Against the Wall (Stoddard Art School Series Book 3) (9 page)

He took a step closer, fighting the urge to gather her in his arms, hold her, and convince her of all the reasons why she should give them a chance. “Listen, what if you weren’t working for me?”

“Are you firing me?” She looked worried.

“Hell, no.” She frowned at him and he rushed to explain. “What if we met at the grocery store picking out…peaches?” He shrugged. “We strike up a conversation, you know, about peaches. I invite you for coffee. We hit it off, and I ask you to dinner at the place down by the water because I heard they have amazing peach cobbler. We have a great time. I take you home, walk you to your door, and we kiss good night—just like we kissed out there on the point. Would you still be afraid?”

“Only if I was allergic to peaches.”

He laughed. “Exactly my point. Would the possibility of
us
still scare you?

She shook her head. “That’s a whole lot of what ifs.”

“Kay…” Her name slipped from his mouth in a whisper. “The only
what if
scaring the hell out of
me
, is what if the best thing to ever happen to me never gets the chance to happen? I want to spend more time with you, get to know you, take you out, walk you to your door.”

Kay closed her eyes.

He continued, “I’m going to leave. Shadow is in his pen. He’s got a new bone, so he won’t try to break out, but you can bring him in to keep you company if you’d like. I’ll be back in the morning, and I’d really like to take you to breakfast. The Muffin Tin Café has great food.”

She looked at him for a long moment before answering. “Do they have peaches?”

“If they don’t, we can stop and get some.”

****

The Muffin Tin had been crowded. Kay insisted they take Shadow along, to chaperone, which was fine with Mindy the owner so long as they sat at one of the umbrella tables outside. The morning was clear and warm. As if the dog hadn’t already been in love with Kay, after she generously shared her bacon with him, they were definite BFFs.

They talked about the inn, the mural, how Dottie and Walter had become her surrogate aunt and uncle, and the quality of Mindy’s peach pancakes.

After, Bear walked Kay back to her car. “See, that wasn’t so bad.”

“It was delicious. I’m completely stuffed. I should just make it home before the carb coma hits.” She ruffled Shadow’s ears and kissed the top of his head before laying a hand on Bear’s arm. “Thank you for feeding me, again.”

Bear covered her hand with his. “Next time you can feed me.”

“Next time?”

“Yeah, how about taking a day off?”

“I can’t.” She tried to pull her hand away, but he tightened his grip.

“Sure you can. You said yourself you’re ahead of schedule. I’ll clear it with the boss.”

Kay raised an eyebrow as she considered. “If I say yes, what did you have in mind?”

“A quiet day on the cove. You, me, sunshine, the mutt.”

“My favorite place.”

“Convenient, too.” He ran a thumb over her knuckles.

“A bit cliché, don’t you think?” She kept her gaze on their joined hands.

“Cliché?”

“Having a thing for the girl next door.”

“Who says I have a thing?”

She looked up and smiled. “Don’t try to deny it. Even Shadow knows you have a thing.”

“I’m not denying it.” Bear held her gaze. Her eyes told him everything he needed to know. That kiss had thrown her as much as it had him, but she was still unsure. She didn’t trust him. “Come on. Tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be perfect. Spend the day with me.” He lifted her hand and kissed the backs of her fingers. “I’ll come by at ten.”

After a long, agonizing minute, the corner of her mouth tipped. “Make it eleven. I’ll meet you on the beach.”

“I’ll wear a red rose pinned to my swimsuit so you can find me in the crowd?” he teased.

“No roses.” Something flittered across her eyes, but it was gone so quickly, Bear had little time to try to figure it out. “I’m sure I’ll find you.” She pulled her hand from his, gave him a small smile, and was in her car and away from the curb before he could say good-bye.

She took off in such a hurry, he was surprised she didn’t leave rubber on the street.

He was standing on the sidewalk in front of the inn watching her car disappear up the road when Walter came down the path.

“There you are, Yogi.” He followed his line of sight. “Was that Kay?”

“Yep. The girl can sure leave in a hurry.”

“What’d ya say to chase her off?”

Bear shrugged and shook his head. “Beats the hell out of me.”

“She’s a professional skedaddler.” Walter clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Not to worry none, she’s never run from a responsibility. She’ll get your job done.”

“I’m not worried about the mural.”

“Then what’s got ya in a twist?”

Bear looked him square in the eye. “What happens when the job’s done?”

Walter gave him a hard look. “So that’s the way things are, are they?”

Bear’d broken the first cardinal rule of men. Never let on you’ve got feelings. You’re just opening yourself up to grief and busted balls. He tried to brush it off and headed back toward the inn. “What are you going on about now?”

“I’m old, but I ain’t blind. You’re fallin’ for her. Don’t be trying to deny it either. Not blind. Not stupid.”

“If you’re so damn smart, then answer my question.”

Walter fell in step with him. “Son, I’m gonna level with ya. I know nothin’ about women. Hell, I’ve been with Dottie more than thirty years, and I still don’t have that damn fool woman figured out. But Kay’s my girl. She’s not had a smooth road of it. Never has. Not since day one. I can count on this finger”—he held up his pinkie—“the men who’ve not let her down. Still don’t know what happened with her and her fella back in Stoddard. She’s not talkin’. The look on her face when she showed up here a few weeks back told me all I needed to know.”

Walter stopped walking. “I like ya, Yogi, I do, but if you’re thinking about havin’ yer fun and sendin’ her on her way, I’m telling ya, you’ll have me to deal with. I may be old, but I figure I could still knock your dick in the dirt. Or die trying.”

Bear laughed and looked back at Walter. He outweighed him by a good sixty pounds less thirty years, but the man’s loyalty to his family trumped all. “I’m not taking you on. You think I’m nuts?”

Chapter Ten

Kay waited until the sun dried the morning’s dew off the beach stones before setting her blanket and things out for her date with Bear.
A date with Bear.
The idea of it triggered a host of emotions. After all her protests—to Dottie, to Bear, to herself—the kiss on the point changed everything. Was it too soon to be feeling what she was feeling? Was she fooling herself into believing he was somehow different from the rest?

That damn kiss. It made her skittish. Like Hope, the cat. The wee beast had to be tempted to the bowl each morning. The first few days, she would creep up the stairs, grab a hunk of food, and dash back to safety. Her eyes wide with fear, taking in the movement of every leaf. Ears poised and listening for any threat until hunger overruled her fear.

Was that what Kay was doing? Grabbing a morsel of happiness and rushing back behind her protective walls to savor it? Going out to breakfast, agreeing to this date. Was her desire for Bear superseding the rest?

Hope had relaxed enough to come up on the deck for her food and eat as long as Kay stayed a fair distance away. Perhaps it was time for Kay to relax as well, but keeping Bear at a safe distance didn’t seem like an option anymore. The man was catnip.

Shadow raced past her, surprising her as he circled and danced around her legs. His excitement at seeing her always made her laugh. Bear grabbed at his collar. “Easy, boy. We talked about this.”

“Good morning, both of you.” She scratched Shadow behind the ears. “What did you two talk about?”

“Guy stuff.” Bear lowered his sunglasses. “You look great.”

Her bathing suit was modest by any standard, black, one-piece, and she’d tied a bright, stained-glass print scarf around her waist as a cover up. But there was something kicking up the
I’m almost naked
level as if she were standing there in her underwear.

“Thanks, so do you.” Bear wore a worn USC T-shirt over his shorts. He had great
guy
legs. Tanned. Muscular.

He let Shadow go off to chase seagulls down the beach, and replaced his sunglasses. “Perfect day.”

“It’s beautiful.” Kay scanned the sky.

“I brought some wine.” He held a bag aloft before adding it to the small collection of beach bags and the cooler Kay had spread out on a colorful blanket.

She nodded. A flood of nerves had her fumbling for words. “I ran into town this morning and grabbed a couple sandwiches…and some beer.”

“Great.” He gave an enthusiastic clap.

She frowned. “Great…” They stood looking at the waves. Silence opened like a chasm between them.
Say something else. Anything.
Her mind couldn’t come up with a single thing. So much for clever banter. This was going to be a very long day.

“Why the hell is this so awkward?” He laughed, looking at her in shocked amazement.

Kay threw up her hands. “I have no idea.”

“We discussed the weather, food, and our mutual appreciation of each other’s attire.” He ticked them off on his fingers. “That took all of ten seconds.”

She shook her head and shrugged. “This is why I don’t date.”

“We didn’t have any trouble with conversation at breakfast yesterday.”

“It wasn’t a date.”

“Sure it was. I shaved. I walked you to your door. Car door, but a door’s a door. Would have kissed you good night, but it was nine o’clock in the morning, and you practically ran over my foot getting away.”

Kay grimaced. “Sorry.”

“Was it something I said?”

“No…”
Yes.
But how do you explain you’re a neurotic lunatic without sounding like one? She studied the rocks by her toes. “No.”

Bear leaned closer and spoke in a soft voice. “Maybe if I kiss you good night now—you know, get it out of the way.” He gave a small shrug. “Then we can relax and enjoy our day.”

Catnip
. A shiver ran through her that had nothing to do with the cool breeze coming off the water. “Sounds very… practical.”

“Practical?” He lowered his sunglasses and peered over the rim. “I’ve been called many things, but never practical, not when it comes to my kissing.”

She grabbed a handful of his T-shirt and tugged him toward her. “Please just kiss me before I say anything else stupid.”

He laughed and dropped his sunglasses on the blanket before wrapping his arms around her. “Under one condition.”

Kay closed her eyes and groaned. “What?” He brushed the tip of his nose against hers. His mouth hovered. When he didn’t kiss her, she opened her eyes. His serious gaze held her captive.

“Promise you won’t vanish this time.”

She blinked. “I-I can’t guarantee that.”

He watched her mouth before searching her eyes. “Guess I’ll have to take my chances.” His arms tightened their hold as he tipped his head and whispered against her lips. “Good night.”

His lips were warm as they met hers, but there was nothing soft in the way his mouth played against hers. No hesitation. No gentle whisper of lips across lips. Bear’s kisses were potent and heady. He took her mouth, stole her breath, and made her hunger for more.

Shadow bumped against them, and Bear released her before she’d had her fill. Somehow the panic of the kiss on the point was gone. Not that she was powerless against a few killer kisses. Just the opposite. Kay wanted this. She wanted him. She didn’t want to think their relationship to death. She just wanted to feel this feeling. The thrill of excitement that runs through you when you know someone’s coming to pick you up, or when you hear their voice on the other end of the phone. That delicious inner gasp when you see them. The warm rush of desire when their gaze locks with yours for an extra second. She craved it all. With Bear. It didn’t feel as if she were denying all the hurt Todd had caused by her jumping into another man’s arms. This felt right. And good.

Bear kept his hands on her hips and studied her face. She gave him a small smile. “I’m still here.”

“Yes, you are. Must be my lucky day.”

“Mine too.” Kay released the grip she had on the front of his T-shirt and smoothed the wrinkles out of the S of USC. She wanted him to take it off. Was it too early in their date to ask to see his tattoo?

Bear lifted her hand and kissed her fingers. “Let’s go for a walk.”

“Good idea.”

Shadow took the lead as they moved closer to the water where the walking was easier. They headed away from the point to explore the far side of the cove.

Kay kicked off her sandals and walked through the very edge of the waves. The sand beneath her feet was coarse and cool. “So why do they call you Bear?”

“The truth?”

Raising her eyebrows, she shot him a glance. “Is it embarrassing?”

“No, not really. But when you’re my size and you’re a linebacker, people assume I’m called Bear because I was a ferocious defenseman.”

“I remember Walter and you talking football the other night. Did you play professionally?”

He turned and indicated the letters on his shirt. “College ball. Wrecked my shoulder my junior year at USC.”

“I’m sorry.” She hated the idea of him hurt. Kay wasn’t much of a sports fan, but she knew enough to know how brutal some of those tackles could be, even with helmets and pads.

Bear shrugged. “It happens.”

“That’s not why they call you Bear?”

“Nope. Truth is my younger brother had a stutter as a little kid. Couldn’t say Barrett.”

Kay shot him a smile. “Adorable.”

“Don’t spread it around.” Shadow splashed into the water ahead of them. “What about you? Kay short for Katherine maybe?”

“No. Just Kay. Walter calls me Special Kay. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to be breakfast cereal or what.”

“Brothers? Sisters?”

Kay gave a quick shake of her head. “Nope. There’s just me. Parents, of course. Well, one parent, one step. Charles.”

He looked over at her. “You have a step-Charles?”