“I’ve got to see your ugly mug again?”
“Better get used to it.”
No doubt. His sister and Luke were head over heels for each other and Shane guessed an engagement wasn’t too far off. He scratched under his shirt collar. A second later Erin Watters, Luke’s younger sister and one of Sela’s best friends, landed in the seat across from him.
“Kagan just told me,” she said, pulling her brown hair over one shoulder and twisting it.
Why did women think men could read their minds?
“Told you what?” He finished off the beer he’d been nursing for the last hour.
She rolled her eyes. “That you guys are now official.”
“Now?” That implied they’d been unofficial and he hadn’t been anything with Kagan but friendly.
“Don’t you read Cascade’s blog?” She let go of her hair. “Anyway, I just met that Brett dude. What’s his deal? He was asking me all sorts of questions about the two of you.”
“What did you tell him?”
“Don’t worry. Only good things.” She smiled. “He rubs me the wrong way. He’s nice, but I could tell it was just to get me to talk. When I noticed him eyeing Kagan a little too closely, I might have gone a little overboard on your virtues. Which, let me tell you, wasn’t easy.” She winked. “You better watch your back. I think he wants to be more than Kagan’s friend.”
“Yeah,” was all Shane could say, since a weird emotion had clogged the back of his throat. When Kagan went back to New York, Brett would be waiting for her. The guy knew a good thing when he found it.
As if he’d heard Shane’s thoughts, Brett slid off his barstool and walked toward them with a confident stride. It was about damn time he got up and left.
“Thought I’d come over and say good night. It was nice meeting you, Erin.”
“You too,” she lied. Shane could always tell when she was full of it. It had driven her crazy when she was younger and he and Luke would call her on her B.S.
“Shane.”
“Brett.”
Brett strode away but grabbed Kagan on his way out. The hair on the back of Shane’s neck bristled when Brett left his hand on her arm, and her eyes appeared to soften at whatever he was saying.
It didn’t matter. What she might still feel for him shouldn’t matter. Shane had promised Kagan a little while. And after that it wouldn’t be long before she was on a plane back to New York.
But then Brett walked out of the bar and Shane met and held Kagan’s regard, her brilliant green eyes like beacons to something better. Something worth having and keeping.
He flashed her a friendly closed-mouth smile, retiring his drop-your-panties grin for the next week or two. He wouldn’t cross the line with her, because with the thought that just went through his head, he might not recover when she left.
“So I know you’re a workaholic, but Tuesday we’re taking a group kayaking out to Sandpiper for some hiking and snorkeling and stuff. You should come,” Erin said.
“Sounds fun. I’ll check with Kagan.” I’ll check with Kagan? Since when did he hesitate to jump on board with an outdoor excursion? Erin was the Assistant Director of Activities at Cascade Outback Adventure and he often joined in on their day trips. He hadn’t been to the small island off the coast off Cascade in too damn long. And after endless hours on the job these past few months, he craved being outside and using his muscles until they burned.
“You should surprise her. Girls love to be surprised.”
“Do they now?” He usually ran with spontaneous, but surprise could work too. He found Kagan again. She was clearing glasses off an empty table. She looked over her shoulder right at him.
“Yep.” Erin followed his gaze. “Okay, seriously? You guys need to get out of here before all your sexed up glances become contagious. Jesus.”
Shane checked the time on his watch. Eleven forty-five. Fifteen minutes till closing, but the pub still held a good amount of people.
“Where’d your date go?” he asked.
“I didn’t have a date. That was just some guy who wanted to buy me drinks and get in my pants. So not happening.” She sniffed the air. “Hey, do you smell that?”
Yeah, he did. It smelled like something was burning. He caught the back of Kagan as she disappeared into the kitchen. Was that smoke wafting into the bar? A second later the fire alarm sounded and he flew out of his chair.
“Get out of here,” he said to Erin.
“What?”
He pulled her up from her chair. “Go. I think there’s a fire.”
Everything after that happened in a whirlwind. Shane pulled Milt away from the entrance to the kitchen. “I’ve got this. You get your customers out of here safely.” Behind him, Shane could hear the panic of those left in the bar. The sound of chairs toppling, feet shuffling. His heartbeat thundered in his ears as he pushed through the swinging door.
“Kagan!” Smoke choked him and burned his eyes. Heat blasted him like he’d walked into a furnace. Flames lit up the corner of the room.
“Over here!” She coughed and kept coughing, drawing him to her position.
He found her kneeling behind Barney. The large happy-go-lucky chef was lying on his back. Kagan had her arms under him, hands clasped at his chest.
“I think he hit his head and got knocked out,” she said.
“Let me.”
She moved out of the way and Shane got a good grip on him. He had to weigh near two-fifty. Blood stained the side of his temple, but he was still breathing.
Kagan held open the door and Shane dragged him out of the kitchen. The pub had emptied except for Milt, whose already creased face seemed to have aged a decade in the last ten minutes.
“Come on,” Kagan said, taking Milt’s arm and holding him close as she led him toward the front door.
Sirens sounded and a minute later, firemen ran in to relieve Shane of his rescue and put out the kitchen fire. He rushed out the door to find Kagan.
She was right there waiting for him, a fireman at her side, his yellow-coated arm held out to keep her in place. “They w-wouldn’t let me back in,” she stammered.
He wrapped her in his arms, lifted her off the ground and carried her away from the building to a more secluded spot beside a pickup truck in the parking lot. She slid down his body until her feet touched the ground.
His hands cupped her cheeks, and he took in every beautiful part of her face. A black smudge marred one cheek. Her eyes were red, glassy. Her lips trembled. He brought his forehead to hers and took a deep breath.
“I’m okay,” she whispered.
They stayed like that for seconds. Minutes. Hell, he didn’t know for how long. All he knew was relief coursed through him now that Kagan was okay. Flashes of Mia and her injuries skittered through his mind, and it wasn’t until the clenched nerves in his back muscles relaxed that he lifted his head. Sliding his hands slowly down her neck, she shivered.
“You cold?”
“No.” Her chest rose and fell. She concentrated on him like she needed to keep eye contact in order to stay steady.
He looked away. He wasn’t the reliable kind of guy.
“You two all right?”
Shane dropped his hands and turned. A paramedic holding a first aid kit scanned them top to bottom.
“Fine, thanks,” he said.
“Miss?”
Kagan coughed. Harsh. Rough. She covered her mouth with her hand. “I think so.” But one more bark and the paramedic asked her to follow him to one of the ambulances in order to give her a breathing treatment.
A breathing treatment? Shane’s heart raced, a heart he swore he wouldn’t let get involved with a woman ever again. After Mia…after he’d let her down and she’d been injured, he’d been devastated. He still couldn’t forgive himself. He hadn’t seen her in almost two years, but they talked occasionally or emailed, usually when Mia had a business question as part of her work for a large advertising firm in Portland.
Glanci
ng at Kagan now, he knew he’d been there to help her. He’d been the one responsible for getting her out of the kitchen. His first thought had been for her.
He laced their fingers and for the first time, took in the scene. He’d never seen anything like it. Cascade had escaped this sort of misfortune until now. Two fire trucks and several ambulances and police cars with lights flashing blocked the parking lot. People clung to one another. Moisture hung in the air with the scent of singed wood.
Brett wove through the crowd. “Thank God you’re okay.Your father would never forgive me if something happened to you while I was here.”
Kagan stopped walking. “Go away, Brett.”
“Hey,” Brett said, reaching a hand out to touch her.
Shane got between them and wrapped an arm around Kagan. “I’m taking care of her, Brett.” He brushed the hair off her face and cupped her cheek. He slid his thumb across trembling full lips that made him want to forget his past mistakes. “I’m hers for the rest of the night so go back to your hotel. You can call her tomorrow.” He knew he was taking this boyfriend thing too far, but he couldn’t help himself.
Without waiting for a response, Shane guided them back in the direction of the paramedic and the ambulance in the distance. He searched the crowd again with an eye out for Erin. He needed to be sure she was in one piece too.
Lucky for him, he didn’t have to look far. She sat in the ambulance they approached, her legs dangling out the back. A paramedic appeared to be working on her hand.
“Oh, I’m so glad you guys are okay,” Erin said.
“What happened?” Kagan asked, quickly moving to her side. “Hey, Troy.”
“Hi, Kagan,” the paramedic said. He looked vaguely familiar to Shane. “Erin cut her hand on a broken beer bottle, and I’m administering a little TLC.”
Erin rolled her eyes. “So not necessary. I’ve done far worse rock climbing.”
“Do you know if there were any other injuries?” Kagan asked in between coughs. She sat next to Erin when motioned to do so by the paramedic who’d found them.
Troy darted a quick glance at Kagan before his attention went back to Erin’s hand. “I think most everyone got out with only minor cuts or bruises.”
“Thank goodness.” She looked around the parking lot, searching, Shane guessed, for Barney.
The paramedic turned on a compressor and light mist came out of a tube opposite the mouthpiece in his hand. “Place this between your teeth and seal your lips around it,” the man said. Kagan nodded. “Take slow, deep breaths and if possible, hold each one for two to three seconds before you breath out. That way the medication can settle into your airways.”
Kagan put the mouthpiece in, and Shane felt lightheaded. She’d put her life in danger to help someone without a second thought. He’d already started to admire her, but now he wanted to protect her too. What he wouldn’t give to change places with her right now.
“The treatment takes about ten minutes,” the paramedic said. “When you hear a sputtering noise, that means there’s only a little medication remaining and you can stop.” Kagan nodded again. “I’ll be back. I’m going to check on a few others.”
“What happened?” Erin asked.
Shane stepped closer to Kagan and took her hand. “Kagan saved Barney, that’s what happened.”
She shook her head and pointed at Shane. Huh. This no talking for the next ten minutes could be fun.
“The guy weighed a ton and Kagan wasn’t leaving the kitchen without him.”
Her eyes pleaded with him to stop, but she deserved the praise.
“I think when he comes to and finds out what happened, he may crush on you.” One side of Shane’s mouth lifted.
Kagan rolled her eyes and shook her head again.
“The whole town will have a crush on you when they hear what happened. We take our fish and chips and burgers seriously and you rescued the man who makes them. I’m thinking you’re a shoo-in for employee of the month.”
Kagan pulled her hand from his and pushed him in the upper arm.
“What? Okay, employee of the year.”
“Ouch!” Erin said. “What are you doing?”
“You had a tiny piece of glass in there.” Troy covered her palm with a second piece of gauze and applied some pressure. “Now let’s see if we can get the bleeding to stop.”
“It’s still bleeding?” The color drained from her face. “I uh, feel a little woozy, Troy.” She closed her eyes.
“Hey. Stay with me. No fainting allowed.” Troy moved a hand to her shoulder. “Take some deep, slow breaths. In through your mouth, out through your nose.”
Kagan reached over and interlaced her fingers with Erin’s.
Erin followed Troy’s instructions. After several exhalations she said, “You better wrap that baby up good and tight because I am not undoing it anytime soon.”
“Since when are you afraid of seeing blood?” Shane asked.
“I’m not afraid of seeing your blood. Only my own. And believe me, if I knew the cure, I’d take it.”
“How are you doing?” Shane asked Kagan. Her lids lay at half-mast, her posture drooped. She gave a weak thumbs-up.
Shane moved beside her, careful not to touch the compressor. “Here, lean against me. You look like you’re about to fall asleep.”
Keeping the mouthpiece in place, she laid her head on his shoulder. Without thinking, he kissed the top of her head.
A police officer approached and filled them in on what they thought had started the fire. Because he and Kagan were the only other ones in the kitchen besides Barney, the officer wanted to ask some questions.
The breathing treatment stuttered, indicating Kagan had finished her dose of medicine. She sat up and with what appeared to be renewed energy, launched into what happened.
An hour later, Shane told Kagan to leave her car where it was. He was driving her home.
…
Weary didn’t begin to describe the state of Kagan’s body. Worn to a frazzle. Ready to drop. If not for Shane’s arm around her waist as he guided her up the walkway to her front door, she’d be crawling instead of walking.
“Keys?” Shane said.
Oh. He planned to see her in. I’m hers for the rest of the night, he’d told Brett. She’d thought that was to keep up their charade. It was, wasn’t it? He was just being nice now and making sure she got in okay. It was nothing more, despite how much she did want him to stay. Stupid, girl. Shane was a playboy, he didn’t hold a girl all night because she wanted someone to keep her safe and warm.
He opened the door, flipped on the light switch, and once she was inside, kicked the door shut. “Which way to your bedroom?”
“My—”
“I’m tucking you in, Jelly Belly. Then I’ll be back tomorrow. My parents are having a barbeque and I thought I’d take you with me.”
Not I want to take you with me.
She pulled her hair out of her ponytail and brought some strands to her nose. A smoky scent annihilated the lavender and lemon fragrance. She looked down at herself. Her pink shirt had dark smudges, her knees were dirty. “That’s okay. I need to take a shower first. Thanks for the escort home. I appreciate it.”
“That’s what you think this was?” Hurt sounded in his voice. His tired eyes slid away from her, and she wanted to take back what she’d said.
“No. I’m sorry. That came out wrong.” She took his hand and led him to the couch. Standing took too much effort at the moment. “Thank you for bringing me home. That was really nice of you.”
“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t?”
Kagan shuddered. Yep, he’s just pretending. But it was getting awfully confusing. Was it all in her head that one minute he sounded like he actually cared, and the next he made it sound like it was part of his agreement with her? She didn’t know whether to hit him or laugh. She’d known since the day she met him he didn’t do attachment. And she wasn’t looking for that either.
So why the lump in her throat?
“I’m just really upset about the fire. I feel awful for Milt. He’s going to go stir crazy staying home while the pub is repaired.” Luckily, the electrical fire had only damaged the kitchen and the smoke had been contained quickly enough to salvage the rest of the pub. But the restaurant would be closed for repairs and remodeling.
That also meant she was temporarily out of a job. She looked forward to her shifts. Not because of the paychecks, since she had her savings to keep her afloat. But because she’d miss the people, including the regulars who came in and seemed to genuinely care about how her day was going.
“He’ll be okay. I have a feeling the older ladies around town will make sure he isn’t lonely.”
“That’s good,” she said. “I guess I’ll have plenty of time to work on bracelets.” A sigh fell from her lips.
“Hey,” Shane said, catching her under the chin. “I thought you loved making bracelets.”
She stared at his messy cocoa-colored hair, strong jaw, concerned eyes, and for a second forgot what she was going to say. “I do. I guess I’ve just gotten into a routine, and I’ll miss it.”
“Tell you what. I’ll take the next week off too.”
“What? Why?”
“I haven’t taken a vacation since I started at Burke four years ago. I think I’m due. I’ll just make a few calls in the morning and make sure my team knows what’s going on with the new project.” He reached over and toyed with strands of her hair.
“You don’t need to do that on my account. Take your vacation when you’ve planned something fun.”
“I thought we were all about fun, Jelly Belly.”
“That was one night.” The gala at The Duchess had been fun—until Brett showed up. Brett. He’d acted different in the bar tonight, a little less under control. When he’d grabbed her on his way out he’d said things that surprised her, put her on edge. Things like he wanted a chance with her. He’d help her get through to her father. But they weren’t a team. Never had been and never would be. He was trying to manipulate her and when he got in that frame of mind, she worried he’d stop thinking logically.
“Let’s make it a week.” He waggled his eyebrows, and her traitorous body got all tingly.
Her Accidental Boyfriend: A Secret Wishes Novel (Entangled Bliss) Page 6