What man could resist a temptation like that?
Her mother took the tray out of her hands. "I was filling our guests in about Sean and the great rescue at sea. Why don't you go down there, and bring him back with you? He’s quite the hero, and our guests want to hear what happened first hand."
Kayla remained standing where she was. "Go," her mother urged, and bumped her hip.
"No. Brittany's there," she whispered, her eyes on the cabin. "She took the lasagna down to him."
"She was here a little while ago." Her mother glanced around. "Why, where did that girl go?" She glanced toward Rhapsody then met Kayla's eyes. "If you don't go down there and rescue him, then you only have yourself to blame."
"Oh, Mom. I can't." Sean knew where she was. If he wanted to see her all he had to do was walk out that door.
"In that case, have a mojito. Might as well get happy with the rest of us."
"Yes. I think I earned it today." She snagged a Saganaki and poured a big drink.
Kayla heard the laughter first, and turned her head to see Brittany arm in arm with Sean as she led him toward the pool.
The sight of them together, his fair hair mingling with Brittany’s dark curls as he leaned toward her and whispered something in her ear, stopped her mid-swallow. She gagged on the bite of feta cheese and choked, her eyes tearing up.
Kayla tried to sip on her drink, but her air supply was cut off. Panic set in.
Brittany and Sean entered through the gate and headed toward her. They were both smiling, and Sean winked, his eyes on hers.
Kayla gagged again, pointed to her mouth and was horribly afraid that she might throw up. Her distress must have been apparent, for Sean rushed across the pool deck, grabbed her by the waist, put his arms under her breasts and did the Heimlich maneuver.
Her bottom was pulled into his thighs as she doubled over, and even though she was damn near choking to death she was aware of the fact he was in shorts. She could feel the warmth of his legs through the thin material of her dress and knew her butt was lodged up against his fly.
Forgetting that for the moment, she put her hands over his and lifted them slightly higher, under her ribcage.
He gave her several deep thrusts and then she felt the cheese bite dislodge from her windpipe. It flew out of her mouth and landed in a bush next to one of the lawn chairs.
The honeymooners cheered, and embarrassed to death, Kayla made a waving motion with her hands, but didn't turn to face them. She held on to the railing and sucked in several breaths. Sean kept one hand on her bare back as she gathered herself together.
"Breathe slowly," he said gently. "You're okay now."
Brittany stepped forward, offering her a napkin. "Holy cow! What happened?"
"I took a breath when I swallowed the cheese. Damn thing went down my windpipe." She’d never been so humiliated, she thought, wiping her mouth.
"Ouch." Brit studied her face, wanting to make sure Big Sister was all right before slipping away.
Kayla turned to Sean. "Thank you." She blinked rapidly, afraid that tears would come next. "That was embarrassing."
He smiled, brushing her hair over her shoulder. "No, it's not. It happens, and when it does, it's very frightening. Good thing you weren't alone."
"Good thing you were here to save me," she countered, gazing into his handsome face. How had she every thought his features were ordinary? There was nothing ordinary about this man. He had nice shaped lips, a straight, perfect-sized nose, a firm jaw and dark chocolate brown eyes that carried a world of sadness.
He chuckled. "I wouldn't go that far. But yes, I'm glad I was here too." His eyes held hers for a long moment. "You want some water?"
She nodded, and he went to the makeshift bar and brought back an iced bottle. He uncapped it before handing it to her. "There you go. Drink slowly."
Brittany returned with two frosted flutes in her hands. "She's all right now. Here, Sean. Have a drink." She smacked her glass against his. "Cheers."
Kayla nodded. "I'm fine. Really. I might just sit down for a few minutes and catch my breath." She fanned her face. "You two go ahead. Mingle."
He took a sip from the drink, and turned to thank Brittany. "Appreciate the drink, Brit, but I'm going to sit with Kayla for a moment. We have things to discuss."
Brittany glanced at her sister, a question in her eyes. Kayla shrugged, but couldn't help her lips from lifting in a pleased smile. She wondered how her little sis would take this, but she should have known Brittany would never let a man come between them.
"Enjoy yourselves," she said with a genuine smile, then gave Kayla a wink and saluted her silently with her drink before sashaying over to sit with her other sister.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Kayla put her feet up on the chaise lounge and sipped her iced water. Sean moved his chair closer to hers, placed his drink on a small table on the opposite side, and settled into the chaise. Her heart beat wildly, and she doubted that it was due to the choking incident.
"Mom told our guests about you rescuing the Hernandez family. Everyone is calling you a hero. And now you saved me," she smiled shyly, still embarrassed by upchucking in front of him. "Quite a reputation you're building."
He rubbed a hand over his face. "Me, a hero? Hardly. Hell, I can't even save myself."
"Don't say that!" She tentatively touched his hand. "Whatever it is you're going through, you don't have to do it alone. I'm here if you ever want to talk."
"I don't. Not about that."
They didn't say anything for a few minutes and an uncomfortable silence grew. She shifted her legs to the ground, getting ready to stand.
He stopped her. "Stay a little longer."
Kayla sat back down, studying him. His face was creased with concern, and his eyes full of despair. She wished she could reach deep inside him and pull out whatever it was that was eating him alive. "So what would you like to talk about?"
"Something pleasant. Unimportant details. It doesn't matter."
"All right then." She thought for a moment. "This afternoon at the hospital I told you all about my past and how I ended up here. So it's your turn to talk." She smiled, to show him the conversation wouldn't get serious. "Tell me. What made you become a doctor?"
His shoulders relaxed. "My father was an ophthalmologist and my mother worked as a nurse. Guess it seemed like a natural fit for me. I have a sister who's four years older. She's a radiologist. It's the family business."
"Where does your family live?" she asked, eager to know more about this mystery man.
"California. San Diego, to be exact. Dad used to be with the Navy before he went into private practice."
"I see. Does your sister live there as well?"
"No. She married and moved to Atlanta."
"Children?"
"Two. A boy and a girl. They're in middle school."
"Nice. Are you both close?"
"Not anymore. We lead such busy lives that it's hard to get together."
She looked away from him for a moment, so full of questions that had nothing to do with his family, but were all about him. Questions she didn't dare ask.
"Any word from the hospital? About Juanita?"
"No, but I didn't expect anything this soon. I spoke to a doctor friend of mine from Boston and his wife is in pediatrics. They’ll put her on medications to slow her labor and give the baby time to develop. She could be bed-ridden for the next two months."
"That sounds awful. Maybe they'd let her rest here? Hospital beds are needed for more urgent cases, I'd think, and the cost would be prohibitive."
"I agree. You’d be willing to help that much, Kayla?"
She nodded and glanced toward her mother. “We discussed it, and we’re glad to help. Maybe we can even pay Miguel to help with the paintwork,” she said with a small laugh to keep things light.
They were silent for a few minutes, both lost in their thoughts. "You want a drink?" he asked. "And a bite to eat?"
"Sure. I
think I can handle it now."
He brought her the drink and a large plate of snacks to share. She felt ridiculously happy that he was staying to have some food with her instead of making an excuse to leave. It didn't mean anything, of course.
"Thanks for the lasagna," he said. "It was sweet of you both to think of me."
"I fell asleep while it was in the oven,” she confessed. ”When I woke up the dish was gone. So was Brit."
"It's sitting on the counter. I decided to save it, and share it with you," he said quietly.
"You did?" Her heart raced. Not Brit, but with her. His sitting here did mean something. A very small part of him was opening up. She felt like pumping her fists in the air and letting out a whoop. Instead she played it cool. "I'm not the best of cooks. You might be better off eating here." Saying that, she dipped a slice of pita into the Tzatziki sauce. She licked her lips after finishing the piece, and noticed him watching her.
"What?"
"I like you in dresses."
"You do?" She glanced down and saw the hem of her dress had risen to above her knee. When she leaned forward the halter top exposed the plumpness of her breasts. She sat up a little straighter, and pulled the hem down. She was not a shy woman but her stomach was doing a butterfly hop. "You don't think I look ridiculous? Over-dressed for a pool party?"
"Not in the slightest. I think you look...well, pretty. Stunning, actually."
"Stunning?" she laughed, but now the butterflies were doing a Highland fling. "Me? Hardly. I'm fat compared to my two beautiful sisters."
"Don't say that. You are not at all fat. You have a gorgeous body." His gaze raked over her, then slid away. "If I were looking for a woman, I wouldn't look any further."
Her heart hammered. "But you're not." She held her breath, hoping he might deny it. Not that she wanted romance either. Heck, she'd only recently ended a two-year dead affair. And she was committed to making this resort work. She had a lot of work to do to ensure that happened. But still. She wanted him to kiss her. She didn't know why, but she did.
"No, I'm not." He swallowed hard, and looked past the pool, out to the dark, choppy sea. "You deserve someone a whole lot better than me."
She glanced around, as if really looking. "Really? You see anyone better out there?"
A smile lit up his face and made it to his eyes. "You might have to look inland."
"I'm not looking period. Mom would like to see us girls happily married, but we all have a different agenda right now. I'm sure one day we'll meet Mr. Right, but we have this business to run, and it's very important to me. I want to stay here! Then there's Brittany. She wants to dance with the stars, and Taylor wants to start her own restaurant. So, you see, you're not the only one who doesn't want romance. We don't either."
Before she knew what was happening, he reached out a hand and pulled her head forward. His face was inches from hers, his mouth a millimeter away.
"What are you doing?' she asked breathlessly.
"I'm going to kiss you."
His mouth covered hers before she could think of a proper response, and then she couldn't think at all. Sean was kissing her. Gently, and then with just a little more pressure, as if he didn't want to take his mouth away. As if he didn't want to break this between them anymore than she—as if he didn't want to be alone and needed her.
Kayla didn't move. The other couples, her mother and sisters, ceased to exist. She was alone in the twilight hour with a mysterious stranger that touched her in ways she'd never known before. Sure she'd had boyfriends, and been in love once or twice. But this was a different connection. With him she felt a deep compassion, a compelling need to find a way into this man and make him whole. He needed her, whether he knew it or not. And yes, there was a bruised part of her heart that also could use a little tenderness and the love of a good man.
He pulled back and gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. Don't know what got into me." Sean glanced around and saw the amused faces from the other guests. "Guess that will give them something new to talk about this cocktail hour."
"Let them. I don't care,” she said, putting her hand on his knee “Do you?"
"I don't want to mislead anyone. It was just a spur of the moment kiss.” He inched away. “It shouldn't have happened."
She tossed her head back as if it didn’t matter, even though his words sliced her in two. "Really? You think it won't happen again?"
"Not if I can help it." He stood up. "I like you too much to play with your emotions."
"What emotions?" she bantered. She would not let him see that she’d been affected by the kiss, and that she wanted more where they came from. No way in hell. If he wanted to be a jerk, then let him. She had more problems to worry about than one guy who was sorry he'd kissed her.
He nodded. "I'm going down to my boat. I haven't had a chance to clean it since bringing the family on board."
"Obviously that can't wait until morning?"
"It could, but staying here with you is not a good idea."
"Then by all means, leave." She looked up at him. "Oh, thought you should know. The girls got another cabin ready for the family. They can move into Smooth Sailing. Miguel and Raul won't want to spend another night in the hospital. Especially if they keep Juanita there for weeks on end. If you talk with them, you can tell them that."
"That’s very generous of you. They would have been fine staying with me."
"We have all these extra cabins sitting empty. It doesn't make sense. So, anyway, it's done. And if you're going back to the hospital tomorrow, I'd like to go too."
"No need. I can handle any further paperwork, and bring Miguel and Raul back with me."
"I want to help," she added stubbornly.
He looked at her for a long moment. "I know you do. But like them, I'm a bit of a lost cause." With that he turned and walked off.
She watched him leave and wished she had something to throw at him. But a temper tantrum wouldn't help the small ache in her heart.
Kayla tossed back her drink, slid off the chaise, and refilled her glass. She had a job to do, and she'd ignored her other guests too long.
Her mother wasn't the only actress in the family.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Sean slowed his gait as he left the pool, but all he wanted to do was cut and run. What a fool he'd been to tempt himself with those raspberry lips, soft and sweet and lush. He'd wanted to connect with her on a deeper level than polite conversation. He'd been needy and greedy.
It better not happen again. His life was in Boston, if and when he went back to it. His family in California wanted him to come out and spend some time with them. This was a temporary stop.
He could no more live on this little island than fly to the moon. He was a busy man who couldn't sit still. Or at least he used to be. Once he got his game back he'd jump into the hectic arena of the OR like a gladiator battling death, the way he'd been trained to do. He would become that person again. Someday, he'd have enough scar tissue over the wound in his heart that he'd no longer feel it beating, and the pain would be less. He'd survive this whether he wanted to or not, and get back to the job he'd been born to do.
Even Kayla would understand that. She couldn't fall in love with him, or have hopes for anything more than a temporary friendship. Perhaps he'd return once in a while for a week's holiday and fishing. They'd catch up, and by then she might have a husband and kids of her own.
That was their future. Not this. Anything he engaged in now would only end up destroying her respect for him, and any friendship they shared.
He slowed his steps as he neared the cabin. He stood on the stair and glanced up at the sign. Rhapsody. Who had given this humble cabin such a glorious name? Had the previous owner found joy here that lifted his soul? He hoped so. Had Anna known his frame of mind when he booked the cottage, he'd have been placed in a cabin called Doom and Gloom. It certainly wasn't Rhapsody he was looking for, just a little peace of mind.
Sean grabbed
some cleaning supplies and headed for his boat. Sure, it could wait until morning, but he needed something to do. Something to clear his head. He used dish soap and a bucket of hot water to wash down the floor and deck, and was wiping down the seats when he heard Kayla call out his name.
"Sean?"
He ignored her for a minute, hoping she'd give up and go away. Instead she grabbed the rope and tugged the boat closer. Uninvited, she hopped on board.
"What's up?" He gave her a friendly smile, noticing she was still wearing her sexy blue dress.
"I just wanted to give you the key to Smooth Sailing so that you'll have it when you bring Miguel and Raul back in the morning. Figured you might want to pick up some supplies or something." She stood stiff as a rod. "I would have brought things over myself, but since my help isn't appreciated, I didn't want to interfere."
"I never said it wasn't appreciated. I said I was a lost cause."
"And did I say you weren't?" she answered tartly.
"Well, there’s no reason for hostility, is there?" Sean wondered what in the hell had crawled under her skin.
"I think it's deserved. After all, you kissed me. I didn't ask for that."
"And I apologized for it."
"Well, of all the nerve." She shoved the key at him, and turned to leave. "I won't be bothering you anymore."
He grabbed her arm and pulled her close. "Where are you going?"
"Back to the pool party where I'm wanted."
"You're wanted."
"By who?"
He looked at her mouth. It had felt so ripe under his. But he couldn't do that again. It wasn't fair. He wasn't sticking around. Once he had these immigrants settled, maybe he'd just take his boat and ride off into the sunset. Best for everyone. Best for her.
"By everyone. Your family. Your guests...” He glanced away, afraid to say more.
"Anyone else?" she asked pointedly.
"This family will need you," he said, eager to change the subject.
"They need you more," she answered with heat in her voice.
"I can barely take care of myself." He wished she would just drop it.
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