“I wanted to apologize. I know I hurt your feelings all those years ago—”
“You didn’t hurt my feelings, Mackenna. Thank you for apologizing, but that’s all water under the bridge. Let it go.”
She touched his arm, setting a seductive stare on him the way she used to when they were dating. She was still beautiful, but she had an edge about her now. He’d seen it last night when she’d stormed out of Mr. B’s, and he didn’t like the snotty way she’d looked at Leesa a few minutes ago.
“But things have changed. I was hoping we could, you know, try to see if we could reignite the spark. We were good together, Cole. You know we were.” She stepped closer, pressing her leg against his.
“That flame went out years ago. There’s nothing to reignite.” As he turned, she grabbed his cheeks and pressed her lips to his.
For a second he was too stunned to register what was happening, and then he grabbed her wrists and tore his mouth from hers. He threw cash on the bar for the drinks and appetizers and set his most threatening stare on Mackenna.
“It’s over, Mackenna. There’s not a chance in hell I’d ever go out with you again.”
***
LEESA FROZE, TRYING to process what she was witnessing. She felt the kiss between Kenna and Cole tear through her chest like an ice pick. Cole broke free of the kiss, the look on his face one of disgust and anger. She fisted her hands at her sides, feeling more possessive of him than she ever had of Chris. Someone bumped her shoulder as they walked past, but she was too focused on Cole and Kenna to care. Cole said something she couldn’t hear and stormed toward Leesa with fury in his eyes. His jaw was tight, his eyes dark with anger, but when he placed a hand on her arm, it was tender and warm.
“Do you mind if we get out of here?” There was no hint of anger in his voice, and Leesa wondered how he’d managed to keep the feelings she’d seen written all over his face under control.
“Yes, of course.”
Outside the restaurant Cole’s frustration was evident in his determined steps as they headed for the car. She knew he was trying to push past whatever was going on between him and Kenna, and being confined in the car was the last thing he needed.
“Why don’t we take a walk?” Leesa suggested.
He ran a hand through his hair, eyeing the restaurant like it was a villain. “I’m really sorry about that.”
She stepped in closer and touched his chest. His muscles were firm, but it was the frantic pace of his heart that she focused on. He was more upset by Kenna kissing him than he’d been when Leesa had told him about her past.
“Unless you initiated the kiss, you have nothing to be sorry for. And even if you did, we’re not dating exclusively, so you still wouldn’t need to be sorry. Unfortunately, exes are part of life, and yours was willing to pay hundreds of dollars last night just to get your attention.”
“Mackenna has always wanted what she couldn’t have, and I’m sure seeing us together makes me even more appealing to her.” He cupped her cheeks and pressed his lips to hers. “More importantly, I’m with you tonight, so if I had initiated anything with another woman, I’d damn well better apologize. And let’s rectify the other situation.”
“Other situation?”
He smiled, and his eyes darkened seductively. “We should be dating exclusively, even though this is our first date, because the thought of you dating any other man makes my blood boil.”
“Are you sure?” As the words left her lips, she silently prayed he’d say he was.
He pressed his lips to hers again in a kiss that drew her body against his and sent her mind spinning into the night. It was a passionate kiss, sending waves of pleasure through her as the kiss intensified, then eased. Like the tide rolling in and crashing over the shore, only to draw back and build pressure, then reclaim its place once again. A surge of lust had her gripping his back, pressing her fingers into his muscles in an effort to possess as much of him as possible in the dark parking lot. She tried to fight her mounting desires, but his hand on her back, in her hair, his kiss, and the masculine, greedy groan that tore from his lungs were too hot to ignore.
He drew back, leaving her tingling lips begging for more. “I’m more than sure.” He pressed his lips to hers again, punishingly soft this time. “Tell me you’ll date only me. I know this is fast. But I also know it’s right.”
Reality stilled her racing heart. “But being with me could hurt your career. I don’t want to gloss over that. You’ve worked too hard to get where you are.”
He kissed her again, his eyes dark and serious, his tone equally so. “I’ve already told you that I can handle anything.”
Her throat thickened at his strength and fortitude and his desire to be strong for her. He was so different from the man who’d broken her heart that a fearful wave of disbelief washed through her. Could she trust him? Trust his actions, his words, his offer of support? When he cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb over her lips, she felt the difference in his touch.
“You can trust me.”
The honesty in his eyes and the sincerity in his voice solidified his promise and erased her fears.
Chapter Nine
THEY HELD HANDS as they walked down the road toward the harbor. The air held the scents of the sea and the hum of sexual tension.
“It’s been years since I’ve walked through Peaceful Harbor at night,” Cole said as he draped an arm over Leesa’s shoulder and pulled her in closer. “I couldn’t wait to settle into a practice here, but then I got so busy that doing things like this never happened.” He smiled at her and added, “Honestly, I haven’t been with anyone here who I’d want to take on a walk like this. Until you.”
Leesa’s stomach fluttered with his confession. “When I first drove into town I was so scatterbrained from everything that happened that I didn’t really take in my surroundings. Lately I’ve been taking walks at night, like the night you saw me on the beach. It’s been cathartic, taking in the sights and stores and knowing the water is just minutes from Tegan’s house. I can see why she loves it here. There’s so much to this town that I wonder why everyone doesn’t walk instead of drive.” She pointed to the old-fashioned lampposts with big round globes that rained light over the sidewalk and the old-fashioned awnings that hung above storefronts. “This is nothing like Towson. The streets here feel friendly and loved, and as much as I hate to say it, where I used to live, the streets felt lonely and neglected.”
“Maybe that was the company you kept and not the streets.” Cole squeezed her shoulder.
In just the few minutes that it took to walk from the restaurant down to the harbor, the tension in Cole’s face had subsided completely. But Leesa couldn’t stop thinking about Kenna and the anger she’d seen in her face last night and again at the bar. Something felt off to her, like more than just an ex-girlfriend who wanted to reconnect with a man.
“Can I ask you something personal?” she said tentatively. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
“Sure.” He led her across the street toward the marina.
“Is there more to the story with Kenna?”
They crossed the parking lot, and Cole led her down a set of stairs to the docks below. The silence between them was cut only by the sounds of water splashing along the pilings.
“There is more,” he finally said as they walked along the water. His eyes rolled over the sailboats, their masts standing erect against the inky sky. The farther they walked, the fewer boats they passed. Cole was quiet as he led her to the far end of the marina, where a beautiful boat was tucked into a slip.
“This side of the marina is private. We’ll be alone here on my boat.” An easy smile curved his lips, and she wondered if this was his way of distracting her from the question.
“It’s a beautiful boat.” Even though he didn’t seem tense, she worried that he was trying to distract her, and now she felt bad for prying. “Cole, you don’t have to tell me what happened between you and Kenna. I was just curious.”
“Have you always been this careful with questions?” he asked with wonder in his voice. “Or is it because of what you went through?”
“Oh. I…” Can’t believe you noticed that I’m careful. She was definitely more careful now than she had been before her ordeal. “I think I’m more careful now. Having gone through something that I don’t really want people to know about makes me more aware of others feeling the same.”
“You don’t have to be careful with me. Even though we just met, I feel a connection with you that’s different from what I have with other people. I don’t have anything to hide. I just wanted to be someplace where we could sit and talk uninterrupted.”
He helped her onto the boat, and they settled in on the cushioned bench. Leesa turned to face him, and he draped an arm across the back of the bench.
“I haven’t shared this with anyone else, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t share it with my family. Peaceful Harbor isn’t that small of a town, but word can travel quickly if it falls upon the wrong ears. And strangely, I still feel sort of protective of Mackenna.”