When You Kiss Me (Maine Sullivans) (The Sullivans Book 21)

by Bella Andre

  “I appreciate everything you’re offering, Lola.” She could see the truth of it in his eyes, that her support meant the world to him. “More than you could ever know. But—”

  “I’m tough,” she told him again. “I’m not afraid of your brother.” And even though she was more than a little afraid of how much she felt for Duncan, she had to say, “Don’t go back to Boston.” They were the last words she’d expected to say to him today. But they felt right. A million times more right than sending him away. “Stay in Bar Harbor, and we can put together our war council from my studio.”

  “Lola—” He searched her face. “Are you absolutely sure about this?”

  She nodded, her fingers already flying over her phone’s keyboard. “I’m texting my cousins to see if we can arrange a meeting for first thing tomorrow morning.” She hit Send before Duncan could protest. Within seconds, each of her cousins confirmed that they were happy to help and committed to participating in a video chat the next morning.

  She was moving to put her phone away, when Duncan laid his hand over hers. “Thank you.”

  His touch was as electric as ever.

  And despite everything that had come between them, she wanted to hold onto him and never let go.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Though Duncan and Lola sat at opposite ends of her long worktable in the center of her studio, he didn’t need to be directly beside her to be aware of her every move. She was so vibrant, so beautiful, and so giving that he’d fallen even more in love with her this afternoon.

  He’d told her everything, and she not only hadn’t run, she’d done the exact opposite and offered to help.

  For years, Duncan’s head and heart had been twisted in knots over the breakdown of his family. Learning of his brother’s crimes, and then cutting ties with Alastair, had set him emotionally adrift and convinced him to build his walls thicker and higher than ever before.

  Until Lola had broken through Duncan’s defenses and taught him how to love with his whole heart.

  Whatever happened from here on out—even if she decided she didn’t want to be with him, or if the FBI threw him in jail—he’d always be grateful to her for showing him how to love without holding anything back.

  For the rest of the afternoon, he worked on putting together a detailed informational document for her cousins on Alastair, Lyman Ventures, and Brilliant Funds. It was nearly five p.m. when his client Dave Fischer called.

  “Dave, it’s good to hear from you. How are things?”

  “I wanted to call to thank you for your support last week. You were right that I was on the edge of a breakthrough, only I couldn’t see it because I was tired and discouraged. After taking a couple of days off, I finally hit the sweet spot. Would you like to see my big new reveal?”

  Duncan grinned. “I’d love to.”

  “Are you near a computer? If so, I can share my screen with you.”

  For the next few minutes, Dave walked him through his advancements on the prosthetic arm. It was hugely impressive how far he’d come in a matter of days.

  Despite everything going on in his own life, Duncan had a massive grin on his face. “I couldn’t be more pleased with everything you’ve accomplished, Dave, both this week and since we first began working together.”

  After they hung up, Duncan was surprised to realize that Lola was standing behind him, staring at the image of the prosthetic arm on his computer.

  “I was walking to the coffee machine and couldn’t help but stop to watch,” she explained. “Is Dave one of your clients?”

  “He is. When his daughter was born with a congenital defect to her right arm, he walked away from his career as a mechanical engineer and went back to school to study robotics and prosthetics. His inventions are going to revolutionize the industry.”

  “He’s doing so much to help his daughter, but it’s even bigger than that, isn’t it?” Lola said. “His work is going to help so many people live more comfortable and active lives. And your support for what he’s creating is a huge part of that.”

  But Duncan wasn’t comfortable with Lola looking at him as though he were some kind of hero. As far as he was concerned, helping Dave and others like him proceed with groundbreaking work didn’t make up for how blind Duncan had been to his brother’s crimes. “Dave’s a great guy. I’m lucky to work with him.” He turned away from his computer. “I didn’t mean to disturb your work, though.”

  “I’m glad I was able to listen in on his demo,” she said as she poured them both cups of coffee. “Besides, I was ready for a break.”

  When she put down her coffee, then stretched her arms over her head, he tried not to stare. “What have you been working on this afternoon?”

  “I have at least a dozen things I should be doing, but I was so inspired by Serafina’s collection that I wanted to get down some ideas for her immediately.”

  He gave a silent cheer at the thought of Lola and Serafina working together. Even if he could have only a peripheral place in Lola’s life, he’d take whatever he could get. Because he already knew there would be no one else for him, no other woman who could replace Lola in his heart.

  “Could I take a look?” he asked.

  “Sure, although the ideas are pretty rough.”

  In only a few hours, she’d managed to synthesize Serafina’s aesthetic with her own unique flair for color and shape. “Serafina is going to love this.” He studied Lola’s designs again. “In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if she came up with an entirely new collection around your textiles.”

  Though Lola looked pleased by his enthusiasm, she said, “I’d be happy if she decided to make a dress or two out of my fabric.”

  They had both turned back to their computers, when he was surprised to hear Lola gasp. “I just got an email from a law firm about the textile company I have always wanted to work with. They’re offering to buy my company in a multimillion-dollar deal, while leaving me fifty-one percent ownership.” Her eyes were huge as she reread the offer. “I would assume this was spam, but I know this law firm. They’re legit.”

  “I wouldn’t be too sure of that.” Duncan’s voice vibrated with barely leashed fury.

  She turned to him, obviously confused by his reaction. “Wait a minute.” She scowled as realization dawned. “You think your brother is behind this offer? And that the law firm, and the textile company, are in his pocket?”

  Duncan nodded. “This is what Alastair does. He figures out what his opponents want, and he delivers beyond their wildest dreams so that instead of fighting him, they’re forever on his side. Exactly where he wants them.”

  “I would never be on his side!” She shoved away from the table. “You’ve been glued to your computer all day, so you must have more than enough background information on your brother and his company to send to my cousins, right?”

  Duncan nodded. “I uploaded the information to the group portal thirty minutes ago.”

  “Good. Because forget coffee, I need a much stiffer drink.” She walked over to a cupboard fully stocked with the makings for cocktails. “Good thing I have my own cocktail bar right here. I’ll mix us up some Long Island Iced Teas, and we can sneak them out to the seawall.”

  Just as they walked outside with their extremely strong drinks, a flash storm blew in, clouding over the blue sky and sending a torrent of rain down over them.

  But instead of running for cover, Lola stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and turned to him. “How did you live with someone like your brother for so long and still manage to be such a good man?”

  Duncan stared into her eyes, so big and beautiful as rain drenched them from head to toe. “I didn’t think you thought I was a good man anymore.”

  Emotion was written all over Lola’s face as she said, “I’ve started to reconsider that.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Lola had never experienced such a wide range of feelings in so short a time. First, she’d fallen head over heels in love. Then, when M
oira singled out Duncan as being a bad guy, she’d been consumed with fury. And now, all she wanted was to kiss him…and just keep kissing him forever.

  She shivered at the thought, knowing how good it would be. Only, wouldn’t she be setting herself up for another heart-crushing fall if she gave in to desire when she still wasn’t one hundred percent sure about him? Hadn’t she vowed that she’d never let down her guard again unless she knew, without even a shadow of doubt, that she’d found the kind of true, pure love that her parents had?

  “You’re cold,” he said. “We should go back inside and dry off.”

  But she didn’t want to go back to her office. She needed to go to somewhere she could decompress. “Let’s go home to have our drinks.” Belatedly, she realized she’d said home as though it was both of theirs, not just hers. Of course her stomach rumbled right on cue. “And also,” she added with a small smile, “I’m starved.”

  He fell into step beside her. “I’m a fairly good cook if you wouldn’t mind letting me loose in your kitchen.”

  Given how badly she still wanted to kiss Duncan, she was sorely tempted to let him loose everywhere. No matter how hard she tried to steel her heart against him, he continued to touch her on an elemental level that defied rational thought. “That would be great,” she said in as easy a voice as she could manage, given her conflicting emotions.

  They entered her cottage via the mudroom, where she kept clean towels in case of flash storms like this. Duncan rubbed his towel over his head like he would a wet dog. By the time he hung it on a wooden peg, his hair stood up in all directions.

  She laughed, a joyful sound that filled the small room, and when she mimed the height of his hair, he laughed too, but made no move to smooth it down.

  It felt good to laugh with him again. So good that she knew she’d better move away fast, otherwise the kiss she’d almost given him out on the waterfront was bound to happen here. And her bedroom was way too close to risk that happening if she wanted to keep things platonic. At least until she was completely sure where her head was.

  “I’ll go find you some dry clothes.”

  “I doubt I’ll fit into anything of yours.” His voice was tinged with humor…and barely repressed desire.

  She suddenly realized that her own clothes were sticking to her, outlining every abundant curve. Though he had seen her naked before, their one night together seemed like a lifetime ago.

  “My brothers and father sometimes leave clothes here if they’ve helped me in the garden.” She made herself back away, when all she wanted was to devour every gorgeous inch of him. “I’m sure I’ve got a pair of jeans and a shirt that will fit you. Just give me a minute, and I’ll be back with them.”

  Though she quickly found the clothes in the back of her closet, she counted to sixty to cool herself off and bring her hormones back under control. Heading back to the mudroom, she said, “Here you g—”

  She nearly dropped the bundle of dry clothes as she took in Duncan’s magnificent bare chest and his muscular legs outlined by his soaking-wet pants.

  Catching her surprised expression, he explained, “I thought I’d get going with taking the wet things off.”

  “Of course,” she replied in a too-bright voice, all but throwing the dry clothes at him, even as she couldn’t help but greedily drink him. “I need to get changed myself. Make yourself comfortable.” She dashed off toward her bedroom, feeling breathless and overheated, even though she was still in her cold, wet dress.

  My God, Duncan was gorgeous. She’d never wanted anyone the way she wanted him.

  It would be so easy to strip off her wet clothes, walk back into the living room, and hold out her hand in an invitation to lose themselves in pleasure. How she wished they’d made love their first night together! If they had, then she wouldn’t have to keep fantasizing about him, because she would know exactly how good, how wild, how perfect being with Duncan truly was.

  Desire pulsed through her veins so strongly that, even though he was on the other side of the cottage, all of her senses felt intertwined with his.

  She stepped into the shower, hoping the water would wash away her longing. But all it did was make her think of how his hands, and mouth, had run over her skin during their one night together. She turned off the shower with a fierce yank.

  Lola rarely emerged from her bedroom without her hair and makeup done and her clothes and shoes carefully chosen. Tonight, however, she made the rare decision not to do any of that. Instead, she would let Duncan see a side of her that almost no one had ever seen before.

  She so rarely wore a T-shirt and jeans that when she looked in the mirror, she hardly recognized herself, especially without makeup and with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. The guys she had dated in the past had given lip service to appreciating a more natural look, but ultimately, they’d all wanted her to look like a bombshell every second of every day.

  How, she wondered, would Duncan react? Would he be disappointed? Or would he see that she was still the same person beneath the lipstick and mascara, without the formfitting dresses and sexy shoes?

  Walking barefoot out of the bedroom, she saw through the window that Duncan had gone into the backyard. Just as quickly as the rain had come, it was now gone, the sky clear again. Before tonight, he’d always worn either a suit or slacks and a button-down shirt. But even in borrowed faded jeans and a T-shirt with a torn shoulder from when her brother had caught it in a blackberry bush, Duncan exhibited sexy strength.

  He was walking down a narrow brick path between her vegetable beds when he turned and caught her staring at him through the kitchen window. She blushed as she waved, then headed out to join him.

  His eyes lit, and his lips curved into a smile when she stepped outside and he took in her dressed-down look. “Lola, you’re beautiful.”

  Perhaps it shouldn’t have mattered what he thought. After all, being comfortable in her own skin was what counted most of all. But she couldn’t deny how nice it was to know that no matter how she was dressed, wearing makeup or not, he still looked at her as though she was the loveliest woman he’d ever seen.

  “I’ve never seen a home garden with so much in bloom,” he said.

  “I love being in the garden. On days at the office when it feels like my brain is going to explode, I love getting my hands dirty. By the time I head back to my studio, things rarely seem so difficult to deal with.”

  “I haven’t spent much time gardening myself,” he replied, “but now I’m thinking I’d like to change that.”

  She was hit with a clear vision of the two of them working outside together, Duncan pruning back roses while she planted rows of strawberries.

  Apart from her siblings, she’d never had a true companion. Not just someone to get drinks and dinner and see a movie with, but someone who helped her pull weeds and harvest carrots. Someone who vacuumed the living room while she scrubbed the kitchen counters. Someone to fold the laundry with. Someone to watch the fireflies with on a warm summer’s evening. Someone to cuddle with on the couch in front of a bad movie, before falling asleep in each other’s arms.

  Someone to simply be with, and love, no matter where they were, or what they were doing.

  Duncan’s voice broke through her thoughts. “I could make ratatouille if that sounds good.”

  “I’d love ratatouille.”

  Together, they harvested carrots, onions, brussels sprouts, celery, spinach, and tomatoes. When their hands were full of produce, they headed into her kitchen, working together with an ease that should have surprised her, but didn’t. Her kitchen wasn’t huge, but they cleaned and washed and chopped and sautéed as though they’d done this dance a hundred times before. With big-band music playing in the background, it was already just about the nicest evening imaginable.

  Forgetting to be cautious about not setting too romantic a scene, she lit the candles on her dining table as they sat down to bowls of steaming ratatouille and glasses of red wine.

  “T
his is really nice, Lola. Thank you.”

  “You’re the one who cooked, I’m the one who should be saying thank you.”

  But she understood he wasn’t talking about the food. He was thanking her for giving them this chance to spend time together again.

  She was grateful for it too.

  As they ate, he gestured to her wall of family photos. “Last time I was here, I noticed your big family photo wall. I wanted to ask you to tell me about your extended family, but there wasn’t time. Now that I’m going to meet a few of your cousins over video chat tomorrow, I’m even more curious.”

  She almost let out an audible sigh of relief. Talking about her family was the easiest way to keep from blurting out not only how she didn’t think she could keep her hands off him for another moment, but how she wanted so badly to trust him again that she was tempted to throw caution to the wind tonight and just let herself feel.

  She pointed to one of the photo groupings. “In San Francisco, I have eight cousins and my fabulous aunt, Mary. Unfortunately, their father, Uncle Jack, passed away when he was in his early forties. We’ll be talking with Sophie tomorrow morning. She’s a twin and her sister, Lori, is pretty much her exact opposite. Lori’s nickname is Naughty, and Sophie’s is Nice. I adore them both.” She pointed to another group of pictures. “I have five cousins in Seattle, plus Uncle Max and Aunt Claudia. We’ll be speaking to Ian and Rafe tomorrow—those two there, with the fishing rods.” She paused to take another bite of the delicious meal. “I also have four cousins in New York. Uncle William raised them by himself after his wife passed away. Suzanne will be on the call with us tomorrow.” She sipped from her wineglass as they both continued to study the photos of her beloved family. “I’m also related to a bunch of Sullivans outside of the US via my grandfather and his brothers, including my five second cousins in London and their mom and dad, Simon and Penny. Malcolm will be calling in from London tomorrow.” She laughed at the concentration on his face as he tried to keep the different branches of the family straight. “I think that’s more than enough info on my family photo wall for the time being.”