by Susan Meier
Wyatt laughed. “We noticed. That’s why we offered to keep Stacy tonight. You can go home and get back to work.”
Stacy’s eyes widened with joy. “Can I stay, Daddy?”
He sucked in a breath. “That’s such an imposition—”
“Are you kidding! The kids love her. And she’s about the same size as the girls. We can fix her up with pajamas and a swimsuit.” Missy rose. “We’ll bring her home around four tomorrow afternoon.”
Taking his cue from Missy, Gabe rose, too. His muscles might have sighed in relief, but his head went crazy.
Should he go searching for Kara? And if he did, what would he say if he found her?
Or should he just go to the beach house? And if he did, how would he stay sane knowing she was “out there” somewhere?
He kissed Stacy goodbye, but she couldn’t wiggle out of his hug fast enough. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow at four.”
“And don’t worry about Stacy. You just take care of your deal.”
He smiled, not bothering to correct their misconception that his deal had stolen his concentration all night.
He jogged down the steps of their deck. Just a sliver in the sky, the moon didn’t shed much light. The black ocean was nothing but sound. Deck lights lit little squares in front of houses, but otherwise the world was dark.
Which perfectly reflected his mood. He hadn’t been in a beach bar in years. He wasn’t twenty-seven. He was a thirty-six-year-old divorced father who hid from life by making money.
Why was he even considering going after her? People depended on him for their livelihoods. He had a child. He didn’t do bars.
Still, he couldn’t suppress the urge to find her. Halfway to his beach house, he convinced himself it was to protect her. But by the time he got to the deck steps he knew that wasn’t true. He wanted to find her for himself.
And then what?
He had absolutely no idea, but the ache in his belly wouldn’t go away.
Suddenly, there she was, walking along the beach. His eyes narrowed. No. She was dancing on the beach. A scarf wrapped around her shoulders. Her red hair floated in the breeze from the surf.
She looked amazing.
And tempting.
He licked his lips.
Now what?
Chapter Six
Kara glanced up, noticed Gabe approaching and stopped dancing. If he was close enough on the dark beach that she could see him, he’d undoubtedly seen her. And, again undoubtedly, she’d made a fool of herself.
Something inside nudged her to find a way to avoid him, but she cursed that stupid, fearful girl. Let him tease her. Then she could sass him and maybe they’d return to their normal way of getting along.
The wind whipped his loose beige linen trousers and the wild-print beach shirt he’d worn to dinner. When he got close enough, he said, “You were dancing.”
She shrugged. “So? Gonna sue me?”
He shook his head. “No. I liked it.”
She sniffed a laugh. “Right.”
“You know, growing up poor doesn’t make you unlikeable.” He sucked in a breath, shoved his hands in his pockets. “I think it must make you more likeable.” He shrugged. “I thought about you all night. Realizing how far you’ve come is impressive. I want to whip the tar out of your mum, but,” he caught her gaze. “I like you. A lot.”
Her head spun. “Because I grew up poor?”
“Because I understand you now.” He looked away then back at her. “I’ve worked with you for an entire year, but I always sensed you were holding something back. Today, everything you’ve said and done in the past year makes sense. It’s crazy, huh?”
It was crazy. She’d kept the secret of her past for decades because she believed it would make people shy away from her, or pity her. But searching his pale blue eyes she didn’t find pity. Or fear. Or even confusion. It was as if he was seeing her for the first time, meshing together the woman he knew as his assistant and the part of herself she’d only shown him this week.
“How did you do it?”
“Survive?”
He nodded.
“My wits.”
It was now or never. He liked her. He’d said it. Plus, the fact that he knew her whole story was strangely liberating. It was as if they were getting a fresh start. But he clearly needed help making the transition.
She stepped close, put her fingers on his forearm. “I don’t want you to see me as some poor waif begging for food. Or a stiff-lipped college girl doggedly going after what she wants.”
“How do you want me to see you?”
“As a woman.” She spread out her arms, letting the breeze catch the scarf she was using as a wrap. “Just somebody you could like.”
“I do like you. I’ve always liked you.” He stepped closer, realizing it was true. He’d always felt that they clicked. He’d believed that’s what made them a good team. Now he wondered if it wasn’t something more. An instinct that said they belonged together as more than coworkers.
Cupping her chin he tipped her face up and brushed his lips across hers, once, twice, his eyes never leaving hers. Her hands tentatively slid to his shoulders and stopped. He pulled her closer. She smiled, and that was all the invitation he needed.
He pressed his mouth to hers. An unfamiliar hunger riding his blood, he coaxed her lips open with his tongue and let his instincts take him—take them both. She opened for him, and with the wind in their hair and the sound of the surf urging him on, his fingers raced down the long column of her neck, smoothed over her shoulders and cruised down her back.
The sweet longing that rose up in him should have been out of place next to the raw hunger that drove him, but it somehow complimented it. He pulled her closer, tucking her body tightly against his. And let the arousal swell on a wave of desire. He’d never felt this craving before. A restless yearning that swam through his veins and all but sang along his nerve endings. Hungry, dangerous, he ploughed his fingers into her hair and took.
“Daddy! Daddy!”
Stacy’s call broke through the haze of lust and reached his brain. He pulled back, but he couldn’t completely break away. He stared into Kara’s eyes. Dumbfounded. Confused. What the hell had just happened?
“Daddy! Daddy!”
This time he heard the wobble of tears in his baby girl’s voice. He turned to find she was running toward him, Missy McKenzie on her heels.
She flew to him and he stooped to catch her.
Two steps behind her, Missy stopped. “I’m sorry, Gabe. She was okay until we put the kids to bed. Then she burst into tears and said she wanted to go home. Nothing we said would talk her out of it.”
Hugging Stacy to him, he said, “That’s okay.” He peeked down at her. “She doesn’t look any the worse for wear.”
Missy crouched beside them. “Are you sure you’re okay, sweetie?”
Stacy nodded.
“Maybe we can try this again at the end of the summer when she knows us better?”
“That sounds good.”
Missy waved and headed to her own beach house.
Gabe jostled Stacy. “Hey, I thought you loved the triplets.”
She buried her face in his neck. “I do.”
“So why were you afraid?”
She shrugged. “I missed you.”
The sweet sadness in her little voice affected him as much as her words. No matter how his marriage had ended, he was grateful for this little girl who loved him unconditionally.
He kissed her temple. “Come on. Let’s get you into bed.”
He started up the sand toward the deck, but he hadn’t gotten two steps before Stacy suddenly bolted upright in his arms. “Where’s Kara?”
He stopped walking. “She’s still looking at the ocean.”
Her lower lip quivered. “I want Kara, too. Not just you.”
“Okay.” He called down to Kara. “Kara, Stacy wants to say goodnight to you. Come inside with us.”
Wrapping her scarf a
round her shoulders, she nodded and met them in front of the steps.
Together they took Stacy to her room. Gabe slid her into pajamas while Kara pulled down the covers.
Stacy happily snuggled inside.
Tucking the blankets up to her chin, Gabe said, “You go to sleep now.”
He walked to the door, but Kara lagged behind. “You don’t ever have to worry that your daddy is going to leave you.”
Her words broke his heart. Kara recognized Stacy’s fears because she’d experienced them herself. Stacy’s mum might make sure she was fed, but she hadn’t hesitated to drop Stacy off as if she were yesterday’s laundry, not a sensitive little girl. Kara understood what it felt like to be unloved by the very woman who’d given her life.
She stooped down beside the bed and ruffled her fingers through Stacy’s feather-light bangs. “There are lots and lots of people who love you.” She smiled. “Me included. You never have to be afraid.”
Stacy nodded.
Kara kissed her forehead.
And Gabe knew he was in serious danger of losing his heart.
Chapter Seven
Gabe spent the night prowling the house, wondering what to do. But in the end he realized he wasn’t antsy because starting something with Kara was wrong. He was antsy because it was right. And the reason he was so hungry, so needy was because he was ready. Really ready.
But he also wasn’t stupid. The success or failure of this romance would hinge on a well-thought-out, practical plan. No sudden moves. No grand gestures. Just a nice, safe affair that wouldn’t risk either one of their sanities.
Once that decision had been made, he’d fallen into a deep sleep and hadn’t woken until after nine.
The next morning, finding Kara already at the coffeepot, he cautiously entered the kitchen. She wore a long skirt and simple blouse with her hair in her typical bun. When she turned, he saw she wore her glasses.
He didn’t have a librarian fantasy, but the need to remove those glasses and kiss her senseless urged him across the hardwood floor. Still, when he closed the distance between them, he didn’t reach for the black frames. Instead, he kissed her, leaving her glasses on. The other times he’d kissed her, he’d kissed the new woman he was coming to know. This morning, he crossed the line. He kissed his assistant.
The woman who made his heart swell with yearning. The sexy woman who’d wowed him in her bikini. The sweet woman who danced on the beach.
There’d be no mistaking his intentions.
He pulled back. Gazing into her deep brown eyes he whispered, “Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
Her soft breathy voice zinged straight to his groin. Still, it was too soon to consider making love. They were in the getting-to-know-you stage.
But she put her hands on his chest and walked her fingers up to his neck, pulling him down for another kiss. This one long and dark. Her lips nipped and nibbled as her hands settled on his nape, sending sweet sensation careening through him. His hands slid to her hair, nimbly finding pins and tossing them to the counter beside them. When the silken tresses tumbled free, he threaded his fingers through them, luxuriating in the sensual slide.
The sound of little feet thumping across the hardwood into the kitchen penetrated his brain.
“I want French toast!”
He jerked away. Reluctantly. Kara gave him a seductive smile that promised they’d finish this later. He didn’t believe they were ready for sex just yet…but what did he know? He’d been out of the game so long that he might be overly cautious.
Stacy tried to crawl onto one of the chairs at the table by the bay window, but couldn’t because she had a crayon and a piece of paper in one of her hands.
Kara walked over and gave her a boost up. “There you go.”
Stacy giggled.
Kara ruffled her hair. “So you like French toast?”
“I looooovvve French toast.”
Kara and Gabe laughed.
She sheepishly slid her piece of paper across the table to Kara. “This is for you.”
“Oh!” Obviously making a big deal out of the artwork for Stacy’s sake, Kara said, “Thank you! I love pictures.”
“It’s not a picture.”
“It’s not?”
“It’s a card. Lainie and Claire taught me how to make it.”
Expecting to hear Kara say something sweet, Gabe swung away from the stove to face her and Stacy. The stunned expression on Kara’s face caused him to walk over.
“What?
Pressing her lips together, she handed the card to Gabe.
He glanced down. Happy Mother’s Day, Kara Mum.
Oh.
He set the card on the table and crouched beside Stacy’s chair. “Honey, that was very sweet of you, but Kara’s not your mum.”
“Wyatt’s not really the triplets’ dad, either, but because he kisses their mum he is now.”
“That isn’t just because Wyatt kisses their mum. It’s because he’s married to their mum.”
“Aren’t you going to marry Kara?”
“Kara and I don’t have that kind of relationship.” Yet, he almost added. But what they felt for each other was so new, he couldn’t. Even thinking about marriage scared him to death. He and Kara had years before that came on to their radar.
“So why’d you kiss her?”
He smiled at Kara. “Because I like her.”
“So marry her.”
He squeezed his eyes shut. Did anyone ever win an argument with a four-year-old?
***
Kara sat frozen on the chair beside Stacy. The card had nearly done her in. Nothing would make her happier than to be Stacy’s mum. Reading the words Happy Mother’s Day on the card had made her heart flip. Her chest warmed. Sprinkles of happiness danced through her. Because she realized if she and Gabe married, she would be Stacy’s mum.
She wouldn’t just have a home. She would be a mum to a little girl who might not have to beg for food the way she had, but who had been abandoned, too.
“No one can guarantee forever.”
Kara returned to the present just as Gabe muttered those words in exasperation. She swallowed a giggle. How did one explain a blossoming romance to a four-year-old?
“We could kiss again and decide we don’t like each other.”
Kara frowned. That wasn’t very optimistic of him.
But Stacy said, “Why would you kiss someone you don’t like?”
“I do like Kara. But we’re not getting married. We’re just going to be boyfriend and girlfriend.”
This time when her heart tumbled, it was with shock. It wasn’t his words but the finality of them. As if he’d decided last night they’d have an affair. But only an affair.
She couldn’t stop the words that spilled from her. “You want an affair?”
He looked from Kara to Stacy. “Sweetie, why don’t you go wash your hands for breakfast?”
Stacy sighed, but she slid off her chair.
The minute she was gone, Gabe said, “You can’t read anything into my explanation to a four-year-old.”
“So you didn’t mean what you said?”
He rubbed his hand along his nape. “Which part?”
“The part about us only being boyfriend and girlfriend.”
“Kara, you’ve been my assistant for a whole year. Now suddenly you’re this beautiful, tempting woman and I—”
“You what? Want to sleep with me but don’t want anything permanent?”
“It’s a little soon to talk about something permanent.”
All right. She’d give him that. “What about serious?”
“What about serious?” He ran his hand along his neck again. “I’m not going to lie. Even serious scares me. I never want to get into another situation like I had with my ex-wife.”
Her heart dipped. “You believe I would run out on you?”
He didn’t say anything but the answer was written on his face. He didn’t trust her. After an entire
year of being the most loyal assistant in the world, he didn’t trust her.
“I’ve shown you myself, my real self, for an entire year. This week I told you my secrets. And you still don’t trust me?”
“I don’t trust the system.”
“What system?”
“Marriage and promises. They’ve never worked for me.”
“They’ve never worked for me! My God, my mum wouldn’t even feed me, yet I trust you.”
“I’m sorry. I just can’t trust. And if you decide to be with me, that’s something you’re going to have to accept as part of the deal.”
“You think this is a deal?”
“You think this isn’t?”
She glanced around wildly, her poor unloved heart knotting in her chest. He thought of their relationship as a business deal? And why not? That’s how he looked at everything.
“You know what? I’m going home.”
Chapter Eight
The sound of the front door closing barely registered in Gabe’s confused mind. By the time it had, he’d raced to the entryway but the taxi in front of his house was already driving off.
Holding the Mother’s Day card his daughter had made for Kara, he backed away from the front door slowly. His heart jackhammered in his chest. His pulse thumped. His brain overloaded.
In a few days, Kara had gone from being his assistant to being a woman—a very attractive woman he was interested in romantically. They’d shared three kisses. They’d also bonded on a level that took them beyond friends. But was it enough to consider something serious? To bring her into Stacy’s life on a regular basis? To allow his little girl to grow attached to her? To let himself grow attached to her?
Just the thought sent fear skittering down his spine. He’d been burned. When his ex had left him and Stacy, he’d walked around his house like a zombie for three weeks before he’d pulled himself together. After that, he’d vowed to protect himself from that ever happening again. And Kara believed a few kisses changed all that?
He headed to the kitchen. “Stacy! Let’s get our bathing suits on. Maybe we can find the triplets.”
They left the beach house ten minutes later. The McKenzies weren’t anywhere in sight, so he and Stacy began building a sandcastle. But every time he went for water to fill the bucket, he remembered how this had been Kara’s first ever trip to the ocean. Remembered the laughter in her eyes and the excitement in her voice.
