by Kristi Gold
“You could say that. My sister-in-law, Corri.”
“That makes sense,” she said. “All the girls at the spa watch her show during afternoon break. She’s an incredible chef. But how did you sneak her in here without me knowing it?”
“She came earlier today and cooked everything in advance. And in the hour and a half it took you to get ready, I had plenty of time to take my shower upstairs and heat everything up.”
“Sorry. I had to wash—”
“Your hair.” And it looked damn good. He imagined it smelled good, too. “I thought we’d eat on the veranda since it’s still pretty nice outside.”
“That sounds great,” she said. “I can’t remember the last time I dined outside.”
He couldn’t recall the last time he’d been this anxious about impressing a woman. Yeah, he could. Never. “Go have a seat. I’ll be right out with the food.”
Erica walked onto the veranda while Kieran retired to the kitchen. Fortunately, Corri had made it relatively easy for him. She’d put the entrée and vegetables on oven-proof plates, so he only had to heat and serve the food on the patio table that she’d set up for the meal.
When he slid the plate in front of Erica a few minutes later, she frowned. “Is this shrimp scampi?”
Damn, he’d messed up for sure. “You don’t like it.”
She unfolded her napkin and laid it on her lap. “No. I love it. But it’s not the least bit lo-cal.”
Kieran pulled a lighter from the pocket in his slacks and lit the candles centered on the table. “Corri made alterations at my request, so it doesn’t have the normal high-caloric count.”
She smiled. “I appreciate that you thought about me when you planned the meal. In fact, you’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”
He sure as hell hoped so. “It’s not just for you. The only time I stray off course from a healthy diet is once, maybe twice a week, when my mother cooks.”
She took a bite and closed her eyes briefly. “This is incredible. Be sure to thank Corri for me.”
He’d already thanked Corri both for the meal and her promise not to give any details to Aidan. Of course, his brother would probably attempt to pry it out of her using bedroom tactics, but he sure as hell didn’t need to consider anything that might go on in anyone’s bedroom. He was having enough trouble ignoring visions of what he wanted to go on in his bedroom with Erica. Watching her eat wasn’t helping, either. Every time she took a bite, his attention turned to her mouth. At this rate, he’d never choke down his own meal, or be able to stand up without risking embarrassment over his lack of control.
Through basic conversation and sheer determination, Kieran willed himself to calm down and managed to eat. Afterward, he cleared the table, refusing Erica’s offer of help. He soon returned with chocolate-covered strawberries and a bottle of expensive champagne.
After he doled out the strawberries on two dessert plates and poured the champagne, Erica accepted the glass but waved off the fruit. “Chocolate isn’t on my diet.”
He pushed the plate toward her. “Like I’ve said before, Erica, moderation is the key. You can have one or two to satisfy the natural cravings for something sweet.”
He had a craving for something sweet right now. And she was sitting across from him.
“I suppose you’re right.” She bit into one strawberry then closed her eyes briefly. “These are so good, they’re sinful.”
He’d never seen anyone eat fruit so damn seductively. And when the breeze kicked up, he also noticed she’d begun to develop goosebumps. He could offer her a jacket or take the party back inside. Back inside appeared to be the way to go, he decided, when his gaze wandered to her breasts where he discovered confirmation she was, in fact, cold. And he was getting hotter by the minute.
After picking up the bottle and his glass, he said, “Bring your champagne before you freeze to death and follow me inside.” Where he could keep her warm.
Once inside the house, they sat on the floor with their backs to the coffee table, at Erica’s request, so they could continue to enjoy the view. Kieran had a great view of her legs where the skirt rode up above her knee. He wanted to explore the terrain with his hands but instead raised his glass for a toast. “Happy Birthday.”
She tipped her flute to his. “So far it is a very happy birthday.”
When Erica looked wistful, Kieran became concerned. “What are you thinking about?” Hopefully not a quick exit.
“I was just trying to remember the last time I really celebrated my birthday outside of the spa. It was the year after Jeff and I married. He threw a party for me at our campus apartment. We had a really nice time.”
One question weighed heavily on Kieran’s mind. A question he probably shouldn’t ask, but he had to know. “What was your husband like?”
She smiled. “Just your average farm boy. Fairly serious. Old-fashioned.”
“How so?”
She sighed. “When Stormy was going through all the surgery, he held down two jobs to make ends meet. I offered to get a part-time job so he could spend some time with the baby, but he believed that Stormy should be my sole focus while he went out and earned the living. Unfortunately, that work ethic resulted in his death.”
Kieran briefly debated whether he should stop the conversation now, but he sensed she wanted to talk. “In what way?”
“According to his coworkers, he wasn’t paying attention and drove the forklift into some kind of pallets, causing a beam to fall on him.”
“Then it happened instantly.”
“No. He lived for about an hour. By the time I made it to the hospital, though, it was too late to tell him goodbye. If I didn’t have reason enough to hate hospitals after all of Stormy’s treatments, I did after that day. I started having panic attacks every time I walked inside one, but I had to work through it for Stormy’s sake. Fortunately, I haven’t had to worry about that in the past five years.”
He couldn’t begin to comprehend what she’d faced, but he admired her that much more after learning the details. “That must’ve been tough, losing him and having to take care of Stormy by yourself.”
“I managed because I had no choice. Thing is, because Jeff was so bent on paying the bills, I had no idea our financial situation was so grim.”
“You did get a settlement, right?”
She took a drink of champagne. “Two years later. It was enough to cover the medical bills incurred after Jeff’s death, my tuition and to start a small educational trust fund for Stormy. It might have been more if they hadn’t considered Jeff at fault. I resented him for not getting enough rest and for not telling me we were so broke. I was angry at him for dying.”
A long moment of silence passed before Erica added, “I’ve never admitted that to anyone. I’m not sure I’ve ever admitted it to myself.”
Kieran draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against his side. “Isn’t anger one of those phases you talked about on Thanksgiving?”
She ran a fingertip around the rim of the flute. “Yes, but I stayed in that phase longer than I should have. I hated not having someone in my bed at night to tell me that everything was going to be okay. Then one day I realized that I couldn’t go on with my life if I stayed angry with him. I finally accepted that no one can prepare for the horrible twists and turns fate sometimes hands you.”
He hadn’t prepared for her at all. “You’re a survivor, Erica. You’ve also raised a great kid. That’s something to be proud of.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I am proud of Stormy, but I’m not proud that I let myself go.”
He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re working to change that, and doing a damn good job. You look sexy as hell.”
Her smile lit up her face. “You think so?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s killing me not to touch you the way I really want to touch you. But I’m not going to do that unless I’m sure that’s what you want.”
She lowered her eyes and toyed with the hem of her skirt. “There wasn’t anyone before Jeff, and there hasn’t been anyone since.”
Information he didn’t take lightly. “I’m not going to do anything to hurt you, Erica. I only want to make you feel good.”
She centered her gaze on his eyes. “No more worries about what Candice Conrad might say?”
“Unless Candice is hiding out in the closet, she’s not going to know what happens between us unless one of us tells her.”
“I have a ten o’clock appointment in the morning.”
This was the part that could make or break the evening. “I told Joanie that if you’re not at the spa by eight-thirty, she’s to start canceling your appointments. And I’m willing to throw in a few more training sessions free of charge if you’ll agree.”
Thankfully, she didn’t try to punch him out, but she did say, “I really can’t afford to lose the business or the wages.”
He hadn’t even considered that. “I could loan you the money if you need it.” Damn, he sounded almost desperate.
“Wouldn’t that make me a paid escort?” she asked in a teasing tone.
Kieran hadn’t stopped to consider how his offer might be interpreted in that way. “Sorry. That’s not what I intended. I’m just trying to find a way to spend the weekend together without causing you any hardship.” He just wanted to be with her that badly.
“The whole weekend, huh?” She threaded her bottom lip between her teeth and looked thoughtful. “I do have only two clients scheduled. One of them is new and one of them never tips. I could make up the pay next week by taking an extra appointment on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.”
Kieran didn’t want to pressure her, but he didn’t want to leave tonight, either. He brushed a kiss across her forehead, determined to ask one more time before accepting defeat or victory. “Stay with me tonight, Erica. I promise you won’t regret it.”
Kieran held his breath when Erica didn’t immediately answer. He released it slowly when she stood and held out her hands to him. “I’ll stay.”
Chapter Ten
It had come down to this—those crucial moments following the decision she had made. A decision she couldn’t—wouldn’t—take back now.
As she followed Kieran past the kitchen, her hand firmly in his, Erica’s initial wariness turned into anticipation over what would come next. Her excitement accelerated, along with her pulse, when they entered his bedroom. She reached out to touch his face, to see if he was real, this beautiful man who wanted to be with her—Erica Stevens, a small-town girl who at one time had big dreams. She suspected he would make a few of her secret dreams come true in a matter of minutes.
He lifted her hand, turned it over and kissed her palm. “Have you ever fantasized about making love on a beach?”
She released a tense laugh. “What, and invite sand in places no sand belongs?”
“Don’t ruin my attempts at romance,” he said, fortunately with a smile.
“Sorry. I haven’t had a lot of fantasies in the past few years.” Until the day she’d met him.
“What if I bring the beach to us?”
Erica’s curiosity climbed. “How do you propose to do that?”
Kieran let her go, walked to the nightstand, picked up a remote control and aimed it at the windows across the lengthy room. With the push of a button, the wall of glass parted, revealing the veranda and the beach beyond. The slight breeze coming off the ocean and the sound of gently lapping waves filtered into the room, creating an ambience that filled Erica with a heady sense of freedom.
She wondered what other magic he had in store for her in the next few moments, though she was already sufficiently under his spell. “Unbelievable,” she murmured when he circled his arms around her and pulled her close.
“Let me know if you get too cold,” he said. “I have enough heat for both of us.”
She didn’t doubt that for a moment. “Does the bed do something special, like maybe vibrate?”
“Not unless we’re in it, making it vibrate. But we’re not going to bed. Yet.”
He strode to the closet and returned with several blankets along with a few pillows piled in his arms. “Our own private beach and not a grain of sand in sight,” he said as he arranged the bedding on the floor a few feet away from the open windows.
Yes, he’d thought of everything, but Erica guessed he wasn’t quite done yet. He confirmed that when he said, “Come here,” in a voice so deep and persuasive, she could listen to him for hours on end. But she wanted more than just the sound of his voice. She wanted everything he had to give her.
When Kieran held out his hand, Erica didn’t hesitate to go to him. She readily accepted his deep, methodical kiss designed to entice her. And it worked extremely well. By the time they parted, she eagerly waited for him to take her down for the count on the floor beneath her feet. Instead, he tipped his forehead against hers and asked, “Are you nervous?”
Nervous, a little. Excited—very. “You could say that.”
“You don’t need to be. We’re going to go slowly.”
Hadn’t she heard that from him before? Besides, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go slowly. Clearly Kieran had other ideas, she decided, as he knelt down and removed her heels, one at a time. After he skimmed his palms up her legs and brought them to rest immediately beneath her hem, he placed a kiss above each knee. Then he inched the skirt up while Erica looked down on the surreal scene. She fisted her hands at her sides, practically paralyzed from the featherlight touch of his tongue along her inner thighs, first one, and then the other. Yet he didn’t travel all that far. At least not as far as she would have liked before he straightened and stood. But the night was still very young, and anything was possible.
After moving her hair aside, he pressed a kiss below her collarbone. “I’ve wanted to do that all night.” He kissed her above her right breast. “And that.” He searched for the tie securing her blouse at her neck. “And this, too.”
Overcome with a sudden bout of self-consciousness, Erica reached back and clasped his hand before he had the ribbon undone. “Could we turn out the lights, please?”
He presented a wry grin. “I don’t see well in the dark.”
“And I’m not twenty anymore.”
“Twenty-year-olds don’t interest me. But if you’re more comfortable without the lights, no problem.”
Kieran walked to the switch, undoing the buttons on his shirt as he went. The room went dark except for a blue glow from a three-quarter moon reflecting off the water and a series of solar lights lining the boardwalk. When he returned to her, enough illumination still existed for Erica to see his shirt was completely gone. She certainly wasn’t nervous now. She was captivated. While he stood quietly watching, she investigated the details of his chest with her fingertips, this time as a woman, not as a therapist. She traced the outline of his biceps, the curve of his shoulders before sliding her palms down his belly, his abdominals contracting at her touch. She switched her focus to his back for the time being, and followed the track of his spine down to his remarkable butt. She wanted to know that territory without the constraints of clothing, but it seemed Kieran was bent on removing her clothes first.
When she felt the release of her skirt’s clasp and the downward track of the zipper, she shivered slightly. When the fabric slid down her legs to the floor to join her shoes, she started to shake.
“Are you cold?” Kieran whispered, his breath warm and soft against her ear.
She stepped out of the skirt and nudged it aside with her foot. “Just the opposite.”
“Good.” Leaving one hand on her waist, he fished through his pocket with the other and withdrew a condom that he tossed onto the makeshift beach.
He again tugged on the tie at her neck. “Mind if I take care of this now?”
Erica could only nod as he released the ribbon, causing the bodice to fall. Then he simply stood there and studied her before a smile gradually appeared. “Y
ou’re beautiful.”
She’d never considered herself beautiful before, but Kieran’s assurances could convince her otherwise, at least for tonight, while the lights were dim.
Kieran pulled the blouse over her head and tossed it over his shoulder. Aside from her panties, she was now totally bare to his eyes, bare for his touch. Yet he didn’t touch her. He did take a seat in a nearby chair to remove his shoes and socks, all the while keeping an eye on her, as if sizing her up. She wanted to cover herself at first, but the more he looked, the more she wanted him to look. If he found her lacking, he certainly didn’t show it. On the contrary, he came back to her quickly and his subsequent kiss was longer than the last. More suggestive than the last.
After a time, he stepped back, his hand poised on his fly. “Have you changed your mind?”
“No.” Even that simple word took great effort.
And then the slow part kicked back in, when Kieran began to remove his slacks and briefs. She questioned if he was taunting her, or perhaps giving her another chance to reconsider. But how on earth could she when he stood there, completely nude and unmistakably wanting her?
He only allowed her a few moments to look before he brought her down on the blanket in his arms, her panties the only barrier between them. But he disposed of those swiftly, leaving more soft kisses in their wake before he worked his way back up her body. Erica dearly wanted to touch him and as if he’d read her mind, he turned her to face him, laid her palm against his chest, then slowly, slowly moved it downward. Down his ridged abdomen. Down past the slight indentation of his navel. Down to the final destination. Such a long time, she thought as she investigated the nuances with curious and careful hands. Such a long time since she’d enjoyed the feel of a man, the sound of his ragged breathing when she explored without hesitation, the tension in his body when she’d pushed him to the edge.
“That’s enough,” Kieran muttered as he clasped her wrist and brought her palm back against his chest. “Your hands are one of your best features. But only one of the best.”
When Kieran nudged her onto her back and closed his mouth over her breast, Erica’s entire body reacted to the pull of his lips, the circular motion of his tongue. Even the breeze streaming in from outside didn’t alleviate the heat resulting from a need that had been dormant for a very long time. An odd, throaty sound escaped from her lips and that might have embarrassed her had Kieran not responded by guiding his hand between her thighs.
