Kate held up her hands. “Time out. I need a breather.”
“Hey, I’m just getting started.”
“You’re not a bad dancer,” she admitted.
“I still have a few moves I haven’t shown you yet.” He gave her an exaggerated wink, and she laughed.
“You are terrible. A natural-born flirt.” She paused, her expression turning serious. “I can’t remember when I’ve had so much fun.”
“Neither can I. It’s been awhile, that’s for sure.”
A charged silence fell between them, the coziness of the room and the darkness of the night drawing a blanket of intimacy around them.
“If we wait a few minutes, we’ll have a spotlight to dance under,” Kate said somewhat nervously. “When the light comes on, this room will be as bright as day.”
“I kind of like the moon shadows.” The moonlight had turned her from pretty into beautiful, from an ordinary woman into an angel. He wanted to take her in his arms and make love to her. “Kate,” he murmured.
“Tyler,” she echoed, as she stroked his cheek with her fingers.
His breath caught at the tender, womanly caress.
“You must have to shave every day,” she murmured as her fingers brushed against his jaw. She paused. “I want to kiss you again.” She surprised him with her boldness.
“What’s stopping you?” he asked, but in her eyes he saw the conflict of duty versus desire.
“Who you are. What you want with me and my family.”
“I thought we’d moved past that.” He turned his face into her hand and kissed her palm. He looked up and saw the spark of desire in her eyes. It was all the encouragement he needed. Leaning forward, he kissed her on the mouth, slowly, deeply. He didn’t want to rush, wanted to take the time to savor the taste of her mouth.
But Kate seemed impatient with the slower approach. She slipped her hands under his shirt, her fingers glancing off his abdomen, running through the hair on his chest. His muscles tightened at every touch.
“Yes,” he muttered with encouragement.
“You feel so good, Tyler.”
“Say my name again,” he ordered.
“Tyler, Tyler, Tyler,” she said against his mouth, punctuating each word with a kiss. “Maddening, annoying, frustrating Tyler.”
“Don’t get carried away, now.”
“I want to get carried away,” she said with a longing that removed the last of his doubts.
He moved his hands under her sweater. Her skin grew warmer the higher he traveled, until he met up with a lacy bra that thankfully had a clasp in the front. He didn’t realize how much he wanted that bra undone until his fingers fumbled with the clasp, once, twice, before opening. He cupped her breast with his hand, the softness of her skin sending him over the edge.
He caressed her fullness, brushing his thumb over the taut peak. She was as excited as he was. It wasn’t enough to touch her like this. He wanted more, much more. While his hands explored her breasts, his mouth moved from her lips across her cheek and down the side of her neck. God, she was sweet. Sweet and sexy and willing.
Kate tugged at his shirt. “We need to get rid of this.”
“My pleasure.” He pulled the shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor. He liked the way she looked at him, wanting him with her eyes, but she hadn’t touched him again, and he wanted that more than anything. “Kate,” he said, willing her to come the rest of the way.
She didn’t move for probably the longest minute of his life. Then she slowly lifted the sweater over her head and slipped off her bra. Her hands came up to cover herself, a shyness that he liked but didn’t want now.
“Don’t.” He put his hand on hers. “Let me look at you.”
Her hands slowly moved back to her side. “You are one beautiful woman,” he murmured.
She stared back at him without moving. “Touch me, Tyler. Put your hands on my breasts, the way you did before. I want to make love to you.”
Her words drove a wave of guilt through him. There was trust in her sweet blue eyes. And he didn’t deserve that trust.
“Tyler, what are you waiting for?” she asked, her gaze narrowing.
Before he could answer, a shockingly bright light hit the room like a spotlight on center stage. Kate gasped and covered her breasts.
“Oh, my God. I forgot about the light,” she said. “It’s so bright!”
Shockingly illuminating, Tyler realized, and it had probably just stopped them from making a huge mistake. Tyler handed her the bra and sweater from the bench. “Do you want to put these on?”
She hesitated and then nodded. “I should, shouldn’t I?” She put on her bra and pulled her sweater over her head with swift, jerky movements. “I don’t know what came over me. I don’t usually do stuff like this.”
“I’m glad this isn’t usual for you. I’m happy it was just for me.”
She stared at him. “You stopped, Tyler. Even before the light came on. I saw it in your face. Why?”
He didn’t know how to answer that question. There were too many lies between them, so he settled for another. “I don’t have anything with me -- protection,” he said. “I’m guessing you don’t either.”
“Oh,” she said, her voice faltering. “I -- I didn’t even think.”
She got to her feet and looked out at the water that was now lit up by the light. “When you’re on the ocean, a light like this can be a savior, the promise of a safe harbor. I never thought I wouldn’t be happy to see the light.” She turned to him. “I know it was smart to stop. I just kind of wish we hadn’t. Because it felt good, and it’s been a long time since I felt like that. I wanted to be selfish. It’s a family trait, you know.” She headed toward the stairway. “Let’s go home.”
Home? Where was that, he wondered. Logically, he knew his address in San Antonio. That’s where his things were, where his friends lived, where his brother and niece made a life. So why was he starting to feel as if this island was home, as if wherever Kate was going was where he wanted to be?
Kate dropped him off at his hotel without even turning off the engine. She muttered a good-bye and took off as soon as he’d shut the door. It was just as well. This trip wasn’t supposed to be about anything but finding Amelia’s biological mother. And it was time for him to refocus on his goals.
He felt too wired to even think about going inside to his quiet hotel room. Most people in Castleton apparently felt the same way, Tyler realized, as he walked back through the town square. The food booths were being dismantled, but there were still crowds of people gathered around small tables, talking and laughing. A few people called out hello, people he’d met through Kate or on his own. He’d only been in town a few days, but they were making him feel like part of the community, part of their lives, and it was a nice feeling, almost too nice.
A small island in the Pacific Northwest was not the place to get attached to. There were no earth-shattering news stories here, no need for tough investigative reporting. It was a tourist destination, a place for fishermen and sailors, bikers and hikers, honeymooners and retirees, a place for people to relax, smell the flowers, enjoy life -- not a place for him. He liked to be on the go, flying in fast jets over countries whose names he could barely spell. He liked the unpredictable, the never-ending adventure.
Didn’t he?
Then why was this scene so appealing? Why did Kate’s small house charm him so? Why did he feel so attracted to a woman who had made it clear she was never going to move? Why did he suddenly wonder what it would feel like to have a house of his own and friends who would welcome him home, who would butt into his business and protect him from strangers’ questions, who didn’t expect anything from him? Why did the idea of one woman, one long-term relationship, one marriage suddenly sound so attractive?
Hell, he was out of his mind. He didn’t want any of those things. What he wanted was a drink. Thankfully, the Oyster Bar was just around the corner.
It was fairly crowded for a Tuesday night. Tyler stood for a moment, checking out the room for familiar faces. Sure enough, there were two: Caroline and Duncan sitting at a table in the corner. His eyes narrowed at the sight. He wondered what they were cooking up. There was an intensity to their conversation that was apparent in their body posture, the way they leaned in toward each other, the sharp look on Duncan’s face as he said something to Caroline.
Tyler moved closer, unabashedly eavesdropping, but they were too caught up in their conversation to even notice him.
“I want to help you, Daddy,” Caroline said. “You know I do. But Kate won’t race again, and Ashley can’t even get herself on a boat these days.”
“You have to convince them, Caroline. I’m counting on you,” he said loudly, firmly.
“I’ll come with you. I’ll race. I’ll be your partner. Maybe that will be enough. We can get a good crew. There are plenty of strong, willing sailors around. We don’t need Kate or Ashley.”
“Of course we need Kate. She’s --” He waved his hand in the air as if searching for the right word. “She’s the one who makes it all work.”
“I can make it all work.”
Duncan called to the waiter to bring them two beers.
“I don’t want a beer,” Caroline said. “Look, why don’t you take me out on the practice run tomorrow? You’ll see how good I am.”
“You haven’t sailed in years.”
“Neither have you,” she argued. “But I’ve kept in shape. I’m still really strong.”
The waiter set down two beers in front of them. Duncan picked his up and drank like a man who hadn’t tasted water in a week, but, judging by the empty glass on the table, this was not his first beer. Nor would it probably be his last. As he set down his glass, he saw Tyler and motioned him over.
“There you are, my favorite reporter. What are you drinking?”
“Beer, I guess.”
“Will, bring me another for my friend,” Duncan called out. “And put it on my tab.”
“How’s it going, Caroline?” Tyler pulled out an empty chair at their table and sat down.
“Fine,” she said with an expression that was not particularly welcoming. “You sure do seem to pop up wherever we are.”
“She’s upset,” Duncan told Tyler. “She wants to race with me, but I need Kate, too.”
“I still don’t get why,” Caroline retorted.
“Well now, honey, I don’t want you to get your feelings hurt, but you’re kind of a jinx.”
Caroline sat upright in her chair. “I am not a jinx. How can you say that?”
“Trouble follows you around like a tail follows a dog.” Duncan smiled over at Tyler. “If there was a bucket nearby, Caroline would no doubt step in it. If there was a drink by her elbow, she’d knock it over, accidentally of course.” He glanced back at his youngest daughter. “It’s okay. You can’t help it, and you always try hard.”
“I am not that clumsy,” she protested.
“Oh, look, there’s Rudy.” Duncan waved his hand toward his friend. “Hey, Rudy, come over here and sit your sorry ass down.”
A big, burly man in his late fifties ambled over to the table. “Who’s your friend?” Rudy asked.
“Tyler something,” Duncan replied. “He’s a reporter looking for some good sailing stories.”
“Don’t believe a word this bastard has to say,” Rudy said, giving Tyler a hearty pat on the back. “Duncan lies so much he’s forgotten what the truth looks like.”
“That’s for sure,” Caroline said harshly as she got up. “I’m out of here.”
“Hey, you haven’t touched your drink,” Duncan said. “Push it on over here, would you? I don’t want good beer going to waste.”
Caroline looked as if she was going to do what he suggested, but when her hand touched the glass she hesitated. She lifted it to her mouth and took a sip. She gave her father a hard, unforgiving look, then tilted her head back and drank the beer down to the last drop. She set the glass down on the table. “See, there are some things I’m good at,” she said and turned toward the door.
Tyler wanted to go after her, but Duncan was saying something to him and Rudy put a hand on his arm, and by the time he excused himself and got to the door Caroline had disappeared. She’d had a dangerous, reckless look in her eye, and she was looking for trouble. He wondered if she would find it. He wondered why he was hoping she wouldn’t. He’d come to Castleton to discredit the McKenna sisters, or at least the one who was Amelia’s mother, and that could be Caroline. But now that he was here, he was finding it more difficult to see any of them as his enemy. He really did need to regroup and get his head together. Because no matter how nice they appeared to be, one of them wanted to take his niece away from his brother, and he couldn’t let that happen.
Kate jogged down the sidewalk that ran along the marina early Wednesday morning. She’d almost made a huge mistake the night before, and she was doing penance this morning by putting her body through a punishing workout. Maybe if she got tired enough, she’d stop thinking about Tyler, stop wanting to make love to him, stop acting like a fool.
He’d been the one to call a halt to things. She was the one who’d been caught up in the moment, and it still irked, even after a long, sleepless night. She liked to be in control at all times, especially of herself and her emotions, but there had been a few minutes last night when she had been completely out of control.
What had she been thinking? She barely knew him. And she wasn’t sure she could trust him. Her instincts told her he was hiding something. Then again, so was she. It was difficult to call him a liar when he could throw the word right back at her.
But all that aside, Tyler had been charming, fun. He’d made her laugh, made her feel emotions she hadn’t felt in a long time -- if ever. That traitorous thought brought her jog down to a walk.
Had it ever been that good with Jeremy? Had her senses been so completely involved? Or was it even fair to compare? Time had dimmed so many memories. And she had changed as well. She was a grown woman now. Her needs, her wants, her wishes were different.
Kate paused along the rail, looking out at the water and the boats. She’d been content before Tyler came to town. She’d told herself work and family were enough. She didn’t need a man in her life, didn’t want all the messy, emotional complications of love, didn’t want to have her heart broken again. And she’d almost bought into all of that until Tyler had arrived.