Seaside Heartbeats: A Sweet Romance (The Seaside Hunters Book 2) (9 page)

"Not that I've seen," Brayden said. "Most people look around and go to a more interesting room. Some stop and flip through some pages, but that's all I've ever seen."

"So, it's possible that not every book has been gone through page by page?"

He chuckled. "I'd say that's quite likely, but you never know."

Lana went over to a plaque that read about the room. Billy Kittle had spent a lot of time in this very room, often closed behind the doors, not telling anyone what he did. His family assumed he read or filled out papers for business. Kittle had started a handful of businesses in town, hiring people to run them. It had been the perfect way to hide behind his true source of income.

As if anyone had any real question where his riches were from.

"Find anything interesting?" Brayden asked, standing behind her. He rested his hand on her shoulder, and she loved the feel of him so close. Her stomach danced itself into knots.

Lana leaned back, pressing her back against his chest. The smell of his aftershave surrounded her, and she took a deep breath. She wanted to turn around and plant her lips on his to find out if he tasted as good as he smelled. Everything about him was so…perfect. Lana wanted more. She wanted to be greedy and selfish.

"Nothing interesting?" he whispered in her ear.

Heat warmed Lana's face. "More than you know." She turned around and stared into his hazel eyes. They seemed to hold the same desire she felt, but he didn't move.

Lana's gaze moved down toward his mouth. It looked so inviting… like it was made to be kissed. But she couldn't. She didn't want to ruin what they had. It was going so well, and it was too soon for a kiss. Besides, would he think she was too forward if she kissed him? He was from this small town, after all. Towns like this had a reputation for being behind the times.

But he'd also spent his recent years in Dallas. She'd never been there, but wasn't it supposed to be a wild, loose place? All she really knew about the city was the football team and their infamous cheerleaders.

She looked back up to his eyes. Was it her imagination, or had they grown darker as they stared at each other? Lana couldn't find her breath. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and kiss him right there in the favorite room of the town's founder who'd died under such circumstances that two hundred years later,still no one knew the events surrounding his death.

How romantic would that be? Who had a story like that? Surrounded by all that history and mystery.

Brayden cleared his throat. "Maybe we should look at some of those books."

"Good idea." Lana bolted for the shelf farthest away. Her heart raced. These feelings for Brayden—they were out of control. They had barely just met, and today was the first time they'd spent any real time together. Maybe she was feeling more intense emotions because of her recent trip the ER.

Though it had turned out not to be
that
big a deal, it had been frightening. Lana hadn't known why her heart raced so fast, and it felt like everything was closing up on her. She hadn't even been sure if she would make it through the night. Sure, she'd kept a brave face, not wanting to worry her parents, but it was a proverbial "life flashing before your eyes" event.

Now she held everything in a different perspective. Playing with her nephews was more important than ever. Maybe finding love had become a new subconscious desire.

It was all happening too fast, especially considering she couldn't recall the last real date she'd been on, much less when she'd actually felt anything for anyone.

She picked up a random book, and turned around, leaning against the shelf. She opened it, pretending to look, but examined the periphery. Brayden had a stack of books next to him. He flipped through the one in his hands and then set it down, grabbing another one.

Her heart fluttered. He was so gorgeous. It was no wonder her blood pressure reading was so far off when he took it the day they'd met in his clinic. She now had a heart condition, and he didn't help matters. Not with the way he made her feel.

Brayden looked her way, and she looked down and flipped through the pages.

Eleven

Brayden slid the books back into place on the shelf. He took long, slow deep breaths trying to calm himself. He was having such a good time with Lana, but he couldn't deal with his overpowering feelings toward her. Every second they spent together, the more intense his feelings grew.

He felt like he'd been hit by a train. Not just any train, but a speeding locomotive carrying a heavy load. Sure, he'd been in love before. Who his age hadn't? But this—whatever it was—it couldn't be love. They'd just met, and had hardly spent any time together.

Oh, but the time they did have together. He knew she was something special. And she would probably think he was crazy for feeling so many things for her already.

They needed to spend more time together and get to know each other better. He needed to treat this like any other thing in his life. Take everything logically and not jump into anything too soon.

Brayden pulled out some more books and set them down next to him. He picked up the first one and flipped through the pages not paying any attention. The only thing he could think about was the beautiful blonde across the room. Even as he looked at the pages, she was all he could pay attention to.

If his emotions weren't screaming at him, what would he think about the situation? He would give it more time, and give them both a chance to get to know each other better to see if they were a good match. What if they had no similar values?

Also, he knew how relationships ended with tourists—they never worked out. He was delusional if he thought otherwise. He looked back over at her and knew that he didn't care. The only thing he wanted was to get to know her more… and hold her close again. When he had put his hand on her shoulder and she'd leaned closer to him, he'd barely been able to think straight.

The mixture of smells from her perfume and hair products had been a divine combination of sweetness. He'd wanted to pull her even closer, turn her around and kiss her. And the way she'd looked at him? It had almost been too much.

He would have to speak with Jake and find out how things had progressed with him and Tiffany. How his baby brother had managed to be one of the few locals to convince a tourist to stay.

It was strange in a way to think about going to Jake for advice about love, but they were all adults now, and Jake had been the only one of the brothers to have any real success. Well, Rafael had a girlfriend in LA, but that was a far different experience than falling in love back home.

Not that he was in love. Love didn't happen that fast, and even if it did, it was something else entirely. Although, Lana herself was something else. He'd never met anyone remotely like her in all of his life, not in Kittle Falls or Dallas.

Brayden looked back over at her. He found himself wanting to rush across the room, take her into his arms, and kiss her like she'd never been kissed before. To run his hand through that thick, soft blonde hair.

She looked up, and their gazes met.

"Find anything?" he asked, his voice cracking.

"Not yet."

They continued to stare at each other, strong feelings rising from Brayden's core. How was it possible they'd been joking and teasing each other just a little bit ago?

Because that had been before she stood so close to him. Maybe what they needed was space. That way he could regain his composure and think with a clear head.

He cleared his throat. "Let's keep looking."

Lana nodded, and looked back at her book. Brayden couldn't take his eyes off her. No matter what she did, she was gorgeous. She was both sweet and sexy at the same time.

As much as he knew he needed to get away to clear his mind, he just wanted to wrap his arms around her.

"I'm going to look around at some other rooms," he said. "You want to stay here and look at books?"

She nodded, bit her lip, and then looked down at the book in her hands.

Brayden took a deep breath and then left the library. Once out in the living room, he released the air. He looked around at the room, trying to focus. He couldn't get Lana out of his head—how she looked, how sweet she smelled, and how soft her hands were in his.

He walked through some rooms until he came to a living room that led to a deck. Fresh air would help. He tugged on the door. It stuck just like he always remembered, but then released, allowing him to go outside. He stared at the tree-covered hills, taking in the clean, woodsy smell.

Serenity started in his chest as he breathed in and out. It moved slowly through him until he was able to think clearly again. He leaned against the rail. He had to take this slowly—or at least find a way to slow down what was already barreling at dangerous speeds.

Before going into the woods with her alone, he needed a safe date. Something that wouldn't be alone. Maybe they could go out somewhere with Jake and Tiffany or Cora and Marcus. Anyone would do, really. So long as he had someone else to focus on besides just Lana.

"There you are."

Brayden turned around to see Lana standing in the doorway. She was gorgeous, threatening to steal away his cleared mind. "Sometimes being in nature helps me to think. Did you find any clues?"

"No, but there are so many books to go through. What are the chances of finding just one that has something?"

"We can always come back." He stepped closer to her, careful not to get too close.

She nodded, looking thoughtful. "We should get back before my family starts to worry. Since I went to the ER, they've been watching me like a hawk."

"Can't blame them, can we?"

"I guess not. But they shouldn't worry too much since I'm with my—a—cardiologist."

They stared at each other. Brayden could barely breathe. He needed to get her back home, and quickly. She broke their eye contact and moved inside.

"Maybe next time we'll find a decent clue," he said.

"When's next time?" She looked hopeful.

"As soon as possible."

"Good." Lana smiled. "In the meantime, I'm going to find everything I can about the history of this town online. There has to be something to point us in the right direction."

"Maybe." Brayden's gaze wandered to Lana's ear. Her right earring hung at a funny angle—it was about to fall out. "Hold on."

"What?" she turned her head, sending the diamond stud flying down toward the ground. It landed on the old wooden floor and rolled behind a little table next to the couch.

Lana grabbed her ear and held out the back of her earring. "At least this part didn't fall." She stuck it in a pocket, and then stood near the little table, looking behind it.

"Do you see it?" asked Brayden.

"No. Let me use the flashlight on my phone."

"I can do you one better." Brayden pulled a mini-maglight from his pocket.

Lana stared at him. "You… you keep one with you?"

"Always. They're always needed when least expected."

She looked impressed, and he held back a smile. "See what you can find," she said, moving out of his way.

Brayden moved as close to the end table as he could and turned on the light. The diamond caught the light near the wall, pretty far behind the couch. "I see it." He moved the table and then he pulled on the couch. Both were a lot heavier than they looked. He pulled again, this time making more progress. "They sure don't make furniture like this anymore."

"Let me help." Lana went around to the front and put her hands underneath the front. Between the two of them, they were able to move it out far enough for him to squeeze against the wall and pick up the small stud.

She grinned, looking at him like he was a hero. They put everything back in place, and then Brayden walked over to her feeling like he'd moved a mountain, not furniture. He loved the way she looked at him.

Brayden considered sliding the earring back into her ear—she was standing close enough—but he had no experience putting earrings in and didn't want to hurt her. So, he held it out and she took it, clasping it in her hand.

"I can't thank you enough."

"It was nothing."

Lana shook her head. "It really was. My parents gave these to me when I graduated high school, and they're really special to me. Thank you, Brayden. I can't tell you how worried I was." She threw herself against him, wrapping her arms around him.

"You're welcome. I'm glad I could help." He squeezed her tight, taking in her sweet scent.

She stood back and put the earring back in its place. "We should probably get back."

He nodded in agreement, unable to find his voice. The effect she had on him was unsettling, but he liked it.

"We'll have to come back to look for clues."

"That we will." He took her hand and they made their way to the front of the mansion and waved goodbye to the staff on the way out. They looked tired, but that wasn't surprising given their long hours during the tourist season.

Lana spoke about the books she'd seen in the library, impressed at how well they'd survived the years. Brayden could hardly focus, though. He was so taken in by
her
.