Relief washed over her.Closing her mouth, she felt her shoulders relax a tad.“Oh.Okay.”
She leaned against the counter by the sink and studied him as he ate.His jaw tightened and relaxed as he chewed.Muscular arms rippled as he moved the fork from the plate to his mouth and back again.
And, oh, what a mouth it was.His lips were both hard and soft looking, and Moriah wondered what it would be like to be kissed by lips like his.She bet he was a talented kisser.The man was fucking gorgeous, and there was no way he hadn’t worked his way through hundreds of women over the years.She was curious what his face would look like if those exquisite lips ever turned up into a real smile.
Suddenly conscious of ogling him, Moriah cleared her throat again.“So, is your name C-a-s-e-y or K-C?”
“It’s K-C, as in Kevin Christopher.”At her raised eyebrow, he added, “Nobody’s called me by my full name since I was a kid, and then, only when I was in trouble.”
She tilted her head in curiosity.“Were you in trouble a lot as a kid?”
“That’s putting it mildly.”He pointed his fork at her.“But we’re not talking about me, we’re talking about you.”
Moriah gave him what she hoped appeared to be a bored shrug of her shoulders.“What’s to talk about?I needed a place to stay, and your uncle was kind enough to rent me his house.”
After finishing the bacon and eggs, he soaked up the remaining yolks with his toast.“Where’re you from?”
“Los Angeles,” she lied.Why was he so damn inquisitive?
Swallowing the last of his breakfast, KC raised an eyebrow at her.“That’s odd.You don’t have a west-coast accent.More like from the middle states.”
Dropping her gaze to the floor to hide her astonishment at being caught in a fib, Moriah shrugged again.“Well, my family moved around a lot.I didn’t even know I had an accent.”
He stared at her for a few moments, and she fought the urge to squirm under the scrutiny.If he suspected she was lying further, he let it go for now.“So, how did you end up in our little town of Whisper, and where did you meet my uncle?”
At least this part of what she was willing to tell him was true.“I’ve been traveling around a lot and ended up at the Walmart over in Elizabeth City.Your uncle noticed me looking at apartment rentals posted on the bulletin board and offered to rent me this place.”
Dan Malone had approached her to see if she needed any assistance.He said she seemed “lost.”Not trusting a male stranger, Moriah started to walk away from him but stopped when he mentioned a house available for cheap rent.Still skeptical, she took his proffered driver’s license and cell phone.He instructed her to call information for the Dare County Sheriff’s Department phone number and then ask for the sheriff or one of his office staff to verify his identity.Mary Schreiber, the secretary, had confirmed Dan Malone was a good friend of the sheriff’s, an upstanding citizen, and he did, indeed, own an empty beach house.She’d also said Dan was a kind man who was always helping those in need and could be thoroughly trusted.
With the glowing endorsement and no better options, despite the man being friends with the local sheriff, Moriah took him up on his offer to rent his cottage.He even allowed her to hold his cell phone when he realized she didn’t have one until they arrived at the beach house just so she would feel safer.Moriah knew she was crazy to trust someone she didn’t know, but there was something in Dan Malone’s soft, brown eyes that convinced her he was one of the good guys in life.And Lord knew she hadn’t met many of them.
“Yeah, that sounds like Uncle Dan.He’s always bringing in strays.”At her insulted expression, he added, “No offense.”
“None taken,” she mumbled.She didn’t mention the comment struck a chord in her.A “stray” was kind of close to how she felt—all alone in the world, moving from place to place, just trying to survive.
Picking up his plate, KC rinsed it off and placed it into the dishwasher along with the fork and knife.He cleaned, dried, and put away the skillet and spatula he’d used and then wiped down the cooking area with expertise.
As he finished his chores, she put an expectant look on her face.“So, you’ll be leaving now?”
He spun around slowly, crossed his muscular arms over his equally powerful chest, and leaned his hips against the counter.“What makes you think that?”
“Well, um ...”she stuttered as she mirrored the position of his arms and cocked her hip.Be firm.“You can’t stay here.I paid Mr.Malone my rent, and I don’t want or need a housemate.”
His narrowed eyes seemed to smolder as they briefly dropped to her ample chest, which had been thrust upward with her annoyed stance.“What do you want then?”
Moriah’s mouth dropped open again, stunned at the suggestiveness in his tone, but after several moments of silence, he shook his head as if clearing his mind.He straightened and brought his gaze back to her face.“I’ll tell you what.I’ll talk to Uncle Dan and ask if I can crash on his couch.It shouldn’t be any problem, although it’s not as comfortable as my bed here.”
She nodded but continued to gape at him as he exited the kitchen.A few moments later, with his sneakers on and keys in hand, KC left without saying another word.It would be another ten minutes before Moriah realized he’d left the rest of his things in the smaller bedroom.She wasn’t sure if she was upset or pleased to know he would have to return for them.And the indecision worried her.
Chapter5
“So, as usual, you know nothing about Ms.Maura Jennings.She’s just another needy person in a long line of needy people.”
KC helped restock the shelves in the hardware store while he chastised his uncle.The closest nationwide home-improvement store was about fifteen miles away, so most of the locals still used Malone’s Hardware for convenience and out of a sense of loyalty.In addition to everything a good hardware store kept in stock, Dan also kept a moderate supply of fishing gear and frozen bait for the anglers in the community.Behind the counter were many pictures of impressive catches made by some locals over the years, including a few from KC and his brothers.
The older man sliced open another box of latex paint with the box cutter he was never without.“I know she’s in some sort of trouble and needs help.What else is there to know?”
KC raised an eyebrow at Dan but continued to work.“Did you ever stop to think that maybe shewastrouble and notintrouble?”
