“For?”
“I ended up getting my associates.” He again glanced past her shoulder, as if avoiding her eyes somehow mattered.
“In?” she asked.
“Applied Science.” He shrugged. “You? Did you go to college?”
“No. I finished a couple college classes in high school, but since I always knew what I wanted to do, we jumped at the chance to buy this place and start our business after my grandfather passed and left us money.”
“It seems to be doing well,” he said.
She glanced back and noticed that all the lights were off, sending the old barn into full darkness. Glancing over, she saw the lights in the cottage turn on. She knew that her sister would be wondering where she was soon.
“Yeah. We’re thankful. Most weekends from now until next spring are booked solid.”
“Not bad.” His eyes ran over her again slowly. “I’m sure your sister is going to start wondering where you are. I’ll walk you to the cottage.”
“No need,” she said, but his eyebrows went up as if he was waiting for her to deny him. “Okay,” she relented and started walking with him towards the cottage.
“Do you like it?” he asked after a moment of silence.
“My job?” she asked. When he nodded, she smiled. “I love it. You? Do you like working for the Coast Guard?”
“It keeps me out of trouble,” he answered.
She chuckled. “Your mother says the same thing.”
He chuckled, and the sexy sound of it warmed her. The night air had cooled her off to the point that she was chilled, and she wrapped her arms around herself.
“Here.” He stopped and laid his jacket over her shoulders. “It’s cooled off.” He tucked his shoes and other items under his arm to lay his jacket over her shoulders.
Instantly, she was surrounded by his scent and the warmth of his jacket and his hands, which still rested on her shoulders.
“Thanks,” she said as her entire body started shaking for a completely different reason. Why was it she kept getting lost in his blue eyes?
He dropped his hands and took a step back and then started walking again.
“So, why Pride?” he asked as the cottage came into view.
“Our parents fell in love here in Pride,” she answered.
“Your parents?”
“Yeah, they were snowed in here one Christmas and ended up falling in love. Long story, but since then, we’ve come back here and stayed at the bed and breakfast once a year. Both Robin and I sort of fell in love with the town.” She shrugged. “So, when it came time to pick a place to start our business, we chose Pride. I found the property and convinced Robin to take the leap with me.”
They stopped on the large front porch of the cottage, under the dim light.
“Any regrets?” he asked her.
“None. Do you regret coming back home after college?”
His eyes moved to the front door, then shifted back to her. “You’d better get inside.”
She arched her eyebrows. “You have a tendency to avoid answering questions you don’t like.”
He smiled down at her, and her knees went weak.
“It’s home. Where was home for you? Before this?”
“We moved around for a while and settled in Portland when I was ten.” She wrapped her arms around herself while holding his jacket tight to her body for warmth.
“You’d better get inside. Get warm.” He sat on one of the wicker chairs and dusted his feet off, then slid his legs into his pants. She watched his reverse striptease and felt her entire body vibrating with want. How could a man be even sexier dressed than undressed?
When he’d finished pulling on his dress shirt and buttoning it up halfway, he moved towards her.
“I’ll need my jacket back,” he said with a crooked smile.
“Oh.” She swallowed and shook her head, clearing her mind as she removed the jacket and handed it to him.
It was then that she realized she was standing in front of him still dressed in only her bra and panties. She held her discarded dress up against her chest.
Deciding it wouldn’t be wise to step into the cottage in her bra and panties, she shook her dress out and then pulled it on over her head.
When she finished dressing, she met his eyes and realized he’d watched her with as much interest as she’d watched him.
“Well, thanks again for saving me,” she said, feeling shy suddenly.
His eyebrows rose slightly. “Again? I don’t think you thanked me before.” He moved slightly closer to her, and she caught her breath as his eyes once more moved down to her mouth.
“I didn’t?” She almost whispered it.
“No.” He was just a breath away now, and she quickly licked her lips, wondering what he would taste like.
Just when he moved closer, the front cottage door swung open, and Robin stood there in the bright lights, looking at them.
Kara jumped away from Conner quickly, thankful that she’d managed to put her dress back on in time.
“There you are,” Robin said with a sigh of relief. Then her sister noticed Conner and stilled. “Oh.” She smiled, and Kara knew instantly what Robin was thinking.
“Thanks again for walking me home,” she said quickly, knowing full well she’d have a million questions to answer once she and Robin were alone.
“Any time.” His eyes moved past hers to her sister. “Remember, it’s never a good idea to swim after dark or alone.” He nodded to Robin before turning around and stepping off the porch into the darkness.
“What was that all about?” Robin asked after she shut the front door.
“Nothing,” she almost groaned. She tossed her heels down on the sofa and sat down next to them.
“You went swimming?” Robin asked, sitting across from her. Already, her sister had changed into a pair of sweats and a large college T-shirt.
“I needed to cool down and do some thinking,” she admitted. Now that she was safe inside her home, she realized just how much danger she had been in. If Conner hadn’t come along… She shivered and jumped up. “I’m going to take a hot shower,” she said quickly before her sister could ask any more questions.
A few minutes later, standing under the hot spray, the tears started along with uncontrollable shaking. Hugging herself, she sat under the spray and thought that she might never go in the ocean again.
When she finally slipped under her blankets, wearing the warmest sweats and sweatshirt she had, her mind switched gears to Conner. How he’d looked at her. How he’d treated her. It went far beyond any attraction she’d felt before. Stronger and more powerful.
What was she to do with that? Was it something she could afford to act on?
The Jordans were some of the nicest people she’d met in town. But Conner, his other unmarried cousins, and his younger brother had a reputation.
She didn’t have any issues giving them their perfect weddings but trying to date him… that was a completely different thing.
She couldn’t afford to piss off the biggest and strongest family in the small town. What if she dated him and things didn’t turn out? Could she and Robin afford to lose the largest family in town as clients?
Drifting off to sleep, she realized she was better off keeping away from any available Jordan. Especially Conner.