Falling for Fortune

by Nancy Robards Thompson

  Tonya shrugged as she swiped at her tears. Kinsley reached into her pocket and handed the girl a tissue. The girl blew her nose.

  “He first saw me about ten minutes after you’d gone on break. He and his friends came up to me. I thought he wanted to say hi, but he called me a whore, asked me why I was here. He said they didn’t allow whores at the Spring Fling. Then he walked away laughing with his friends. He came back just before you did.”

  Kinsley’s mouth went dry.

  “I’m so sorry this happened. But I don’t think he’s going to bother you anymore. If he does, you need to tell someone.”

  A dozen questions darted through her mind—at the top of the list was whether this was the first time she’d seen him since she told him about the baby and whether he had ever hit her in the past. His aggressive posture and Tonya’s reaction made Kinsley wonder, but now wasn’t the time to ask her. She gathered Tonya in her arms and let her cry on her shoulder, gently patting her on the back the same way she had the first day they’d met.

  When Tonya’s father arrived, she would let him know that Jared had been hassling her.

  The girl needed to know she didn’t have to put up with that kind of treatment. She needed to know she deserved better. Once she had calmed down, they would talk about that.

  But there was one thing she needed to know right now. “Sweetie, did anyone try to help you? Did anyone tell him to go away?”

  “No.”

  That was the crux of the matter. That’s why they needed to educate people about taking a stand to help others. Kinsley focused on the clinical side of it because if she thought about all those people standing there looking on and no one caring enough to get involved, she would be sobbing as hard as Tonya was. How could people be so heartless? To stand there while an innocent girl was being verbally attacked. Who knows what might have happened if she and Christopher hadn’t come back when they did.

  She squeezed her eyes shut to dam the tears that were welling and to try and erase the image of her father swinging and hitting her mother when she had jumped between them, just as she had jumped between Tonya and Jared.

  A few hours later, it was time for the Spring Fling to close. The booth was empty except for Christopher and Kinsley. Tonya’s father had come to get her as soon as Kinsley had called him. She had sent home all of her volunteers after they had put in such a long day’s work. There wasn’t much to break down now, only the chairs and the tables, which they just needed to fold up and set aside so that Hank could come by tomorrow morning and load it along with the tent into his truck.

  “What did Tonya’s father say?” Christopher asked.

  Christopher kept a respectable distance when Mr. Harris had come by to collect his daughter.

  “He said he was going to talk to the sheriff about a restraining order,” Kinsley said. “I think that’s a good idea.”

  Her voice cracked on the last words. It was probably the combination of fatigue and the letdown after the adrenaline rush, but suddenly all the tears that she’d been able to contain while she was comforting Tonya threatened to break through. If they did, she was afraid she might not stop crying.

  “You were the epitome of grace under pressure,” Christopher said.

  Kinsley opened her mouth to say, “No,” but the words lodged in her throat as tears broke free and rolled down her cheek. She turned her head, hoping that Christopher wouldn’t see.

  “Hey—” he said, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Everything is going to be okay.”

  She wished she could believe him, but for girls like Tonya and for women like her mother, nothing ever turned out okay. The tears crested and streamed. The harder she tried to stop them, the harder she cried.

  * * *

  The tables and chairs could wait.

  Kinsley could not.

  Christopher had to get her out of there and to a place where she felt safe enough to let out whatever it was that had her so tied up in knots. The episode with Tonya and Jared was upsetting, but she’d handled it well. However, it had obviously brought up something else.

  He hoped she would let down her walls and trust him enough to let him help her.

  He saw two boys who had been helping at the Foundation tent that afternoon. Now they were just hanging around. He offered to pay them twenty dollars each if they would stack the chairs and break down the tables and leave them over by the tree. The two jumped at the chance to make an easy buck, freeing Kinsley and him to leave.

  She seemed much too upset to drive, so Christopher was relieved when she allowed him to take her home. He told her he would pick her up in the morning and they would come and get her car then. Just to ease her mind, he phoned the fairgrounds security office and informed them they would be back to get the car tomorrow.

  By the time they had gotten to her apartment, Kinsley had composed herself. Even so, he tenderly helped her upstairs, but just as he expected, once they were inside, she tried to downplay what happened.

  The walls were firmly back in place.

  “Kinsley, you don’t have to do this with me,” Christopher insisted. “You’re not an island. You don’t have to go this alone—whatever it is that is torturing you. Haven’t we gone beyond that?”

  He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

  “Talk to me,” he said.

  She was silent for a moment as they sat together on the couch. Christopher was determined to not fill the silence. It worked.

  “I told you that both of my parents are dead,” Kinsley said in a small voice.

  Christopher nodded.

  “It was my father’s doing. Well, mostly. He drank himself to death, and my mother never recovered. It’s as if she died from a broken heart. Not because she loved him. Her heart broke because of the way he had treated her. He was the quintessential bully, made her believe that she was worthless. No one should have to live that way.”

  Listening to the words, Christopher felt all the blood drain from his face. He reached out and took Kinsley’s hand in silent support.

  “I couldn’t do anything to help her,” she said. “I guess I thought she would heal, that her life would get better after he was gone. But she didn’t, she just wasted away. And died. As I was growing up, as far back as I can remember my father always belittled my mother, and she was defenseless against his words—and sometimes his fists. He had such an anger problem. He thought I had a smart mouth when I would stand up for her, so he’d come at me, and my mother would put herself between us and bear the brunt of his anger so that I could get away. She just let him treat her that way.”

  He squeezed her hand and shut his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he said, “Kinsley, I am so sorry.”

  She shook her head. “Please don’t feel sorry for me. I don’t want anyone’s pity. Sure I wish I could’ve done things differently. I wish I could go back and force my mom to move out, to get away from him, but I can’t and I know that. I made a decision long ago, Christopher, not to let my past define me. But it does inform my choices.”

  “Is that why you were so quick to put yourself in between Tonya and Jared?”

  And why you tend to keep people at arm’s length.

  She nodded.

  He pulled her into his arms and held her, just held her, for the longest time.

  “I am so sorry for what you went through,” he whispered in her ear. “But I’m not sorry for who you’ve become. You are one of the strongest, most amazing people I have ever met in my entire life.”

  He leaned his head in so that his cheek was on hers. The next thing he knew her mouth, soft, warm and inviting, had found his.

  It vaguely registered that he shouldn’t be doing this—she was vulnerable right now. But he was kissing her and she was kissing him back.

  Her lips tortu
red and tempted him more than they satisfied his craving for her. As he sat there with his arms around her, the feel of her lips on his urged him to lean in closer. Raw need swirled inside him, as if taking possession of her might bind them and fix everything that was broken.

  A moan deep in his throat escaped as desire coursed through him, a yearning only intensified by the feel of her lips. His one lucid thought as Kinsley melted into him was the taste of her: sweet as spun sugar and candy apples and something warm...like cinnamon and sunshine.

  It made him reel.

  For a few glorious seconds he never wanted to breathe on his own again. He could be perfectly content right here with her in his arms for the rest of his life.

  His hands slid down to her waist and held her firmly against him as his need for her grew and pulsed.

  He slowly released her, staying forehead to forehead while the heat between them lingered, drawing him to her almost magnetically. He reached out and ran the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip.

  “I’d better go,” he whispered. “If I don’t...you know what’s bound to happen.”

  “I know,” she said. “And I want you to stay.”

  Caught in the twilight between craving and clarity, he claimed one more kiss of her lips but knew this was as far as they should go. As much as he wanted her, it wouldn’t be right.

  “I don’t want to force things,” he said, his lips still a breath away from hers.

  “You and I both know we’ve been moving toward this moment for weeks—for months,” she said. “Probably since the first moment we saw each other.”

  Her words, the nearness of her, sent heat rippling through his body. As she gently nipped at his bottom lip, he had to fight the desire to take her right there, right now, but in a way that would reach back through space and time and make right all the wrongs and ugliness that had ever darkened her world.

  Tonight felt different.

  This thing between them felt deeper and undeniably right. For the first time in a long time—maybe ever—his heart was no longer his own. Her essence had infused his senses. All the Fortunes’ money couldn’t buy what he’d found in her.

  Then those lips that had been driving him crazy took possession of his once again, and he knew there was no turning back from what was about to happen.

  They were inevitable.

  Chapter Eleven

  Kinsley got to her feet and took Christopher’s hand. If this was going to happen, she was going to have to prove to him she wasn’t simply seeking sanctuary in his body. She needed to show him that she was truly ready.

  She led him to the bedroom.

  It had been a long time since she’d allowed herself to fully want, to fully trust, but all that mattered was how she needed this man. His evident need for her made her feel powerful and desirable. Strong and beautiful. No one had ever made her feel like this before.

  Piece by piece their clothes fell away until they stood naked in front of each other in the dim light of the bedroom lit by moonlight filtering in through the sheer curtains. His gaze searched her face as if he were giving her one last chance to protest.

  Not a chance.

  As if reading her mind, he walked her backward to the bed and lowered her onto it. Climbing in beside her, he stretched out, propping his head on his free hand to look into her eyes.

  She rolled over to face him so that their lips were a whisper away. She wanted him to see that this was exactly what she wanted. He reached out and smoothed her hair away from her face, then traced a finger down to her breasts. He smoothed his palm over the sensitive skin, making her inhale sharply.

  “You are so beautiful,” he said. “I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted this...wanted us.”

  He closed the distance between them, allowing no room for doubt. Her lips were still swollen and tender from kissing him earlier, but still she opened her mouth to let him all the way in.

  He responded by rolling her onto her back and gently nudging her legs apart. He covered her with his body as she ran her hands down his arms, then up his back as he settled himself on her, positioning himself so that his hips were square to hers. The feel of him on top of her released all the desire and longing that had been bottling up in her since the day she’d first realized that she wanted him.

  She tried to stifle a groan that bubbled up in her throat as she savored the heat that coursed between them. She reveled in the feel of him, in the anticipation of the imminent joining of their bodies.

  It had been such a long time since she’d felt this way about anyone, since she’d allowed herself to lose control and trust someone like she trusted him.

  It was good that they’d talked tonight, that she’d opened up to him. It was cathartic, as if trusting him with her past had cleared a path to the future.

  She wasn’t sure what was going to happen after tonight, but she wasn’t going to think about that now. All she cared about was the tender way he was kissing her neck as she lolled her head to the side to give him easier access. Now, his lips were trailing a path over her collarbones, then dipping down into the valley between her breasts.

  One thing she had learned from Christopher was that you had to seize every moment, every opportunity and live. Until now, she hadn’t been able to do that. But tonight she was in the here and now. Tonight, she intended to make love to him as if there would never be another moment like this one.

  His kisses had found their way to her abdomen and were circling her belly button. Then he took a detour and kissed the insides of her thighs. She inhaled sharply and her eyes widened.

  “Why did we wait so long for this?” Her voice was soft and breathless in the darkness.

  “I don’t know, but I can promise you it will be worth the wait.” He flashed a wicked smile at her as he climbed back toward her. With a firm, quick move he pulled her on top of him. She could feel the hard length of him and she had to fight the urge to slide her body down and take him inside of her.

  She drew in a jagged breath, determined to not rush things. Determined to savor every last delicious second of their first time together.

  “But if you’ve changed your mind, I can stop,” he said. “Are you sure about this?”

  She nodded, then kissed him lightly on the mouth.

  “I want you so badly, I can’t think of anything else. So, if you’re sure, then—”

  “Shhh...” She pressed her finger to his lips. “I’m sure. Kiss me. Make love to me. Let’s let what’s in the past stay in the past. We can worry about tomorrow...tomorrow. Because tonight, I’m really glad we’re right here.”

  * * *

  He kissed her softly, then he slowly spread his hands over her breasts before gently cupping them. She was beautiful, all curves and legs and porcelain skin. He marveled at the ivory breasts in his hands and reverently closed his mouth over a nipple.

  The sound of her sigh made him want her all the more.

  He stretched out on top of her, gently nudging her legs apart with his knee. But then he felt her stiffen. She bit her lip and looked at him as if there was something she needed to say but couldn’t find the words.

  Had she changed her mind?

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, smoothing the back of his hand over her cheek.

  She bit her bottom lip. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been with anyone. So I’m not on birth control.”

  He bit back a curse. How could he have been so damn stupid? He was always cautious. He never had unprotected sex. It was a chance he wouldn’t take for so many different reasons. Reasons that could justify a whole new division at the Foundation. Yet, tonight, being here with her so unexpectedly...wanting her as badly as he did, he’d pushed toward this coupling without thinking things through. Mainly because he hadn’t been so presumptuous to think that he’d find himself i
n her bed.

  “Oh...well...wow.” He pulled himself off her and shifted onto his side so that he could look at her. He definitely needed some space, some room to cool off. “I don’t have anything, either.”

  He cursed silently for not being prepared because he wanted her so much it almost caused him physical pain. He hoped it didn’t show on his face as he stared into her beautiful, tormented blue eyes.

  As she lay there illuminated by the moonlight filtering in through the slats in the plantation shutters, he realized he’d probably never seen her look quite so beautiful. That’s when he knew...being here with her like this...holding her, feeling the warmth of her against him was all he needed.

  “We don’t have to make love tonight. We can just hold each other...or do other things. I can pick up some condoms tomorrow.”

  * * *

  Never in her life had she experienced the perfect blend of euphoria and disappointment.

  Euphoria because Christopher didn’t have protection ready and waiting in his wallet or wherever grown men kept them these days. It meant that he wasn’t prepared for a spur of the moment encounter, which put her mind at ease, and it showed that he cared about her and about his own health. He wasn’t willing to have unprotected sex.

  But she was also disappointed because she wanted him so badly that she... Okay, now she was blushing.

  “So, here we are,” he said, drawing in a deep breath. Clearly, this sudden one hundred miles per hour to zero stop was just as jarring for him as it was for her.

  He made a pained noise as he adjusted his position on the bed.

  “So, here we are,” she said.

  He raked his hand through his hair. “Not to bring up a sore subject, but does this prove to you that I’m not as big a player as you think I am?”

  She ran her fingers over the hair on his chest. His perfectly natural chest was almost as sexy as his broad shoulders, which she touched appreciatively.

  “Honey, if I still believed you were a player, you wouldn’t be here naked in my bed.”

  “Touché.”