Naughty Stranger

by Stacey Kennedy

  Kinsley charged into the spare bedroom. “Who do I have to kill?”

  Peyton laughed. “No one. Sorry. It’s just that.” She pointed out the window at Boone sitting on his motorcycle beneath the streetlight shining down on him.

  “Oh, that’s Boone being Boone,” Kinsley said with a shrug.

  “Is he going to sit out there all night?”

  Kinsley smiled softly, leaning her shoulder against the window frame wearing pajamas that said SLEEP, THEN COFFEE across her chest. “No, he’ll leave once he feels that we’re tucked away safe in bed.”

  Peyton glanced back at Boone on his motorcycle. His attention was on his phone, the screen glowing light against his face. “He does things like this all the time?”

  “Only when serious crimes happen in town or he feels edgy about something.” Kinsley stared lovingly down at her brother. “Some people might think it’s over the top, but it’s the cop in him. And he’ll—” The telephone on the nightstand rang.

  Kinsley grabbed the phone off the receiver, giving Peyton a knowing look. “Yes, Boone, I’ve turned the alarm on,” she answered. “Yes, I’m sure it’s on. Yes, my cell is on my nightstand. I love you too. Goodbye.” She pressed end on the call and laughed softly, returning the phone to the bedside table. “Like I was saying, he’ll make sure I’ve set the alarm.”

  “Has this happened before?”

  “One time I had a boyfriend that went a bit nutty for a while.” Kinsley moved back to her spot by the window. “Boone got like this then too.” She studied her brother, then shrugged at Peyton. “To be honest, I don’t really mind it. He’s got my back, always has, and sometimes it’s nice knowing someone is looking out for you.”

  “He’s a good brother.” Peyton smiled.

  Kinsley nodded. “Very.” On the bed, Peyton’s cell phone began ringing, and Kinsley laughed. “It’s your turn now.”

  Peyton laughed, then moved to the bed. When she caught sight of the caller ID, an unexpected sense of disappointment hit her. “Hi, Mom,” she answered the phone.

  “Night,” Kinsley mouthed before heading toward the bedroom door.

  “Night,” Peyton said, watching as Kinsley shut the door behind her.

  Mom’s gentle voice quickly warmed away the disappointment that it hadn’t been Boone calling. “Hi, sweetie, how’s life near the ocean?” she asked.

  “Beautiful.”

  “And the shop?”

  “Running like clockwork.”

  “Such good news to hear,” said Mom. “Your aunt Helen called and she told us that David got into medical school.”

  Peyton moved to the bed and fluffed the pillow before dropping down onto the mattress, staring at the bright moon outside her window. “Really? Everyone must be so excited.” God, when she’d gotten into nursing school, her family had thrown her a huge backyard party to celebrate.

  “Oh, yes, they are all very proud of him,” Mom said. “And you wouldn’t believe…”

  Peyton tipped her head back and listened and responded without thinking too much. The sound of her mother’s voice was home too. Leaving her parents had been the hardest part about moving away from Seattle. They were good people, and great parents. They’d been at every recital for school, home for dinners around the table every night, and had even put her to bed as a child for as long as she could remember. After Adam passed away, they’d become even closer, always checking in, bringing meals to her house.

  She’d once been their entire world. For the year after she lost Adam, they’d been her lifeline. Not being with them was hard. Really hard. But what had been harder was seeing Adam everywhere in Seattle. They’d lived a good life, been to all the stores there, all the parties, walked the busy streets. The memories had begun to drown her.

  She had needed to move on, no matter how much her heart hated that idea. And the truth was, she knew Adam would want her to.

  Mom finally finished the ten-minute-long update on the family and then asked, “Anything new going on out there?”

  “Actually, Justin came by the shop.”

  “Did he?”

  “Just to sign some papers and stuff, but he’s staying in town for a couple days. It’ll be nice to catch up.”

  “Yes, I’m sure it will.” Mom paused, then her voice softened. “You should just sell Adam’s share in the business to Justin and be done with it. It’s not like you have any interest in real estate.”

  Selling the business to Justin made sense. She didn’t doubt he’d buy her out, knowing it would support her. That was the kind of guy he was. “The business is all that’s left of Adam, you know?” And she wanted Adam’s ideas for the company to matter, and she knew about those ideas—he’d told her.

  “I know, sweetie.” A long pause followed before her mother shifted the topic. “Since Justin was out, does that mean we get to visit soon?”

  “Soon. Promise. I’m just getting settled.” She kept thinking she needed to find her new self before she let in any parts of her old self. “Now I need to tell you something, but just know that I’m fine…” Mom had stayed perfectly silent as Peyton updated her on the murder and all that unfolded at her shop.

  “A murder,” Mom gasped when Peyton finished. “In your shop? I thought Stoney Creek was a safe place to live.”

  “It is safe,” Peyton retorted. “Way safer than Seattle. This was just one of those crazy things that have absolutely nothing to do with me.”

  “Oh, honey, that must have been so scary.”

  Peyton stared up at the ceiling, the shadows lurking from the corners. “I just feel so bad for the woman.”

  “Yes, so terribly tragic,” Mom agreed. “Do they know what happened?”

  “The detectives on the case said it might be a robbery, but I don’t think they really know anything yet.”

  Another pause. This time, her mother’s voice sounded heavy. “I really wish you’d let us come out. With this murder in your shop, I’m so worried about you being alone out there.”

  “I’m not exactly alone.”

  “Oh,” Mom said with a smile in her voice.

  “It’s not like that.” Okay, yeah, it totally was like that. “I’ve already told you I have met some friends. Kinsley and Remy, remember?”

  “Yes, but you’re not talking about them, are you?”

  Her mother missed nothing. Ever. Sometimes it was really annoying. But most times, it made Peyton feel loved and understood. She pushed off the pillow to sit up, and plucked at a loose string on the duvet. “Well, I do have them, and I’m actually staying at Kinsley’s house until the case is wrapped up, but I’ve gotten a little closer to Kinsley’s brother, Boone. It’s really new and not serious at all, so don’t get all excited and freak out.”

  “I would never freak out,” Mom defended. “What does Boone do for a living?”

  “He’s a detective here.”

  “I suppose that makes me feel better about you being out there all alone.”

  “It should,” Peyton said adamantly. “He’s got a gun, and I’m pretty sure he knows how to use it.”

  Mom laughed. “That is reassuring.” She hesitated, this time longer, and when she spoke again, her voice was full of emotion. “You do sound good…happy.”

  “I feel like I’m getting there.” Mom needed to hear that. Of course she did. Peyton had simply gotten up and left one day totally out of the blue. She hadn’t told anyone she was leaving until the day she packed. Her parents would have tried to change her mind, probably Adam’s parents too. When they saw clearly she was leaving, and Peyton explained why she needed to start a new life, of course they understood. Even if her mother questioned her sanity. Hell, Peyton questioned her sanity too.

  “So, this thing with Boone is new, casual, but good?” Mom asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Well, ain’t that the sweetest news I’ve heard in a while.”

  Peyton smiled but then her smile quickly faded. It suddenly occurred to her that thinking about A
dam didn’t bring the usual strangling emotions. And she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Happy that maybe she was moving on? Guilty that she was?

  Mom’s voice softened. “You’re really happy out there, aren’t you?”

  Peyton didn’t even have to think about it. “Very happy.”

  Mom had asked that question every time she called. This was the first time that felt like the whole truth.

  “I’m so incredibly glad to hear that. All right, darling. I’ll let you sleep. I love you.”

  “Love you too, Mom. Bye.”

  After her mother hung up, Peyton turned off the night table lamp and moved back to the window. She peeked out the side of the curtain, seeing Boone on his bike, his head turned toward her window. A beat passed. Then he lifted the phone to his ear; hers rang a second later. She went to the bed to grab it. “Hi,” she said, butterflies dancing in her belly.

  “Come back to the window,” he said, voice low.

  She stepped around the curtain, staring down at him beneath the streetlight. “You always sit outside girls’ windows?” she joked.

  “When they look like you, yes.”

  Her heart jumped a little at that. In the best way possible. “Bet you say that to all the ladies.”

  “No, Peyton, I don’t.”

  She heard his deep breath through the phone, feeling the sizzle run through her. She remembered that deep breath in her ear while his body thrust up against hers. How he made those masculine noises when he touched the very depths of her. “Boone.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thanks for watching out for me.”

  She swore she caught his smile even from this distance. “Good night, Peyton.”

  “Good night.”

  Then he was gone, and she was staring at a dark empty street that probably would have looked a whole lot scarier if he hadn’t been there a second ago. And Peyton knew that she didn’t mind his protectiveness. In fact, her heart warmed at his affection.

  Kinsley was right—it was nice having someone look out for her.

  Really nice.

  Chapter 7

  The following day, after an early morning breakfast with Justin while they caught up on his exciting bachelor life this past month, the workday had been busy, which made time pass quickly. People were still coming in for a look—dark curiosity, no doubt—but then most customers bought an item or two before leaving. Sales over the last two days had never been better, but it was hard to feel good about any of it, considering why the shop gained exposure.

  With a sigh, she flipped the closed sign on her shop’s front door while a man in his late thirties glanced through the bras on the hangers. All day she kept thinking about how sweet Boone was, and tough, all wrapped in one delicious package. She’d never been with anyone like him before. This naughty stranger who unexpectedly came into her life and heated it up to lethal levels. Sure, with Adam, things were sweet, and loving, but with Boone, there was lust and needy rawness. Probably on her end more than his. Her body still hummed in satisfaction from Boone’s hot kisses and even hotter sex. God, the way he touched her…kissed her…thrust inside her…She turned away from the door and blew out a long breath, pushing away the heat burning in her blood.

  “Would you like this?”

  Peyton turned her attention onto the man in her shop, finding him holding up a dark red lace bra. “A gift for your girlfriend or wife?” Peyton asked to understand his needs.

  “Wife.”

  She moved closer, smelling his citrusy cologne infusing the air. “What color is your wife’s hair?”

  “Brown.”

  “Skin tone?”

  “Fair.”

  “Then, yes, I think that would look amazing on her.” From her experience working in Seattle at a lingerie shop, Peyton knew what suited certain body types and skin tones. “There’s panties to match too. What’s her size?”

  “Medium,” he said.

  Peyton grabbed the matching panties off the table next to her and offered them to him.

  He held them up, glancing between the bra and the panties. “So, this will be good, then?”

  “Very good.” Peyton fought her smile. She’d seen it a few times now. Men would come into the store wanting to buy their lady something special but had no clue what to buy. Some men bought the sexiest thing they could find, but of course, that was something more for him. Every so often a guy like this came in, who wanted to buy something for her, not for him. Peyton liked real men.

  Real like Boone.

  “All right then,” the guy said, breaking into her thoughts. “I’ll take them.”

  “Wonderful.” Peyton moved behind the counter. When he settled in front of her, his gaze connected with hers and held. There was an edge of confidence in his eyes that was somewhat confusing. Edgy, confident men usually didn’t have trouble picking out lingerie. Especially because the guy had the body, the looks, and apparently the money, since he clearly displayed his wallet full of cash.

  Peyton accepted the payment and then folded the panties in tissue paper before placing the items in a small white bag with black rope. Peyton sold lingerie, but she really sold sexiness and confidence—the things she wanted to help women feel—and she liked wrapping everything up in a pretty package. She tucked the receipt into the side of the bag, then handed it to him. “I hope your wife loves your gift.”

  He gave her a small smile and a firm nod. “Thanks to you, I’m sure she will.” Then he was off, and she shut the door behind him, locking it.

  Peyton moved to the window, staring out at the cars driving by. With the summer upon them, the daylight seemed to last a lifetime lately. She loved this new life she was creating for herself. Helping women feel beautiful brought the exact warmth to the cold places inside she hoped for. She felt playful, beautiful, and sexy again. After Adam passed away, Peyton barely got off the couch, let alone worried about what she looked like. Until one day she looked in the mirror and didn’t even recognize herself. Somehow between wearing the lingerie she once loved again, and with Boone’s constant compliments, she finally found a way back to herself. And while she loved helping people as a nurse, this new, more fun way of helping women gave her the purpose she’d come to Stoney Creek to find. She liked the woman looking back at her in the mirror now, and she loved helping others feel the same.

  Maybe she was making it after all. She’d come out the other side of her personal hell, still herself, even if a new version of herself. And that felt so damn good, filling her with so much warmth from the tips of her toes to the top of her head.

  When the man vanished around the corner, a sudden coldness brushed across her, making her feel like she wasn’t alone. All the warmth she felt suddenly drained away. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled. She glanced around, searching for a set of eyes on her. No one appeared, but those little hairs never lowered, her heart never slowed.

  Great. Just as she thought she had it all together, she was now losing it.

  Reminding herself the murder had nothing to do with her, she set to closing the shop for the night. She put the cash in the safe and tidied up her tables before the new cleaner came in. Who, surprisingly, hadn’t been as hard to get as she thought it would be. The very next night after the murder, a new cleaner from the company came.

  Apparently, only Peyton was majorly freaked out about a murder in her shop.

  By the time she walked out the front door, and locked it behind her, a half an hour had gone by. She turned around when the same prickly sensation swept across her. Someone was watching her. She could feel it in her bones. Her tummy tightened, skin flushed hot, feet itched to run away. Fighting against the fear, she inhaled deeply, trying to push the sensation away and calm herself down.

  Peyton hurried toward Kinsley’s bar when a sudden rumble of a motorcycle sounded behind her. A quick look over her shoulder and she discovered Boone pulling up next to her.

  Dear God, this man was H-O-T.

  He handled the bike
like he handled her body—with total confidence. The whole thing worked. Like, really, really well. Heat pooled low in her body, the memory of his touch returning in a flash.

  He cut the ignition, not wearing a helmet since Maine didn’t require them, and frowned. “Are you all right?”

  “I don’t know,” she admitted, glancing around once more; her skin still crawled. “I know it sounds totally out there, and maybe I’m just imaging it, but I swear I’m being watched.”

  Boone’s back straightened, his expression sliding into hard cop mode. “How long have you been feeling like this?”

  “Just now.” She drew in a big, deep breath and then shook her head, not allowing herself to let the fear play games with her head. “I’m doing it, aren’t I?”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Doing what?”

  “Being that person who is scared but has no reason to be.”

  “Instincts matter,” he retorted firmly. “Don’t ignore them. If you feel that again, you’ll tell me?”

  She blinked, momentarily stunned by his answer. He always seemed to know what to say to make her feel heard. “Of course.”

  “Good.” He patted the back of his seat. “For now, come on. Let’s get out of here for a while.”

  “Not a date, I hope?” Even she heard the playfulness in her voice that definitely hadn’t been there the last time she said those words.

  “Most definitely not a date.” He grinned.

  She laughed softly and fired off a text to Kinsley telling her she’d meet her at the house later and hopped on the back of Boone’s bike.

  In short time, the town was far behind them and they were driving along the coast. He took the roads easy, likely far slower than when he drove alone. She shut her eyes against the warm breeze, inhaling the salty Atlantic Ocean air, when Boone brought his hand back to rub her leg. The gentle gesture, the warmth and strength of his body, made that earlier spike of fear melt away. The rocky cliffs, the deep blue ocean for as far as the eye could see, with fishing boats off in the distance…she felt all her coiled tension release and fade away.