But what did they do now? If anything, the connection had grown stronger, and she was incapable of severing it.
The beeping of her cell phone disrupted her runaway thoughts as she rummaged through her bag, looking for a sports bra and running shorts. She knew, without looking, it was another missed call from Granddad.
Carrying the phone to the deck, she felt like a piece of driftwood that had been tossed around by the pounding surf, then left behind on the sandy beach. A grounding conversation with him was exactly what she needed.
After two rings she heard, “How’s my Katydid?”
The familiarity of his voice soothed her soul. She smiled, thinking back to the day she’d gotten him the new phone with caller ID. The idea of knowing who was calling before he answered had intrigued him, and he’d obviously gotten the hang of using it. “Hi, Granddad. I’m fine.”
“Ya don’t sound fine.” Concern laced his words.
Instead of sitting in the chair, she sat on the deck and rested her forehead against the spindles of the deck railing. She drew in a ragged breath and considered lying. But he knew her too well to be deceived, so she opted for the truth. “I’m an idiot.”
His chuckle warmed her heart and made her feel like a little girl again. She futilely wished she could crawl into his lap, let him brush his hand over her hair, and reassure her everything would be okay.
“I’ll never believe that. What’s goin’ on?”
Kat glanced out at the beach where Erik sat with his elbows resting on bent knees, his head dropped into his hands. He looked as miserable as she felt. “You’re never going to believe I could be this stupid, but…” She squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed hard as the depth of her feelings for Erik overwhelmed her. “Oh God, I think I’ve fallen in love.” She paused. “With a client.”
“What’s the matter with that?”
She groaned. “I thought I was smarter than this.”
“There’s nothin’ wrong with fallin’ in love. It’s the best thing that can ever happen to ya. As long as it’s the right guy.”
“That’s the problem; he’s a client, which makes him the wrong guy.”
He also doesn’t want to love me back. She didn’t believe for a second Erik didn’t care, but he was so conflicted over his feelings, he’d fight them to the end.
“Katy, why do you keep doin’ this?”
She laughed to keep from crying. “Because I’m an idiot. I just said that.”
“I mean, why do ya keep puttin’ a job… a job ya don’ even like… above ever’thing else?” She didn’t have a chance to answer before he started again. “Are ya volunteerin’ at the animal shelter? Have ya found the women’s shelter and gone over there ‘n done some work?”
“No, sir.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t have time. I’m trying to be responsible and give all of my time and effort to my new job. Those other things are what you do in your spare time, and I don’t have any of that right now.”
“Horse malarkey. You listen to me. Your mama is my only child, and I love her. But she’s full of crap. I shoulda said this long ago, but I’ve tried to mind my own business. You’ve let that high fallutin’ mother of yours fill your head with a bunch of garbage. Life is about more than makin’ a pile of money. As long as ya got enough to eat and have a roof over your head, it don’ matter about nothin’ else. Volunteerin’s important to ya, it makes ya happy.” His voice softened. “Are ya happy?”
Kat swiped away a tear with the back of her hand. “No, not really. I haven’t been happy in a long time.”
“There’s more important things in life than work, Katydid. Things like love and family.” His voice grew so soft she could barely hear him. “Your grandma taught me that. And she was right.”
“I don’t know anything about love.”
“Sure ya do. Yer heart’s overflowin’ with it. That’s why ya do the things ya do. Goin’ to the homeless shelter on Christmas mornin’ to feed the folks there. Spendin’ your spare time and extra money on the kids at the women’s shelter. Stayin’ up all night with a howlin’ cat that’s havin’ kittens. That’s who ya are. And bein’ a good person is more important than any job you’ll ever do. Don’t ya forget it.”
Kat swiped at the now free-flowing tears and laughed, remembering the night the Siamese cat at the shelter had gone into labor. She’d taken the mother-to-be home and ended up calling her granddad in the middle of the night for help. The cat had howled so badly and made such terrible noises, they had to trade off taking care of her so they didn’t lose their minds.
Not wanting her granddad to be worried and think she never had any fun, she said, “I’m actually at the beach right now with Erik. The client.”
She told him about the Mazze building project and how they planned to promote the new development and incorporate donations to the CPA. She told him about learning to boogie board and the unsuccessful attempt by Erik’s friends to teach her to play their card game.
By the time she disconnected, they’d been on the phone for thirty minutes. She still had a lot to figure out, but she felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from her chest and shoulders. She missed her granddad, and since the only family he had left in Charlotte was her mother, Kat wondered if she could convince him to move to the coast with her.
***
The second Kat left for her run, Erik drove to the local surf shop and bought Kat her very own boogie board. Whether she would actually use it or not, he didn’t know. But the kids next door were already in the water, and he wanted her to have it. What she did with it was up to her.
After returning to the house, he wandered around a bit feeling lost, even though he was in his own space. It wasn’t noon yet, but he was at the beach and needed a drink, so he cracked open a beer and parked himself in one of the deck chairs. The tightly-coiled spring wrapped around his gut had just started to relax when Steve and Kevin came back from their unsuccessful fishing trip.
“What’s going on?” Steve asked, shoving his sunglasses up on his head.
Erik shrugged. “Nothing. Kat’s gone for a run, and I’m hanging out.”
“Yeah, I see that.” Steve crossed his arms over his chest. “And drinking at eleven in the morning. You haven’t done that in years.”
Steve’s tough guy act would have been way more impressive without the listing pose and bulky cast, and, although he tried, Erik couldn’t hold back his laugh.
“She’s getting to you.”
That put the lockdown on Erik’s laughter. “Have you always been this nosey, and I just never noticed?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
Kevin, who’d been watching the surf and pretending not to listen, piped in. “Don’t blow this.”
“There’s nothing to blow. Christ!” Erik’s irritation escalated as the need to defend himself grew. “It was one night.” Liar. “Okay, after tonight it’ll have been two. Mind your own damn business.”
“I like her. I don’t want her hurt.” Although Kevin’s words were non-threatening and his tone remained steady, his stance and demeanor were challenging. “If you’re not that interested, it certainly wouldn’t be a hardship for me to carry her sweet little ass back to Riverside—”
The rest of Kevin’s sentence was engulfed by Erik’s all-consuming rage. He was out of his chair with Kevin slammed against the exterior wall of the house before any of them could blink. “Stay the hell away from her. If I see you touch her again, I’ll break your fucking arm. Are we clear?”
Kevin stood a few inches shorter than Erik, but had at least twenty pounds of muscle to his advantage. However, instead of fighting back, the bastard smiled.
Erik’s reaction had confirmed Steve’s comment. Kat was getting to him.
Kevin’s gaze locked with Erik’s like two bulls locking horns, and his expression said it all. He wasn’t interested in Kat, but he would use their competitiveness to force Erik into owning his feelings for her. �
��Don’t be an idiot, Erik. What happened to Lindsey wasn’t your fault. But if you lose Kat, you’ll only have yourself to blame.”
Erik gave Kevin a shove, then let go of his shirt and turned away. Leave it to these two assholes, the two guys who were supposed to be his closest friends, to break out the knives and slice him open.
Shit, he needed to go make a few enemies. Maybe they’d be less vicious than his supposed friends.
Chapter Twelve
Kat leaned in close to the mirror and gently… very, very gently… swiped a generous portion of moisturizer over her sunburned cheeks, nose, and forehead. The bass from the music downstairs reverberated off the bathroom walls, and the noise from the crowd grew louder with each passing moment.
Erik had warned her that, while Friday nights were reserved as the guys’ night to howl and included only his closest friends, Saturday nights were a free-for-all. And from the sounds leaching through the floor, he hadn’t exaggerated.
She straightened and studied her reflection. A splash of foundation would be helpful, but the thought of touching her skin again, with anything other than aloe vera, made her cringe. She shook her head and muttered, “How could you possibly have forgotten sunscreen?”
After talking with her granddad, running as far and fast as possible had been the only thing on her mind. When she returned, Steve met her on the beach with a bottle of water and a clear you-don’t-want-to-go-up-there expression on his face. She didn’t know what happened, but the body language between Erik and Kevin had been tense all day. And though she didn’t have any way to confirm it, she suspected it had something to do with her.
Erik showed up a few minutes behind Steve, carrying a hot-pink boogie board. They spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach, swimming, playing volleyball, and just hanging out. Although tension was running high between Kevin and Erik, things with her and Erik had been great, so she agreed to stay another night.
She knew their issues hadn’t miraculously solved themselves, and she worried how things would be once they went back to Riverside. But she enjoyed herself tremendously throughout the day and planned to do the same this evening. Real life would intrude soon enough.
She slipped into a simple sundress, pulled her hair up into a loose knot, stepped into sandals, then headed downstairs. As she neared the bottom of the steps, she used the height advantage of the stairs to see over the large crowd and scanned the room, searching for Erik… And found him.
“I’ll be damned,” she muttered, while crossing her arms over her chest. “At least this one’s not blonde.”
***
Large crowd. Thumping music. Flowing drinks. A typical Saturday night, and Erik was in his element.
So why did it feel like a noose was tied around his neck and no matter how deep a breath he took, he couldn’t get enough air? Normally, he fed off the vibrating energy of the crowd. But not tonight. Tonight, he’d rather be in a quiet place with Kat, alone.
As he searched the crowd for her, the fine hairs on the back of his neck prickled with unease and a puddle of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. A heavy, spicy fragrance settled around him, and he closed his eyes while muttering a curse. He didn’t need to turn around to know Lizbeth was closing in on him from behind. The scent was as bold and memorable as the woman who wore it. Brassy and audacious, her presence could be felt before she was visible.
He hadn’t seen her in two years and didn't know she was back in town. Town being Riverside. He couldn’t imagine how she knew about this house, or who had invited her. But then again, Lizbeth knew everything and did whatever she wanted. And she sure didn’t need an invitation to show up at a party.
Warm breath licked the back of his neck. “Hey, sugar.” The husky purr proved his intuition correct. “You look good enough to eat.”
Two years ago… hell, fourteen months ago… those words from her mouth would have been the starting gun to a night of nonstop sex. Now, he had no desire to mix and mingle anything with Lizbeth.
He turned his head slightly while shifting his body out of striking distance. His best bet was to cut this short and find Kat as soon as possible. The last thing he wanted was another misunderstanding like the one at The Office. “Hey, Lizbeth, good to see you.” He glanced around, making it obvious he was looking for someone. “If you’ll excuse me—”
Her arm snaked around his waist, preventing his escape. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”
While he continued to search for Kat, Lizbeth sidled closer and wrapped her body around his. She was tall and slender, and at one time, he’d considered the fit of her body against his to be a good thing. She wrapped her long fingers around his neck, leaned in, and nibbled at his earlobe.
At that instant his gaze landed on Kat, standing on the stairs, seemingly stunned and frozen in place. His breath stalled while his heart took a flying leap, as if trying to reach her on its own. He knew his eyes were screaming, “This isn’t what it looks like.” But Kat either didn’t get the message or didn’t believe it. Disappointment flashed in her eyes, then she let her arms fall to her side and moved off the steps and out of sight.
“Shit, Lizbeth. Stop.” He pulled his head away and unwrapped her fingers from his neck.
She leaned back and formed those full, glossy lips into a frowny pout. “You’re normally much happier to see me.”
He turned to face her fully, making sure she knew he was serious and not just playing hard to get. “That was before.”
It took her almost a full minute before she let go of his hand and stepped back. “You’re serious.” Her eyes were large and reflected an uncharacteristic vulnerability as she searched his face for answers. “Before what?”
Before Kat. Hell, everything in his life seemed to be relegated to one of two segments: Before Kat. After Kat.
He didn’t want to say, “I’ve met someone,” because that implied he was in a relationship. However, having no interest in Lizbeth had everything to do with Kat. If it weren’t for her, he’d have Lizbeth in one of the guest rooms, half undressed. Actually, he probably wouldn’t bother undressing her. He’d just slide her obscenely short skirt up two inches, lay her over the dresser, and go at it.
Now, the thought made him nauseous.
Rather than trying to explain any of it, he shook his head and said, “Sorry. I’ve gotta go.”
He considered pointing her in Kevin’s direction, but decided to leave well enough alone. Anxious to find Kat, he left a stunned and bewildered Lizbeth standing there alone.
***
Kat found Steve on the deck, leaning against the deck railing, nursing a bottle of Southern Comfort. She stepped up next to him, took the bottle from his hand, and helped herself to a generous swig. She took a moment to enjoy the comforting heat flowing down her throat, then licked the residue from her lips and smiled. “Thanks. Sorry to help myself, but it was an emergency.”
Steve laughed, then shifted his gaze beyond her, just as her body started to hum like a tuning fork—an infallible indication Erik was nearby.
His hand pressed tentatively against the small of her back, and his voice was unsteady as he murmured, “Hey,” in her ear.
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she registered the hesitancy of his touch and recalled the panic she’d seen in his eyes. Seeing the redhead wrapped around him had hurt, but only because it reminded her of whom and what he was. It had been enough to send her in search of fresh air and liquid solace. But she recognized the come-on as being one-sided, and realized Erik wasn’t interested in the redhead’s offerings. At least not tonight.
She turned into him and held up Steve’s bottle. “Want a swig?”
Obviously relieved she hadn’t smacked him in the side of the head with the bottle, his shoulders sagged and he exhaled sharply. “No thanks. I’ll grab a beer.”
After grabbing a beer from the cooler, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave Steve a get lost look. “I need to talk to Kat.”
&nb
sp; Steve nodded and shifted his weight to the other foot. “Okay.”
Erik’s eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as irritation rippled off him.
Even though she hadn’t offered an explanation for swooping in and stealing his bottle, Steve had to have suspected Erik of doing something to upset her. Erik’s nervous behavior confirmed Steve’s suspicions, and she appreciated his concern for her.
She laughed and gave him a hug. “It’s okay, Steve. I promise I won’t hurt him.”
Steve chucked her on the chin. “I could care less about him.” He shot Erik a warning look, then took his bottle and ambled off toward the French doors.
Erik opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. “You don’t owe me any explanations. I’ve heard all about your lifestyle. I know you don’t do relationships. I know you don’t date women more than a couple of times. I understand this”—she motioned between them—“is only for a weekend.”
“Christ. There you go again,” Erik yelled, throwing his hand in the air in frustration. “Making decisions for me.”
She’d never heard Erik upset before and, based on the shocked expressions of those standing nearby, it wasn’t a common occurrence.
She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, but kept coming up empty. She did keep making those decisions, but out of self-preservation and fear that if she didn’t constantly remind herself what to expect, she’d end up crushed.
He grabbed her hand and dragged her across the deck, down the stairs, and out onto the beach. “I’m sorry for yelling.” He ran a hand through his hair, something she noticed him doing a lot when agitated, and said, “Will you walk with me?”
As they headed down the beach, away from the house and crowd, Kat asked, “Who is she?”
“Lizbeth Sampson. I… dated her a few years ago.”
Kat smiled at his attempted diplomacy. She didn’t believe for a second he’d dated that woman. Screwed her senseless, no doubt, but not dated.
Savin' Me (A Heat Wave Novel) Page 14
