Her eyes widen as she waits for me to finish.
I run my hand down her cheek and perch it under her chin. “I wanted you to be one hundred percent there with me, for you to be able to remember every kiss, every touch, the same way I would.” I lower my head and touch my lips to hers, softly, tentatively. I may be out of the doghouse, but Kaylee and I are on shaky ground. With my lips still against hers, I ask, “Did you mean it when you said you wanted me to treat you the same as other women?”
She shakes her head lightly, and her lips brush mine. Then her hand comes to my neck and pulls me to her parted mouth. Our tongues taste each other, our lips touching and releasing as we feel our way to a deeper kiss. I could get lost in this kiss, but I pull away, given where we are.
“I’m sorry, Justice.”
I smile. “I accept your apology on one condition.”
Her mouth twists to the side. “What’s that?”
“Let me take you on a real date. I want to spend time with you because we both want to. Not because we’re working or because you’re drunk.” I laugh, but she makes a face and crinkles her brow.
“Is this thing going to haunt me forever?”
“Maybe. I grab her waist and pull her flush against me. “Unless you give me something to replace it with.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” She flashes me a smile that lights me up, her torturous mouth reminding me how long I’ve waited to make Kaylee mine and how many times I’ve been shot down or deterred. Maybe if I do this thing right from the start she’ll be mine—completely.
“Well, is that a yes?”
“It’s a definite yes.”
Chapter 14
Kaylee
I laugh as Justice and I walk arm and arm to his car after he picked me up for our first official date. “This is your ride, huh?”
“Did you expect something else?”
“Actually, I don’t know. Mustang right?”
“Yep,” he says, opening the door for me and I step in. It reminds me there’s more to Justice than a gorgeous face, sweet heart, and flirty personality. This car is a statement with its weathered sky blue paint, old-fashioned rims, and convertible top.
I gape at him as he rounds the front of the car in an outfit that allows me to appreciate his profession. His low-slung jeans and white three quarter sleeve top are both snug, and damn, he’s in great shape. Not overly bulky but strong…defined.
When he slips into the driver’s side, he turns to me and quirks up one side of that sexy mouth. “Should I put the top up?” His eyes drift to the perimeter of my hair.
Yeah, I spent time getting my long dark mane just right, but still I say, “No way. I want to get the full effect.”
“Do you have something for when you get chilly?” he says, dragging his knuckle down my bare arm, heating my skin with such little contact. “Because you will.”
I wore a short-sleeved T-shirt and cropped jeans since we were going to the beach, but it’s probably only in the high sixties. “I have a sweatshirt in case…” I gesture to my bag on the floor at my feet.
“Okay.” He runs a hand over his head, causing that thick mane of deep golden hair to bounce right back into place—casually sexy. He puts the key in the ignition and fires it up. Before he pulls away, he leans over and surprises me with a quick kiss to my lips, sending a spark to fly through my system. As humiliated as I was to find out I’d basically thrown myself at Justice and he’d refused me, I’m glad now. For every reason he said. My body tingles with the thought of having Justice’s hands, his lips, on my skin.
“Still up for the pier?” he asks.
“Sure.”
We take surface roads at first, then the highway for a bit, but we’ll eventually end up along the coast. The wind is not too bad at this pace and talking is easy. After a lengthy discussion about music and how we both hate country and love rock music, he doesn’t even end up turning the radio on.
“I forgot to ask you what food you like?”
I shrug. “I’m easy.”
“Yeah, I know.”
My mouth flies open and I punch him in the shoulder. “Come on! Can we please forget about that?”
“It’s kind of hard to forget lying next to you, Kay.”
My heart flutters, heat swirls in my gut as I search for words to say.
“I mean, the way you snored…”
“Oh, my God! You love to torture me, don’t you?”
“Hey, I was the one who endured torture. And I’m not talking about you sawing logs either.” We stop at a light and he gives me his attention. “I’m talking physical torture, Kay.” Lust fills his eyes, and I’m sure mine show him the same thing as we both just breathe, our chests rising higher with each breath.
How the hell will we get through this day if he keeps looking at me like that?
Justice licks his lips as he slowly leans toward me. “God, I want—”
The car behind us beeps, and Justice snaps his head to look in the rearview mirror. “Shit.”
We both laugh as he moves forward and past the green light. When we reach PCH, we exchange smiles. It’s not that I haven’t been on this coastline road dozens of times before. I’m sure he has too. But whoever gets tired of an ocean view? Especially in a convertible, with a hot guy who gives you chills just from one glance of his mesmerizing blue eyes.
Justice hangs his arm casually over my shoulder as we walk from the car to the pier. Why does he look so relaxed while I feel like a nervous teenager on her first date? I commanded the runway in six-inch heels and underwear, and right now I feel like I don’t even know where to put my hands. Then again, I faked my confidence the whole way through my modeling career. Maybe I can do that now, too.
I wrap my arm around his waist, and he looks at me with the most adorable grin, like he just won a VIP trophy.
We pass under the iconic sign and walk across the foot bridge, elbow to elbow with tourists and locals—even at this time of year when winter has almost changed to spring. As soon as our feet touch down on the uneven slats of timber, I belt out the famous first six words of the Three’s Company theme song.
Justice coughs out a laugh and stops us. “What?”
Okay, I guess that fake confidence wasn’t the best idea. I blush but I play it off, flinging my hair back from the breeze blowing it in my face. “Come on, are you telling me you don’t know Three’s Company?”
“Sorry, no idea.”
“Jack? Chrissy?”
He stares blankly at me.
“It was a TV show in the seventies. The opening was filmed right here on this pier.”
“Oh…I think I might have heard something about that.” He grabs my hand and we walk again. “So you like old TV?”
“Sometimes. My dad and I used to watch old shows together. Our favorite was I Love Lucy.”
“Now that, I’ve heard of.” He looks at me, his hair long enough that it blows around his forehead.
“Lucky for you, because that’s a deal breaker for me.”
“Oh, yeah?” he says, pulling me by the hand over to the railing just before the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. We both lean against it, looking out to the sand in front of us, the ocean still a ways off since we are only at the start of the pier.
Though he technically asked me a question, I get lost in him. Justice was made for the beach; his body, face, and hair look like a surfer, but as far as I know, he’s not one. Putting one foot up on the lower part of the railing, he turns to me. He’d been playful before, but his expression is thoughtful now. “Kay?”
The way he says my name… “Yeah.”
“I don’t want to be a downer today, but you mentioning your dad really got me thinking… I don’t know a lot about you.” He scoots closer, leans in for a kiss that’s so soft and sweet it takes my breath away. “But I want to,” he whispers against my mouth. “Would that be okay?”
“Actually, I was thinking the same thing.”
We stare at each other in silence,
which is ironic because we both just agreed we wanted to get to know each other. My mind whirls, searching for what to say. Should I tell him something about me? Instinctively, I just blurted out I wanted to get to know each other. And while getting close is appealing, I’m ashamed to admit there are parts I don’t want him to know. Maybe I should ask him a question? Take the focus off me. Nervously, I laugh. Then he laughs too.
“Come on. Let’s go have some fun and see if it happens naturally.”
When his arm curves around me, I look at him. “Sounds good.”
“All right. Let’s start with something easy. “Rides or games?”
“Definitely rides.”
“That’s my girl.”
Oh my God. There’s that teenage girl again, blushing, tingling, speechless.
As we head toward the giant Ferris wheel, we pass merchandise, food, fishermen with poles hanging over the side, artists, musicians playing right there on the pier. We stop a moment to listen to one man who’s sitting and playing a stringed instrument with a bow that I’ve never seen before; it’s melodic and beautiful. Justice moves behind me, wrapping both arms around my waist. I lean my head back against his chest, the feeling of being so close to him both wonderful and frightening. I could easily sink into this, get carried away in him, but with that comes the risk of falling harder than I ever have. Somehow, I sense it coming for me, and I don’t know if I’m strong enough to handle it if it all goes terribly wrong.
As if he’s reading my insecure thoughts, he reaches for my hand with one of his and laces our fingers together.
We stay a bit longer and then move on, slowly making our way to the ride area. The longer I’m with Justice, the more he puts me at ease. I feel safe with him, and I hate that I didn’t trust him before. We had such a rocky start, at odds as models and then even when we both quit, there was this tension between us. Looking back, I can see now it was all laced with sexual energy and jealousy.
The line for the Ferris wheel is short. When we enter our carriage, Justice slides in so close to me we could have fit a third person next to us.
“Wait!” I say, playfully. “Shouldn’t you sit across from me to balance the weight?”
He swings his body forward and back, causing the carriage to rock. “Maybe…but I’m willing to take my chances.” He rocks it again, harder this time.
“Stop!” I laugh.
His arm goes around my shoulder, his lips to my ear. “Don’t worry, baby, I’ll keep you safe.”
A flame ignites in me, then a flash of memory. He called me baby that night I was drunk. I try to act unaffected and look out to the ocean as the wheel takes us up. “Look…”
“Oh, I’m looking,” he says, but I feel his mouth at my neck, his hot breath making me dizzy.
“Justice!” I flinch when his lips tickle my skin, giving me goosebumps.
“I’m sorry. You’re making it really hard for me to be a gentleman.”
I make the mistake of turning to look at him, his face mere centimeters from mine. “What am I doing?” I say with a little rasp in my voice.
Moving the wind-blown hair from my cheek, he takes his eyes from mine to my mouth and back again. “You don’t have to do anything, Kay. Just be you…”
My breathing goes shallow, my lips part, and his gaze falls there once again. The intensity in his eyes overwhelms me. I turn away to look at the view. “It’s so gorgeous, isn’t it?”
“Oh, yeah.” That temping mouth is once again aimed right at my neck, and his words vibrate against my skin. What is he doing to me? Then he presses his lips to my neck and drags them up to my ear. “How am I going to keep my hands…my lips…off you all day?”
My heart is beating so fast by now, my chest is practically heaving as I try to focus on the waves, the sand, the people, but it’s no use. All I see is Justice. Screw it. I turn my head, instantly connecting our lips. His hand lands on my hip, and he pulls me so my body curves into him. I feel his other hand cup the back of my neck, and I loop my arms under his arms, getting my feel of those strong shoulders.
As we kiss, he keeps tugging on that hip until I’m practically in his lap. When voices and laughter permeate my lust-driven brain, I pull back to find we’ve rotated full circle and are swinging through the bottom. Justice never takes his eyes off me, and it’s both invigorating and unnerving.
As we swing back up again, I get myself under control. “Um…how are we supposed to get to know each other if we keep doing that?”
Humor colors his expression, and he gives me the tiniest bit of breathing room. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Are you?” I ask, hoping he’s not.
“Of course not. But I agree.”
“So…”
He flicks his head to the side, attempting to flip the hair from over his eye, but the wind is too strong. “So…I’ll try to control myself.” Then he turns serious. “Honestly, Kay, I don’t want to screw this up. You know I’ve liked you for a long time.” I open my mouth and he shakes his head. “Even when it didn’t seem like it. You have to admit, you knocked my ass down a lot.”
Part of me feels guilty for how I treated him, but I think we both know lots of those sparring matches were like foreplay neither of us was willing to admit to. That’s why we’re both so anxious to push this forward when we should be taking it slow. “I’ll admit to nothing.” Though he’s stroking my hair, probably to distract me, I stay focused on the conversation. “Besides you gave as good as you got…most of the time, anyway.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t turn you over my knee and spank you.”
Lucky? I won’t tell him how that little piece of information turned me into a hot mess the moment the words left his perfect lips. I thought I played it cool, but his eyes light up—Crap, I just gave away the farm.
“Hmm. Maybe that’s not such a bad idea after all,” he says, getting fired up again and leaning toward me.
I push on his chest and glare at him. “So, who’s your favorite rock band of all time?”
Chuckling, he runs his hand over his chin. “Okay, you win. I don’t have a favorite, but someday I’ll show you this awesome collection of vinyls my gramps gave me.”
“He sounds fun. I’d love to meet him some day.”
“He’s the best. We lived with my gramps for most of the time I was growing up. Some people think that makes things harder or somehow less fun, but it was more fun. I think it made us better as a family too.”
The look in his eyes when he talks about his family is something I haven’t seen before. When he spoke of his brothers before, it was different because he was not in a good place, but this…shows me a more sensitive side of Justice that is also appealing.
“You’re lucky. I have an older brother, but we’re six years apart and not very close. He lives in Denver with his wife and two corgis they treat like children.”
“So they don’t have kids?”
“No, they’re both doctors and don’t want kids.”
“What about you?”
“What do you mean?” I tuck a swirling piece of hair behind my ear.
“Do you want kids?”
“Wow, we just skipped a whole lot of stuff…”
“Sue me. I want to know.”
This is one of those questions where the answer could have a big effect on where the relationship goes. I want to be honest, though. “Okay, you first.”
“Me?” He’s taken aback, as if he hadn’t thought I’d expect reciprocation. “I want lots of kids.”
My eyes wide, I swallow. “Lots?”
The Ferris wheel is paused in position, the only sound the wind and the slight creak as we rock.
“Well, yeah. You’ve seen these genes, right?”
“Oh, brother.” I roll my eyes.
He relaxes back into the seat, gazing out to the view. “Seriously? I do want a big family. Ours was big and it was loud and crowded and stressful and tough…but I wouldn’t change a thing.” Sadness glazes over h
is eyes. “Except for getting my mother back.”
I place my hand on his thigh, and he looks at me. “I’m sorry, Justice.”
“Thank you. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through…but it was my big, annoying family that got me through it. This world sucks sometimes and if I have kids, I want them to always feel like someone has their back.”
I can’t hold back my smile. “That’s so sweet, Justice.”
An overexaggerated twist of his mouth comes with a wave of his hand. “So what you’re saying is, I’m the whole package.”
I laugh but don’t answer.
“I guess I could make some babies with you if you want.”
My heart stops and I lift my brows. “Whoa, somebody—”
“Relax, I’m kidding. Truth is, we were a house full of males. Sharing feelings wasn’t a big priority so humor and sarcasm make a good substitute.”
I lift one shoulder and let it fall. “I don’t know. I think you’re doing pretty well.”
Chapter 15
Justice
I stare at Kaylee’s luscious lips as she slips a piece of fried calamari into her mouth, a dot of sauce left behind on the corner. The urge to lick it off is strong, but I resist and reach over with my thumb to swipe it away. She giggles and thanks me, so innocent and sweet, it feels like my pants just shrunk. I take a sip of my water and remind myself of my new word of the day: slow.
I was acting like a horn dog on the Ferris wheel and decided I better rein it in before Kaylee thinks the only thing I care about is sex; I don’t want to scare the shit out of her either, and that’s what the truth will do. It’s way too soon to tell her I’ve wanted her since the moment I saw her. That I think she’s the most interesting, intelligent, caring woman I’ve ever met. And that I’m obsessed with every inch of her gorgeous body and face, her limitless heart and soul, her strength.
Speaking of slow, we’ve already been here half an hour and haven’t even ordered entrées yet. Not knowing what’s ahead, I want to make this time with her last as long as possible.
After being outside most of the day, we decided to sit inside the seafood restaurant on the pier. Kaylee’s cheeks and nose are a sweet pinkish color from the sun, but the temps died down quickly, and the breeze picked up since it was so close to sunset. Her comfort and happiness are my main concern right now.
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