Beautiful Chances (The Beautiful Series) (20 page)

“Me, too.”

“Anything you want to do while you’re here?” he asked kindly.

“No.” I couldn’t think of anything that I wanted to do. “Just being here with you and relaxing is enough.”

I reached for the soap and spun around to straddle him, so we were facing one another. Lathering it in my hands, I eagerly returned the favor.

“My turn.” I grinned, realizing that I just wanted to spend this intimate time with him.

My hands roamed his exquisite physique. I had to suppress my groan of approval as I admired his firm biceps and perfectly toned chest. His hard muscles felt heavenly beneath my hands as I took my time washing and rewashing him.
I just want to lick each curve of his chest and travel up his throat and across his jaw.

“Don’t look at me like that, Lily,” Kyle warned with a ragged breath. “Or you better be ready for round two.”

“Like what?” I asked innocently, my voice purring. My mind was occupied, trying to memorize each part of his muscular body.

“Like I’m eye candy.”

Oh.
I liked his choice of words. “You are eye candy,” I agreed, humming in a seductive voice.

I leaned forward until my breasts were almost by his mouth. When he lowered his gaze, taking the bait, I moved without delay. Using my body weight, I pressed my palms down on each of his shoulders and dunked him under the water, causing waves to splash over the edges. I was unprepared for his swift reaction as he grabbed my wrists and pulled me under with him. We both resurfaced with soapy water dripping off our faces. We were laughing wholeheartedly while half-choking up bath water.

“Did you think I would go under alone?” Kyle asked, dropping his lips to my ear, as he wrapped me in his arms. He gently bit my earlobe and released it, looking at me directly. “I knew your game.”

I loved this playful side of Kyle. It made him seem young and carefree.

I blushed at how easily he was able to read me. “There was always hope.”

“You are too sweet to play tricks.” He pecked me once on the mouth. “You don’t have a good game face either.” He smirked.

“Well, I guess I’ll have to keep practicing.” I could be sneaky. I’d just have to try harder.

“Just remember what they say about payback.” He gave a sweet, sexy laugh, making me smile. “Let’s go, beautiful. Time for bed.”

Thursday morning, I awoke to kisses trailing along the back of my neck. I sighed, turned, and burrowed into the warmth of Kyle’s body. I didn’t want to wake up yet.

“Good morning.”

I grunted, “Good morning,” back, making him laugh.

“You definitely aren’t a morning person, I see. Go back to your sweet dreams.” He kissed me softly. “I’m going to make us breakfast.”

I later woke up to the smell of bacon filling my senses.
Mmm…bacon.
I freshened up in the bathroom, found my slippers, and headed in the direction of the smell that was calling my name.

Kyle was standing at the stove, cooking bacon, eggs, and pancakes. Harley lifted his head briefly to see who was coming into the kitchen, and then he went back to snoring.

“Good morning,” Kyle said affectionately.

He turned to kiss me on the forehead, and I wrapped my arms around his waist. He pulled me in tighter as he let out a content sigh.

“Morning.”

I decided to make myself useful and set the table. I kept guessing where I could find plates, cups, and silverware until I found them. Kyle silently watched me with a wide smile on his face.

We sat down to eat at the small island table overlooking a section of the lake. It was just as beautiful as a beach view. All the trees and wild grass actually made it seem more peaceful and private.

“Such a great view. I’m assuming you positioned the house with this scenery in mind?”

“I did.” Kyle smiled. “Good observation. I designed the house for almost a year while I was busy building my company. I wanted it to be perfect. I moved in nearly a year ago.” He looked over at me. “So, do you plan on writing today, or do you want to go out for a bit?”

“I need to do some work first. Is that okay?”

“Sure. I need to catch up on some work myself. Do you want to have a late lunch since we will be eating with my family around six thirty tonight?”

“Okay. Maybe at two?” I suggested before taking a sip of my orange juice.

“It’s a date. I’m going to make some calls first and then run into town on a quick errand. Do you need anything before I go?” he asked, picking up his empty plate and reaching for mine.

“No, I should be okay. I just need my laptop, and I’m good to go. Do you mind if I look around to find somewhere peaceful? It sounds kind of strange, but I have to find a spot to write,” I said shyly.

“Not at all. Feel free to roam around. There is a sitting room above the garage that overlooks the lake. You can use that, or there are some really nice places to sit down by the lake.”

I was suddenly intrigued to search for the best place to write. He stood with our plates, walked over to me, and placed a light peck on my cheek. My heart swelled with happiness, and I couldn’t resist pulling him in for a deeper caress with his tongue.

“See you soon.” He grinned. “Call me if you need anything. If not, I’ll come find you at two.”

I grabbed my laptop from my bag, and for today, I decided I would go outside first. It was a beautiful warm day, and my body desperately craved the sun and fresh air as it did every day. As I opened the door, Harley jumped up eagerly.

“Hey, boy. Want to go for a walk with me?”

He must have wanted to because he wagged his tail and followed me out the door. I walked through the backyard that had been immaculately kept up. Kyle was definitely very orderly and clean. I came up to a small cluster of trees, and that was when I found it—the most gorgeous woven hammock that somehow still managed to be partially set in the sunlight. It was a sign. It was meant to be.

I slowly positioned myself in the hammock, keeping my laptop shaded with my face toward the sun. I powered up my laptop just as I felt the faintest twitch in my fingers. I was so excited to start. The words quickly began to flow as I enjoyed the light California breeze. My fingers pounded away at my keyboard as so many thoughts streamed readily. This was what I was meant to do, and I was very thankful that it came to me so naturally.

Harley slept next to the hammock, keeping me company for a while, and then he disappeared. Not even ten minutes later, he came back with a bone that had dirt on it. He wagged his tail and laid it down by me. He was a great companion and loved to be with people. I could tell we were going to be good friends.

“Hey, boy. Is that one you had buried and saved for later?” I chuckled as I went back to typing.

After a couple hours, I decided to take a quick break. I set down my laptop and lay back in the hammock with my eyes closed, letting my face soak in the rays. The temperature was quickly rising, and I pulled out my water bottle. The sun felt so good against my skin. I was very glad I had decided to come to California. It was nice to take a break from my routine in Florida.

Kyle quickly entered my thoughts, making my pulse kick into overdrive. So many feelings flooded my mind. I already had such a strong emotional connection to him. He was very kind, funny, sweet, honest, and caring. But I was still scared. I did not want to care for someone so much again and risk any chance of losing him. I told myself this was a ridiculous thought, but I still could not chase away the reservations that were plaguing me.

I grabbed my bag, changed out my laptop battery, and went back to it. I was hoping to channel my emotional state again and make something good come of it.

I turned my head over my shoulder to see Kyle watching me. His body posture radiated strength with each stride he took toward me, closing the space between us.

“I guess you found me.”

He chuckled. “I didn’t even have to try that hard. I had a feeling this is where you’d be.”

I noticed the basket and blanket in his hands. “What did you bring us?”

Kyle grinned. “I decided to bring you a picnic lunch since you are enjoying the sun today.”

My chest tightened at his thoughtfulness and generosity. He really did think of everything.

“That’s very sweet. Thank you.” I smiled shyly. I loved this sweet, caring side of Kyle.
He made me a picnic!
My heart might have skipped a beat.

I put my laptop aside and stood as Kyle laid a blanket on the ground. We sat down and began unpacking the basket. He had made a few sandwiches, a fruit salad, and a potato salad. Then, he pulled out apples, chips, and strawberries.

“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I grabbed a variety.” He poured us each a glass of lemonade. “So, how was your morning of writing?”

“It was really good, and I got quite a bit accomplished. This is a magnificent view.”

I grabbed a perfectly ripe green apple. I placed my bag behind my head and lay down to take in the view while Kyle sat back, watching me, as he ate his own apple. Harley had slowly inched his way closer to the blanket, obviously hoping for food to accidentally roll his way. I turned to look out at the lake. It was an impeccable size. I liked the way the trees outlined the perimeter. Kyle leaned over me with a strawberry in his hand. He slowly brought it to my mouth, and I took a bite, relishing in the delicious taste. No strawberries compared to California strawberries. They were truly mouthwatering.

“So, you have a fruit fetish, I see,” he said.

“I love it.”

Kyle leisurely fed me a few more strawberries while we basked under the sun. Harley snored next to us during what was apparently his nap time. After we finished eating, we packed all the leftover food back into the basket, and I nuzzled into his awaiting embrace. It was heavenly to just relax and enjoy the view.

“Did you get all your work done?” Kyle asked.

“Yes, so I can take the rest of the afternoon off.”

Kyle shifted until he could see my face, and his expression was suddenly more serious. “I wanted to ask you something about the letter you received the other day.”

I warily nodded in acknowledgment for him to continue.

“In the police report, you said that you ran into a stranger that morning. You didn’t mention that part to me.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think much of it when I explained what had happened to me. My mind was all over the place,” I said, my voice quiet. I recollected the day when Officer West had come over. Kyle had arrived afterward. “Wait! How did you find out about the stranger? Did you talk to the police officer?”

He didn’t deny it. “Yes. I needed to know what’s going on, Lily, so I can keep you safe. It’s not normal to receive
threatening
quotes from your book in the mail. I will
not
just sit back and watch as some fucker stalks you. That’s not the kind of man I am, Lily, and you know it.” His eyes were fixed on mine. “I needed to confirm that West was looking into it, and that he’ll inform me of any leads.” He sighed, frustration evident on his face.

I had to admit that his protectiveness was sweet, but my eyebrows still rose in astonishment. Officer West had probably considered this an overreaction to harmless fan mail. “You. Did. Not.”