by Nash, Willa
Me neither.
The pain in Pierce’s voice was hard to hear.
Gabriel had fallen in love with his grandson’s wife.
“Did you talk to him?” I asked.
He shook his head. “He tried to call and visit. I refused him.”
And now Gabriel was gone. Whatever questions he had would go forever unanswered, whatever grudge wouldn’t be settled.
“After Heidi and I divorced, she moved into his home in Denver. We sold our place and I moved into the penthouse at my building. She was with him . . . in the plane crash.”
I gasped. “W-what?”
“They died together.”
My hand came to my mouth. “Pierce, I’m . . .”
Oh, God. He’d lost his grandfather and his ex-wife. Even if he had hard feelings for Heidi, they’d been married. He’d loved her. Maybe he still did. And she was gone too.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He turned to the darkness, giving me his profile. “So am I.”
The only sound for minutes and minutes was the gentle hum of the hot tub and the whirl of the jets.
Finally, Pierce tore his eyes away from the night and gave me a sad smile. “I don’t tell you this so you’ll hate him. I just want you to have the truth.”
“I know.”
Gabriel’s image had tarnished but I didn’t hate him. I was angry at him, on Pierce’s behalf. But I still loved the man who’d believed in me.
“I just want to get on with my life,” he said.
“Is that why you’re selling this place?”
He nodded. “This is a fantastic house. I still love it. But it’s strange to be here and know they were here together.”
“Uh, yeah. I’m guessing that’s why you’re sleeping in the guest suite.”
“I need to clean out his things from the master. I went in there when I first got here. That’s where I found Heidi’s picture. Other than tossing it out, I haven’t been able to do more.”
I gave him a sad smile. “I can help. It’s not like I have much else to do.”
“You know . . . I think I might take you up on it.” His shoulders sagged. “It’s been months since I found out. Months since the divorce. You’d think that should be plenty of time for me to get my head around it and walk into a room.”
“Sometimes it’s not as easy as just having time. You had no closure. And now they’re both gone.”
He studied my face for a moment, then closed his eyes. “I’ve been avoiding it. I’ve been avoiding everything where they are concerned. Other than his demands in his will, I haven’t really spoken about their affair.”
“Does your mom know?”
“She does.” Pierce huffed a laugh. “When I told my parents, they shared this look, like they weren’t surprised.”
“Do you think they knew about it?”
“No. They would have told me. But I think they saw the signs that I missed. I can see them now. The looks. The laughs. The inside jokes. I always thought Heidi just loved him because he was, well . . .”
“Gabriel,” I finished.
“People loved him. Fiercely. They hated him too, just as passionately. But when he was in the room, he commanded attention simply by being.”
“You have that about you too. I don’t know if anyone has ever told you that, but you’re rather commanding yourself.”
He chuckled. “You say that like a compliment. Nellie has said the same thing but it’s not quite as endearing.”
I giggled. “It’s a compliment.”
“Then I thank you.” He dipped his chin, then locked his gaze with mine, holding it so long that it became hard to breathe.
It was like staring at an entirely new person. These past few months, Nellie had made comments about Pierce not being himself. How many times had she told me to give him a chance? To wear him down? She knew what he’d been dealing with and how devastating it must have been.
“Have you ever been married?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Engaged. But it fell apart.”
“Mind if I pry?”
“I’ve been poking into your personal life, so it only seems fair.”
“What happened?”
I lifted a hand out of the water and traced a fingertip over the rippled surface. “He called it off five days before the wedding. Went out for his bachelor party, got drunk and hooked up with a woman from a bar.”
Pierce hissed. “Son of a bitch.”
“I was pregnant.”
The air stilled at my admission. The steam stopped swirling. The snow stopped falling.
I wished I could swallow up my words and bury them again.
“I’ve never told anyone that,” I confessed.
“Why?”
“Because the same day the wedding was called off, I had a miscarriage.”
“Fuck. Kerrigan, I’m sorry.”
“It was for the best.” I kept drawing circles on the water, unable to look at him.
Why had I told Pierce? Why? My mother, my father, my sister, not even my friends knew about the pregnancy. Literally no one knew because the day I’d found out, three hours after a positive pregnancy test, my ex-fiancé had come to my apartment and told me about his bachelor party. Later that night when I’d started bleeding, I’d gone to the emergency room alone.
“My ex had a long list of excuses,” I said. “I’m not sure which, if any, I believe. He wasn’t ready to settle down after all. He hadn’t explored the world yet. He didn’t want to move to Calamity.”
The entire experience had been humiliating. My only saving grace was that the wedding had been in Bozeman. Word had definitely gotten around Calamity that my engagement had been called off, but at least the event hadn’t been planned in my hometown. In a way, it had removed me some from the gossip circle.
And I hadn’t had to worry about getting a pitiful look from a nurse or doctor after the miscarriage.
“How long ago?” Pierce asked.
“Eight years. We got engaged my senior year of college and were going to get married the summer after graduation.”
I’d mourned my lost pregnancy more than I’d mourned my broken engagement. That day had been the single worst day of my life. On my bad days, I always reminded myself that I’d survived much worse.
“Does it still hurt?” Pierce asked. The raw edge to his voice made me want to swim across the hot tub and pull him into my arms.
I clasped the bench seat under the water and stayed put. “Yes and no. The miscarriage, yes. The wedding, not really. It was embarrassing. Any time I think about the phone calls I had to make and the money my parents spent for a wedding that didn’t happen and the dress I still have in my closet, then it stings. But that’s my pride, not my heart. Besides, it wouldn’t have been a happy marriage.”
Content, but not happy. I wasn’t settling for contentment. I wanted love. I wanted passion. I wanted a man who stole my breath when he walked into the kitchen. Who kissed me and made the world melt away. Who would make every day an adventure.
“He wasn’t the man for me. I see that now. But that’s a realization eight years in the making. We all heal at our own pace.”
Pierce looked at me so intensely that the heat from his gaze made the water feel cold. “You’re a wonder, Ms. Hale.”
“I’m just me, Mr. Sullivan.”
He grinned and shook his head. “How about a lighter subject?”
“Please.” I laughed.
“Tell me more about Calamity. I’m intrigued.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Anything.”
“Nearly my entire family lives there,” I said. “If you ever meet my grandfather, he’ll tell you all about how the Hales have been in Calamity since Calamity was Panner City.”
“Panner City. A gold rush town?”
“It was. At its peak, there were almost three thousand miners living in the area. Then came the calamities.”
“Hence the name. What hap
pened?”
“The mine collapsed in Anders Gulch and killed a bunch of the miners. There was a flood from a heavy spring storm that washed out most of the smaller claims and panning sites. According to the records, it dried out hot and fast and a fire spread through the town and camp. And then that same summer, there was a lightning storm that caused a herd on the range to stampede. The mining was fairly nonexistent after that. Not to mention there wasn’t enough gold in the area to rebuild. Most of the miners moved on. But some stayed, including Andrew Hale, who had seven sons, one of whom was my great, great, great grandfather.”
“Very interesting.”
“I probably have the greats mixed up.” I always added one too many or was one too short. “My dad could tell you exactly how I’m related and the lineage.” It was impossible to keep track. There were aunts and uncles and cousins—first, second and third. Dating was a struggle, not only because there were so few single men in Calamity, but because some of the few available men were also relatives.
“What does your family do?” he asked.
“My dad runs the car dealership in town. A bunch of family members work there, unlike me, much to his dismay.”
“You don’t want to sell cars for a living?”
I smirked. “No, thank you. I’ll stick to my properties, The Refinery and maybe a new blog.”
“I have no doubt you’ll be successful.” His voice held ten times the confidence I felt.
“Really?”
“Really,” he said. “I owe you an apology.”
“For what?”
“For being an ass. I should have heard you out. But I was angry about my grandfather. I assumed you two—”
I held up a hand and cringed. “Don’t say it.”
Pierce laughed and the smile that stretched across his mouth was breathtaking. I hadn’t seen him smile enough. Before I left this cabin, I wanted to earn at least one more. “I’m excited to see what you do.”
“Thank you.” My toes bounced in the water at the rush of nerves and excitement. Becoming a successful influencer was a long shot. Most likely, I’d fail and end up selling a property to pay Pierce back. But it would be thrilling to try.
Pierce raised a hand and inspected his fingertips. “I’m becoming a raisin.”
I mimicked him, checking my own skin. “Me too.”
He surged across the hot tub and for a moment, I held my breath, hoping he’d invade my space and press that hard body against mine. But he shifted at the last minute, stepping onto the bench seat and shoving out of the water.
I swallowed a groan, then turned and stepped out. The winter air rushed over my heated skin and the snow around the pool nipped at the soles of my feet. I tiptoed to the door, leaving Pierce to hit the button to close the cover on the hot tub.
The moment I was inside, I swiped up one of the towels I’d brought out from the bathroom, wrapping myself in the plush, white sheet. I covered my body in time to watch Pierce walk through the door and grab the other towel, bringing it to his face.
Water cascaded down the broad plane of his chest. Drops trickled over the sinewed muscles of his arms. I wanted to trace them all with my tongue. In all my life, I’d never seen a man in real life with a body that belonged on magazine covers or in Hollywood movies.
He toweled off his torso, then wrapped the sheet around his waist.
It instantly brought back the image of him the day I’d come up to scatter Gabriel’s ashes. Him in a towel, his abs on display and that V of his hips.
I tore my gaze away before it could drift any lower—and found his eyes locked on my breasts.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he stared, unabashedly.
Pierce didn’t want a relationship. There was no fault in that. It was too soon after his divorce and the drama that had come with it. In his place, I wouldn’t want a relationship either, especially not one where business was involved.
And I wasn’t looking for a relationship either, right? Well, maybe. But not with Pierce. He lived two states away.
Did that mean we couldn’t have fun? That we couldn’t explore this chemistry between us?
How long had it been since a man had stared at me with such lust? Such hunger? Pierce looked at me like he wanted to devour me whole.
I’d let him.
He jerked out of his trance, forcing his eyes across the room. He raised a hand and rubbed the back of his neck. “How about some wine?”
I managed a nod.
Clothing would be better. Lots and lots of clothing. My only bra was soaked. So were my panties, and not just from the water.
But did I take my leave to get dressed? Nope. I followed him into the kitchen and didn’t make myself keep three stools between us.
Pierce walked to the wine fridge and chose a bottle. Then he uncorked it, poured us each a glass and handed one over.
“Cheers.”
I clinked the rim of my glass to his. “Cheers.”
The wine was dry and rich and smooth. The flavor burst on my tongue, except all I could think about was Pierce’s taste. How his tongue had tangled with mine in this very room.
I met his dark gaze and nearly came undone with the desire in those endless pools.
He raised his glass to his lips, taking a long drink. Then he set the glass aside and closed his eyes. “Damn, I want to kiss you.”
Oh, how I wanted to be kissed.
He opened his eyes and the restraint was there, as obvious as his bare skin on display.
Pierce inched closer, raising a hand to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. His fingertips left a trail of tingles in their wake. Then he leaned forward, just an inch.
I held my breath, tilting up my chin. Waiting.
But he didn’t kiss me. At least, not on the mouth. He pressed his lips to my forehead, then took a step past me, padding out of the kitchen. “Good night, Kerrigan.”
No. “Wait.”
I cringed at the desperation in my voice. But if I left this cabin, if I left this man without at least one more kiss, I’d regret it for years.
Pierce stopped, his hands fisting at his sides as he turned. “I am hanging on by a thread here, babe.”
“What if I wanted you to kiss me? What if you did? What if you let go of that thread for as long as we’re stranded together? What if—”
I didn’t get to finish. In a flash, Pierce closed the distance between us.
And answered my questions with a kiss.
Chapter Eleven
Pierce
Kissing her was reckless. It went against my better judgment, but the moment my lips found hers again, nothing else mattered. Not the past. Not the future. Nothing but Kerrigan.
I slid my tongue against hers in a lazy swirl. The move earned me one of her sultry mewls. Threading my fingers into the hair at her temples, I tugged the strands free from their loose knot. I let myself drown in her for a moment, savoring her taste before moving my lips away from her mouth and down the column of her throat.
“Pierce,” she whispered as her fingertips skimmed my abs.
I found her pulse and sucked, then pulled myself away to search those sparkling eyes. They brimmed with the same desperation that coursed through my veins, filling my blood. It was like being drunk on the most exquisite wine.
“God, how I want you. From the moment I saw you, all I could think about was your mouth.”
She smiled, lifting her hand to my face and letting her palm scrape against my beard. “I wanted to slap you that day on the sidewalk.”
I chuckled. “I deserved it.”
Her other hand rose and with both palms on my jaw, she dragged my mouth to hers. Any hope of keeping control was lost.
I dove into her mouth, finding her tongue ready for a duel. We twisted and tangled together until the kiss wasn’t enough. Wrapping my arms around her, I hauled her flush against my body. Beneath the towel and my board shorts, my cock was painfully hard and I pressed my arousal into her belly.
“More,” she
panted against my lips, her hands roving my shoulders. Her fingertips dug into my skin as they moved, trailing up and down and up again, like she was trying to touch every inch of me.
With a fast swoop, I hoisted her up and off her toes. The towel wrapped around her chest came apart and I ripped it away, letting it drop to the floor with a muted thud.
Kerrigan’s legs wrapped around my hips, dislodging my towel too. We left both in a heap as I pivoted and set her on the island before dotting a trail of nips across the soft, taut skin of her collarbone. Her whimper echoed in the kitchen, the sexiest sound I’d heard in my damn life. It was enough to make me pull away because otherwise I’d be coming in these drenched board shorts.
Sitting on a counter, dressed only in a soaking-wet lingerie set, Kerrigan was temptation personified.
Taking her might be the most selfish thing I’d ever done. There was so much happening in my life, things that I’d been avoiding that would soon be unavoidable. Things I couldn’t explain to her, not now.
I should stop. But I wouldn’t.
I wanted Kerrigan while I still had the ability to want for myself.
“You are beautiful beyond words.”
Her breath hitched. “Pierce.”
“It’s selfish of me to have you.”
“Not if I want you too.” She crooked her finger, beckoning me forward.
Instead, I held out my hand.
She placed her palm in mine without any hesitation and hopped off the counter. Then I hauled her out of the kitchen, heading for the bedroom. Except when her hand ran up my spine as we walked, I didn’t make it past the couch.
The moment my feet hit the plush rug in the living room I spun and slammed my lips on hers. I gave myself one kiss before I started stripping the straps of her bra off her shoulders.
She reached behind her back, freeing the clasp. My hands were on her breasts before the lace could land on the floor by our feet.
“Yes,” she hissed when I kneaded the curves, my fingers finding her pebbled nipples. I’d thought her lips were her most perfect feature, but now that I had my hands on her bare skin, I realized I’d been wrong.
