by Claire Adams
I half-expected Penn to be gone to an early morning meeting with his employer, so when I spotted him still sprawled out on the couch, I froze. My heart thumped hard in my chest, and I pressed a hand against it, worried that my galloping pulse would wake him. How was it possible for him to look better in the bright sunlight?
I had been certain that by the sober light of day, I would be horrified. The magnetic attraction had to be a heady mix of alcohol and rebellion. The night before, in a fit of childish refusal, I had ignored my ex-boyfriend's practical suggestions and purposefully made a bad choice. Just for fun; just to get it out of my system. Except the effect had not worn off; it had grown stronger.
Penn's long, strong legs dangled over the end of the couch. The blanket was tangled around his waist and revealed the hard contours of his washboard stomach and wide chest. One muscled arm was thrown carelessly over his head, and I could not help but study the intricate tattoos that covered his tan skin. They continued up his arm to encase his shoulder and reach heavily designed tendrils over his chest. Where the tattoos ended, a mat of dark hair began.
The thought of running my hands over his chest hair and feeling the taut strength of him sent a bolt of heat straight through me.
Shock knocked me back a step, and I hit the light switch on the wall. Penn blinked under the sudden glare and sat up. His dark, wavy hair was more rumpled than last night, but it didn't detract from the chiseled features of his face. Not even the beard could hide his wide, sensuous lips or the square, masculine line of his jaw. I remembered those lips whispering against my neck, asking me to save him, and my whole body shivered with pleasure.
Then his dark eyes caught on me, and I lost my breath completely.
"Good morning," Penn said. "I thought maybe I had dreamed you up."
My laugh started as a nervous squeak. "Sorry to wake you up. I'll get out of your way."
"No, no, the least I can do is make you coffee." He stood up, oblivious to his near-naked state. "You saved me from a one-on-one conversation with my, ah, my employer. Now that I think about it, you deserve breakfast, too."
I tore my gaze from him and turned sharply towards the kitchen. "I make a killer omelet," I stammered.
Penn nodded and gave his belly a sleepy scratch. Then, he blinked and changed directions. "That sounds good. I'll be right back. Could you put the kettle on?"
I nodded and couldn't clear my throat until he was behind the closed door of the bathroom. I hadn't even turned on the stove and my body was already flooded with heat. I had to pull myself together.
I opened the refrigerator and was surprised to find it well stocked. I grabbed the eggs and refused to think about the tan width of Penn's naked shoulders.
"What's that you're singing?" Penn asked. He had pulled on a clean T-shirt but was still barefoot.
"I was singing? Oh, um, just something I made up, I guess."
His dark eyes locked on mine, and I saw the golden flecks in the morning light. "Must be nice to have talent. You know, I could really see you making it as a singer. You've got the talent and the looks. Now you just need the passion."
I'm drowning in passion, I thought and gave my head a rueful shake. "I can't," I said. "I have to work."
Penn smiled. "I bet becoming a singer is work. Hard work. Is that what you're afraid of?"
"I love hard work," I snapped. He still saw me as a feckless girl who would choose easy, instant gratification. "I plan to work for everything I want."
"Good." He brushed by me to plug in an expensive coffee grinder. "I bet you could start at a few open mic nights, get a little buzz going, and then try out for a few bands. In San Francisco, it can't be hard to find a jazz trio that's looking for a frontwoman like you. You'll join up with the right combo and be the toast of the town, everyone falling at your feet while you carry on a steamy, music-inspired affair with the bassist."
His speculation trailed off as he punched the grind button harder than needed.
When he was done, I laughed. "Oh, it’s that easy, huh?"
He shrugged. "No, not really, but you're already a step ahead of everyone else because you know what your talent is. You don't have to hope for it or search for it."
"Did you?"
He tugged at his beard. "I was raised to do one thing, and when I broke away from that, it took me a long time to find the right direction. I was like you, thinking I needed to do what was practical first."
"That seems like the right decision if it got you here," I said.
Penn's eyes hardened into unfathomable agates. "This isn't what I want."
I shook my head. "Easy to say when you have it."
He tossed tablespoons of fresh coffee grounds into a French press and poured the hot water. Even though the process took a delicate touch, I could see the restrained anger in his movements. He wrenched open a kitchen cabinet, pulled out two fancy coffee mugs, and clattered them onto the counter.
I glanced towards the door. "Your omelet's ready. Thanks for the coffee, but I really should get going."
"No, don’t go. I’m sorry. I'm just annoyed with myself," Penn said.
"It's okay. I've got to jump online and revamp my resume, get everything ready to apply for this big job. I really shouldn't be dragging my feet like this."
Penn scowled, but it was at his ringing phone instead of me. "Please don't rush off. I have to take this. There's a laptop in that drawer if you want to work over breakfast."
The relief I felt at hearing his words bowled me over. He wanted me to stay.
I took my coffee cup, careful not to slosh any, and sat down in one of the high stools on the other side of the kitchen island. Penn answered his phone and handed me the laptop with his free hand.
"Yes, I'm still here. No, it's not a good time."
I opened up my email, found my old resume, and pretended to pore over it as Penn talked. It was clearly his boss, but I still didn't understand the sharp, opposing tone he took every time they talked directly. I wondered if maybe Penn was a prodigy that Xavier Templeton had saved from some free-range, survivalist life.
"Maybe next time you won't cancel at the last minute and still expect me to show up," Penn snapped. He hung up the phone and slid it away across the granite kitchen island.
"Um, I think your computer needs an update. I can't download my resume," I said.
His dark eyebrows furrowed together. "Sure, go ahead. Do whatever you need to."
"You don't want to do it?"
He shook his head and devoured his omelet while casting irritated glances out the window at the mansion. "I'm glad you stayed for breakfast," he said.
I studied him from under my lashes as I ran the updates software on his laptop. Clearly, Penn was no technology prodigy. The administrative password had been 1234. What on earth did he do for Xavier Templeton?
"Are you really in such a hurry to get a job at a hotel?" Penn asked.
I jumped and had to gather my thoughts. "No. I mean, yes. It's not just any hotel—it's the Ritz-Carlton. It's a huge opportunity that could set the whole trajectory for my career."
"And you have to start right away?" Penn studied me over the edge of his coffee cup.
"Well, the job doesn't actually start until September, and the application deadline isn’t until the end of this month."
"So, your friend was right? You could take the summer off?" Penn set down his cup and leaned on the kitchen island. "Why not spend the summer doing something you love before you settle for the practical choice?"
The probing warmth of his dark-brown eyes made me squirm in my seat. "Why do you care what I do with my summer?"
He stood up with a baffled laugh. "I don't know. I like this. I like you."
"You think I'm a silly college graduate who's chasing pretty, shiny things and knows nothing about the real world or regrets," I snapped.
"Is that what you think people see when they look at you?"
Tears stung my eyes. "I know about regrets."
Penn caught my hand an
d kissed the back of it. "I'm an ass. I went about this all wrong. All I was trying to say is that, if you want, you can have this apartment rent-free for the summer. You can stay and try out singing; do whatever you want."
"I couldn't do that." I shook my head and then jumped as a figure appeared in the apartment door.
Xavier Templeton met my surprised gaze with a quiet look. "I think you owe it to that voice I heard last night to take Penn up on his offer."
I tipped my chin up. "I can make my own way. I pay my rent."
"Never turn down the right generosity," Xavier said. "It almost always becomes a regret. And, again, I agree with Penn. Why not spend the summer making sure you don't have any regrets?"
My chin slipped. When he phrased it that way, the whole thing made more sense. I would be able to concentrate more fully on my career once I had spent a little time clearing my head.
"It's too generous." I gestured to the view of the Golden Gate Bridge. "I can't stay here."
"I tried," Xavier said. He sauntered into the living room and took a seat on the longer, leather couch. "The rest is up to you, son."
"Don't call me that," Penn snapped. "Excuse me."
I pretended not to listen as I texted my dilemma to Ginny. There were strange undercurrents in the room, but I wanted to take the rent-free deal at face value. Ginny always knew if something was crazy good or just plain crazy.
Penn stalked across the room to confront his employer. "I told you that now wasn't a good time."
"There is never going to be a good time for this," Xavier said. "How about we let Corsica make a few phone calls while we get this out of the way?"
Penn looked at me, and I saw his meaning clear as day. Save me, he mouthed.
I set down my phone and stood just as the screen lit up. Ginny's answer was easy to read: Yes, yes, yes!
I didn't stop to think, I just trotted across the room and threw myself into Penn's arms. His dark eyes went wide, but he caught me with a surprised smile.
"Thank you!" I squealed and kissed him full on the mouth.
Once I was there, suspended in his arms with my lips pressed against his, I lingered longer than needed. Xavier was hiding a smile as he politely appreciated the view out the windows. Penn, on the other hand, regarded me with a lax-mouthed look of shock.
"I knew under that cynical bachelor exterior, you were really a knight in shining armor. This is the most romantic thing anyone's ever done for me, Penn." I winked theatrically at him, and his mouth popped shut.
A gleam warmed Penn's eyes as he dragged me back against him. "I'm still feeling pretty cynical. Could you do that again?" he asked.
My eyes shifted nervously to Xavier Templeton, but it was too late. Penn erased my worried frown with a melting kiss. I gasped against his mouth as my knees wobbled and I had to cling to his rock hard arms. His dark eyes fluttered open then closed as he deepened the kiss.
When he pulled back, I was limp in his arms. "There might be something to this romance thing, after all," Penn said with a smile.
That grin was enough to get me back on my feet with a sharp stomp to the arch of his foot. "Stop being rude to Mr. Templeton," I hissed.
Xavier cleared his throat. "As encouraging as I'm finding all of this, I'd really like to tell you some important news."
Penn caught me and tucked me under his arm where I had no choice but to contour to the side of his hard body. My mind was still reeling from the memory of his kiss while my body almost purred at the pleasure of being against him. I didn't hear Penn's smart-ass comments, but I felt Xavier's news like an earthquake.
"Your mother is very ill. Stage-three breast cancer. She did not want me to burden you with this, but, as she is now refusing traditional treatment, I need you to talk to her about it."
Penn's weight shifted against me, and I wrapped my arms around his waist for support. His beard brushed my cheek as his jaw worked, but no sound came out. Xavier stood up and moved towards us, but Penn reeled back. I steadied him as best I could and squeezed him tight.
He brushed a shaken hand down my bare arm. "You're lying. Why didn't she tell me? How long have you known?"
I felt the emotions raging through him. He was angry and directed it at his employer. Somewhere in there, a bond of trust had been broken. Then, Penn was hit by hurt and betrayal. His mother had not trusted him enough to tell him.
"Almost two years last March," Xavier said.
"She's okay; she's still alive. She's got a chance," I whispered.
Penn looked down and eased his weight off my shoulder.
I refused to unhook my arms from his waist. "None of that matters now. Just help her find her best chance at surviving it," I said.
Xavier stepped closer and reached out a hand, but Penn didn't see. He kept his dark brown eyes pinned on me. "I'm so glad you're here. I'm sorry you're here."
I held his look, even as tears swam in my eyes. "I'm glad I'm here, too."
Xavier checked his watch, and Penn pounced on the gesture. "Somewhere else you need to be?" he snapped.
"I still want to talk to you, Penn, but that's a different conversation," Xavier said. "For now, all I can say is I'm sorry. I'll send you all the details. You should really call your mother."
The two men measured each other with a long look. I released my arms from around Penn's waist and tried to slip away. His large hand flexed on my shoulder to hold me in place. I studied the polished hardwood floor, not sure I could stand the pain I was seeing in both their eyes. Whoever Penn's mother was, she was very important to them both.
"I'll call her, but you know she won't listen to me." Penn's voice was graveled with pain.
Xavier slashed a hand through the empty air. "Her and her voodoo, new-age bullshit."
"It's more than that, and you know it," Penn snapped. "You never understood her or even tried to hear her point of view. Not everyone in the world bows down to your technology."
"Are you saying you want her to continue to refuse the best care money and technology can provide?"
"No," Penn said. "I want her to beat this by any means necessary. Wait. You've been talking to her for almost two years?"
"And in all that time, I couldn't get her to see reason." Xavier brushed a hand over his perfectly gelled hair. "I couldn't even convince her to tell you."
Penn scoffed. "This is all a lie. She wouldn't reach out to you. You, of all people, don't deserve to be a part of her life."
A flash of pain brightened Xavier's dark eyes. "She reached out to me, and I am doing the best I can."
"Well, you don't need to anymore." Penn stiffened as Xavier's phone began to buzz. "Go ahead. Take it. This conversation is over anyway."
"Are you sure?" I asked as Penn spun away. He left me stumbling for balance before I followed him across the room to the wall of windows. "Don't you think he can help?"
"I think he can go to hell," Penn spat out.
His vehemence stopped me in my tracks. I had far overstepped my bounds. I should have left as soon as I heard the private nature of the conversation. My heart bled for Penn, but it was a private matter, so I turned to leave.
Penn ground his teeth. "I know, I know. I need to work with him on this. It's just not that easy. I'm sorry you got stuck in the middle of this."
I looked back and found myself at his side again. "I know how hard it is to hear that a family member has cancer. You just have to hold out hope. Some people really do beat it."
"You don't know my mother." Penn gave a strangled laugh before continuing. "Then again, if anyone could beat cancer on their own, it would be my mother."
"She's really opposed to modern medicine?" I couldn't help but ask after what I had overheard, even as I inched towards the door.
"And very stubborn." Penn caught up to me in one stride. "Wait, please don't go. I meant what I said about you staying here rent-free this summer. You'll have the place to yourself. It's the least I can do for putting you through all this drama."
I s
hook my head. "I can be stubborn, too, and I have to say no. You have a lot going on, and the last thing you need is a stranger in your way."
Penn smiled and caught my hand. "But you're not a stranger, remember? You're my girlfriend."
My stomach did a dizzy flip as I shook my head again. "If I was your girlfriend, I'd be more of a comfort and less of a distraction."
He took my hand and pulled it around his waist until I was tucked under his arm again. Then, he brushed back my hair and whispered, "But you are a comfort. And, there's lots to be said for distractions during a time of duress. Please, please distract me."
His pleading ignited my insides, and I found myself pressing tighter against his body. We fit together seamlessly from my thighs to where my breasts gave against the hard muscles of his chest. When I arched my back to look up into his face, Penn's lips dipped down. The kiss was gentle, exploring, but it set off an explosion of desire.
He must have felt it, too, because he pierced me with a fierce look before he swept down and claimed me in another searing kiss. Then, he groaned. "Please stay, just one more night?"
I knew instantly that I would regret it, but I nodded anyway. "I'll stay tonight," I whispered.
Xavier finished his phone call and cleared his throat. Penn and I drew back from each other, but he kept me tight against his side. "I need you here so I don't kill him," Penn muttered.
Stupid, stupid, stupid, I berated myself. Penn was in the midst of a crisis. I couldn't be getting all fluttery or weak in the knees over anything he said to me. He probably had no idea what he was saying, and when everything settled, he would wonder why I was still hanging around.
I need to get out of here, I thought.
As if Ginny read my mind, she appeared in the doorway of the apartment. "Hello? Sorry to interrupt, but I was just dropping off Corsica's stuff."
"Stuff?" Xavier Templeton asked.
Ginny noticed him and lost the ability to speak.
"My luggage," I said. "Apparently she approves of my change of plans."
Xavier nodded and took my old leather duffel from Ginny. "Good, then you're already packed. We'll leave for Monterey shortly after one o-clock and be there to catch Alice at dinner."