by Jill Shalvis
But Ivy had never had that.
He and Caleb were on the top floor now and Kel stepped forward. “That,” he said, pointing to a closed door before thumbing through his iPad. “That’s not on the plans. Why is it here?”
Caleb was on his phone scrolling through the stock market, probably making more money today alone than Kel would see all year. “Caleb.”
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize we were supposed to answer questions to each other, since you’re avoiding mine.”
“We’re working,” Kel said. “The talk should be about work. The door. What’s up with that unmarked, undocumented door?”
Caleb sighed like he was greatly put out. “I added a roof access during the build. At the moment, I’m the only one with access. It requires a code to get through.”
“I see the code pad,” Kel said. “But you still haven’t answered my question.”
Caleb lifted a shoulder. “You know Spence.”
Spence Baldwin was Caleb’s occasional business partner and a good friend.
“He owns the Pacific Pier Building,” Caleb said. “And one of his favorite things about it is the roof access. Only a select few have access to it, it’s like a secret haven.”
Kel took in Caleb’s expression. “So . . . because Spence has a secret roof rendezvous spot, you need one too?”
“Of course.”
Of course. Kel had to laugh. Caleb had grown up poor as dirt. But he now had more money than . . . well, possibly God, and though it hadn’t changed who he was at the core, neither had he lost his competitive spirit. “If you truly want this space to remain private, we’ll need to create individual codes for the people you allow access to. I’ll need a list.”
Caleb nodded. “Okay. And while we’re up here discussing security . . .” He met Kel’s eyes. “What’s happening with your job?”
“Nothing, as I’m not there.”
Caleb rolled his eyes. “When you get back.”
Kel shrugged. “Same old, I expect.”
“What if you didn’t go back?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
Caleb shrugged. “Because you have a brand-new baby niece that might want to know her uncle. Because your sister misses you. Because my sisters miss you.”
“And . . . ?” Kel asked.
“And hell. I miss you too, okay? Come on, man. Your grandparents are gone. You’re living on the ranch, and I know you love it and probably miss it, but I also know that Donovan’s shown you ranches for sale in Sonoma, an easy drive from here. Yeah, you’ve got the job in Idaho, but what else? There’s nothing tying you there anymore. Stay here. Archer would hire you in a hot second for Hunt Investigations. Hell, the SFPD is hiring. And I don’t even have to say I’d hire you yesterday.”
“I don’t need you to make up a job for me.”
“Call my head of HR right now,” Caleb said. “He’ll tell you we’ve been looking for someone with your skills for months.”
“Caleb—”
“Just think about it, okay? I’ve gotta go. See you tonight at the surprise baby shower, right?”
“Right,” Kel said, but Caleb was already in the elevator, the doors closing, leaving so that Kel couldn’t give him an impulsive, off-the-cuff answer, which would’ve been no.
Right?
Right.
But he could admit a part of him wasn’t thinking no at all. He did love Idaho. He loved the wide open spaces. The peace of the ranch. The way at night you could see the entire universe in the sky, or so it seemed. The quiet . . .
But it didn’t have Ivy.
He was still thinking of all this hours later after he’d left work, showered, dressed, and driven to Ivy’s. He parked on the street where buildings butted up against the neighboring buildings without any space between. Where there was no peace and quiet, ever. And though dark had fallen, due to the vast city lights, he could barely make out a few faint stars.
Is that what he wanted?
His phone chirped with a text. Donovan, sending him more links to ranches in his area up for sale. One of them had a shot of the place at night.
There were stars, lots of them.
Tucking his phone away, he headed down the sidewalk, pausing in front of Jasmine and Martina. “How are you two doing tonight?”
They both look startled that he’d stopped to chat. “We’re not doing anything wrong,” Jasmine said defensively.
“I know.” He held out a brown sack with the extra subs he’d bought at lunch and saved for them. “Are you hungry?”
The bag was snatched out of his hand so fast he nearly lost a few fingers.
“It’s a turkey, bacon, and cheese club,” Martina told Jasmine reverently after she’d pulled out the sub and examined it. “Nice.”
“I like salami,” Jasmine said.
Kel felt his mouth curve. “I’ll remember that next time.” He started up the path to Ivy’s building.
“I told Ivy all men suck,” Jasmine said, and Kel stopped and looked back.
Martina was bobbing her head in agreement.
Since they were both eyeing him, clearly waiting on a response, Kel nodded. “I agree. All men suck.”
“She doesn’t have men over,” Jasmine said. “Ever. Near as we can tell, she doesn’t let many in. But she let you in.”
“Took some work,” he admitted.
“See that you don’t suck,” she said.
And then they vanished into the shadows.
Kel turned to the building just as Ivy came out of it. She was wearing a soft-looking sweater that hugged her body to midthigh, jeans, and boots, and looked like the best thing he’d seen since he’d left her that morning, limp and boneless, sprawled facedown across her bed.
As if she knew where his thoughts had gone, she gave him a small just-for-him smile and met him on the path.
“I was coming up to get you,” he said.
“No need.”
He pulled her in to him and kissed her. “Is that because you didn’t trust yourself with me near your bed?”
“Or my countertop. Or my shower. Or anywhere,” she admitted freely and made him laugh.
But as they headed over to Remy and Ethan’s apartment building, most of his amusement faded, leaving him with a sudden and raw case of nerves and anxiety.
“What’s wrong?” Ivy asked.
“Nothing.”
“You’re nervous,” she guessed.
“I said nothing. And I’m not nervous.” But he was wondering why he’d ever agreed to this. The evening was going to be a nightmare, and Ivy would have a front row seat.
She turned to her passenger window. “Now who’s the liar?”
He glanced over at her. She was still looking out the window, her posture stiff, radiating tension, and that was on him. Blowing out a breath, he reached across the console for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I should’ve warned you. When I’m walking into a situation I know isn’t going to be pleasant, I get . . .”
“Quiet and broody?” she asked the window.
“I was going to say I turn into a dick, but that works too.”
She snorted. Still didn’t look at him, but she squeezed his hand back. “Well then, I guess I could also share that when I’m forced into doing something I don’t want to do, I usually bail.” Finally, she turned her head and met his gaze. “Which I believe makes you the better person. Because you might be feeling . . . dick-ish, but at least you’re going. To be there for your sister, for your family.”
“Actually, I’m going because Caleb threatened to hunt me down if I don’t.”
She laughed. “You’re not afraid of Caleb.”
Lucky enough to find a parking spot in front of Remy’s building, Kel turned off the engine and turned to her. “How do you know?”
“Because I’ve seen you. You’re like brothers. He loves and adores you. And I see why he wanted you here.” She paused. “I looked you up. You’ve got an impressive record on the job.”
&nb
sp; This had him giving her a second glance. “Do I?”
“You know you do.”
“I work in a small ranching town in Idaho, Ivy. I scare bears out of neighborhood parks. I help rescue runaway horses. I roust drunks off the sidewalks on cold winter nights so they don’t freeze to the benches they’re sleeping on and die.”
“You helped a woman give birth a few months back in a fast-food parking lot. At gunpoint. The place was being held up.”
He gave her a look.
She shrugged. “Blame Caleb. He told Sadie and she told me while we were kicking each other’s ass this morning at the gym. Most people are terrified of bears, drunks, and birthing babies, you know.”
“I had very little to do with the actual birthing part.”
“True,” she said quietly. “But I have a feeling you’d face anything head-on and get through it. And look what happened to you not that long ago.” She set a gentle hand on his side. “You could have died.”
“But I didn’t.”
“But you could have. My point is that you’re fearless.”
He ran a finger along her temple, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear just for the excuse of touching her. “I’m afraid of plenty, believe me.”
“Name one thing.”
Walking away and losing you . . . “My sister’s reaction to tonight, for starters. She hates surprises.”
She held his gaze for a beat and there was a flicker of disappointment in her eyes before she smiled. “But the good news is that tonight wasn’t your idea.” She turned to get out and he caught her, pulling her back around to face him.
“What?” she whispered, then gasped as he pulled her over the console and kissed her.
She froze for a single beat before melting into him, sliding her fingers into his hair while letting out that soft sexy little sound she made when he kissed her deep, like she couldn’t get enough of him.
“What was that for?” she asked breathlessly when he pulled free.
For letting me in . . . “For coming with me tonight. But brace yourself. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
Ivy wasn’t about to admit she was also nervous as hell. This was Kel’s family, which made it personal, which in turn made it intimate. She didn’t do intimate. “It’ll be fun,” she said out loud for Kel’s sake.
His smile was a little grim. “Yeah. And maybe hell will freeze over.”
She looked at him and knew she’d been right to encourage him to come here. “I know this is hard on you. But things change. People change. And think of it this way. Your mom actually wants you in her life. Think about how you might feel if she didn’t.”
His gaze softened and he brought their joined hands up to his mouth. “Your mom doesn’t know what she’s missing.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “This isn’t about me.”
“I’m okay,” he said. “And though I appreciate what you’re doing, you don’t have to try and comfort me here. I’m a big boy.”
“As I well know,” she said and absorbed his small laugh. “But also . . . I’m not all that good at comforting.”
“Actually . . .” He sank his fingers into her hair and held her gaze. “You’re much better at it than you think.”
Her heart skipped another beat. At this point, she was going to get arrhythmia from her feelings for him. “Come on,” she said, tugging him up the walk. “And hey, look at it this way, it can’t possibly be as bad as you’re imagining. Plus, don’t look now but we’ve been spotted.” She nodded her chin to the picture window of the small, pretty, and decorated for the holidays Victorian, where his mom stood looking out, smiling at them. When Kel tensed, Ivy tightened her grip on his hand. “Too late to run now. And smile. You look like you’re headed to the guillotine.”
He spared her a quick look and found her smiling. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Oh yeah.”
They were quickly ushered into the house by Remy’s husband, Ethan, who looked like a nervous wreck. “Tell me the truth,” he said. “Am I crazy for allowing this? She’s going to be surprised, and she hates surprises. And I hate our couch. I really don’t want to be sleeping on our couch for the next ten years, which is how long she can hold a grudge.”
Kel clapped him on the shoulder. “Look at it this way. It’s too late to run now.”
Ivy slid him a laughing gaze, and when he flashed her a grin, she felt her heart catch. Damn. He was potent.
“Great,” Ethan muttered, making Kel laugh.
He had such a great laugh, one that somehow never failed to soften her from the inside out. As did watching his easy relationship with Ethan. She might not have had close relationships with any blood family to count on, but she could appreciate one when she saw it.
Ethan drew a deep breath. “Okay, so here’s where we’re at. We’ve got ten minutes before we all hide in the dark living room and give my wife the shock of her life.”
Kel nodded and turned to tug Ivy into the kitchen to get a drink. They nearly ran right into his mom.
She clasped her hands tight and smiled bright. Too bright. She was clearly every bit as nervous as Kel. “Son,” she said quietly. “I’m so happy you came.”
Kel had gone still, showing no reaction at all. Unless you knew him. If you knew him, there was the slight tightness to his mouth and the purposefully blank eyes.
Ivy “accidentally” stepped on his foot.
He sucked in a breath, “Me too.”
Ivy removed her heel from the top of his toes and smiled at him.
His mom’s husband, Henry, came up beside her, sliding an arm around her, extending his other hand to Kel.
There was a terribly awkward beat of silence as they shook hands.
“Good to see you,” Henry said. He looked down into his wife’s beaming face and smiled. “Very good.”
Kel’s mom was barely holding it together, fighting tears of happiness, and Ivy ached for her. For Kel. For all of them.
Then Ethan was coming through, hushing everyone, turning off the lights. And a few minutes later, Remy walked in and they all yelled surprise.
Remy gasped and . . . burst into tears. “It’s the baby hormones!” she wailed, hugging everyone. She cried all over Kel, who seemed to handle it like he’d done the exact same thing a million times before, just holding her tight and whispering something in her ear that made her sniffle and nod and hug him even tighter.
When Remy had gotten herself together, she turned to Ivy and squeezed her in a tight hug as well. “Thanks for bringing him,” she said.
“Hey,” Kel said. “Maybe I came of my own accord.”
Remy laughed. “Okay, sure. But now that you’ve spent a few weeks back here in your old stomping ground, can we all hope that you’re falling for this city again? Yeah? Maybe?”
“I don’t know.” Kel glanced over at Ivy and at the look in his eyes, she stopped breathing. “But I can tell you this. There’s a lot of things about this place I am falling for.”
Chapter 21
This is what you came for
A few hours later, Ivy was outside, sitting on the low brick wall bordering Remy and Ethan’s small backyard. She was sky gazing when she felt Kel come up behind her. Nudging her hair out of his way, he pressed his mouth to the side of her throat.
Her eyes drifted shut, and she might have moaned.
He nibbled his way up to her ear, which he nipped, and her knees actually wobbled. Turning, she cupped his beautiful face in her hands and whispered, “If you want the same thing I do, then we’re in the wrong place.”
With a knowing smile, he shifted to sit next to her, his muscular thigh warm against hers.
Smiling, she voiced the question that had been bouncing around inside her head through a very rowdy dinner. “Are you seriously considering staying here in San Francisco?”
“Depends.”
She turned to him. There wasn’t much light, just a string of white lights crisscrossed from the four corners of
the yard, but she could see his face and the way he was looking at her, like he was happy to see her, to be with her, and it made her breath catch. “Depends on what?”
“On a lot of things.”
“Name one,” she said.
He met her gaze. “You.”
She stopped breathing, but did her best to play that off because just the thought that she meant enough to influence his decision scared the crap out of her. “Seems like a lot of power to give one person.”
“Let me help inform your response,” he said. “At the moment, your opinion matters more than anyone else’s.”
“But that can’t be true. There’s Caleb, who’s like your brother. And—”
“I know what Caleb wants from me. What I don’t know is what you want.”
“But it’s your life, Kel.”
“Yeah,” he said. “And I realize it’s way early to say this, but I want you in it.”
“Why?” she whispered, not sure if she was ready to hear his answer.
“Because you’re important to me.”
She’d never had anyone tell her such a thing before. And she must’ve looked as discombobulated as she felt because he smiled. “I told you I have feelings for you,” he said, “but I didn’t tell you why. You’re the most unique woman I’ve ever known.”
At that, she had to let out a little laugh. “I’m not sure unique’s a compliment—”
“To me, it’s the highest compliment,” he said. “It means you’re different, and I like different. You’re also tough, sharp as hell, and a huge smartass.”
She slid him a look that made him grin. “You’re funny too,” he said. “And also kind. And sweet.”
“Okay, now you’re just trying to piss me off.”
He laughed and then his smile faded. “And resilient,” he said quietly. “You’re amazing, Ivy.”
In spite of herself, she was unbearably moved by his words. And unnerved. “You’ve known me for all of . . .” She counted in her head. “Not even two weeks.” And yep, she sounded a little panicked so she drew in a deep breath. “It’s taken me longer to decide to trust a new pair of running shoes.”