But it almost seemed that Dylan had been born with a fire helmet welded to his head. She couldn’t see him ever doing anything else with his life. She rolled to prop her chin on his chest, giving him an incredulous look. “You can’t be serious.”
“No. But I don’t want you to worry. I’m okay. More than okay. Changes are coming. Looks like I’m going to be Joe’s silent partner in a surf shop in Santa Cruz.”
“Joe is going to own a business?”
“I wondered what he was doing all this time, keeping to himself, mostly on his laptop. It turned out he wasn’t playing online video games. He has a business plan, and we might even make some money at this if all goes well.”
“Wow. Joe Reyes, all grown up.”
“And it’s about time.”
“Are you okay with this? I know you always wanted him to join you and Marco.”
“He’s never been interested. I should have known better. At least he’s strong enough not to listen to me. He knows what he wants now. I’m glad he found it.”
But the idea of Dylan owning part of a surf shop struck her as funny.
“And you’re going to own a surf shop? Am I going to see you on a board, catching waves with all the other surfer dudes?” She laughed, rolled to her back, and flashed him the “hang 10” sign.
“It’s time for me to do something fun for a change, right?” Taking full advantage of her current state, he was on top of her within seconds, flashing her that irresistible smile.
“You’ve always been fun.”
“Liar.” His hand drifted down one leg and up again, coming to rest at the apex of her thigh. “I know I’ve always been too up in my head. Too serious. But that’s all changing. You and me, Lake Tahoe, as soon as you can leave Milly.”
“Really?” Her heart swelled to the size of the moon. He wanted to go away with her. So romantic. “I’d love that.”
“Fair warning. Once we book a room somewhere, you’re going to have to be the one to drag me out of it every day. I wouldn’t mind being locked up with you for an entire weekend. I would keep you busy.”
“You’re my favorite kind of busy.” She framed his face in her hands.
“This thing between you and me? I’m in, Chuck. I’m all in.”
“Me, too.”
But then he rose from the bed, naked. “Wait. Where are you going?”
He swooped her off the bed once more. “Shower. You. Me.”
Oh yeah. She could get used to this. She gripped her legs tight around his waist as he carried her to the bathroom.
Outside the shower stall, he set her down and kissed her, and she parted her lips for his warm insistent tongue, her breaths shallow. Ragged. She broke the kiss, staring into his heated gaze. “Do you know how long I’ve waited for this? For you and me?”
“C’mere.” He slid her a slow wicked smile and led her into the shower. “Show me.”
And for the rest of the evening, that’s exactly what she did.
It was still dark outside when Dylan opened one eye, not sure if he had any feeling left in his right arm. Charley cuddled next to him, heavily asleep on his arm. Okay. So that explained the arm. And as memories of last night flooded back to him of last night, he remembered. Charley. All night long. First, she’d dropped to her knees in the shower and given him a blowjob worthy of a porn star. The shower. Just thinking about that got him hard and he wondered if he had time to wake Charley up before she was due to start baking.
She was definitely the best recipe for a man celebrating having another chance at life, after nearly having a roof fall on him. He was having the time of his life so far and last night was only the beginning. He carefully removed his dead arm from under her, and she rolled away from him onto her stomach. The sheets didn’t go with her, revealing a perfectly shaped round butt that he wanted to bite like an apple. He dipped his head to do just that as his cellphone rang.
Caller ID read: Milly. Worried it could be an emergency, he picked it up. “Hey.”
“Oh, hey, Dylan. Sorry to bother you. I just want to remind Charley that she needs to start baking. I assume she’s there?”
There went his fun wake-up call. His hand went instinctively to the back of her neck and skimmed down to the small of her back. “She’s here.”
“Uh-huh. That what I thought. She wasn’t picking up her phone.”
“She’s still…sleeping.” He winced, not sure how much Milly had heard about him and Charley if anything at all.
“Oh, well sorry to be trouble in paradise, but you know. The bakery waits for no one.”
“I’ll wake her up.”
“Thanks.” Milly hung up rather abruptly.
He pulled Charley to him, butt to nuts, and she sighed in her sleep. But before he could even say “baby” to wake her, he heard a buzzing sound coming from somewhere on the floor. Within seconds, the buzzing sound had risen in volume until it was a little something between the sound of a burglar alarm and a jet taking off.
“What?” Charley flailed in his arms. “Stop! Stop it!”
He decided it would be in his best interest to hold back the laughter that was threatening to break through.
“No, no, no.” She dove off the bed and hit the floor. “Where is it?”
He could hear the sounds of her searching for her phone. A few seconds later the noise stopped, and from his position on the bed, hands clasped behind his head, he saw her slowly rise. Her morning hair was the definition of bedhead. Tousled and covering one eye completely.
God, she was beautiful.
“Sorry. Did I wake you up?” she asked, sleep thick in her voice, one eye open.
“No. I was just about to wake you up, but my way would have been a lot more fun than that alarm.”
She sighed and half-smiled. “I have to start baking now.”
“I know. Milly called me.”
“She called you?”
“She said you didn’t answer.”
“But I have no missed calls.” She scrolled through her phone and frowned. “What did you tell her?”
“That you were still sleeping. Because you were until that M80 went off.”
“It’s the only way I can get up this early. That plus coffee. Much coffee.” She stood to pull panties, bra, and jeans on. “Milly still has no faith in me, or she wouldn’t have called you and not me. Plus, you know what this means, don’t you?”
“I have a feeling you’re going to tell me.”
“Milly hasn’t called to remind me once since we had our fight. These walls are so damn thin that she must have heard us last night. It means that we shoved it in her face that we’re sleeping together.”
Charley tugged on her blouse and glanced at herself in the mirror, tracing the red love bite he’d left on her neck. “Dylan! What did you do?”
He winced, then smiled, remembering.
“I’m a teenager again.” She turned to him, hands on hips. “You suck!”
“Yes, I do.”
He wasn’t going to apologize. At this point, he wanted everyone to know she was taken. He wanted to mark her, like she was his. Reluctantly, he rolled out of bed too.
He’d just pulled his shirt on when he caught Charley staring at him. “What?”
“I almost forgot. I-I need to tell you something.”
“Go ahead.”
“Later.”
For the life of him, she looked guilty. He tried not to think the worst, but knowing her the way he did, this was difficult. “What did you do? Does this involve DNA?”
“No! I’ll tell you everything tonight. It’s kind of a long story but I think you’re going to love it.”
“I’m working at the marina, so come by when I knock off and we’ll get dinner.”
“It’s a date.” She went straight into his arms and he pulled her in tight. Buried his face in that tousled crazy hair and took a deep breath of her. “An actual date.”
“Figured it was about time to make it official.”
“You’re my best friend,” she said into his neck.
His chest tightened because he hadn’t heard her say those four words to him in a while. It didn’t mean they had ever stopped being true. “And nothing’s ever going to change that.”
“Promise me?”
His answer was to press his lips against hers, warm, wet and tender before she left. It was time for him to get to work on that sailboat.
There was money to be made and for once he was looking forward to Sunset Kiss.
20
“Bake the world a better place.” ~ meme
It was time for Charley to tell Dylan all about their accidental kiss.
He’d always said that he didn’t believe in the legend, but when she explained he’d have to change his mind. Why else would their connection have moved so seamlessly from friends to lovers? Because that’s what they were now. Not casual, either. She’d known her share of players and that wasn’t Dylan’s way. He was far too serious a person for that. She could sense it in the way he’d made love to her last night. He’d seemed to lose all control.
And she’d loved it.
After making sure that Naomi had checked in on Milly one last time before she left for the day, Charley closed the bakery and went upstairs. She took a shower and then searched her closet for the shoes she’d found on clearance. They were in the back behind her extensive collection of Chuck Taylors. Still in the box they’d come in.
“Aha! There you are, you beauties.” These weren’t painful contraptions designed by misogynists. They were soft tan leather ankle booties, and they were sexy as hell.
Just as she was, apparently.
They had a small heel and as she walked through the apartment looking for her keys and shutting off lights, she got accustomed somewhat to the elevation. She hopped on her moped and drove to the marina to meet Dylan. The Pacific Ocean sky was socked in, a dark and swirling color. Charley couldn’t see the stars tonight, but they were there. Hiding.
Once after a particular bad day at school with the mean girls, Dylan had driven her to Yosemite in his uncle’s Ranchero. Away from the city lights, the stars shined powerfully against a black velvet sky. Dylan had pulled her into his arms and whispered that the mean girls were full of shit. If they didn’t like her, it was simply because they were jealous. And yes, Charley had silently agreed. Because though they might not be jealous of her unruly hair, her secondhand clothes or her shoes, they were over the fact that Dylan Reyes was her best friend. That their relationship seemed to take precedence over any of the many girls he’d dated.
That one memory had stayed with her long after he’d driven them back to the city. Never in her entire life had she had something so many others wanted. He’d always made her feel special. Unique. The seals barked as she approached the pier.
Hey there, girl! Where have you been? We missed you.
More than any other part of the city, the seals reminded her that she was home. Now, they barked as if welcoming her.
Dylan had said to turn south at the entrance. Was that left? Or right? She spun in a circle, then continued to walk the dock south, or what seemed like it could be south. It was hard to tell because the sun had already set and there were only strings of fairy lights to guide her path. The marina next to the yacht club was filled with rows upon rows of all manner of watercraft. All these boats looked exactly the same to her. Motor boats, yachts, sailboats.
She got lost, walking down the different boat slips not seeing a single soul. If this was one of Dylan’s pranks, his way of getting back at her for the fake engagement prank, she was going to kill him. Twice. She heard a whistle and turned. A few more steps in the direction of the whistle and she noticed a gleaming sailboat christened Miracle One. She sucked in a breath. Dylan had one foot braced on the edge of the boat as he watched her.
A sailboat. He was working on a sailboat.
“Don’t tell me,” he said with his half smile. “You got lost.”
Giddy with the knowledge of what this sailboat could mean for their future, she grinned. “I’ve told you not to use words like ‘south’ and ‘west’ with me. Use my language, for instance, left and right.”
“My mistake.”
She rose her sexy booted foot to take another step in his direction and…couldn’t move her right foot. Holy cheesecake, the heel of her boot was stuck between two pier planks. How did she not see this coming?
She wiggled a little but nothing happened. And she did mean nothing.
“What’s wrong?” Dylan’s brow creased in concern.
“Um, nothing.” She held on to her dignity since it was all she had going for her right now. “I might have…just…”
“I know you’re not afraid of the water, so quit stalling and get over here.” He beckoned her.
She made a jerky move and then stopped while she tried to absorb the humiliation of this moment. “I would. But I’m…stuck.”
Dylan hopped over and the ease with which he moved his body was…admirable. She’d bet he’d never get stuck like this, heel or no heel. For just a moment, she yearned for her boyish Chucks which at least had never managed to get stuck between two wooden planks.
He squatted in front of her and his warm hand brushed against her ankle. “I see the problem.”
Those beautiful mocha eyes gazed up at her with the hint of a smile twitching at his lips.
“Are you having fun down there? Please don’t tell me we have to call the fire department.”
“No problem,” he said, straightening to his full height. “I have a pair of pliers inside.”
“How humiliating.” She covered her face.
“Would you rather me cut you out of the boot? I actually think that might be better. Hang on, don’t go anywhere.”
“Dylan, wait!” He turned and she caught the playful glint in his eyes.
True enough, he’d never stop messing with her. “I really like these boots.”
His hot gaze slid up and down her legs and settled on the boots. “I like them, too.”
She fisted her hands on her hips. “Get back here and let me use you as leverage!”
He strode back and planted his body in front of her. “Just what a man likes to hear.”
“I told you to stop teasing me.”
He met her gaze, his eyes shimmering. “And I told you I never would.”
She gripped his waist, using him as an anchor, and wiggled her foot. She felt it give a little. Then she let her hands slowly drift down to his ass just because this was a good excuse to touch him.
“Oh good, this is working.” She smiled up at him.
“Working for me.” His hands slid to her hips and he pulled her close.
Everything inside her went flambé hot with his words, even with the sudden chill of an evening breeze. She wrenched her foot the rest of the way out and would have lost her balance if not for Dylan’s grip on her.
“There!”
She moved her terribly sexy booted foot, deciding they were worth the agony after all, and angled her foot to the side to admire it. It seemed to have survived the night’s humiliation intact.
“Okay?” He bent to inspect her ankle as if he thought she might have been injured.
“I’m good. Sometimes fashion is pain.” That’s what Milly always said, and now Charley believed her. True story.
He took her hand and led her to the boat.
She stopped at the slip to admire her future. Or what could be her future. “You’re working on a sailboat.”
He easily hopped on the boat, then held out his hand for her. In one swift move he hauled her on board by the waist.
“Ooph,” Charley said when he knocked a little wind out of her. In the circle of his arms, her heart swelled with a powerful ache. This time the ache wasn’t painful, but simply a warm and cozy feeling she couldn’t name.
“What do you think?”
“Are we going somewhere?”
“No, but someone is.” He waved to the bow. “My
partner and I are going to make some serious coin come Sunset Kiss. We’re going to rent it out. Three days of sailing at top dollar.”
“Rent it out? To other couples?” She clutched at her chest, sure her heart had stopped beating.
“Why not? All the sailboats are rented out months in advance and he found this fixer upper. Asked me to clean it up. Figured we could make some quick money and split the profits. Couples will pay top dollar for the event.”
Yes, she knew. Half of the women who dropped by the bakery had already been asked and there were always the singles who came from all over the city for the event. This year as with most, sailboats would dot the bay at sunset for all three days.
Dylan had always been the enterprising sort, and she understood that. But it was one thing to invest in a surf shop to help his brother out, quite another to take advantage of couples desperate for true love.
“Did I hear this right?” She pushed against Dylan’s chest. “You’re going to profit over a couple desperate to get a sailboat? Desperate to declare their love for one another?”
He cocked his head. “You make that sound like a bad thing.”
“It is! You’re…you’re…”
“Giving some couple the chance to indulge in a favorite fantasy.” He shrugged.
“Taking advantage of something very…real.”
“Chuck, it’s not real. It’s good for tourism and good for our community. And I’m on board with all of that.”
“But you still don’t believe.”
“You know that better than anyone else.”
She stuck out her bottom limp. “What happened to Fun Dylan?”
“Fun Dylan is alive and well. How’s this? Do I believe in love? Yes. It just has nothing to do with the sunset.”
21
“Don’t be afraid to take whisks.” ~ Apron
Damn, he was an idiot.
He should have known that Charley would see the sailboat and assume…things. Blame it on the fire and the new carefree attitude he owned. He hadn’t thought this one through all the way. But he still refused to indulge her in a fantasy no matter how much he wanted the girl who believed. Even if it would, at least temporarily, make his life easier. Fun. Because this was Charley, and he did not lie to her. He did not sugarcoat anything and tell her only what she wanted to hear.
The Accidental Kiss Page 13
