by London Hale
Instead of going straight home, I headed over to Main Street and down the line of shops. With Temperance Falls being a tourist town, there wasn’t much on the strip that interested me. In fact, there was only one shop I had my eye on. Bundt and Grind, the local coffeehouse. The place served a mean Americano, and the barista this time of day gave me an extra shot for free, plus they had these little cookie things I couldn’t get enough of.
But the moment I walked in, instead of coffee or sweets or anything I’d expected to focus on, all I could see was her. Kate. She owned the room without trying to, eclipsing everything else with her very presence. A presence I was wholly unprepared for.
My body froze on the spot, my eyes going wide as they took in every detail. Kate sat at a bistro table near the front window, a folder in front of her. Her dark jacket made her hair stand out like a halo, and the peek of bright pink at her collar made me wonder what else on her would be pink. Long legs—bare, of course—crossed at the ankles, some sort of pink spiky shoes on her feet. A strong, confident businesswoman. But I knew her, knew she wore the color around her neck to soften her harshness. Knew that underneath her suit coat would be something silky or lacy. I knew those shoes on her feet were likely the pink ones she hated to love so much, and she’d complain about them later. I knew what she sounded like when she was fucking herself with a toy because I told her to. Hell, I knew I could get her off in fifteen minutes flat with just the right words if need be.
I knew that woman, but we’d never actually met.
My cock ached fiercely behind my zipper, pressing against the fabric and metal as if trying to jump out. I hadn’t planned on jacking off before our chat tonight, but I’d need to. The woman didn’t even have to look up to get me hard, didn’t even have to move. All she had to do was breathe, and I wanted her.
Though the fact that there was a man in a suit sitting across from her—fucking smiling at her—tamed that desire easily enough, turning it into more of a rage than not. The world came back into view, sounds and sights of other people around me slamming into my brain. A man…across from her. Looking way too much like a date.
Motherfucker.
“Hey, Riley.” Sam smiled from behind the counter, already moving toward the pastry case before I said a word. Which was good, because I wasn’t sure if I could be polite right then. “I’ll get your coffee going in a second. Two or three macarons today?”
“Three, please.” I stared across the restaurant at Kate. What the hell was she doing here with a guy? The few times I’d happened across her path, she’d been alone or with one of her employees. This guy wasn’t from city hall; he also wasn’t from the island. He was too polished, too cocky. He exuded the sort of confidence that came off as arrogance. I hated the bastard on sight. Hated him more when he set his hand over her wrist and smiled as he spoke.
“That’s eight-fifty.” Sam interrupted my daydream of grabbing Kate right off her chair and sweeping her into my arms to get her away from the guy. Good thing, too. I wasn’t sure how I’d explain staring daggers at the asshole if Kate happened to look over at me. I really needed to calm the fuck down. I also needed to scope out the situation so I could plan. I was all about the plan when it came to Kate.
I paid for my order and headed to the far corner of the shop. A low, squishy chair sat close to some bookshelves, and I folded myself into it. Why places like this couldn’t have full-size furniture, I’d never know, but my knees weren’t going to be happy for long sitting up under my chin. Still, the view was perfect.
Kate leaned in, looking at something laid out on the little table between her and the cocky suit guy. A lock of her blond hair swung forward, and I stared as she tucked it behind her ear in an absentminded sort of way. I nearly moaned at the sight. The motion was so normal, something I’d seen women do a million times, and yet…it was Kate.
My Kate…sort of.
She took my damn breath away, but she was with someone who seemed just as interested in her as I was. Cocky Suit Guy leaned in to match her position, his eyes on Kate instead of the paper. A smile appearing on his face. He said something, his smile widening as Kate sat back and laughed. She laughed. I barely got to hear her laugh because she was always so exhausted from work on Fridays, but there she was. Yukking it up with someone else.
I had totally worked the wrong plan.
When I’d moved back to Temperance Falls, I should have sought her out. Should have told her I was Banner and that I wanted to spend time with her for real. I should have made a move. Instead, I’d wanted to get my life in order and prove I was responsible by having a good job and a place to live that wasn’t over a garage at my parents’ house.
She was a strong, professional woman—I couldn’t go in there like some kid and expect my dirty talk and muscles were going to be enough to win her. I needed to earn her. Or so I’d thought.
Seeing her smiling at another man made me question everything I thought I’d been doing right.
Seeing that same man get up, shake her hand, and leave the restaurant without her by his side kicked my ass into gear. She was my Kate, the woman I knew inside and out. The one who leaned on me to keep her satisfied. The one who told me all her fantasies and secrets, who trusted me to be her sounding board in the quiet darkness of Friday nights. I wasn’t about to sit back and let some other guy swoop in. I’d fight for her if I had to, which meant she needed to know Banner wasn’t just a guy on the phone.
It was time to actually meet the woman of my dreams.
Grabbing a pen left behind on a side table, I scribbled numbers on a napkin, and then headed for the front of the shop, my bag of fancy cookies in one hand and my coffee in the other. Psyching myself up so I didn’t fumble all over the place when she finally saw me. It was going to be rough, for sure. I tended to lose track of my thoughts just watching her on the shitty public access channel.
Don’t use the Banner voice, I reminded myself at the last minute. “Mayor Briscoe?”
Kate looked up at me and smiled that fake politician smile I’d seen on television a hundred times. “Yes?”
Fuck me, I was screwed. Every ounce of blood in my body had redirected to my cock. There was no way she wouldn’t notice that if she glanced down. And there was no way I could think clearly when I was practically ready to hump her leg. “I’m Riley Nash—”
“Oh, you’re the latest addition to the firehouse on this side of the island, right? It’s nice to meet you.” She held out her hand, and I cursed myself for my cookie obsession. I made a quick switch of the bag to my coffee hand and reached out, my skin touching hers for the first time. Her palm felt soft, her grip strong. And I was fucked. Electricity shot up my arm, making me want to groan. Making me want to pull her into my arms and bury my face in her neck. To ruck up that skirt she wore and find out what secrets she hid underneath. The scent of her, the feel, the warmth—all fucking perfect for me. Just like I’d always known it would be. It was time to convince her I was just as perfect for her.
“I wanted to say I’ve been watching the council meetings on TV, and I think you’re right about the old Temperance Falls mall. If we can utilize the current building instead of tearing it down and starting over, we should. It’d be an instant boon to the economy of the island.”
Kate’s smile turned more real, and her blue eyes held mine in a way that told me I’d gone the right way with this conversation. “I’m glad to hear that, Mr. Nash.”
“Please, call me Riley.”
“Okay, Riley. Well, thank you for stopping by to voice your approval. It means a lot. That’s why I’m here, actually. I was meeting the developer to go over plans for the building.” She tapped her nails against what I could see were folded floor plans, a stamp reading Huntley Group in the corner. “If this plan makes it through council review, it means a lot of jobs and housing for the island.”
The developer… That meant Cocky Suit Guy wasn’t a date; he was a business associate. That took a giant weight off my mind. He sti
ll looked to be flirting with my girl, though. Something I’d have to watch out for. He and Kate would be working closely together to get this deal through rezoning. Kate, another man, and closely were not words I wanted to have to deal with all at once.
“It’ll make it through,” I said, keeping my voice light. Keeping Banner out of the conversation so she didn’t recognize me. “I have confidence in you.”
Kate laughed a little, grabbing her papers and bag and readying herself to leave. “Well, I appreciate the support. I’d better get back to the office.” She stood and turned my way, giving me her full attention. Stealing my breath and my voice with her beauty. “It was nice to meet you, Riley Nash.”
Time to make my move.
“It was nice to meet you as well…” I paused, leaning just a little closer. Letting my voice deepen as I whispered, “Mayor Briscoe.”
Kate blinked and stared, her smile falling. The skin peeking out from the neckline of her blouse flushed a bit, and her lips fell open just enough for me to notice. Yeah, she knew that voice. “Excuse me?”
“Let me walk you out.” I held out a hand toward the exit, following when she slowly started that way. She was off-balance, maybe unsure if she’d heard what she thought she had. That was good. I could do better, though.
As I opened the door for her, as she brushed past me to head outside, I leaned in a little closer. Let my voice drop a little lower. Pulled out the character of Banner just for her.
“It was good to finally meet you, Kitten.”
She stood stock-still, staring at me. Her wide blue eyes practically sparking with what I hoped was excitement or desire. Only time would tell, though. Time I needed to give to her.
“I’m not a threat, and I’m not going to follow you.” I dragged a finger along the back of her hand. Just for a moment before I tucked the napkin I’d written my phone number on into her palm. “I hope I’ll still get to talk to you later. Directly.”
With that, I turned and walked toward the firehouse. I had to. If I stayed, if I tried to explain anything, she’d bolt. My Kate was solid and sure, a risk-taker in business but completely locked off and protective of her personal life. How she’d ended up calling a phone sex line in the first place, I might never know, but I was so thankful she had.
A year of getting to know her had taught me a lot, including that she needed time to work through what I’d just revealed. She needed to find a path to me on her own terms. I couldn’t push or she’d shut down, and that wasn’t an option I was willing to explore. My Plan A had blown up today, but I’d make sure Plan B came to fruition.
So I walked away.
And I prayed she’d call that night.
It was Friday, after all. Kate day. And small talk in a coffeehouse wasn’t going to be enough to satisfy my need for her.
I could only hope she felt the same way.
I stood frozen for long moments, watching Riley walk away, the unmistakable voice of Banner still ringing in my ears. Despite improbable odds, somehow the man I called to help me escape daily life on this little island lived here. And knew who I was.
Holy shit, he knew who I was.
That thought got my feet moving, my eyes darting to my surroundings as I took in the people milling about on Main Street. How many of them had seen the exchange? Had they thought anything of it? It wasn’t unusual for me to talk with the residents as I was out and about, but my nipples didn’t usually tighten from those interactions. My chest didn’t flush simply from someone’s nearness. No, not someone—just him. Banner. Riley.
Surely my reactions had been visible to others. I couldn’t have been the only one who’d noticed the hitch of my breath or the goose bumps on my arms. How Riley had leaned closer than was publicly appropriate…the dirty tone of his voice while he’d whispered in my ear.
A shudder ran down my spine as I crossed the street and headed into city hall. I held my head up and kept a steady pace to my office, desperate not to show a crack in my facade.
My new assistant, Lola, sat behind her desk in the outer office, fingers tapping on her keyboard. She looked up once she noticed I was there, smiling as she reached for a stack of notes on her desk. “How did the meeting go?”
I froze, my hand outstretched to grab the slips of paper. Jesus, had someone seen Riley and me together and it had already gotten back here?
Her forehead wrinkled as her brows drew down. “With Mr. Huntley? Were his plans not what you had in mind for the space?”
I tried not to let my relief show, but I couldn’t help the deep exhale that escaped me. “Of course. It went well, thanks for asking.” I plucked the notes from her, then nearly bolted for my door. “Please hold my calls. I have some research to do that’ll take up most of the afternoon.”
“Oh, I’d be happy to do that for you, if you’d like.”
Lola had been working for me only a week, but I got the feeling she was a keeper of secrets. Even still, I couldn’t chance handing this over to her. I could just imagine her face as I asked her to find out all the information she could on a man based only on his name and phone number. All because I was afraid said man could ruin my career with the tiny detail that I’d been paying for phone sex with him for the better part of a year.
“Thank you, Lola, but I’d like to do this particular research myself. Would you mind contacting Mr. Huntley’s local assistant, Emery, and setting up another meeting for next week?”
“No problem. I’ll do that now.”
With a nod, I hurried into my office and shut the door before leaning against it. Allowing myself to think over the brief meeting with Banner—Riley. His name was Riley. When he’d first approached me, I’d appraised him the way any woman did a strange man greeting her uninvited—vaguely and with wariness.
By the time he’d let his voice drop, I’d been so shocked, I couldn’t register any details. All I remembered was he was handsome. And big. Huge, actually. At least I knew he hadn’t been lying about that detail—the meaning behind choosing Banner for his stage name certainly fit. I’d felt dwarfed next to him, and that wasn’t easy, especially when I was wearing heels.
I pushed away from the door and took a seat behind my desk, immediately opening my laptop. Smoothing out the napkin he’d passed me, I stared at the numbers scrawled in messy black ink. No name. No information. Just ten digits. I didn’t recognize the area code, so I plugged it into the search engine.
Minnesota. Minneapolis, specifically. If he lived in Temperance Falls now—and I knew he did, as he was the newest firefighter to join the ranks at the firehouse—what was he doing with an out of state area code?
Just his name in the search engine pulled up thousands of results, but adding Temperance Falls to the search provided more of what I was looking for. It didn’t take much digging to find out he’d lived here until he’d graduated from high school. He’d gone to college in Michigan, then ended up in Minneapolis at some point, though the details of that were sparse. The year of his graduation caught my eye—the same year I’d won my first public election as a councilwoman. Jesus, he was only twenty-six. Sixteen years my junior.
I sank back in my chair, eyes fluttering closed and hand settling against my throat as the hundreds of dirty secrets he’d whispered in my ear flitted through my mind. The things he’d said…the things we’d done… As if it weren’t bad enough that I’d paid for phone sex, I’d done so with a man so young I felt like a dirty old woman for even recalling what had happened between us.
Pushing that feeling away, I did a quick search through the city database, finding that he’d applied for a position at the firehouse in November. Had that job brought him back to Temperance Falls after so long away?
A soft knock sounded at my door, causing me to jolt in my seat. Minimizing the screen on my laptop, I called out, “Yes?”
Lola opened the door, poking her head around to peer into my office. “Sorry to bother you, Ms. Mayor, but I wanted to check that you didn’t need anything more before I le
ft for the day.”
A quick glance at my watch showed it was quarter after five. I’d been so wrapped up in researching Riley, I hadn’t realized hours had passed since I’d shut myself in my office.
“No, but thank you for checking. Have a good evening, Lola.”
“You, too. See you Monday.” She shut the door behind her, once again giving me privacy.
Except privacy wasn’t what I needed. I’d found just enough information to drive myself crazy—I knew a little more about Riley, but I didn’t really know anything. I grabbed my phone, tapping out a quick text to Lara. If I was lucky, I could catch her before she left city hall for the day.
As I waited for her response, I cleared my browsing history and carefully tucked the napkin Riley had given me into an inside pocket of my purse. I packed up my laptop and grabbed my bag, ready to head out earlier than I had in…I couldn’t even remember.
Riley had definitely thrown me for a loop, and I needed to get a handle on it. Until I did, my work would suffer, and I couldn’t allow that to happen. Not now when my future as mayor hinged on this mall deal going through. I’d worked too hard to get where I was to let it slip away.
A quick knock sounded then Lara peeked in. “Hey, you. Got your message. And I hope ‘chat’ was code for margaritas. El Placer?”
I laughed and slipped around my desk to give her a quick hug. “Margaritas, yes, but how about at my place instead? There’s something I want to discuss away from prying ears.”
“Oh, really.” Lara lifted her brows and grinned, hooking her arm through mine as she led us out of my office. Most city hall employees clocked out at five on the dot, so the building was nearly empty as we made our way outside, our pace slow in deference to Lara’s leg. It’d been months since the accident that had sent her car careening off the bridge and into the lake, but her gait was still a bit stilted. “I can’t wait to hear this.”