Read, Write, Love at Seaside

by Addison Cole

  He shrugged. “Found it online. I just thought I’d see if it was similar to what you had in mind.”

  “Amazing, and way too expensive.” She closed the laptop. “Did you catch up on your writing?”

  “Yeah, and then some. My muse was sitting on my shoulder, whispering in my ear.”

  “Thank heavens. I was so worried that I was ruining your career. I thought for sure you’d want to break up with me when you realized I was not a quiet girlfriend but an annoyingly loud one.”

  “Annoyingly loud?” He laughed.

  “Yeah. Don’t you think so? I mean, I talk a lot. And I’m a little mouthy, and I question everything. And now I’m running down a career path I didn’t really see coming. I mean, I hoped, but…” And I’m in love with a man I didn’t see coming. “In a week I’ve turned your very organized and well-planned life upside down.”

  “Upside down?”

  “Yeah. Think about it. You dragged me from the sea, saved my dog, you’ve written less this week than you probably have any other week of your professional life, and—”

  He covered her mouth with his, her words muffled against his tongue as he stroked her worry away. She closed her eyes and melted against him, and when he drew back, she was breathless.

  “Wow.”

  “I’ve written less, but I’ve never enjoyed my life more than I have this past week with you, Leanna. If this is what it feels like to live in an upside-down world, then I never want to be right-side up.”

  ON THE WAY into town, they dropped Leanna’s van at her cottage. “That way you have to drive me home tomorrow and I get more time with you,” she’d said. He loved the way her mind worked, and he couldn’t have agreed more. With Pepper in tow, they had dinner at Mac’s Seafood by the Wellfleet Pier. Leanna’s hair whipped across her cheeks, and Pepper’s fur flattened against the wind. She zipped her hoodie and curled her shoulders forward to ward off the breeze.

  “Let’s walk down to the park.” Kurt draped an arm over her shoulder as they walked away from the water, leaving the gustier wind behind.

  Every summer an awning was constructed across from Wellfleet Harbor, where community plays and local bands put on free shows. Tonight there was a blues band playing. There were several rows of metal chairs beneath the awning, most of the seats taken. They claimed two free seats in the back row, and Pepper settled in between their feet. Beside the awning were tennis courts, and beyond that a small, colorful park. Children played on the metal playground equipment while parents stood nearby, enjoying the music. The scene reminded Kurt of his college days. He’d spent time with friends, hanging out at bars and going to concerts at local parks. Before he’d focused on writing as a full-time endeavor, he’d been more relaxed about how he spent his time. During summers and school breaks, he’d worked at a literary agent’s office, learning about the publishing industry and penning his first novel in the evenings and on weekends. After graduation he’d attended a writer’s conference, where Jackie Tolson asked to see his work. He never expected to be signed two weeks later, or to have a six-figure, two-book deal five months after that. His father was the driving force behind his determination to be the best thriller writer imaginable, and he would never stop trying to outwrite other authors or his own last novel. Do more than you think you can; be better than everyone else—his father’s words had served him well. What he’d never learned was how to apply the same standards and determination to a relationship, and in the days since he’d been with Leanna, he realized that he needed, and wanted, to find a way to strike a balance.

  Leanna moved to the beat of the music, a contented smile on her lips. Her shoulders swayed sexily, and as he watched her, Kurt hoped that he was doing enough. That, as Siena mentioned, he was giving her enough attention, thinking about her enough, letting her know how much he cared for her. How could he be sure he was? His mother was the yin to his father’s yang. She softened the rough edges of his father’s lessons with unconditional love and understanding. She wasn’t a pushover. No, Joanie Remington believed that children needed to learn from their mistakes and take responsibility for their actions, but she also exuded warmth and love like others exuded confidence or insecurity. He hoped that he’d learned enough from her to allow Leanna to feel the same emotional comfort from him.

  He reached for Leanna’s hand as the band played a slower song.

  “Dance with me.”

  “Here?”

  He pointed to the grassy area between the tent and the tennis courts. “There.”

  He held her close and closed his eyes against the discomfort of feeling like a spectacle. He wanted to hold Leanna, to dance with her, and he’d learned from watching her that there were some urges a person should just give in to. This was one of them, and it felt darn good, even with Pepper’s leash around his wrist and Pepper looking up at them with wondrous eyes.

  An elderly couple joined them on the grass and danced a few feet away.

  Kurt focused on Leanna’s heart beating against his, her arms around his neck, and the feminine, sweet, scent of her skin. Her fingers ran lightly over the back of his neck. He felt the curve of her lower back, right above her hips, the dip at the center of her spine as he pressed his palms to hold her closer. He brought one hand up and buried his hand in her silky hair, and without thought, he lowered his mouth to hers. He didn’t notice when the music stopped, or when the elderly couple returned to their seats. He didn’t notice the fast beat of the band’s next song or the child who was pointing at them as they kissed. His focus was only cocooning Leanna in his love until she couldn’t help but feel how much he adored her, until she felt it with every breath and trusted it would be in every touch. As he held her with the bay breeze at his back, he realized that Leanna had become his more.

  “Come to my brother’s wedding with me.”

  Leanna looked up at him and crinkled her nose. “Now?”

  She was so stinkin’ cute. He felt a soft laugh slip from his lips and quickly covered it with a cough. “It’s next week in Colorado. I’ll take care of the flight arrangements and everything.”

  “But it’s a wedding. There are invitations and place settings, and your brother might not want me there.” She ran her finger in circles on the back of his neck.

  “I want you there, and Jack wants me there. He won’t mind. They’re getting married at Savannah’s father’s ranch, so it’s not like there’s a formal seating chart or anything. Please go with me. I leave straight from Colorado to go back to New York, and I want every second with you that I can get.” He hadn’t realized how quickly his time at the Cape was coming to an end. A sharp pain seared his heart at the thought of not being with Leanna.

  “Okay. Yes. I will. I want to. But promise me you’ll ask Savannah and Jack if they’d mind before we make arrangements.” She reached up and touched his cheek. “I’m so glad you asked me to go with you.”

  “You are?”

  She nodded. “You’re really leaving next week? I didn’t realize…” Her eyes filled with sadness.

  “Neither did I until just now. I hate the thought of going anywhere without you. I know that makes me sound weak, or wimpy, or something bad, but…” He shrugged.

  Her lips spread into a wide smile. “I think it makes you even hotter.”

  “Hotter? Well, there’s more where that came from.” He took her hand, and they headed back toward the car. Pepper hurried along beside them.

  They stopped every few steps to kiss, and by the time they reached the car, Kurt’s body was thick with desire. Leanna wrapped her arms around his neck and rocked her hips into him. She drew his mouth to hers and moaned seductively.

  He narrowed his eyes. “You make me crazy when you do that.”

  “That’s the point.” She rocked into him again and settled her mouth over his neck, sucking and licking until he was ready to explode.

  He reached behind her and opened the car door. “In.”

  She slid into the seat, and Pepper jumped in a
t her feet. Kurt climbed into the driver’s seat, threw the car into drive, and drove directly to the darkest corner of the lot. By the time he put the car in park, Leanna was halfway across the center console.

  Pepper jumped onto the passenger seat and cocked his head, watching them with his big, dark eyes.

  “Leanna, I want you so badly.” He tangled his hands in her hair and tilted her head back, then teased her the same way she’d teased him, sensually sucking on her neck until she climbed right onto his lap and began working his zipper.

  Pepper barked.

  They both stilled, then laughed.

  Pepper climbed across the console and licked Leanna’s arm.

  “Home.” Kurt lifted Leanna back onto the passenger seat.

  He’d never driven so fast in his life.

  THEY RAN UP the steps to the cottage like two teenagers stealing away. Leanna was hot, and she wanted Kurt so badly that her insides ached. They’d forgotten to leave the porch light on, and Kurt fumbled with the keys, cursing under his breath.

  She slid between him and the door and lifted his shirt, kissing and groping his hard muscles and warm skin. He pressed his hips into her and the door pushed open. Leanna stumbled backward, her arms flailing. Kurt caught her with one strong arm. They kissed and groped their way to the couch, kicking off their shoes. Kurt dropped the keys and Pepper’s leash; then he lifted her shirt over her head and tossed it away and did the same with his own. He wrapped his strong hands around her ribs and laid her on the couch.

  “You’re impossibly beautiful,” he said in a husky voice.

  Her body went white hot, and he kissed her again, a little harder, but she could feel his restraint. She didn’t want loving—she wanted hot, dirty, fun sex—the kind of sex she’d read about and her friends talked about, and she wanted it now. She pressed her palms to his cheeks and looked into his eyes with what she hoped was a serious stare.

  “Take me,” she whispered.

  His eyes narrowed, and she recognized his hesitation. Kurt was kind, generous, loving, everything a woman could want, but she knew he had more to give. His tight muscles told her he was still holding back.

  “I want more of you,” she assured him.

  In the next second, his eyes went almost black. When his lips found hers, the intensity of everything changed. It was a rougher, harder, scratch-her-face-with-his-stubble kiss that made her tingle all the way to her toes. She’d never felt so alive.

  “Open your eyes,” he whispered.

  “Can’t,” she said in one long breath.

  He kissed her closed eyelids. “Try.”

  She did, and the love in his eyes seared a path to her heart.

  Chapter Twenty

  THE NEXT MORNING Kurt drove Leanna home before going for his run so she could prepare for her day at the flea market, and when they got there, he didn’t want to leave. Actually, he never wanted to be apart from her.

  Leanna flitted from room to room, packing up what she’d need for the sunny afternoon. Sunscreen, paper towels, bottles of water. She stopped in the middle of the kitchen floor, looking cute as a button in her shorts and tank and tapping her lips with her finger as if it might bring forth whatever she was looking for.

  Kurt folded her into his arms. “Have you thought any more about how much time you want to commit to your business or where you might want to set up shop?”

  She ran her index finger down the center of his chin to his chest. “Mm-hm.”

  “And?” His heart raced. He didn’t want to put added pressure on her, but heck if he didn’t feel like he’d go crazy if they weren’t together.

  She looked up at him, and he saw the answer in her hazel eyes. “I think I want to keep the business as a summer business. That’s when fruits are freshest, and I can specialize in gift baskets or something similar and equally as fun, the rest of the year. And…” She lifted up on her tiptoes and kissed his chin. “I want to be near you.”

  Near me. Kurt could hardly believe it. He filled the silence with an embrace.

  “Near me. You’re sure?”

  She nodded.

  “I live just outside of New York City. Is that someplace you would really consider moving to?”

  “If that’s where you’ll be, then I want to be there, too. Unless you don’t want me to. I’d totally understand if you didn’t, I mean, we haven’t known each other that long, and I can be noisy, and you like quiet, and I can be a little messy, and you’re neat, and—”

  He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “I want you there with me. In my house. By my side. Talking while I try to write and making messes that I have to clean up.”

  He felt her heart beating fast and hard against his chest.

  “You want me to move in with you?”

  “Yes.”

  “You don’t have to feel pressure or anything. I can find an apartment nearby.” Her voice shook. “I have some money saved from my real jobs, so I can manage for a while without dipping into my trust fund.”

  The love in her eyes betrayed her offer. “Leanna, I feel it in my crazy heart. I love you.”

  Her cheeks flushed pink, and her finger made quick work of tracing the edge of his tricep. “You heard that?”

  He kissed her. “I love you, and you love me. It’s fast, but I trust my instincts. When you’re not with me, I’m looking for you.”

  Pepper pawed at his leg.

  Kurt glanced at Pepper. “Yes, you, too, Pep.”

  Her eyes welled with tears.

  “Is this too fast? I’m sorry. I’m a pretty focused guy, but if it’s too fast—”

  “No.” She gripped his waist. “No. I want to be with you more than anything in the world.”

  “Then what is it?”

  A tear slipped down her cheek. “It’s just…” She buried her face in his chest. “You fill my empty spots.”

  He loved her so much that his heart ached. He wiped the tear with the pad of his thumb and held her close. “You fill mine, too. Even the ones I never knew I had.” They hugged until Leanna pushed him playfully away.

  “You need to go for your run or I’ll steal your writing and your running time, and then you’ll rethink my moving in with you.”

  “I’ll probably need to write pretty late tonight. Want me to come over after I’m done, or would you like a break from me for a night?”

  “Break? No way. I’m working with the girls on organizing the brochures and stuff. Just come over when you’re done.”

  “It might be pretty late.”

  “I’ll leave the door unlocked.” She kissed him and patted his butt on the way out the door.

  “Careful or I’ll miss my run and you’ll miss the flea market.”

  On the way back to his cottage, Kurt’s pulse raced. He’d never felt so aware of everything around him or so alive. The trees looked more interesting, the wildflowers on the side of the road more vibrant, the grass greener; the air even smelled clearer. His mind ran in a hundred different directions, and every one of them circled back to the studio. Leanna. Forever.

  He called Savannah’s brother, Treat, on the way back to his cottage. Treat owned luxury resorts all over the world.

  “You realize it’s seven in the morning, right?” Treat asked.

  “Yeah. I’m sorry to bother you so early. You’ve got a contractor friend who works in New England, right?”

  “Blue Ryder. He does excellent work.”

  “Think he’d do work for me on the Cape?” Kurt’s mind was going a mile a minute. He had a plan in place, and surprising Leanna with the studio was the tip of the iceberg.

  “Of course.”

  “Great. I have a studio that needs to be renovated.”

  “He’s doing some work at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis, I think. I’ll text you his number. I’m sure if he can fit it in, he’d love to do it.”

  “Thanks, Treat. I’ll see you at the wedding.” Kurt pulled into the driveway and walked around the house until the studio came into vie
w.

  “Yeah. I hear you might be bringing a date?”

  Kurt laughed. “That old Remington grapevine.”

  “Oh, Siena and Savannah made quick work of that. Burned up the cell lines. Everyone knows, and I think they expect you to bring her along. Siena told us it’s a big deal that you have a girlfriend.”

  “It is a big deal. And yeah, she’s coming with me. Thanks for texting Blue’s number. I’ll get in touch with him as soon as you send it over.” He ended the call and gazed at the studio, feeling the pieces of his heart falling into place. No wonder I didn’t know what to do with you. You were waiting for Leanna.

  Maybe I was, too.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  AFTER SHE ARRIVED home from the flea market, Leanna checked her email and confirmed the meeting with Daisy Chain for the twenty-eighth, the only day every member of their executive staff would be in town in the next four weeks. She fed Pepper, and for the first time, wished she had Kurt’s phone number. She’d like to hear his voice. Although that would require remembering where she left her phone. She took out her notepad and wrote FIND PHONE across the top of the page.

  “Ready to get to work?” Jenna walked into the cottage armed with her iPad, a notebook, and a six-pack of wine coolers.

  “As ready as I can be, I think.”

  “Hey, girlies.” Amy held the door open for Bella; each of them carried their laptop and a plastic wineglass. “We’re ready to work, Leanna. Just tell us what you need.”

  “You guys are the best. Let’s set up outside, though. That way we can surf the Internet from Clark and Vanessa’s cottage. Their connection is so much stronger than mine.” She set her computer on the table, and Pepper settled down in the corner of the deck. Leanna couldn’t wait to tell them about her decision to move in with Kurt, and she knew just how she wanted to reveal her news.

  “I made a list.” Jenna pulled out a notebook.

  “Of course you did.” Bella rolled her eyes.