Beautiful Chances (The Beautiful Series) (18 page)

With a heavy heart, I walked up to my patio, striding right past Kyle. I turned back to look at him. “Let’s go. We have to get ready, or we will miss our flight,” I insisted, disturbed with the entire situation at hand.

After following me inside and closing the door behind him, Kyle scooped me up into his arms, grinning down at me. I was still upset with the state of my once solid friendship with Luke that was now facing turmoil. I bit my lip, not wanting to be sidetracked by Kyle’s gorgeous grin, knowing it had the power to break through my armor.

“I love it when you get bossy,” he said, his voice deep and rough. His warm breath against my neck made me want to shiver in his arms. “It’s sexy as hell.”

I surrendered too easily, giggling and rolling my eyes at him. He was an unstoppable force of nature.

“Says someone who is outlandishly bossy one minute and sweet as sin the next.”

“Got to keep you interested, beautiful, so you don’t get bored and trade me in.”

The views in Lake Tahoe, California, were even more beautiful than I remembered as a child. And the fresh air mixed with the smell of trees and water were so soothing. I pressed the back of my hand against my temple while Kyle drove us in the direction of his home. His Shelby seemed much sleeker than the rental, and it was definitely Kyle’s style. It was powerful and made its presence known. The purr of the motor vibrated in my ears and against my skin as I sank into the leather seats.

My thoughts drifted back to the plane ride. It had been the first time I had ever flown first class, and I must admit that it has ruined any chance of me going back to plain Jane. The chairs were larger and softer, and they had even brought us a meal. Nowadays, back in coach, a bottle of water was two dollars.

During the flight, I had experienced a sheer moment of panic. I was not afraid of flying by any means. My emotions were just on overload. I was physically, mentally, and emotionally drained. Too many things had been pulling me in different directions.

Kyle had told me that I looked whiter than a ghost, if that were even possible. He’d kindly asked the flight attendant for a pillow and blanket, so I could sit back more comfortably. He had quickly diverted my focus with simple conversations, and we’d learned little things about each other in the process. It was sweet of him to notice my distress and try to comfort me. It was the slightest gestures he did that tugged on my heart.

This getaway would be the perfect outlet to calm myself down. It was new and different. Driving through each hill and curve, I noticed the trees were so tall and beautiful. I already loved it. California was simply exquisite. Kyle kept glancing at me, gauging my reactions to the surroundings. He smiled every time I did, knowing I was enjoying the views.

“Do you want to stop and eat before we go to my place?”

“No, that’s okay. I’m still full from that burger place at the airport. And I’m curious to see your man cave,” I teased while shifting in my seat to see his handsome face.

He positioned his hand on top of mine, his thumb caressing back and forth. “I might lock you in,” he answered playfully.

“Think so, huh?” I quirked my eyebrow at him. “I get to see if you’re the messy or clean type. That could be a deal-breaker right there.” I laughed. “Especially if you leave your socks on the floor or leave dirty dishes in the sink. These are all significant things in a…a…”
Well, shit. I’m clearly not ready to classify what we are. Is he?

“A relationship?” Kyle finished. At the stoplight, he turned to look at me. His face was thoughtful and serious. “That’s what this is, right?” he asked softly.

When the light turned green, he accelerated, pushing my torso into the seat. My pulse went haywire, thrashing erratically. I was speechless.

“And please don’t faint, or we might crash,” he added, glancing at me again before looking straight ahead.

“A relationship?” I said, testing the words.
Yes, that’s what this is.
It was just frightening to put it into words. I didn’t want to access any of those kinds of feelings, but it felt wrong to deny it, too. “Okay,” I breathed.

“Yes, Lily. We are definitely in a relationship. You aren’t getting away from me.”

He smiled as he lifted our entwined hands and kissed mine. His gorgeous wink made my heart stutter.

We soon pulled up to a long driveway hidden by very large mature trees. It had a great deal of privacy that was serene. Halfway up, the driveway curved, revealing a beautiful home enhanced with detailed landscaping that was neat and clean. The house was breathtaking. It was a ranch-style home with neutral brick tones and a large garage. It had a stained wood patio wrapped around the side, and large stone pillars sat on each side of the front door. I could immediately see that the design was custom and very well-planned out. I counted four garage doors evenly spaced apart.

I turned to face him. “Why on earth do you need a four-car garage?”

His lips turned up into a boyish smile, causing my eyes to remain fixated on them for longer than necessary. “You should know that a man has to have space for his toys, Lily.”

“Of course. I definitely should have known that.” I grinned.

He parked in the driveway, and we got out of the car. As I opened the back door to get my suitcase, Kyle swiftly grabbed it and gestured to the side door next to the garage.

I entered the house to see it was just as well-crafted on the inside as it was on the outside. We walked into what appeared to be the mudroom. It was clean except for a muddy pair of CAT work boots sitting on top of a light brown rug.

I raised my eyebrow, looking up at him. “Pretty clean for a mudroom.”

Kyle cocked an eyebrow right back. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to lock you in if I didn’t make it sparkle.”

“It’ll take more convincing than your good looks and a clean house,” I contested.

“We’ll see.”

He motioned for me to pass through the door leading into the kitchen. I could feel his heated gaze on my back the whole way. The floor started to shake as a loud thumping came down the hall. I took an instinctual step back, bumping into Kyle’s unmoving chest.

“It’s okay. It’s just Harley. He’s harmless. In fact, I think he would let just about anyone
in
the house.” His chest shook with laughter. “Harley! Here, boy!”

Harley came barreling around the corner at about twenty miles an hour, and Kyle dropped to his knees to pet him. It was rather adorable.

“Hey, boy! This is Lily. You’ll love her. Don’t chew her stuff. I mean it.”

Harley, a German Shepherd, was very tall and huge, but he was remarkably sweet and gentle. He had beautiful markings across his face, chest, shoulders, and back.

I bent down to pet him, and I was engulfed with kisses, too, as he flattened me on my backside with his tail wagging excitedly. I laughed as he bathed my face with kisses.

“Okay, that’s enough, Harley!” Kyle said, still petting him. “You’ll have to excuse his manners. He seems to listen when he chooses, which is rare unless it involves a treat.”

“I can see why he’s not a good guard dog. He has too much love to give.”

“And he’s too busy chewing shit.” Kyle grimaced and pulled Harley into a big bear hug. “Or digging a hole. Aren’t you, boy?”

“You run the house, don’t you, Harley?” I petted his back, and he turned to kiss my face again.

“He thinks he does.” Kyle chuckled. “He’ll have you wrapped around his paws in no time. He just sucks you in.” He shook his head.

Standing up, I took in more of the kitchen. It had vaulted pine wood ceilings with a large skylight on each side. Natural stone was on the floor, giving it an ardent, earthy feeling. The cabinets looked as if someone had handcrafted them.

“Did you make the cabinets?” I turned my head, taking in more details of the kitchen. The stainless steel appliances perfectly contrasted with the lighter earth tone hues he had chosen for paint.
Come to think of it, all the designs remind me of Kyle.
“Did you design and build this?” I asked incredulously.

He nodded, not looking away from me. I knew he was gauging my response. In his eyes, I could see how much this house meant to him.

“It’s extraordinarily beautiful,” I said with complete admiration in my voice. “You have a gift for designing.”

It made me wonder how many other talents Kyle might have. Kyle’s personal touch really stood out in every detail of the home. The house looked like it came straight out of a magazine. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from taking it all in.

We walked down the hall to his bedroom. He silently set down my suitcase on the bed.

“The bathroom is through that door, and inside on the left is another door that leads to the closet. There is extra space in there if you have anything that needs to be hung. The armoire is for you, too.” His smile was shy as he paused for a split second. “I like seeing you in my house, Lily.” Harley barked loudly at us. “And I think Harley does, too.”

I blushed, and he stepped forward to caress my cheek with the back of his fingers. It was all so much to take in.

“It just feels right…you being here.” His voice was sincere and gentle.

Being here did feel right, but I decided not to voice that thought. He kissed my lips tenderly, searching my eyes.

“I’m going to see what I can start for dinner. Let me know if you need anything.”

Once he walked off, I sat on the bed for a breather.
I’m in California…in Kyle’s house. Breathe. Maybe this is too much…too fast.
My heart pounded in my chest as I was unsure what to do.

But I was curious to see this side of Kyle’s life. He gave me a sense of serenity no one else could, and my feelings for him were more than I had imagined myself feeling for someone, which frightened me. Just being in the same room as him had my skin humming. It was like electricity. I could feel when he was in the same room as me or if he was watching me. It was exciting and new, and at this point, I wasn’t sure if I had any power to stop it.

Just one day at a time,
I kept repeating, trying to calm myself.

In hopes of settling my nerves, I headed to the bathroom to take a shower. I was once again impressed by the amazing craftsmanship. Everything looked handpicked and matched to create a flow throughout the room.

I quickly showered and changed into some comfy clothes. I was already tired from the previous late night, my early jog, and the flight today. Jet lag was setting in fast.

I headed into the kitchen to see Kyle already preparing dinner as Harley slept on a large dog pillow by the patio door. When the microwave beeped, he pulled out the thawed ground beef and he poured seasonings onto it.

“I can do that if you’d like me to.” I walked toward him to give a helping hand.

“Sure. I hope you like mostaccioli.” He moved over, letting me in, so we could work side by side.

His kitchen had state-of-the-art appliances, and I found myself suddenly anxious to try them all out.

“I love pretty much any kind of pasta.”

I began rolling meatballs and putting them into the sauce Kyle had already prepared. There was nothing better than homemade meatballs. Kyle added butter and garlic to an Italian loaf of bread and then cut it into thick slices before inserting the tray into the oven. Next, he opened the package of raw noodles and emptied the contents into a pot of boiling water.

“Where did all the food come from? Or do you always keep your kitchen this well-stocked?”

“My housekeeper, Diane, helps out,” he replied, kicking his leg out and leaning against the counter while we waited for the time to pass.

I mimicked his actions to his left. The room was starting to smell of garlic and tomatoes from the sauce.

“Diane does the grocery shopping for me. She never lets me come home to an empty kitchen. She likes to boss me around, too.” He looked amused.

“Ah, so you aren’t that clean after all.” I chuckled. “I’d love to meet her then.”

“You will,” he answered while stirring the sauce and noodles.

“How long has she cleaned for you?”

“I found her right after I built the house, and she’s been with me ever since. She’s married with a couple of kids in college.”

After removing the bread from the oven, he turned off all the burners, and we each started filling our plates. We walked out onto the back patio with our food and drinks in hand and sat side by side. The sun was already starting to set.

Harley came out after us, flying into the backyard and running around wildly. He looked young and full of energy.

“How much of the land is yours?”

“Just over fifteen acres, but I only mow about a quarter of that. The rest just grows wild near the lake. I like that it is secluded with a great deal of privacy. It’s what drew me to the property. The adjoining properties are all owned privately, too.”

“I didn’t picture a businessman living in a secluded country setting.” I continued to eat my mostaccioli. It was absolutely delicious.

Kyle took a bite while gathering his thoughts. “I’m surrounded by people all day at work. I don’t mind commuting to cities and staying in hotels, but when I come home, I want peace and quiet. This gives me that.” He regarded me carefully as he took a sip of his wine. “Where do you get your peace and quiet?”