Beyond the Waves (Pacific Shores Book 1) (13 page)

Taysia wrapped both hands around her upper arms and rubbed away the gooseflesh. The chill bumps had nothing to do with being cold. The weather was warm and balmy, but the man walking next to her had gotten under her skin. She longed to reach out and slide her arm through his. But there was Blaine to think of. If she were going to allow this thing with Kylen to go on, she really needed to have a serious talk with Blaine.

Joe glanced up from inside the truck. Over his shoulder a bare bulb hung from the ceiling, several moths banging their heads in a mad flutter against it. A bright smile parted Joe’s face as he saw who was approaching. “Hey! It’s been a few years since you two used to come down here!” He placed one hand flat against his chest. “It does this ol’ heart good to see you together again!”

Taysia grinned, suddenly feeling shy. Yes, she really needed to have that talk with Blaine before he heard it from some town gossip.

Kylen stretched his hand through the opening in the side of the truck. “Joe, good to see you again. I tell you, I’ve been craving one of your special Coffee Caramel Chocolate Thunder Bars for a long time.”

Taysia’s mouth watered simply at the mention of Joe’s signature treat.

Joe laughed. “That’s what keeps people coming back, Kylen. And it’s just what I like to hear! One Triple C&T coming right up!”

“Make that two, Joe.” Taysia dug for the five-dollar bill she’d tucked into her back pocket, but Kylen caught her hand as she reached to give it to Joe and paid with his own money. He grinned at her and folded her five back into her palm.

Ice cream in hand, they meandered down the beach until they found a driftwood log to sink down onto. Taysia kicked aside her flip-flops and sank her toes into the warmth of the sand.

Kylen bumped her with his shoulder. “Thanks for coming down here with me.”

She glanced up at him and grinned. He had chocolate at the corner of his mouth. Before she realized what she was doing, she reached up to rub it away. Time paused in the electric jolt of the moment, and she studied him without reservation for the first time since he’d come home.

The stubble under her fingers was rough, much rougher than the last time she’d had occasion to touch Kylen’s face. A few more lines etched the corners of his eyes. His eyebrows were bushier. A new scar—a thin white line—disappeared into the hair at his temple, and there was an indent in his earlobe where the hole had closed up.

A small smile tilted the corner of Kylen’s mouth, and one eyebrow lifted slightly. “I can think of a better way to get that off of there…I’m just saying.” His second brow joined its mate.

Realizing her hand still rested at the corner of his mouth, Taysia snatched it into her lap. Her cheeks heated, and she turned to study the coral hues painting the sky. “Y-you got rid of your earring.”

“Mmm-hmm.” He chomped a bite off the corner of his bar.

Was that a little disappointment she heard in his tone? She suppressed a smile and savored a mouthful of perfection on a stick.

“I was part of an undercover operation in Seattle, so the earring had to go.”

Her heart jolted at the word. “Undercover?” she asked.

He nodded, then grinned at her. “I was posing as a librarian. My captain didn’t think the earring fit the profile. Then after that assignment was over, it just never…” He shrugged.

Taysia leaned back. “You went undercover as a
librarian
?”

His face turned deadly serious. “That’s a highly dangerous position, I want you to know!”

She giggled. “It is, huh?”

“Infected paper cuts are a leading cause of death among librarians.” He held his finger and thumb a scant quarter inch apart. “I was this close to death. Every. Single. Day.”

Taysia arched her brow and whispered, “Sounds dangerous!”

“Mmmm, very.”

“What in the world were you doing undercover as a librarian?”

He leaned closer and lowered his voice, holding up his fingers again. “This close. To death. Every day.”

She laughed outright. She’d forgotten how Kylen could turn the most mundane subjects into humorous conversations.

He threw his hands up in the air and angled her a look of mock hurt. “When a man risks his life for his country, you’d think he’d get a little respect.”

“You’re right.” She jabbed him with her elbow. “Just the other day I was watching
America’s Most Wanted
, and they were telling about this terrible killer who murdered all his victims with paper cuts!”

He chuckled. Then winced. “Ouch!”

Taysia grimaced. “Yeah. That would be a terrible way to go, wouldn’t it? I can’t believe I said that.” She crinkled her toes and pressed them deeper into the sand. “So, seriously, what were you doing undercover at a library?”

“There was a bomb threat. A man mailed a letter to the library threatening to blow the place up because they’d revoked his library card. I was part of a team assigned to make sure he didn’t get the chance to follow through on his threats.”

“Whoa. Talk about your disgruntled book lover!”

Kylen chuckled. “Yeah.”

“So did you catch him?”

“He got caught, but not at the library. He was pulled over in a routine traffic stop in what we can only guess was his trip to the library. He stepped out of his car waving a gun, and the officer shot him. Later when they searched his car, they did find a bomb inside a backpack in the trunk.”

“Oh my goodness! I remember that. That was just a year or so ago! It was all over the news.”

He nodded.

“Wow!” She leaned over and bumped him with her shoulder. “You do deserve a lot of respect.”

“I know!” The wink he tossed her belied the arrogance of the statement, and she chuckled.

A gull shrilled a cry as it glided across the purple of the evening sky, drawing their attention to the sunset once more. The corals and peaches had deepened to stark orange edged with crimson and shot through with a turquoise streak so vivid no one would believe the sight if an artist painted it on a canvas.

“Beautiful,” Taysia whispered.

“Yeah.” The last of his ice cream disappeared in one bite, and Kylen leaned both arms on his knees. For a long time they simply sat in companionable silence and watched God’s palette change and fade.

Finally, Kylen stood, dusted the sand off his shorts, and reached out a hand.

She took it without thinking, and he pulled her to her feet.

Her face was now mere inches from the molten intensity in his dark eyes.

She swallowed. The desire bursting to life inside her cemented her to the spot.

His eyes never leaving hers, he slid a warm caress across her palm until their fingers interlaced. Dipping his chin down, he studied her, as though looking to see if she would object.

Her heart pounded like waves in a windstorm, and she closed her eyes as though that could press down the surge of trembling overtaking her. She should object. But the words would not form.

He tightened his grip and trailed the fingers of his free hand across her cheek. “Layne, I promise not to hurt you, hon.”

She looked at him again and, for the first time since he’d come home, felt the defensive walls she’d put up begin to crumble.

His gaze dropped to her mouth even as he tucked her closer, with their intertwined fingers resting at the small of her back. Slowly his head dipped down toward her.

Taysia felt sure her heart would flop out of her chest and land in the sand at any moment. She couldn’t believe she was letting down her guard for him again. Yet, she was powerless to move. Powerless to step away. In fact, as if drawn by a magnetic pull, she rose up on her tiptoes to meet him halfway, one hand reaching out to rest against his chest.

He froze and touched her chin to stop her forward momentum, his lips a mere breath away. His voice a rough whisper, he said, “Tell me now if this isn’t something you are ready for.”

I’m a fool!
Her breath rushed out in a small puff as she released his hand and wrapped her arms around his neck. The fraction of space that separated them dissipated with a small tilt of her head, and she gave herself fully to the kiss.

He kissed her slowly, gently. But the tremble that coursed through his arms revealed the measure of his feelings. Taysia’s hands curled into the hair at the back of his head as the kiss intensified, and she pressed herself closer, relishing the feel of his arms around her and the sweet chocolaty taste of him.

“Taysia.” He breathed her name as his lips trailed a hot path to her earlobe.

A shiver of pleasure rippled through her, and she tipped her chin to accept his kisses on her throat.

With a sudden jagged growl, Kylen grabbed her upper arms and set her from him.

She blinked.

His chest heaved in quick bursts.

The cadence of her own breathing matched his, and confusion fogged her thinking. Her eyes focused on his mouth, suddenly wanting more than anything to feel his lips pressed to hers again. She leaned toward him.

He snatched his hands from her arms and jumped back.

Eyes widening, she lurched a step to catch her balance.

He scrubbed his fingers through his hair and paced away. Without turning to look at her, he said, “We need to get back.”

Disappointment washed over her. What had she done to change his mood so quickly? She’d never kissed anyone but Kylen—well, unless she counted the chicken peck that Blaine had given her the other night, but that was like comparing a drippy faucet to Niagara Falls. Was her kissing really that awful? The thought hit her like a slap in the face, and her cheeks heated.

He waited in silence, staring out toward the horizon, while she fumbled for her flip-flops in the sand and gathered up both their ice cream sticks.

The walk back to her house was long, silent, and miserable. She berated herself for the fool she was. Hadn’t she just told herself a few days ago that she wasn’t the kind of girl who could keep Kylen’s attention?

When they turned up the street toward their houses, Kylen reached out and laced his fingers through hers.

Talk about mixed signals!

She tried to pull her hand away, but Kylen tightened his grip with a gentle squeeze. “It’s not you, Layne.”

She pondered those words the rest of the way up the street, feeling like she’d taken a ride on an emotional cyclone.

Her house lay shrouded in darkness. She’d forgotten to turn the porch light on.

They paused as if by mutual agreement at the foot of her stairs.

“Kylen, I—”

“Layne, I’m—”

They both paused, waiting for the other.

Finally Kylen chuckled and stepped toward her. “Layne, I’m sorry. I just…” He leaned forward and kissed her, a quick kiss that nonetheless sent her pulse skittering. “I need to explain.”

She released his hand and folded her arms. “It’s okay. You don’t have to—”

“No.” He fingered her hair. “I have a feeling that I do. It wasn’t—I just—you make me feel things that—”

From the darkness on her porch, the chains holding up the swing squeaked as someone stood and cleared his throat.

Taysia’s heart lurched with dread even as she and Kylen both spun toward the sound. She already knew who it would be, and she wished he hadn’t had to find out about her and Kylen this way.

Her fears were confirmed when Blaine leaned over the rail, the moonlight just bright enough to reveal his narrowed eyes and clenched jaw. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything?”

“Blaine!” Taysia suddenly felt light headed.

Blaine thrust his hands deep into the pockets of his slacks. “In the flesh. You weren’t expecting me, I see.”

“I was just leaving.” Kylen reached out and touched her hand, pitching his voice low so Blaine wouldn’t hear. “I have to work the early shift tomorrow. But I’ll drop by Mom’s Gym as soon as I can. I want to talk to you about tonight. I’ll go home so you can talk to him. Please don’t worry about tonight. It wasn’t anything you did.”

“You’re sure?”

He chuckled softly. “Heaven help me. Yes, I’m sure.” Tapping her on the nose, he stepped back. “See you tomorrow.”

“O-okay.” She watched him go, elation at his words elevating her heart rate, but dreading the talk she knew she needed to have with Blaine and still wondering what had caused Kylen to pull away so suddenly. She sighed. If confusion were fuel, she’d be able to supply enough for a space shuttle launch.

She tentatively climbed the steps and leaned on the rail next to Blaine, looking out into the darkness. “Where’s your car?”

“I left it at the church and walked over.”

“Oh…” Guilt clenched a fist around her heart. She should have told him a week ago that she was starting to have feelings for Kylen again. “We need to talk.”

He huffed. “You think?”

Taysia couldn’t meet his gaze. Instead, she studied the swaying shadows of her weeping willow tree. “Kylen and I…we—”

“Hasn’t he broken your heart enough times already?” Blaine put his back to the rail and jangled the coins in his pocket.

That was true enough to obliterate any defense she might make. Taysia folded her arms and clenched her hands tight. Pressing her lips together, she held her silence. She wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. Kylen had broken her heart. More than once. Something her grandma used to say came to mind.
Burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, shame on me
. Yet, here she was going back for perhaps a third roasting. Did that make her a pathological pyro-masochist? She suppressed a groan. Truth to tell, Blaine was much safer all around.
Safer and…boring
.

Somewhere in the bushes a bullfrog trilled a long, deep croak, and a soft breeze swayed the fronds of the weeping willow.

What could she tell him that would let him down easy?

Chink
.
Chink
.
Chink
. Blaine kept torturing the change in his pocket.

Finally she glanced over at him. “I’m sorry, Blaine. I just…need to see where this goes.”

“Well”—his voice trembled as he clomped down the steps and paused on the path—”you know where to find me when you realize he’s no good for you.”