Her Accidental Boyfriend: A Secret Wishes Novel (Entangled Bliss)

by Robin Bielman

  “Thank you.” He picked up the brown bag he’d brought with him. With a mischievous gleam in his eyes, he looked inside it, and then looked at her. “You don’t mind if it gets dirty, do you?”

  “If what gets dirty?” The word dirty sent her mind to all sorts of naughty places, but what the heck was he talking about? She needed to get her mind out of the gutter.

  “The dress.”

  Okay, so maybe she could keep her thoughts right where they were. “Um, nope, I don’t mind. Why?”

  “Two reasons. One, I brought dinner and forgot the bibs, and two I brought dessert and things could get messy when I…”

  “When you…?” She curled her hands around the couch cushion and watched him put the bag on the coffee table. All he’d have to do was describe what he had planned and she’d come undone. The way his voice slid over her like silk, the way he moved with a cocky but caring disposition that promised never-ending pleasure, tilted her axis. He made her believe that being with him for however long they had should be the only thing on her mind.

  “Want to start with dessert?” He arched one eyebrow and flashed a grin wicked enough to have her agree with anything.

  “I think maybe we should. But only because I’m not very hungry and you know, I would hate to be too full for dessert.”

  He laughed and kneeled between the coffee table and couch, one hand fishing inside the brown bag, the other dangerously close to touching her thigh. Sensitive as she was at the moment, he’d set her skin on fire. “That the only reason?” he teased.

  “What other reason would there be?”

  “You like me.”

  “No more than you like me.” If she played this cool, played it like she wanted to have a good time with him and nothing more, she’d get to have him and be ready to give him up when their charade ended.

  With one quick move, he pushed the coffee table back and positioned himself at her knees, his hands braced on the couch on either side of her hips. “The thing is, I like you a lot, Jelly Belly, and right now I’m not pretending. I want you to know that. I want you to know that when I kiss you, I mean it. That when I touch you it turns me on and I can’t think straight. You are the sexiest, most disarming woman I’ve ever met, and I’m yours until this thing ends, however you want me.”

  Until this thing ends.

  Best and worst four words she’d ever heard. You can be whatever you want to be tumbled through her mind. And right now she wanted to be his.

  “I want you to stop talking,” she said, lacing her fingers behind his neck and playing with the soft strands of hair curling above his shirt collar.

  “I think you like it when I talk.”

  “I do, but right now I’m thinking about other things you could do.”

  His eyes darkened. “Like?”

  “Take off your shirt.” She drew her arms back.

  He grabbed the hem of his polo and inched it up, slowly revealing the muscles in his abs, the smooth, mouth-watering brawn of his chest, until he pulled it over his head and tossed it aside.

  Kagan touched the ripples in his stomach first, then flattened her palms and roamed up his torso. His skin was honeyed, hot. Her fingers tingled. Her heart beat a crazy rhythm. She slid her tongue along her bottom lip.

  He groaned. He didn’t move, though. His arms stayed at his sides, like he sensed her need to be the one in control.

  “Close your eyes,” she said, meeting his heated gaze.

  When his lids shut, her breathing hitched. His trust and willingness to do as she asked did a number on her confidence.

  She got up onto her knees and steadied herself by gripping his shoulders. His muscles tensed underneath her hold, a ragged breath escaped his lips.

  “You better do something else quick or I’m going to turn the tables, Jelly Belly.”

  “Don’t you dare move. I like this power I have over you.”

  “Oh, I’m moving all right. And about to embarrass myself like a damn teenager.”

  As much as Kagan wanted him to ravish her, she loved that her slow pace drove him crazy. She wanted to explore every inch of him, watch him writhe, figure out what drove him wild, so that this night, and however many more they had, would be ones they’d never forget.

  She had a feeling this route, this slow road to the finish line, was one he rarely, if ever, took, and the thought pleased her. With an unguarded smile and a blush she felt over her entire body, she kissed the side of his neck, moved to his jawline, and got close enough to his mouth to make him spread his lips in anticipation. She slid down his throat instead, then his chest. God, he was perfect.

  “Are your eyes still closed?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Open them.”

  Taking his hand she brought it up to her breast. “Touch me here.” She watched his pupils dilate as he cupped her and without further hesitation, moved in to claim her mouth.

  His hands wandered freely after that, outside her dress, under her dress. Searing kisses and mind-blowing caresses were tender one moment and frenzied the next. Shane held to his promise of romancing her. They touched and learned every inch of each other. But just when they were finally ready to take it to the next step, a knock sounded on her front door.

  Followed by the doorbell over and over again.

  “Who is it?” Kagan shouted, scrambling to make herself presentable.

  “It’s Bobby.”

  Shane frowned and mouthed Bobby?

  “My newspaper boy.” She stood to straighten her dress and smooth down her hair. “I forgot he was stopping by.”

  “I thought kids just tossed the paper onto the driveway.” Shane got himself together too.

  Kagan snickered. “He’s not delivering the paper this late in the day. He’s delivering a goldfish. I told him I’d babysit.” She kissed Shane’s cheek. “Sorry for the interruption.”

  “Yeah, me too.” He raked his hands through his hair and followed her to the door.

  “Hi, Bobby,” she said, smiling down at the adorable nine-year-old with his freckles and reddish blond hair. He held a fish bowl in his arms. “That Patrick?”

  “Uh-huh.” He handed her the bowl. “Thank you for taking care of him while I visit my grandma.”

  “It’s my pleasure.” She lifted the small glass enclosure so she could meet Patrick eye-to-eye. “You’ve got his food with you too?”

  Bobby pulled out a tiny container from his pocket.

  “I’ll take that, buddy,” Shane said.

  “He only needs a little bit every day. If you feed him too much he could die.”

  Kagan lowered the fish bowl and met Bobby’s blue eyes. “I promise to feed him the perfect amount once a day, then.”

  Bobby smiled and Kagan’s heart melted. “Thanks.” He turned, skipped down the walkway, and called over his shoulder, “See you in four days.”

  Shane shut the door while Kagan put her new friend on the entryway table. Her first pet-sitting job. Warmth filled her chest.

  “You know what this means, don’t you?” Shane said, putting the food beside Patrick the Fish.

  “What what means?”

  “It means I get to do the babysitter.”

  Kagan laughed, tilted her head to the side. “I guess it does.” She leaned in to

  reconnect, but the doorbell sounded again. “Bobby must have forgotten to tell me something.” She swung the door wide only to be greeted by Sela.

  “Shane,” she said, her voice cracking.

  He immediately stepped through the door and took his sister in his arms. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s Dad. He’s in the hospital. He and mom were driving home from dinner when a car in front of them flipped off the side of the road. Dad pulled over to help rescue the driver.” She paused to clear her throat. “The car was on fire. He got the woman out, but was burned in the process. He’s at Cascade General.”

  Shane stepped back. “He going to be okay?” Worry sounded in his voice.

&nb
sp; Sela nodded. “I think so, but—”

  “Thanks for stopping here on the way. Let’s go.”

  Kagan took his hand and squeezed. “Why don’t I follow you and Sela there?”

  Shane gave her an appreciative smile. “That’d be great.”

  She grabbed her purse and keys, flipped the switch for the porch light, and trailed after them down the walkway. “Your dad’s a tough guy. He’ll be all right.”

  “I hope so. It’s weird. He’s been a firefighter my whole life, and this is the first time he’s been injured. And he wasn’t even on duty.”

  “I feel like firemen are always on duty.”

  “You’re right,” Sela said. “Nothing stops my dad from helping someone in need.” She moved around the hood of her car and got in.

  Shane leaned against the passenger door for a moment, like he needed to catch his breath.

  Kagan put her arms around his waist, her chin on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You know I’m here if you need me.”

  “I know.”

  He didn’t really. He didn’t know that she thought she might always want to be there for him. That despite her best efforts, she’d started to fall in love with him.

  …

  From his chair in the corner, Shane glanced around the standing room only hospital waiting area. He’d picked the isolated seat on purpose. He didn’t want to talk to the firemen that had come to check on his dad or Mrs. Witt or Milt or Luke’s parents or Mrs. Finnegan or the mayor or anyone else.

  The doctor had said his dad would be fine, that the second and third degree burns to his torso and left arm weren’t life threatening, but Shane still needed to go over it all in his head. Put the pieces together in a way that made sense to him, that helped him get over the fact his father could have been injured far worse tonight.

  He thought best on his own and always had. That’s what made him a good project manager. His single-minded focus ensured that his team stayed centered on the end goal. Right now his solitude guaranteed he didn’t lose his cool in front of a crowd.

  His heart, though, was long gone, and hell if that didn’t blow his best-laid plans right out of the water.

  Kagan Owens Donaldson owned him heart and soul.

  She sat on his mom’s left. Sela sat on his mom’s right. And damn if that picture didn’t dropkick his reservations on love into the next orbit. When he’d gotten to the hospital his mom had looked as though she’d aged ten years. Now she wore a look that said, with my girls here I’ll be okay.

  My girl, Shane thought, not for the first time.

  More than once he’d watched his mom touch Kagan’s arm, smile at something Kagan said, squeeze her hand in motherly fashion.

  And Kagan soaked it all up with equal admiration and consolation. Shane hadn’t believed in heartstrings, but he did now, because he’d felt a tugging in his chest unlike anything he’d experienced before.

  Cut them, dude. She’s not staying in Cascade.

  Luke slid a chair over, crashing into Shane’s invisible barrier and sitting his ass down. “You okay?” Luke said.

  “When am I not?”

  “Exactly.”

  Shane frowned. “What does that mean?”

  “If you weren’t okay, would you tell anyone? You keep your shit to yourself.”

  “Because I don’t have any.”

  “Not true. We all have shit.”

  “You trying to be a pain in my ass?” Shane crossed his arms. His gaze landed on Kagan for the hundredth time. She smiled at him, and his heart stopped for the hundredth time. She had a direct link to the damn thing.

  Even in a sterile, ugly, yellow-tinted, sickly environment, she got to him.

  “I’m trying to tell you it won’t kill you to let someone in.”

  “Sela sent you, didn’t she? She wants to know about my feelings.”

  Luke chuckled. “Pretty close. Talk to your sister, would you? She told me you clammed up on the ride over and she’s worried about—”

  “Send her over.”

  “Seriously?” Luke stood, probably knowing he’d better act quickly or Shane might change his mind.

  “Why not? With everyone as my witness this will buy me years of exemption from future discussions when she says I never talk to her.”

  Shane’s best friend shook his head with a grin. “Take it easy on her. She might be more used to this hospital routine than the rest of us, but it’s her dad this time and she’s pretty worked up about it.”

  “I know.”

  He watched Sela wrap her arms around Luke and then turn her attention on him. Yeah, she worked in the hospital as an RN, but Luke was right—weariness had crept into her usually cheerful eyes. She plopped down and picked up his hand.

  “When Dad gets out of here I’m going to kill him.”

  Shane laughed. “Yeah?”

  “He can’t just go playing Superman whenever he feels like it. He’s not getting any younger, and one day he’s going to have grandchildren he needs to be around for.”

  “Luke know about this?”

  She elbowed him. “Shut up.”

  “Dad isn’t going to change. And I don’t think we’d want him to. Sure, this scared the crap out of us, but hell if I don’t admire him for it too. He’s a good role model for everyone in this town.”

  She sighed and leaned back against her seat. “The woman trapped in the car is out of surgery and going to be fine.”

  “That’s great news. I heard Mrs. Witt say she’s baking pies for everyone to celebrate.”

  “Dad’s going to have scars,” Sela said, her voice cracking.

  “They won’t bother him.” Nothing bothered his dad. The older Sullivan knew how to let things he couldn’t change roll off his shoulders.

  “So you, big brother”—Sela nudged his shoulder—“you need to talk and help get my mind off this stuff.”

  “What about?”

  “Your love life.”

  Shit. He had a love life.

  Shane ran a hand along his jaw. “I don’t know what you want me to say.” He really didn’t. He had no clue how to describe the emotions Kagan built inside him. Because that’s what she’d done. She’d found the blueprints to bring him to his knees and want for things he’d convinced himself he didn’t deserve.

  “Are you falling in love with her?”

  “Get right to it, why don’t you?” It was fine for him to interfere in his little sister’s life, but he didn’t like her interrogation one bit.

  “I just wish you’d talk to me more.”

  “I talk to you.”

  She turned to face him. “Not about the things I really want to know.”

  Shane smirked. He couldn’t help it. When they were young, Sela had followed him around hoping to “catch his dust,” she’d say. When they got to be teenagers she didn’t follow as close, but he always knew she was on the periphery, hoping he’d let her inside his world. And now as adults, she didn’t need him anymore, but wanted to know him anyway.

  “I’m afraid I’ll hurt her,” Shane admitted.

  “I can see why you’d think that.” She nodded in annoying agreement. Wasn’t she supposed to make him feel better?

  “What?”

  “But don’t let your ego get in the way of seeing where things might lead.”

  “Huh?” This was worse than when Luke tried to pull his psychology crap.

  Sela chuckled. If nothing else, he was happy he could amuse her and relax some of the worry lines creasing her forehead.

  “Girls have always thrown themselves at you, and you’ve left a trail of broken hearts.” She narrowed her eyes. “Except that one time in grad school that you refuse to talk about.”

  “Your point?”

  “My point is I’ve never seen you happier, and I don’t want you to blow it by running away. You can spend your life running or you can take a risk and stay. I think Kagan’s worth staying for.”

 
He kept quiet, absorbing those words.

  “Not that you asked for my opinion,” Sela added. “But there hasn’t been any other girl from your past who would be sitting in a hospital waiting room next to our mom and looking like she belonged.”

  Shane lifted his gaze from the industrial carpet, and when his eyes met Kagan’s, the warmth and affection he found confirmed everything his sister had said. Did Kagan realize how much she did belong?

  He stayed in those deep green springs for he didn’t know how long. She seemed as mesmerized as he did, caught in something neither wanted to break. His skin heated as waves of affection and so much more crashed over him.

  Sela cleared her throat. “Erin was so right. You should go get her, buy her a coffee, and tell her you love her.”

  “I never said—”

  “You didn’t have to.” She leaned over to knock her shoulder against his arm. “And don’t worry. I’m pretty sure she loves you back.”

  Kagan loved him? He knew she liked him. But love seemed like a stretch given she’d made it plain that this boyfriend thing was only temporary, and she had plans to move back to New York. Would she stay if he asked her to, though? Could he convince her to give them a try? A real try? Would he still get the promotion if she did?

  Shane looked at his watch. They’d been in the waiting room for three hours. Coffee and time alone with Kagan sounded great.

  “Thanks, sis. I’ll bring coffee back for everyone.” He started to stand but paused when Jeremy walked into the room and his gaze landed right on his mom.

  The Cascade Gazette’s newest and brightest reporter no doubt had been sent to get the scoop on the accident. Jeremy covered all the human-interest stories for the Life section of the paper, but there wasn’t a chance Shane was letting him talk to his mom tonight.

  Before he’d taken a step, though, Kagan popped to her feet. She smiled in Jeremy’s direction and wove around Mrs. Witt and Mrs. Finnegan until she stood eye to eye with Jeremy and they shook hands.

  Jeremy took in Kagan with way more appreciation than necessary, and Shane saw red. He clenched his jaw and fisted his hands as he made his way over.

  “I’d be happy to—” Kagan was saying before pausing as Shane approached.

  “Happy to what?” Shane asked, putting his arm around her. “Hey, Jeremy. They’ve got you working late tonight.”