The platform of the treehouse provided a gorgeous view of the mountains to the north.
“I wish I had a camera,” Kaycee said in a breathless voice.
“Every time I come up here it always seems different,” he said.
They stood there for a little while, enjoying the sounds of nature and the comfortable silence between them. Kaycee felt as though she could have stayed up there forever, and it was Kendrick who made the first move to go back. This time, however, he took the rope on the way down and challenged Kaycee to do the same, which she did like a champ.
By the time they returned from their walk it was almost noon and both of them were starving.
The first place Kaycee headed was the shower. As she washed the grime off her body, she thought about how amazing the day had been. Although it could be classified a date, it wasn’t like any other time she’d ever had with a man. Closing her eyes, she wiped the soapy washcloth over her breasts and imagined that it was Kendrick’s hand. The fleeting thought sent her imagination soaring.
Although she shouldn’t have gone there, Kaycee imagined Kendrick would be a skillful lover—a man with a slow hand like the Pointer Sisters sang about.
Like any other red-blooded, American, twenty-something woman, Kaycee loved a good man. She might be celibate, but she wasn’t blind. However, she had standards, high standards, and she didn’t even entertain the thought of being with a man unless they were in a strong, committed relationship. What messed her up was that those standards she set had gone right out the window the day she’d met Kendrick. She’d been trying to get back on that wagon ever since.
She was grateful for the cool water pelting her skin, keeping the heat on her flesh at bay. After she was scrubbed clean, Kaycee slathered on her lotion and slipped into a white tank top, denim shorts and a pair of flip-flops. She finger-combed her hair with some moisturizer and left it to air-dry.
When she exited the bathroom, Kendrick was sitting in the chair facing the door. He nodded with appreciation.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked with a raised brow.
“You look nice,” he stated directly.
His straightforward response made Kaycee blush, and she quickly made a beeline for the kitchen.
While Kendrick took his turn in the shower, Kaycee got their lunch together. She pulled out her cooler and began to remove different kinds of deli meats and cheeses, rye and sourdough bread, a container of deviled eggs, a small fruit tray containing strawberries, raspberries, mango and green grapes and a vegetable tray with pickles, green olives, carrots and celery. Add in the items Kendrick had brought and Kaycee was sure they would have a feast.
When the shower turned off, Kaycee turned to the sink to wash the dishes she’d found in the cupboard. After a few minutes, the door creaked open.
“What kind of meat would you like?” she called out without turning around.
Kendrick leaned his back against the door, his eyes watching Kaycee’s bottom wiggling back and forth from the action of washing the dishes. Seeing Kaycee in his kitchen made him realize that it had been a long time since he’d desired female companionship.
“Kendrick?” she repeated and peered over her shoulder. Her mouth gaped open at him standing there wearing nothing more than a pair of jogging pants. Like the first day she met him, Kaycee was mesmerized by his bare beauty. In her eyes, God had created the perfect form when he made man, especially Kendrick.
Their eyes locked for a moment as if sending lewd mental text messages. It was Kendrick who broke the silence.
“Did you say something?”
She paused and looked to the sky for the answer. The heat she’d felt brewing in her abdomen earlier had returned in full force and she was getting weak.
“I—I—I’m making sandwiches,” she stuttered. “Wh-what kind of meat would you like?”
“I’ll take turkey,” he answered as he sauntered across the room and picked up his duffel. If she only knew.
He pulled out a T-shirt and slipped it over his head, then joined her at the island in the middle of the room. His eyes brightened at the spread before him.
“Looks good,” he commented and plopped down on a nearby stool.
Kaycee doled a little of everything onto both of their plates. She watched as Kendrick bit into his man-sized sandwich and rolled his eyes back in his head.
“This is good!” he groaned with satisfaction.
She smiled from behind her glass. She was glad to be able to do something special for him, even something as simple as preparing his lunch.
“Oh, I forgot something,” he said, picking up his plate and soda. He beckoned for her to follow him.
Setting his food on the wooden trunk that doubled as a coffee table, Kendrick reached for his bag again. He fumbled around inside for a moment before producing his prize.
“Ta-da!” he said, holding up two James Bond DVDs.
“Now you’re talking!” she blurted out and joined him on the sofa. He put in Kaycee’s favorite, Goldfinger.
They settled down on the comfortable sofa, and no more than an hour into the movie they both fell fast asleep.
Chapter 13
The James Bond theme song repeated itself again and again, and Kaycee heard it in her subconscious, but it didn’t register until it had played almost a dozen times.
Without opening her eyes, she stretched and shivered in the cool room; her body felt heat generating nearby. She gravitated toward it and snuggled against the warm solid mass.
A heavy arm fell over her waist with a hand that cupped her rear and her eyes quickly blinked awake. In the dimly lit room, she made out Kendrick’s sleeping features.
“Kendrick,” she whispered.
He stirred but did not wake.
She reached up and tapped him lightly on the chest, but all he did in response was inhale deeply, then exhale while pulling her closer in his embrace.
Kaycee smiled. She liked the feel of being in his arms. Their bodies lined up in every way, complementing and fitting.
Everything was right—the two of them, the setting—right for her to do what she’d had in her heart to do since their meeting. Kaycee stretched up so that she was face-to-face with Kendrick, and in slow motion she moved closer until their lips met. She gently brushed her mouth against his. The flames of need that she had been suppressing swelled into an outright inferno.
Kendrick’s eyes sprang open, shocking her. The look in his eyes was more one of expectation than of surprise. He placed his hand on the back of Kaycee’s neck and stroked her soft curls before pulling her back to his waiting mouth. His tongue parted her lips and plunged into her sweet recesses with fervor. He groaned through hungry kisses.
It wasn’t enough to have her lying there beside him. Kendrick knew he needed her—desired her to be closer to him. He caught her off guard when he pulled her on top of him so that their bodies lined up perfectly. Where she curved he fit her like a glove, confirming again that they were meant to be.
They shared deep, passionate and ravenous kisses full of need, moving quickly from one motion to the next, stroking and tasting—fulfilling the fantasies that had played in their minds since that fateful day they’d met.
With a groan, Kendrick smoothed his hands down her back before sliding them lower onto the swell of her bottom and squeezing.
Kaycee moaned in response and swiveled her hips provocatively against him, causing his flesh to harden beneath her.
Her action stepped up the inferno to an explosion. Kendrick knew if he didn’t stop, there would be no turning back. He gently took Kaycee’s arms and pulled her up so that they were both in a seated position.
He cupped his hand lovingly against her cheek and gazed at her with admiring eyes. Kaycee’s lashes fluttered under his intimate inspection.
Kendrick looked at her kiss-swollen lips and heaving breasts; he wanted to lay her down and make love—good love—to her all night long, but that wasn’t his style. He wasn’t a
careless lover, nor was he thoughtless. He wanted to make sure that it was right.
“I want you,” he admitted in a low, raspy whisper, stroking the softness of her cheek.
“I want you, too,” she echoed. She turned her head slightly and kissed the center of his hand.
He cleared his throat. “But I want it to be right. I’m not the kind of man who goes into these situations without a clear head.”
“Okay,” she breathed softly. She didn’t know where he was going with this line, but she knew that she wanted him to ease the throbbing within her.
“I think we both need to think about what we are getting into and how we are going to handle this.”
“What do you mean?” she asked. All he had to do was say the word and she would be all over him like white on rice, but the way he paused told her it wouldn’t be that kind of evening.
“Kaycee, we have a lot to consider before we go there.”
“What do we need to consider, Kendrick?” she purred.
He stood from his place on the sofa and walked across the room before turning around. “For starters, we work together, then there’s the difference in our ages. I want to lay things out on the table upfront.”
Kaycee smiled and said, “I’m aware of all that, Kendrick, and I still want to be with you. We’re good together.”
“Is that enough?” he asked.
She paused, then murmured, “I don’t know, but I guess I’m willing to find out.”
“Kaycee, I think we need to take things slow.”
With a disappointed groan she moved away from him.
“Whoa, hear me out,” he said, gently pulling her back. “There’s no doubt that we are attracted to one another, and we are definitely compatible, but I think we need to really consider whether this is something that we want.”
His announcement came as a disappointment.
“So, what are you suggesting?”
He paused. “I say we give each other space to think and look at the larger picture before we move on to the next level.”
Kaycee couldn’t believe her ears. Here she was alone with the man who had occupied her dreams, and he was talking about space.
“You don’t want to see me anymore?” she squeaked.
Sensing her sadness, he pulled her into another embrace. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, but he knew that the right thing was to stop what they were doing before she got hurt further down the line. He brushed his lips against hers.
“I’m not saying that I don’t want to see you, I—we need to make sure that this is a step that we both want to take.”
Enveloped in the safety net of his embrace, Kaycee closed her eyes and nodded against his sturdy chest. She didn’t know why he was doing this; she only hoped that this wasn’t what would hurt them.
Chapter 14
Kendrick hesitated before stripping off his clothes following the intense workout he’d just had with his personal trainer. The workout was exhilarating and it showed in the sweat pouring down his face.
He couldn’t wait to kick off the wet T-shirt and shorts and step into his three-headed shower and then into the sauna. He could almost picture himself languishing in the relaxing warmth.
He needed to relax. The last few months had him spinning. Most people would think such tension was natural with a business less than a year old, however, his anxiety had nothing to do with Café Jireh, and everything to do with the brown-eyed girl next door.
Three days had passed since he had escorted her to her front door following their fishing trip, and with Tiki back home with Bianca, Kendrick didn’t have to worry about anyone but himself. Being alone made him think about his aloneness.
As he walked down the hall to the bathroom, he passed the big portrait of Amanda and paused. Amanda had known him, loved him unconditionally and stood by him during his roughest times. If only he could have been as faithful.
She had shown him so much love. The affair during his football career had been forgiven. When he’d injured his knee during a preseason game and ended his career, she’d encouraged him to pursue other endeavors. When one night he’d felt that he wanted to end his life because of the void that weighed heavily in his heart, she’d introduced him to the peace and love that only a relationship with the Father could give.
Seven years following her death he still felt a sense of loyalty to his wife. There was a sense of comfort with her memory. However, he couldn’t deny that Kaycee had a lot more in common with him than Amanda had had, which made it impossible to ignore the pull she had on him. His attentions and affections were being taken up by the young woman, and he felt guilty.
With a sigh, he took off his clothing and tossed it in the laundry bin before heading straight for a cold shower.
Kendrick arrived at work late in the morning. The place was already filling up with the lunch crowd along with the regulars who spent the day tapping feverishly into their laptops.
His eyes scanned the dining room, and he was grateful to not see the familiar curly brown hair. Instead he found La Jetta and Jaylen waiting on guests out front.
“Hi, Mr. Rick!” La Jetta greeted.
“Hey, Jetta, everything okay?” He asked his new assistant manager. From the beginning, La Jetta had shown herself committed to the business, and he couldn’t think of a better person to promote.
“Everything is great,” she replied and proceeded to run down the list of messages for him. When she was finished, he went to the back to greet the rest of the crew before heading for his office.
On his way, he passed the small office that Kaycee occupied and he glanced inside. It was strange seeing it dark and cold.
Since their trip, Kaycee had called and told him that she had received some interest in her event-planning skills and she had a couple of new proposals on the table, so she wouldn’t be in until the Salsa lesson scheduled for Saturday.
He was happy for her and somewhat relieved to have her out of the way so that he could keep his mind on his work. With her gone, he had been able to focus on detailed reports and documents that required his full attention.
With a sigh he picked up the latest stack of forms and began to pore through them, pushing thoughts of Kaycee out of his mind.
After four intense hours of work in his office, Kendrick stepped out to check on the staff. It was almost three o’clock.
The crowd had tapered down and the staff was preparing for the evening shift.
The first stop was the coffeemaker where he poured himself a cup of black coffee.
The jingling bells at the front door caught his attention and he turned around to find his daughter, Bianca, and grandson, Sebastian.
“Hi, Daddy,” she called out as she guided her son through the door.
Kendrick hurried around the counter and scooped Sebastian up in his arms, tickling his ribs. The toddler kicked and giggled with glee at the rough play he enjoyed sharing with his grandfather.
“Hey, baby girl,” he returned the greeting. He settled Sebastian in his arms before planting a kiss on her cheek. “What brings you by here?”
“Tim has to work over tonight and I have some depositions I need to clear off my desk and—”
“You need a babysitter,” he cut in.
Bianca lowered her head and nodded.
“Didn’t I tell you raising kids without family around would be hard?” he gently scolded. “What would you and Tim do without me?”
“That’s why I appreciate you so much!” she said hugging him. “I’m so glad you decided to move to Atlanta.”
Kendrick placed Sebastian on the floor and he ran around to the back to find his favorite person—La Jetta.
“So, how long do you need me to keep him?”
“Is eight too late?” she asked in her daddy’s-little-girl voice coupled with a sweet smile.
Kendrick smiled and shook his head. “Eight is fine.”
“Thanks, Dad!”
As he watched her leave, he couldn’
t help but be reminded of Amanda again. Although her memory held a special place in his heart, she was slipping away. For the first time since her death, another woman was vying for his attention and gaining ground.
Chapter 15
To Kaycee’s pleasure, a small crowd had gathered for the free Salsa lessons on Saturday morning. There were four middle-aged couples who appeared to be friends, a group of young women who all belonged to a book club and two guys who happened to be dining in the café and had signed up at the last minute because of the girls. Charlotte served them coffee as they waited for the instructor to arrive.
Stationed at the front counter, Kaycee pored over the monthly calendar. Already she had booked something for every Friday and Saturday. She felt confident that her suggestion to offer more than a cup of coffee and a light meal at Jireh was turning out to be a good one.
The bells on the front door jingled and Kaycee glanced up to find the Peetes, an elderly couple who frequented the café. According to La Jetta, they had been the first customers and because of that, they were entitled to a free cup of coffee every day.
“Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Peete,” she greeted with a smile. “Will you be having the usual today?”
Mr. Peete, a dapper gentleman with a full head of gleaming white hair and a thick matching mustache, chuckled with a twinkle in his eye. “Not today, dear.”
“So, you’re being adventurous today, huh?” Kaycee teased.
“Actually, sweetie, we’re here for the Salsa lessons,” Mrs. Peete said with a mischievous glance at her husband. “We figure that maybe we could learn a thing or two to add to our repertoire.”
Kaycee’s eyes widened with surprise, “Well, alrighty then, why don’t you join the others in the back of the dining room? The instructor should be here any minute.”
The door opened a second time and in walked a handsome Latino man dressed in a white dress shirt and black trousers. He had a smooth olive complexion with wide clear brown eyes, a hint of five o’clock shadow and a long wavy ponytail that hung to the middle of his back.