She laughed. “Peppermint.”
“I do love candy canes.” He coiled her hair around his hand and pulled her head back. He used his teeth on the column of her neck. A caress of lips and teeth with a hint of the tip of his tongue.
He scooted back on the bed, dragging her with him. Her shirt sailed over her head and off the edge of the bed, and then his mouth was there. On her. He cupped her small breasts in his hands and took long pulls on each nipple until they were so distended she was afraid the pleasure would drive her mad.
She reached between them and cupped his sac, then curled around his shaft. “Inside me. Just like this. Nothing but us.”
SHANE PUSHED HIMSELF into her hand. The thought of sliding into her without any protection, without any barriers, was enough to suck the last of the blood out of his brain and put it firmly in his cock.
Just once? Hell, he knew he’d want it all the time.
But he couldn’t say no to her here in the dark.
Insulated with shadow and silence—even the scent of her was different—there was no way he could say no.
He rolled down his boxers and moaned when she took him in hand, leading him into her swollen heat. He dropped onto his back, his chest arching with each inch that she took. She rose over him, her head back in pleasure as she rode him.
He splayed his fingers over her belly; he ground the heel of his hand over her mound. Part of him wanted to reach for the light. To watch them coming together. With each fisting clasp of her body, he wanted to see his cock disappear into her again and again. But there was something to be said for the darkness.
She couldn’t see just how gone he was.
How easily she’d driven him to that edge of lust and tipped him over into love. Loving her wasn’t smart, and it wasn’t well-timed, but it was one of the truest things he’d ever known.
Kendall fell forward, her hair a curtain of moonlight in the near dark. He banded his arms around her back and held her tightly. The tremble of her body and her hitching breath gave him the last bit of permission to finish. Needs denied for so long and the precious perfection of her welcoming body killed what was left of his willpower.
He drove his cock into her. The warm, wet glide of her pussy along with her sharp scent was all he needed. He came inside her. The mix of their scents and the overwhelming exhaustion slapped him in the face, and he collapsed under her.
With just enough presence of mind to make sure Kendall was okay, he rolled them both onto their sides. He buried his nose in her neck and soothed her with a light stroke down her hip.
The next time he truly woke, sunlight spilled into their room, and they’d created a cocoon of warmth under the blankets. Naked, sated, and still a little drunk on lack of sleep, he dozed again.
Sometime later she slipped away from him to go to the window, drawing the curtains wider. Propping his head on his hand, he yawned and was struck dumb by Kendall in full sunlight.
He rolled out of bed and slid an arm around her. She smiled up at him. “Quite the view.”
“Yes, it is.”
Her smile broadened, and she leaned back against him. “The snow, Shane.”
“That’s impressive too.”
She turned in his arms, and he kissed her. He wanted nothing more than to drag her back into that huge bed and use it properly, but they needed to get on the road. “Why don’t you order up some breakfast, and I’ll take a shower.”
“Good idea.” She stepped away and grabbed a menu.
After showering and managing to hack down his steadily growing beard with his electric trimmer, he opened the door to the scent of bacon and syrup. Following his rumbling stomach, he snagged a pancake off her plate and wrapped it around two pieces of bacon.
“Hey now!”
He grinned around his minisandwich. “Smells awesome.”
She nodded to the other plate with a cover on it. “That’s yours.”
“I’ll take that too.”
She caged her mug with her fingers. “You’re not stealing my coffee.”
He looked down at her coffee, if that was what she wanted to call it—it was practically white with cream, and he was pretty sure there would be a layer of sugar at the bottom. “That’s all right.”
“Don’t sneer at me, Oscar.”
He hiked his towel on his hip and sat down. The domesticity felt good and right. He was pretty sure he’d be happy sniping over breakfast with her every morning of his life. The fact that it didn’t scare him into jackrabbiting for the door like it usually did was one more tick in the future-looking-bright column.
She was right; the plows had been out, and the road was wet with salt and melting snow. Already the sun was beaming down and cars were on the road. Maybe they wouldn’t lose the entire Thanksgiving.
In fact, a new plan was forming. With the B and B becoming part of his future, perhaps he could find a space for himself on the property and work on his furniture during the downtimes between helping Kendall with the Heron.
She probably wouldn’t need that much help from him since she was so self-sufficient. They wouldn’t step on each other’s toes, and just maybe a steady future was ahead of them. He was actually looking forward to it.
He packed them up as she finished in the bathroom. She came out in his oversize thermal shirt and a tight pair of jeans. With her hair slicked back in a tail, she looked fresh and ready to go.
“Ready, Sunshine?”
She tucked her hands into her back pockets with a distracted smile. “Yes.”
“Did you call your mom?”
“I will in the car.”
He nodded, unsure why she was so restless. “Everything good?”
“What?”
“You good?”
“Oh, yes. Of course.” She flashed him her fake smile and picked up her knapsack. He followed her out the door with a frown.
The drive was quiet. The snow blanketed everything in a fresh coat of white. Branches sagged under the heavy, wet snow. One thing he’d noticed driving into the Northeast was that the roads all seemed to look the same.
There was no artistry to the thruway, just endless exits and state troopers dotting every third speed trap between the east- and westbound traffic. The closer they got to Grafton State Park, the tighter Kendall curled into herself.
Bradley Lake was on the edges of the state park. Trees and a glass-smooth expanse of water hugged the road. Bare fingers of tree branches reached for the water. It was probably quite lovely when it was in full greenery.
But even with the wintry gray pallor to the tree branches, it had a stark loveliness that California simply didn’t. Clouds streaked the sky, leaving a wake of blue sky like an after burn. She’d said it was lovely, but he hadn’t been prepared for just how much.
He’d loved the breakers off Monterey for the majority of his life, but he found that the serene stones and trees suited him.
“This way?”
She nodded. “Turn up Heron Way and take a right at the large oak.”
“There’s tons of trees.”
“You’ll know it when you see it.”
“All right,” he agreed. He was glad for the wide grip of his truck tires on the gravel road. “No pavement?”
“The gravel is better for drainage in the spring.”
He nodded, and the huge tree came into view. Large was an understatement. The tree had to be as old as the damn lake. It was huge and knotty and needed a good trim. Weathered, gray rough-cut fences lined the property along the lake’s edge. A lot of them needed repairs.
His chest tightened, and muscles bunched in his thighs and shoulders. Almost everything needed repair from what he could see. A faded barn with a warped door was the first thing he saw off the road into the bed-and-breakfast. Huge river rock stones led to the door, but they needed tamping and sanding for stability. The wraparound porch sagged in spots, but the stairs looked new. They seemed to be pressure-treated wood, at least, but they were unstained and didn’t matc
h the rest of the deck.
The door was a cheery red with black-framed windows. Fat pots of mums were strategically placed for color to draw the eye. The split ranch-style house butted up against the water. He could see the edges of Kendall’s precious dock.
A dock that looked as old and tired as the rest of the property.
“This is your favorite place on earth? What the fuck, Kendall?”
KENDALL CURLED THE unbendable ends of her straightened hair around her finger. His gaze darted around the property with cold precision. She saw the place through his eyes, and her eyes pricked with tears.
For years she’d been doing all the repairs on her own. Fixing what she could, making the rest of the property work. She’d put all the money she’d been able to into the dock out back and the deck coming into the house.
She crossed her arms over her stomach. Day in and day out, she’d done everything she could to keep up. Now, after some time away, it seemed so…shabby. She was only one person. And the last few winters had been harsh. It was all she could do to keep the fishing cabins winterized for people who braved the ice fishing. But the year before had been a mild winter leaving the cabins empty, and she’d dipped into her savings just to keep the taxes paid.
“I’ve been doing the best I can.”
“You made it sound like it was a paradise in the middle of upstate New York.”
“It is. It can be.” She hated the stutter of unease that trembled through her.
He pulled off the gravel road and climbed out of the truck, slamming the door. She hopped out and hurried around the front after him. He paced along the fence, stopping at the split lower spindle. He crouched in front of it and pinched the rotting wood.
“You actually invite people to come here?”
The slice was deep. “The main house is well maintained, and we have nothing but glowing referrals.”
He stood, looming over her. His hazel eyes were chips of cool jade filled with dismissal. “From who?”
“We have a loyal list of people who come back for fishing and snowmobiling.”
“Fishing and—” He paced up and down the fence. “This is zoned to be a B and B, not a game and recreational park. I looked up the paperwork. Christ, if anything happened to the men on the lake, are you even covered?”
She threw her shoulders back. “Of course we are.”
He finally stopped pacing in front of her. “How could you not tell me it needed this much work?”
In her head she’d known, but she’d been treading water for so long seeing just how run-down it looked after time away left a gaping hole in her chest. But she’d fight for it. The Heron was worth the fight. “It’s manageable.”
“Manageable?” He turned to her, his eyes hard and remote. “This looks manageable to you?”
“If I had some help. If you could only see how amazing it could be.” She looked past the sagging fences to the lake and the reeds of weeping willows. The graceful arc of a heron as it landed on an icy rock and folded in its huge wings. “I don’t want to lose this place.”
She’d been hanging on by her fingernails for so long. She’d thought maybe, just maybe someone else would see what she saw. Shane, of all people, with his renovation knowledge could make the Heron beautiful.
She faced him. “Can’t you see how special this place is?”
His eyes were flat and emotionless.
Fear took hold. Everything she’d been worried about threatened to suck her down. “You can’t want to sell it.”
“The property is worth more than this entire operation, so you’re damn right I want to sell. I will be selling.”
“No,” she whispered.
“Oh yeah. What are you going to do when you can’t make a repair? What happens if someone gets hurt on the dock or the porch that’s sagging? Do you just want to go bankrupt to keep this place?”
“Of course not. We’re just falling on hard times right now. Things will—”
“What? You think they’ll turn around? The only thing that would help this place is to sink at least ten thousand dollars into the property. I haven’t even seen the main house to know what else it needs.”
She shut her eyes against the angry tears that wanted to fall.
She’d been so afraid this would happen. That he’d see the place and not feel the magic in the land, in the woods and the water.
“I wanted you to see the potential of it all.”
“Potential? Do you know what kind of money you need to pull off the potential you’re looking for?”
She crossed her arms over her chest.
“At least forty thousand to really turn this around to be worthy of a B and B trade magazine.”
She dropped her hands to her sides in shock. “I don’t want to be in a trade magazine.” Her breath backed up into her chest at the arctic frost of his face. “I want families who want to go out on the boat in the summer or to play on the dock and swim. I want people who love the winter and snowmobiling and skiing that’s close by. I want people who want to hike and enjoy a place that’s a little off the beaten path.”
“Are you getting that?”
She used to. But no matter how much hospitality she and her mother showered on people, he was right. She looked away.
“That’s what I thought. You lied right to my face.”
“I didn’t. I just told you what I see.”
His face slid into the stony mask she remembered from the first day she’d met him. “Then you’re lying to yourself too.” He climbed into the truck and left her on the path. Instead of going up to the main house, he made a U-turn and headed back down Heron Way to the main road.
She tipped her head back, felt the hot tracks of her tears as they burned down her temples and into her hair. The fresh scent of the water calmed her. The sun crept along the mountain line. A pink sky settled against the water.
It would be beautiful tomorrow. And he was gone.
She wiped her face and followed the road up to the house. Her mother stood on the porch, her red wool cape around her shoulders. She came down the stairs and met her at the end of the driveway.
“I thought I heard a truck. Why are you alone?”
“I—”
“Oh, Kendall…what happened?” Her mother gathered her under the cape, and her mother’s warmth seeped into her. Cinnamon wrapped in vanilla curled around her. The scent so familiar her tears returned. She put her cheek on her mother’s shoulder and hugged her tight.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d let her mom hang on to her. Lily was shorter than her and softer with rich dark curls she kept in a chin-length style tucked behind her ears. The only thing Kendall had inherited from her mother was her brown eyes.
Currently a lovely bloodshot thanks to her own stupidity.
“I don’t know if I can survive losing the Heron, Mom.”
Lily rubbed her back. “Where is that man? Shane? Is that his name? I think I need to have a talk with him.”
Kendall laughed for the first time since that morning. Mama bear was out in all her Italian glory. She sniffed and drew back. “He just took off. I don’t know what’s going to happen now. He could be in town finding the Realtor for all I know.”
“All right, let’s not get sarcastic or hysterical here.”
Considering that was usually her mother’s reaction, she bit her lip. She had to pull it together and make a plan with Shane. She couldn’t lose her place. She had to make him see all the best parts of it.
But what about them? The look on his face had shredded her. Beyond the anger and beyond the surprise, she’d seen the hurt and the flash of betrayal. She’d just wanted him to see it with her eyes, not with any misconceptions.
Instead all he’d seen was a lie.
With his love of building, she’d hoped he would see the amazing under the worn. But she’d been wrong. God, so wrong.
She steered her mother back up the drive to the stairs. “Were you able to get Sully to fix the hot
water heater?”
Her mother sighed. At least Kendall would get a small stay of execution on the discussion of Shane. Soon enough he’d have to come back, and they’d have to face each other.
He could take the money from the job and run. She’d been so hoping he’d want to put money into the Heron and in them. Again she’d been so wrong it hurt.
“He got it to work again, but it barely covers a shower.”
“Shane—” She cut herself off. She didn’t know if Shane would fix it now. Kendall cleared her throat. “As soon as I figure out money, I’ll get it fixed.” She might be able to go to the scratch-and-dent sales at the warehouse and find something.
“We have those two brothers from Georgia coming in to stay at the cabin on the lake. They heard that we’d gotten early snow and want to come out for a weekend.”
“That’s great. Anyone else?”
Lily sighed. “I’m afraid not, sweetie.”
Kendall nodded. She’d have to tap Bells for a temp position to help bring some money in. She had secretarial skills that came in handy around this time of year.
“I need a shower.”
“I held off on Thanksgiving dinner. I figured it would be just as good to do it on Saturday and have Bells and her family come out.”
“That sounds heavenly.”
“Why don’t you go upstairs and take a quick shower—you’ll freeze if you don’t—and take a nap. I’ll watch for this Shane person to return.”
“I want you to come get me when he gets back. I don’t want you to meet him alone.”
“Why? Is he dangerous?”
Even at his most growly, there was nothing about Oscar that had been dangerous. No. Not Oscar. Shane. She didn’t have the right to use her nickname for him. Not now. “No. That’s not it. I just don’t know how he’s going to react and how you’re going to react around him.”
“I’ll be perfectly civilized.”
“Right.”
“Kendall Marie Proctor!”
“Just please, do this for me. Okay?”
Her mother gave an exaggerated sigh. “All right.”
Kendall climbed the stairs to her room at the back of the house. She’d refurbished all the bedrooms to rental rooms, tirelessly sanding the floors and repainting. Repurposing furniture from garage sales and using every DIY project she could manage on her own. Or anything she could drag Bells into doing with her.
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