Beautiful Distraction (8 page)

I can’t do this.

Breathing in and out, I let my gaze brush over the kitchen,
which is a manly thing decorated in lots of dark wood and expensive stainless
steel.

The kitchen is huge and probably the only modern part of the
house, with its east side entirely made of glass. Outside, the woods stretch
out for miles. In the distance, a lake shimmers in the bright light. Without a
doubt, the place is quite the sight.

But compared to Kellan, it’s nothing.

He busies himself with pouring two mugs of steaming coffee
and shoveling several layers of what I assume is toast onto a plate next to boiled
eggs, cheese, bacon, and waffles. Next, he resumes making us an omelet as well.
He takes his sweet time, which gives me plenty of opportunity to stare at the
dark tips of his hair brushing the collar of his shirt. From his broad
shoulders to his low-hanging jeans and cowboy boots—everything screams
rural life.

And holy hotness!

If I didn’t know any better, I’d doubt he’s the same person
from NYC who was dressed in a tailored suit and exiting the most expensive car
I’ve ever seen.

So, what’s he doing here?

Buried deep in my thoughts, I don’t realize that he’s turned
around and is now regarding me.

“If you like the view, I’ll be happy to provide a more
in-depth one,” Kellan says. The frown lodged between his stunning eyes
contradicts the humor in his voice. “In fact, I’m not averse to touching
either. I give and take in equal measures.”

I can’t believe he caught me staring.

And what’s with this guy and the sexual innuendoes?

Heat spreads to my face. I turn around hastily, but I know
he glimpsed the telltale onset of a major blush.

“There’s nothing to like,” I mumble.

“Sure. So you keep saying, but I bet your panties would tell
a different story.”

My breath hitches but only for a moment, until I remember
Kellan’s only flirting. He cannot have any idea how much his statement is true.

I cross my legs and watch him as he places two plates and
coffee mugs on the table, then plops down in the chair to my right. As he does
so, his leg brushes mine. I become so aware of the sudden physical contact that
my breath dies in my throat and I almost jump up, my skin seared.

“You told your friend about me,” he says.

His statement is so sudden I look up in surprise. “What
makes you say that?”

“It’s a fact.”

“Yes.” I take a sip of my coffee and burn my tongue in the
process. “Obviously I did in case you were a creep or stalker or whatever.”

Damn Mandy!

Why can’t she ever keep her big mouth shut?

Kellan gestures at my plate. It’s still in front of me,
untouched. “Do you like your omelet?”

Trying to play nice, I grab the fork and taste it. “I do.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

I incline my head. “You should. You’re a good cook.”

“And you’re a good guest.”

 
“Thanks, I
guess,” I mumble. “You said you got your car repaired?”

Thankfully, he pulls back, and I find myself able to breathe
again.

“You can’t repair a Lamborghini, Ava.” He’s looking at me
like I’m completely mad for even suggesting such an outrageous thing. “I tried
and then I traded it in for a new one.”

“Ah. That makes sense,” I say dryly. “Now that you got rid
of the dent, will you buy a new one if you need a tire change, too?”

“Probably,” he says, not even picking up on my sarcasm. “And
how’s your car?”

I shrug. “Same old. Same old.”

“Why didn’t you take the money? You could have easily had it
repaired.” His gaze pierces me with such intensity, I almost flinch.

“What?”

“I wrote you a check,” he says slowly. “Why did you throw it
back at me?”

I flick my tongue over my lips, lost for words. His gaze is
glued to my mouth, and for a moment, his eyes glaze over, as though he’s a
million miles away, overtaken by the thoughts in his head.

What can I say?

That I would have felt cheap taking money from him? Which
obviously makes no sense whatsoever.

“It was too much,” I mutter. “You weren’t realistic.
Besides, I didn’t know you.”

He nods and looks away. The air is heavy with something I
can’t define. I don’t know what to do with myself, so I just take another sip
of my coffee.

“Are you always so—”

“Sensible? Rational?” I suggest the two words Mandy has been
throwing at me for years.

He shakes his head. “No. I was thinking more along the lines
of sincere and brutally honest.”

The way he sums up those personality traits makes them sound
distinctly negative.

Maybe I should have shut my mouth about the tire changing
part.

“So, where’s Mandy again?” I ask, eager to change the subject
before we insult each other some more.

“She’s headed into town.”

“I can’t believe she would just leave without telling me.
Did she say why?”

He shakes his head. “No, only that it’s urgent and that she
needs something from the shops.”

I glance out of the window. It’s still windy, but the clouds
are gone. When Mandy says something’s urgent, it usually isn’t. A sliver of
hope colors my voice. If Mandy decided to walk, then the streets are clear and
we’ll be gone by midday. She’ll be back soon, and I’ll no longer have to be
alone with him.

“She should have told me,” I say, even though I know I sound
like a little girl who’s afraid of being alone with her first crush.

“You were sleeping,” Kellan says, grinning.

I regard him intently. “How do you know? Did you peek into
my room?” Realizing my blunder, I add quickly, “Obviously not
my
room but your guestroom.”

“Maybe I did.” He winks.

I narrow my eyes as I try to read his expression. His face
is relaxed; his lips are twitching. “I don’t believe you’d do that,” I say
after a pause.

“You’re right.” His smile slowly disappears. “Except…” He
trails off and leans back, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Except when?” I prompt.

“Except when I’m welcome, Ava. With you, it’s only a matter
of time.”

My breath catches in my throat. Our eyes connect, and
something happens between us. It’s like a current, and I know in that one
moment that if I let go, there’s no coming back. The waters in there, between
us, are deep and dark and stormy, much like the sky in Montana. They leave no
room for hesitation. No uncertainty. I know in that instant that he’s waiting
for me to invite him to my room.

I wish I’d just do it.

The thought is both intimate and frightening.

“How far away is the next town?” My voice trembles as I
force my gaze down.

“Why?” he asks. “Are you getting bored of me already?”

“No, I was just wondering.”

“Don’t get your hopes up. The next big town with shopping
facilities is almost two hours away. I told her she wouldn’t make it far, but
she wouldn’t listen. Said something about shopping and hiking being her thing
and all.” His eyes flicker with amusement, a sign that he saw right through
Mandy’s lie.

I’m not surprised. Who in their right mind mentions shopping
and hiking in the same line?

“How did she leave?” I ask because I don’t believe for a
second that Mandy’s gone hiking.

“She borrowed my truck.” Kellan cocks his head,
misinterpreting my gloomy expression. “What? You think I have your friend tied
up in my basement?”

“Well, do you?” I raise my brows.

“I’m into tying up, but not your friend…she isn’t exactly my
type.” His words are deep and dark, full of unspoken promises. His gaze brushes
my lips and lingers there. “I prefer the curvy kind I can tie to my bedpost.”

“Did you just suggest I might be curvy
and
bedpost material? That’s so—”

Sexy?

Wrong on so many levels?

I shake my head and laugh…until I remember he has a
girlfriend.

Before I can stop myself, I blurt out, “Yeah, you like the
blond kind, too, don’t you?”

It was meant as a joke, but the words that come out carry
the slightest hint of bitterness and jealously.

That’s so not what I was going for.

Kellan regards me, amused. “Not so much the blond but the
quirky kind. The kind that hits my car.”

I can’t figure him out for the life of me. I know I
shouldn’t ask, but my curiosity gets the better of me.

Mandy mentioned the Boyd brothers own the famous Club 69
venues, and Kellan definitely owns the arrogance of Mr. Universe, which is
often a sign that he’s successful. That and the fact that he drives such an
expensive car. Yesterday at dinner, he kept evading my questions. To be honest,
I’ve no idea what the big deal is. It’s not like being a nightclub owner is
something worth hiding, although I guess everyone needs a break from reality.

“What exactly are you doing, Kellan?” I ask. “Jobwise, I
mean.”

“I like to entertain my guests.”

“As in clubs?”

“Not in that kind of way. You have the wrong Boyd. I invest
in my brother’s clubs.” Another evasion and so clearly a lie. He points to my
plate, his tone a bit sharper than before. “Tuck in.”

The accent comes through so pronounced it vibrates its way
through all my hidden spots, and I almost topple off my chair. If he notices my
growing discomfort at being alone with him, he doesn’t mention it.

Obviously I can’t force him to tell me more about his life.

I take a few hesitant bites of egg omelet and force myself
to chew and swallow slowly. The rich taste of full-fat registers somewhere at
the back of my mind, but all I can focus on is the scent of aftershave wafting
from him and the fact it’s doing strange things to my body.

Like impairing my breathing.

And making it very, very difficult to focus on anything but
him.

“Caught a cold last night?” Kellan stops eating and turns to
me. His piercing gaze reminds me of dark green meadows and the mystery that
comes with them.

“Why?” Narrowing my eyes at him, I put down my fork and take
my coffee again to warm my hands. I might be hungry, but there’s no way I can
eat around him. Not when we’re alone in his way-too-masculine house and he’s looking
at me with a combination of disdain and intensity that makes me too aware of my
body’s reactions to him.

“You sound breathless. And I haven’t even made you come
yet.” His brow shoots up, and a lazy smile tugs at the corner of his lips.

He’s such a jerk!

“FYI, it was cold outside. I froze my ass off out there and
probably caught a cold.”

“Or you’re into me.”

“I can assure you I’m not.” I raise my chin and stare him
down with as much frostiness as I can muster. “I’ll grab some aspirin from
town.” I emphasize the last part so he won’t get the impression I want to stick
around.

“No need. I have some.” He gets up. His back is turned to me
as he begins to rummage through the drawers. Eventually, he pushes an emergency
kit toward me and sits back down. “Feel free to take whatever you need.”

“Thanks, but I won’t be around for much longer,” I say.

In fact, sticking around is the last thing I’d do, but I
keep that to myself.

His frown returns, and for a moment, his eyes remind me of
emeralds—cold and hard. But the impression disappears quickly and makes
room for the nonchalant, almost contemptuous expression that he seems to sport
whenever he looks at me. It’s either contempt or lust, like he can’t decide
which way to feel about me.

I bet the words ‘jerk’ and ‘arrogant prick’, which pretty
much sum up our first encounter back in NYC, have etched their way into his ego,
and now he’s scarred for life at the idea some skirt doesn’t think he’s God’s
gift to the female population.

He can’t take rejection.

It’s no longer a question. It’s a fact.

“You know,” he starts with a smug grin, “the streets out of
town are flooded. There’s no hotel so, as things stand, you’ll have to tolerate
me for a little longer. You can keep busy by helping out with the livestock.”

A kind of challenge flickers to life in his gaze, like he
thinks I’d never dirty my hands.

The condescending prick!

I add that to my mental dictionary of words that perfectly
describe Kellan.

“When’s the mechanic coming?” I ask.

He shrugs. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? Did you call him or not?”

“The lines are still down. The storm must have hit a phone
pole.”

I take a sharp breath and let it out slowly. “So you haven’t
called him, like you said.”

“I never said I did. I only said I would.” His eyes catch
mine, the glint in them naughty and devilish. “But no worries, you’re not
imposing, if that’s what you’re worried about. The guestrooms have been vacant
for so long, I’ll be happy to entertain you. I’m very good at it, as you’ve
probably noticed.”