“Yeah, I do. I know this is not a very lively town, but Rockport’s not bad at all. It’s small, but a good place to live. Don’t think I’d want to live anywhere else,” Leon added.
After a short pause and another sip of wine, Kacey set her glass on the deck rail and leaned into the fragrant breeze. “I see why. You’re a very lucky man.”
“Lucky?” he repeated, questioning her remark. “I don’t know if I’d use that word to describe me.”
“Really, it’s true,” Kacey insisted. “Sounds like you have a very solid life here. You have a secure family business, you have a wonderful home and your parents are close by, too.”
“Are yours?” he asked, voice low.
Kacey grew quiet, swallowed and then told Leon, “No. I’m an only child, like you, but my mom and dad divorced when I was ten. Now, she lives in Florida and my dad is in Seattle. I talk to them on holidays and birthdays, but we’re not all that close.”
“Sorry,” Leon said. “I guess that’s tough.”
Kacey shrugged. “It’s just the way things are. You have your own slice of paradise right here, and I have a tiny apartment in Harlem,” she stated, tracing the angles of Leon’s face, which glowed like hammered bronze in the candlelight. “This place is so beautiful and different from the rest of Rockport, especially the motel, which leaves a lot to be desired,” she remarked, slowly twirling her wineglass, her attention on the water.
“Yeah, I guess the Seaside Suites is definitely not the best representative of Rockport.”
“Amen to that,” Kacey concurred. “After I checked into my room, I have to admit that I was beginning to regret coming here. It is so drab and depressing. And a bunch of rowdy boys use the parking lot next door to play basketball. The people in the room next to mine pound on the walls if I turn up the volume on my TV.” She chuckled, and then added, “I wasn’t feeling very impressed with your city earlier tonight.”
Leon grimaced. “I hate to think of you being unhappy or depressed.”
“Don’t worry about me. I came here to work. I’ll manage just fine.”
“I’m sure you will,” Leon countered. “But I hope you’ll let me help make things a bit more comfortable for you.”
“You already have,” Kacey admitted, as casually as she could, tensing her fingers around the stem of her glass and silently counting to ten. “Your invitation to dinner came right on time. Got me out of the motel so I could enjoy this wonderful view of the Gulf, and I’m especially looking forward to the fabulous dinner you promised.”
Leon’s eyes widened. “Yes, dinner! It’s in the oven heating up. Won’t be long, I promise. In the meantime, tell me more about yourself and your work. You strike me as someone who has big plans and does not give up very easily.”
“Really? What do you base that on?” Kacey pressed, surprised by Leon’s comment and wanting to hear why he’d said that.
“Oh, just the fact that you’re launching your own line of swimsuits is impressive enough. Not everyone can do that.”
“Well, it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and it feels great to finally be on the verge of pulling it off.”
Leon lifted his wineglass. “How about a toast to SunKissed by Kacey?” he offered.
Kacey beamed her appreciation at Leon, grateful for his obvious desire to make sure her dream came off without a hitch. “I’ll drink to that…and to a successful stay in Rockport,” she added, finding the idea of working with Leon, and spending more personal time with him, very appealing.
“Definitely,” Leon remarked as they clinked glasses, sipped and then locked eyes. “Kacey, I want you to know that I plan to do all I can to make sure your time here is well worth it. I know leaving New York to oversee the production of your swimsuit line was probably not something you wanted to do. But it will pay off, I promise. My first responsibility to you, and Leeman’s, is to manufacture a product that meets your expectations, and I take that very seriously. However, I also feel responsible for your experience while you’re in Rockport.”
Kacey watched Leon closely, keenly aware of the double meaning in his words, feeling challenged by his admission that he planned to commit personal time to her outside of their working relationship.
“I want to make sure you leave my hometown with good memories,” he added.
“Starting with tonight, I assume?” Kacey murmured, her voice drifting off into the wind.
“Absolutely,” he replied, moving a step closer. “It started as soon as you accepted my invitation.”
“Because I was desperate to be rescued from a pitiful excuse of a meal alone in my room.”
“Exactly! I came to your rescue, so…I guess you have to call me your hero?” he taunted with a grin.
“My hero?” she quipped, letting Leon know that she was happy to banter with him as they got to know each other.
“Absolutely,” Leon countered. “As long as you’re in Rockport, I plan to make sure you’re never bored…or lonely again. That is, if you’ll let me,” he finished, his words thick with hope.
Kacey tensed to hear the tenderness in his promise, and knew he was tempting her to make a decision. Should she allow this personal connection to deepen? Had she already gone too far by coming to his home? Should she step back, clear her head and resolve to keep everything between them strictly business? Knowing that the prospect of having a romantic relationship with Leon was actually not that far-fetched, Kacey hesitated to speak. The guy was handsome. Smart. Obviously attracted to her. And she was definitely melting under his intense steel-gray gaze.
Why not go for it? she thought, her eyes tracing over his features as he waited for her to say something. So far, he had not offered to take her inside his house—which was fine with her. A friendly dinner outside on his patio and a quick ride back to the motel was the best way to handle their first encounter away from the office. Wasn’t it?
However…I’ll only be in town a short time. I might as well have an experience worth sharing with Linette, who always has exciting, outrageous things happen to her when she’s working a photo shoot. This time, Kacey would have a juicy story of her own to dish when they went for drinks on a Friday happy hour.
“I just might take you up on that. I’d be happy to call you my hero,” she jokingly confessed, looking forward to finding out what Leon had in mind. However, the pensive glimmer in his eyes told Kacey that he was dead serious about lavishing his hospitality on her and extending their relationship beyond its business borders. Fine, because she was more than ready for the grand Texas adventure he was offering.
And it’s already started, she recognized, deciding that jumping all the way in was the best way to find out just how strong her attraction to Leon Archer was, and how dangerously close he’d come to capturing her heart.
When Leon leaned over and brushed his lips over Kacey’s, the gesture did not surprise her, offend her or make her want to run away. When her tongue sprang to life and twined lazily with his, he opened his mouth wider to intensify the connection. Kacey felt her limbs go weak when his arms came up and encircled her. She sank against him, relaxing as if she’d been in his embrace many times before. When he snaked his hands down and clasped them together in the hollow of her back, she let him guide her to a deck post and brace her back against it. Sealed together, their lips and arms were so tightly locked that Kacey could hardly breathe. However, letting Leon go did not cross her mind as she held him in place and accepted the flurry of kisses that he placed on her cheeks, her neck, the hollow of her throat.
When they finally came up for air, Leon groaned, shifted to place his hip against the deck rail and sat sideways as he gazed at Kacey. “You’re so beautiful, standing here with the candlelight behind you. I couldn’t resist.”
Kacey gave him a languid blink, recovering from their kiss, feeling buoyant, yet grounded in her decision to explore the explosive chemistry that was rapidly building between them.
“I could hold you, kiss you, for
ever,” he murmured, reaching up to touch her chin with a finger.
“Not forever, I hope. And let me starve to death?” Kacey joked, desperate to defuse the awkward aftermath of that too serious, too soon, too damn delicious kiss!
With a jolt, Leon stood and gaped at the house. “Damn! The food! It’s on its way. Wait. You sit down. I’ll be right back.” He dashed into the kitchen, which Kacey could see was right off the deck, leaving her laughing as he fled to the oven.
Within moments, Leon returned carrying a steaming casserole dish, the smell of pungent lasagna drifting out before him.
Seated at the table on the deck, they chatted easily over a dinner of the best lasagna Kacey had ever eaten, paired with a tangy Italian salad, cheesy garlic bread and the local red wine that rivaled any produced in California.
After the meal, Leon stood up and picked up his plate. Kacey quickly assisted in clearing the table.
“Come on inside,” he invited, starting toward the house. “I can use your help cleaning up.”
“Oh, yeah?” Kacey quipped. “So that’s the only reason you’re inviting me inside?”
Turning to face her, he grinned. “No, of course not. I’d love to show you the rest of the house. You don’t have to leave right away, do you?”
As Kacey stared at Leon, her mind was flooded with all the reasons she should tell him, I really can’t stay long. I need to get back to the motel and far away from temptation. However, her legs paid no attention to such rational thinking as she followed him inside.
Leon’s once-modest ranch house had been renovated into a surprisingly open floor plan with few walls to obscure its dramatic views of the Gulf. Sleek modern furnishings, contemporary art and walls painted in subdued shades of tan and gray welcomed Kacey, who saw that Leon’s sophisticated décor compared favorably with any cushy Manhattan penthouse. Brushed nickel and glass tables, sleek black and white marble statues on mirrored pedestals and oversized rugs in geometric patterns completed the updated interior that felt open and airy, yet comfortably intimate. His spacious bedroom was done in an African safari theme, with gorgeous prints of exotic animals on the walls and luxurious bedding that added to the wildly exotic theme.
After the tour of the house, they did the dishes and then settled at the kitchen bar, more glasses of wine in hand. At Leon’s urging, Kacey gave him a quick overview of what growing up in the bustling community of Harlem had been like, and then he described his small town upbringing in Rockport, where his family’s roots went back four generations.
They communicated in an easy, friendly way that made all of Kacey’s earlier apprehension vanish. All she wanted at that moment was to stay there with Leon and delve deeper into the life of this man who was pushing all her buttons with such grace and ease.
Chapter 9
For five minutes straight, Nona focused on the clock above her kitchen sink, wondering what Leon was doing. Certainly, he was at home by now, alone, and hopefully enjoying the lasagna she’d baked and delivered to his house—just as his mother would have done.
After rinsing the single plate, glass and fork Nona had used for her own dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, she placed the dishes in the drying rack and hung her towel on its bar, her thoughts locked on Leon in a particularly insistent way.
She was proud of herself for accepting his mother’s request to look after the plants and her fish—things Mrs. Archer cared deeply about. And that certainly included her son, didn’t it? The trust Mrs. Archer placed in Nona made her heart swell with satisfaction.
Knowing that Leon loved his mom’s lasagna, Nona had taken great pains to hone the family recipe, just as she worked on honing her relationship with Mrs. Archer, who treated Nona like a daughter.
“And one day, daughter-in-law,” she murmured, a wave of desire sweeping through her body. She had known Leon almost all her life. She’d lost her virginity to him at Barker’s Bend when she was sixteen years old, and was convinced that she and Leon were destined to be together. However, their ultimate union was taking longer than Nona had ever expected it would and she was growing impatient. For so many years she had stood on the sidelines, watching while Leon raced from one disastrous romantic relationship to another. His frantic desire to play the local playboy was starting to wear on her nerves. How much longer could she remain in the shadows, steadfastly supportive of him, offering an ear primed to listen to his troubles as each of his misguided relationships fell by the wayside?
Leon’s getting older every day. I am, too. He needs to get his act together and stop playing the field. Those days are about to be over for him. It’s time he settled down, got married and started his family, she reassured herself. And since he was at that point in his life, wasn’t she the woman he ought to turn to? Didn’t she understand him better than anyone? Didn’t she have his parents’ blessing as the hometown girl who’d grown up with him and knew what made him tick? Though they hadn’t had sex since they were in high school, she knew what pleased Leon sexually, and was more than ready to prove it.
It’s just a matter of time, Nona told herself, her ever-recurring fantasy of living with Leon in his fantastic house on the beach rising up to swamp her mind. Her favorite part of the fantasy was imagining how beautiful their children would be, with her smooth, light brown skin and his startling gray eyes. The image made her shiver with anticipation and delight.
Overwhelmed by a need to hear his voice, Nona dried her hands on a towel and reached for the green plastic phone on her wall. Feeling smugly possessive, she punched in Leon’s number, roused by the delicious quiver of longing that contracted the walls of her dormant womanhood.
“Hello?” Leon answered, irritated to be interrupted just when things between Kacey and him were beginning to warm up. He’d made the right move, inviting her to dinner, and he’d been on target about her interest in getting together with him outside the office, too.
I damn sure know how to read a woman, he thought smugly, smothering a smile and looking forward to spending as much time as he could with Kacey. However, the prospect of her leaving Rockport hung like a dark shadow in the back of Leon’s mind. He’d have to deal with that eventually, but for now, he planned to show her a good time and enjoy her company, proving to her that his hometown could be as good a place, or better, than New York City. Oh, yes, and he planned to produce a swimsuit line that would bring her rave reviews.
“How was it?” Nona asked Leon, pressing her voice through the line and forcing his attention back to the phone call.
“What are you calling about?” Leon asked, adopting a cool, businesslike tone to let Nona know that he was not up for one of her rambling treks back into ancient history. When she was lonely, depressed or had drunk too much brandy, she called—mumbling on and on about their high school days until she ran out of steam. Though he had been involved with her when he was a teenager, he now thought of her more like a sister, one on whom he could never turn his back. But all that stuff she liked to talk about was just a bunch of dusty memories, better off forgotten. They’d both moved on since then. At least he had. He wasn’t so sure about Nona. However, one thing was clear: he had to stop accommodating her pity parties, even though he hated to cut her off. She always made him feel obligated to listen, and was quick to remind him that his mom and hers had been best friends forever.
“Duh! How was the lasagna that I made for you?” Nona shot back. “Was it as good as your mom’s?”
Leon stilled, his mind processing what Nona was telling him, and not liking what he’d heard. “Could you clarify that?” he asked, shrugging at Kacey while mouthing the words, Nona—something about an order, wanting to keep her out of this mess. As much as he genuinely liked and trusted his longtime friend, at times Nona could be a pain in the ass. The last thing he needed was a dose of her overprotective mothering to spoil the romantic mood he was attempting to create with Kacey.
“Oh, it was your mom’s suggestion,” Nona was saying. “She gave me her keys and asked me to ki
nda keep an eye on her plants and feed her fish while she and Mr. Archer were away.”
“Oh, now I understand,” Leon stated, forcing a calm vibe into his carefully chosen words. And you thought that included feeding me? he silently fumed, irritated as hell that Nona would assume she had the right to use the key he had given to his mother to do what she did. “There’s no need for that,” he said, desperate to sound as if he and Nona were talking about work.
“Oh, I know. But it would make your mom happy to know that I’m making sure you eat well. So I made the lasagna and brought it over this afternoon while you were at your meeting.”
“I wish you had said something to me about this at the office,” Leon quipped. Damn! He loved his mother but he didn’t like the way she doted on Nona. His mom might want Nona James for a daughter-in-law, but Leon sure as hell had no intention of ever making good on that far-fetched wish.
“No need. I just hope it was good,” Nona replied in a whispery voice.
“It was,” he said, his mind fishing for the perfect way to end Nona’s interruption. A long pause, and then Leon tossed out the zinger that he knew would bring silence to the other end of the line. “You know, I’m sitting here talking to Kacey about that right now,” he launched, eager to send Nona the message that he was not alone and he did not have time to talk.
“Oh? Kacey Parker is there?” Nona snapped, sounding disappointed.
“Right,” Leon answered.
“Uh, then I guess you can’t talk, huh?”
“Right again.”
“Okay, then. I’ll see you at the office tomorrow,” Nona finished in a dispirited murmur.
“Yes. We’ll finish discussing this at the office,” Leon said, quickly ending the call.
“Is everything okay?” Kacey asked, once Leon had clicked off.
Composing his expression, he erased the frown creasing his brow and took a deep breath, giving Kacey a look that let her know nothing urgent was going on. He certainly didn’t want Kacey to know that Nona was calling about some stupid prank she’d pulled. A prank that did not please him at all.
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