PARADISE COVE (PARADISE SERIES Book 1) (10 page)

                                          CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Sean slowed his gait as he left the pool, but all he wanted to do was cut and run. What a fool he'd been to tempt himself with those raspberry lips, soft and sweet and lush. He'd wanted to connect with her on a deeper level than polite conversation. He'd been needy and greedy.

It better not happen again. His life was in Boston, if and when he went back to it. His family in California wanted him to come out and spend some time with them. This was a temporary stop.

He could no more live on this little island than fly to the moon. He was a busy man who couldn't sit still. Or at least he used to be. Once he got his game back he'd jump into the hectic arena of the OR like a gladiator battling death, the way he'd been trained to do. He would become that person again. Someday, he'd have enough scar tissue over the wound in his heart that he'd no longer feel it beating, and the pain would be less. He'd survive this whether he wanted to or not, and get back to the job he'd been born to do.

Even Kayla would understand that. She couldn't fall in love with him, or have hopes for anything more than a temporary friendship. Perhaps he'd return once in a while for a week's holiday and fishing. They'd catch up, and by then she might have a husband and kids of her own.

That was their future. Not this. Anything he engaged in now would only end up destroying her respect for him, and any friendship they shared.

He slowed his steps as he neared the cabin. He stood on the stair and glanced up at the sign. Rhapsody. Who had given this humble cabin such a glorious name? Had the previous owner found joy here that lifted his soul? He hoped so. Had Anna known his frame of mind when he booked the cottage, he'd have been placed in a cabin called Doom and Gloom. It certainly wasn't Rhapsody he was looking for, just a little peace of mind.

Sean grabbed some cleaning supplies and headed for his boat. Sure, it could wait until morning, but he needed something to do. Something to clear his head. He used dish soap and a bucket of hot water to wash down the floor and deck, and was wiping down the seats when he heard Kayla call out his name.

"Sean?"

He ignored her for a minute, hoping she'd give up and go away. Instead she grabbed the rope and tugged the boat closer. Uninvited, she hopped on board.

"What's up?" He gave her a friendly smile, noticing she was still wearing her sexy blue dress.

"I just wanted to give you the key to Smooth Sailing so that you'll have it when you bring Miguel and Raul back in the morning. Figured you might want to pick up some supplies or something." She stood stiff as a rod. "I would have brought things over myself, but since my help isn't appreciated, I didn't want to interfere."

"I never said it wasn't appreciated.  I said I was a lost cause."

"And did I say you weren't?" she answered tartly.

"Well, there’s no reason for hostility, is there?" Sean wondered what in the hell had crawled under her skin.

"I think it's deserved. After all, you kissed me. I didn't ask for that."

"And I apologized for it."

"Well, of all the nerve." She shoved the key at him, and turned to leave. "I won't be bothering you anymore."

He grabbed her arm and pulled her close. "Where are you going?"

"Back to the pool party where I'm wanted."

"You're wanted."

"By who?"

He looked at her mouth. It had felt so ripe under his. But he couldn't do that again. It wasn't fair. He wasn't sticking around. Once he had these immigrants settled, maybe he'd just take his boat and ride off into the sunset. Best for everyone. Best for her.

"By everyone. Your family. Your guests...” He glanced away, afraid to say more.

"Anyone else?" she asked pointedly.

"This family will need you," he said, eager to change the subject.

"They need you more," she answered with heat in her voice.

"I can barely take care of myself." He wished she would just drop it.

"Well, maybe that's why you found them. They were sent here to help
you
."

He stiffened. He wanted to throttle her. What was wrong with this woman? Didn't she see that he had enough to do each day just putting one foot forward? She had to load this guilt on him too?

"Well, say something," she countered, crossing her arms under those magnificent breasts of hers.

He cleared his throat. "I don't need your help, and I certainly don't need theirs. Why don't you go back to Passions, and butt out of my affairs?"

"You arrogant ass. You know precisely why I can't do that." Her eyes flashed fire as she stared him in the face.

He had no idea what she meant, but he sure in hell wanted to find out. He slipped both hands around her waist, and pulled her close.

"Let go of me." She lifted her chin, her face pink and furious. "You want me to butt out? I'll butt out. This has nothing to do with you."

"Shut up, Kayla. Shut up." He put a hand over her mouth, pulled her body into his, and then his hand dropped and his mouth came down on hers. Hard. He wasn't gentle, and he wasn't kind. This woman drove him just a little bit crazy, and he ached with all that craziness she stirred in him.    

"Stop it," she said when he took a breath, but he only went back for more. Finally he felt her surrender, her lush lips opened and he could taste the sweetness of her breath, the flavor and essence of this fiery woman who drove him wild. Blood drained from his upper body and found its way into another appendage.  His cock sprang to life, coming between them in a rush of glory.

He heard her moan, and felt her struggle to be free. "Let me go."

The last thing he wanted in this world was to do what she asked and feel that coldness surround him again. "Please?" he heard her whisper through the thick fog in his head. Heat and lust roared around him, but her work-roughened hands pushed at his chest.

He dropped his arms and stepped back. The life, the warmth drained away in one long agonizing moment as he watched her leave.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Kayla walked away, heading back to her cabin as fast as her feet would carry her. Once there, she stood frozen, trembling in the dark. She put a hand on her chest and tried to steady her breathing. Her heart raced, her knees were weak.

She had pushed him away tonight, not because of the sound of laughter coming from the pool, the concern that someone might see them, or plain common sense either. It had been fear that stopped her.

She was afraid
for him
, knowing he wasn't stable enough to engage in a healthy relationship, and afraid for herself because she wouldn’t let that stop her from trying. Physical need drew them together, but sex would only complicate things more. Sure, it might abate some of this tension they had when they were together. It might gratify them in ways she didn't want to imagine, but could so vividly. She pressed her fingers to her mouth, attempting to forget the hunger in that kiss.

Repeating it would be a huge mistake. It wouldn’t heal his wounds or make him stick around. He was running from something, and he would continue running until he found what he was looking for, or was too tired to keep seeking. And it most certainly wasn't Paradise Cove, or Kayla herself, that would end his search.

Romance was out of the picture for her as well. She had no time for it, and no inclination if she did. This was her home now, a place she could be herself and feel a freedom that she'd never felt in the city. Making Paradise Cove a success was vital to her well being. It was also a good place for her and her mom to become close again. For too many years she had pushed her mother away, and although they had never lost touch, they had never regained the mother-daughter closeness that they'd shared when her father had been alive.

When she first heard the reading of her step-dad's will, she'd been shocked and totally taken aback at the idea of running small guest cottages in the Florida Keys. Sure it was great for a holiday, or for those who enjoyed a bohemian lifestyle. But not for her—she needed the city, it was in her blood, right? Certainly not for her sisters, or her energetic, fun-loving mother. It wasn't until she'd arrived and been here for awhile, that her anxieties began to slip away as though they'd never existed. She didn't ever want to go back to a place that set her on edge again.

Feeling chilled, she entered the cabin, hoping her mother and sisters would still be at the pool. She didn't want to talk to anyone or answer their questions about the kiss, or about Sean.

Luckily, the cabin was empty. Kayla slipped out of her dress and put on a pair of shorts and a tee. The moon was out, the stars were bright, and a long walk on the beach would help sort out the mess in her head.

She passed Rhapsody as she headed for the beach, but she kept one foot ahead of the other and didn't even glance at the cottage. She neared the pool and heard high pitched squeals from the children, and the flow of conversation from the guests and her mother. She kept her head down and continued along the path toward the sound of the waves breaking on the shore.

Kayla breathed in the scent of the salty air as she tiptoed through the mangroves, then came to the end, feeling the cold, firm sand beneath her bare feet. She strolled down to the water's edge, letting the waves lap at her toes as she walked along. Her thoughts took her back to Sean. What would she do if he up and left?

Something drew her gaze back to the pier, and as she watched a man threw himself off and was quickly swallowed up by the sea. What the hell?

Her heart thundered in her chest. Was it Sean? What was he trying to do? End it all? She raced back toward the pier and waded into the water.

She saw his head come up, and then he began to swim toward her. Did he see her in the darkness? His powerful shoulders and arms sliced through the waves, and she watched him, wondering what had possessed him to jump into the Atlantic at night, knowing sharks could be circling near. Did he have a death wish?

Damn him anyway! Well, if he was going to get eaten alive, she wasn't going to stand around and watch. She turned, heading back to shore to find something to save his life, a branch, anything, when she felt something grab her ankle.

She screamed and was pulled down into the foot of water. Sputtering, she braced herself as a big wave headed toward her, and then there was Sean, laughing, reaching out for her. Before she could get away, he pulled her up against him, dragging her back into hip-deep water.

"Are you crazy!" she yelled. "What are you doing? Trying to drown me?"

He laughed again and turned her around to face him. "I was on the pier and saw you walking. I just jumped in. I don't know why."

"I know why. You're crazy. That's what. There are sharks in here. Let me out."

"Not yet." He put his hands around her and pulled her into his cold, wet, hard body. "I jumped in for this."

His hands were in her hair and his chest pressed against hers. His eyes looked at her for a second, telling her things she didn't want to hear, and then he kissed her. She clung to him, wanting to push him away, wanting to hold him near.

His leg snaked around hers and she had to cling to him or fall back into the ocean.

She hung on to his shoulders, feeling his lean muscles, the width of his chest. Her lips were chattering from the cold, but she nibbled on his neck, feeling weak with need and want. He cupped her bottom and pulled her close, then rubbed against her. An explosion of heat shot through her, and the chill of the night was gone.

"Sean?" Her words were breathless, and then his mouth captured hers again. He kissed her like a starving man, his hands kneaded her bottom as he tilted her forward. She hadn't known he was naked, but she certainly did now.

His erection prodded her tummy, and then nudged between her legs. Her hand slid down to cup him. "God, Sean. What are we doing?"

"Don't talk. Please don't talk. Just keep doing what you're doing." His hands slid under her top and he pushed her bra aside, then bent to kiss her breasts and suck on her nipples.

She squirmed against him, and pressed herself deeper into his mouth. With one hand she continued to stroke him and he continued to lick and taste first one pink tip, and then the other.

Nothing in this universe had ever felt quite so good.

His sex throbbed and pulsed in her hand and she kept stroking. Liquid heat pooled in her female parts and she grew wet and needy. He must have known because he unzipped her shorts and slipped his hand into her panties and began to stroke her with one finger, then two.

Her breath hitched, and before she knew what was happening his hand was gone and he was inside. He slammed into her, up to the hilt, and she held on, riding him, wanting him, taking him as deeply as she could.

Then with a whimper and a cry, she uttered his name. He didn't release her, instead his cock slid in and out, in and out, until she peaked again, and then they found a release that shattered them both.

                                                        ***

Sean took her face into his hands and kissed her softly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm not sure." Tears filled her eyes. "Did I enjoy it? Yes. Do I think we're both a little crazy right about now? Yes. Do I want to do it again? I think so."

"You think so?" he asked, pulling her toward the shore. She looked like a goddess from the sea.

"Well, I'm not a hundred percent sure, but it was really sexy. Exciting. I just hope we don't get caught. Me with my pants down, you without any clothes at all." She giggled. "Where are they? Surely you weren't on the pier naked?"

"Hardly. I'm not a flasher or a nudist. I have no idea what got into me, but the moment I saw you walking along by yourself, I didn't want you to disappear. I didn't have time to run down the pier and stop you from heading back to the cottages, so I stripped and jumped in after you." He gave a rueful smile. "Probably not one of my brightest moves, but I didn't stop to think." Hadn’t let himself change his mind.

"Well, you might want to hang around the water while I go get your clothes. Don't want you walking naked alongside of me in case I'm not the only one down on the beach tonight."

"Fine, but do you mind hurrying? It's freezing here in the water."

She laughed. "Oh, now you're chilly. What about me when you decided to pull me under? And your hands were cold."

"I'm sorry.” He squeezed her cool hand. “Did you mind?"

"Not really. I didn't think about it at the time. Just like you when you jumped in. I jumped into this as well."

He put an arm around her waist and pulled her close. "If you're not careful, I might want a repeat performance. You're the first woman I've made love to since my wife and I divorced."

"Really? How long ago was that?"

"Nine months ago, but we were separated for much longer than that."

"And no women? You didn't date?"

"No. I didn't want anybody."

"You must have loved her very much."

"I did. She was the most precious person in the world."

Kayla pulled away. "Why don't you tell her that? Maybe you can win her back."

"I wasn't talking about Laura. I meant, my daughter, Sara." His eyes filled with tears as he spoke her name.

"Sara is your daughter?"

"Yes." He swallowed hard, and turned his face away, not wanting to see the pity in her eyes. "Sara," he hesitated and swallowed, then repeated her name again, more firmly this time. "Sara died a year ago. Leukemia."

"I'm so sorry." She touched his face, so he'd have to look at her. "Now I understand."

"Yes. That's why I'm not ready to come back to the land of the living. I don't want to leave my daughter—wherever she is—alone. I can't be happy, not without her. My wife and I, we were so ripped apart by all of it, that we didn't have anything left. Being together was killing us."

"Is it any better being alone?"

"On a scale of one to ten, I guess it's a two."

"Oh, Sean."

"Don't worry about me, just worry about my clothes. I'm fine, or as fine as I want to be." His jaw firmed.

"I understand."

"No one does. I know you want to, but nobody really understands this kind of grief. And I hope you never do." Everything inside of him hurt. Raw, fresh pain, not the kind he was getting used to. Obviously talking about it didn't help. Nothing ever would.

She bit her lip, looked like she was about to say something, and then thought better of it.  "Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back." Zipping up her pants, she skipped out of the water and ran toward the pier.

He laid down on the sand, letting the waves wash over him. Luckily the moon was playing peekaboo with some clouds, and even if someone was looking out their window he and Kayla wouldn't be seen.

He had no idea why he'd jumped in the ocean and swam toward her like a man possessed. Yes, he'd wanted her.  But that wasn't it. It wasn't want. It had been need. Pure and simple. Physical, emotional, perhaps a little of both.  He didn't regret it, anymore than his confession tonight. It was important that Kayla understood him. He didn't want to hurt her. One day in the near future she might wake up and find him gone. He couldn't get close to her or anyone. He had nothing inside of himself to give.