Sighing, she set her phone aside and grabbed a pen and pad from her purse to make a list. Since Andy was at Dan’s hardware store for his first shift, Tess had most of the day to herself. She was waiting for an email with an estimate from the last potential contractor so she could decide which of the three to hire to fix the house, and then she needed to hit the supermarket for a few things. The first two contractors had been reasonable, most likely since Frank Carbone was present for the evaluations and scrutinized every item and cost that they listed. Both estimates were within the same range as the insurance payout. However, one contractor was able to start the job two weeks earlier than the other one, which was a no-brainer for Tess. If the third contractor was under budget and could begin next week, Tess would have to recheck the reviews for both companies before making a final decision.
It had been a busy week between work, picking up a few more things that she’d forgotten at the house, and driving Andy back and forth to school. On top of all that, she couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss she shared with Brian and then his rejection afterward. It shouldn’t bother her so much—mixing business with pleasure is never a good thing—but it did.
She hadn’t seen or heard from him since then, yet he slipped into her thoughts more often than she wanted to admit. More than once, she’d picked up her phone, tempted to thank him again for letting them stay at the beach house—or maybe just to hear his voice—but each time she stopped short, afraid she wouldn’t find the right words. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she expected more from him... even though that kiss had been the hottest of her life.
As she jotted a few things down on the pad, a loud banging came from the back porch. Frowning, she stood, crossed over to the back door, and peeked out the small window in it. Brian Malone had his back to her while working on the loose railing, and she couldn’t help but admire his masculine form. Wearing faded jeans that cupped his ass perfectly and a taut T-shirt, showing off his muscular shoulders and arms, he looked yummy enough to eat. It took a few moments for Tess to realize she was nearly drooling as she stared at the man. She completely forgot he promised to come over today to fix the railing.
Why hadn’t he knocked on the door to say hello before he started working? He would’ve walked right by her car in the driveway, so he knew she was home. Did he not want to talk to her? She guessed so since he’d practically sprinted out of the house the other night.
Sighing, she was about to ignore him and return to her list-making when he glanced over his shoulder and their gazes met. For a heartbeat, something hot flared in his eyes before he shuttered it again, leaving her to wonder if she’d imagined it.
After a moment, he gestured for her to join him onthe porch. She hesitated before opening the door and stepping outside.
“Hi,” he said. “I hope I didn’t bother you with the noise.
If he could play casual and indifferent, so could she. “Nope, not at all. I was just making a list of things I need from the store.”
“Oh.” He tapped the railing. “I’m off today, so I wanted to get this fixed.”
She cocked her head to the side. “You told me the other day you’d be here.”
“I did say that, didn’t I?”
Tess didn’t respond to what she assumed was a rhetorical question. She was too busy fighting the urge to demand he kiss her again and wondering what was going on in his head. He wasn’t the smiling, easygoing guy she’d known until the other night, and she had the feeling there was more to the change in his demeanor than that damn kiss.
Pushing down the sting of his rejection the other night, she stepped forward and placed a hand on his arm, startling him. His wide, caramel-colored eyes lifted to meet hers, and she gave him a concerned smile. “Are you okay?”
His nod quickly morphed into a shake of his head. He stared at the ocean for a few moments before responding. “Can we go for a walk?”
She didn’t hesitate because his unease drew her to him. Something troubling was on his mind, and shecouldn’t stop wanting to help him work through whatever it was.
“Sure. Let me get my cell phone and keys and lock up.”
“Leave your keys if you want. I have mine.”
“Okay.
Less than a minute later, they descended the staircase and both kicked off their shoes at the start of the path between two dunes. The sand was cool at first, having been in the shade, but quickly warmed up when they reached the open beach exposed to the sun’s rays.
They strode in silence closer to the water’s edge before heading north. Gentle waves lapped toward them, stopping short of their bare feet. Seagulls soared overhead and swooped down over the sand and surf, searching for a bit to eat. It was still a week or two before the summer season officially started, so the number of people on the beach was far less than it would be. Several strolled along the waterline while others jogged, and a scant few sat on blankets, reading or just relaxing. Up ahead, two older men surf-fished.
It was peaceful, and a part of Tess wished she could live on the Outer Banks so she could walk on the beach every day. Despite the tranquility around them, the tension emanating from Brian was palpable. As much as she wanted to ask him what was wrong, she sensed he needed to compose himself before speaking.
They walked for approximately a quarter of a mile,nodding hello to those they passed, and then he sighed heavily. “Have you ever had a near-death experience?”
Surprised by the unexpected question, Tess faltered a step before recovering. “Personally, no. I mean, there were a few times while driving when some jackass who was probably drunk or texting nearly hit me and freaked me out, but thankfully, knock on wood, I’ve never been in an accident or anything. Unless you count when the tree came down right where I’d been on the couch earlier.” She shuddered just thinking about what would’ve happened if she’d stayed up reading her book instead of going to bed.
She side-eyed him while continuing with the leisurely pace they’d set. “I take it from your question that you’ve had one?”
He didn’t respond immediately, but after a minute or so, he said, “Yeah. The other day, during the shootout.” He paused before continuing. “Uncle Dan’s a huge fan of the TV showM*A*S*H,so we grew up watching it. I’ve seen the reruns at least a hundred times each. Anyway, there’s this episode called ‘Sometimes You Hear the Bullet.’ A friend of the main character, Hawkeye, is writing a book about the war from a soldier’s point of view. The book was supposed to be titledYou Never Hear the Bulletbecause some kid who was dying said to the guy that he never heard the bullet that hit him. Meanwhile, in the movies, they always hear the shot. But then the writer gets hit, and he tells Hawkeye that he heard the bullet. Hawkeye says, ‘Sometimes You Hear the Bulletis a better title anyway,’ or something like that, right before his friend dies.
He stopped walking and turned toward Tess, but his gaze didn’t meet hers. Instead, he stared at something over her shoulder. She glanced back, but no one or anything of interest was there that she could determine. His voice, a little louder than a whisper, caught her attention. “I heard the bullet, Tess. I fucking felt it as it whizzed by my ear. I can’t stop feeling it or hearing it. The damn thing is on a loop in my head. If I was standing a few inches to my left or the bastard who fired the shot had better aim, I’d be dead right now.”
He ran a hand down his face, then tilted his head back to stare at the sky, but not before the raw emotions he tried desperately to hold back flashed in his eyes. It nearly destroyed her and encouraged her to ease his pain without a second thought about the consequences.
Closing the distance between them, she cupped his jaw with her hands and forced his chin down until her sympathetic gaze met his anguished one. Without a word, she went up on her toes and gently kissed him on the mouth. He stiffened but didn’t pull away.
She continued to brush her lips against his soft ones, which she knew would be hard and demanding if he allowed himself to kiss her back.
