Against the Wall (Stoddard Art School Series Book 3) (14 page)

She tiptoed downstairs on legs which still trembled. All she had to do was remember his mouth at her breast, a nip on her inner thigh, the tip of his tongue on the back of her knee…God, she should bronze that tongue of his. And the rest of him. The smell of his skin. The play of muscle over bone. He was beautiful. Potent. Addictive.

She stepped out onto the deck; the cool air of the night chilled her. She pulled the thin robe tighter, hugging herself. The moon’s light filtered through the pine trees casting lacy patterns on the decking. The soft hush of the waves whispered up to her from the beach.

Perfect. Everything was perfect. How was that even possible? When had anything in her life been so painfully blissful? It didn’t happen. Not to her. Never to her.

Something Walter was fond of saying kept running through her head. “Every dog has their day.” Was this her day? Could she trust it? Could she trust Bear? God, she wanted to.

He’d done nothing wrong, and yet she couldn’t help but pile all the sins from boyfriends past onto his shoulders. She hated herself for doing it, but there it was, and one night of amazing love-making couldn’t rid her of those scars.

Dammit, she was doing what she swore to herself she would not do. Did she always have to dissect everything to death? What happened to keeping it easy?

She knew the answer…Bear happened.

And in one perfect day he had swept her off her feet. She wasn’t the strong, sassy,
easy
woman she made herself out to be. The kind of woman who could fall into bed and not have it mean something.

It meant something. And it was the enormity of the something that had her standing there shivering in her robe instead of wrapped around the incredibly hot man in her bed. Not just any man. Bear.

She noticed the empty dishes by the stairs. She’d left food and water out for Hope. Maybe the cat was finally brave enough to come up and eat. Savor it instead of snatching a mouthful. Kay refilled the dishes.

Realization dawned. That was it. That was the piece of her heart she’d lost along the way. Hope. Maybe she’d destined herself to one heartbreak after another because she hadn’t hoped for anything better? She expected most of the people in her life to fail her, and they did. But Bear…what was happening between them…it filled her with possibility. She’d lowered her guard and let him in. She trusted him. She was in love with him. He’d filled the hole in her heart and given her hope.

“There you are.”

Kay startled and spun around. Bear stood leaning against the doorframe. He’d slipped into his jeans. He hadn’t buttoned the top button, pushing his sexy quotient up a thousand points. Moonlight dappled his face and bare chest. He was just the most beautiful man.

He held up one of her shoes. “Here I was prepared to start searching the kingdom.” His voice was husky from sleep. “You left the dance a little early, Cinderella.” He moved toward her.

Butterflies kick boxed in her chest. “I’ve never understood that fairy tale.” Her breath caught. “I mean, the man had been dancing with her all night, fallen madly in love, but couldn’t remember what she looked like?”

A smile curved the corner of his mouth. “Maybe he was proving a point. You know, enduring all those smelly feet to find her.” Bear ran the toe of her shoe slowly down the lapel of her robe. “So what are you doing out here in the middle of the night?”

“F-feeding the cat.”

Bear looked past her, scanning the deck. “You have a cat?”

“Sort of.” Kay’s hand swept the bushes. “Her name is Hope. She was lost. We kind of found one another.”

“Don’t let Shadow know. He’s the jealous type. You’ll break his heart.”

“Maybe he’d like her.”

Bear shook his head. “Shadow and me—not big cat fans. Shadow thinks they’re crunchy chew toys. And me? My father had a mean old son of a bitch cat when we were growing up. MacArthur. See this scar?” He pointed to a long white line along the side of his neck. She’d never even noticed it before. “I was five. It bled like a bitch.”

Kay kissed him there. “You don’t have to worry about Hope. She’ll never get close enough to lay a claw on you or let Shadow chew on her.” She traced the small scar again before running her finger along the crest of his shoulder. Over his tattoo. “What about this scar?”

He followed the path of her touch. “Four surgeries to fix a shoulder beyond fixing.”

“I’m sorry.” She kissed him there, slipping her hand around the swell of muscle defining his arm. Her other hand traced the intricate artwork. “It looks like lightning struck the tree. What did the words say?”

“O’nert Go Nert,” Bear murmured into her hair. “It’s Celtic. Means from strength to strength.” A soft thud to the deck sounded a heartbeat before his other arm wrapped around her. He pulled her tight to him and kissed her. A quick tug untied the belt of her robe before his large warm hand slid beneath to caress the tightened tip of her breast.

“Y-you dropped your shoe, Prince Charming.”

“Don’t need it,” he growled. “I already found you.”

She ran her hand over the firm swelling in his jeans. “How will you know if it fits?”

“Oh, it fits…”

Chapter Sixteen

Bear left Kay’s early the next morning. He needed to return Walter’s truck and pick up Shadow. Before leaving her naked in a tangle of sheets, he made her promise she’d rearrange her work schedule—at least on the weekends.

He wanted her nights all for himself.

They’d hardly slept. He should have been exhausted, but everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours defied logic. Days of keeping his distance and the whole day leading up to the new land-speed record for getting from Portland to Bell Harbor. One hour, twenty minutes. Including the stops for condoms and cops. It was worth the hundred and ninety dollar speeding ticket. Kay was right, her generous display of cleavage would have gotten them off with a warning had Walter’s taillight not been broken as well. Least that’s what Officer Dan said…not about the lovely cleavage, just about the light.

Bear was working on the fourth floor. The brass telescope they’d found yesterday looked fantastic as if it had always been here. He couldn’t wait to show Kay.

This room was the best in the inn. The bridal suite, or penthouse of sorts. It was the only room on this floor. A beautifully carved, four-poster bed—still with no mattress. Tom the mattress guy was now officially on Bear’s shit list. Floor to ceiling windows afforded a panoramic view of the harbor. Sunrises were amazing, and unless you were being stalked by a seagull, keeping the windows without curtains afforded plenty of privacy without compromising any of the view. A wraparound widow’s walk allowed access to a narrow deck with new wrought iron railings. On a clear day, you could see for miles.

He picked up the new hardware for the bathtub while he was in Portland and was busy installing the faucet. At first, he questioned the positioning of the tub. It wasn’t in the bathroom. The cramped little water closet adjoining the main room was more than adequate. Small, but it had all the necessities: toilet, sink, tiled shower. It was as if the tub had been an afterthought. But the sexy lines of the deep, cast iron slipper tub looked perfect within the main room. He pictured romantic baths by the light of the fireplace. Bubbles and bubbly—a complimentary bottle of champagne for some happy couple.

Correction, not some happy couple. Them. Him and Kay.

He could picture them. She’d make that pleasured sigh she makes as she stepped into the steaming bath and sank beneath the fragrant water. Her hair a messy knot on the top of her head. Stray pieces framing her face, curling in the steam. Drinking champagne with a thick froth of soapy bubbles caressing the curve of her breasts, decorating her shoulders, allowing her nipples to play hide and seek.

With a little inventive navigation, he bet there’d be room enough for two in the tub. If he put his leg there, and she straddled…

Bear groaned and shifted the position of his erection. How was it possible after hours of sex, he
still
wanted more of her. His body still ached the delicious ache of a passion-filled night, and yet, if Kay were here right now—

“Coffee?”

“Hey.” He jerked his hand off his pants like he was thirteen and Kay had caught him with his father’s Playboy magazine. “What are you doing up here?”

“Looking for you, of course. Did I scare you? You look…startled. Skippy told me where you were. I brought coffee, and those amazing muffins from Mindy’s. The tar water you have in the kitchen makes my hands shake, so I thought we could both use some caffeine and sustenance.”

“You surprised me, is all. I could use some sustenance right about now. Thank you.”

Kay handed him his coffee and did a slow sweep of the room. “Bear, I love this. It’s stunning. Everything. The windows. The view is spectacular. Oh, our telescope. It looks like it has stood there forever.”

“I thought the same thing.”

She made a slow turn. “Such a great room. What are you thinking about for colors? Oh, the tub…” She ran her hand down the wide rolled edge. “I could live in this tub.”

“I was just imagining you in it.”

“Oh?” Kay smiled. “What were you imagining?

“Us, actually. You, me, bubbles.” He moved closer, setting aside his coffee, taking hers from her as well.

Kay slipped her arms around his neck and pressed her body to his. “It might be a tight squeeze.”

He like the way they were fitting right now. The way she stood on tiptoes to match her curves along his. “We’d manage.” He took her mouth hungrily and snuck his hand under the hem of her shirt to skim the smooth warm skin of her back.

“If only this room had a bed,” she murmured against his lips.

“I’m hiring a hit man for my buddy Tom first thing Monday morning.” Bear buried his nose into the sweet curve of her neck. “Been doing a lot of thinking about you. About last night. This morning…”

Kay tipped her head back, giving him access to the pale length of her neck. “And I thought your first kiss was epic.”

Bear breathed in the scent of her. For the life of him, he couldn’t describe it. It was like no perfume he’d ever smelled. She held his head, and let out that little whimper that drove him over the edge. “God, I can’t get enough of you. On second thought, I’ll kill Tom myself.”

“There’s always the tub,” she teased, then gasped as he gave a not too gentle bite to her collarbone.

“Water’s shut off,” he grumbled.

Kay breathed into his ear. “We’re running out of options.”

He tucked the tip of one finger into her waistband. “We’ll figure something out.”

“What about Skippy and Brian?”

“Let them get their own girls.” He flicked open the button on her jeans.

She laughed. “No, you crazy man, they could come up here any minute.” She tried to pull away.

He pulled her back by the front of her pants. “I don’t care.”

She laughed again, lifted his hand, and kissed it. “I have work to do.”

“You’re going to leave me? Now? In this condition?”

“You’ll survive.” She picked up her coffee and held out a shaking hand. “Maybe it isn’t the coffee downstairs that makes my hands tremble. I think maybe it’s you.” She ran a fingertip over his chest and leaned close. “It took close to an hour for my legs…and other more sensitive parts…to stop quivering after you left this morning.”

Bear groaned. “Are you trying to kill me?”

“Trying to save poor Tom.” She stroked his arm.

“Who’s gonna save me?”

Kay cupped his cheek. “You are going to go back to work and think about baseball.” She smiled before laying a tender kiss on his mouth. “And I am going to go put all this pent-up energy into your mural.”

“Add one of your hidden treasures, for me.”

“Like?”

He shrugged and gave her a wicked smile. “One of those proper Victorian ladies…put a man under her skirts.” He brushed her breast with the backs of his fingers. “Or a caressing hand where it shouldn’t be? Or a couple
coupling
back in the trees?”

She laughed and raised an eyebrow. “You want me to turn your mural R-rated?”

“Sure, why not?”

Kay considered it. “You’re the boss.”

Bear scribbled his signature on the paperwork. Fourteen mattresses and box springs. Tom’s ass was saved. Bear helped the deliverymen spend the last hour moving each set into its assigned room. It was well past quitting time. The rest of the guys were gone. He was spent.

He found Kay still working. She wore her earphones, so the clamor of the busy inn wouldn’t be such a distraction. Too bad he didn’t have something to distract him from her. After this morning’s little scene upstairs, he’d been
distracted
all day.

Kay stepped back, tipping her head as she appraised the area where she’d been working. Evidently satisfied, she dropped the brush into her wash cup. She extended her arms over her head, working the tension out of her shoulders. The hem of her shirt rose giving him a glimpse of the two gentle dimples gracing her lower back. Kay reached around, fisting those very dimples and arched into a stretch.

Maybe he wasn’t as spent as he thought.

She caught sight of him and pulled the earphones from her ears. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

She cocked her head, listening. “It’s quiet.” She pulled her cell phone from her back pocket. “What time is it?”

“Time for you to kiss me,” he suggested, crossing the room.

A wide smile curved her lips. “Is it that late already?”

Bear hauled her against him and backed them into the space behind the desk. “Come here.” He pinned her against the wall.

Kay blinked up at him. “You are my employer. Technically, isn’t this sexual harassment?”

“Are you feeling harassed?” He watched her lips as he lifted her leg to hook around his hips. His hand smoothed over the curve of her ass.

One side of her mouth tipped. “Not sexually.”

“Come home with me,” he pressed.

“I have to work.”

“You promised I’d have your nights.”

“I was physically compromised when I agreed to that. Would have promised anything. Tomorrow. I swear. Let me turn my schedule around today, and I’ll be all yours tomorrow night.”