Kane smiled, as if satisfied by something he saw, then he brought his mouth low again, pecking her on the nose like they hadn’t just had wild sex. Like he was saying goodbye to a casual friend.
Like she hadn’t just lost her heart to him.
Then he was off her and strolling toward the bathroom. She watched the whole way, not even trying to be subtle about it, because this might be her last chance to get a good look at a naked Kane Hathaway. It was imperative to remember everything, even though she knew it was going to hurt so bad when she had only a memory to warm her at night.
Now she knew exactly why she’d worn that damn wedding dress for days and days. It went to show that she was superstitious too—the thing had been a talisman of sorts. A protection against this terrible outcome…this terrible, terrible outcome of falling in love with Kane Hathaway.
A man who had consciously or unconsciously already told her everything she needed to know about what might be in store for them. I can’t do forever.
Kane didn’t rush to gather the scattered parts of his mind after that screamer of a climax. Two screaming climaxes, actually, one for him and one for Audra. She lay against his side now, her head on his shoulder as he drew designs on her upper arm with lazy fingertips. His eyes closed and he dozed, sliding easily into post-sex lethargy.
No good would come of thinking too hard right now.
Time passed and he opened his eyes to find that early evening was falling, the room in shadows. Audra was sleeping, her silky hair spread over his chest. Damn woman slayed him. Not just with her body and her incredible mouth, but with the way she’d gotten into Tracy Smith’s head.
Sugar Kane.
The grin on his face nearly split it in half and he’d call up Alec and tell him the whole story—well, not the end of the sugar Kane story—if his cousin wasn’t concerned about him getting too close to Audra.
There was nothing to worry about on that score. One of her pretty feet was already out the door, her head wrapped in plans for a brand-new business. Shortly, she’d be back in LA, living la vida flora. Finding her future and the man she’d share it with.
She made a noise as if to concur and shifted, turning over to present her back to him, her head now buried on a pillow instead of his shoulder.
Even in sleep she was already moving away.
Was it wrong to wish he’d left at least a single mark from his gripping fingers on her creamy skin? Yet from here it looked as perfect as always, lickable and kissable and somehow…his.
No.
To escape the aberrant thought, he climbed carefully from the bed and padded to the living room where he found his jeans and yanked them on. His other clothes he left where they were, evidence that he hadn’t dreamed those moments when she’d come up behind him to torture him with her heat and her hand as she inspected his tattoo.
Luck will follow me.
Or
I’ll be discontented all my days.
Scowling now, he crossed the room barefoot and opened the slider that led to the bungalow’s small patio. What they called Hibiscus Hill was an elevated section of the property and the six bungalows situated there looked out over the verdant acreage and then the Pacific. Though each of the standalone structures were within a shout of each other, the surrounding foliage and the placement of windows and doors extended the feeling of seclusion.
Many visitors liked to stay nearer the action of the big pool, lobby bar, and fancy dining room, but to Kane, these resort accommodations felt the most restful. A person could think here. Assess. Plan.
Or just relax, as he supposed Birdie and Gordon were doing, in their bungalow just a stone’s throw away.
Smiling, he thought of the older couple and their fifty-five years visiting the resort. Audra’s words floated through his brain. You Hathaways have a lot to be proud of here at Dragonfly Beach. A real legacy. And then to have the opportunity to pass it along to future generations…
Taking a new job wouldn’t mean the end of any of that, he reminded himself. Amber and Jessie would continue on in the family tradition and there was other extended family working for the company. He would look in on his sisters once in a while, maybe scheduling an annual vacation in Santa Barbara while during the rest of the year, he’d…
Miss them like hell.
Miss this place like hell squared.
But he was still Mr. Detached, right? With that void inside him that he needed to fill somehow or else suffer a lifetime of discontent.
Just as Tracy had predicted—I curse you to be alone the rest of your life.
A sudden urge to lift the nearby lounge chair and hurl it as far as he could spiked inside him. His hands fisting against the raging impulse, he sucked in a deep breath, and—
Smelled smoke.
He tasted it on his tongue too and he froze, trying to pinpoint the source.
Could the scent from the kitchen grills make it to here? Was there a special event barbecue he’d forgotten about? Had a guest sneaked out of the one designated smoking area at the resort? Because there was a hint of tobacco in the air too.
Reaching for his phone, he realized he’d left it on the nightstand by Audra’s bed and hurried inside to grab it. She woke, blinking at him as she came up on one elbow. “What?”
“I smell smoke,” he said, then ran out the bungalow’s front entrance, following his nose.
Birdie Welch rushed right into his path. “Kane,” she said, her hands clutching at him. The word she said next nearly made his heart seize. “Fire.”
“Stay here,” he told the older woman and raced for the elderly couple’s bungalow, every step seeming to take a year, giving plenty of time for his racing imagination to work much too well. In California, fire could mean a quick descent into hell with terrible cost and even more terrible loss. Homes. Memories. Lives.
The smell grew stronger as he reached the Welch bungalow and he flew over the threshold, his gaze sweeping from left to right. Then he saw them—flames—on the patio beyond the glass slider. They leaped from a pile of something—newspaper?—stacked on the metal-framed table. Gordon was there too, trying to smother the fire with a bath towel.
Shit.
Throwing open the door, he snatched the fire extinguisher off the clips on the outer wall. “Move away, Gordon,” he shouted, already pointing the device’s hose. “I’ve got this.”
It was out in a matter of moments. But he was breathing raggedly all the same, interrupted by a cough here and there, as he stared at the foam and ashes for several long minutes, afraid to look away in case of a flare-up.
Suddenly, a hand thrust an uncapped bottle of cold water at him. “Here.” Audra ran a palm down his back as if checking for injuries. “Are you all right?”
“I may have lost a few lives, but yeah.” He sucked down half the liquid then looked at her. She wore his shirt, and, probably, nothing else.
Instead of commenting on that, he looked past her, into the bungalow. “Birdie and Gordon?”
“While you were dealing with the fire, I pointed them to my place.” She pried the fire extinguisher from his grip and set it aside. “Amber’s heading straight over there with a tray of tea and cookies.”
“Good.” He felt shaky as all hell and maybe Audra realized that, because she slid her arm around his waist and urged him inside. “You need to sit down.”
He resisted. “I want to stay close,” he said, glancing at the charred remains.
“It’s out, Kane.” She propelled him through the glass slider and toward the couch to push him onto the cushions. “There’s people on their way to take care of the mess.”
Adrenaline crash made his stomach churn and a dull headache began to pound. Even as he’d tackled the fire and realized the threat was minimal, one part of his mind had continued racing, painting visions of the worst scenario—The Hathaway at Dragonfly Beach burning, their guests and his sisters fleeing for their lives, the legacy built by his ancestor and those that followed destroyed.
He’d fucking cared so much his brain was blown all over again.
Running a shaking hand through his hair, he glanced over at Audra, sitting beside him. “Did they say what happened?”
Her palm rubbed gentle circles on his back. “Apparently Gordon loves to read newspapers. He bought up every one at the newsstand earlier today and brought them back here for a nice long read while enjoying a cigar he’s been banned by his doctor from smoking.”
“Hell.”
“Birdie’s already read him the riot act, so you don’t have to. He thought he was going to get away with his little indulgence—he knew she was visiting the resort boutiques. But she came back earlier than expected, surprising him so he dropped the cigar onto his stack of papers.”
Thus changing Kane’s world. It had only taken the thought of his legacy going up in smoke for him to find his infamous detachment about the place had vanished. This Hathaway was here to stay.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Kane told Audra, his eyes dry and stinging from the smoke. It seemed important to make the declaration out loud. “I’m staying right here in Santa Barbara and sticking with the family business.”
Before she could respond, a group of workers came rushing through the front entrance. After briefing them, they bustled about as Audra returned to her bungalow. Then the head housekeeper showed, and after a look around, assured him the elderly couple could return in an hour. She smiled at him. “You saved the day.”
Gordon’s little accident might have saved Kane from making a big, big mistake.
Taking it slow, he made his own return to Audra’s bungalow. Knowing she had company, he turned the knob and walked straight in, then stood in the small foyer to look over the scene.
Birdie and Gordon sat side-by-side on the couch. A blanket had been tucked around their legs, and as he watched, Audra poured more tea into the cups set before them on the low table. Amber half-sat on the nearby desk, one leg swinging, chattering like a magpie about probably nothing, as a distraction for the older couple.
Audra laughed at something his sister said and he looked her over again, noting she’d dressed now and that his shirt lay draped over the bed he could see through the half-closed door. He wished she was still wearing his clothes. Or better yet, none. In that bed. With him.
Horny bastard, he told himself. But adrenaline could juice the sex drive, everybody knew that. And right now he wanted Audra’s bare skin against his like he wanted his next breath.
But good manners forced him to smother the desire to throw out the old people and his very own sister. Instead, he stepped into the living area and smiled. “Everyone doing okay?”
All eyes swung to him and Birdie and Gordon spoke at once, their apologies effusive.
“Hey,” he said. “It was an accident and damage was minimal. Don’t worry, you’ll be back in your place soon.”
Audra approached him with a cup of steaming tea and he realized he must smell like an ashtray. “Sorry. I should grab a shower—”
“Later,” she said. “And have a cookie, too.”
He wasn’t much of a tea drinker, but he took both gratefully. “Thanks.”
“Not a problem.” She patted his shoulder again and then went back to the sofa, kneeling on the rug to talk softly to Birdie, her hand on the older woman’s knee.
So beautiful. So warm and caring.
So everything any man would want in his life.
And all he’d done was fuck her, giving her physical release when she deserved so much more.
Maybe he made a sound. Maybe she was just that attuned to him. But she looked up and glanced over, a ghost of a smile on her mouth.
Do you need to suck on your sugar Kane?
Good God, he’d said that crude thing earlier, to that beautiful, classy face, trying to…take away from the moment because it was getting all too damn serious and because…because he’d been afraid.
He’d been afraid he was falling in love with her.
And now he remembered her laughing at him after her initial outrage and wisecracking about salt and pepper and condiments and he knew…he knew…
He had fallen in love with her.
“You okay?” Amber stood at his elbow. He’d been so engrossed in his own thoughts he’d been unaware of her. “Bro?”
He gave his sister a half-smile. “Sure. I’m great.” A great big fool because he’d gone ahead and done the love thing he’d never once believed could happen to him. What had he said to Alec about it? I never put anyone else’s welfare before my own and I think that’s pretty much a given if a man’s going to give his heart away.
Yet still he’d lost his.
Amber cleared her throat. “I heard about your meet-up with Tracy Smith this afternoon.”
Christ, he’d almost forgotten. “Is she really having her wedding here?”
“Yep, on Sunday. Ceremony on Dragonfly Beach and reception in the Lagoon Room after.” She hesitated. “I’m sorry. Maybe we should maintain a list of people who aren’t welcome to rent the amenities. The special events coordinator could check it before bookings. I know I’d put that crazy woman at the top of the no-go list.”
“It’s okay. I don’t care that we’re taking her money.”
“Jessie made me promise not to tell the chefs about her. She’s afraid Hathaway loyalty might cause them to sprinkle her food with something that would make the wedding night very unpleasant.”
Chuckling, he shook his head. “Right, don’t do that. It’s really fine that she’s here. Remember? I broke it off with her, she didn’t break my heart.”
“Cursing you to a lifetime of loneliness is pretty extreme payback.”
“I think she was hoping for a lifetime of celibacy,” he said.
Amber grinned and elbowed him in the ribs. “Well, at least you proved that wrong.”
“Yeah.” He grinned too, to convince her he was all right.
“And now that I’m sure you’re doing okay I’ll give you another piece of news.” His sister glanced down at the toes of her shoes.
Oh, shit. That was an Amber-tell for trouble ahead. “What’s that?” he asked, wary now.
“Mom and Dad are coming in for your birthday.” She glanced up. “Surprise!”
“Well.” He blew out air, ran his hand through his hair. “We haven’t seen them in…”
“Two years. It wasn’t our idea, by the way.” She grimaced, watching him with anxious eyes. “Out of the blue they called Jessie and told her they’d be visiting.”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry. It’ll be, uh, good to catch up,” he lied. “Seeing them again…” His gaze slid over to Audra, lovely and deserving of the very best. Seeing them again will remind me of who I came from and exactly why I can’t have her.
Chapter 13
“You have to learn to pace yourself, Audra,” Kane said, holding her bound wrists in one hand so he could pin them to the mattress. “There’s no reason to rush.”
“But I have to make up for lost time,” she said, pouting a little and squirming under his naked body. “Now that I no longer have to settle for ‘selfie Os’ as you call them.”
He couldn’t help but grin down at her. Audra Montgomery, talking about selfie Os. Of course, he shouldn’t be talking about any kind of Os with Audra Montgomery, particularly when they were both without clothes. But there were only so many revelations a man could have in one day and still keep his distance from a sexy and willing woman resolved to knock an item off her list.
Earlier that evening he’d put out a fire, determined the direction of his future, and acknowledged he’d fallen in love.
When the woman who’d knocked him head over heels grabbed the back of his pants before letting him follow Birdie, Gordon, and his sister Amber out her door, he’d known he’d have to be made of strong stuff in order to resist her.
Then she’d dangled the tie of her bathrobe in front of his face.
In her shower, as he’d w
ashed away the smell of smoke clinging to his hair and skin, he’d tried to talk himself out of taking her to bed again. There were good reasons to resist.
Selfish reasons, the kind that he was the very best at heeding.
But when she’d joined him, stepping under the spray, he was lost.
Soon enough she’d be lost to him, back in LA and on to the next phase of her life, so he’d told himself another night with her wouldn’t hurt. After all, the state of his heart was already a given.
But it was torture, knowing there was a limited number of kisses left. That each was one fewer he’d have from those beautiful lips. That there weren’t days and nights of lovemaking in store for them, but just hours before she’d go and he’d be back to his lonesome, lonesome life.
“Now who’s the one staring?” Audra said.
He cupped her jaw in his free hand and lowered his head to hers. “Just memorizing this beautiful face, baby.” His lips brushed hers, back-and-forth caresses that made her squirm again.
“Give me what I want,” she demanded, lifting to press harder against his mouth. She slid her tongue across his lower lip until he relented and let her in, groaning as she filled him with her sweet taste.
The kiss went from heated to fiery and Audra slid one slender thigh over him, tilting her hips up in fervent demand.
He lifted his head, panting. “Baby, didn’t we agree to make this last?”
“But we have all night, Kane,” she said. “So we can do it again and again and—”
Laughing, he cut her off with his palm over her lips. “You’re ambitious.”
“Yes,” she said from behind his fingers.
“And optimistic.”
“Yes,” she said, then in a quick move tipped her chin in order to pull one of those fingers into her mouth.
“Oh, God.” His eyes would have rolled back in his head if he didn’t want to see her suck on him like that, filing the visual in his brain to bring out during future solo pleasure. His gaze remained avid as she released his finger only to draw her flattened tongue along his palm, leaving it lavishly wet.
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