Chapter Eighteen
LEANNA AWOKE EARLY Friday morning and peeled her arm from Kurt’s chest carefully, trying not to wake him or Pepper, who was curled up at his feet. After barbequing with the girls last night and celebrating her first big decision with margaritas, they’d stayed at her cottage. She worried about how much writing time Kurt was giving up to be with her, but he assured her that he was capable of managing his time and his deadline.
She loved seeing him in her bed, and waking up to him now felt like something she expected, rather than hoped for. How did that happen so fast? They’d closed the windows last night when they made love so the others wouldn’t use their sounds as entertainment—and tease her about it later. She wasn’t exactly a quiet lover, but Kurt didn’t seem to mind. Last night he’d whispered everything he was going to do to her before he did it, and hearing those naughty things in his gravelly voice had aroused her almost as much as the things they’d done.
She lifted up on one elbow and whispered, “I’ve fallen hard for you, Kurt Remington.” She lay back down and closed her eyes. “Yup. I feel it in my crazy heart. I love you.”
Leanna got out of bed and padded quietly into the kitchen in her cami and boy shorts skivvies and sent an email to Daisy Chain, requesting to reschedule their meeting. She needed time to prepare so she didn’t blow that meeting, too. A hobby. She thought about the comment Leslie had made and realized now that he’d seen right through her. She had been thinking of the business as a hobby, even if she’d been verbalizing something else. She knew the minute the rebuttal left her mouth that a hobby was not what she was looking for, and she was determined to make this business work.
She took a deep breath and began typing a list of the things she needed to do in order to move forward with her plans.
Figure out where I want to live in the fall! Cape?
Kurt?
Product list
Ingredient list
Delivery timetable
Backup generator? Cost? Facility cost? Share space? Check out bakeries?
Talk to an attorney about contracts and insurance liabilities
Employees?
Then she began another list, a list she’d never before contemplated, a list that she’d made fun of other women for creating. Nonetheless, she began typing.
What I want in a boyfriend:
Kind, considerate, empathetic, fun, interesting, careful, smart! Has to be willing to listen to me talk. A lot. Can’t get mad about my awkwardness in bed. Good in bed. Really good. Maybe even helpful. Encourage me in every way. Sexy. Very sexy. Good body. Likes my friends.
She pulled back from the computer and realized that she wasn’t just creating a list of what she wanted in a man. She was describing Kurt. With pinpoint accuracy.
She sighed. I’ve got it bad.
“You’re up early.”
Startled, she closed the laptop and spun around. Kurt’s hands were stretched above his head as he used the doorframe for support and arched his broad chest forward in a stretch as slow and graceful as a Cheshire cat, wearing nothing but his boxer briefs.
“You should have a warning sign on that body.” She rose, and he folded her into his arms.
“If I had a warning sign, you might not come near me. That was nice last night. I love being close to you.” He kissed the top of her head.
She pressed her cheek to his warm chest. “Me too.” And, by the way, I think I’m falling in love with you. “Would you like some coffee?”
“No, thanks. I know you have to go to the flea market today, so I’m going to head home and go for a run. You know my morning routine. Hopefully, I can make up for the writing that I skipped last night. My deadline is coming up fast, and I need to catch up to meet it.”
“I’m sorry that I’m such a distraction.”
He pulled back from their embrace and kissed her. “You are the best distraction I could ever imagine and worth every moment away from my writing. Want to come by after you’re done at the flea market?”
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
Kurt pulled on his shorts and picked up Pepper’s leash. “Come on, Pep.”
“Where are you taking him?”
“I was going to walk him since you’re not really dressed for it.” He ran his eyes down her body with a hint of appreciation—but his offer was more than sweet assistance; it held a flavor of possessiveness.
It was so different from what she’d seen from him that it took her by surprise. And she liked it.
“I can do it. He’s used to waiting for me to throw on shorts and a top. Besides, the last thing you need is more time away from your writing.” She reached for the leash.
“Would you mind if I walked him? We’ve sort of bonded.”
Pepper whimpered.
“I can’t even believe you’re the same guy who scowled at him when we met.”
Kurt paused on his way out the door. “I’m not sure I even know who that guy is anymore.”
KURT PULLED INTO his driveway still thinking about Leanna. He seemed to always be thinking about Leanna. When he stepped from the car, he looked for Pepper out of habit, then reminded himself that Pepper was with her at the flea market. He never understood how some people claimed to fall in love so quickly, but now he was beginning to understand. He couldn’t deny his feelings for Leanna if he had a gun to his head, and hearing her whisper that she loved him when she thought he was sleeping had sent a chill right through him. Fear and happiness had collided, paralyzing him for a minute or two, until he’d been able to breathe again with the relief that she had the same strong feelings for him as he had for her.
He walked around the cottage and crossed the grass to the studio. It was surrounded by an umbrella of trees. The real estate agent he’d bought the property from had told him that the previous owner had planted the trees, as he preferred natural cooling to air-conditioning, although the studio as well as the cottage had central air, which was uncommon on the Cape. He hadn’t been in the studio since he’d arrived a few weeks earlier, and he’d been thinking about it since Leanna mentioned needing a larger place to work. He unlocked the heavy wooden door and pushed it open. The inside was cool despite the warm summer days. An industrial-sized sink and built-in cabinetry lined the wall to the right. The ceramic floor was in good shape, and the cathedral ceiling allowed most of the heat to rise away from the living space. He crossed the floor to what had been a supply closet in the back of the building. It was cool and dry, and the deep wooden shelves would be perfect for Leanna to store her products. There were three windows on either side of the studio as well as a skylight in the roof, allowing for plenty of natural light. He contemplated adding stovetops, cooling racks, and whatever else Leanna might need.
I’m getting ahead of myself.
Her voice sailed through his mind, bringing another chill down his back. I feel it in my crazy heart. I love you. Maybe he wasn’t getting ahead of himself after all.