But then he stepped back. “I’ll light the fire.”
She blinked up at him and wished he would gather her close once more. “What fire?”
He touched her, skating a finger down the ridge of her nose, tracing the wings of her eyebrows, a bemused expression on his wonderful face. “This way.” He led her out under the sky again, where the cloud cover obscured the brightening stars, to a giant stone bowl filled with lava rock. At the flick of a switch, flames licked up through the rock.
“So pretty,” she said.
Setting his wine on a low table, he stretched out on the padded lounger beside it. “Come here.” She put her wine beside his and started to sit on the next lounger over. But he stopped her by catching her hand. “Here. With me.”
It was a tight fit for the two of them, but she had no problem with that. She cuddled in close with a happy sigh. He wrapped his arms around her and slipped a knee between hers.
“This is nice,” she whispered.
And then they were kissing again. Long, slow, lazy kisses—or at least, they started out lazy.
But they didn’t stay that way. The kisses grew deeper, his caresses more intimate.
She pulled back enough to offer, “Let’s go upstairs.”
He smoothed a broad palm down her hair and then cradled her chin in the crook of his finger. His eyes were less silver now, more green—deepest green, like in a secret lagoon somewhere in the heart of a thick tropical jungle. “I’m not going to rush you.”
“You’re not.” She grabbed two fistfuls of his sweater, yanked him close again and made herself perfectly clear. “It’s been years for me, Roman. I mean, I loved Nathan and I really didn’t want anyone else. Not for the longest time.”
Something flared in those deep-lagoon eyes, something possessive and raw. “You still love him?”
She went for complete honesty. “Some part of me always will. But I’m no longer wrecked by the loss of him. Meeting you, being with you has made it clear to me that I’m ready to move on. With you. I want to be with you, tonight. You and me. In your bed. Tell me you want the same thing.”
“What I want is to marry you.”
She sat up so fast she almost fell off the lounger.
“Whoa.” He grabbed her and steadied her.
Yanking free of his grip, she stood. “Will you listen to yourself? You won’t have sex with me, but let’s get married?” She threw up both hands and sat on the other lounger, facing him. “You’re making no sense.”
He regarded her steadily. Such a good-looking man, all broad shoulders and big arms, a deep chest that tapered to a narrow, hard waist—and a definite bulge at his fly. So hot. And so completely confusing.
“I’ve messed up at marriage twice,” he said. “Both women, I took to bed the night that I met them. I’m not doing that again.”
“Roman, this isn’t that.”
“No, it’s not. And I’m going to handle things differently this time. We’re taking it slow.”
“We’ve known each other—”
“A week, Hailey—a week, as of tomorrow. A week isn’t long enough.”
“Oh. Right. Because you’re so restrained. Did you or did you not ask me to marry you night before last?”
He didn’t even have the grace to look embarrassed at the utter inconsistency of his reasoning. “I did. And I meant it, too.”
“So you won’t sleep with me, but you will marry me?”
“I won’t sleep with you now—and yes, I still want to marry you.”
“Who thinks like that? Nobody thinks like that.”
“I think like that, Hailey.”
“Which is my point, exactly.” She grabbed her wine and sucked down the rest of it, plunking the glass back on the little table hard enough she was lucky she didn’t break the stem.
Rising, he caught her hand. His warm fingers felt just right wrapped around hers. She wanted to shriek at him not to be so tempting when he had no intention of following through. “Come up here,” he commanded gruffly. “Kiss me.”
“You’re just a big tease, that’s what you are, Roman Marek.”
He was trying not to grin. She could tell by the slight twitch at the corner of his wonderful mouth. “Come on.”
She ought to refuse him. But she didn’t really want to refuse him. And if he insisted on taking it a little slower, well, as much as she hated to admit that he could be right, and she might wrong, maybe there was a tiny bit of sense in that.
“Come on. Let me feel you close, Hailey. Let me suffer a little wanting what I’m not going to get right now...”
She let him pull her to her feet. Slowly. Her heart beat deep and hard in the cage of her ribs and her skin felt supersensitized. “I shouldn’t kiss you. I should just walk away...”
He gathered her in and bent to nuzzle her cheek. “Please don’t.”
She tipped her head down.
And he put his finger under her chin and guided her to look at him again. “You’re like no woman I’ve ever known. Everything about you is just right. I could look at you for the rest of my life and never get tired of the sight of you. We don’t have to rush into bed together. We really don’t.”
“It wasn’t about having to. I wanted to.”
“And now?”
She gave him a shrug and answered lightly. “Too late. I’m over it. Completely and totally. You missed your chance.”
He kissed her then, a long, slow kiss.
She almost pulled away, just to prove her point.
But Roman was an excellent kisser and the past few years had been completely devoid of kisses. So she gave herself up to his strong arms and his warm mouth and the thrilling slide of his tongue against hers. When she did pull back, it was with a soft, happy sigh.
A half an hour later, he drove her to the cottage and walked her to the front step. He kissed her again, sweet and deep and slow, and left her gazing dreamily after him, waving goodbye as he drove away.
Inside, Harper was waiting on the sofa in the living room. “Sit down, kick your shoes off and dish me the deets.”
Hailey told her sister everything and they laughed together over the total failure of her big attempt at seduction.
“At least he has honest intentions,” said Harper.
“Really? That’s what you get from him turning me down?”
“I don’t think he’ll be turning you down indefinitely.”
“Gee, I’m so relieved.”
“The way he looks at you.” Harper made a show of fanning herself. “Like he’s a hungry tiger and you’re a plump, oblivious gazelle.”
“Now, there’s a romantic image for you.”
“You should get on the Pill or take the shot. Be prepared.”
She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of that already. “You’re right. I’ll take care of it—and sheesh, it’s been so long I almost forgot I need birth control.”
The cottage had old-fashioned, wood-framed, single-paned windows, the kind with lots of tiny panes that let in cold drafts in the winter. Harper stared out the windows across from the sofa, her own face reflected at her. She seemed lost in thought.
“You okay?” Hailey asked.
“Mmm-hmm. Just thinking how lucky you are. It’s doubtful lightning will be striking twice, you know?”
“Okay, I’ll bite. Lucky, how—and what do you mean about lightning?”
“It’s a small town, that’s all.” Harper’s voice was wistful. “I probably won’t be meeting the love of my life here.”
“Okay, hold up.” For so long, Hailey had been absolutely sure that Nathan was the love of her life. It seemed somehow disloyal to his memory to even think that Roman might hold that spot now. “One, did I say Roman was the love of my life?” Harper just looked at her and snickered. Hailey continued, “Two—think ab
out it. Lightning has already struck several times in our family and there’s no reason it won’t strike for you—right here in our hometown. Three...” Hailey softened her tone and gave her sister’s arm a pat. “It’s not only the romance thing that’s bothering you, is it?”
Harper jumped directly to denial. “I love working with you. We’re a team, we always have been.”
Hailey wrapped an arm around her sister and they leaned their heads together. “Harp. We both know what’s going on here. You can just say it. The whole community theater thing doesn’t fill your soul the way it does mine.” Harper had minored in architecture. She’d spoken more than once about her longing to design the spaces where people lived and worked. And though Hailey would miss everything about having her almost-twin nearby, Harper needed to get out there and live the kind of life that challenged and excited her. “You’ve got to start looking, sending out résumés, checking out what’s available on LinkedIn.”
“There’s nothing in town.”
“Seattle’s not that far.”
Harper pulled away and met Hailey’s eyes. “I do love working with you—and if I go, who’s gonna do my job? You’ll get stuck with Doug for your tech director.”
Hailey snort-laughed. “Okay, now that’s really terrifying.” But then she grew serious. “You need to do what’s going to satisfy you—and yes, Doug’s an ass who lacks your genius. But he’s capable enough. He could do the job if it came down to it.”
“I don’t know...” Harper was staring out the dark window again.
Hailey insisted, “Start looking. I mean it.”
Harper slid her another glance. “I’ll think about it.”
* * *
In the morning, after Harper had already left for the theater, Hailey answered a knock on the door and found her eldest brother on the step.
“I was just on my way to work,” Daniel said. He ran Valentine Logging. It was the family company and the offices were nearby on the Warrenton docks. “Thought I would check in with you, see how you’re doing.” His square jaw was set. He looked at her with equal parts worry and determination.
It was a look he used to aim at Matthias constantly, but that was years ago when Matt was always getting wasted. In recent years, their youngest sister, Gracie, had taken the brunt of Daniel’s big-brotherly concern. Things were better between them now, but Gracie used to complain that Daniel was constantly in her face about every little thing.
As for Hailey, though, she hadn’t been the focus of Daniel’s concern in a long while—not since middle school when she’d gotten a C-minus in algebra. And then later, in high school, when she’d dated Jimmy Karnes, of whom Daniel did not approve.
And why did Hailey suddenly feel so defensive? “You saw me yesterday, Daniel. Did I give you some indication that I had a problem we needed to ‘check in’ about?”
He drew his broad shoulders back and said much too gently, “How ’bout some coffee, Hailey? What do you say?”
Like she had a choice. She ushered him in.
Chapter Five
Daniel didn’t take long getting to the point. He sat at the kitchen table, had a sip of the coffee she’d poured for him and said, “So, is this serious between you and Roman Marek?”
“Serious? I’ve known him for exactly a week as of today, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“You brought him to Sunday dinner. You never bring men to Sunday dinner.”
She knew she should just be frank with him—well, up to a point. He was only doing this because he cared, and she needed to remember that. “I like Roman a lot. But no, I don’t know where it’s going with him and me. It’s early days.”
“He seems very taken with you, Hailey. The word smitten comes to mind. He’s also been married twice, and he has a child. And he’s older.”
“Seven years. It’s not that much older. And as for him having a little boy, you’d been married and you had two kids when you and Keely got together.” Not to mention, Keely was already pregnant with Marie on the day they got married—not that there was anything wrong with that. But her big brother ought to understand that every relationship was different. There wasn’t some boilerplate every couple had to live by. “And I have a question to ask you. What, exactly, went down yesterday in your study?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did Roman, er, say something that alarmed you?” If Roman had announced to her brothers that he was going to marry her, she would have to give him a giant piece of her mind. Because, seriously, how could he not know that it was bad form to start planning the wedding when they’d only met a week before—and the bride in question had not said yes?
Daniel shook his head. “Roman didn’t say anything that bothered me. I just wanted to talk to you, to be sure that everything’s okay with you.”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
Daniel rubbed the back of his neck, as though maybe tension had gathered there. “Roman did say he’s bought the Valentine Bay Theatre and that he’s considering turning the building into a hotel—but then he said he’s not locked into that plan yet.”
She suppressed a snort of derision. Not locked in. Right. All she needed to do was marry him and the community-theater venue of her dreams would be hers.
Daniel was still talking. “I know how much that theater means to you. You’ve been so happy and excited since you hooked up with the arts council and started developing a year-round program there. So that had me thinking, is this about the theater?”
“This? What?”
“You and Roman, together. Are you dating him because you hope to influence him, get him to forget the hotel idea?” She blinked in surprise at how perceptive her big brother could be.
And he really did look concerned for her well-being.
All her defensiveness just kind of melted away. “You know this really isn’t anything you have to get tied in knots over, Daniel. I like Roman a lot.” Enough to spend the night naked with him. Too bad he’s saving himself for marriage. “I also hope to change his mind about the theater. That’s all there is to it.”
He scanned her face as if looking for clues to what was really going on inside her head. “Roman seems to have done well for himself. And his little boy is a cutie...”
“I admit I’m already more than half in love with Theo. He’s a great kid, curious about everything—and so cuddly. And that smile of his could light up the world.” Already, she’d allowed herself to fantasize about what it might be like to help him grow up.
Daniel said, “I guess it’s just...” His fist rested on the table.
She bumped it with hers. “Go ahead. Whatever it is, say it.”
“It occurred to me that you haven’t ever been all that serious about any guy that I can remember. When you were in high school, you dated, and sometimes you dated guys I didn’t approve of, but they really weren’t the main thing for you. Your focus has always been on the next show you’re involved in or whatever performance project you’re putting together. You’ve been that way since you were little, when you used to stage those skits in the family room involving just about all the other kids in town.
“And I guess all that had me thinking that this thing with Roman had to be really special for you. But then I wondered if you were only encouraging his interest in you in order to try to convince him not to take away the theater. I couldn’t decide what I thought about that. And then I thought, if it wasn’t about the theater and you really are falling for the guy, then maybe it was happening too fast, given that you brought him to dinner yesterday and he just moved back to town a few weeks ago.” He paused, a frown crinkling his brow as he sipped his coffee. “And so here I am, busting in your door first thing in the morning, unable to stop myself from checking on how you’re doing.”
Emotion clogged her throat. “You’re the best, Daniel.”
He almost smiled. “Wel
l, I’m here. And I always will be. You can count on that.”
“I do. We do. All of us. Thanks for that, sincerely.”
He gave a little nod of acknowledgment and she got up and refilled their mugs, mostly just for something to do in a moment when her heart ached.
She felt like a liar. Only Harper knew about Nathan. Harper. And Roman. And that she’d shared the story of her lost love with Roman the first day she met him, well, maybe that made her more serious about him than she was willing to admit to herself yet.
But Daniel didn’t know about Nathan. Nathan had been so fierce about her family—that he didn’t want to meet them or for her to have to explain to them the situation with him. She knew Nathan had reasoned that he could minimize her future pain by not becoming part of her life back home.
Nathan had been wrong. Keeping him a secret from her family only made her feel cut off from them, which hadn’t helped at all. And right now, given Daniel’s place in her life as not only her big brother but also a sort of surrogate dad, well, maybe he should know.
“Daniel...”
“Yeah, Lee-Lee?”
Her throat clutched with love over his use of the family’s baby name for her. “You know how you said that I’ve never been serious over a guy?” At his nod, she went for it. “Well, back at UO, there was someone. Someone special. His name was Nathan Christoff. And I loved him so much...”
And from there, the whole story just came pouring out. When she finished, Daniel got up and hugged her.
She brushed away her tears and hugged him back, breathing in the woodsy scent of his cologne that always made her think of home. “I haven’t been interested in any guy since Nathan,” she said.
Daniel took her by the shoulders and captured her gaze. “Until now?”
“Yeah. But I’m not running off to Vegas with Roman, I promise you. So don’t get worried all over again, please?”
He dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll do my best.”
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