Tyler sensed there were still pieces of the story that were missing. But at least she was talking. “That must have been terrifying, Kate.”
She tilted her head as she considered his words. “I was dazed at first. I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming. It was an odd feeling. Was the boat underwater, or was I? Then I saw the boat drifting away from me. That’s when the fear hit. The waves were so high it would completely disappear from my view. I tried to swim, but I got disoriented.” She paused, drawing in a long breath and slowly letting it out. He could see the fear in her eyes and knew that her words had taken her back to that place. He was almost sorry he’d asked. “Then my dad managed to get a line out to me, and he pulled me in. He saved my life.”
“Is that why you’re still saving his?”
She met his gaze, and the truth passed between them. “I guess I am trying to do that. It might be a lost cause, though. I keep throwing lines to him, but he doesn’t grab on to them. He doesn’t want me to pull him in.”
“Maybe he needs to rescue himself.”
“Maybe.” She drew in a breath and slowly let it out. “Well, this conversation has gotten heavy. How about some food?”
“If you let go of my hand, I might get you some. That is, once the blood starts flowing back to my fingers,” he said, flexing his hand as she let go.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. So, what’s for lunch?”
“Everything you said. Fried chicken, potato salad, Brie, wine, and chocolate.” He sat up, opened the basket, and began pulling out containers.
“Very good, but I don’t think I said wine. I’m not a drinker. My dad drove that desire right out of my head.”
“Unlike your baby sister.”
“What do you mean?” she asked sharply. “Caroline likes to party, but she’s not out of control or anything.”
“Sorry, I guess I read her wrong.” But he wondered if Kate wasn’t protesting a little too much.
“You did read her wrong. I’d know if Caroline had a problem.” She paused, worry in her eyes. “I would know, don’t you think?”
“You know your sister better than I do.”
“Exactly. I’ll take one of those mineral waters.”
He handed her a bottle of Crystal Geyser. “I’m not a drinker myself,” he said. “I like to keep my wits about me. Stay in control. Part of that oldest-child syndrome, I think. Always be the responsible one.”
“Is your brother irresponsible?” she asked.
How did he answer that one? And why had he even mentioned his brother? Mark was a dangerous subject. Then again, Tyler wondered if he could gain her sympathy by telling her about the terrible tragedy that had befallen his brother. But if he told her anything, she might one day use it as ammunition against Mark. He couldn’t take that chance. “He’s more impulsive than I am,” he said finally. “Now, what do you want to eat?”
Kate pulled off her sweater and spread it out between them. “We can put the food on this.”
“Are you sure? It might get dirty.”
“I like dirt, remember? And I have a washing machine.”
“You’re a very low-maintenance woman, aren’t you?”
“I’m used to taking care of myself.”
“And other people, too---your sisters, your father, your friends, your customers. Don’t you ever get tired?”
“Even if I did, I haven’t seen any fairy godmothers hovering about ready to turn my pumpkin into a carriage.”
He smiled, liking her wit, her sense of humor, her lack of pretension. “What about handsome princes?”
“Not a one in sight.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“You’re not suggesting you have one of my glass slippers?” she teased.
He picked up her abandoned tennis shoe. “Will this do?”
“I’m afraid not. There are several dozen women who could wear that shoe and do. It’s not one of a kind.”
“But you are,” he said impulsively, leaning over and kissing her on the lips. Her mouth was cool, moist from the water she’d been sipping. He wanted to linger, wanted to warm those lips, taste her more deeply, but she was already pulling away.
“Why did you do that?” she asked.
“I wanted to,” he said simply.
“You make it all seem so easy, the flirting, the kissing. It’s second nature to you, isn’t it?”
He saw the question in her eyes, heard the hint of insecurity in her voice. “Maybe you just make it harder than it has to be.”
She gave him an odd look. “Jeremy used to say the same thing. He thought I worried too much, thought too long, planned too hard.” She shrugged. “But that’s just me. I can’t help it.”
“You don’t have to change -- not as long as you’re happy with who you are.”
“For the most part, I am. Not that I don’t have my faults, and I certainly haven’t lived an error-free life, but I try hard. Does that count?”
“Enough to get you a chicken leg.” He handed her a drumstick.
“Hmm. This looks good. Jack’s Deli?”
“I heard it was the best.”
“You heard right.” She took a bite and sighed as if she’d just tasted ambrosia. He loved watching her lick her fingers in between bites. Made him want to lean over and take a taste himself.
“You re staring,” she said. “I hate it when people watch me eat.”
He smiled at that. “It doesn’t seem to be stopping you.”
She took another bite. “Okay, it doesn’t bother me that much, but, if you don’t eat, there may not be anything left. I am the fastest eater of the McKenna sisters. Although we’re all pretty speedy.”
“It must have been fun growing up with sisters.” He’d had a good time with Mark when they were little. He’d missed that when he’d become an only child.
“It was wonderful. Even though they often drove me crazy, especially when we lived on the boat together.”
“What was that like?”
“Ashley taking our pictures every other minute. Caroline sneaking into the food rations. Card games that went late into the night, flying fish that landed on our deck when we least expected it, dolphins that were so friendly we could swim right along with them.” She let out a sigh. “We were a tight group. We got used to having only one another. We didn’t need anyone else.”
And apparently they’d kept everyone else away, Tyler thought, especially while one of them was pregnant. Otherwise, someone somewhere would have said something about it.
“Sometimes it’s hard to let go -- even now,” Kate continued. “But we have our own lives to live. Caroline reminds me of it often enough. And Ashley has been pulling away lately. With my father wanting to race again, I think I’m the only one trying to keep us together.”
“Everyone grows up and sometimes apart. That’s the way of families.”
“You’re right. I’ve actually been thinking about making some changes in my own life.”
“What kind of changes?” he asked with interest.
“Well, when I turned twenty-eight three weeks ago, I looked at all those candles on my cake and thought about the years that had passed. Maybe it wasn’t a midlife crisis, but it was a wake-up call to break out of my little cocoon, take a look around, figure out what I want to do, where I want to be, that kind of thing.”
Three weeks ago? She’d had this revelation three weeks ago? The same time that Mark had received the first contact from Steve Watson? Tyler’s pulse sped up. It had to be a coincidence. It had to be.
“What kind of things, exactly?” he asked carefully, trying not to sound too eager.
She hesitated, then said lightly, “I signed up for an exercise class for one.”
“That’s it?”
“What did you expect?”
“How about a trip or a move, maybe looking up an old friend, someone you hadn’t seen in a while?”
She looked at him through narrowed, thoughtful eyes, and he realized that he sounded much too intense for what she probably thought was a casual conversation.
“Sorry,” he said quickly. “It’s not for me to say how you should change your life. But I thought you meant something on a grander scale than an exercise class.”
“I think I’m ready for the potato salad now.”
He handed her the container and a fork.
“What about you?” she asked. “Ever had one of those life-changing moments?”
“Not while blowing out the candles on my birthday cake,” he replied. “But, yes, I did have one. Fairly recently, in fact.”
“What happened?”
He shouldn’t tell her. He absolutely should not tell her. He tapped his fingers against his thigh. “My brother was hurt in a car accident,” he said shortly. “He could have been killed. And I realized how little time we’d spent together lately. I’d spent years of my life wanting to be with him, and then wasted the opportunity when I had it. I won’t let that happen again.”
“Is he all right now?”
“He’s getting better.”
She tilted her head, giving him a thoughtful look. “Why are you here, Tyler? Why aren’t you home with your brother?”
Damn. He’d known confiding in her was a mistake. He tried to think of a plausible excuse. “My brother is very interested in sailing and sailboat races. He’s the one who first told me about you and your big victory.”
“So I have your brother to thank for your intrusion into my life?” she said with a dry smile. “I hope I meet him someday.”
He offered a weak smile in return. “It’s possible. Hey, aren’t you going to share some of that potato salad with me?”
She handed him the container. “Help yourself.”
He looked down at the potato salad, then set it back in the basket.
“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you eating?” Kate asked.
He cupped her face with his hands. “I just realized it wasn’t potato salad I wanted.”
“What do you—”
He cut off her question with a long, deep, wet kiss that turned into another and another. He liked the way she kissed him back, the way her tongue played with his. She smelled like vanilla, and she tasted even better. He ran his hands down her back, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her up against him. He wanted to feel her soft breasts. He wanted to touch every inch of her.
“Oh, God,” she murmured as his mouth moved down the side of her neck. “We have to stop.”
“We’re just getting started.”
“I -- this is crazy,” she said breathlessly, pulling away from him. “We’re on a public beach. Tyler, stop.”
He sat back, knowing she was right. He watched her fidget with her blouse and her hair and whatever else seemed out of place. He wanted to tell her to stop. He liked her loose and messy and a little out of control. He liked her passion and her spirit and, well, pretty much everything else about her.
“You’re staring again,” she said. “And I’m embarrassed.”
“Why? We just kissed.”
“It felt like more than just a kiss.” She darted a quick look at him, then glanced away.
He flopped down onto his back, closing his eyes against the bright sun. She was right. It hadn’t felt like a kiss; it had felt like a promise.
“Tyler, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
Her words didn’t come right away. “Are you connected to K.C. in some way? Are you part of a plan to get back at my father? Is this about revenge?”
His eyes flew open, and he sat up. “Why would you think that?” he asked, genuinely surprised at her conclusion.
“You both show up here unexpectedly. You want information about the race. You’re going to sail with my father. It all adds up.”
“That adds up? How far did you go in math?”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“No, I’m not connected to K.C.” He was glad he could tell the truth.
“Good.” She put her arms around her knees and stared out at the water. “What do you want to do now?”
“Believe me, you don’t want to know the answer to that question.”
She turned her head to look at him, her gaze drifting down to his mouth. “I really want to kiss you again.”
“Then come here,” he said softly.
“I can’t. I seem to go up in smoke every time you touch me.”
“It’s one of your most appealing qualities.”
She scrambled to her feet. “I need to walk.”
“Walk? You need to walk? Now?”
“Exercise would be good.”
“I can think of a more interesting form of exercise than walking.”
“Come with me,” she said. “There’s a cave on the other side of those rocks. I’ll show it to you.”
“Now you’re talking.” He held out his hand. “Help me up.”
A smile curved her lips. “Do you think I’m going to fall for that?”
“Please.”
“Fine.”
She slipped her hand into his, and, for a moment, he was tempted to pull her back down on the sand and kiss her senseless. But two young children chose that moment to run by him, kicking up sand with their bare feet, and he knew this wasn’t the time nor the place.
Once on his feet, he didn’t let go of her hand, and, after a momentary resistance, she relaxed, and they walked along the water’s edge together. Tyler had never been so aware of the details of his existence than he was at this moment with Kate. All of his senses were engaged. The sand was cool beneath his bare feet, the sun was warm on his head, and the woman beside him was soft, feminine, desirable -- and he was as hard as a rock. He needed to relax, too, he told himself, but the tension wouldn’t go away. All he could think about was how easy it would be to lean over and kiss her again. He picked up the pace.
“Hey, what’s the hurry?” Kate asked as she jogged to keep up with him.
“I’ll race you to the cave.”
“You don’t know where it is,” she called after him, but he didn’t care. He needed to run along the shoreline. He needed to burn off the sexual energy that was making him crazy.
He heard her footsteps behind him, then felt her draw alongside. Damn, she was fast. She flung him a smile and passed him by.
“What the hell was that?” he asked breathlessly when he caught up to her.
“That was a sprint. I beat you.”
“I let you win.”
“Liar.”
He could think of only one way to shut her up. He tackled her. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t coordinated, but it was effective. Because her soft, squirming body was now under his, exactly where he wanted it.
“Tyler, I can’t breathe,” she gasped.
“I’ll have to give you mouth-to-mouth,” he said, moving his weight off of her at the same time his mouth came down on hers.
So much for burning off the tension. It was back with a vengeance, and now he was acutely aware of her legs and her thighs and her hips moving beneath his. He wanted to get closer. He wanted to touch her bare skin. He wanted --