Chapter Nineteen
LEANNA HAD BEEN worried about how Carey would treat her after she’d turned down his advances, but he had acted no differently all day, and she was relieved. She’d brought her laptop with her and worked on creating product and ingredient lists when she had a few minutes without customers. It had been a productive day, and even Pepper had been better behaved, allowing her to walk him instead of taking off running as soon as he was untethered from the table.
As she climbed into her van at the end of the day, Carey came to the open window.
“Wanna hit the beach?” Carey asked.
“Thanks, but I can’t.”
He ran his hand through his hair and looked away, then drew his eyes back to Leanna. “So, it’s cool that you weren’t into me, but I’m wondering. Was it because you’re into the writer? I’d totally understand. I’m just curious.”
He looked so sincere, and for some reason, vulnerable. She hoped she hadn’t hurt his feelings. “I wasn’t dating him the night you and I went to the Beachcomber, but I’m seeing him now.”
Carey nodded. “That’s cool. He’s a nice guy. If you guys don’t work out and you want to hang, you know where I am.”
“Thanks, Carey. I really enjoyed the time we spent together, and you made the flea market a lot more fun.”
He smiled in that easy way of his. “So did you. Your dancing? Priceless.”
She watched him walk away and breathed a sigh of relief. Her stomach fluttered again as she drove toward Kurt’s cottage. It had been doing that a lot, fluttering, tightening. Her entire body reacted to Kurt—his touch, his voice, his facial expressions, his scent—in ways it hadn’t reacted to any other man. She was a little frightened by how fast she felt her heart becoming his, but at the same time, she’d never known anything to feel so right.
When she arrived, she didn’t bother going to the front door. Instead, she followed Pepper down the path to the back deck, where she found Kurt, shirtless again and typing a mile a minute.
“Hey, babe. I’m glad you’re here. I missed you.” He didn’t shift his eyes from the computer screen as his fingers sailed across the keyboard. Pepper lay down at his feet with a loud sigh. “I’ll be done in a few minutes. This has been an incredible day for my writing. How was your day?”
She kissed his shoulder as she walked by and sat at the table. “I missed you, too. My day was surprising. I had three people come by and place orders. Orders! I never saw that coming. One was for a bridal shower, and the other two were for families. They were customers who had bought from me earlier in the summer. You know what that means.”
He kept his eyes trained on the computer. “They loved it?”
“Yup. That’s got to be a good sign.”
“Mm-hm.” He saved his work, and in one swift move, he cupped the back of her head, then met her in a sensuous kiss. “I really missed you.”
“Me too.” She settled back in the chair and took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. She was getting used to being there with him, and she took comfort in the familiarity that had settled in between them.
“I’m excited for you. That’s really good news.”
“Yeah. And you know what? I’ve never felt so excited about anything in my life.” Except you. “I have no idea what’s changed, but this feels like what I’ve been searching for. I can control who I work with and how many clients I take on. If I decide to work with only one grocer, or none, then that’s fine, as long as I can make rent or whatever, depending on where I end up living.”
Kurt pulled her onto his lap. “Talk to me. I know you’re not a planner, but where are you heading in your mind with all of this?”
I want the business and you. She didn’t want to put Kurt on the spot, so instead she swallowed her thoughts and shrugged.
“Are you thinking you’ll stay in your parents’ cottage for a while and plant your business roots here at the Cape?” He tucked her hair behind her ear.
“I’m not sure. I do love it here, but here on the lower Cape, everything is so expensive. I’m not sure I’d make enough money to be able to afford a bigger place in the first year or two, and I don’t want to use my great-grandfather’s money.”
“I don’t blame you, and I love that you feel that way.”
“So I have some thinking to do.”
“I want to show you something. I don’t know much about your business, but I was doing a little research today, and I found this drawing. Is this what you have in mind for your facility?” Kurt pulled up a picture of the interior of what looked like an enormous kitchen. There were four stainless-steel stoves against the west wall and a sink and counter space along the east wall. Large stainless-steel tables formed a U-shaped workspace in the center of the room. He clicked on another image that showed an open door. The walls beside the door were lined with stainless-steel shelves. He pulled up a third picture, which showed a large storage area with deep wooden shelves. There were plenty of windows and what looked like ceramic or tiled floors. Easy to clean. Even for her.
“I hadn’t really thought about it in detail, but that’s amazing. The only things that are missing are freezers and refrigerators. Other than that, that’s a dream workspace for any jam maker. Or baker, really.” She searched the images and realized they were individual photos, not a website. “Where is that place?”
He shrugged. “Found it online. I just thought I’d see if it was similar to what you had in mind.”
“Amazing, and way too expensive.” She closed the laptop. “Did you catch up on your writing?”
“Yeah, and then some. My muse was sitting on my shoulder, whispering in my ear.”
“Thank heavens. I was so worried that I was ruining your career. I thought for sure you’d want to break up with me when you realized I was not a quiet girlfriend but an annoyingly loud one.”
“Annoyingly loud?” He laughed.
“Yeah. Don’t you think so? I mean, I talk a lot. And I’m a little mouthy, and I question everything. And now I’m running down a career path I didn’t really see coming. I mean, I hoped, but…” And I’m in love with a man I didn’t see coming. “In a week I’ve turned your very organized and well-planned life upside down.”
“Upside down?”
“Yeah. Think about it. You dragged me from the sea, saved my dog, you’ve written less this week than you probably have any other week of your professional life, and—”
He covered her mouth with his, her words muffled against his tongue as he stroked her worry away. She closed her eyes and melted against him, and when he drew back, she was breathless.
“Wow.”
“I’ve written less, but I’ve never enjoyed my life more than I have this past week with you, Leanna. If this is what it feels like to live in an upside-down world, then I never want to be right-side up.”
ON THE WAY into town, they dropped Leanna’s van at her cottage. “That way you have to drive me home tomorrow and I get more time with you,” she’d said. He loved the way her mind worked, and he couldn’t have agreed more. With Pepper in tow, they had dinner at Mac’s Seafood by the Wellfleet Pier. Leanna’s hair whipped across her cheeks, and Pepper’s fur flattened against the wind. She zipped her hoodie and curled her shoulders forward to ward off the breeze.
“Let’s walk down to the park.” Kurt draped an arm over her shoulder as they walked away from the water, leaving the gustier wind behind.
Every summer an awning was constructed across from Wellfleet Harbor, where community plays and local bands put on free shows. Tonight there was a blues band playing. There were several rows of metal chairs beneath the awning, most of the seats taken. They claimed two free seats in the back row, and Pepper settled in between their feet. Beside the awning were tennis courts, and beyond that a small, colorful park. Children played on the metal playground equipment while parents stood nearby, enjoying the music. The scene reminded Kurt of his college days. He’d spent time with friends, hanging out at bars and going to concerts at local parks. Before he’d focused on writing as a full-time endeavor, he’d been more relaxed about how he spent his time. During summers and school breaks, he’d worked at a literary agent’s office, learning about the publishing industry and penning his first novel in the evenings and on weekends. After graduation he’d attended a writer’s conference, where Jackie Tolson asked to see his work. He never expected to be signed two weeks later, or to have a six-figure, two-book deal five months after that. His father was the driving force behind his determination to be the best thriller writer imaginable, and he would never stop trying to outwrite other authors or his own last novel. Do more than you think you can; be better than everyone else—his father’s words had served him well. What he’d never learned was how to apply the same standards and determination to a relationship, and in the days since he’d been with Leanna, he realized that he needed, and wanted, to find a way to strike a balance.
Leanna moved to the beat of the music, a contented smile on her lips. Her shoulders swayed sexily, and as he watched her, Kurt hoped that he was doing enough. That, as Siena mentioned, he was giving her enough attention, thinking about her enough, letting her know how much he cared for her. How could he be sure he was? His mother was the yin to his father’s yang. She softened the rough edges of his father’s lessons with unconditional love and understanding. She wasn’t a pushover. No, Joanie Remington believed that children needed to learn from their mistakes and take responsibility for their actions, but she also exuded warmth and love like others exuded confidence or insecurity. He hoped that he’d learned enough from her to allow Leanna to feel the same emotional comfort from him.
He reached for Leanna’s hand as the band played a slower song.
“Dance with me.”
“Here?”
He pointed to the grassy area between the tent and the tennis courts. “There.”
He held her close and closed his eyes against the discomfort of feeling like a spectacle. He wanted to hold Leanna, to dance with her, and he’d learned from watching her that there were some urges a person should just give in to. This was one of them, and it felt darn good, even with Pepper’s leash around his wrist and Pepper looking up at them with wondrous eyes.
An elderly couple joined them on the grass and danced a few feet away.
Kurt focused on Leanna’s heart beating against his, her arms around his neck, and the feminine, sweet, scent of her skin. Her fingers ran lightly over the back of his neck. He felt the curve of her lower back, right above her hips, the dip at the center of her spine as he pressed his palms to hold her closer. He brought one hand up and buried his hand in her silky hair, and without thought, he lowered his mouth to hers. He didn’t notice when the music stopped, or when the elderly couple returned to their seats. He didn’t notice the fast beat of the band’s next song or the child who was pointing at them as they kissed. His focus was only cocooning Leanna in his love until she couldn’t help but feel how much he adored her, until she felt it with every breath and trusted it would be in every touch. As he held her with the bay breeze at his back, he realized that Leanna had become his more.
“Come to my brother’s wedding with me.”
Leanna looked up at him and crinkled her nose. “Now?”
She was so stinkin’ cute. He felt a soft laugh slip from his lips and quickly covered it with a cough. “It’s next week in Colorado. I’ll take care of the flight arrangements and everything.”
“But it’s a wedding. There are invitations and place settings, and your brother might not want me there.” She ran her finger in circles on the back of his neck.
“I want you there, and Jack wants me there. He won’t mind. They’re getting married at Savannah’s father’s ranch, so it’s not like there’s a formal seating chart or anything. Please go with me. I leave straight from Colorado to go back to New York, and I want every second with you that I can get.” He hadn’t realized how quickly his time at the Cape was coming to an end. A sharp pain seared his heart at the thought of not being with Leanna.
“Okay. Yes. I will. I want to. But promise me you’ll ask Savannah and Jack if they’d mind before we make arrangements.” She reached up and touched his cheek. “I’m so glad you asked me to go with you.”
“You are?”
She nodded. “You’re really leaving next week? I didn’t realize…” Her eyes filled with sadness.
“Neither did I until just now. I hate the thought of going anywhere without you. I know that makes me sound weak, or wimpy, or something bad, but…” He shrugged.
Her lips spread into a wide smile. “I think it makes you even hotter.”
“Hotter? Well, there’s more where that came from.” He took her hand, and they headed back toward the car. Pepper hurried along beside them.
They stopped every few steps to kiss, and by the time they reached the car, Kurt’s body was thick with desire. Leanna wrapped her arms around his neck and rocked her hips into him. She drew his mouth to hers and moaned seductively.
He narrowed his eyes. “You make me crazy when you do that.”
“That’s the point.” She rocked into him again and settled her mouth over his neck, sucking and licking until he was ready to explode.
He reached behind her and opened the car door. “In.”
She slid into the seat, and Pepper jumped in at her feet. Kurt climbed into the driver’s seat, threw the car into drive, and drove directly to the darkest corner of the lot. By the time he put the car in park, Leanna was halfway across the center console.
Pepper jumped onto the passenger seat and cocked his head, watching them with his big, dark eyes.
“Leanna, I want you so badly.” He tangled his hands in her hair and tilted her head back, then teased her the same way she’d teased him, sensually sucking on her neck until she climbed right onto his lap and began working his zipper.
Pepper barked.
They both stilled, then laughed.
Pepper climbed across the console and licked Leanna’s arm.
“Home.” Kurt lifted Leanna back onto the passenger seat.
He’d never driven so fast in his life.
THEY RAN UP the steps to the cottage like two teenagers stealing away. Leanna was hot, and she wanted Kurt so badly that her insides ached. They’d forgotten to leave the porch light on, and Kurt fumbled with the keys, cursing under his breath.
She slid between him and the door and lifted his shirt, kissing and groping his hard muscles and warm skin. He pressed his hips into her and the door pushed open. Leanna stumbled backward, her arms flailing. Kurt caught her with one strong arm. They kissed and groped their way to the couch, kicking off their shoes. Kurt dropped the keys and Pepper’s leash; then he lifted her shirt over her head and tossed it away and did the same with his own. He wrapped his strong hands around her ribs and laid her on the couch.
“You’re impossibly beautiful,” he said in a husky voice.
Her body went white hot, and he kissed her again, a little harder, but she could feel his restraint. She didn’t want loving—she wanted hot, dirty, fun sex—the kind of sex she’d read about and her friends talked about, and she wanted it now. She pressed her palms to his cheeks and looked into his eyes with what she hoped was a serious stare.
“Take me,” she whispered.
His eyes narrowed, and she recognized his hesitation. Kurt was kind, generous, loving, everything a woman could want, but she knew he had more to give. His tight muscles told her he was still holding back.
“I want more of you,” she assured him.
In the next second, his eyes went almost black. When his lips found hers, the intensity of everything changed. It was a rougher, harder, scratch-her-face-with-his-stubble kiss that made her tingle all the way to her toes. She’d never felt so alive.
“Open your eyes,” he whispered.
“Can’t,” she said in one long breath.
He kissed her closed eyelids. “Try.”
She did, and the love in his eyes seared a path to her heart.