Time For Pleasure (13 page)

Chapter Eleven

Hours later, Kaelyn was still thinking about her conversation with Rafael.

Punching someone in the mouth
? She still couldn’t believe Ashton had done that. Although she found his actions quite heroic, part of her could see him trying to be loyal to his company and his people. Once Ashton had discovered who she was, he was already caught up in a lie. It left her with a glimmer of hope that maybe Ashton didn’t mean to lie, well at least not about the car, but that didn’t change the fact he had never revealed who he was.

How were they supposed to have a relationship without trust, which -- as far as she was concerned meant -- he never meant for the relationship to go any further than sex.

Isn’t that all you’d wanted?

Yes, she admitted. In the beginning she wanted it to be strictly a sexual relationship, but the more time she spent with him. The more times they came together as one, her feelings had changed and she had started feeling… wanting so much more.

As she stepped off the deck and back inside the house, she reminded herself he’d had every opportunity to come clean, but chose not to. And that hurt more than anything else.

Kaelyn retrieved a bottle of soda and headed to her bedroom. Immediately she noticed she had a missed call. She brought the cell phone to her ear and her heart thumped when she realized she had a new message from Ashton.

“I’m sorry,” he began and the tone of his voice she wondered, was it guilt? No, she decided, he sounded strange and uncertain.

She definitely knew what that felt like, she decided, as she walked over to the bed and flopped down onto her back while she finished listening to him explain his story, collaborating what Rafael had shared. She would be lying if she didn’t admit it left her feeling somewhat better. Because the fact of the matter, even after she told him to go to hell and to never call her again, Ashton had still gone out of his way to try and make things right.

“Kaelyn, you have two days and then I’m coming to get you.”

Her body heated and her nipples hardened at the thought of Ashton going caveman and tossing her kicking and screaming over his shoulder. Goodness, her body had already given her its vote on the subject. Now it was up to her mind and heart to decide if she wanted to give them another chance.

She still couldn’t understand why he hadn’t just come clean and told her who he was. And even Mackenzie had known all along and said she had her reasons, but that didn’t mean Kaelyn was ready yet to forgive her either.

Remembering the check, she rose from the bed and padded back into the kitchen. She reached down for the envelope with the check and realized there was also a hand-written note inside.

I’m sorry. Please forgive me. A

Her heart started banging beneath her chest. She went back to her desk, tried to focus on her web design, but her mind was on something—or better yet—
someone
other than work. Realizing work was useless, Kaelyn looked out the window. Late afternoon, the sky was clear and the sun hot. As she stared out into the ocean, at the vacationers tramping along the shoreline, a sailboat lazily riding the wave, she couldn’t stop thinking about Ashton. His large hands, his body heat, how rough he was in bed. She was supposed to be erasing him from her life, not thinking about him.

She heard her cell phone and went to her bedroom and brought it to her ear. “Hi Mom.”

It was typical of Joyce Robinson to get right to the reason for her call. “I’ve been calling you all morning. What’s wrong? Do you need for me to come and bring you home?”

Kaelyn groaned. Her mother could be so irritating, but she cared deeply about her daughter, which was the only reason why she tolerated her overprotectiveness. “No Mom, I’m fine.”

“Then why do you sound all nasally? You’ve been crying. Haven’t you?”

She swallowed and wiped a single tear from the corner of her eye. Just hearing her mother’s voice, she felt all weepy and wished she was close by so she could pour out her heart. Her mother would then wrap her arms around her and assure her everything would be okay. But she was hundreds of miles away so there was no way she would worry her like that.

“Did I just hear a sniffle? Princess, please talk to me.”

“I’m fine, Mom. Allergies got my nose all stopped up. But I’m okay. I promise.” She’d have to play down how she was feeling or her mother and her new husband Ryan would be gassing up the Buick Lacrosse and hitting the road in the wee hours heading toward Delaware, and she definitely couldn’t have that. “I just took a decongestant right before you called.”

That quieted her mother for a few moments. “How have you been? Meet any nice men yet?”

Naughty and nice
. The time they had spent together had been special. Except it had been one big lie. “No one worth talking about.”

There was a moment of silence. “Are you still thinking about Tip?”

Kaelyn released a sigh. “Mom, I know you care, but I’m fine, really. I’m so over Tip and trying to start a new life. But I promise you I’m happy.”

“I would be happier if you found yourself a really nice guy… and have some babies. You’re almost thirty,” she said like it was a bad thing.

“And how would you feel about me being pregnant?”

There was silence on the other end and she knew her words had shocked her. “Are you trying to tell me something, Princess?” she asked cautiously.

Despite how she was feeling, Kaelyn had to resist a grin. “No, Mom. I’m not pregnant, but someday.”

“I sure hope so. Just find a nice boy and get married first. The problem with you is that you want too much. I told you there are no perfect men out there. You just have to find someone who, despite all his flaws, he’s perfect for you.”

“But Mother, how do you know? I mean how did you know Ryan was worth all the trouble?” She and her stepfather Ryan Robinson had been married two years.

“Well, I felt something in my heart that I never felt before. Wait a minute, you just called me mother and you never call me that unless it’s something serious. What’s going on here?”

“Nothing that I’m ready to talk about just yet. Maybe next time,” she stated carefully.

There was another pause. “Alright, well you know I’m here if you need me.”

“I know and I love you for it.” Kaelyn knew her mother’s feelings were hurt for her not willingly pouring out her heart. One thing about her, she had always been there to listen and provide advice. But this time it wasn’t quite so easy.

Kaelyn dragged her legs up to her chest. This time she just wasn’t ready to share. It was all hers and she wanted to hold onto that moment for as long as she could. What she was feeling, she was still trying to make sense of it all herself. She just wasn’t sure where to begin. All she knew was whatever it was, it terrified her.

She went out onto the porch and stared at the charcoal gray Volvo. It was beautiful, clean and much newer than the one she had. Curiosity got the better of her and she walked over and peeked inside, and released a slow breath. Leather seats. Sunroof. Everything she had wanted and didn’t get with the first. But how did Ashton know? she wondered. Certain she had a pretty good idea who’d told him, she went back inside long enough to grab her purse and the key, and hopped behind the wheel. A mile down the road, Kaelyn opened the sunroof and breathed in the salty air.

As she drove toward town she stared over at the long stretch of beach along the boardwalk that was lined with restaurants, and hotels. The white sands were crowded with tourists, stretching out hoping to catch some waves, children shifting sand through their fingers, or just soaking up some of the eighty-eight degree sun. She had been living here almost six months and this was the most crowded she’d ever seen it. According to Mackenzie, it was summer after all and the city stayed awake until the wee hours of the morning from the Memorial Day parade down Main Street to the big fireworks celebration Labor Day weekend.

Despite how angry she felt, she couldn’t resist a smile. She loved the town she now called home and could see why the natives never wanted to live anywhere else.

By the time she turned into a luxury townhouse community, she was in love with her new car. Even though she knew there was no way she could keep it.

Kaelyn knocked on the door and a few seconds later it swung open.

“I’m still not talking to you,” she barked, then stepped into Mackenzie’s living room and flopped down on the couch.

“Whose car is that?” she asked pointing out the window.

“Don’t act like you didn’t know.”

“I’m serious,” Mackenzie said and started laughing. “Ashton gave you that?” She sobered and added. “I must say I’m impressed.”

“Well I’m not,” she lied. “He had no right and neither did you. You’re supposed to be my friend.”

“I am.” She shrugged. “Personally, I think the two of you are perfect for each other. You just haven’t realized it yet.”

“Perfect?”

With her arms crossed, Mackenzie nodded. “He’s really a good guy.”

“Then why did he lie and tell me he was a deliveryman?”

Mackenzie yawned, stretched and settled comfortably on the couch. “Did he really lie?”

Well, maybe he didn’t lie. In fact, now that she had brought it up, he’d never actually said it was his job. He said he was delivering her refrigerator. Okay, so maybe she had assumed the rest since it was a family-owned business, but he didn’t bother to correct her either.

Kaelyn pointed her finger. “But that’s no excuse, Mackenzie. Ashton should have told me the truth.”

“I agree,” Mackenzie said, finally coming to her side. “He should have. But we all make mistakes. Like you were wrong for accusing him of selling you a lemon.”

She did have a point, but she wasn’t ready to admit it.

“I heard he decked Glen in the mouth,” Mackenzie shared with a chuckle.

“So I’ve heard.” Kaelyn smiled and couldn’t ignore a warm feeling inside. He had come to her defense. There was another long silence. Could she have been wrong about him? “He really is a great guy, isn’t he?”

Mackenzie nodded. “Ask anyone.”

Kaelyn drew out a long breath. “What if he leaves? What if one day he decides he doesn’t want us anymore?”

Her gaze softened. “There are never any guarantees. All you can do is follow your heart and decide if you can trust him not to hurt you.”

She wrapped her arms around herself as tightly as she could. “I do trust him.”

“Then you need to tell him.” Mackenzie began, then dragged her legs to her chest. “Everybody’s not your father, or that bastard Tip, Lynn. There really are some good men out here who want to love and have a family. At some point you have to start believing that again.”

“Love hurts,” she said stubbornly.

Mackenzie chuckled. “Yes it does, which is why I love being single but you’re different. You’re meant to marry and have a family and, believe it or not, Ashton is perfect for you. You just have to be willing to take the risk.”

As her words absorbed, something in Kaelyn’s heart was telling her she was right. Ashton was everything she was looking for in a man and she needed to tell him and make things right. She’d wasted enough time mulling over all the reasons why she shouldn’t be crazy about him and why a relationship between them wouldn’t work. But suddenly none of those ridiculous reasons even mattered anymore. Now she had to find a way to talk to him, which would mean admitting she was wrong for accusing him of betraying her. “So how am I going to fix it?”