “Let’s go.”
* * *
Halley’s insides shook as she stood at the bar. She didn’t do big rooms of people well, something she’d learned once she returned home as a teenager. She didn’t like strangers in her space, standing too close. And after the foster care situations she’d lived through, that made sense and some residual anxiety was understandable.
She picked up her drink and took a sip of her rum and Coke. With a little luck, her sister… and her ride would decide she’d had enough of this scene and decide to go home.
Halley lowered the glass just as a familiar voice said, “That’s twice in one day.”
She turned and met Kane’s gaze. She shouldn’t be shocked to see him here. It was the place to go, but she hadn’t thought about the fact that she might run into him tonight. And now that she had, her stomach fluttered with butterflies she hadn’t felt in… ever.
He’d cleaned up since she’d seen him this afternoon. His hair was still disheveled but in a sexy, just-rolled-out-of-bed sort of way, and he wore a pair of faded denim jeans and a white tee shirt that showed off his muscles the same way as the black one he’d worn this afternoon. She was tempted to squeeze his biceps and see how hard they were beneath her fingers.
She curled her free hand into a ball, her drink still in her other one.
“So tell me. How did I get so lucky?” he asked, his gaze warm on hers.
“My sister wanted to celebrate a big sale.” She placed her glass on the bar.
“You mentioned she sold a house earlier.”
Halley nodded. “Phoebe is a real estate agent. A pretty amazing one, actually. She sold the Callahan Estate.”
He let out a low whistle. “Now that is impressive.”
“Right?” She couldn’t contain the pride in her voice at her sister’s accomplishment. “So we had dinner to celebrate and then she insisted we come here for a few drinks. But…” She gestured to Phoebe, who was now engaged with talking to a good-looking guy with dark hair and a square jaw. “Apparently now she’s abandoned me,” she said, tongue in cheek.
He laughed. “Then it’s a good thing I’m here to step in for her and keep you company.”
She couldn’t argue with that. Having Kane around was better than standing alone and letting a stranger approach her. “Maybe it is,” she murmured.
He raised an eyebrow. “Are you actually happy to see me?” he asked, stepping in closer.
She didn’t mind him in her personal space. His masculine scent caused heat to permeate her senses. Her nipples puckered and a rush of wetness coated her panties.
She swallowed hard. “I guess I’m just not into the bar scene.”
“And I’m a familiar face,” he said, understanding how she was feeling without her having to explain. “I realize we’d left your paintings in the SUV at the garage. Did you want to take them to the gallery?”
She grasped onto the more mundane topic. “I was planning to wait until I get my car back and drop them off then.”
Although Faith, who owned the gallery, said she’d prefer to have the paintings before the weekend, Halley might not get them there in time. She could ask Phoebe or Aunt Joy for a ride, but she hated for them to have to go out of their way for her.
“I could take you over tomorrow if you want,” Kane offered.
She paused, surprised. “I couldn’t put you out.”
“It’s fine. I can spare the time. In fact, we could get lunch on the way home.”
“But—”
“It wouldn’t be a date. Just two old friends, one doing the other a favor,” he assured her, and she didn’t know if she was relieved or disappointed he seemed to have given up on asking her out.
She disliked imposing on people for favors. She still wasn’t used to relying on anyone but herself, but Kane seemed to want to help so… “Okay, thank you.”
A pleased smile lifted his sexy lips. “Give me your cell. I’ll call myself and we’ll have each other’s numbers. I’ll give you a ring before I leave the garage to come by.”
She saw the twinkle in his gaze, realized he had an ulterior motive for taking her number, but she found herself digging her cell out of her purse and handing it to him anyway. A few minutes later and they’d each programmed the other’s number into their phones.
Kane now had an easy way to reach her. Her stomach fluttered again, something she was getting used to when he was around.
* * *
Halley left the bar shortly after talking to Kane. She’d expected to have a hard time sleeping for the usual reasons, because her past left her afraid of the dark, more specifically afraid of passing out and waking up to find someone standing over her. She shivered at the painful memory, but in a surprising turn, that hadn’t been the reason for her inability to sleep.
Instead of bad things, her thoughts had been filled with Kane. His sexy smile kept crossing her mind. The way he’d lean in close to her while she was speaking. The curve of his lips when he laughed. The hard muscles in his arms that flexed when he moved. And the appealing smell of him, a warm, heady scent that aroused her senses.
This, she knew, wasn’t easy to do. Halley wasn’t a woman who threw herself into relationships or casual affairs. She’d been traumatized as a teenager, and though she hadn’t been raped, thank God, what she had experienced made her wary of men. So the few times she had found herself wanting company, she’d chosen carefully, made certain it was on her terms.
She didn’t date. She had sex. A fling. She’d learned from experience that was the only kind of relationship she was comfortable with having. The type where no one asked anything of her and no attachments were formed. She didn’t sleep with or beside anyone, either, because no one needed to know she didn’t sleep. Not well and not often. She didn’t want anyone asking her why.
Which explained why she put Kane off, why she couldn’t say yes to dating him. Because he was a man who’d inevitably want more. And she was afraid he could make her want it, too.
Halley worked through the night, falling into bed around three a.m. She woke up feeling fairly rested considering her lack of sleep. She made herself a cup of coffee and walked out onto the half-finished deck and looked out onto the ocean in the distance.
The sound of waves lapping at the shore reached her ears, soothing her. She breathed in deep, the scent of salt and fresh air filling her nostrils. Kane had seemed to like the view, too, she thought, taking a long sip of her coffee, the sweetened brew helping her to wake up and focus even more.
Her cell, which she’d tossed into her cardigan pocket, rang loudly, startling her. She placed the mug on the floor and pulled her phone out, the caller coming in as blocked.
“Hello?” she asked, wondering who would call her this early in the morning.
Silence greeted her.
“Hello?”
No one answered. She shrugged and disconnected the call.
When the phone rang again, she got annoyed, but a glance at the screen told her it was her sister calling.
“Morning, Phoebe.”
“Morning. I’m on my way to work and I just wanted to thank you for coming out last night. I know it’s not your idea of fun and it meant a lot to me that you came.”
Halley smiled. “I’m glad I did. Your successes deserve to be celebrated.”
A beep sounded. “Oops, that’s the office. I have to run. Talk to you later,” Phoebe said and disconnected the call.
Halley laughed at her always busy sister. She picked up her coffee and headed inside. She wanted to paint before Kane called to pick her up and while the sun was at the perfect angle against the house.
She settled in front of her easel, and what felt like a short time later—but in reality had been a few hours—her phone rang, startling her. The name Kane appeared on the screen and her stomach fluttered accordingly.
“Ridiculous,” she muttered as she answered the call. “Hi, Kane,” she said.
“Afternoon, Halley. You ready to go drop off your paintings? I loaded them from the back of your SUV into the back of my truck.”
She glanced at the canvas she had been working on, the acrylics a brighter color than her past pieces, as she answered.
“I thought you drove that gorgeous Camaro?” The royal blue had gleamed in the sun and the white stripe had been glittering and clean. A gorgeous, sexy car. It suited him.
“I do. But I have the truck for other things. Like driving Nicky around, doing work around my dad’s house, grocery shopping, things like that. So your paintings are safe and covered.” He cleared his throat. “And beautiful,” he said, real admiration in his tone. “Anyway, I’ll see you in half an hour if that works?”
“It does. And Kane, thank you.” For the compliment, she thought, extremely pleased he liked her work. And for helping her out.
“My pleasure,” he said, the words sounding gruff and meaningful, which she knew was all her imagination. Which, again, was unlike her, reading into what a man said or did. “Plan on stopping for lunch on the way home. There’s a place on the beach with the best burgers. Casual and delicious.”
Her body tingled with a sudden awareness at the realization that she was going out with Kane. And though her defenses were naturally high, a part of her was looking forward to her afternoon.