About That Kiss

by Cindy Miles

  NATHAN MALONE STOLE her breath away.

  Never in her life had she felt like this.

  Sean’s smile deepened at his gesture. “Is that so?”

  Nathan’s head bobbed, those sun-bleached curls falling around his face, and his lips curved into the sexiest of grins. “Yes, ma’am, it is.”

  She didn’t even know what to say to that.

  “Shy? No, can’t be shy,” Nathan teased, playing with the shell of her ear. “I think we’ve just kissed those days goodbye.”

  Sean giggled as Nathan tickled her ear. “Not hardly,” she confessed. “I’ll probably be eternally shy.”

  “Well. Even better,” Nathan confessed, continuing to explore her face with his fingertip. “It will be my ongoing pleasure to attempt to break you from eternal shyness.”

  “Good luck,” Sean advised. “I’m a hard nut to crack.”

  “That sounds like a challenge,” Nathan said, then nodded. “I accept.”

  Together, they smiled, and a joy sank deep into Sean, a feeling that had been absent from her life in...forever. She felt protected. Wanted. Desired.

  Even knowing her past. At least, some of it. Willa’s father had been the first and last male figure Sean had trusted. That trust had shattered in the most horrific of ways. Although Nathan didn’t know every single detail of her past, he knew a lot more than anyone else did. Yet, he still accepted her. Chalked every bit of it up to experience, leading her to be who she was now. That fascinated her. Humbled her.

  A lingering fear gnawed at Sean as Nathan pulled on his jeans and moved around their little camp, humming some old blues song, putting together a plate of meats and cheeses and sweets from the cooler, and Sean squished the fear. Pushed it back. Way back.

  She’d told Nathan all he’d ever need to know. The rest? Well, that could stay in the dark place it was meant to be in. Knowing any more could potentially put Nathan and his family in danger. It was best left alone.

  He’d accepted what she’d told him, and it hadn’t scared him away. In fact, he’d pushed it away, turned around all those bad memories Sean had and claimed that they’d molded her into the person she was now, and that he preferred it that way. That was then. This was now.

  He threw a look over his shoulder, his bare back and muscles catching the fire’s light as he knelt by the cooler, chewing on something he’d popped into his mouth. A long curl fell across his forehead, and he grinned through it, and Sean’s heart melted even more.

  Just trust me.

  I’m the last guy you’ll ever need to meet.

  She eased her dress over her head, found her panties and slid them on, too. Nathan plopped down beside her and spread his legs wide, holding the plate above his head in one hand, then he pulled her to rest between his thighs. Reaching behind him, he pulled two colas from the cooler and handed her one, then set the plate in her lap. Together they ate. Laughed.

  They simply...were. Nathan at her back, his chin resting atop her shoulder. His lips caressing her ear, her jaw, the back of her neck, until she squealed.

  Sean had never felt such joy in her entire life.

  Aside from having Willa.

  Nathan now represented a new joy.

  The prospect of a future on the island, with Nathan, maybe? The Malones?

  That was more than she could have ever dreamed of having.

  * * *

  AFTER THAT NIGHT, the fears inside Sean subsided almost completely. She and Willa began to decorate their little river rental, and, with Nathan’s help, hung twinkling fairy lights along the dock and dock house. They’d sit by the river at night, listening to the marsh creatures settle in, watching fireflies blink in the darkness, and would hear the occasional porpoise blow close by. Not a day went by that Nathan and his family weren’t a part of their lives, and Sean reveled in it. She didn’t believe in luck, or else she’d claim to be the luckiest girl alive. Instead, she felt fate had intervened, had waited all this time to gently shove her and Willa in Cassabaw’s direction, to find the most caring, warm and funny man in Nathan Malone. Luck, Sean thought, was for gamblers. Fate? That came from a much higher power. One out of her control. And her being in Cassabaw had to have come from something other than a random, blind finger pointing at a spot on a map. She’d lived in dozens of cities before finding Cassabaw. She’d encountered other people. Other men. It was her decision, she thought, to get to know Nathan and his family that had brought such happiness. Perhaps she’d never been open to knowing anyone before. She’d chosen to stay cut off from the world, from others. To not get to know anyone.

  How glad she was that she’d convinced herself to join Nathan on that first date. Had she not, would she have closed him out, too?

  She thought about her relationship with Nathan now, and still, it baffled her, the easy connection of their personalities. At night, after Sean or Nathan put Willa to bed, they’d fall into each other, and Nathan made love to her as though they were both on their last living breath, and each time was a bigger miracle than the last. Not just for her, but for Nathan. That fact shone in his eyes, in the gentle way he touched her, in the excitement on his face each time he looked at her. Sean couldn’t get enough of it.

  She never wanted it to end, these new feelings that Nathan had stirred within her. She wondered if, should they stay together, it would stop? Slow down? If his brothers were proof, these feelings could only get stronger.

  That thought fascinated her, and one evening, while she and Nathan and Willa were on their backs on the floating dock, watching the stars and searching for falling ones, and after Willa had drifted off to sleep, Sean had the desire to speak her mind.

  “So,” she questioned. “This...romance. Does it ever wind down?”

  “Just so you know,” he said, turning over onto his side, propping his head up with his hand, “when a Malone finds the woman of his dreams, it’s forever. It only gets stronger. Better.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  Sean blinked, grinning. “Kind of like a turtledove?”

  “Or a dolphin. Whale.” He grinned, squinting one eye at her as though he truly were a pirate. “Can you handle that kind of affection, Ms. Jacobs?” He laughed, rolled onto his back. “It really doesn’t slow down. Ever.”

  “Huh,” Sean said, and pulled her arms back, resting her head in her hands. “Is that so?’

  Then, Nathan was over her, and his lips swept hers, lingered there, until that ache only he could create began to well up inside her. He pulled back, and Sean noticed he had that same pained look of desire. “Yes, ma’am,” he confirmed. “That’s so.” He winked. “Just so you know.”

  As the days went by, and days turned into weeks, Sean found those words and that night on the dock kept coming back to her. Haunted her in a very, very good way.

  She could handle that kind of affection. For that amount of time.

  Forever? He’d implied it, but hadn’t said it.

  And neither one of them had confessed the L word, either.

  Time. They had time for that. She knew how she felt in her heart. It was larger and more powerful than anything she’d ever felt for anyone, save Willa.

  She’d gladly and patiently wait for Nathan to utter the words.

  She was astounded by how thrilled she was at the thought of hearing them.

  It was a couple of weeks later, and Nathan and Owen were out on the Tiger Lily, while Willa was with Jep having a chess marathon, that a knock sounded at Sean’s door. Padding over, she peered out of the lace curtain to see Matt’s wife, Emily, standing there.

  “Hey! Do you feel like an adventure?” Emily asked.

  Sean studied her. “Sure.”

  “Great! Do you mind driving?” She patted her belly. “It’s kind of hard to fit all of this wonderful magic behind the steering wheel anymore.” She laughed.
<
br />   “Where are we going?” Sean said, grabbing her bag. She met Emily at the door, and cocked her head, inspecting her. “Are you sure we should be going anywhere at all?”

  Emily waved a hand at her. “Pshh! It’s fine. I’m not due for another two weeks or so, give or take a day.” Again, she patted her belly. “I just had a checkup yesterday. Doctor says I’m right on time. I wouldn’t bother you, but everyone’s tied up, including my beloved. I’ve already asked Jep if he was okay having Willa staying with him. They were quite heavily involved in their game. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Of course not. Sounds like fun, actually. Do you want to take my car? I’ve hardly driven it since we got here.”

  “Hmm. Your car’s small, and I may need the space in my Jeep for the haul,” Emily said, and her eyes glittered with mischievousness. “See, there’s this box of 1930s treasures I bid on and won, and they’re in Piper’s Cove, just up the way,” she said, motioning with her hand. “Won’t take long at all!”

  “Well, then, I’m ready,” Sean said, and headed outside in the sunlight that was somewhat filtered by a few gray clouds and a few white ones. Another fine coastal day on the island.

  With that, she and Emily climbed into the Jeep and headed toward Piper’s Cove.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Houston, Texas

  “SIR,” DOMINICK, CHASE BLACK’S steward, said from the door of the dining hall. Chase lifted his gaze from his meal and waited for the steward to finish. “A Mr. Mitchell is here to see you.”

  Chase wiped his mouth. “Send him in.”

  Dominick, a thin older man who had been with the Black family since before Chase was born, and had stayed on even after the deaths of first Chase’s mother, then his father, gave a curt nod. “Sir.” He disappeared to retrieve the guest, and moments later, Mitchell walked through the door.

  Chase leveled his gaze at Dominick. “Thank you, Dominick. Leave us, and close the doors.”

  Another silent nod as Dominick did what he’d been asked to do. Chase beckoned Mitchell with a flick of his wrist. Mitchell approached, looking like his usual pudgy, unrefined self. His double chin had grown larger, almost looking like he wore a tire’s inner tube around his neck. His skin was burned and peeling in patches. For as long as Chase had known him, he could say he hadn’t been more thoroughly disgusted by the man than he was now.

  “Sit,” he told Mitchell, who pulled the dining chair back and stuffed himself into it. He handed Chase a large manila envelope, and sighed.

  “If you think it’s hot here, damn,” he said, and he wiped his already-sweaty brow. “It’s hot as shit there.”

  Black said nothing. He’d been in Tokyo for almost a month now, and he’d only just arrived home the day before. He was tired and didn’t have much patience for Mitchell—except that he’d brought news. Chase nimbly opened the envelope and retrieved a healthy stack of photographs. He was good at his job, Mitchell was. And that was about it.

  “She’s gone and found herself a family,” Mitchell said, pointing to the photographs. “Happy as a clam, that one. And she’s unpacked.”

  “When did you find this out?” Chase demanded.

  “A few weeks ago maybe. You said you’d be out of the country, right? I texted you.”

  “I didn’t get any texts from you,” Chase accused.

  He looked at the first photograph.

  His insides turned icy.

  There she was, sitting at the beach, on the steps of some café. She had changed her appearance, just like Mitchell had said. Dark short hair replaced what once used to be fiery red and nearly to her waist. A modest little dress with flowers and plain brown sandals had replaced the skin-tight designer jeans, silk blouse with plunging neckline and impossibly high heels. He stared at her, fascinated.

  She easily passed for a respectable lady.

  He’d have never believed it.

  Continuing to inspect her features, he noticed she wore very little makeup, whereas before it was heavily applied, with brightly colored lipsticks and false lashes. And her hair—he could barely get over it. How it must have pained her to cut it.

  He flipped to the next photo and it was of Sara and the kid, who was wearing some sort of costumed wings and running through the sand. With short dark hair, almost black, the kid was...small. In the next photo, she was closer to the lens, and Chase stared hard. He stared, stared and shook his head.

  He couldn’t believe it.

  The kid had his eyes. His same blue eyes.

  Jesus Christ, the kid was his.

  He flipped to the next photo, and the next, and the next. With each photograph, anger swelled inside him. So, she’d found a man. Not just an entire family, but a man, as well. An unsuspecting man, no doubt. He wondered what sort of lies Sara had come up with to hide her true identity. No way would she have told the guy the truth.

  Studying the man, he looked...blue collar. Probably some type of laborious job, judging by his physique. Longish hair. No telling. Perhaps he sold surfboards at the beach. Maybe a construction worker.

  Chase’s blood began to boil beneath the surface of his skin as he perused the photographs. Yes, indeed, Sara had found herself a new life. With his child. A child she’d hidden from him for five damn years. He studied Sara’s face in each photo, laughing, holding hands with that beach bum, and his arms around her—even kissing.

  Sara was his. That kid was his, too.

  If she thought she was going to forget him, her past, who she had been—rather, was?

  She was painfully mistaken.

  “Good shots, eh?” Mitchell finally said. “Kid looks like you,” he said. “Just like you. Freaked me out when I saw her up close.”

  Chase leveled a hard gaze at Mitchell and pushed a smaller envelope toward him. “Take your money and leave.” Chase pressed the call button beneath the tabletop. In seconds, Dominick appeared at the door.

  “Sir?” he said to Chase.

  “Show Mr. Mitchell the way out, Dominick.”

  “Yes, sir,” Dominick said, and turned to wait for Mitchell.

  “Text me the address to this place,” Chase ordered Mitchell.

  Mitchell, whose eyes had been solidly stuck on Chase’s dinner plate, nodded. “Sure, sure.”

  “Now,” Chase clarified. “Then leave.”

  Mitchell pulled out his phone, tapped the face a few times, and in seconds Chase’s cell vibrated in his pocket. He retrieved it and tapped the message, and when he was satisfied the directions were clear, he gave a nod. “Good work. Now leave.”

  Mitchell’s face turned red, indicating he’d hoped for a bit more praise. Or perhaps an offer to dine. He’d get neither. He’d done his job, done it well, and Chase was paying him amply for it. He didn’t want his company. Didn’t want to be friends.

  Mitchell, mumbling under his breath, grabbed the envelope, pushed the chair back and left.

  Chase continued to stare at the photographs, well into the night.

  He studied her flawless features, and the Black features he noticed on the little girl. His little girl.

  A slow smile lifted the corners of his mouth as new thoughts invaded his brain. Sara would come back to him, and with very little influence. Zero resistance.

  Chase shook his head in disbelief. He’d rescued Sara. She’d been homeless, living on the streets like a criminal, on the verge of being an alcoholic with a good head start in drugs. She’d been dancing at some seedy bar, and he’d stepped in and saved her. Gave her a good life. Cleaned her up. Pulled her from...those people, and that shit hole she’d called a life. And this was how she repaid him?

  Sara James had run long and far enough. She’d hidden enough secrets, too. A rather large one. His daughter. His own flesh and blood, for Christ’s sake.

  It was ti
me she came home.

  To him.

  Besides, his daughter needed a real name. And he was going to give it to her.

  Give it to them both.

  Lifting his cell, he tapped an icon. A voice came over the other end.

  “Get the plane ready,” he said. “We leave in an hour.”

  “Yes, sir,” the voice said.

  And Chase Black smiled.

  Cassabaw Station

  “OH, MY WORD, Sean,” Emily said, gently pulling items from the box she’d just purchased. Already, she’d pulled on one of the bucket-styled hats—a soft ivory color with an adorable rose-colored bloom affixed to the side. It completely suited her. She held up a pair of lace gloves. “Aren’t these the best? Not dry-rotted or anything.” She grinned. “Wearable! And oh, my lucky stars. Look.” She held up a baby’s gown, linen, with tiny roses embroidered on the front. It was so little. Emily’s face glowed with delight. “How absolutely completely perfect is this?”

  Sean smiled at how Emily marveled over her new old treasures. “Completely perfect, I’d say.”

  “Me, too,” Emily agreed.

  Piper’s Cove hadn’t taken too long to reach, but it was still nearly an hour up the coast from Cassabaw. Sean hoped Willa wasn’t running Jep too ragged.

  Or vice versa.

  “Okay, I’m ready,” Emily finally said, satisfied the box of clothes and jewelry, along with a few Depression-era pieces of glassware, were what she’d paid for.

  “Let me get that,” Sean insisted, and hoisted the box.

  “Thank you,” Emily said. As she opened the shop’s door, a little bell tinkled, and they left. Clouds had gathered overhead. Dark ones, swirling madly about. A storm approached, and Sean wanted to get to Cassabaw before it hit them square on. At the Jeep, Emily opened the door, and Sean set the box in the backseat, then they climbed in just as the first big, fat raindrops fell.

  “Phew! Just in time,” Emily commented, pulling her seat belt over her large belly. “Thank you again, Sean.” She laughed. “I get so excited over these buys.”

  Sean grinned and backed the Jeep out of their parking spot, then glanced at Emily. “I can see why,” she commented. “The pieces are lovely, Emily. You pull them off well.”