“It’s a gorgeous summer evening. Don’t you think you’ve slaved long enough?” Kyle poked his head into the library again around five o’clock.
“I have a feeling you won’t take no for an answer.”
“You must be psychic.”
Rebecca stretched her legs, pointing her bare toes out in front of her. Kyle took a nice drink with his eyes and didn’t try to be any less obvious. She tugged on her skirt.
“Hey, I can look, right?”
“If this is about ogling me all evening, I think I’d rather stay here and devour some of these books.”
Kyle folded his arms across his broad chest and gave her a disbelieving shake of his head with his eyebrows raised. “Every brainy girl I ever knew had a wild streak just begging to get out.”
“How many brainy girls do you know?”
“You would be surprised about those engineering majors at Annapolis.” He pressed his palms together and placed them at his lips, now looking as earnest as she suspected he could. “OK, no ogling. Promise.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“The fishing boat, you, me, some burgers, and a six pack.” He grinned, the brilliance of it was simply staggering. “Un-sexy enough for you?”
Rebecca let out a chuckle. Nothing Kyle did was un-sexy. “What is it about you two and trying to get me to go fishing?”
“I’m thinking we’ll skip the fishing and just catch the sunset.”
“You’re getting dangerously close to romantic.”
“No sunset then, we’ll count pine trees or something.” He shot her puppy dog eyes. Freaking puppy dog eyes! How was that fair?
“OK. Against my better judgment.”
“What? Don’t you trust yourself with me?”
That would be a negative, Captain Hunter. Rebecca plucked her laptop from the table and hoped she had the good sense to keep her lips to herself. “I’ll meet you by the dock.”
Outside, Kyle held up a couple of grease-stained bags as she stepped close enough to read what he’d written in black magic marker on each of them.
“Burka burgers?”
“Can’t get any more un-sexy than that.” He tossed her one.
She caught it and followed him onto the boat. It was almost dusk, and the evening light caught his hair in a golden halo.
Later, with a mouthful of fries, Rebecca found out that the illusion was closer to reality than she could have imagined. He told her about the volunteer work he did with underprivileged students, and she began to think he really was an angel.
“Wait, hold on. How many kids are you tutoring?”
“Twenty-five so far—when I’m not working on my mom’s campaign. It’s not an official foundation yet, but I just hired another tutor last week. We basically teach them the stuff no one thinks they’re capable of…physics, calculus. These kids are smart, but they don’t have the opportunity to show what they can do at the shithole schools they’re stuck with. We’re basically getting them prepared to ace the SATs so they have a chance at a decent college education.”
“That wasn’t in the article I read, Mr. Bachelor of the Month.”
Kyle rolled his eyes. “Oh, that thing. You see, you can’t believe everything you read, library lady.”
She poked him in the chest. “This library lady is about to kick your ass.”
He laughed and held up his hands in defeat.
“Manny didn’t mention it either.”
“I only just told him about it last night, before…”
Rebecca raised her finger in warning.
He smiled in spite of it. “Before we gave him one of the best fucking blowjobs he’s ever had.”
“You promised!”
“I didn’t promise not to talk about it. I only promised not to keep telling you how beautiful you are.”
Rebecca attempted a frown, but the devilish grin that crept onto her lips didn’t seem to match. She took a sip of her beer, as if the can would hide the smirk she couldn’t suppress. “The whole thing was freaking bananas.”
“Hmm…bananas.”
“Oh, you know what I mean!”
“Someone is bananas about bananas.”
“Are you always so damn silly?”
“Only under extreme pressure to be as un-sexy as I possibly can.”
She giggled. “Boy, I thought Manny was bad.”
“Aw, honey, wait until you get the two of us together.”
He slid closer. The swaying boat didn’t do her fizzed head any good. The beer had nothing to do with it. Hurricane Kyle was going to kiss her again, and she was going to let him. She lowered her eyelids in anticipation and felt his warm breath pass over her moistened bottom lip. He smelled amazing—clean, with complex layers of man and earth.
His words came out as a whisper. “If I try, I bet I could still taste him on you.” His tongue flicked at the divot in her bottom lip.
Rebecca could only think of one thing to say. “And if you can’t?”
“I think we should try to change that, don’t you?”
Kyle pulled back, and Rebecca had to keep herself from jumping him. Her lips were suddenly very lonely. He studied her closely, silent for a moment while he took to rubbing a lock of her hair between his fingers. She kept perfectly still, waiting for what would happen next.
“You like him.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I do.”
“He likes you too. I can tell. I can also understand why.”
His stare was molten, like the sun, and too dangerous to return. So, she cast her gaze to the shore. “What are you getting at, Kyle?”
He stilled his fingers with the lock of her hair. “How do you feel about the thing with me and Manny? No jokes.”
Truth time. The question sliced at her, peeling her open and making her feel exposed. “It was kind of a shock last night. I’m not going to lie.”
Kyle placed his index finger under her chin and guided her face back to him. There was simply no escape. “What else?”
“I thought you looked amazing together.” Rebecca dabbed at her bottom lip with her tongue, wishing it was Kyle’s despite herself. “It was an instant turn-on.”
“That’s why you didn’t say anything when we first came into the room. You were hoping to watch.”
“I was in shock.” Her face burned like a furnace, and she frowned to mask her embarrassment.
“You wanted to watch.”
Rebecca pressed her lips together on a held breath and finally, when there was no hope of hiding, she nodded. How was it that Kyle reduced her to a mute with little more than his penetrating stare and a few words?
He curled his lips in a slow, simmering grin. “Say it…say, ‘Yes, I wanted to watch.’”
The gates fell, her guard obliterated. “Yes.”
The word felt like a prisoner dying to be free. Rebecca wondered if her pounding heart would gallop out of her chest. Perhaps it would hitch a ride with her common sense and take off for places unknown. Still, what use was there in avoiding it? He had her pegged.
“I wanted to watch,” she said.
“That’s what I thought.” Kyle sat back and sighed. “So how are we going to make this happen?”
“What?”
“Manny. How can we get that scaredy-cat to see what he’s missing?”
“Are you suggesting we try to seduce him?”
Kyle smirked at her. “I don’t
try
to seduce anyone.”
Rebecca rolled her eyes. “Mighty sure of yourself, mister.”
“What? I’ve already made you kiss me once today.”
Rebecca was suddenly furious with herself for having melted against those lips earlier in the library room. “If that’s an invitation for another, I’m sorry to disappoint you…you know, with your track record and all.
Kyle laughed. “That smart mouth of yours is bound to get you into trouble one day.”
She raised her chin at him, pinning him with fearless eye contact. “Oh really? It’s been doing me just fine.”
“I think it keeps you from getting what you really want.” He raised his eyebrow and picked up his beer. “You’re talking yourself right out of the best sex you’ve ever had in your life. Right now that’s what that mouth is doing.”
“The best sex I’ve ever had? You really are a piece of work.”
“True.” He continued to grin. “But, you’d better let me kiss you again, just to prove once and for all that you’re right and I’m wrong.”
Rebecca couldn’t exactly bring herself to say no. She frowned instead, feeling like a petulant child and pretty sure that she looked like one too. She tried for sarcastic instead. “And then what? We forget about Manny so you and I can ride off into the sunset?”
“No, Rebecca,” Kyle said, slowly and deliberately. “Manny
is
the sunset.”
“Huh?” She shook her head, as though rattling the words between her ears would help. “Did Olivia drop you on your head? What are you talking about?”
Kyle sighed. He put his beer down and knelt on the deck, slipping between her knees. “Listen, I’ve been thinking about this all night. Manny and I have this need for each other; we always have and probably always will. We started exploring the whole sexual attraction thing because it just felt natural.”
Rebecca didn’t detect an ounce of cockiness in his tone this time. She looked down at him and saw honesty.
“But he wants you too,” Kyle continued. “That’s what’s tearing him apart right now. And here’s the thing…I don’t want him to have to choose. As far as I’m concerned, he doesn’t need to. I think we can both make him happy.”
“You really love him.”
Kyle grimaced and took a breath before speaking. “I fucked up. Back on our last tour I told him I couldn’t see him anymore. Having to keep things platonic with that need for him clawing at me was more than I thought I could handle. It was the worst thing I ever did, but I was afraid of the backlash on my mother. She pulled a lot of strings to get us on the same command. The scandal would ruin her.” He looked up at Rebecca with eyes seeking understanding, maybe even absolution. Rebecca nodded for him to continue. Kyle shrugged and then shook his head. “I should have known I’d never be able to walk away from him. I never should have tried. I hurt him, and I hate myself for it.”
Rebecca’s heart dropped. She cupped his face. “Oh, Kyle. He’ll forgive you.”
Kyle averted his eyes. “I hope so.”
“Then Olivia doesn’t know about the two of you.”
“I went to tell them everything, but I only got to the gay part. Not the Manny part.” He rubbed her thighs up and down. “Or the bi part.”
“So you consider yourself bi, even though Manny is the only guy you’ve ever been with?”
Kyle stood. “Straight guy with a man-crush? A gay guy who still likes women? Maybe it’s just Manny that has me switching teams.” He threw his hands up. “Who cares what you call it. I just know what I want.” He placed a sculpted arm on either side of her and leaned in, surrounding her in flexing muscle. He raised his chin toward her, head tilted, eyes sharp like an arrow. “Do you know what you want, Rebecca?”
Rebecca nearly broke out in a sweat under the pressure, suffering a sudden shortage of witty replies. She was shooting blanks. “I…”
A sexy little smirk bloomed on his lips. “Yes, you…”
“I have no idea how to be in the middle of what’s going on between you and Manny.”
“Come on, Rebecca.” His voice took on a deep rasp. “The middle of anything is always the best part.”
Holy flooded knickers. “So…” She wet her lips and rubbed them together, then took a long swallow, because the atmosphere was suddenly thick. “How would this work?”
“Pretty sure you have a good enough imagination to figure it out.”
“No.” She looked up at him, trying her damnedest not to be hypnotized by the turquoise blue of his eyes. “I mean how do we get Manny to be comfortable with this? He practically wanted to crawl out of his skin last night. I don’t think he’s interested in a thirty-toe fiesta.”
“Manny just needs some convincing that he’s not selling his soul if he gives it a try.” He paused. “Let’s drive back after you meet with my mom tomorrow morning and show him how hard it is to say no to us.”
With his thumbs, he drew long strokes on either side of her neck. She felt her resolve floating away. When he sank his lips onto hers, taking her tongue hostage and making her mouth a willing prisoner, Rebecca was reminded of the look of pure pleasure they’d put on Manny’s face together.
Call her crazy, but she wanted to see him look like that again.
Chapter Eleven
“We’ve already secured the exhibition hall for the first two weeks of October. I can clear my calendar for a gala reception on the sixth.”
Rebecca was speechless, watching the congresswoman move about the kitchen, pouring herself coffee and handing out marching orders.
Olivia snapped her fingers. “Thomas, who was that woman from Channel Five who owes me a favor?”
“Christine O’Shea.”
“Yes, get her on the phone and tell her I’d like Rebecca to be interviewed on their morning show.” Rebecca almost swallowed her own tongue. “You would love to be on TV, wouldn’t you, Rebecca?”
“Um…I don’t think…”
“They’ll softball you, dear. Don’t worry.”
Rebecca nodded. What else could she do? She was now caught in Hurricane Olivia.
“Show me what you’ve come up with so far?”
Rebecca opened her laptop at the kitchen counter. “I’ll have the letters mounted when I get back to the city. Do you have any of your great-grandparents’ personal belongings? It would be awesome to put something tangible in the exhibit. Also, I’ll need a photograph of them if you have one.”
“I’m ahead of you, honey.” She presented Rebecca with a framed sepia print of the young couple. “Her wedding ring is in this box along with one of his handkerchiefs.”
“Great! I also thought that you might like to write an introduction for the pamphlet.”
“Absolutely.” She smiled at Rebecca, stopping for the moment to look directly at her in one long, unwavering stare. “You impress me, Rebecca. Anyone will tell you that’s not easy to do.”
“Thank you, Olivia.” Rebecca bit her lip and then took a deep breath. A better opportunity to bring up reinstating her department might never come. “Perhaps you might reconsider—”
Thomas appeared at the door with a phone in his hand. “Olivia, the vice president is on the line.”
She gave Rebecca a thumbs-up and a wave good-bye as she greeted the vice president in her signature lilting style.