The CEO's Dilemma ; Undeniable Passion

by Lindsay Evans

  “We kissed, that’s all. That doesn’t make me obligated to share all my problems with you.”

  Ouch. The comment stung. So much so that Keith didn’t have a reply. If that was what she thought...

  Rita groaned. “Can we leave now?”

  Keith started toward the side of the boat where he had tossed the anchor. “Yep. No problem.”

  Keith had had high hopes for today. He’d been looking forward to spending more time with Rita, and getting to know her better. He’d also hoped that he could help put a genuine smile on her beautiful face.

  But that plan had just sunk to the bottom of the lake.

  Keith began to retrieve the anchor. He said nothing, and neither did Rita. With the anchor secured, Keith then went and started the trawler’s motor. He didn’t look in her direction as he began to steer toward shore.

  He turned up the music, let it blare as the boat sailed. He passed another boater, an older man he knew from town, and they exchanged a wave. It seemed like the minutes to get to shore were an hour. The tension on the boat was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

  Keith looked over his shoulder at Rita. She had taken a seat as far from him as possible, and was staring in the opposite direction. With her dark glasses on, he couldn’t tell if she was taking in the view. But he doubted it. With the firm set of her lips, he knew she was simply looking away to avoid him.

  Finally, Keith was pulling the boat up to the dock. He set about getting the anchor down and tethering the boat to the dock. Sensing movement, he glanced up, alarmed.

  “Hey, wait a second.”

  Rita didn’t listen. She had her life jacket off and her bag slung over her shoulder. Though the boat was unsteady and not secure, she made her way to the exit nonetheless. She put one leg over the side of the boat, and as it moved slightly, her legs split. Crying out, she fell forward onto the dock, her knees landing hard against the wood.

  Keith jumped off the boat and onto the dock. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Rita answered tersely. She got up, looked around, brushed off her knees and ran her fingers through her hair. She fixed her sunglasses on her face and started to walk. Keith saw the wince, but despite her obvious pain, she moved forward with purpose, not looking back at him.

  He watched Rita storm off, wondering why he had been included in the demons she was running from.

  Chapter 12

  Well, that had gone horribly wrong!

  Rita opened the door to her unit and hobbled inside, glad that she hadn’t spotted Keith on her tail. She closed the door and locked it, then rested her back against it. She blew out a frazzled breath.

  As if Keith would be following her, after the way she had treated him!

  Rita stayed against the door for several seconds, drawing in slow, even breaths. Her right knee was throbbing. She’d come down hard on it, so much so that tears had stung her eyes. As she’d rushed away from Keith, she couldn’t help wondering what she was running from.

  Certainly not him. The brief moment they had kissed had been exquisite, taking her away from the reality of her current situation and to somewhere magical. But then thoughts of Rashad came rushing into her mind, especially every time her cell phone rang.

  She knew it was him. He was the only one who would call consistently when he wanted to reach her. He had done the same thing after she’d found out about his betrayal, and she had stupidly answered his calls, listened to his pathetic pleas, and even found herself wondering if she should give him another chance. The way he had spun the story of why he had cheated, she’d ended up almost blaming herself for his affair.

  But then she’d come to her senses, realizing that he had never been who she thought he was. It was amazing how you could not see the forest for the trees sometimes. In the stories that women wrote to her for the magazine, it was easy to identify that the man was a lying jerk who they should have moved on from. But in her own life, she had wondered. Doubted herself.

  “Why couldn’t you keep it together?” she asked herself.

  It had been all of Keith’s questions, and telling her that he was willing and ready to listen. She knew what Maeve would say, that she’d completely overreacted. Keith had presented himself as a caring man, in addition to his sexiness. Why was she always running from him?

  Because he has the power to destroy your heart...

  The reality shook her. There was something about him, even though she hadn’t known him long, that truly spoke to her. Something about the way he looked at her, something about how she felt when their hands did something as simple as brush against each other. Her attraction to him was fierce and inexplicable.

  And it scared her to death.

  Unlike Rashad, Keith was gorgeous. He could easily have thousands of women throwing themselves at his feet. And she was sure he had. A guy like him couldn’t walk down the street without women breaking their necks to look back at him. And men who could have easy access to women often couldn’t be trusted. Why choose one when you could have several?

  At least that had been Rashad’s thinking, hadn’t it? The moment he’d been able to, he cheated on her. Then he blamed her for her busy schedule, her lack of passion...

  But the beginning had been wonderful. Rashad surprising her with a trip to Mexico. Weekends away. Maybe that was what bothered her most about her time with Keith. He seemed like the kind of man who enjoyed wining and dining a woman. It would be so easy to fall under his spell. But how long before she was heartbroken?

  Rita eased herself off the door, and limped to her living room sofa. Her knee hurt even more now. She would need ice. She barely sat for a moment before getting back up and heading to the kitchen. At least there was ice in the freezer. But even better, there was a pack of frozen peas. She snagged it and went back to the living room. She elevated her leg, placing her foot on the coffee table. And then she put the bag of peas on her knee.

  She remembered the smile that had come on Keith’s face when he had first seen her walking down the dock. It was a smile that even now made her heart race. Every time he looked at her, she felt butterflies in her stomach. Especially when she could see that he was looking at her as though she were a hot biscuit and he wanted to eat her up with some butter.

  The look she hadn’t quite seen in another man’s eyes, and one that touched her in a way she couldn’t describe.

  She just knew that he was the kind of man who could make her lose control, and she hated it. She didn’t want to lose control anymore. Losing control had done nothing but cause her pain.

  Maeve would tell her that she had a bad attitude toward love, and it wasn’t entirely untrue. But it wasn’t that she had never tried. She wouldn’t have dated Rashad if that were the case. And of course, there had been bad boyfriends before Rashad. All of her relationships had ended in disaster. And now her mother and her father? If those weren’t enough to leave a woman feeling scarred about love, then what was? Her mother agreeing to marry the man who had lied to her for so long had really sent Rita’s life into a tailspin.

  She thought about the look on her mother’s face before she’d left the house, the confusion. The disappointment. Her mother would be contacting her soon. Rita was going to give her at least a day to digest the information she’d learned. Then she would be there for her mother, help her move out of Lance’s house and then they could move on with their lives. That was the other reason there was no point in even entertaining any sort of flirtation with Keith. Rita wouldn’t be in town for much longer, not after her mother broke things off with her father.But Rita would be lying if she told herself she wasn’t going to miss this place. Small towns weren’t her style, but something about Sheridan Falls was growing on her. There was a certain peace here, even if she knew in her heart that she wasn’t allowing herself to fully grasp it. Maybe if she’d come here under any other circumstance, she could enjoy the place. Rel
ax, truly let go. Maybe even flirt and mean it.

  Perhaps have a no-strings-attached affair...

  The setting had certainly been perfect out on the water today. Her alone with Keith. The stunning scenery. A man who was attracted to her. She knew that Maeve would tell her she had hit the jackpot—a hot guy who was interested in her. And Maeve had certainly been encouraging her to at least find someone who could be a palate cleanser after Rashad.

  Rita heard the sound of scuffling outside of her door, and quickly jerked her head in that direction. Her heart pounded. Keith?

  The sounds of laughter quickly followed, and Rita’s heart deflated. It wasn’t Keith, but other vacationers. She was disappointed, which was irrational. Part of her was hoping that Keith would come to see her.

  “Are you crazy?” she asked herself. As if Keith would come to see her. Not after how she had behaved. If nothing else, she owed him an apology.

  So what if Keith had kissed her? Why had she pushed him away as if he’d been trying to assault her? Obviously he hadn’t planned for there to be an accident that prevented the other guests from making the reservation. They’d had a spontaneous moment, and Rita had fully enjoyed the kiss. The moment he’d given her that look that said he wanted her, then slipped his arm around her waist, she had come alive.

  It had been exciting...until her phone had started ringing and she’d known it was Rashad. Then she’d gotten in her own head, remembering how all her relationships had gone completely wrong.

  Rashad, computer engineer. Verified nerd. He even had the glasses to prove it. In other words, safe.

  Safe men were supposed to have lower than average sex drives, and not seek out other women to sleep with. Safe men were supposed to be available every time you called. Safe men were supposed to let you know where they were at all times.

  Safe men weren’t supposed to be in bed with other women when you showed up at their place unexpectedly.

  Rita pulled her leg onto the sofa with her, then winced. Her knee seriously hurt. But her pride hurt more than anything. In her effort to get away from Keith, she’d made a fool of herself.

  Because in that instant, Keith had represented every bad man in her life she’d ever dealt with.

  Or was it that he was entirely too tempting?

  Keith was so darn attractive. The kind of man she could easily lose her mind over. But men like that tended to break women’s hearts.

  Rita snorted. Who was she kidding? Rashad had been safe yet he’d also broken her heart.

  She’d met Rashad when he’d come into the coffee shop and she’d been in line waiting for her morning fix. He’d been behind her, and had struck up a conversation about the shopping app she’d been using on her phone. It had been bizarre, and yet intriguing. She just knew that any man who was so overly obsessed with technology would not be overly obsessed with women. They ended up having a coffee date right then and there.

  It had been a pleasant surprise. Rita had laughed more than she had in ages. She’d found Rashad quirky and funny. But mostly, she had thought about how different he was from the other men she’d dated in the past. How different he was from the men that women wrote to her about. The ones who tore hearts to shreds and left lives destroyed.

  When seven months later, Rashad had proposed, of course she’d said yes. At nearly thirty years old, it was finally time to get married. Finally, Rita had found the kind of man she could trust to be faithful to her. And she would never cheat on him. She thought she’d found her perfect match.

  Until she’d found him in bed with another woman...

  “Why are you taking this trip down memory lane?” Rita asked herself. It was pointless.

  So she thought about Keith, about him taking his shirt off on the boat. Of the way he looked at her with such intensity. The little smirk on his lips told her that he knew he had an effect on her.

  And he did. Just looking at him had her heart beating faster, her skin becoming flushed. Men like Keith had the tools to seduce a woman with just a look, and they knew it.

  Which was exactly why she needed to stay away from him.

  A mix of bittersweet emotions washed over her. She felt a little disappointed that he hadn’t come to check on her. And a lot of guilt for how she’d reacted.

  Was it wrong for a man to be attracted to a woman, or to even want a fling with her? Most of her single friends went on vacation with eyes open for a hottie whom they could pass the time with. Maybe even some of the single women who rented Keith’s units had hoped to get lucky with him. She couldn’t really blame him for thinking she might be hoping for a little vacation action.

  Rita looked in the direction of the door again. One thing was certain. She would never survive her time here if she went around biting everyone’s head off.

  Maybe you need to get laid...

  The thought popped into her head, and sounded suspiciously like Maeve. Oh, that was what Maeve would tell her all right. But getting laid was not what she wanted.

  But that didn’t mean it wasn’t what she needed.

  Rita closed her eyes tightly. She was over Rashad, but knowing that he was suddenly trying to reach her was taking her back to their relationship and the pain it had caused.

  She hoped that at least she’d accomplished the one thing she’d set out to do. Let Keith know that she wasn’t interested in a one-night stand, nor a vacation fling.

  Pursuing her would be a waste of time.

  * * *

  “Oh, boy,” Maeve said half an hour later. “Girl, you’re falling apart.”

  “That’s what happens when you have a mother who’s lost her mind.”

  “Are you sure that’s what it is?” Maeve asked.

  Rita frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t be offended by what I’m about to say. I’m just wondering... Your wedding to Rashad was supposed to be in a couple of weeks. Maybe what’s bothering you is the fact that your mother is getting married and you’re not.”

  Rita opened her mouth to protest, then Maeve’s words truly sank in. “My God.”

  “Like I said, I’m not trying to offend you. And I’m sure you’re over Rashad, but I can’t help thinking that your mother’s wedding plans are a reminder that your own wedding fell apart. On a subconscious level.”

  The words ruminated in Rita’s brain. And suddenly they seemed to fit. “You may be right,” Rita said softly. “Like you said, it’s not that I’m not over Rashad, but maybe psychologically something is triggering me. It makes a lot of sense.”

  Was that where Rita’s extra stress was coming from? Was there a bitter taste in her mouth, knowing that her own love story had crashed and burned? Was that why she couldn’t be happy for her mother?

  “That’s why I’m your best friend,” Maeve said proudly, and Rita could hear the smile in her voice. “Who knows you like I do?”

  “It’s also knowing that some guys have no qualms about lying to you and breaking your heart. Like what my father did to my mother. So the fact that she was so ready to trust him with her heart again...”

  “But you can’t stop it,” Maeve said. “If she’s determined to—”

  “Well...” Rita interjected sheepishly.

  “What?” Maeve asked, sounding suspicious.

  “Right now, my mother may be packing her things and leaving my father’s house. At least I hope she is.”

  “What happened?”

  Rita filled her in on the meeting and how she’d brought up her father’s bankruptcy. “I’m sure that my mother is seeing the situation in a different light. She’s got to realize that my father has ulterior motives.”

  “My goodness,” Maeve said. “Have you talked to your mother since?”

  “No. I’m giving her time and space. She’ll reach out to me when she’s ready.”

  “All right, well let me know h
ow things go. You know I got a dress for this wedding...”

  “Keep the receipt,” Rita said. “You might just have to return it.”

  Chapter 13

  Keith ditched the idea of going back to the office because he was in no mood. The pressure in his head made him feel like it was going to explode. He’d probably lose his cool with his receptionist and anyone he had to deal with.

  All because of Rita.

  Had he really been a jerk? For her to act as if he’d taken her out on the boat as a deliberate ploy to seduce her, then to run off as if she were afraid of him...

  She’d even hurt herself trying to get away from him as quickly as possible. He wondered if she was okay.

  Keith grabbed a beer from the fridge and went to the back porch. He took swigs of the cold beverage, hoping his mood would improve. Instead, he sat there seething.

  Two beers later, he was coming to the realization that what had happened was for the best. Rita freaking out the way she had was sending him a clear sign to stay away.

  He’d treat her with professionalism, like the renter she was. That was it. Hadn’t he learned his lesson after Maya?

  Maya. Beautiful and into him, Keith had fallen for her fast. She’d been in town for the summer because she’d needed an escape from her life in New York City. She’d rented one of Keith’s units, and they’d gotten to know each other. Unlike Rita, Maya had tried to develop a relationship with him. She had flirted, conversed and their romance had blossomed quickly.

  She’d had a recent ex, but that was part of why she’d come to Sheridan Falls. Under a moonlit sky, Maya had assured Keith of her love for him, that she was done with big town life and her career as a B-level actress, and that she wanted a future with him in Sheridan Falls.

  Next thing Keith knew, Maya was gone—and quickly marrying her ex-boyfriend, some big shot producer.

  When the pounding started, Keith jerked his head up. It took a nanosecond for him to realize that it was the door.