Her Accidental Boyfriend: A Secret Wishes Novel (Entangled Bliss) (12 page)

…

Something was poking Kagan in the back. No, not poking, crawling. Something was crawling down her back! Two somethings, now that she’d waken enough to realize morning had sprung and sunshine welcomed her to a new day.

She kicked out of her sleeping bag and jumped to her feet, shimmying, and okay, squealing like a scaredy-cat. She slapped at her back, then pulled at the hem of her T-shirt. God, she hoped it wasn’t spiders. Shane hadn’t said anything about spiders, but they lived everywhere, didn’t they?

Two giant
sand crabs fell at her feet. One sexy man smirked from his sleeping bag.

“You…” She didn’t know what he was. With his hair mussed, eyes laughing, and stubble along his square jawline, she needed to catch her breath.

He raised his eyebrows in challenge.

“You put sand crabs down my shirt.” At least it wasn’t her shorts. But even then, she really wouldn’t have minded. His teasing and prank had her wanting to play hooky with him again and again. He was so different from the men she’d dated in New York. So much more engaging.

“It was time to wake up.” One side of his mouth lifted in that really appealing way of his. The way that slayed any female within a hundred yards.

“I’m going to get you back.”

“Have at it.” Now he was just plain mean because he stood and pulled his shirt off.

After yesterday’s bone-melting kiss, she’d promised herself she wouldn’t think about him—much. She’d been so stupid to kiss him. It went against her bad idea rule, but she thought maybe if she got it over with, she’d get it out of her system and she’d be a-ok with keeping things platonic. But then he’d kissed her like she’d never been kissed before. Her toes had curled. Every erogenous zone had ached. And her heart? It had reached for him.

“Since we never got to take that hike last night, I thought I’d show you around this morning,” he said, pulling on a long-sleeved shirt.

Shame. She could stare at his muscled shoulders and arms, cut abs and well-defined chest all day. She wanted to run her tongue over every line and groove and press against him, flesh-to-flesh. Find the spots that made him shudder.

Not going to happen
, she told herself. She might like the way he looked. And she liked the side of him that he didn’t let a lot of others see. But the person who mattered the most right now was
her.
You can be whatever you want to be
. That meant being independent. Making her own decisions and not getting involved with anyone else. Especially the town’s biggest heartthrob. And heartbreaker. This was only pretend.

Why did he bring you here early then?

“Sounds good.” Last night after they’d dried off from their swim, Shane had started a fire on the beach. He’d cooked them hot dogs and baked beans, told stories about being a Boy Scout until he’d turned twelve and decided girls were more fun than campouts. Girl
plus
campout, he’d said, his eyes raking over her, were pretty exceptional, though.

She never knew when he was serious and when he just wanted to turn on the charm. He didn’t have to be sweet to her here, though. Brett and everyone else couldn’t see them half a mile across the ocean. So she’d smiled, half real, half fake. She didn’t know what to make of this private adventure, but if she let herself, she’d fall completely in love with him.

And love hurt too much.

Kagan laced up her shoes, put on her Yankees baseball cap, and stood at attention. “Ready and waiting,” she said.

Shane let out a breath. “Yankees, huh?”

“You have a problem with the best team in baseball?”

“Second best.” He yanked on her ponytail. “They’re two games back, Jelly Belly. The Angels are in first.”

“Just wait until October.”

“Tell you what.” He put on his own cap, some well worn, faded red thing. He wore it backwards and the look did a funny flip-flop thing to her stomach. “If the Yankees and Angels face off in the playoffs, I’ll take you to a game.”

She didn’t have the heart to tell him that every year the Yankees made the playoffs, she went to their games.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I know some people out in LA who owe me playoff tickets.” He rolled up his sleeping bag, then moved to hers.

A date with Shane next month…

When the two of them didn’t have to pretend for Brett and didn’t have to be together unless they wanted to be.

When the leaves changed and the rain reckoned and her lease was up.

“Owe you? Did you win a bet?” She packed up her things and watched Shane gather everything but two bananas and a small brown bag with a Crem’s logo on it. She hoped muffins were inside. Or coffee cake.

He tapped his head. “There’s a lot more going on in here than anyone knows.”

No doubt. And Kagan wanted to know it all. She wanted to be the exception.

…

Yeah, Shane had known Kagan for several months now, watching her from afar, flirting with her when he had the chance, enjoying the sound of her voice and the way her slim hips moved from side-to-side when she walked.

But since the gala at The Duchess, feelings way beyond his physical attraction to her had come out of left field. Besides that trio of A words he tried not to think too hard about, tenderness, compassion, and safekeeping all collided in his mind. She was the closest thing he’d come to wanting something besides a quick roll in the sack since Mia. This rush of emotions couldn’t be real, though. It couldn’t be more than getting caught up in being her accidental boyfriend. Likewise, her actions weren’t anything more than pretend either.

The sun shone across a light blue sky as he drove them to her place after returning from Sandpiper. Thoughts of her kicking in the water as they snorkeled with Erin’s tour group and squealing with excitement when a small group of dolphins splashed around less than a hundred feet away played in his head. Her joy had amped up his own.

He didn’t want to lose that.

So as much as he knew he should drop her off and put some distance between them, spending more time with her seemed to rule his actions.

She was the only one who helped him forget.

“You look deep in thought over there,” Kagan said, breaking into his contemplations.

“Thinking about how much…” He cleared his throat and gave her a sidelong glance. “Thinking what a good time I had today.”

“Me too. It was wonderful, Shane. Thank you.”

“And I thought maybe you’d like to come over for dinner tonight.” Again, it wasn’t a necessary gesture to maintain their ruse, since it would be just the two of them, but he’d pictured Kagan there and wanted to make it a reality.

She’d be the first.

The first woman he’d brought to his home and let into his private sanctuary besides his mom and sister.

“Whatcha cooking?”

“Does it matter?” He made a left onto her street. He didn’t cook, but he knew the best place to order pizza from, and maybe it would remind her of her favorite restaurant back home.

Home. Kagan would be going back to NYC soon.

“Hmm. Guess not. Can I bring something for dessert?”

He pulled to a stop in front of her townhome and turned. “You’re all the sweetness I need.”

Her lips stretched into an achingly beautiful smile. “Okay, then.”

Movement caught his attention over her shoulder. He gritted his teeth. Brett stood on her front porch. “You’ve got company.” Then he bent his head and kissed her. For Brett. For himself. Hell, he didn’t know for sure anymore.

What he did know was her kiss wrecked his doubts about having her, even if it was just once. So on those nights when he was alone and she was back in New York, he could imagine her body, her taste, her scent, with perfect clarity.

They broke apart, both out of breath. Shane jumped out of the car and came around to open her door. She slid out and he grabbed her bag from the backseat.

Brett wore a scowl as they approached. “You should have told me you were leaving town.”

“I don’t have to tell you anything.” Kagan brushed by him and unlocked her front door. She stopped and twisted. “Please tell me you didn’t do anything rash while I was gone.”

Shane shouldered past Brett and set Kagan’s bag down near the couch. He didn’t trust himself not to tell the guy off, so he stayed quiet.

“Is breakfast with Candace Brewer rash?” Brett stepped into the entryway. “Introductions to the mayor and his wife, who I understand eat every morning at Crem’s. A conversation with Mrs. Witt afterward.”

Kagan’s eyes widened. “Wha…what did you talk about?”

“This and that.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Contrary to what you may believe, your father doesn’t do all my thinking for me.”

Shane fisted his hands, but rather than hit the guy, he moved to Kagan and put his arm around her. She fell against him.

The three of them stood there in charged silence until Kagan said, “You do realize you’re hurting more than helping any case you think you might have.”

“What I think is that you haven’t been entirely honest with me.”

“What does that mean?” Kagan asked.

“It means the two of you”—he waved a finger back and forth—“have fallen in love rather quickly and I’m wondering if that’s for my benefit.”

Kagan trembled under Shane’s hold. “Get one thing straight. I will never do anything
for you
. Get out of my house, Brett.”

Shane stepped forward. “You need to leave.”

Brett looked at him for a long moment. “She
will
leave you and this town, and when she does, I’ll be waiting.”

“Please go,” Kagan muttered, all the color she’d gotten on their trip draining from her face. Shane wasn’t sure if she meant for Brett to go back to his hotel or back to New York, but either way, if she let him, tonight he wanted to help her forget her troubles.

Chapter Nine

Dinner was a bad idea. Kagan stood outside Shane’s front door for a solid five minutes contemplating her decision to come over. When she’d asked him to be her fake boyfriend, she’d never imagined pretending would be so easy. She hadn’t planned on feelings crashing down on her that she’d sworn to avoid. And she hadn’t anticipated her heart tripping over itself just by the mere sight of him.

When Shane kissed her in the car earlier, it had been to keep up the charade, since Brett was watching. But when he’d left her house after Brett and pressed his lips to her cheek with warmth and care, that hadn’t been an act. They’d both stupidly fallen into something more, but Brett was right. Cascade was temporary. And so was Shane.

It didn’t mean this getaway hadn’t changed her, though. In fact, she’d made a decision on the drive to Shane’s. When she got back to New York she’d have the long talk with her father she should have had months ago, and if he was unwilling to give some concessions, she’d resign from his company for good. She’d always liked working for him, but now that she’d spent time away working normal hours with far less pressure, she realized she wouldn’t miss it. What she’d loved most about her job in New York was being near her dad, but now it was time to make her life
hers
.

Her hand rubbed the spot on her face where Shane’s lips had touched in good-bye. On their trip to Sandpiper, he’d been everything a girl dreamed for—tender, sweet, strong, sexy, adventurous, fun. When they’d joined Erin and her tourist group, there had been several attractive girls in string bikinis, and he hadn’t even spared them a glance. His eyes had stayed on one body—hers. Goose bumps popped up on her skin at the memory.

For a little while longer, she’d enjoy his company. The last thing she’d do would be to confirm Brett’s suspicions about them. Besides, the town liked them as a couple. Their poll percentage on Cascade’s blog had jumped to 88 percent in favor of Shane losing his heart. Erin had told her that word on the street was Shane couldn’t have found a better match. Guilt poked at her. She’d put Shane in an unfair position. How would he explain their breakup to his family? What would he tell people after she left Cascade?

A sliver of what-if coursed through her. What if she stayed?

She shook her head and knocked.

He swung the door wide, and his appearance overwhelmed all her sensitive body parts. It seriously hurt to look at him. She forced her gaze to hop over his shoulder.

“Hey. Come on in.”

“Thanks.” Her arm brushed his as she passed and her blood raced, creating ripples of warmth through her veins.

Ignore the blue T-shirt that brings out the blue in his eyes and stretches across delicious muscle. Do not notice his bare feet. Or his big, strong hands.

She took in her surroundings instead. Shane lived in a Craftsman-style bungalow at the top of a mountain. There were only a few houses on the street and looking out the unobstructed wall of windows in the living room, all Kagan saw were trees. His furnishings were simple but sophisticated. An extra-deep, sink-into-me oatmeal-colored sofa and a plush ottoman were the focus of the room. A pair of dark wood console tables and armchairs flanked a fireplace that showcased a large silver mirror hanging above the mantle.

Kagan sat on the couch and never wanted to get up. Shane’s jean clad thigh touched her bare leg as he took the spot
right
next to her. She should have worn pants, not a loose baby-doll dress.

“Your home is really nice,” she said, scooting away, eyes on the stack of books on the ottoman slash coffee table.

“Thanks.” He seemed to follow her gaze. She couldn’t be sure, since she had a wager going on with herself as to how long she could look at things other than him.

“Film book, music book, photographic book, funny book, art book, highbrow cartoon book. All my favorites,” he said, then returned his focus to the side of her face. “Whatcha got there?”

Out of the corner of her eye she caught him nodding at the small white bag in her hand.

Oh yeah. “I brought you something to say thanks.” She put her arm out and dropped it in his lap, still avoiding those melt-me-on-the-spot eyes. It was impossible to avoid his fresh, zesty scent, though, which really messed with her senses. Common and the other kind.

“Thanks?” Confusion marred his deep, sexy voice while his hands unrolled the bag.

“For the trip to Sandpiper. For being a good friend. For pretending to be my boyfriend.” She ran her fingers along the edge of her dress.

Those were all honest reasons. But what she left out was that she’d wanted to make him something regardless. She wanted him to have a piece of her.

Something to remember her by when she went back to New York.

Shane pulled out the wristband she’d made of plain, black leather cord with a tiny silver bead to fasten the ends.

“You made me something to wear.” He said it with such awe and gratitude, she had no choice but to look into his thoughtful, light blue-gray eyes. She hadn’t noticed the ring of orange around his pupils before, and discovering it sparked a desire to discover more about him. To learn everything.

All she could do was blink, give a slight nod.

A moment later he brushed his lips against her forehead. For several delicious moments she soaked him in and had a feeling he was doing the same. The delicate gesture moved to her temple. Then he softly kissed her cheek, her eyelid. She was sure the feathery light touches made her entire body flush.

“Thank you,” he said, pulling back and putting the gift on his right wrist. It fit perfectly. “No one’s ever done something like this for me before.”

“No way.” Kagan didn’t hide the skepticism in her voice. She did hide the wild pleasure his tenderness triggered, though, by picking up
The Official James Bond Movie Poster
book and feigning interest. “I can’t believe none of your female fans have given you gifts.”

“Oh, they’ve given me things. But it’s always of the lacy, feminine undergarment variety.”

Kagan raised her brows and shot him a playful look. “You don’t like to wear those?”

He laughed and toyed with the leather band. He liked it. He really liked it. Kagan’s heart swelled. “No, can’t say that I do.” His eyes darkened. “I do, however, love to take them off a woman’s body with my teeth.”

Oh yeah, dirty talk from Shane would easily take her to that magic spot, but she couldn’t let him see that. Gripping the book in her lap, she said, “Too much information, pal.”

“So we draw the line at our love lives?”

Normally she drew the line a lot sooner. “I think so.”

“That’s good, because I already want to bash in Brett’s head and you’ve never dated. I don’t want to know about actual boyfriends.”

If Shane kept up this protective streak, giving him up would be damn near impossible. He’d opened her eyes to what normal caring was. She’d started to see the difference in being treated like someone worth fighting for and someone worth keeping under your thumb.

“You’re a James Bond fan?” she asked, veering the conversation to a safer topic.

“Yeah. You?” He leaned over, bumping her shoulder so he could look at the book. His damp hair smelled like the best shampoo on the planet, something sweet, but mellow and refreshing.

“I guess.” Kagan thumbed a few pages.

“You guess? Bond is the man. You’ve seen all the movies, right?”

“Not the most recent ones.”

Shane stood and grabbed the television remote control from a corner entertainment unit. “That does not fly in Casa Sullivan. We’re going to have to movie marathon them.”

Kagan looked around for a television. “I thought you invited me over for dinner.”

“You hungry?”

“Not really. It’s a little early.”

He smiled. “Great. And uh, I don’t actually cook.” He shot her a sheepish grin. “My plan was to order pizza, since I know that’s one of your favorites, and watch a movie. Let’s knock one out, eat, and then watch another. Or two.” The couch dipped as he sat back down, his eyebrows lifting in a too-cute way.

Her heart skipped. “Sounds good.”

Being this comfortable with him was dangerous. She didn’t want to like him more than she already did, and…and she’d never spent time at a man’s house and had dinner and watched a movie before. The boyfriends she’d had always took her out, wanting to impress her with fancy food and the theater. Or front row seats to a Knicks game. Kagan Donaldson had always wanted to be treated like a regular girl, but never was.

Until now.

Shane knew her true identity, and he hadn’t treated her any differently than before. She’d confided in him and he’d taken it like she’d told him her favorite color. He didn’t seem to care that she had money and a famous family. Shane simply liked her for her.

He also seemed to enjoy spending time with her when no one else was around. The feeling was mutual.

A big screen dropped from the ceiling and the pride on Shane’s face was adorable. He had a thing for audio-visual stuff, he told her. They watched Daniel Craig’s first Bond film, their sides touching from shoulder to knee the entire two hours. Evening shadowed the room by the time the movie ended and with another press to the remote, lights flickered on. Shane ordered dinner—asking for her favorite toppings—and they ate thick sliced mushroom and olive pizza.

When they settled in for the second movie, he put his arm around her. She burrowed into his side, her head on his chest, and tried to remember why a fling with Shane was a bad idea.

About an hour into the film his hand started stroking her arm in lazy passes up and down, and she sensed his body shift from relaxed to taut. His chest rose and fell and his heartbeat, so nice and calm in her ear, sped up.

She put her hand on his thigh. His muscles flexed, he shifted. Then he slowly rotated his hips, slipped his arm behind her back, and laid her down on the couch beneath him. She pulled in a lungful of air. He stared down at her like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen and for the first time in her life, she felt truly wanted. Not because of her name or her money, but because Kagan Owens, waitress and jewelry designer, was enough for this amazing man.

Her insides went warm and gooey. She cupped his face at the same time he moved a strand of hair away from her mouth. She hoped that meant he planned to capture her lips in the next two seconds.

Then move down her body in slow, deliberate fashion, getting her naked and delirious with pleasure. She had no doubt he was a master at making a woman burn with need.

“I want you on this couch,” he whispered. “And in my bed and up against the wall.”

She wriggled against him, her body responding to his words with eagerness so strong it scared her. She’d be a moron to turn him down. And her girl parts would never forgive her. “I want you too.”

A slow smile curled his very sexy lips upward. “And that’s just the start. I’m going to touch and caress and lick and kiss you until the sun comes up and then I’m going to tuck you against my side so we can sleep all day.” He inched closer, his mouth centimeters from hers. “You’re going to love every minute of it.”

Holy moly.

“Shut up and prove it already.” She was about to pull his mouth down to hers when the sound of his cell phone broke their trance.

He hesitated. She saw deliberation in the swirls of his blue-gray irises—
answer it?

“You should get it,” Kagan said softly. “It could be important.” If she got a call late at night, the first thing to run through her mind would be worry about someone close to her.

With a deep, regretful sigh, he rose and picked his phone off the console table by the fireplace. Kagan sat up and took her own deep breath.

Even though Shane had his back to her, she could tell the moment he looked at his phone that something wasn’t right. His broad shoulders tensed, and he ran a hand through his chocolate-colored hair like he wanted to pull it out.

“Hello?” he said, his voice an odd mixture of sincerity and caution. The heady air in the room vanished.

Kagan worried her bottom lip.

“Hey. Is everything okay?” He fell silent after that unsettling question. His body stayed stiff and felt distant like he stood on the other side of Mount Hood, not six feet away. Kagan’s body deflated. She got up to leave and give him some space.

He glanced over his shoulder and held up his finger.
Hang on,
he mouthed.

She nodded. He looked like he could use a friend. Creases she’d never seen before marred his forehead, and his eyes… he seemed haunted.

“No,” he finally said to whomever was on the other line. “I’m glad you called. I’ll be there in less than twenty minutes.” Shane left the living room and returned a few seconds later with keys in his hand and shoes on his feet. “Stay in your car with the doors locked, okay? I’m on my way.”

His arm fell to his side. “I’m sorry. I need to go.”

“Is everything all right?”

He stepped closer, then back. To hug her good-bye? Touch her? Tell her he’d made a mistake this evening? His uncertainty twisted a knot in her stomach, the back of her throat feeling like sandpaper.

“Fine. A friend needs some help.”

“Okay.” Kagan stepped around him. She needed to haul her caboose, too, before he noticed her disappointment.

“Wait.” He tapped her upper arm. “Why don’t you come with me?”

She turned. “Shane. It’s fine. Thanks for a great evening. Now get your butt out of here. We can talk tomorrow.”