“I do,” she said. He followed her gaze and saw she was staring at his putting green. “Maybe we can use that as the game. Anyone who gets a hole in one wins one of the big-ticket items. We could offer less expensive prizes to those who take longer to putt the golf balls into the holes.”
His putting green? Did she know how much that cost? Obviously not if she was expecting him to take it to the Spring Fling.
She laughed. “Now I have to ask you what you’re thinking.”
“I was contemplating one hundred teenagers with muddy sneakers running up and down my putting green.”
“And judging from your expression, am I right in guessing you didn’t like the idea?”
He shook his head. “No, not really.”
“Oh, right. Anything for the kids, huh?”
“Well, within reason. I was thinking we could have a price. You know, one of those things that they spin, like on Wheel of Fortune. Have different sections with prizes written in each. The kids can spin the wheel and wherever it lands, that’s what they get.”
“Or they could putt for a prize.”
He laughed. “I see what you’re doing there. What is it that you have against my putting green?”
“Me? I don’t have a thing against your putting green. I just think you should share it.”
“Do you golf?” he asked.
“No. I work.”
His jaw dropped. Touché. The woman had a quick wit.
“Hey, my putting green helps me think.”
She shrugged, but the mischievous gleam was back in her eyes. “Lounging by the pool helps me think. But you don’t see me doing that during work hours.”
“Are you suggesting that I’m a slacker?”
“I didn’t say anything of the kind.”
“No, but you insinuated it. My putting green and I, you see, we’re really close. It’s not the kind of thing I just indiscriminately lend out. I’m kind of monogamous when it comes to my green.”
“Christopher Fortune monogamous? I’m not buying it. I’ll bet I could make a hole in one before you could be monogamous.”
“Is that a challenge?”
She looked at him, the amusement apparent on her face.
“I’d love to say yes, but I have no idea how to quantify that challenge. Besides, out of all the women you date, who would you choose? On second thought, don’t answer that. I’m changing the subject into safer territory. I don’t completely understand the fascination with golf. Can you enlighten me?”
“Come on.” He stood and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. “I’ll show you.”
“Christopher, I was just joking.”
As he picked up the putter, he gave her his most wicked smile. He took her hand and led her to the putting green.
“Have you ever putted before?”
“When would I have time to do that?”
Their gazes snared, held. “Don’t answer my question with a question.”
He handed her the putter. “Go on. Let me see what you’ve got.”
She laughed. “I’m afraid I might put someone’s eye out.”
His mouth twitched a bit, but he took care not to laugh outright. He was trying to be careful, going with the flow of the chemistry, afraid he might scare her off if he moved too fast or made the wrong move.
He positioned the golf ball on the tee. “Come here.” He motioned to her, and she stood where he indicated. He stood behind her and hesitated for a moment, wanting to wrap his arms around her but instead he explained how she should position herself and hold the club.
When she was in place, she looked over her shoulder at him. “Like this?”
“Not exactly.”
“Will you show me?”
Her gaze held his and he was sure she knew what she was asking. So he moved in closer, put his arms around her and positioned his hands over hers, holding very loosely and hesitating a moment to give her a chance to pull away. They were so close he could smell her shampoo...or maybe it was her perfume. Whatever it was, it smelled clean and fresh and edible...fruity with a hint of floral.
He breathed in as he drew her arms and the club back. His body completely engulfed her slender frame, making him feel big and broad as he leaned into her with his chest pressing into her back. He liked holding her so close, feeling her body next to his. For a moment, he pushed aside work and the Fortunes and proper decorum and allowed himself to imagine what it would be like to be Kinsley’s lover.
Only for a moment. Then he had intended to dial it back to a safe emotional distance that added up to the respect and decency that she deserved. But after she let him pull back her arm and push it forward in a quick flick of motion, he felt her relax.
He didn’t move. Neither did she. They stood there together, him engulfing her and her allowing herself to be engulfed, and the ball sank into the cup at the end of the green.
“Look at that.” His voice was low and raspy in her ear.
She turned her head ever so slightly to the left. Her cheek brushed his. He turned to meet her, his lips brushing hers. It was a whisper of a kiss that made his blood surge and his need for her spike. Her lips tasted like peppermint and something indefinable—sweet and female. He didn’t stop, despite good sense warning him that he should even if she wasn’t showing any signs of objection.
It was a leisurely, slow kiss that started with lips and hints of tongue. Until he turned her around to face him so that he could deepen the kiss. She slid her arms around his neck and opened her mouth, fisting her hands into his hair.
Christopher responded by pulling her in closer. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so alive, felt so much need, so much want.
When they finally pulled away, they stood there blinking, both a little dazed and disoriented. Christopher was searching for his words. But Kinsley found her voice first.
“That was unexpected,” she said. “Now that we’ve gotten it out of our systems, let’s pretend like it never happened and get back to work.”
Chapter Five
That kiss.
She couldn’t forget that kiss. Even if she had insisted that they put it behind them and pretend like it had never happened.
She could still taste him. Still feel his lips on hers.
What was she supposed to do now?
Focus on the bullying prevention project that Mr. Jamison had assigned her to do, that’s what.
Christopher had been out of town for the past two days. They had managed to maintain their cool and continue with their last planning meeting as if nothing had happened. It was both weird and a relief. They’d kissed. And then they’d acted as if nothing had happened. But that’s how Kinsley had wanted it.
Or at least, she’d thought it was what she wanted.
After the emotional dust had settled, she was no longer sure. If she didn’t know herself better, she might let herself believe that she was hoping this chemistry brewing between them could morph into a good thing.
Right now, it was a dangerous thing.
Dangerous, seductive and reckless.
Growing up, Kinsley had witnessed firsthand the havoc a dangerous, reckless man could wreak on the life of a vulnerable woman.
If she knew what was best for her, she would get her mind off Christopher Fortune and get her head back into work.
Especially because he was back and they were meeting this morning at Red Rock High School to talk to the kids the principal had identified as leaders and potential candidates for an anti-bullying advisory board. Kinsley had thought it would be a good idea to ask some students to join forces with the Foundation’s initiative to help kick-start the program.
Focus on the kids.
That’s what she needed to do. If she did that, she would be jus
t fine.
All that positive self-help talk went right out the window when Kinsley pulled into the parking lot and saw Christopher’s car. Her stomach flip-flopped like crazy.
Glancing around the lot, she realized the only available spot was the one next to his car. She steeled herself and steered her old Toyota Camry into place.
For a split second, she grappled with the idea of parking across the street or driving around back to see if there was anything back there—away from Christopher’s pristine new car.
But she let go of that thought as fast as it had floated into her mind.
She was who she was.
She had worked hard for everything she owned, including this seventeen-year-old sedan. It wasn’t flashy, but it was clean and it ran well. As she eyed Christopher’s shiny red BMW, she reminded herself that she had never been embarrassed of her station in life. No one had ever handed her anything. She’d never competed against anyone other than herself or pretended to be anyone other than who she was.
And she sure as shooting wasn’t about to start now.
Killing the car’s engine, she sat for a minute, thinking about the situation. She had enough on her plate with work and school. She didn’t have time to worry about things that were beyond her control, such as whether she wanted to be Christopher Fortune’s conquest du jour. And if the sad reality—that the only reason he was probably interested in her was because he couldn’t have her—wasn’t enough proof that this game was a very bad idea, then she deserved to crash and burn.
And possibly lose everything.
With that reality check firmly reframing her perspective, she got out of the car and made her way up the path toward the front doors of the old brick building that had housed Red Rock High School for more than fifty years.
A plaque next to the entrance proudly proclaimed that the building was considered a historical landmark and was registered with the Red Rock Historical Preservation Society. Over the course of the years, the building’s interior had been renovated to serve modern needs, but the facade still exuded an ageless charm and held true to the history that this town celebrated so steadfastly. Ancient laurel oaks dripping with Spanish moss shaded the rolling front yard, as if they were standing sentry over the school and all the children inside. The sense of history, place and peace was one of the things that made Kinsley feel so at home in this town.
She pulled back the heavy glass-and-brass front doors and stepped into the cool air-conditioned space. Straight ahead, a long hall of polished hardwood lined by lockers on either side stretched before her. The reception desk was to her immediate right.
“Hello,” said a smiling middle-aged woman. Kinsley figured she must be the receptionist, Carol. She’d spoken to her when she’d called to set up the meeting with the principal. “Are you by any chance Kinsley Aaron?”
“I am,” Kinsley answered. “And you must be Carol.”
“That’s right.” Carol offered a hand. Kinsley accepted it, appreciating the warmth she felt radiating from the woman.
“Come right this way. Principal Cramer and Mr. Fortune are in his office. They asked me to bring you back as soon as you arrived.”
As Kinsley followed Carol past the desk and through a set of doors, she fished her cell out of her purse and checked the time, suddenly fearing she was late. But no, she was actually a few minutes early. That meant that Christopher had been even earlier. He might have had a lot of quirks, but habitual lateness wasn’t one of them. In fact, punctuality was one of the things they had in common.
Thank goodness Carol stopped in front of a closed door and knocked before Kinsley’s mind could continue too far on the journey of the other things she found attractive about Christopher.
Stop that. She silently reprimanded herself as a deep voice issued the message for them to “Come in.”
As Carol pushed open the door, Kinsley realized she was frowning and quickly checked herself to make sure that she not only had her most pleasant business face on, but also that all errant, inappropriate and un-businesslike thoughts were firmly contained.
There would be no more kissing Christopher.
Not even to get what remained out of their systems.
What a ridiculous thought. How had she ever thought something like that would help? Why had she allowed it to happen?
When she stepped into the principal’s office, the first person she saw was Christopher. Her tummy flip-flopped again like crazy, throwing off her equilibrium. Each of her unwavering keep-it-businesslike resolutions flew out the window.
* * *
After the meeting with Jed Cramer, Christopher admitted to himself that he wasn’t making much headway with Kinsley. Not on the romantic front, anyway.
When Kinsley had walked into the meeting at the high school, she might as well have been on another planet she was so distant.
Christopher was finally admitting to himself that what had started out as a game had turned into something more. He was trying to catch something unattainable.
This wasn’t just about physical attraction. It was about not being able to get her out of his head.
This woman was special. She was different from anyone else he’d met. It wasn’t like him to be so preoccupied over a woman.
The kiss that they’d shared...and her subsequent parting words about them getting it out of their systems and moving on had plagued him since she’d walked out of his office that day. He’d thought about calling her while he was gone, but he wanted to give her some room. And, truth be told, he needed some space to sort out his own feelings, too.
He kept coming back to the fact that even though he couldn’t explain why, he couldn’t keep away from Kinsley Aaron the way he had from other women who had gotten too close. Not even after reminding himself of all the problems that could arise if they started something and things ended badly.
He was not ready to settle down. He’d worked too hard to gain his freedom from the ranch in Horseback Hollow to think of tying himself down now that things were just starting to work for him.
But even reminding himself that he and Kinsley would still have to work together if things went south didn’t dull this driving need that had him careening toward her.
Since he’d come to Red Rock and started the job at the Fortune Foundation, he’d struggled to keep his professional and personal lives separate. Was he really willing to rethink his personal code for one woman who had somehow managed to get under his skin?
He scrubbed his hands over his eyes as if trying to erase the undeniable answer: yes.
They’d gone their separate ways after the meeting at the high school but had agreed to meet again in his office—the site of that amazing kiss—for their standing meeting.
Christopher glanced at the Waterford crystal clock on his desk. That meeting was set to start in ten minutes.
He had to hand it to her; Kinsley had a way with the kids. The way she’d dealt with the students Jed Cramer had gathered in his office had been amazing. She seemed to have this ability to reach teenagers, especially the girls, on their own level. By the time they left the high school, she had commitments from all seven students to serve on the Fortune Foundation Community Outreach Teen Advisory Board.
During their meeting today, he and Kinsley would work out a game plan for the teen advisory board, outlining exactly what role they wanted the kids to play.
This had come up so fast, and he had a million things to do after being out of town for two days, but he wanted to come into their meeting today with some suggestions. It seemed as if showing her that their project was a priority might be the best way to break through the wall of ice that had formed since the last time they met.... The day of the kiss seemed to have changed the way he looked at everything.
Christopher spent the next five minutes jotting down some ideas that came to
mind. The next thing he knew, Kinsley was knocking on his door.
“Come in.” He straightened his tie and raked his hand through his hair.
She walked in with her leather folio tucked under her arm. The knotted tangle of emotions inside him threw him a little off balance.
I’ll be damned.
For the first time in his life, Christopher was a little unnerved by the presence of a beautiful woman.
How had this happened to him?
Really, it didn’t matter. She was here. He was here. They were going to break through this wall of ice even if he had to turn up the heat again.
“Good afternoon, Christopher,” she said.
He rolled his hand in front of his body and made a show of bowing formally. “Good afternoon, Miss Aaron.”
It worked.
She knit her brows. “Miss Aaron? My, my, are we a little formal today?”
Christopher smiled at her. “I thought that was the mood that we were going for here. You with your Good afternoon, Christopher.”
She hugged her leather folio to her chest and frowned at him. Okay, maybe glib humor wasn’t such a good choice.
“Kinsley—”
She held up her hand. “If you’re going to tell me to lighten up, just save it. We have a lot of work to do and not much time to do it. We better get busy.”
Her voice was neutral. At least she wasn’t annoyed or didn’t seem to be.
Why was it that none of his usual methods of flirtation seemed to work on her?
Since they didn’t, in an effort to keep things light, he decided to quit with the clowning and get down to business.
He gestured toward the coffee table, which was still cluttered from end to end with their previous notes and samples of collateral material. “We’ve been so prolific, it looks like we are running out of room.”
Falling for Fortune Page 6