But as we finally pulled apart, gasping, her eyes glazed and lips swollen from my kiss, I knew that would never be possible. As long as Luna stayed in Starlight Cove, I was totally and completely fucked. And not only had I just agreed to willingly subject myself to her presence, but I’d promised my family that I’d stay on top of her to make sure she didn’t throw any more wrenches into our plans.
That meant I needed to ignore this blatant chemistry between us. Sweep it under the rug, go back to business as usual, and pretend like Luna Lancaster hadn’t just shifted my entire foundation with one tiny kiss.
CHAPTERFIVE
LUNA
Well,I certainly hadn’t seen that coming. When I’d goaded Brady into kissing me, I’d assumed it would be stiff, dry, forced. Utterly and completely controlled, just like the rest of him.
Instead, I got heat and intensity and toe-curling passion I could still feel coursing through my body. My panties were ruined, for sure. And my outlook on Brady? Well. That might be ruined, too. If not completely demolished, then most definitely tainted.
What kind of man had that kind of passion buried underneath such a rigid facade?
“I already called Addison to let her know our…arrangement,” he said, his voice low and gravelly from where he sat in the driver’s seat as he drove us toward the resort.
Had he told her about the kiss, too? No, he wouldn’t. He may have let me glimpse a crack in his armor, but I was certain it wasn’t something he did often. I was also sure he wouldn’t want anyone else knowing it had happened in the first place.
I didn’t know whether I loved or hated that—after all, having a secret that only the two of us knew was more intimate than he probably realized. It certainly felt that way, with the electricity still arcing between us, even from my spot in the back seat—because God forbid, he allow me to sit in the front with him. But that was fine by me. I could study him better from this position. The man was tense. More so than usual. It was clear from the steel pipe I’d felt lodged against my stomach earlier that he’d enjoyed our connection. Maybe he was still feeling the effects of that…situation.
“Great.” I leaned forward as far as I could, putting my face right up to the opening in the plexiglass partition. “When can I expect you in your first class?”
He grunted, and I bit back a smile. This was going to be fun as hell, no doubt. And my requirements had really only been because I enjoyed fucking with him. My main concern and the only reason I compromised my position was getting the motion of discovery through and doing so quickly. Even if they didn’t find anything—which I’d bet my van wasn’t going to happen—Holton Group would have to halt all progress until the discovery was complete.
“With your track record, I’m going to make sure you don’t show up at the site tomorrow before I fill my end of the bargain.” He rolled to a stop in front of the diner and slid out of the car before opening my door.
Uncaring of the light rain, I stepped out, his tall, muscled body mere inches from me. Unable to stop myself from touching him, I crawled my fingers up his chest until I lightly patted his cheek, his short beard tickling my palm. “I always keep my word, Sheriff. And I expect you to do the same.”
His jaw clenched like he had more to say but decided to force it down, and he jerked his head toward the diner. “Addison’s in there.”
“Perfect. I need to thank Beck for my delicious breakfast anyway.”
With that, I strode away from him and toward the diner, loving the feel of the light rain on my skin. And if I threw a little extra sway into my hips just for Brady, well, who was going to call me on it?
“I’ll let you know when my first class will be. Hopefully you can find some spandex between now and then.” I tossed a grin at him over my shoulder before I opened the diner door.
He stared after me, his jaw clenching, and his expression…angry? Well, that wasn’t anything new, but I’d sort of hoped we’d come to a cease-fire after the kiss that rocked the world. Apparently not.
“So, I hear you’re our new employee,” Addison said by way of greeting. She stood behind the counter, hands propped on her hips, eyes narrowed on me.
While I hadn’t been expecting flowers and a celebration party, this still threw me a bit. Of all the McKenzies, she was the friendliest—barring Ford and his perpetual, almost automatic, flirtation.
“Um…yeah. That okay?” I asked as I sidled up to the counter and took a seat at the bar.
“Ignore her,” Beck mumbled, filling a mug with coffee before sliding it my way. “She’s just cranky because Mabel’s Live about your protest had more views than her last tour of the resort.”
I cringed, shooting her an apologetic look. I truly didn’t want to cause this family any harm, because they’d been nothing but nice to me since I’d arrived. Okay, so that wasn’tentirelytrue. I’d never actually met the elusive Levi, and Aiden was civil at best. And Brady? Well. Our interactions were definitely explosive. But Addison had greeted me warmly, even trying to convince Brady to stop arresting me in my early days here. Ford always kept me company, flirting in a way that proved he did so with everyone. And Beck fed me delicious food, even if he did so with little more than grunts.
“Sorry about that,” I said, gratefully accepting the coffee. “I did give the diner a plug on the Live, though. Told them all about how amazing the Luna Special was.”
Beck’s mouth twitched, but that was as close to a smile as he gave.
“Still would’ve preferred you did that without chaining yourself to a tree,” Addison grumbled, rolling her eyes. “It’s not a good look for the resort being so close to that.”
“So long as Brady fills his end of the bargain, I won’t be back there…” I paused, quieting my next words as I hid my mouth behind my mug. “This week, at least.”
“Speaking of,” Addison said. “Brady filled me in, and I’ll be real with you. We can’t pay you anything. We’re barely getting by as it is. But you can use the resort however you’d like and keep whatever you charge for the classes.”
I waved her off, not concerned about it, having not even expected that much. When I’d sold my house back in Maryland and bought the van, deciding to travel instead of being locked to one location, shackled to one job, I’d garnered quite a nest egg. I’d barely had to dip into it, considering my living expenses were fairly minuscule on the road. And what few I’d had were covered by freelance gigs.
