4
The Cove and the Kiss
Savannah was done playinggames. She was done doing the right thing. Despite their family connection, she wanted this man.
What harm could come from spending a few hours exploring the carnal side of her stepbrother? She might not have thought about Zander King inthatway for a long time, but the man staring into her eyes was a much finer version of his younger self. She couldn’t resist living out a fantasy that had tormented her for most of her teenage years. From the steamy look in his bedroom eyes to the sexy moan he couldn’t hold back, she had every confidence he could handle her.
While she shouldn’t be dragging her fingernails up and down his thick, corded thigh, she didn’t want to stop. The cute, moody teenager had grown into a serious, brooding man, ten times more handsome and with the body of a Norse god.
Her world had been rocked with grief, and she wanted something more powerful than a shot of cheap tequila to dull the pain. She needed to lose herself in the arms of a man who could breathe life back into her. Zander King shouldnotbe that man. Any man—even the shmuck of a bartender who’d been ogling her for the past hour—would be a better choice. But she didn’t want anyone else. She wanted her stepbrother.
Andonlyher stepbrother.
She’d been taught that rules were meant to be broken. Was this one of them?
He paid the bill while her imagination ran wild. By the time they walked outside, her panties were damp from desire. Standing on the sidewalk, she studied his face. The tight lines around his eyes had been replaced with a searing intensity. She stepped close. He didn’t back up.
After she stared into his eyes for several titillating seconds, he shook his head. “You’re a beautiful woman, Savannah. But I have to put the brakes on this.” His rueful smile tugged at her heart. “Sex will only complicate an already stressful situation.”
Disappointment clouded her thoughts. She didn’t want the day to end with her fantasy hanging out there, but he’d made his position known. “That’s cool. Thanks for the grub.” She widened the space between them. “I’m gonna check out The Cove.”
“I don’t want you going there by yourself. Do you know where it is?”
“No idea.”
“Let’s ask inside.”
The bartender spoke directly to Savannah’s breasts, but they got the directions they needed.
“I’ll drive.” Zander removed his jacket. Strong, hard muscles bulged against the starched white dress shirt.For an uptight suit, he’s nice. Damn nice.
Stopping at her truck, she grabbed her shades and slung her primary camera bag over her shoulder.
After entering the location on his phone’s map app, they headed north in his ultra-clean Range Rover. There was no clutter anywhere, not even a crumb. She envied that. She accumulated more crap in her vehicle and swore her car phone charger was buried somewhere in the heap. They passed an abandoned shopping center and Zander drove down a quiet country road that led to a deserted gravel parking lot. His phone rang and he silenced it.
“Go ahead and take the call.”
After parking, he cut the engine. “Not now.”
“This is the place,” she said. “No idea where The Cove got the name, because technically it’s not one.” With camera bag in hand, she exited the vehicle.
The area had been marred by the disrespect of those who’d visited. Trash and empty beer bottles littered the expansive area. Graffiti covered the large, weathered movie screen. The snack shack had been bulldozed, but never cleared away. The majestic beauty of the land always inspired her, but this shit hole frustrated the hell out of her.What a dump.
But all was not lost. Savannah admired a pile of moss-covered boulders, overgrown trees, patches of wildflowers, and a disorderly splotch of bushes—all set against a backdrop of rolling hills.
Zander got out. “Great location for a movie complex.”
I don’t think so.Rather than poke the bear, she said nothing. Leaning against his Range Rover’s hood, she tried picturing how the spot had once looked. And how fun it must’ve been to find constellations and make wishes on shooting stars.
“It’s like stepping back in time,” he murmured. “I never went to a drive-in. You?”
“Nope. Back in the day, they used to play movies here on the weekends. When the show ended, they’d turn off the lights. Everyone would lay on their hoods and gaze at the star-filled sky.”
“How do you know this?” He rolled up his shirtsleeves and she eyed the sexy sprinkling of dark hair covering his sinewy forearms.
“Your dad told me about it when he bought the land and the B&B last year. This place has been deserted for years, but he wanted to buy it, too, and renovate it…one day.”
Standing beside her, Zander leaned against the front of his SUV and regarded the area. “Tell me about your relationship with him.”
