Leveled

by Cathryn Fox

  I look around the room, trying to focus on anything and anyone other than Kylee. But my attempt is futile. My gaze keeps straying back to her. I’m actually surprised to see her here. In less than a week, she was taken in by my family, bonded with Gram and Summer, and seems to have made quite a few friends with the locals herself. Surprising really, because most times the locals and summer vacationers don’t mix on a social level. My ex mingled with the locals too, and look how that turned out. Like Kylee, she was also sweet and kind. Before she, you know, ruined my life and all.

  Last I heard two of her brothers had become SEALs, although one was injured in the line of duty and I lost track of him. The other two became lawyers like their father. That’s the kind of shit that runs in a rich family. I scoff. In not-so-rich ones too, considering all eight of us guys are back to get Dad’s business back in the black and doing a damn fine job of it too.

  I push from my chair and head toward the hall leading to the bathroom when Officer Walker stops me. I stiffen, always my first reaction around the police. “Walker,” I say.

  “Jamie,” he says and narrows his eyes, like he can see into my soul and knows all the dirty things I’ve been doing with a summer vacationer who is totally off-limits to me. “Things good?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I hear you’re doing some work on the Jensen cottage.”

  “New deck,” I say, and he widens his stance, meets my gaze directly.

  “No troubles?” he asks, the atmosphere heavy with things unsaid, things he doesn’t need to say for me to get the warning he’s throwing my way. He was the officer who arrested me all those years ago, and he’s warning me to keep my hands to myself and my dick in my pants.

  Too fucking late for that.

  “No troubles,” I say.

  He nods. “Glad to hear it.”

  I maintain eye contact and get the strange sense that there is more going on here, that he knows something I don’t, and I don’t fucking like it. I’m about to ask when Summer shrieks, and I turn to see her open the last present, the two outfits from Kylee. But a strange, worried look comes over Kylee’s face and she grabs her purse and darts down the long hallway, sliding past Walker and me. What the fuck?

  “Later,” I say to Walker and follow her, but she disappears into the girl’s washroom. I’m about to keep going past it to the little boys’ room when I hear her voice. Since it’s a one-sided conversation, I’m guessing she’s on her phone. Seems like she’s trying to placate someone for not checking in earlier. Who the hell is she talking to? Her overprotective father? Jesus, that thought should have me running out the fucking door and back to New Orleans. But then her voice goes lower, and it raises alarm bells inside me. I listen closer, even though it’s none of my business. I only followed her because she seemed upset about something.

  I push off the wall and turn, but when I do, she comes out and walks right in to me. She stumbles a bit, and I slide my hand around her back. The touch sends heat through me, and her look of concerns morphs into desire, a pink flush on her cheek.

  Goddamn that pink flush. That and her humming are what got me into trouble earlier in the week when I practically attacked her in the sewing room. Since then I’ve been trying my hardest to keep my distance from her, but Jesus, now that I have her in my arms again, I’m pretty certain I’m not going to walk out of this place without fucking her again.

  “Everything okay?” I ask.

  “Yeah, ah, I was just chatting with my father.”

  Ah, so it was the protective father.

  “He was just checking in with me to see if I was good,” she adds.

  “Are you good, Kylee?”

  I dip my head, and when she wets her mouth, I brush my thumb over her bottom lip. She glances up and down the hall, like she’s afraid someone might stumble upon us. Truthfully, I don’t want to get caught either. Summer and Gram might have bonded with her, but I’m sure any one of my brothers or cousins would cut off my nuts if they knew I’d fucked her more than once and wanted to continue to fuck her for the remainder of the summer. Which I can’t do.

  Then again, if I know what I’m getting into and we both know the score, why shouldn’t we? A sound catches in my throat. I’m not a stupid dreamer anymore, about to plan a future with a girl who’s only out for a good time. If I’m only out for a good time, then why can’t we have a secret affair?

  “I’m . . . good,” she says.

  “You sure about that?”

  I back her up, open the door to the women’s bathroom, and usher her in. “Jamie,” She whispers breathlessly. “What are you doing?”

  “I need to fuck you,” I admit. “Every night this week, I took my cock into my hands, wishing it was inside you . . . wishing it was in here.” I push my thumb into her mouth, and her eyes go wider. I search her face. “Does the girl need that?” I take my finger from her mouth and brush her hair from her face. Jesus, she’s so pretty.

  “Here?”

  I shake my head, remembering who I’m with. Girls like Kylee don’t fuck in bathrooms. “If you—”

  “I do,” she says, surprising me. “I just . . . what if someone catches us?”

  Her words give me pause. She doesn’t want to get caught slumming with me. Old lessons come racing back. Fuck, man, I shouldn’t be doing this. No matter how much my body craves hers, I need to put a stop to this here and now.

  “I—” I begin, but she cuts me off.

  “I know you don’t want anyone to know about us.”

  Shit.

  Fuck.

  “Kylee, it’s just . . .” Shit, what am I supposed to say? I’m going against my own motto, and not only will my brothers kick my ass for it, nothing good can come from it. But before I say anything, a loud noise in the dining room draws my attention.

  I back away from Kylee and work to marshal my dick. “What the hell?”

  “We’d better go check,” Kylee says, and I follow her out of the bathroom. We round the corner and see Sean with his arms around Summer, leading her to the front door while the others all pack up the gifts and put the room back together.

  “What’s going on?” I ask.

  “Summer’s water broke. We’re about to be uncles, bro,” Jared says, patting me on the back as his gaze goes from me to Kylee. I step away from her and help pack things up.

  “Gram!” Summer calls out. “Drive with us.”

  Gram grabs her purse and a few of my brothers follow them out, and I catch Sean pushing them away as they fuss about Summer. I shake my head. That kid is going to be spoiled. As I think about that my heart grows a bit heavy. Mom and Dad would have loved having a grandchild.

  “Are you going to the hospital?” Kylee asks me quietly, pulling me from my thoughts. I nod, and she pushes my hand away as I gather up bags. “Then go. I’ve got this.” Kylee looks at the crowd. “Go be with your family. I’ll take all these things back to the house.”

  I reach into my pocket and give Sean’s house key to Kylee. “I’m in charge of Scout while Summer is in the hospital. Why don’t you bring all this stuff there, and if you wouldn’t mind taking Scout for a quick walk, I’d appreciate it. I can get the key from you later.”

  She nods. “Okay.”

  I’m about to leave when her knuckles brush mine, and there is a small—okay, huge—part of me that wishes she were going to the hospital with me. But she’s not family and never will be.

  “Thanks,” I say.

  I follow everyone out and cast a quick glance behind me in time to see Stacy give Kylee a hand with the bags. I hop on my bike and make my way to the hospital, which is only about a ten-minute drive in the direction of Hope Falls. I find my brothers and cousins pacing inside the waiting room and I flop down onto one of the chairs. It’s going to be a long-ass night, that’s for sure. As we all sit around we talk about the usual business while a few of the guys check out the nurses. We’ve been here all of ten minutes and I think Tyler already has a date.

  I push f
rom my chair, antsy. I never did like hospitals, especially after having spent weeks in one after I was nearly beaten to death. I make my way to the vending machine and try not to think about the beating that landed me here. I’ve only been back a year and haven’t run into my ex’s asshole brothers. They haven’t sold their cottage, but if they know what’s good for them, they’d better not show their faces around here now that I’m back.

  I grab a coffee, take a sip, and wince. Jesus Christ, this has to be the worst coffee. I hand it to Ryan. That guy will drink anything. Minutes turn into hours, and we’re all restless, watching some rerun of Friends on TV. Gram just gave us an update that Summer is doing well, and she’s begun dilating. Yeah, ’cause I needed to know that.

  I jump up, ready to try the vending machine coffee again, when Kylee comes in carrying two trays with Starbucks coffee. The guys all jump up and help themselves.

  “I have another tray in the car,” she says to me.

  “You didn’t have to do this,” I say, and with my back to the guys, blocking her from their view, I tug at one of the lower buttons on her sundress, bringing her a little closer to me. Her eyes briefly shut and a small mewling sound catches in her throat. My cock hardens. Fuck, I want her again.

  “I wanted to,” she says quietly. “It wasn’t that far out of the way, and I figured you guys were in for a long night.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Want to help me with the last tray?” I follow her outside, and the cooler night air falls over me. “How is Summer?” she asks.

  “She’s begun dilating,” I say, repeating what Gram told me, and steal a glance at her. When she sees the look on my face she starts laughing.

  “I’m guessing you could have gone your whole life without ever having known that.”

  We reach her car and I turn her to press her back to the door. Her breathing changes as I gaze at her lips. “Yeah, but I can’t go one more minute without this.”

  My mouth closes over hers and her soft purring sounds fill the silence of the night. I kiss her, devour her, slide my tongue into her mouth to taste the depths of her, wishing like hell we could finish what we started at Winchesters. I push against her body, and she moves, massaging my hard dick with her softness. Ravenous, I grip her hair, twist it around my palm and groan into her mouth. Her hands slide around me and I shift to touch her body, run my fingers along her curves.

  I steadily deepen the kiss as we touch, our hands moving urgently, like we can’t get close enough. We stay like that for a long time until headlights signal an approaching vehicle. I back off quickly when the sports car comes closer, when all I want is to stay right where I am and lose myself in her sweetness. As I catch the driver looking at us, a wave of unease moves through me. I have no idea why. I can’t make out the guy’s features, and he’s obviously a vacationer with an expensive sports car like that, but something I can’t quite identify niggles in the back of my brain.

  “What was that for?” she asks.

  “The coffee.”

  “I guess I should bring coffee more often, then,” she says her voice breathless, as she adjusts her sundress.

  I laugh and focus back in on her. “Just think what I would have done if you’d brought donuts, too.”

  A mischievous grin moves over her face. She reaches into the car, comes out with another tray of coffee and a box of donuts. She hands them to me and says, “I can’t wait to find out.”

  Chapter Eight: Kylee

  I pace inside Summer and Sean’s beautiful home, going from room to room and pausing outside the nursery. My heart squeezes as I take in the intricately designed crib Jared made, one that will undoubtedly be handed down from generation to generation. It’s absolutely gorgeous and sends ribbons of longing through me.

  Scout follows me around and when we reach the main room, she begins to whine. I’ve never had a dog before, even though I’ve always wanted one, and don’t know the first thing about taking care of one. I’ve filled her water bowl and fed her. What else could she need? She jumps around me and trots to the door. Ah, that’s it. She needs to go outside to do her business.

  I open the front door, and she darts past me. “Scout,” I yell, but the thick fog rolling in off the ocean obscures my vision. Great, just great. Jamie counted on me to take care of Scout, and the first night on the job, I’ve gone and lost her. I tug on my flats and zip up my sweater, the night air cold this time of the year.

  I grab Scout’s leash from the hook and hurry outside. “Where are you?” I ask. I see her outline on the grass and walk toward her. She finishes doing her business and comes running at me. “My God, you have a lot of energy.” She sees the leash in my hand and barks. “Want to go for a walk?”

  She barks again, and I bend down and hook the leash to her collar. It’s dark and foggy as we head toward the beach. I probably wouldn’t walk it alone at night, especially if I were back in Atlanta, but feel a measure of comfort here in Blue Bay, where everyone knows everyone, and I can’t forget that I have Scout by my side. She’s big and has a ferocious bark that would scare away anyone who didn’t know her. She prances beside me, and I smile down at her. We reach the water and she nips at the rolling waves. I breathe in the salty brine as the cold water races over my flats.

  I’m far, far away from the hustle and bustle of Atlanta, that’s for sure. But that thought dampens my mood. Soon enough I’ll have to go back to reality and face a future that holds little appeal. But I don’t want to think about that right now. I just want to live in the moment and enjoy the next few months. Scout starts barking and it pulls my thoughts back.

  A shiver of unease works its way through my veins as she looks off in the distance and growls. I swallow against the tightness in my throat. She obviously sees or hears something I don’t. Alrighty then. Totally creeped out and not at all interested to see what, or who, might emerge from the shadows, I tug Scout’s leash and practically run all the way back to Summer’s home. I hurry inside, grab my purse and Scout’s big doggy bed, then rush back outside. Until Jamie returns, I’ll feel much more comfortable at my place with the alarm on. I don’t even know the code to Summer’s. I lock the door and pant heavily as I run a few doors down. Okay, that’s it. I need to get on the treadmill more often. Then again, my breathlessness could have more to do with the strange feeling I’m being watched.

  I hurry inside, set the alarm, and pull the blinds. I probably shouldn’t be as frightened as I am. If there were anyone on the beach, they probably wouldn’t fuck with Jamie’s woman. Well, technically I’m not his woman, and no one really knows what we’re doing behind closed doors. Jamie obviously wants to keep our relationship a secret—judging by the way he backed away from me and acted distant when Gram and Summer came to pick me up for crib shopping, not to mention the way he immediately put distance between us when the car passed outside the hospital—and I’m okay with that. It’s just a summer fling and it’s none of anyone’s business.

  I unhook Scout and set her bed out for her. But first, she must explore every inch of my cottage and sniff every piece of furniture. “Come lay down, girl,” I say and pat her big pillow. She walks to her bed, circles it a few times, then flops down to go to sleep. Damn I wish I could fall asleep that fast.

  My cell phone rings, and I nearly jump out of my shoes. I hurry to my purse and grab it. When I see Jamie’s number I relax a bit, the coiled tension in my body evaporating.

  “Hey,” I say, far too happy to hear from him.

  “Hey yourself,” he returns, his deep voice falling over me, a velvet caress against my flesh. A moment of silence and then, “You okay?”

  “Yeah, why?” Jeez, I can’t get anything him.

  “You sound . . . off.”

  For a second I think about telling him I was creeped out down by the water, but then decide against it. He’s not my protector, and really, this thing between us is just sex, right? “I was just out walking Scout and brought her back to my place. I set the alarm, but you know t
he code, right?”

  “Yeah, why did you set the alarm? Most people don’t even lock the doors in Blue Bay.”

  “Habit,” I fib. Back in Atlanta, I always locked and double-checked the doors. “How is Summer?” I ask, redirecting his focus. It’s pretty amazing that she has so much support. Every brother and cousin is camped out at the hospital awaiting news. She’s a lucky girl to have so many people love her.

  “Still waiting. I think it’s going to be a long night.”

  “Should I keep Scout here with me or bring her back to her place?”

  “You should tell me what you’re wearing.”

  I laugh, but his words do reinforce that our relationship is physical only. Good, cause that’s what I want too. “You can’t be serious?”

  “Yeah, why not?” The heat behind his words goes right though me, and my body quakes, aching to see him naked again, run my hands over his hard body as he enters me. I remember the way his hard muscles bunched under my touch, the way his cock tightened in my mouth. I swallow against the dryness in my throat and search for my voice.

  “Because you’re at the hospital,” I counter.

  “All the more reason to tell me,” he whispers, his voice so deep and hungry, it torments the needy spot between my legs. “Where are you right now?”

  I walk to the sofa and sit. “I’m sitting on the sofa.”

  “Lie down for me.”

  I shake my head, as a little thrill moves through me. I’ve never had phone sex before, but hey, I’ve come this far with Jamie and have been having a lot of fun, so why not see where this takes us?

  Straight down the road called trouble.

  Ignoring that thought, I stretch out on the sofa. “Okay.”

  “You lying down?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “What are you wearing?”