Beautiful Chances (The Beautiful Series) (3 page)

We rounded the corner to my cottage.

“I felt your eyes on me at the beach…after we met. Why were you watching me?”

When his body tensed slightly at my question, I immediately regretted asking, but I had to know if there was a deeper meaning of his intentions.

“I’m not sure. I just seem to be drawn to you. I couldn’t leave you unprotected on the beach. You looked so peaceful yet so vulnerable. I’ve been here for a few weeks and noticed you around here and there. I’m here on business, and I’ve been enjoying some down time on the beach when I’m not working or commuting to my other business obligations.”

His head tilted toward me, and his eyes bore into mine. They were intense, mesmerizing, and beautiful.

“Oh, thank you for helping me, but I can take care of myself.”

I did not like him being able to see any vulnerability in me. It made me feel small and weak, and I didn’t want to feel that way. I was trying to move forward now, working on a stronger, more confident me.

As I struggled to free myself again, he held me tight. The gesture should have frightened me. Instead, I let him speak, not knowing what to make of his unwillingness to let me go.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.” His stride hesitated briefly. “It’s okay, Lily. I won’t hurt you.”

His words instantly put my mind and body at ease. He had a look of concern on his face as he took in my expression.

Okay, time to snap out of it. This is a stranger, not a friend. You should not be feeling crazy butterflies. It’s a good lesson not to fall asleep outside.

My mind flashed in warning. This man was intense. He had the power to consume me with his penetrating and possessive personality.

“Who are you?” I pondered out loud.

The emotions flashing through his eyes told me he understood my deeper meaning.

“Someone who doesn’t plan to be a stranger for long,” he answered confidently, still looking at my face as if he were trying to memorize each detail.

I blinked while swallowing hard, trying to control the overwhelming draw I was feeling toward him.

“See you tomorrow, beautiful Lily.”

As he slowly released me, the whole left side of my body slid down his hard, toned chest. I felt him suck in his breath as he felt the sensations, too. I wrapped my fingers around his bicep as much as I could to balance myself. His hands came down firmly on my waist to brace me as my feet hit the ground.

Wow, nothing could have prepared me for that.
For such a small maneuver, I felt the heat to my bones.
With a complete stranger? Time for bed, crazy.

As his head slowly lowered to mine, his lips parted for a smile, and I could feel his breath on my face. His body smelled of a clean, manly soap. A quiver shot straight up my spine as I inhaled his scent, deeper this time. Squeezing my fingers into my palms, I caught myself from leaning closer into him.

“Thank you…” I breathed unevenly. “For making sure I got home safely.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied, his eyes reflecting the soft glimmering of the porch light.

After he handed me my bag, I tried to take another deep breath and calm my nerves. I didn’t normally react this way to men, so I had no idea why I was reacting so strongly to Kyle.

As I turned to unlock my door, I stuttered, “N-night.”

When I got ready for bed, I replayed the last few minutes of talking with Kyle.

“Someone who doesn’t plan to be a stranger for long.”

By the look in his eyes, I had a feeling that he’d truly meant it.

Do I want to see Kyle again? Do I want to date?
In a few years, yes, but I didn’t think that I was prepared right now. I was supposed to be working on that new chapter in my life, and I didn’t think it was ready to include a man. I was still trying to heal the broken pieces in my heart.

Tuesday morning, I gave up on sleep at six. My mind was wide-awake with thoughts of Kyle, so I decided to go for a quick jog. It was early, and the beach would be clear this time of day. I loved a good sunrise, so it was the perfect way to start a day.

The sun was beating along the water, waves were crashing against the rocks, and a light breeze was cooling my skin during my run. My iPod was set to shuffle as I rocked out my five miles.

Luke caught me just as I was rounding the corner to go back to my cottage.

“Good morning, Lil. Here is your egg and cheese bagel,” Luke said with a mocking look. He loved that he knew all my favorite foods.

Men and food—it should be a love language.

“Thanks, Luke.” I smiled and tucked my iPod into the small pocket of my workout shorts. “One of these days, I’ll change it up, so you have to bring me something else.”

“Sunshine, the day you make a change in your order, I’ll go out with a painted face. We both know you’ll never leave me for another flavored bagel,” Luke said with a smirk.

This was true. I loved egg and cheese bagels.

“Someday, Luke. Someday, I’ll be adventurous and try new food,” I vowed. “See you around. I’m off for a shower!” I waved and jogged off to my cottage.

After my shower, a trip into town for house supplies, and a quick power cleaning in the cottage, I treated myself to another day in the sun. I wanted to write more today, too. In order to do that, I needed to make a decision in my plot first.

As I rounded the sidewalk and the beach came into view, I quickly noticed the kids from last night must have had quite the party at the bonfire. The ashes were still hot as I passed the burn pit, beer bottles were tossed in the pit and around the area, and garbage was scattered everywhere.

I shook my head in disgust. Management would not be happy about the evidence left behind. It was a pretty laid-back beach, and all the locals wanted it to stay that way. Hopefully, others wouldn’t ruin it for the rest of us. We didn’t want curfews and rule boards everywhere.

I decided to walk over and quickly pick up the garbage. I tossed it into the closest trash, which was only a few feet away.

The teens made me think of how quiet my life had been growing up with no major parties, very few drinking experiences, and no serious boyfriends. Although, it wasn’t like my cousins would have let me have a serious boyfriend in high school anyway.

I’d made the mistake of holding hands with my boyfriend, James Everson, my freshman year in high school. By fourth period, my cousin, Blake, had chased down James and given him a bloody nose. Suddenly, James had said he was too busy to have a girlfriend. After that incident, every other guy had figured out that I had three personal bodyguards, and in a high school full of many other girls to choose from, I hadn’t been worth the beating. Since I was very focused on school and my grades at the time, it hadn’t bothered me much.

With my bag in hand, I picked my favorite spot again off to the side and laid my towel down. I settled in for an afternoon in the sun with plans to catch a quick nap. I promised myself that I’d get to work afterward.

I felt his presence behind me just before I turned to see his shadow. Without hesitation, my heartbeat instantly kicked into overdrive again.

“Another day in the sun?” that sexy voice I’d heard yesterday asked. “Good thing I brought us lots of sunscreen.”

When I turned to say hello to Kyle, I was stunned into silence as I took in his glorious body standing before me.

“Ah…hello…” My brain didn’t want to be talking. It was silently admiring.

“So, beautiful, we can suntan again today, but tomorrow, I pick what we do. Deal?”

He had a hopeful look on his face, so I just couldn’t deliver disappointment. Apparently, I missed a conversation where I’d agreed to a date. I was subconsciously aware of the fact that my guard was down, but his unexpected presence left me at a disadvantage.

“Only if I approve where we go, and I confirm that you aren’t a random stalker,” I said thoughtfully.

“I assure you I have no time in my schedule to stalk anyone.”

As he spoke, I noticed he had two lemonades in his hands. Lemonade was perfect for this Florida heat. When I reached for one, he pulled them back.

Kyle’s eyes danced with anticipation while he knelt down beside me. “Not until you agree to go snorkeling with me tomorrow.” He awaited my answer, looking optimistic with devilishly handsome eyes.

How can I say no to that?
“Hmm…I don’t know. I’ve never been snorkeling before…and I don’t know you at all…so I can give you a
maybe
to trade for the lemonade,” I countered.

My
maybe
surely didn’t get me my lemonade. He chugged his whole cup and then looked at the second cup before making direct eye contact with me again.

“Now, I’m a man who is used to getting his way, so let’s try this again.” He leaned his body in a little closer, lemonade still in hand, and he gave me a stunning grin.

The expression crossing his strikingly handsome face was seriously distracting. I contemplated my options, but only one let me continue to look at Kyle in his trunks with his delicious bare arms. I now had a closer look at his half-sleeve tribal tattoo on his right arm. It was larger than the one on the left. It was black with some dark shaded areas. Some of the skin looked slightly raised, but it was hard to tell. His soft brownish-green eyes looked more green today than brown, and as they bored into mine with determination, I took a deep breath and caved.

“Okay, I’ll
try
to snorkel. I don’t know how though,” I said, unsure.

“That’s an easy fix. I’ll teach you,” Kyle said with understanding and confidence.

“I think a few questions are still in order before I go anywhere with you, Mr. Madison.” I paused. “I must clear these stalker concerns first.” I smiled shyly.

Kyle sat down and moved closer until his face was inches from mine. My lips parted in eagerness, anticipating what he might say next. I felt the sand beneath my fingers while my heart pounded faster in my chest. We were now extremely close, and I could feel his breath on me again. It instantly reminded me of last night.

His eyebrows rose in humor. “Ask away.”

Being near to him made my mind all fuzzy.
What do I want to know about him?
“Where are you from?”

“California. I have some land near Lake Tahoe. I like peace and quiet, and the sight is magnificent. I’m here on business.”

“What kind of business?” I asked, curious to know more about this stunning man in front of me.

“Real estate. Florida has a few properties that I’m interested. They are new on the market, and it’s a great time to buy if the price is right. I didn’t want to be stuck in a hotel, so I rented a cottage. I’ve seen you around, and I wanted to introduce myself, but I’ve been so busy with meetings lately that I couldn’t find the right time.”

I could see his passion for his job just by the few words he’d said, but my mind lingered on him staying in the cottages.

“How long will you be in Florida?”
So curious today, Lil.

“As long as it takes.”

A small, sexy smile spread across his lips, and I instantly wondered what it would be like to run my thumb across his bottom lip. I glanced back up at him. His last sentence seemed to have a double meaning, but I didn’t want to ask him to elaborate, fearing his answer.