He started to protest that, but then smiled. “I think I can handle the business by myself.”
She ignored his joking tone. “You did all that with Wes because …?”
“You think I’m going to let a lech like him spend the day with my girl?”
“Your …?” She took a deep breath. “While we’re being honest, I’d like to add my own piece of truth. My father is also an architect, although he mostly teaches now, and he’s been on my case about you.”
“How so?”
“Your reputation with women isn’t good.”
“Or private,” Jared mumbled.
“You’re too public a figure to be private. You go through models and starlets and—”
“What’s your point?” Jared asked.
“There was a time when I imagined having an affair with the Great Jared Montgomery, but—”
“But what?”
“When I was dumped by Eric it hurt, but a good cry and a few pounds of chocolate healed me. Then, seeing you, the Great—”
“Don’t say it again.”
“Okay. The truth is that I don’t see you that way anymore.”
“How do you see me now?” he asked softly.
“As a human. A living, breathing man who is impatient, who manipulates conversations and information to however he wants it to be seen, and as a designer who sometimes falters in his visions.”
“Anything good in there?”
“A man who generously shares everything he has and everything he knows with others. Food, money, work, whatever is yours, you share it. I’ve seen that you’re a man who protects the people he loves, and you love hard and with all your heart.”
“An absolute saint.” His words were light but his tone wasn’t.
“Not quite,” Alix said as she looked out at the sea. “Eric I could recover from with some chocolate and a poem, but you …” She took her time before she spoke. “You I could love. If I had a … a fling with you and you tossed me aside, I’m not sure I’d ever recover.” She took a breath. “There. I’ve said it and I think it’s much more than you ever wanted to hear. I think—”
She stopped talking because he kissed her. Gentle, sweet, a meeting of the lips that was soft and … and promising.
Pulling away to look at him, her hand on his cheek, she searched his eyes. She needed to find the truth within herself. Was she attracted to this man because of who he was? She’d been in awe of him for so many years.
But now she knew the man, had met his friends and relatives, had seen him in his own country, so to speak. She had an idea that she’d seen what no other woman had: the real Jared Montgomery Kingsley the Seventh. Truly and completely, without armor of any kind, she had seen both sides of him. There was the internationally famous man who was asked for his autograph, and there was the man an old couple sitting on the porch asked to look at their furnace before winter came.
Jared was waiting in silence, his face close to hers. He seemed to know that she was asking a question and when she said the words he’d be ready to answer.
Which man did she like better? she wondered. The brilliant designer or the man who was part of a community and family that she had an idea could sometimes be overwhelming?
“I like both of you,” she said, her hand caressing his cheek, feeling his whiskers. For days now she’d been looking at him and hadn’t realized how much she’d wanted to touch what she saw. The strong Kingsley jaw felt good against her skin, his whiskers soft.
He turned his head to kiss her palm—and the blue fire returned to his eyes.
The hairs on her body stood on end. She’d never before felt such desire for any human being.
“We need to take this slowly,” she said as part of her seemed to scream, This is real. This could be forever.
Jared dropped his hand from her face. “No touching. I understand.” His voice seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.
“No!” Alix said. “Touching is fine. It’s great. In fact, I’m for it. The more touching, the better. It’s just promises that we need to think about.”
Jared smiled. “You are my kind of girl. I suggest that we go home. Now. I’ll get someone to give us a ride back.”
“What about the old truck?” She knew it was still covered with food.
“Lexie can return it.”
Only their fingertips were touching, but it was like a current of high voltage electricity was going from Jared to her. It wasn’t just that they were touching, they were connected. Mind, body, souls seemed to be flowing one to the other. It was almost as though she could read his thoughts and she could see, well, the future. It was the two of them. Designing, arguing, traveling. Years together. Joy shared and laughter. A great, great deal of laughter. There was more but she was almost afraid to look.
“I feel like I know you, that I know us,” she whispered.
“I feel the same way,” Jared said as he stood up, took her hand, and pulled her to him.
She wanted to slide her arms around his neck, but she knew that if she did she wouldn’t be able to stop. They’d end up rolling about in the bushes on a public beach. Not a good start to forever, she thought.
Jared seemed to understand. He stepped away, breaking contact. “Let’s go home.”
Alix started down the beach to the road that led to the stairs, Jared behind her. Twice she stumbled, but then her legs weren’t stable. “I think maybe I saw our future,” she managed to say when they reached the stairs.
“I can believe that. Was it good?”
She nodded. “Very good.”
“Odd things happen to people who hang around the Kingsleys.”
“Are you talking about ghosts?” She was trying to sound light but it wasn’t easy.
“I think maybe we should talk before we go any farther.”
Alix stopped on the stairs and turned to look at him. His face was even with hers. “If it’s all right with you, I’d just as soon not talk any more right now. Tell me the awful things later, after we—you know.”
Jared laughed. “Okay, let’s go home and, uh … later, we’ll talk about our future. You know, goals and that sort of thing.”
“That sounds exactly like what I’d like to do.” Their eyes were laughing.
Chapter Fourteen
When they got within sight of the crowd, they dropped hands. Touching or not, Alix knew that everything had changed. She stood back as Jared told Lexie they wanted to leave right now.
“You’re kidding, aren’t you?” Lexie said. “Toby and I have that big SUV with us and we have to get all this into it, and then what do we do with that old truck?”
“One of you can drive the SUV and one of you can take the truck back to Polpis.” Jared’s voice was of exaggerated patience.
“Great idea,” Lexie said, smiling. “I assume it’s an automatic, as I’ve never driven a manual, and I can hardly wait to take it down Nantucket’s wide lanes. I saw Mrs. Ferris a few minutes ago. Think she’s driving today?”
“Lexie …” Jared began but didn’t finish his sentence. He turned back to Alix with a helpless look on his face.
“Who’s Mrs. Ferris?” Alix asked.
Lexie answered. “She’s our neighbor, lives right on Kingsley Lane, and what’s especially great about her is that she drives smack down the middle of every road. Even tourists get out of her way. Hope I don’t pass her in your fancy old truck. Wouldn’t want to scratch it, but then I’ll probably tear the transmission out when I try to shift gears, so what do scratches matter?” She turned toward the food, but as she passed Jared she said, “Hate to mess up your afternoon, but you know what they say about anticipation.”
“That it’s a useless waste of energy?”
Laughing, Lexie kept walking.
Jared went to Alix. “Sorry, but I think I—”
“I know,” she said. “You and I should take the truck back.”
He smiled at her, his eyes thanking her for understanding.
They were sta
nding close together and she reached out to touch his fingertips. “Why don’t you go talk to your friends while I help clean up?” The truth was that she didn’t think she could stand being around him without making a fool of herself. They’d already been on the receiving end of Lexie’s sharp tongue and she didn’t want to go there again.
“Good idea,” he said, and in an instant he was gone.
Alix went to the truck, where Lexie and Toby were packing things away. Lexie was talking about what should go where when a man stopped behind her.
Lexie didn’t see him, but Alix and Toby, standing across from her, certainly did. He was gorgeous. Not rugged-looking like Jared, but beautiful, like something off a billboard. Dark hair and eyes, high cheekbones, a sculptured mouth. Tall, slim-waisted but with broad shoulders.
Alix and Toby froze in place, staring.
“Hi, Lexie,” he said. His voice was as beautiful as he was.
“Oh, please, no. Not today,” she said without turning around. “Go away.”
“Do you know where my belt is? The one with the whale on it?” he asked.
Turning, she glared at him. “You came all the way out to ’Sconset to ask me where your belt with the silver buckle is?”
“More or less.” He gave a self-deprecating little shrug that would have made any female forgive him.
But not Lexie. She turned away, her fists clenched, and took some deep, calming breaths. She glanced at Alix and Toby standing there in frozen silence and staring at him. Oh, great, Lexie thought. More women drooling over him. Just what he does not need.
Turning back to him, Lexie knew that the argument was going to take a while. Her goal was to get rid of him. She was not going to mix her work with her personal life!
As soon as Lexie started lecturing the man, Toby whispered, “I think that’s her boss, Roger Plymouth.”
“You’ve never met him?” Alix whispered back.
“No,” Toby said.
“He’s …”
“Beautiful?” Toby finished for her.
“More than that,” Alix said. “He looks computer generated. She didn’t tell you he was like that?”
“No. Lexie only complains about him. I got the idea he was a troll.”
Alix bent her head. “Did you see his face when Lexie turned away from him?”
“You mean the way he looked at her? As though he’s madly, passionately, insanely in love with her?” Toby asked.
“That’s what I saw but then I thought maybe I’d imagined it. Do you think he really is … you know?”
“In love with her?” Toby asked. “If he is, she never mentioned that either.”
Roger was no longer listening to Lexie telling him that he could find his own clothing, that it wasn’t her job to track down his personal possessions, etc., etc. He’d heard it all before. He looked over her head, gave a slight smile to the two pretty women staring at him as though he were an alien being, and looked around. “What is this place?”
“ ’Sconset,” Lexie said, her voice annoyed. “It used to be an old fishing village. And get that look off your face. You cannot buy anything here.”
He looked over her head as the pretty blonde stepped forward. Not my type, Roger thought. Too pure and untouchable-looking. The other one, the redhead, had a spark about her that he liked, but there was an intensity in her eyes that put him off. He had a feeling she might ask him to recite the multiplication tables.
“There’s a store down the road,” Toby said, looking up at Roger.
“He tends to buy houses, not loaves of bread,” Lexie snapped, then glared at Roger. “Listen, go walk around and look at things, but buy nothing. I’m going to get the keys to this truck from Jared and you can drive it back to Polpis for him.”
“Your cousin? Jared Montgomery, the architect? I’d like to meet him.”
“You can’t meet him and you can’t hire him to build you a bigger house. Go away!”
Roger didn’t move, but just kept looking at Lexie as though he expected something more from her.
“All right!” Lexie said. “Stop looking at me like that. I’ll go with you in the truck!” Her words showed that she knew exactly what he’d been waiting for.
Smiling, Roger turned and sauntered into the crowd.
Lexie looked at Alix and Toby. “Not a word,” Lexie said. “I don’t want to hear anything about him and I’ll answer no questions. Got it?”
Alix and Toby nodded, but looked at each other in wonder.
A few minutes later Jared returned and Lexie told him that Roger had shown up and he’d drive the old truck back.
“Lexie.” Jared again had that patient tone to his voice. “This truck is valuable. I can’t just turn it over to somebody I’ve never met.”
“Minutes ago you were willing to give it to me and I can’t even drive a stick shift.”
“Yeah, but I know that you’re a good driver because I taught you. But I don’t know this Roger guy from any other off-islander.”
“He drives Formula Ones. Races them,” Lexie said. “Not to earn money. He doesn’t do anything for that. He just likes to drive things. And sail them. Climb them.” She waved her hand. “Whatever moves, he likes it.”
“He’s a race car driver and you never told us?” Jared asked.
“It seems that she didn’t tell anyone a lot of things about her boss,” Alix said.
“There’s more to a person than the exterior,” Lexie said, her eyes narrowed as she looked at Alix and Toby.
“Races, climbs, sails,” Alix said. “Sounds good to me.”
“All wrapped up like the best ever Christmas present,” Toby said.
“I’ve always loved Christmas,” Alix said.
“Meeeee tooooo,” Toby said.
“Give me a break,” Lexie muttered, then turned back to Jared. “Go! Leave. Take Alix and go home. We’ll take care of the truck, the car, and the food.”
“Will Roger airlift it all out of here for you?” Alix asked, her face absolutely serious.
Lexie frowned as though she meant to make an angry retort, but then she laughed instead. “You and Jared are a perfect match.”
Jared grinned at Alix. “I think that’s quite possible,” he said. “Come on, I found us a ride.” They waved goodbye to Lexie and Toby and walked down the road toward the grocery.
The ride turned out to be in the very back seat of an SUV that was more like a bus than a car. The middle was full of kids and teenagers, with tired-looking parents in the front.
In their place in the back, Jared and Alix had what was very nearly privacy. “So what’s this about Roger Plymouth?” he asked, his voice hidden by the noise of the kids.
“Nothing much,” Alix said. “It’s just that he’s drop-dead gorgeous, seems to be staggeringly rich, and he wanted to meet you—or Montgomery anyway. And, oh yeah, he’s madly in love with Lexie.”
Jared looked at her in astonishment. “I was only gone a few minutes. How did so much happen?”
“What can I say? Roger is a fast worker.”
“Should I be jealous?”
“Definitely yes!” Alix said, and Jared laughed.
“Jared!” the driver yelled over the noise of the kids. “When do you have to go back to New York?”
Jared reached up to catch a Frisbee before it hit Alix in the head, put it on the floor, and gave the boy who’d thrown it a look to cut it out. “Not for weeks,” he answered.
Alix had been introduced to the couple but she couldn’t remember their names. For the remaining five miles back to town the couple fired questions at Jared.
He answered everything while holding Alix’s hand, and the two youngest kids looked through the seats and giggled.
They were finally let out on Main Street.
“Hope you don’t mind if I don’t drive down your lane,” the man said. “A bit too narrow for my taste.”
Jared and Alix got out, thanked them all profusely, and breathed a sigh of relief when they drove away.
“Summer people?” Alix asked.
Jared took her hand. “What gave it away?”
She laughed. “Kingsley Lane is quite wide compared to some I’ve seen on the island.”
“Downright spacious.”
As soon as they turned the corner and saw Lexie and Toby’s house, Alix felt at home—a far cry from what she’d been feeling a few hours before. It was a quiet, tree-lined street with elegant old houses, and the best of them was theirs. No, she thought, not “theirs.” Not yet. But then she’d spent little time in the house without Jared so it did feel like it belonged to both of them.
When she looked up at him, the thought of what was to come sent a little thrill through her.
Jared must have felt it too because he stopped. When he turned to her, his eyes were on fire. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Not sweet as before but showing his longing and desire for her.
She had to stand on tiptoes to reach him and his body felt good against hers, but they broke apart and again started walking. On the way to the house, Alix began to get nervous. She and Jared had been friends, coworkers, but now … The truth was, she didn’t know what to expect when they reached the house. Until today, touching had been taboo. And then there was the fact that he was an intellectual. He traveled in such lofty circles. Some of the richest people in the world wanted him to design their houses.
They went to the back door of Kingsley House—which was usually unlocked—and went inside.
Alix turned to look at him. “I guess I better change—”
She didn’t finish her sentence because Jared picked her up, his mouth on hers, her legs around his waist, and held her up against a wall. In seconds they were both nude from the waist down.
Passion, she thought. It’s what she wanted … needed from this man.
When he entered her she started to scream, but he put his mouth over hers.
For all the frantic need between them, he took his time so that the sensation began building in Alix and increasing. Rising.
He put her on the kitchen table, salt and pepper shakers tumbling to the floor, and she clung to him as his slow, even strokes increased in strength.