About That Kiss: A Heartbreaker Bay Novel

by Jill Shalvis

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah, and you’re welcome,” Haley said. “You owe me a bag of Tina’s muffins.”

  “Thought you were on some sort of ridiculously strict diet. Something about a bikini and summer season ahead . . .”

  Haley sighed. “I just don’t know how I went from being sixteen years old and eating pasta for every meal and wearing a size zero to being twenty-six, drinking kale, and debating wearing a T-shirt to the pool.”

  “Well, I think you look great,” Kylie said honestly.

  Haley hugged her. “Thanks. And I’m over myself. I really do want—no, make that need—muffins.”

  After Kylie was bandaged and had paid the bill in the form of the promised muffins, she was headed back to Reclaimed Woods via the courtyard when she was waylaid by a call from her mom. They talked every few weeks, with just long enough between calls to grow the fondness.

  “Hey, baby, thanks for the birthday gift certificate to Victoria’s Secret and Charlotte Russe!” her mom said happily. “New fancy undies and club dresses, here I come! However did you know?”

  Kylie had to laugh. “Because it’s all you ever want every year.”

  “Well, it was very sweet. Thank you. How’s work? You with your cutie-pie boss yet?”

  “Mom.” Kylie pinched the bridge of her nose. “No.”

  “Good. I mean, he’s a decent guy, but he’s not The Guy. I know you don’t want to hear this from me, but you need someone who pulls you out of your shell.”

  Kylie grimaced. “I’m not in a shell.”

  “You’re so far in your shell, you can’t even see out of the shell.”

  Kylie rolled her eyes. This was a common refrain between them. Her mom felt Kylie didn’t have enough fun in her life, and Kylie thought her mom could do with a little more life and a little less fun. “I’ve gotta get back to work.”

  “See? All work. Come out with me sometime. We’ll have a drink, loosen you up a little bit, and find you someone to light you up.”

  “Mom, a man isn’t going to solve all my problems.”

  “Well, of course not, silly. But he’ll sure help you forget about them. Just think about it. Call me once in a while.”

  Kylie sighed, shoved her phone away, and went back to work. Problem was, now she was short the wood she needed for her table, her hand hurt like a bitch, and she couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that though Joe had agreed to partner with her on this, he apparently planned to work his way down her list.

  Without her.

  She knew that was just his usual lone wolf mentality, but it felt a little bit like he’d told her that she wasn’t wanted. She’d hired him and he’d taken over, and it was yet another rejection.

  Man, she was really on a roll.

  But she wasn’t going to be set aside that easily. She’d been texting with Molly. Nothing happened at Hunt Investigations that Molly didn’t know about, and according to her, the guys were all up to their eyeballs in work at the moment. Topping things off, they’d gone out on an unexpected big bond bounty hunt that needed to be handled today due to a court deadline.

  Which meant that Joe wouldn’t even think about starting on her list until he was back. The hours crawled by until late afternoon when Molly texted a heads-up that the team was coming back into the office.

  “Is there anything else I need to know?” Joe had asked.

  Yeah, but not that she planned on telling him about. Or anyone. She turned off the planer she’d been using and quickly cleaned up. Vinnie tried to help by picking up wood scraps and spreading them everywhere under her feet so that she kept tripping. Trying to distract him, she tossed him one of his own toys. “Fetch,” she said.

  He gave a bark of pure joy, went after the toy, and . . . took it back to his bed. She sighed and continued to close up. She’d just finished and grabbed Vinnie to go when Gib poked his head in and smiled.

  “Hey,” he said. “Everything okay?”

  “Sure,” she said. “Even though right about now would be a really great time for someone to tell me that I’m Princess of Genovia.”

  “Who?”

  “Never mind. What’s up?”

  “I thought maybe we’d do dinner,” he said.

  She froze. Was he asking her out? She actually wasn’t sure. “The kind of dinner where we’ve both been working late and you’re hungry so I go get us takeout?” she asked, which they’d done a million times and definitely wasn’t a date.

  “No,” he said. “The kind of dinner where I take you to a restaurant.” He smiled and ran a hand over the sexy scruff on his jaw. “I think it’s about time, don’t you?”

  She waited for the burst of excitement to hit, but . . . it didn’t. She wasn’t exactly sure when or where or how, but the painful crush she’d had on him forever now didn’t seem quite as painful. Suddenly, wanting Gib felt like the safe option.

  And for whatever reason, safe was no longer what she craved. “I’m sorry,” she said, “but I can’t tonight. I’ve got plans.”

  “With Joe?”

  “Yes, but it’s not what you think.” Instead of using the carrier, she tucked Vinnie into the large pouch of her hoodie sweatshirt—his favorite place to be—and rose to go, but Gib grabbed her hand.

  “I really am sorry about the party last night,” he said. “I honestly didn’t know Rena would be there.”

  “It’s okay. It doesn’t matter.”

  “No, I think it does.” He reeled her in closer and bent a little to look into her eyes. “I’ve made some mistakes with you, Ky. I’m trying to fix them.”

  “What kind of mistakes?” she asked curiously.

  “For starters, the kind of mistake that had me letting you leave last night.”

  She stared up at him, into the eyes of the man who’d been the only one she’d wanted for as long as she could remember—aside from Justin Timberlake. “Why?”

  He looked confused at the question. “Why?”

  “Yeah, why were you hoping I’d stay when we haven’t really seen much of each other outside work?”

  “Because I realized something.” Holding her gaze, he pulled her in to him. “That I wanted to do this.” Then he leaned in, lowered his head, and brushed his mouth over hers. His lips were warm and very nice, and though she froze at the contact, her brain didn’t.

  Gib was kissing her!

  She was still stunned when he pulled back and smiled at her. “Think about it,” he said.

  And then he walked away, leaving her staring after him. Hell had frozen over. The fat lady had sung.

  Because Gib had just made a very real pass at her.

  She should be doing cartwheels. Why wasn’t she doing cartwheels? She locked up and left, more confused than ever. She’d planned to sit on a bench at the fountain in the courtyard where she could see to the second floor and the entrance of Hunt Investigations. She’d thought to lie in wait for Joe to leave his office, and then waylay him. But five minutes into her wait, Molly sent a text.

  He’s delayed thirty minutes by a meeting with Archer.

  Great. Head still spinning, Kylie headed into the pub for a drink. She stepped up to the bar next to Sadie.

  Sadie smiled distractedly, but didn’t say anything.

  “You okay?” Kylie asked.

  “Good question,” Sean said from the other side of the bar. “I just asked her the same thing.”

  “And?” Kylie asked.

  Sean slid Sadie a look. “She told me not to mistake her silence for weakness, that no one plans a murder out loud.”

  Kylie laughed.

  Sadie didn’t.

  “Okay, so . . . whose murder are we planning?” Kylie asked her when Sean moved off.

  “Still up for debate,” Sadie said, reaching over to pet Vinnie’s head. He’d stuck it out of Kylie’s sweatshirt pocket. “I’m having a late lunch and thinking it over.”

  “What is that you’re having?”

  “Fruit salad.”

  “That�
��s funny,” Kylie said, “cuz it looks like a sangria.”

  “Huh. Weird.” Sadie sipped her “fruit salad.”

  Kylie laughed. “Okay, so you had a bad day too.” She sighed. “Adulting never looked so hard from the other side.”

  “It’s not our fault,” Sadie said. “Monopoly gave us all these false expectations. Like, why can’t I buy property? Where’s my get out of jail free card? Or my two hundred bucks for passing Go?” She fed Vinnie a pretzel. Vinnie loved pretzels. Actually, Vinnie loved all food. Well, except for pickles, which Kylie had discovered by accident when he’d eaten her lunch the other day, every single bite except for the pickles that he’d so thoughtfully left on the floor for her to step on.

  A guy walked into the pub, his phone to his ear. He was long, lean, wearing a really great suit, and looking like a million bucks. Kylie knew his name. Caleb. He was Spence’s business partner who also sometimes dealt with Hunt Investigations. He always seemed very serious, but beyond that all she knew about him was that he was very nice to look at.

  “Relax, Susan,” he said into his cell phone as he came up to the bar. “I won’t be late. I’m in my car right now, on my way.”

  “No, he’s not, Susan!” Sadie yelled toward his phone. “He’s in a bar!”

  Caleb sent her a long look.

  “Sorry, Suits,” she said unapologetically as she casually sipped her lunch. “No one lies to Susan in front of me.”

  Caleb narrowed his eyes. Sadie smiled without showing teeth. In response, he pointed at her and then moved away from them.

  “‘Suits’?” Kylie asked Sadie.

  Sadie shrugged. “He wears more money on his broad shoulders than I make all year. It’s annoying.”

  “There’s a story here,” Kylie guessed. “I think I want to hear it.”

  “He’s just too uptight.”

  “You two a thing?”

  “He’s too uptight,” Sadie repeated. “Plus, I actually like being single. I get to be selfish with my time and personal space. I can leave the top off the toothpaste and sleep like a starfish.”

  All true.

  When Molly finally texted her that Joe was preparing to leave, Kylie exited the pub. She made her way to the parking lot where Joe kept his truck. She was leaning against it when he strolled up five minutes later. He was in work gear, which never failed to trip her pulse. Dark cargos, a long-sleeved T-shirt that fit him like it’d been made for him and God knew how many weapons she couldn’t see. He had a duffle bag hanging off one broad shoulder and his phone to his ear.

  He wore dark aviator sunglasses, but she knew he was looking at her as he finished up his call before slipping his cell into one of his million pockets. “What happened to your hand?” he asked.

  She looked down at the gauze wrapped around her palm. “Splinter.”

  “You get it out?”

  “Haley did.”

  “You clean it good?”

  “Again, Haley.”

  He nodded and studied her. “So . . .”

  “So . . .” She bit her lower lip.

  He raised a brow. “So what are you doing here, Kylie?”

  “Catching a ride.” She wished she had a pair of sunglasses that made her look even half as badass cool as he did.

  And though he hadn’t smiled in greeting at her, he did so at Vinnie, reaching out to ruffle the top of the dog’s head affectionately. “And where are you catching a ride to?” he asked.

  “Wherever you’re going. I presume to someone on the list, right?”

  He didn’t sigh. Joe didn’t give away his emotions that easily. But she sensed his irritation as he gave Vinnie one last pat and beeped his truck unlocked. Kylie jumped into the passenger seat before he could turn her away.

  Joe slid behind the wheel, expression a little tight. He wasn’t happy. The irony didn’t escape her. After a very long dry spell, she’d kissed two men in the past week. One who wanted to be with her and one who didn’t.

  And here she sat with the man who didn’t. Clearly she needed help. And as she clicked into the seatbelt, she told herself she was doubly grateful Joe hadn’t called her after the infamous kiss, because seriously? She’d gotten a little drunk at a bar and kissed some guy? This guy? The wrong-for-her guy? Who was she, her own damn mother?

  Kissing the wrong man was her mom’s MO, as was making poor decisions when it came to the male species. Or life, really. Kylie didn’t want to be that person or make those mistakes. And Joe, sexy and hot as he was, represented exactly that—the mistakes she’d seen all during her growing up years, the kind of men her mom had always brought home, the guy who burned hot and fast and then disappointed and disappeared.

  But for all her determination to not be her mom, to live life more seriously and be content just watching the fun happen around her, she had an embarrassing truth. For that five minutes she’d been in Joe’s arms, she’d been transported. Transfixed.

  And aroused beyond belief.

  None of which she’d felt in Gib’s arms earlier. Shaking that off, she asked, “So where are we going?”

  “The Embarcadero,” Joe said. “Rowena Butterfield was your grandpa’s last apprentice.”

  “Ro,” Kylie said with a smile. Rowena was a throwback to a flower power child of the sixties. She was in her forties, but seemed timeless, and she was a real talent as well. Her grandpa had loved her and so had Kylie. “She’s great. She didn’t have anything to do with this, Joe.”

  “She was fired from her last job for questionable behavior and she’s now selling her wares at a little stand near Pier 39.”

  “No,” Kylie said. “No way.”

  “Yes way.”

  She slid him a look. “Define ‘questionable behavior.’”

  “She stole a hundred-year-old bottle of wine from a winery and when confronted, hit the winery employee over the head with the bottle.”

  Okay, so that was definitely questionable behavior, but she shook her head. “That can’t be right.”

  Joe didn’t comment. He drove them through the city to the Embarcadero, where he parked. She started to get out of the truck along with him but he pointed at her.

  “No,” he said.

  She arched a brow. “I’m sorry. What?”

  “You’re staying here. The rug rat too. I’m starving, so if I pick up some food, what do you want?”

  The guy was a contradiction from head to toe. Badass and ready to save the world one minute, deceptively playful the next. He was constantly hungry and on the perpetual search for food. She had no idea where he put the million-plus calories he consumed in a day. “I’m not staying in the truck,” she said.

  He pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head and gave her what was surely a patented you’re driving me crazy look. “Yes, you are.”

  She crossed her arms. “The only way that’s going to happen is if you handcuff me,” she said. “You going to handcuff me, Joe?”

  There was a very slight softening around his mouth and his eyes heated. “Only if you ask me real nice.”

  Her every single erogenous zone quivered, and she had more of them than she remembered having. “You do realize this is the twenty-first century and men don’t get to tell women no anymore, right?” she asked.

  “Kylie, this woman can ID you.”

  “Well, yes,” she admitted.

  “So you stay here. You too,” he said to Vinnie, who licked Joe’s finger.

  “Wait.” She was so not okay with this, even if a little part of her wanted to lick Joe’s finger too, amongst other body parts. “I—”

  “She knows you, Kylie. Presumably she likes you. She’s never going to admit to stealing your carving if you’re standing right there while I question her.”

  Okay, so maybe he had a point.

  Joe studied her for a moment and then, apparently satisfied that she was going to stay, he nodded. “I’ll be back.”

  She waited three minutes and then got out of the truck, but not before “borrowi
ng” a big black hoodie from his backseat and what was clearly a spare pair of sunglasses in his console. She pulled the sweatshirt on over hers, hood up, slid on the sunglasses, and glanced at herself in the mirror. She was so keeping the sunglasses.

  “There,” she said to Vinnie. “Incognito. What do you think?”

  Vinnie cocked his head to one side and then the other, his ears quivering with excitement. He sensed an adventure. He loved adventures. She put him on a leash and headed to Pier 39, eyes peeled for Joe.

  There was an area in front of the pier where individual vendors sold their wares. The place was crowded with people, mostly tourists, giving her plenty of cover.

  She and Vinnie stopped at the first vendor, who was selling pet costumes. Perfect! She scooped up Vinnie and showed him a lion costume, complete with mane. “What do you think?”

  Vinnie licked it.

  Good enough. She paid for the costume and put it on Vinnie. “Now you’re undercover like me,” she told him. She could see the line of vendors going up the Embarcadero. Several ahead of her was Rowena, who appeared to be selling all sizes of handcrafted, ornately carved wooden boxes.

  She didn’t see Joe. Huh. She was still standing there in indecision when someone set a hand at the nape of her neck and squeezed lightly.

  Chapter 6

  #WhatWeHaveHereIsAFailureToCommunicate

  Kylie nearly leapt right out of her own skin. And then a familiar low male voice said in her ear, “I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay.”

  “Joe,” she gasped, sagging a little. “You startled me. I didn’t see you.”

  “No shit. But we all saw you,” he said, his hand warm on the back of her neck. “You and your vicious pet lion.”

  Kylie looked down at Vinnie, who’d fallen asleep at her feet, mouth open, snoring at maximum volume. She scooped him up. He snorted and snuggled in, setting his head on her shoulder, going right back to sleep.

  And back to snoring.

  “Ruthless guard dog on the job,” Joe said, steering her away from the vendors and toward where he’d parked. “Are you wearing my sweatshirt?”

  “Yes, and your spare sunglasses too,” she said. “It’s my disguise.”