Blaze of Winter: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance (13 page)

He inclined his head, his eyes still trained on the lights as he tried to work his magic with the twisted strands. “I’m taking a break. Things are going really well and I’m getting a lot done at the Inn. I spent the morning sketching out the first few chapters of the book. At the rate I’m going, I’ll be ready to get back to San Francisco by the time my short-term renter is out.”

“When’s that?”

“The first week in February. I gave myself two months to get things sorted with my writing.” Of course, there was still his personal stuff to figure out, but that was a work in progress.

“I’m glad things are going well for you,” she said quietly. Theo glanced up at her. She was kneeling on the floor with her own head down, long, elegant fingers untwisting a strand of lights. She didn’t sound sarcastic, just genuinely happy for him.

“Yeah,” he said, giving a little laugh. “Me too. My agent was going to kill me if I didn’t start the book soon.”

“Why do you think you were struggling with the book before you came back to Star Harbor?”

Good question. “I think I was getting complacent. Things used to come to me so easily. Ideas just flowed. And then, they just stopped. What’s amazing is how long it took me to get my
act in gear. I should have dealt with things awhile ago, but somehow I stagnated, as a writer and as a person.” She was still working, head down, untangling those damned lights. “I have to say, I’m glad I came back to Star Harbor, and I’m glad I met you.”

She looked up, giving him a brief, searching look. “I’m sure I’ll regret saying this later, but I’m glad I met you, too.”

Inordinately pleased by her admission, he grinned, but she ducked her head down again, missing his mile-wide smile. She was back to staring at those lights, fingers working nimbly to try to extricate one long strand from another. Her mouth was pursed in concentration and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Here, let me,” he said, reaching for the lights. She handed them over and he had them untangled in seconds.

“You really know how to work those,” she said. “I’m afraid I’m all thumbs with these lights.”

“Oh, I know you’re good with your fingers,” he said, deadpan.

She blinked and swallowed, looking startled. “Excuse me?”

“Luke told me you’re a great violinist.” He tried to look innocent, opening his eyes wide. “What did you think I meant?”

“Nothing.” She was staring at his mouth, and the tension between them was palpable. “I, ah, need to get a hammer and some nails. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.” Damn, but he loved to tease her, something he would never have thought of doing with his paramours back in San Francisco. There, it had been seduction by wit … or simply through his connections—again, depressing to contemplate. As he pondered this, he heard Avery rummaging around. He realized there must be some kind of supply closet near the kitchen. Sure enough, she returned carrying a small toolbox, looking unbelievably sexy with it in her hand. Placing the box on the reception desk, she sorted through it until she found what she was looking for.

“I think I remember how Aunt Kate had everything last year. Let’s do the outside lights first. Do you need to get your coat?”

“No. This won’t take long.”

“Famous last words,” she said with a chuckle. God, he loved her laugh.

“You’ll see. It’ll go fast. Then we can linger on the inside lights where it’s nice and warm.” He lifted one of the longer strands of lights and carried it to the door. Avery had already put on her coat and she followed him out with the hammer and nails.

As she eyed the Inn’s entrance and the porch overhang, Theo followed her gaze. Between last night and this morning, someone had put up a huge wreath on the front door. It had probably been Luke, who was constantly doing improvement projects around the Inn. A large, fragrant evergreen garland was draped over the frame and more garlands wove in and out of the porch railings. “I’m going to let you do the honors since you probably won’t need a ladder.”

Experimentally, he reached up. The Inn had low ceilings compared to many of the newer buildings in town. The door frame was about seven-and-a-half feet tall, and he could easily reach the top of it without even standing on his toes. “You’re right. Show me where you want the lights.”

“Just follow the greenery. Across there,” she pointed to the door frame, “and then let them hang down. We’ll probably only need a few extra nails to secure them up top. Then Kate usually wraps the porch columns and railing with more lights. They’ll look nice if we weave them in and out of the greens. If you attach the lights to the top of the columns, I can do the wrapping.” The columns were slightly higher than the door frame, but still within reach.

“Let me do the columns first. Then I can take care of the door frame.” It took less than five minutes to get the nails in place. While Avery was busy winding the lights around and around, he nailed the strand to the top of the door frame. Then he came back to help her finish.

By the time they were through, Avery’s cheeks were flushed from the cold and his own fingers were freezing.

“The outside looks great,” Avery said, once they were back inside the Inn. “Thanks for all of your help.”

“I can help inside, too,” he said, looking at her. She stared back for a moment, blinking a few times. Was she trying to figure out if there was some kind of hidden meaning behind his words? There wasn’t. He just wanted to spend a few more minutes with her before he got back to work.

“All right,” she said, turning away to shuck off her coat and grab a few more strands. “In here.” Carrying the lights carefully, she walked into the parlor, where more lush evergreen boughs had been arranged. “The lights go on the mantel and over these bookshelves.”

“Got it.” Theo took a strand of lights from her arm, deliberately letting his fingers brush against hers, and was rewarded by several fast eye blinks. He had her number, all right. She liked him—more than liked him—but she refused to admit it. He’d be as patient as he needed to be, because he knew that what she had to give was worth the wait. Gracing her with a slow, easy smile, he turned away and placed the first strand on top of the mantel, arranging it as best he could around the greenery. When he turned back to get the other strand from Avery, he saw that she was already across the room. Having removed her shoes, she was standing on top of a small sofa about two feet away from a bookshelf, straining to get the lights into place.

Just as he was crossing the room to help her, she toppled over the back of the sofa, giving a little cry as she realized there was nothing for her to hang on to. He caught her before she could hit the ground. There was a tinkling sound of broken glass as some of the lights were crushed against the wall, but she was safe in his arms. He shifted her so that one of his arms was around her waist and the other was under her knees.

“Th-thank you,” she said, barely daring to look up at him.

“I think you broke some lights. Better those than your head.”

“I know.” She swallowed hard. “I slipped on the silk.”

He glanced over at the fabric. It had a slight sheen to it, something he hadn’t realized until just now. “Look at that. You don’t even need to go outside to slip.”

Pink suffused her cheeks and she gave him a challenging glare. “You can put me down now.”

“Not until you thank me for catching you.”

“I just did.”

“I mean
really
thank me.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What exactly do you want?”

“Something that you want, too.” He couldn’t help smiling as he hoisted her higher against his chest. Let her try to deny it.

But she didn’t. Instead of protesting, her gaze softened and she wrapped her arms around his neck, tipping her head back. His lips meeting hers was the sweetest thing he’d experienced since—well, the other time they’d kissed. She was warm and when she opened her mouth to him, he seized the opportunity, gently twining his tongue with hers in a delicate, complicated dance.

Careful not to step on the broken glass, he walked to the sofa and sat down, Avery still curled in his arms. She sat up in his lap, kissing him as if she couldn’t get enough. Her mouth was smooth and soft, just like her body. Slowly, he ran one hand up her rib cage over her sweater. She moaned a little, so he skimmed it higher, up the side of her breast. Still kissing him ardently, she pushed against him, a wordless plea for more attention. Gladly, he cupped her soft breast in his hand. Kneading gently, he savored the feel of her nipple hardening in his palm. When she moaned more loudly, he obliged her, rubbing his thumb in a circular motion over its tip. Desperate to feel her flesh, he slid his other hand under her sweater and up her back, loving the sensation of her satiny skin against his rougher hand.

Tightening her arms around his neck, she kissed his jaw from his chin to his ear before returning to his mouth. He was on the verge of losing all restraint when the chime of the clock striking the hour brought him back to reality.

Pushing her too fast would be a mistake. Reluctantly, he removed his hand from her breast, slipping the other one out from under her sweater. He cupped her face, enjoying her lingering look of passion. Her creamy white skin was flushed pink and her lips were swollen from his. There was a dreamy expression on her face and her eyes were still closed. When she realized that he had moved away from her, she opened them.

Consternation, then horror, flashed over her face. Shoving at him, she nearly leapt off the sofa.

“I—I did it again,” she said in disbelief, backing away from him and sweeping up her shoes.

“Avery,” he said, holding out his hand as he rose. “Wait, I—”

But Avery was gone. He’d been right to pull back.

She liked him. He was sure of it. But if she was fighting her attraction this hard, she was more closed off than he’d realized. His inner mastermind kicked in. Should he back off and give her a chance to catch her bearings? Or tempt her with everything he could offer? This required serious thought. But breaking down that little wall she’d built up around herself was an enticing challenge. One he couldn’t resist.

CHAPTER 10

At six-thirty on Monday morning, Theo was standing on a snowy beach a mile north of Star Harbor’s downtown area. It wasn’t quite sunrise and he could still see stars in the dark, predawn sky. The beauty of the early morning helped make up for the cold. It was no longer snowing, but the wind hadn’t quit. It whipped around him, stinging his cheeks and making his hair fly. He pulled the collar of his coat higher and wrapped his gloved fingers tightly around the map he was holding.

Cole would say he was crazy for coming out here so early, but he felt exhilarated. He loved getting closer to a book. It was like piecing together a puzzle. His talk with Avery had inspired him, and he was definitely no longer stagnating. Not by a long shot.

Staring out at the still-black water, he examined the coastline. There was just enough light for him to see that the beach went on for a long stretch before disappearing behind a curve. At that curve—about half a mile down—a huge dark cliff rose, its jagged sides climbing to a level area on top. When the tide was high, water would crash on the crags below, concealing the small beach at its base.

Theo and his brothers had been taught from a young age never to walk on that little beach—or to explore the intricate web of caves that water and time had carved into the bottom of the cliff. They were more than dangerous; they were deadly. When he was younger, a couple of boys from Falmouth had gotten trapped inside the caves and had drowned in the fast-rising tide.

But the top of the cliff was fair game. Julie Kensington, the local doctor, lived in her parents’ old house on the bluff. When Theo and his brothers were younger, they’d sneak up to
the Kensington property for the best view in town. Their outings had usually involved beer filched from their dad’s cooler.

One time their dad had actually caught them sneaking beer off the fishing boat. Instead of chewing them out, as Theo had been sure he would, he’d simply given them a stern look and taken the cans away. It was one of the few times he’d seen his dad without a smile. Within a year, he was dead. Theo sighed. The smell of fresh sea air always brought back memories of his dad, who’d been killed in his prime in a freak hurricane on Labor Day weekend twenty years ago. God, he still missed him terribly.

Theo took a deep breath, filling his lungs with icy air, and squinted down at the map, trying to get back on task. Then he swept his gaze out to the dark water once again. By his calculation, he was standing just west of the
Lorelei
’s wreck. The wreckage would have spread close to two miles along the shore in either direction, enticing looters from all along the coast of Cape Cod to salvage what they could. With Bran’s permission, he had photocopied the original map to get a precise location for the midpoint. Even without measuring the distance exactly, he was reasonably sure that he was in the general vicinity.

He could see how a ship could capsize here on a dark, stormy night, especially a ship laden with treasure. An overly heavy load made a ship unstable, and according to legend, the
Lorelei
had been filled to the brim with five tons of gold, silver, and jewelry, not to mention armed to the hilt with forty cannons.

Though the lore surrounding the ship had grown over time, the account of her capsize was considered fact. In the fall of 1711, the
Siren Lorelei
was caught in a terrible nor’easter just south of Cape Cod. The ship was swept into Vineyard Sound near Falmouth, where it ran aground on a sandbar close to shore. Trapped in the storm, the
Lorelei
took a beating until the main mast finally snapped and the ship capsized. When that happened, those heavy cannons tore through the decks and ripped the boat apart.

Theo intended to walk the entire length of the wreckage site, all four miles, in dark and in light. It would give him the most accurate impression of the area. Feeling fortunate that he had the luxury of in-person, hands-on research, he started walking down the beach toward Star Harbor. The snow was about three inches deep on the sand, so he kept as close to the shoreline as he could. Walking a fine line between tide and snow was challenging, but it would be a huge slog if he were forced to walk the whole way through the snow.