“That man never dictated my actions,” he clarified firmly, fire burning behind his eyes. He really had gotten sloppy with his emotions. His father would be rolling over in his grave with disapproval.
She knew his words were true and wished she could declare the same with such passion.
“Just give me the screwdriver, Marc.”
“I got this.”
“No, you don’t. You’re going to end up electrocuting yourself or worse, me.” She reached again, and irritatingly he lifted it higher. His arms were like magnificent pillars, so high and never ending and built to last against time. Ugh, stop noticing him that way, he can hardly stand you, and you’re half naked.
Stepping up from her knees, she steadied herself on the ground and reached for the tool again, only with a little more bounce in her reach. Her foot slipped on the damp floor sending her falling forward...directly toward Marc.
It happened all so fast. His arm caught her waist as their flesh met in the center, throwing him off balance and sending them both backwards in his direction. She screamed. He cursed, but managed to steady them with his other hand slapping the hard wood and propping them up. When they stopped toppling, Kate slowly exhaled the breath she had been holding and rested her forehead against his shoulder.
“Are you alright?” It was the first time she heard the real Marc, or at least the Marc she remembered.
Her heart was pounding from the tumble, and was increasing rapidly as she became aware of their landed position, twisted and turned like a crashed kite on a windy day. One of her arms was tightly wrapped around his neck, when there had been nowhere else to grab. Her legs had landed, knees on the ground, on either side of his solid thigh while his knee was raised, pushing her directly against his whole body. Under her free hand she felt that solid wall and the beat of his heart. Damn it. She felt everything.
“I’m okay,” she breathed against his skin. Every feeling she’d ever known for him was fully dominating her body like an unwanted wave of sickness.
She lifted her head, pressing her free hand harder against his chest to steady her. “Are you okay?”
He slowly nodded his head as their eyes locked, and his anger had fallen with them. Now hunger reflected her own. His eyes travelled to her lips and against better judgement hers fell to his. She couldn’t count the times their lips had touched or how many times she’d moved towards him or him towards her. This couldn’t happen. But, oh how she wanted it to.
“I scraped my knee.” And just like that, like the popping of a balloon, she broke the enchanting ambience encircling them, purposely returning them to a reality where he couldn’t stand her. At this point, it was better he hate her, then to have hot, wild, passionate sex on the floor of the sauna. Wasn’t it?
His eyes fluttered back to hers for a brief second, sharing the confusion that bewildered her, before turning away. He pushed her body up. She had to fight the urge to wrap her arms back around his neck and connect their bodies again. He manoeuvred her into sitting back on the floor, away from him. Wise decision. She hadn’t realized what he was doing, mostly because she was too busy noticing every warm spot his touch left on her skin, until she felt him caress her knee and chuckle.
“Hardly a scratch,” he said. “You can fix a switch like no other, but whimper about a tiny scratch.” She could handle a scratch like no other but he already knew that.
He sat back on his feet and handed her the screwdriver in defeat. Her hand trembled taking it from his and she knew he’d noticed. But had his hand trembled too?
She turned away from him, persistent at the task at hand and trying hard not to think about what her back would feel like on this damp floor instead of her knee, had she not mentioned her scratch. After she fixed this, she didn’t plan on waiting in here any longer for maintenance. She was going to walk straight over to the knob and pop that handle right open and get the hell out of here.
This was absolutely anything but the relaxation she had intended on enjoying.
Chapter Four
Marc stripped his clothes off, abandoning them wherever they landed, from the front door all the way to the bathroom. He reached directly for the chrome shower handle, allowing the water no time to warm, before standing beneath the streams of icy water slapping against his betraying body. The drastic change from the hot sauna startled his body, but he leaned his flat palms against the tiled wall and welcomed the onslaught of water cascading over his head, suffering the punishment he deserved following that little episode.
It wasn’t long that his thoughts were cleared. Thank goodness! They’d been a jumbled mess in that hot sauna.
After maintenance had finally arrived, he’d anticipated a clarifying quick walk back to his suite to decipher what in the hell had actually unfolded in there. With Kate’s half naked body seared into his mind, replaying repeatedly like an old skipping movie there hadn’t been room for anything else.
What the hell had happened in that sauna? He was mortified for allowing himself to surrender to her touch like a helpless animal curling around the alluring caress of its owner. He was livid the betrayal behind Kate’s round hazel eyes wasn’t enough to influence the desire creeping up through his body to a direct halt.
The anger consuming his years, had led him to believe such emotions and desires of his heart, his thoughts, and his whole body, where she was involved, were labeled hazardous, and unsafe. Yet, a six minute greeting after six years apart and all that caution had vanished into the heated steam, like fog stealing the night. He would have kissed her had she not spoken and slashed the cloud of desire they had created around them. He would have laid her down in that floor and...
He rubbed his hands across his face in aggravation then lathered up his body with masculine scented wash that began erasing the traces of warm vanilla scent from Kate marinated his skin during the topple. Her hot, warm, soft body pressed against his. This shower was not as helpful as he’d originally contemplated, with his mind dragging the sexy, brunette’s body into the shower with him. He would rather be lathering her tender skin beneath his hands than his own. And Izzy had been right, Kate was definitely gorgeous. She’d grown into a woman and every new curve was even more attractive.
He rinsed off, wrapped a towel around his waist and made his way to the kitchen for a cold beer. About to pop the cap off, a light rap on the back door pulled him from his goal. His petite, charming mother greeted him as she entered with a light-hearted smile. She glanced down at the towel wrapped around his waist. “A bath in the middle of the day, Marcus?”
He nodded. She had no idea. “Give me a second to grab some pants.”
When he returned wearing slacks and a t-shirt, he found his mother pulling a kettle he didn’t even know he had out of the cupboard. Two clear mugs sat on the counter with tea bags awaiting the liquid to boil and his beer nowhere to be seen. Her theory was tea could heal or relax anyone. She was wrong in this case.
She smiled up at him. “I stopped by your office but you weren’t there.” He occupied one of the stools and quickly told her about the sauna, omitting Kate McAdams entirely.
“I had a nice lunch with the girls this afternoon.” He had intentionally avoided that gossipy social event. “The visitations for Grace are tomorrow,” his mother was saying quietly. She had moved across the room and was standing on the opposite side of the counter facing him, her arms resting softly folded across her rose colored chiffon blouse. She was always dressed fashionably chic and today was no exception. Her blouse was tucked into high waist black pants that fell into wide legs just above black heels and strands of large pearls around her neck. Her silver hair was cut in a short bob that brushed just above her shoulders, softly swaying whenever she turned her head to try and read his expressions. “I would appreciate it Marcus, if you would drive us to the evening affair.” He would rather not, especially after his altercation with Kate, not to mention their awkward collision. He would be surprised if Kate ever wanted to see him again. That was an
odd thought, since she had left him six years ago and clearly hadn’t wanted to see him again.
If his mother learned about the altercation in the sauna with Kate she would be mortified by the elevated tones and unkind words he spoken to Kate. He could foresee her round disappointed eyes scolding him while shaking her shimmering hair and none too subtly requiring an apology. Suddenly guilt burdened him for his behavior during Kate’s grieving. What had he been thinking? She was here for her grandmother’s funeral and he jumped down her throat over missing a sign!
His mother continued. “Izzy said Abby is an absolute mess. That poor girl was so very close to Grace after Kate left.” He forced himself to continue breathing regularly and didn’t like the way his mother was watching him so closely. Was she fishing? Did she know what had occurred in the sauna? How could she? Or was she just concerned because Kate had broken his young heart? If that was the case, why was she suggesting he take them to the visitations? Why were all these questions flooding his head over one tiny sentence? “And now Grace is gone and Abby is beside herself, that poor soul.”
He hadn’t been around after Kate left to notice what was happening with her family. His father brushed it off as a young meaningless love, too early in his life to possibly know what real love was. That was funny, because he hadn’t felt that same heart twisting emotion that consumed his younger years until he flip flopped not even an hour ago with that same wild brunette on the second floor. Schooling had been his parents priority. After he finished school, he was expected to return to the resort. He opted for staying as far as way as he could. He’d mastered business management and established a job down south, managing a resort and distracted himself with the sun, the bikinis, and the unlimited fresh fruit.
“Izzy and I will be attending the funeral. It’s so sad. I remember when Annabelle passed away and how hard it was on those girls.” Marc remembered too, probably more than his mother. He had been there that night, after a sneak escape for ice cream, when they’d turned the corner laughing and carefree holding hands for the first time, only to find a slew of medics taking Kate’s mother away on a stretcher. That moment had changed everything. “Poor Kate tossed into an early motherhood at such a young, young age. All the adults in her life simply quit on them. But not Kate.” Why were they talking about Kate now? The guilt of his behavior was multiplying with every word. “And now, another adult in her life, gone.” Marc decided then he owed Kate an apology. He might have some pent up anger towards her, clearly, but that was no excuse to drag it up during a difficult time in her life. “So, I was hoping you would join me and show these women our support.”
He wouldn’t have been able to say no to his mother anyway and now with the multitude of remorse for his actions, he had to attend. No matter what transpired between them six years ago, he was a grown man who acted like a broken, hurt teenager and there was no excuse for those actions. “What time?” he asked.
She clasped her hands together in delight. “Wonderful Marcus.”
Chapter Five
Kate was thankful to escape the walls of the Caliendo Resort. Even now staying as a guest, a grown woman instead of the maintenance man’s daughter, there was a condemning atmosphere that, like a twister, swallowed her rationality then discarded it broken and chaotic. What was she thinking playing with fire in there?
It was refreshing to drive through Willow Valley, the popular tourist cottage country, where she was born and raised. The main strip was a long road parallel to the lake, lined with prideful businesses alongside a long, wooden boardwalk, inviting visitors off the road and onto public benches and tables.
Nestled into areas on the sandy beach, sat ice cream stands, yogurt shops and food huts, all currently closed for the season.
When the quaint, old fashioned bakery came into view, Kate pulled her rental into one of the slanted, free parking spots.
She wanted a hot strong boost of java to get through the rest of the afternoon. Plus take a tray of takeout coffees to meet her sister’s and dad at the funeral home.
Facing the beach, she stared at the highlights of her childhood: the large sandy shoreline flanking the long sparkling lake, currently covered in a blanket of white snow. Folks journeyed from all over the province to inhabit Willow Valley for a holiday escape. However, for the McAdams, it had always been a short fifteen-minute walk from home or a quick jaunt from Gran’s place. It was beautiful even on this cold November afternoon as a light snow danced in the air to the sound of the outdoor speakers tuned into the local radio station. Much more beautiful than she remembered. The town had planted tall grass between wood boardwalks that teased the falling snow. The water park was also new offering guests an alternative to playing in the water.
Home sweet home.
She climbed out of the car, wind whipping against her face and quickly crossed the road, pushing open the old wooden glass door. The captivating aroma of freshly baked bread lured her tummy. The glass cake displays brought back memories of being served a delicious slice of Gran’s pie. Although she didn’t expect a slice now, the familiar, warm feeling filled her body regardless.
Mrs. Calvert spotted her right away. “Well,” she greeted, placing her hands on her round hips. “Look how gorgeous you are,” she said. “I mean I have seen pictures, but honey they did you no justice. What a beautiful woman you have become Miss Katherine McAdams. Here sit, sit.” She motioned to the stools lining the lengthy antique counter. “Have a coffee.” It wasn’t a question as she flipped a mug onto the counter and filled it before Kate even took a step.
She thanked the older lady, warming her cold hands around the mug. There had been no problem keeping warm at the Resort. She nudged the notion away.
Mrs Calvert reminded Kate of Gran. They both carried a spark for life and nothing had slowed either of them down, especially not their age. She was aware their bond had grown after Mrs. Calvert’s daughter and granddaughter died almost two years ago in a car crash−the unfortunate result of a drunk driver. A rare, ill-fated bond two elderly women could share and push through together.
Mrs. Calvert finished some business at the end of the counter with two younger girls and then settled herself across from Kate, her arms folded and her elbows leaning on the counter. “How are you doing sweetheart?” she asked sincerely.
Kate smiled at her. “I’m okay.” She was as okay as she was going to be under the circumstances.
She cast a warm smile. “Gran used to brag about you little gal,” she continued. “She was so very proud of what you have become and what you have accomplished. She would return from her trips to visit you and babble on and on telling all kinds of stories. She would look forward to every Christmas, when your family would all stay at Peyton’s for a week. That was her favorite time of the year,” she whispered quietly as though Gran might walk through the door and catch her giving away her little secrets. “Because she would always sneak another day or two with you girls and sometimes a week.” She laughed out loud. “She thought she was being so smart, tricking you girls into more quality time.” Slowly shaking her head, her eyes travelled to a blank space off in the distance, obviously remembering her own memories of her dear friend. Kate let her be, enjoying that Gran had touched her heart and waited until Mrs. Calvert remembered she was sitting across from her and batted away some gathering tears.
Kate reached across the counter and covered the warm, aging hand with her own. “She loved you too Mrs. Calvert, and told me many stories about you two and your yoga, bicycle rides and karate classes.”
A smile crossed Mrs. Calvert’s lips and she was about to reply, when a side door opened and a rough, on the edge, biker looking kind of guy entered, and headed straight towards them on the opposite side of the counter as Kate. He was wearing denim and a leather jacket opened over a black sweater. His long tousled dark hair matched a trimmed beard along his jaw line. His eyes looked murky and haunted, mean and challenging. “What’s wrong?” Mrs. Calvert asked immediately.
&n
bsp; He sent Kate a quick, thin-lined fake smile, loosening his rough exterior, but not by much, before taking one of Mrs. Calvert’s arms and leaning in to whisper for her ears only. Kate looked away, sensing this was none of her business, but she couldn’t help overhear Abby’s name in the mash up. Then she noticed the grim look across the older lady’s face, which enhanced the lines of age. She even heard a little gasp. Panic gripped Kate.
“I will stay here,” he offered, when he finally pulled away.
“What’s going on?” Kate asked, beginning to stand. Fear of what could possibly be going on with Abby squeezed her heart like a vice grip.
The dark eyed man didn’t offer an explanation, instead sent her a fleeting hard look, sending her a clear warning message: This is none of your business.
Kate ignored him. “Did something happen to Abby?” she asked watching Mrs. Calvert tearing off her apron and abandoning it on the counter.
Mr. Brown Eyes, that’s what she decided to call him, was staring at her with a little more warmth, sensing himself that it was indeed her business.
“Come on Kate, I’ll explain on the way,” she said. “Riley this is Abby’s sister. Kate this is Riley O’Conner. He works for me.” The elder lady was off and Kate had to take quick strides to keep up.
Kate considered him as they reached the side door Riley had entered. He must have a trace of affection for Abby, sending such protective glances in Kate’s direction. Kate had certainly not been informed of any love interest by her sister. Hmm, take note of that for later. For right now, she had a feeling her first intuition of this trip was about to escalate.
The door led to a small, gloomy hall with a staircase to the second floor where Mrs. Calvert’s living quarters were.
Mrs. Calvert grabbed a winter coat from a hook near the door before pushing the door open and stepping into the alley. “Abby’s not taking your grandmother’s death very well,” she was saying. Who was? “I mean she’s really not taking it well,” she said, as though reading Kate’s thoughts. “And I’m not sure what’s happened now.” Their footsteps left a trail in the snow towards the alley behind the shops that opened into parking for the business owners and employees. But, past the trees lined in a row was the house Kate hadn’t wanted to go. Not right away anyway.
Lakeshore Secrets: The McAdams Sisters - Kate McAdams (By The Lake Series Book 1) Page 3
