Nantucket Romance 3-in-1 Bundle (55 page)

“. . . where we can talk in person,” Bryan was saying.

What had she missed? He wanted to meet?

Lucas leaned against the sink, facing her, his palms braced on the ledge behind him. His stance said,
Talk all you want. I’m not going
anywhere.
What did he expect her to do? Hang up on Bryan?
It’s not
my fault he called. I didn’t ask him to
.

“What about it, Kate?”

What about what? She couldn’t think straight.

“Or I could come there if that’s easier. Whatever you want to do, but I want to see you. I need to be with you. Please.” He grated out the word.

Lucas cocked a brow.

Kate’s heart beat like a frightened bird’s, and she wasn’t sure why. She felt cornered. By both of them. She had to get out of here. Away from Lucas’s strange looks, away from Bryan’s hurt pleas.

“I can’t talk right now.”

“I’ll call you back,” he managed to get out before Kate hung up. She set the phone in the cradle. A step away, she could feel Lucas’s tension.

“I’m going for a walk.” Kate grabbed the doorknob leading to the beach.

“I want him to stop calling here.” Lucas crossed his arms over his chest, his right bicep bulging over his left fist. He looked away.

“I’m a little tired of everyone telling me what they want right now.” Kate pulled at the door.

Lucas put his hand against it. “He has no right calling my house.”

“
Your
house? I thought I lived here too.” Kate turned and was surprised to find Lucas so close, his arm extending past her.

“You know what I mean.”

Did she really? Was he being possessive of the house or of her? Why did he care if Bryan called? Sometimes she thought she saw something in Lucas’s eyes, but right now she thought it had nothing to do with her. It was about possession. Bryan and Lucas were like two wolves fighting over an animal carcass.

And I’m tired of being caught in the middle.

She jerked on the door, but he held it fast.

What was it with men and control? “Let me go.” She pulled at the knob again. It didn’t budge. “Lucas! Let me—”

“What if I don’t want to?”

And just like that, time slowed.

Almost against her will she looked at him. And was caught by his eyes. They pulled her in, held her hostage. She stilled, her anger fading, replaced by something . . . more complicated . . . less welcome . . .

“What if I don’t want to?”
What did he mean? Suddenly desperate to understand, she searched his face and watched as his eyes dark-ened into shadowed whirlpools.

She forgot how to breathe.

“What if I want you to stay?” His gaze traveled the planes of her face and stopped at her lips.

“What . . .” He was so close she couldn’t think. His thumb grazed her cheekbone, barely a touch, and yet it heated her skin. She shuddered and closed her eyes against the riptide tugging inside her. What was happening? This was Lucas, not Bryan. Lucas, who frustrated her with his lack of organization. Lucas, who annoyed her with his sluggishness.

Lucas, who held you in his arms when you were seasick. Lucas, who
stepped in and saved you when you were desperate.

“Open your eyes, honey.”

Her stomach tightened at the endearment. She was powerless against the emotion raging inside her. It felt wonderful and terrible and scary.

“Lucas.” Nothing more than a whisper.

“Open your eyes,” he said. “See what’s right in front of you.”

She obeyed his request. What was this spell he’d cast? She wanted to fall into the depths of his eyes and get lost. She wanted to touch his jaw and feel the roughness against her fingers.

But before she could follow the impulse, he closed the distance between them. And his lips touched hers, gentle and slow.

Without thought, Kate laid her palm against his face and heard his intake of breath before he deepened the kiss, pulling her closer, making her head spin. His movements were sure and slow, like everything else he did.

It wasn’t even their first kiss. But the others hadn’t been like this. There was no photographer snapping pictures, no public judging the validity of their vows, no family to convince.

It was just Lucas and Kate. All alone. Exploring feelings she hadn’t known existed.

No. That’s not true.

Maybe she had known, or maybe she’d been in denial. Maybe she’d been blinded
by Bryan’s rejection. But she was seeing things now. And feeling them. Things that she’d never felt before, not even with Bryan. The way Lucas made her forget everything except the feel of his lips. Made her want more. Made her need more.

More.
She slid her hand into his hair, cupping his head, and arched closer. He was warm and strong. He smelled like cedar and musk. All man.

“Katie . . .” Lucas whispered against her lips.

She didn’t think, just felt. The urgency pushed her on.
It’s okay,
Kate. You’re married. Lucas is your husband.
She submitted to the thought, letting her emotions guide her.

But . . . what happens when it ends?

Against her will, the question rose from a deep and distant well of reason. Kate ignored it, let the feel of Lucas’s body against hers drown everything out.

But the voice grew louder, more insistent.

What’ll happen when the year ends? Why are you becoming emotionally
invested in a temporary relationship?

And it had to be temporary. Muddled as her thoughts were, she hadn’t lost all sense of reason. She and Lucas were too different—more dissimilar than her mom and dad had been, and look how that had ended. She of all people knew the odds against opposites making a marriage work.

You have to stop. Now!

Somehow mustering the strength, she pushed at Lucas’s chest, separating them. Her chest heaved. She was beyond her target heart rate and she hadn’t moved. Judging from Lucas’s expression, he felt the same. A pink flush mottled his face. His eyes were glazed, his lips swollen. She was tempted to soothe them with her thumb.

Stop it! You have to stop before this gets out of hand. You’re too
different.

They might be different, but heavens to Betsy, the chemistry was there in spades. She had to escape before she lost her resolve.

She reached for the doorknob and pulled.

“Running, Kate?” The dare emerged, raspy and breathless.

She ignored it, pulling the door shut behind her and dashing toward the shoreline. Yes, she was running. And too afraid to say anything for fear it might reveal too much.

As if her actions hadn’t already revealed far too much.

Honesty begins within yourself.

—Excerpt from
Finding Mr. Right-for-You
by Dr. Kate

Chapter Eighteen

Lucas slammed his fist on the counter. He hadn’t succeeded in opening Kate’s eyes; he’d only succeeded in pushing her away. As he watched her scramble across the sandy grass toward the beach, he feared he’d scared her away for good.

He punched the counter again, then shook his throbbing hand. Bo nudged his leg with his wet nose. “Not now, boy.”

Why had he moved so fast? He’d only meant to kiss her gently, to show her how he felt. But then her hand had wound into his hair, and she’d pressed herself against him.

His own hand now raked his hair. His timing couldn’t have been worse. Fresh from a phone call from Bryan, she was probably thinking of him. She wasn’t over Bryan; that much he knew.

It’s too soon to tell her how you feel.

But her response was so—

She was thinking about Bryan. Wishing it was him she’d married.

Lucas left the kitchen and paced the length of the living room as if he could distance himself from the thought. But she wasn’t Bryan’s wife.

She’s my wife . . . Yeah. Temporarily. In name only.

You agreed to those terms, Luc, so stop your whining.

Only he hadn’t known it would be so hard. Hadn’t known it would make him long for her more. Hadn’t known it would hurt so much.

He sank into the recliner and let his head fall against the cushion. What was Kate thinking right now? Would she expect an apology when she returned?

Well, she wouldn’t get it. He wasn’t sorry, even if she had been thinking about her idiot ex-fiancé while he kissed her.

All I did was lay my feelings out. Nothing to be ashamed of.

So why was his gut strung tighter than a bowline knot?

By the time Kate returned, the house was empty. Lucas’s truck was gone, which meant he must’ve gone back to his shop. Relieved, but dreading the inevitable confrontation, Kate started dinner.

Her walk had helped clear her head. Obviously Lucas had feelings for her, and Kate admitted she’d grown fond of him as well.

Fond? You were all over him, girl.

She emptied a package of ground beef into the skillet, threw away the Styrofoam platter, and washed her hands. Okay, so maybe she had feelings for him. She had to remember the advice she dispensed in her book. “Once you realize a man is not well suited to you, it’s imperative to end the relationship before you become emotionally invested.”

Well, she couldn’t end the marriage, but she could put the relationship back on track. They were friends. No—roommates. That was all. The sooner Lucas realized it, the sooner they could put this awkwardness behind them.

Bo sat by the back door and turned his big head toward her. She let him out and kept an eye on him through the window while she cooked. The smell of dinner soon drew him back.

The taco filling was hot and bubbly by the time she heard the front door open and click closed. Kate lowered the heat to a simmer and stirred the beef mixture as it sizzled. Would Lucas join her or would he grab a shower? She hated this indecision, this awkwardness. She didn’t like walking on eggshells in her own home. She wanted to return to the way things were before.

When Lucas entered the kitchen, Kate gave the beef one last stir and turned. They might as well put this behind them.

Lucas removed a can of Coke from the fridge and popped the tab. He wouldn’t even look at her. She wondered what he was thinking, what he was feeling. His expression revealed nothing.

“About earlier,” Kate started, then wondered what to say next. Why hadn’t she planned something?
Think!

Lucas took a drink, then shook his head, a barely perceptible movement. “Not necessary.”

He moved closer, and Kate pressed her back against the oven. The metal handle dug into her back. But Lucas reached into the cabinet instead. Shaken, Kate turned.

Lucas removed two plates and shut the cabinet door. “It was a mistake,” he said as he stepped away.

Kate heard him setting the plates on the table.
A mistake?

Well, what did you expect him to say?

She wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t this. Maybe she thought he’d confess he had feelings for her. But maybe he only missed Emily. Maybe he missed the intimacy of their marriage.

“Let’s just forget it happened.” His voice penetrated her thoughts.

Let’s just forget it happened? Forget the way you took my mouth, forget
the way you touched me, forget the way you felt against me?
She wondered if that were possible. “Right.”

Dinner consisted of tacos, avoided eye contact, and stilted conversation. When Susan dropped by and invited Kate on a walk, Kate readily agreed. Because despite her agreement with Lucas, she couldn’t seem to eradicate the memory of the kiss.