He didn’t believe her, but had to give her credit for coming up with something so quick. But the guilty looks on both Drea and Dalton’s faces told him that there was way more to the story.
“Whatever,” he scoffed and took off down the hall.
Kyle burst into the kitchen, not bothering to care if the door slammed behind him. He wasn’t entirely sure exactly why he was so mad, but seeing the two of them together had ignited something in him. She told him last night there was nothing going on...with Brig. But if there was nothing with Brig, certainly there wasn’t something with Dalton. Dalton had been out with Staci. And Drea...Drea had been in his lap, kissing him back, moaning out his name. Pulling out one of the chairs from the family table, he threw himself into it and pounded his fist on the table.
“Something the matter, son?” Miller’s voice came from behind him.
“No, yes. I dunno.”
“Girl trouble?” Miller slid into the seat across from him, wiping his hands on his apron.
Kyle looked up at him. “No,” he lied.
“We don’t need to get into specifics, son, but how about we stick to the truth.”
“Okay, yeah. It’s about a girl.”
“I’m gonna wager a guess that if it’s evoking this kind of emotion, you got pretty strong feelings for her.”
“I don’t know what I’m feeling. I mean, I do, but, I don’t know.”
Miller chuckled, relaxing back into his seat, sliding down a bit. “That pretty much sums up how I felt when I met Marta. She twisted me into knots. One minute I was high as a kite, the next, I was raging because someone said ‘excuse me’ to her on the street.”
“So what’d you do about it?”
“I told her how I felt. Told her I was crazy about her and I had no idea what I was doing, but whatever it was, I wanted her there by my side. When she told me she felt the same, well, that was easily the best damn feeling in the world,” he sighed, taking a moment to relish the memory. He looked back up and straight at Kyle. “Your girl share your feelings?”
“I’m not sure. I thought so, but, now, now I’m confused.”
“Well, son, you’re never going to be anything but confused unless you remove your head from your ass and go talk to her. And I mean really talk with her, let her be heard. I don’t mean just listening. Hear what she is telling you, with her words and her heart.”
The kitchen door burst open again and Dalton plowed through, making his way over to Kyle.
“What the fuck was that, dude? Your granny panties in a wad?” he accused, stopping dead in front of Kyle.
Kyle stood up, billowing out his chest like an angry bird trying to defend its nest. “Really? You’re gonna ask me what the fuck that was? I think you’ve got plenty of explaining to do yourself.”
“Why don’t you boys take this out back? I am probably not the person who you should be having this discussion in front of,” Miller said, not bothering to get up from the table.
“Good call,” Kyle ground out. He turned, stomping out the back door of the kitchen, with Dalton on his heels.
Once they were both outside and the door had closed, they turned to face each other, arms crossed, scowls across their faces.
“Kyle, do you really, for one fucking second, think that there was something to that back there?”
“I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“Well, whose fault is that?”
“Mine, damn it, I get that,” Kyle shouted.
“Something you wanna share?”
Kyle turned and paced a little in the alleyway. He knew he could trust Dalton. He was his first mate and, really, his closest friend. He just wasn’t so sure about saying the words out loud. But he supposed he was going to have to at some point, and better to Dalton than to any of her uncles.
“I kissed Drea last night,” he answered, looking up to meet Dalton’s gaze.
“Fuck yeah, dude!” Dalton held out his fist. Kyle bumped it with his. “About fucking time!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Seriously? Kyle, we’ve been friends for three years. You think I don’t see the way you look at her. Like she walks on friggin’ water?”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh. So, what’s this mean?”
“How the hell am I supposed to know?”
“So, I take it you two didn’t talk in the middle of all this kissing?”
“No,” Kyle said, turning to pace again. “I, uh, kinda just up and left after I did it. I was on my way to find her to talk to her when I saw the two of you coming out of Leona’s office and…” he trailed off.
“And lost your shit?” Dalton finished. Kyle nodded. “Well, dude, only one thing left to do now.”
“Yeah?” Kyle asked. “What’s that?”
“Grovel.”
Chapter Twelve
After a run that did nothing to help clear her head, and a shower that only left her wishing that Kyle had been in there with her, Drea made her way to the docks. On any other day she would have been thrilled that this afternoon’s cruise was just an older couple who wanted to hang out on the water and relax. But knowing that she wouldn’t have the buffer of guests and unsure what kind of mood Kyle was in left her feeling uneasy.
She hadn’t seen either him or Dalton after they both took off. Not that she had looked very hard. Leona had pulled her back into her office to finish off their coffee, waiting to see if either one of the boys showed up. When neither of them did, they eventually made their way to the kitchen where they found Miller all by himself, other than the miscellaneous staff scurrying around him. She had to fight the urge to ask him if he’d seen the boys, and if Kyle had mentioned why he was so upset. But she knew better; just because Miller had been her go-to for many years when she needed a shoulder to cry on didn’t mean he would be where Kyle turned. In fact, she would probably put money on Miller and the rest of her uncles being part of why Kyle bolted last night.
Hopping up onto the Runnin’ Down a Dream, she pulled the little Bluetooth speaker from underneath the bar and connected her phone. While her uncles and the boys were pretty much strictly classic rock listeners, Drea’s taste ventured out a little more. Not that she didn’t love the epic rock ballads she’d grown up listening to, but when she was by herself her country music guilty pleasure took over. Turning to her “current favorites” playlist, she cranked the music and started on some of the cleaning they had skipped yesterday due to the family meeting. Three or four songs in she had finally found a rhythm and had started to dance around the boat as she wiped surfaces down.
As she moved, she thought about what Leona had said the other day, about her bringing up her “big idea” to her uncles. It wasn’t that she didn’t love working on the boats—she did. But sometimes she just wanted more. She wanted to be able to have a bigger stake in the family business and have something that was her own, like each one of her uncles did. However, she also knew, as showcased by Grayson’s comments later that evening, that she was still a kid to them. The idea that she take on more responsibility was probably not something that had ever even crossed their minds. But, just as she said to Leona, maybe someday.
“You know that’s not really all that long, right?” Kyle said, startling Drea out of her zone.
“What?” she asked, turning away from the bar to face him.
“Ten thousand hours—it’s like, just over four hundred days or something like that. So, it’s not really all that long that he’s promising her.”
“Well, I can’t speak for Dan and Shay, but I’m pretty sure that no one has really ever looked to the Biebs for his math skills. Kind of like how no one ever really called out those weird British guys for walking 500 miles.”
“They were Scottish. And they offered to walk 500 more.”
“Right, how could I forget.”
She looked away from him, out over the marina, afraid to make eye contact. It was killing her to feel so awkward standing there with him
. She never felt awkward with Kyle—part of the beauty of their relationship was the comfort and ease that had always been so natural. But now, she didn’t know what to do. She wanted to throw her arms around him and hug him just as much as she wanted to smack him across the face and scream at him for being a jackass.
“I owe you about eighty-two different apologies right now,” he started. “And I’m not entirely sure that there is anything I can do or say to make up for the way I acted last night.”
“Kyle,” she exhaled.
“No, sweetness, please let me finish,” he said, putting his index finger up to her lips softly. “I know I acted like a dick. I know I probably made you feel so, so small and worthless and that wasn’t my intent at all. And I know this is probably the worst place ever to be doing this, other than maybe the family table, but I need you to know that I would never, ever do anything to hurt you.”
Drea just stood there, frozen in place. Her mind was running a million miles a minute trying to figure out exactly what he was saying. Which thing was he sorry for? Last night? This morning? Both? She opened her mouth to respond, but couldn’t find words to express her wild emotions.
“I know we need to talk more, like an actual real conversation, and that we don’t have time for it here and now,” he added. “But before we do anything else, I need to know that you forgive me and are willing to hear me out about last night. And maybe pretend this morning didn’t happen.”
He cupped her face in his hands and looked directly into her eyes. She sighed, unsure if it was from relief or from just how good his hands felt on her skin. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head forward, and he did the same, until their foreheads met. They stood there like that for a long moment, just the two of them soaking in the other.
“Oops, looks like we’ve interrupted a moment!” they heard an older male voice say. Drea broke away from Kyle and looked over to the pier where they found Mr. and Mrs. Prage standing.
“No, no, Mr. Prage, you’re not interrupting anything,” she said, turning down her music, and she and Kyle headed over to help them onto the boat.
“Are you sure, dear?” Mrs. Prage asked.
“If you two need to finish making up, we can come back a little later,” Mr. Prage added.
“It’s not that,” Kyle said.
“Don’t bullshit me, boy, if you’ll pardon my language,” Mr. Prage said. “You don’t spend fifty-seven years with a person and not know a makeup scene when it happens.”
“You guys have been married for fifty-seven years?” Drea asked.
“We’ve been married for fifty-four, but we’ve been together since I was fifteen, got married shortly after my eighteenth birthday,” Mrs. Prage answered proudly.
“Well, that is certainly impressive. So, where can we take you lovebirds today?” Kyle asked.
“We’re just in this for a nice, calm, peaceful day out on the water. Maybe some snorkeling, definitely some sun,” Mrs. Prage answered.
“And my beautiful bride would like to watch the sunset over the water, if that’s possible. If there is an extra charge for keeping you two after dark then I’ll gladly pay it.”
“Oh no, Mr. Prage, we will gladly take you to the perfect spot to watch the sunset. We know just the spot, don’t we, Kyle?”
“We sure do.”
“Please, it’s Jack, and my beautiful bride is Diane.”
“You’re Jack and Diane?” The Prages just nodded.
“Oh, you just made his little classic-rock-loving heart very, very happy,” Drea laughed.
“Well, Jack, Diane, we’re gonna have a good day!” Kyle said, high-fiving them. “Let’s get started!”
The Prages started to get settled in with all their stuff while Kyle and Drea went back to the bar area to do the final few things before they could set sail. When he was pretty sure the Prages weren’t looking, he pulled her close again, wrapping his arms around her.
“So, are we okay? I know we need to talk, and I promise we will, but I need to know we’re okay.”
“Yes,” she nodded. “We’re okay. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I am looking forward to what you have to say for yourself.”
“Oh baby, I promise it’ll be worth it.” He kissed her forehead before hopping up to the captain’s perch.
Kyle kept himself up in the captain's chair all day, fighting every urge he had to go down to Drea and scoop her up. She was wearing that purple bikini again—he was pretty sure she’d done it to punish him. Bouncing around to her music, which Diane had insisted she leave on when Drea had gone to turn it off prior to setting sail, had her shaking her hips back and forth, jiggling her breasts as she went. He had wanted to go down and dance with her while the older couple was in the water snorkeling, but felt it was probably best to give her some space while they were working.
He could hear the older couple settling in on the trampolines up front, getting ready to watch the sunset. Drea had popped open a bottle of champagne for them and Mr. Prage was wrapping his wife up in a light blanket before settling in behind her and pulling her close.
Hearing her feet on the steps up to his perch, Kyle turned to see Drea headed up to him, two cups of champagne in her hands.
“Hey,” she said softly.
“Hey back,” he answered.
“Figured you’d want some too.”
“I do believe this is technically against policy, Miss Miller,” he smirked.
“I got an in with the boss,” she giggled. “But I won’t tell if you won’t.”
He took both cups from her and put them on the little shelf next to the steering wheel, and pulled her all the way up to the top of the stairs. It took a moment of maneuvering, but he scooted all the way back in his chair and opened his legs wide to slide her in between him and the wheel, pulling her closer, his legs swinging around her legs and holding her at the knees.
“Drea,” he sighed. “You know you mean the world to me, right?”
“Yeah, I get it,” she said, looking down.
The devastated look on her face was like a punch to the gut. What did she think was about to happen? He knew she was hurt and confused, and that it was all his fault, but the look on her face said more than just confusion. She was obviously a lot more upset than he realized, and he could kick himself for being the one to put that look on her face.
“Dre, just what do you think you get?” he asked, trying to not sound accusatory.
“I’m great, I’m just the coolest chick, but you didn’t mean it last night, you just want to be friends, all that. I get it, it’s, I—”
He cut her off, pulling her in close and kissing her. The moment his lips met hers, she let out a little whimper. He slowly moved his lips with hers, letting his tongue dip into her mouth, lightly licking the inside of her lower lip. She greeted his tongue with hers, letting them play inside her mouth for a moment, before he pulled back slightly, capturing her bottom lip with his teeth and nibbling lightly before letting go. When he finally pulled away fully, the look of sadness in her eyes was gone, this time replaced with what appeared to be a little glimmer of hope.
“Dre, if that’s what you think, then no, sweetness, I don’t think you do get it.”
She stood there, quietly searching his eyes with hers, her fingers lightly sweeping back and forth on her bottom lip. He took in a slow, deep breath waiting for her to say something. He silently hoped that he had done the right thing, that he’d expressed to her exactly what they both had been feeling. She looked down again and then out over the ocean.
“Dre, please say something.”
She slowly shifted from foot to foot as she turned her head back toward him. Just as he was letting out another long, slow breath, she forcefully grabbed his face and pushed their lips together for another kiss. She kissed him hard and fast, as if she only had so much time until they were ripped apart. He slowed down her movements with his lips, taking control and enjoying each second their lips were touching.
Eve
r so slowly, she stepped back again. Breathing heavy, she opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
“I have wanted to do that for so long,” she finally said.
“Me too, sweetness, me too,” he whispered. He could feel her body relax as she leaned into him fully and rested her head on his shoulder. “And last night was anything but a mistake. The only mistake was how I handled it.”
“Why did you run away?”
“Because I’m an idiot.” She pulled back and looked at him. “Can we just go with ‘guys are dumb’?”
“No.”
“Ok, well, I tried,” he shrugged. “Drea, you mean so fucking much to me and I have wanted to kiss you for what feels like forever. But I held back because I came down here for a reason, and a relationship just wasn’t on the to-do list. Especially a relationship with the bosses’ niece. I’ve had it in my head that I couldn’t do both. I couldn’t work and save money and be the man you needed me to be.”
“So what changed?”
“Grayson called me a chickenshit.”
“What?! You talked to Uncle Gray about me?”
“No, no! His advice was out of the blue, and I don’t think it was really about you, but he just told me I had to stop being a chickenshit. And then I saw you with the meathead and I wanted to deck him. Last night when you were upset about that dumb blonde, I realized that you, at least on some level, felt the same way I did. I just couldn’t hold back anymore.”
“So, now what?”
“You tell me, baby, you tell me. I want you. I want you so, so bad. And by that I mean you, not just your body, please know that. Although you have to stop wearing that suit into work if you think I’m going to function.” She giggled, and that sound went straight to his groin, making him instantly hard. “And the giggles, we might need to cut back on those at work too.” He smiled. “But seriously Dre, if you want to tell me to take a hike, I get it. You have every reason to after the way I acted last night.”
Can't Fight This Feeling (Indigo Royal Resort Book 1) Page 9
