by Devyn Quinn
It was reaching the point where she began to believe it, too, he thought ruefully. Although he hadn’t wanted to admit it, their marriage had been on shaky ground when Jen died. Their planned trip to Maine was more than an anniversary vacation. It was going to be an attempt to keep things together.
Tessa growled. “That sucks. They should have been glad she found someone she loved who would treat her right.”
Kenneth mulled Tessa’s words. He’d done his best to please Jen. He worked hard, didn’t carouse, came home after work. If anything, it was his wife who’d kept the late hours, failing to show up for social events or missing appointments. She blamed it on the pressures of her blossoming career.
He’d understood, tried to be patient.
Jennifer had even agreed she needed to slow down, take some time off. The monthlong vacation they’d planned was going to be a celebration, too. With a baby on the way it, seemed to be a sign that things were going to work out. All they needed was a chance to start over . . .
Feeling the twinge of a headache creeping in around his temples, Kenneth rubbed his eyes. Damn. To lose the woman he loved just when things were starting to look up was like taking a spike through the heart. The damage was irreparable. The ache would always be there.
No. Their marriage hadn’t been perfect. But he believed they could have fixed what was going wrong—if only Jen’s parents would have butted out. He’d learned the hard way that when you married one Marsham, you married them all.
A compassionate hand settled on his arm. “You okay?” a soft voice asked. “You’re awfully quiet.”
Brow furrowing with frustration, Kenneth quickly lowered his hand. “Sorry. I was just thinking about other things.”
Tessa’s hand fell away, leaving a cold spot in its wake. Her expression grew somber. “Didn’t mean to stir up bad memories.”
Kenneth shook his head. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Digging up bones, examining the past would do him no good.
Jennifer was gone and so was the life they’d attempted to build together. Whatever mistakes they’d made, whatever choices they’d settled on meant nothing, wiped away in an instant by the bullet fired from the carjacker’s gun.
Tessa folded the delicate piece of newsprint, offering it back to him. “I’m going to assume they circled the wagons after her death.”
Kenneth accepted the paper, closing it in his fist. He had no idea why he’d carried it for so long. He certainly didn’t need the reminder. Just thinking about the way he’d been treated by Jennifer’s family was enough to cool his thoughts.
“They cut me off cold. And the first thing they did after Jen’s funeral was take me to court.”
Tessa’s eyes widened. “Why?”
Kenneth considered the crumpled piece of paper he held, as dry and coarse as he felt inside. “Along with her life insurance, Jennifer had quite a substantial amount in a trust fund her grandfather had set up for her. As her husband, I was entitled to inherit a portion. They fought tooth and nail to disinherit me, even accusing me of arranging her murder to get my hands on her money.”
She sighed sympathetically. “Holy shit. That must have been awful for you.”
Tossing the article away, Kenneth raked his hands over his numb face. “Awful doesn’t begin to describe that nightmare. Even though I was proven innocent, it still left a bitter taste in my mouth.”
“I would think so.”
He leaned against the railing, closing his fingers around the edges until his knuckles showed white. Muscles knotting, he could feel the stress all the way to his bones. “To make a long story short, I inherited quite a bit of money from Jen’s estate.”
“Oh.” She hesitated. “That must have helped.”
Kenneth mentally recoiled at her comment. He knew she meant it in a good and kind sort of way. Jen’s parents had treated him like a sleaze, a gold digger.
“Not really,” he said, attempting to distance himself from the bad memories. “I’ve never touched it. I never wanted to. It felt like I’d somehow profited from her death.”
Tessa’s brows puckered. “I can’t even begin to imagine what you must have gone through.”
Drawing a breath, Kenneth forced himself to let go of the anger and guilt he’d carried through so many long months. There was no reason to go into details with her. She wasn’t involved. The past, how he’d gotten the money, wasn’t anything she had to concern herself with. It was the future he was contemplating. And though he wasn’t exactly sure of what he wanted for his future, he knew he wanted Tessa in his life somehow. If she needed his financial support, he’d gladly help her out. He wasn’t relieving a guilty conscience, but he would welcome relief from the burden.
“I finally know what I want to do with the money. I want to give it to you.”
His words made her frown, transforming her expression from compassionate to alarmed. Her eyes widened with shock. “That’s not right—” she started to say. “I couldn’t accept it.”
Kenneth let go of the rail. He reached out, catching her hand. His fingers closed around her smaller, more delicate ones. “I want to invest the money in the recovery of your homeland. I know you want to find out more about who your people were, where they came from.”
Tessa nodded. “That’s true. But I can’t take money from a stranger.”
Kenneth interrupted her protest by pressing a finger across her lips. “After what we did last night, I’m not a stranger anymore.”
Heart skipping a beat, Tessa closed her eyes. Her pulse roared in her veins. His touch was electric, setting her to boiling. Last night she’d found a lot of pleasure in making love to him. His body inside hers had felt so good, so right. They fitted perfectly together.
Yet she’d been the one to push him away, demanding distance. She’d said she wasn’t ready, didn’t want a serious entanglement.
So what do you want? a small inner voice demanded insistently.
I don’t know, came her silent reply. I just don’t know.
Frustrated, Tessa forced her eyes open. She took a step back, putting some distance between herself and Kenneth. She needed to cool off, get her head back on straight. One more touch from him and she’d melt into a gooey pool of need.
“What happened last night isn’t connected with what you’re offering right now.” She pressed a hand against her abdomen. An uncomfortable feeling curled in the pit of her stomach. “Last night was just sex. This is something on a whole different level.”
“Why?” He shrugged. “I have the money. I want to give it to you. I don’t have a problem with that.”
Tessa immediately waved her hands in front of her. “Oh, no, no. Last night you slept with me and today you’re offering me money. That would make me no better than a whore, and we’re not going there.”
Kenneth’s gaze darkened. “I suppose a lot of people would think of it that way. You slept with me, now I’m paying you.”
Tessa nodded vigorously. Although she was touched by his offer, the truth was she barely knew the man. Yes, there was an attraction between them. That was true enough. They’d both felt the sparks flying, and had taken advantage of the moment. But one night wasn’t a commitment, not of her heart or her mind.
Her head spun. Sex was the clash of two bodies, all hormones and heat. Something that should have been easy to leave behind. However, Kenneth wasn’t making it easy for her to walk away.
Even worse, he seemed ready to jump in, both feet first. He’d already been hurt once. She didn’t want to see him burned again. She definitely didn’t want to be his rebound woman. Relationships like that never worked out. When she went in again, she wanted a solid foundation beneath her feet.
She drew a deep breath. The scent and spice emanating off his muscular frame wafted on the night breeze, arousing her voracious craving to be taken again, and again.
Quickly shaking off the carnal notions, she cleared her throat. She had to dig deep and be honest. “I think it’s
great of you to make the offer. But there’s no way I could accept. It wouldn’t feel right.” A small shiver swept down her spine. “You know. Sleeping with you because I need the cash.”
Kenneth’s gaze found hers. His dark eyes, the color of coffee cut with cream, glittered with longing. “Are you refusing the money because you intend to sleep with me again, or because you aren’t?”
His question caught her by surprise. “What?” She swallowed a laugh, not quite understanding the meaning—or the implications.
His gaze never left hers. Desire flamed in their depths. “If you won’t give me a chance to be with you because I have money, I’ll get rid of every last penny I have.”
Tessa blinked. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“Makes perfect sense to me. If you like me better as a poor man, then I’ll be as poor as you want me to be.”
Tessa threw up her hands. “I don’t want you to be poor,” she said. “I just want you to be happy.” The words popped out before she’d even had time to think about them, or examine their meaning.
Kenneth drew a deep breath. “I’ll be happy if you give me a chance. But if you can’t, I won’t shrivel up and die. I’m a big enough boy to take my pink slip and move on down the road. However, I didn’t offer you the money to entice you into being with me.”
She eyed him, taking in his tall frame and plain but open features. A shiver took hold. Desire? Uncertainty? Probably both. Kenneth was a nice man, a good man. The decent sort of man most women wished they’d meet and marry. There was no doubt he’d be reliable, dependable, a rock to cleave to when times got hard. “You didn’t?”
He shook his head. “No. I offered because I really see the desire in you to know more about Ishaldi, and where your kind came from. It’s a wonderful chance for you to rediscover your people and their culture. I have the money and I can think of no better way to spend it than by funding your expedition.”
Tessa could hardly believe her ears. “That’s awfully generous. But what if you spend it, just to find Jake’s wrong?” she asked, trying to be sensible. People lost fortunes in the pursuit of treasure every day. She didn’t want to be responsible for tossing good cash away in the pursuit of an empty dream.
Kenneth burst out laughing. “So what? It’s only money.” He held out his hands. “As long as I’ve got use of these and a strong back, I can make a good living, Tessa. A mechanic’s wage might not put you in a mansion on the hill, but it’ll keep a roof over your head and food in your mouth.”
Tessa thought about the news clipping he’d shown her. Despite his words, Kenneth was a man who’d married into money. He wanted better, had known the finer things in life. Why would he want to saddle himself down with a woman whose only asset was an island with a crumbling house and a lighthouse that really wasn’t even needed anymore?
She fought to swallow past the tightness in her throat. “That’s easy for you to say, but it’s different when you’re dead broke. I’m broke, absolutely busted. The insurance money my parents left behind is all but gone. This month I can pay the bills, but next month I can’t.” Her jaw tightened. “The island is going to have to be sold . . . Just not to fund some dumbass thing Jake’s pulled out of the air.”
Kenneth reached out, catching her hands in his. He tugged her closer, bringing her within kissing distance. “I’m not deaf. I overheard you and Gwen fighting about money yesterday. I also heard your reasons for not wanting to sell the island—so you’d always have a home for the daughters you hope to have someday.”
Throat closing, Tessa tipped her head back. Her vision blurred. A single tear slipped down her cheek. “It’s all we have left,” she whispered, fighting to breathe past the lump rising in her throat. “We can’t lose this place. It’s our home. More than Ishaldi, it’s where we belong now. I can let that dream go, but I can’t lose this place.”
Kenneth’s grip on her hands tightened. “You don’t have to let it go. I can help.”
Tessa blinked, refusing to let another tear fall. If there was one thing she hated, it was being weak. Pathetic. She’d always taken care of things for her younger sisters, made things right so they could survive—and thrive—in the human world. “It wouldn’t be right. I’ve always taken care of things. I’ll just have to work harder.” She tried to pull her hands away.
Kenneth tightened his grip, refusing to let her go. “All my life I’ve been told that people who come from the wrong side of the tracks couldn’t succeed. I’ve never believed that. I’ve worked hard to prove naysayers wrong. I got myself through college, and even had the luck to marry well.”
She shrugged. “Luck just wasn’t on my side. And I wasn’t born an heiress.”
Kenneth shook his head. “I’m not trying to say I’ve had all the breaks and you had none. What I am trying to say is that I know what it’s like to go through the trials alone. I don’t like alone, Tess.” He tugged her closer, guiding her hands around his narrow hips. “I want someone there, standing beside me. I want you.”
Lowering his head, his mouth brushed hers, excruciatingly light and deliberately slow. He simply conveyed his desire without pushing for a response from her side.
The ball was in her court.
She could refuse to play the game and walk away. Or she could follow through with the return.
Untangling her fingers from his, Tessa curled her fingers into the loops of his jeans. Kenneth, she thought as she pushed herself up on the tips of her toes to deepen their kiss, was as relentless and tenacious as a bulldog. He knew what he wanted and went after it.
Lost in the moment, she let sensation take over. His lips were warm, his touch restrained. By the tremble rumbling through his body, she knew he was holding himself back, trying not to spook her with the intensity behind his desire. There was no doubt. He wanted her. Would do anything for her.
Too good to be true?
Maybe.
Did she care?
At the moment, no.
The need for breath pulled them apart. As the moment ended, Tessa drew away, tingling to her toes, stomach fluttering as a sweet ache spread through her.
Kenneth’s lips brushed her forehead. “Feels like you’ve changed your mind.” His hand slid up, cupping her left breast. He brushed a thumb over her rapidly hardening nipple with an arousing pressure. Pressed hip to hip, she felt his erection pressed between them.
A long breath shuddered out of her. “You’ve worn me down. It’s just easier to stand still.” She waited in suspense for the surrender she knew she would willingly make to his hard male body. All he had to do was make the move and she’d melt.
Kenneth’s brows arched, concern lighting his features. “You’re shaking.”
His nearness wasn’t helping her think straight either. “I know.” Unable to wait any longer, she began tugging his shirt out of his jeans.
The pressure of Kenneth’s hands circling her wrists was strong and sure. “We don’t have to do anything.”
Tessa considered his words. “So you’re leaving it up to me?”
He nodded. “Pretty much. I want things to happen between us, but I’m not going to force the issue.”
“And if I say no, and keep saying no?”
He maddeningly refused to be baited. “I’ll accept it.”
She nibbled her lip. “And still give me the money?”
He grinned and let go of her wrists. “As much as you need.”
Tessa nodded. If his intent was to intrigue, he’d certainly managed to do just that. She didn’t figure him to be the sort of man who played games. Rather, he seemed to be one who shot straight from the hip. “I see.”
A roll of his broad shoulders was indication of his shrug. “Just call me a decent guy.”
She laughed. “Hasn’t anyone told you nice guys finish last?”
He flashed a cocky smile. “Not this one.”
Tessa cocked a brow. “So how much money are you talking about anyway?”
Kenneth folded his arms ove
r his chest. “Honestly?”
Narrowing her eyes, she nodded. “Honestly.”
He did some mental figuring. “Almost eight million.”
Tessa sucked in a startled breath. If her jaw hadn’t been attached to her face, it would have hit the floor at her feet. “Did you say million?” She gulped.
Eyes crinkling around the edges, he cleared his throat. “Yeah. As in six zeroes after the number eight.”
Holy cow. Given the simple clothes he wore and his lack of material possessions, Tessa would have guessed he barely had two nickels to rub together. For a millionaire, he was pretty down to earth. Marrying into money obviously hadn’t turned his head. One of the many things she liked about him was his simple, honest manner. He didn’t consider himself too good to work.
Open your eyes, idiot, an insistent inner voice prodded. Look at what’s in front of you.
Tessa looked. Though she couldn’t read his mind, she had a feeling that he wasn’t deceiving her, or trying to take advantage of what he’d discovered about the Mer. He wanted to help. Even if it meant no strings attached.
“I never would have guessed.” She sounded too breathless for her own liking.
Kenneth grimaced, his expression momentarily hardening. “I don’t like mentioning the money. People treat you differently when they know you’ve got it. Everyone turns into a phony sycophant.”
“I can’t even begin to imagine what that would be like.”
“I’m giving you the chance to find out.” He eyed her. “So are you going to take the money?”
Tessa considered. Everything was crashing down on her, too much, too fast. The last twenty- four hours had been a roller coaster. She’d barely had a moment to catch her breath, much less get her thoughts straight. “I don’t know.”
Unrolling his cigarettes from his sleeve, Kenneth tapped one round cylinder out of the pack and lit it. “No pressure.”
Exhaustion suddenly barreled in, pressing down on her with an oppressive burden. She rubbed tired eyes. “Can we talk about this later? I need to think.”