A Love Like This

by Kianna Alexander

  “Those ended years ago, before I married Natalie.”

  He shrugged. “Then it’s cool with me.”

  “Really?”

  “Hadley’s grown. It’s not really my place to interfere.”

  He nodded, taking in the response. It was lukewarm, neither for or against. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it was just typical Campbell, one of the most laid-back dudes he’d ever known.

  “My only request is this—don’t hurt my sister. If you do, we fighting.”

  “Understood.” Devon expected nothing less, because if he hurt her, he deserved a swift kick.

  “I’m not the one you should be worried about, though. Savion’s the one who’s always trying to tell Hadley what to do.” Campbell chuckled. “She usually does what she wants anyway, but that’s never stopped him from trying.”

  Devon let out a chuckle of his own, one fueled by his nerves. He hadn’t given much thought to Savion, the oldest Monroe sibling. Odds were Savion wouldn’t take too kindly to Devon dating his baby sister. “He’s probably not going to like it. But I don’t intend on letting Savion tell me what to do, either.”

  Maddie returned with their food then, sliding the plates in front of them.

  Digging into his wings, Campbell smiled. “I’m actually looking forward to Savion’s reaction to all this. Should be pretty entertaining.”

  Devon couldn’t help laughing at that. “Hopefully we won’t have to square up.” He picked up his soda and took a long drink.

  “And if it came to that?” Campbell’s eyes widened as he awaited an answer.

  Setting the glass down, Devon looked his friend right in the eye. “Then it’s on. She’s worth it.” He meant every word. He’d had his share of liaisons with women, and he could see Hadley’s worth. It was all over her, glowing as brightly as a neon sign on a moonless night.

  Campbell nodded, his expression showing his approval. “My man.” He offered his fist.

  Bumping fists with Campbell, Devon settled in to his seat and dug in to his meal.

  Chapter 8

  Wednesday afternoon, Hadley arrived at Oceanview Grill at a few minutes past noon. The OG, as the locals called it, was known all over the island for its top-quality seafood prepared on a wood-fired grill. She inhaled the delicious woodsy aroma as she strolled up to the hostess stand and gave her name. Hadley had arrived first, so she followed the hostess to a booth near the rear of the restaurant, situated beneath a large window.

  Settling into the soft brown leather cushion, Hadley picked up one of the two menus the hostess had left on the lacquered wood table. It took her only a few moments to select the day’s special: mesquite salmon with braised brussels sprouts and mushroom risotto. Laying the menu back down, she directed her attention to the view outside the window. The temperature had risen into the sixties today, but the hazy gray sky heralded a coming rainstorm. The restaurant’s perch on a hill overlooking the sand dunes and the Atlantic on the southeastern tip of the island gave it a beautiful view. She stared out to where the water seemed to rise to meet the sky, sighing contentedly.

  I don’t know which is better here—the food or the atmosphere.

  Voices and footsteps near the entrance drew her attention to a view almost as breathtaking as the one outside the window. When she turned her head, she saw Devon approaching the table. He wore a white button-down shirt, dark denim jeans and black moccasins. The top two buttons of the shirt were undone, giving her a view of the powerful, muscled lines of his neck and upper chest. A pair of dark sunglasses were tucked in his shirt pocket. His hazel eyes swept the restaurant’s interior until they landed on her. Then his soft, full lips turned up in a smile that threatened to be her undoing.

  He walked up to the table. “Hello, Hadley. You look beautiful.”

  She felt the warmth filling her cheeks. “Hi, Devon. And, thank you.”

  He slipped into the booth, sliding over until he was in the center of the bench. “Have you been waiting long?”

  She shook her head. “Just a few minutes. The waiter hasn’t even been by yet.”

  He picked up his menu, opening the laminated pages.

  She watched the way his large hands grasped the menu, her mind drifting toward other things he might grip with both hands. How would his hands feel holding her hips that way? And just like that, the familiar tingle rose again. It started at the base of her spine and snaked its way up until the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. What was it about Devon that put her in this state? He made her feel like an enamored teenager.

  “What will you be having today, Miss Monroe?” The waiter’s question drew Hadley back to the present moment.

  Clearing her throat, she passed him the menu. “I’ll have the daily special, please. And an iced tea.” Looking down at the table, she saw the two glasses of ice water and a basket of rolls that had materialized while she’d been lost in her own thoughts.

  Devon handed over his menu, as well. “I’d like the same, with root beer, please.”

  After the waiter left them alone, she turned her attention back to Devon. Thinking of him that way made her smile. “So, how’s your back today?”

  “It’s feeling pretty good. I’ve done my stretches, and I’m taking my meds and staying off the second floor as instructed.” He rested his elbows on the table and laced his long fingers together. “I see you’re still looking out for me.”

  “Now more than ever.” She winked.

  “I think it’s really sweet.” Separating his fingers, he reached out and captured her hands in his. “Now, tell me what’s on your mind.” His golden eyes locked with hers.

  Should I tell him I’m thinking of what it would be like to have him touch me? Her mind wandered back to that night two years ago, when they’d almost kissed. Belinda had stealthily hung a sprig of mistletoe by the front door of the town house, and Hadley had come over to drop off a batch of Christmas cookies from her mom. He’d said something about tradition, and leaned in, but before she could even pucker, the damn sprig fell off the doorframe and landed on the floor. Her cheeks had been so hot, she must have been twelve shades of red as she’d made her hasty retreat.

  Thinking of that now made her feel awkward, so she decided against bringing it up.

  She blinked a few times as she became aware of his scrutiny. “I...uh...” Yes, they were dating now, but she felt their relationship was a little too new for her to unleash her intense physical desire on him. No, it would be better to tell him about the other thing weighing on her mind. “There’s another developer vying to purchase the land we just cleared. It’s the last tract of Monroe family land on the island. We have our own plans, but now things are up in the air.”

  His brow creased. “What developer? And what do they want the land for?”

  She sighed. “The company is called Neville South, and they want to build a tacky, oversize mall filled with nothing but chain stores.”

  “No room for local businesses to rent shops there, I’m guessing?”

  “None. You seem familiar with this type of thing.”

  He shrugged. “I see it in LA all the time. Company swoops in, buys land, pushes folks out and slaps up some pretentious commercial center.”

  She snapped her fingers. “Yes. Exactly that. The only difference is no one lives there, so it seems like an easy, mess-free land grab for Neville South.”

  He shook his head. “Wow. How do your brothers feel about the offer?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Campbell isn’t going to say anything one way or the other—that’s just how he is. But Savion is basically ready to sign the land over.”

  “Why would he do that?” His face showed genuine confusion.

  “Because as part of the deal, Neville South will build some upscale condominiums. They would take on all t
he building costs, but let MHI collect the rental fees and handle the maintenance.” She could imagine how excited her brother had been to hear that part of the deal. The idea of collecting fees on a property MHI didn’t pay to build probably made Savion want to break-dance. The company did far more business in real estate, partly because of the overhead involved in property development.

  “It’s obvious you’re not down with this offer.”

  “That’s an understatement.” She frowned. “I hate everything about it.” She stopped, realizing how negative she sounded. “I don’t want to drag you down with this stuff, Devon.”

  “You’re not.” He gave her hands a squeeze. “This is bothering you, and I want to hear about it.”

  She smiled, despite the bad feelings that had been brought up by talking about Neville South. Gazing into his beautiful eyes, she could see his concern, and that made her comfortable enough to go on. “I’ve lived here most of my life, and I stayed after college even though I had offers to go elsewhere. I love this island, and I know this development will ruin everything that makes it special. Denying the chance for expansion to our local businesses...increasing traffic from the mainland as people flock to these chain stores...more trash... There are so many reasons I oppose it.”

  “You’re pretty fired up about this. Now the question is, what are you going to do about it?” He watched her, awaiting her response.

  Shrugging, she replied, “I don’t know if there’s anything I can do.”

  He gave her a crooked grin. “Come on now. MHI is your family’s company. If you really want to stop this development from happening, I’m sure there’s something you can do.”

  “But what?” She genuinely didn’t know how she could impact the outcome. “Talking to Savion is like talking to a brick wall, and Campbell’s too busy avoiding work to care.”

  “You say you can’t talk to Savion.” He fixed her with a direct, telling look. “Try going over his head.” He released her hands to make room on the table for the plates the waiter brought.

  She mulled over his words. I wonder what Mom and Dad would have to say about this deal?

  * * *

  As they each took their respective plates, Devon stole glances at Hadley. She looked beautiful in the black turtleneck and long denim skirt she wore. Her hair was swept up into a ponytail.

  They shared most of the meal in companionable quiet. By the time dessert came, he found that he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her.

  He watched her lift a forkful of strawberry shortcake to her lips. She opened her mouth, tucked the cake inside and chewed gracefully. Her eyes closed, and a soft groan escaped her throat. The look of pleasure that came over her face affected him more than he would ever have expected.

  She’d only expressed her feelings the night before, and already, he was prepared to act on them. The truth was, she wasn’t the only one with feelings. If he were honest, her admission had given him permission to act on his own attraction to her. It hadn’t always been there, because he’d loved Natalie with all his heart. But as time had passed, putting more and more distance between the loss of his wife and the present, his pain had also lessened, making room for him to notice Hadley’s appeal.

  He started eating but continued to watch Hadley between bites. She continued to wear that blissful expression, giving away her enjoyment of the meal. He wanted to put that look on her face and give her all the pleasure she deserved. But he knew better than to say something like that aloud at this stage in a relationship, most of all in public.

  So he grabbed his glass and took a long swig, willing the icy root beer to cool his hormones as well as his throat. Needing to make conversation to break the tension, he asked, “Did talking about your concerns make you feel a little better?”

  She nodded, taking a sip of her tea. “It did. Thanks.”

  “No problem.” He felt good about helping her on their first official date.

  Laying her fork across her nearly empty plate, she sat back on the bench. “You know, I’m just thinking. Even though we’re just starting out on this relationship journey, I feel really comfortable with you.”

  He nodded. “I agree. I think it’s because we started out being friends. You’ve always been chatty and sweet to me whenever I came into town.” Unable to resist the urge to tease her, he winked. “Last night I found out why.”

  She laughed, shaking her head. “Oh, hush, Devon. You know we’ve always had good chemistry.” She hesitated a moment before her next statement. “I feel like I can trust you.”

  He smiled. “You can.”

  “Do you feel that way about me?”

  “Yes. Everything about you tells me you can be trusted.” He pushed aside his own clean plate, settling his focus on her.

  “Good. So now that we’ve settled that, what’s on your mind? Maybe I can help you out the way you helped me.” She leaned forward again, indicating her interest in whatever he said next.

  He thought about his aspirations to direct. No one knew about them except Rick Rollingsworth, and Devon wasn’t entirely sure Rick had taken him seriously. And even though he sensed Hadley wasn’t the type to make fun of his dreams, he still wasn’t quite ready to tell her about that, at least not in detail. “I’ve been thinking about making a change in my career.”

  She looked thoughtful for a moment. “Oh, you mean not doing your own stunts anymore? You did say it’s hard on the body.”

  I did say that. Since he didn’t want to go into the complexities of his plans, he went along with what she’d mentioned. “Yes. I’m not really into stunt work the way I once was. It’s time for me to move on.”

  “I totally understand, and I agree. I mean, look at all those other big-name actors who don’t do their own stunts but still make a killing doing action films.” She folded her arms over her chest. “There’s no reason you should sacrifice your physical well-being for your work.”

  “You’re right. I’ve already spoken to Rick Rollingsworth about a possible project, one that could take my career in a whole new direction.”

  A bright smile spread across her face, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I love that you get to just call up Rick Rollingsworth and talk to him like a regular person.”

  Her exuberance made him chuckle. “Rick is a regular person.” He paused. “Well, that’s not entirely true. He is strangely obsessed with doing internet searches on himself.”

  “I can’t help but be amazed, though. Weird quirks aside, the man has an impressive body of work, and probably enough Oscars and Golden Globes to fill an entire trophy cabinet.”

  “That’s why I called on him for help with this. Rick’s a good friend, and something of a mentor to me in the business.” He drained the last of his root beer.

  “If anyone can help you, I’m pretty sure he’s got the connections you need.” She turned her head to gaze out the window. “Promise me you’ll go after what you want, Devon.”

  “I will.” He watched her, taking in the regal beauty of her profile. She seemed to be admiring the scenery outside, and the enjoyment of that played over her features. She wore her emotions all over her face, and he knew from that moment that he’d do just about anything to make sure she was always happy.

  Without taking her eyes off the window, she said, “I know you usually like to spend Christmas in quiet reflection and all, but...”

  His brow cocked up. “But what?”

  “My mother asked me to invite you to our house for Christmas dinner.”

  He hesitated.

  She turned his way, her gaze dropping to the table. “Sorry. I just realized how that must have sounded.” Her dark eyes lifted, and she looked right at him. “I would love it if you’d join us for Christmas dinner.”

  “Thank you for the invite.” He had every intention of accepting, but he wanted to tease
her a bit more.

  “I have to warn you, the Monroes are big on Christmas. You can expect a huge tree, gaudy decorations, colored lights, gift exchanges...the whole nine yards.” She smiled nervously. “I know you’re not really into all that, but I’d appreciate it if you came.”

  “Will there be mistletoe?” He fixed her with a sly look, as if it weren’t obvious why he’d posed the question.

  She blushed. “Yes. Typically, no one makes use of it except Mom and Dad...”

  “We’ll just have to remedy that, won’t we?” He winked.

  The blush coloring her cheeks deepened in response, and she looked away.

  “Don’t get shy on me now, Hadley. We’re in this thing, for real.”

  The waiter appeared then. As if he sensed he might be intruding, he quietly placed the bill on the table and slipped away.

  Devon picked up the black leather folio, tucking a fifty-dollar bill inside. The amount covered both their meals, as well as a generous tip for their server. Then he stood, rounding the table, and offered his hand to help Hadley up from her seat. “Are you ready, baby?”

  He’d thought her cheeks couldn’t get any redder. But somehow they did as she accepted his hand. “Sure.” Once she was on her feet, she slung her purse strap over her shoulder.

  With a gentle tug, he pulled her into his embrace. “You seem a little nervous about the whole mistletoe thing. So, let’s practice.”

  And before she could utter another word, he pressed his lips to hers. She was a little stiff at first, as if the kiss caught her off guard. Within seconds, she relaxed, draping her graceful arms around his shoulders.

  He kissed her long and deep, ignoring the few other people in the restaurant. And when he released her, breaking the seal of their lips, she sighed softly.

  Pleased that he could get her to make that sound, he smiled and escorted her out of the restaurant.

  Chapter 9

  Hadley entered the family room at her parents’ house quietly that evening. She’d come straight there after leaving the office, hoping to act on Devon’s advice about going over her brothers’ heads. In any other instance, she might have waited awhile and taken a shot at reasoning with Savion, but with so much at stake, she didn’t want to risk wasting valuable time.