Page 27 of Seaside Strangers
By the time the table was cleared, an hour and a half had slipped by. Dan declined coffee, saying he had an early start in the morning, but waved them off when they offered to leave with him. “You two stay. Have some pie,” he said, like it wasn’t a suggestion. When the waitress stopped by, he added, “A slice of apple pie to go, please.”
When she returned with a to-go order, KC caught his uncle before he could reach for his wallet. “I’ve got it.”
The older man didn’t argue, just gave him a grin and a wink that said more than any words could.
Damn Matchmaker.KC had seen that look before. This time, he let it slide.
After Dan left, Maura turned toward him, her expression warm. “Thanks for bringing me tonight. I had a wonderful time. Your uncle is such a sweet man. The woman at the boutique, Bonnie, told me he’s been a widower for a long time. It’s a shame he never found love again.”
KC nodded. “Dan always said Annie was his one shot at that kind of love. He never expected to get lucky twice.” He paused, then added, “I’ve always hoped he’d prove himself wrong.”
The conversation tapered off as they sat there, the quiet stretching between them. KC let his gaze move over her again, taking in the details he hadn’t been able to ignore all night. No one else in the room came close.
After a moment, Maura cleared her throat. “Shall we, um, get dessert?”
His reaction was immediate,heat flashing through him. He wanted dessert, all right—just not here. “Why don’t we get it to go?”
After paying the bill, KC ushered her out of the restaurant, his pace a tad shy of rushing. Keeping to the posted speed limit on the drive back through Whisper took more effort than it should have. If it were up to him, they’d already be at the house.
He glanced her way more than once during the short drive. Her hands were clasped tightly in her lap, her gaze fixed straight ahead. She hadn’t said a word since they’d left, and unease edged in. He hoped he hadn’t pushed too hard, but the need to be alone with her had taken over. Being out in the open, where anyone could see them, wasn’t going to cut it.
Reaching across the console, he eased her left hand free and brought it to his mouth. He pressed a slow kiss to her palm, then grazed her skin with his teeth in a playful nip.
Her attention shifted to him, then up to his eyes, a smile breaking across her face.
Something in his chest hit hard and fast, stealing his breath for several seconds before his pulse kicked back in, stronger than before.
Pulling into the loose-gravel driveway beside the beach house, KC cut the engine and let the quietsettle around them. Neither of them moved as a few heartbeats passed.
Then he turned toward her.
His hand lifted almost on its own, brushing along her cheek, his thumb grazing softly over her skin. Her eyes lifted to his, their blue depths darkening as her breath caught. He felt it—that shift, that pull between them tightening again, stronger now that they were alone.
He slid his fingers into her hair, the soft strands slipping through his hand, steadying him even as they pushed him closer to the edge.
When he leaned in, the first kiss was gentle. Careful.
The second wasn’t.
It deepened quickly, the connection between them snapping taut, pulling him closer, drawing a low, steady heat through his body. Her hands found him with the same urgency, and for a moment, everything else—time, place, restraint—fell away.
He broke the kiss long enough to rest his forehead against hers, his breath uneven.
“Come to bed with me?” His voice was quieter now, rougher, stripped of everything but honesty. “Please.”
“Yes.”
That one word affected him more than anything else that night.
They were out of the car in seconds, his hand closing around hers as he led her up the steps and into the house. The door shut behind them with a muted thud, but he barely registered it before she was in his arms again.
The kiss picked up where it had left off—stronger now, less hesitant. He held her close, one hand at her waist, the other at the back of her neck, steadying her, steadying himself.
He forced himself to slow it down.
She deserved that. More than that.
Without breaking contact, he guided her through the living room, pausing only long enough to set her purse aside before continuing toward the bedroom.
