Chapter 13

Kenna

The man had gotten under my skin from day one. If he wasn't being all quiet and sultry with those whiskey-brown eyes hiding under a baseball cap, he was flashing those rare smiles that stole my very breath and flirting shamelessly with me. There wasn't a single version of Dec that didn't crawl up under my skin and make me itch with something I couldn't define.

And that pissed me off.

There was silence in the truck as Dec dropped me off at home, pulling into my driveway so I wouldn't have to traipse across the two houses like he did. He got out of the truck while I waited patiently, opening my door and gripping my hand tightly in his as I climbed down. Even the touch of his rough calluses had me quivering in a way I'd never felt before. Justin never had calluses. Justin never made my knees wobble either. Not that I was comparing the two. Dec was just my neighbor and business partner.

He followed a step behind me the whole way to my door, waiting until I'd pulled, turned, and then shoved the door open. A waft of icy air drifted over my skin, reminding me I was likely burned even though I'd applied sunscreen and stayed in the shade most of the day. I turned, eyeing Dec as he hovered on my porch, hands on his hips. Contrary to his mood on the boat, he was frowning, clearly troubled.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. Maybe his good mood only extended to Harley, his best friend, and I'd just been a brief part of it today.

Dec finally met my gaze before stepping closer, his hands dropping to his sides. "I just wanted—I wanted to apologize."

I tilted my head. It was rare to see Dec uncertain about anything. "Apologize for what?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, his bulging bicep straining against his T-shirt. He pulled off his hat, ran his fingers through his hair and stuffed the cap back on his head. "I wanted to apologize for getting between you and Harley. Back on the boat."

I frowned, not quite sure what he meant. "What?"

Dec got even closer, dipping his head so we could lock eyes even from beneath the bill of his hat. "If you want to flirt with Harley, I'll keep my nose out of it."

My mouth dropped open. "I don't want to flirt with Harley!"

The muscle of his jaw twitched. "Sure about that, sunshine?"

I shook my head, snapping my mouth closed. "Listen, I'm not sure I even remember what flirting is, but I'm fairly certain that's not what's going on with me and Harley. He's nice to me, that's all. Maybe you just don't know what being nice looks like."

"I know what being nice is," he snapped.

"No, you don't!" I snapped right back, thinking of how he'd treated me when I first came to Sunshine Key.

"I do too." He was practically shouting now. "It's telling you how nice you look in those shorts today. Or how your face lights up when you talk about the boat club's financials. Or the determination in which you're taking on this house and everything else Maeve left you with. That's being nice!"

I drilled my finger right into the middle of his chest. "You've never said those things."

He came impossibly closer. So close I could see the flash in his dark eyes. "I'm saying them now." His hands somehow found their way to my hips, his fingers pressing in as he pulled me gently into him.

My breath caught in my throat and I wasn't sure if taking the training wheels off was a safe idea. The ink wasn't dry on my initial divorce papers and here I was, flirting with a man so far out of my league I should be ashamed of myself for being this excited. But the heat of him radiated off his chest and I got a whiff of soap and cologne and sunscreen. I wanted to melt into him and forget the consequences.

"Expand on the shorts," I demanded breathlessly.

Dec's eyes darkened, his attention zeroing in so hard I wasn't sure the world existed outside of the two of us. His voice was pitched low. "Your ass is exceptional. The shorts highlight how exceptional."

I may have melted a bit more, my weight leaning heavily into the firm wall of muscle. "But…you don't like me."

Dec shook his head slowly. "But I do like you, Kenna Ryan." One of his hands left my hip and a flare of disappointment hit before being snuffed out as that same hand cupped my jaw. His face was just an inch or so away from mine. I had to have sunstroke. That was it. I was hallucinating and none of this was actually happening.

Then his lips were on mine, hot, steady, and searching. My lips parted on an inhale and suddenly his tongue flicked against my bottom lip, his teeth plucking that tender skin. He moved my head where he wanted me and deepened the kiss. His tongue tangled with mine and there wasn't enough air in the entire galaxy to keep my head from spinning. Every single cell in my body needed to be closer to this man. I needed to breathe the same air and press against every inch of his body. The kiss raged on so long that when he finally pulled back to search my face, I had to gasp for air.

"Good night," he said gruffly, then released me, walking away and bounding over the hedge before disappearing up his own porch.

I stood there, rooted to the spot, stunned stupid. Justin and I had been in a rough patch for awhile. I couldn't actually remember the last time we kissed. It had most certainly been in a rush when one of us was flying out the door. Then again, I couldn't exactly remember our first kiss either. I huffed out a laugh. That kiss with Dec had blotted out all other kisses. He was either magic or my younger years had been a wasteland of subpar kisses.

My lips felt puffy as I finally turned and went upstairs. I licked my lips and tasted Dec there, a hint of whiskey and salt and something uniquely him. I stripped out of my clothes and showered, making sure to put lotion on all the spots of pink on my skin. As I lay in bed, staring at the stripes of wallpaper glue still clinging to the walls, I ran over that kiss until I was so hot and bothered I had to kick back the covers and dig a book out of my suitcase just to give my brain something else to focus on.

When I finally went to sleep, I had a smile on my face. Living in Florida should have felt like the first step to getting over Justin, but that first kiss post-Justin had been even more of a milestone.

Hello, humiliation, we meet again.

The small woman ripped another strip of cotton and wax off my skin and I resisted the urge to yelp. My eyes burned with tears, making me wonder if my new friend had lost her mind. Char had picked me up on the pretenses of a girls' morning. It had started off fine with fancy coffees and a luxurious manicure, but we ended here, at some fancy resort with beautiful masochists in their spa.

"You'll love the smooth result," Char had promised as I eyed the menu offering with a high degree of doubt. With my pale Irish skin, I didn't know why I was trying to be Brazilian. "Best feeling ever to slip on a swimsuit and not worry about shaving bumps."

The woman slathered another dollop of hot wax on my nether regions, prompting me to beg for my mama. Apparently my pubic hair had the roots of a redwood. Five strips of cotton later, I was allowed to get off the table. The paper liner came with me, seeing as how my sweat had soaked right through it. I peeled the paper off and redressed carefully, walking bowlegged out the door to find Char already waiting, a calm smile making her radiant.

"Don't you feel like a million bucks?"

God, I could hate her for being so cute and put together. Except contrary to Ashley, who was also cute and put together, Char had a beautiful soul.

"Ask me tomorrow when it's not still stinging like I sat on a hornet's nest," I grumbled, following her out the thick glass door into the oppressive heat.

Char looped her arm through mine and laughed. "Beauty is pain, girl! We gotta get you back in the saddle."

I groaned. "I'm not currently able to sit down, let alone jump in a saddle."

Char's tinkling laugh carried us down the winding path toward the parking lot. By the time we got to our lunch spot with a view of the ocean, a fresh salad place called Vitamin Sea, I was walking normally and finally ready to admit that a glow-up was a worthy goal for post-divorce Kenna. The restaurant was decked out in whites, earthy tones, and the occasional splash of bright blue to match the ocean views. All the produce was organic, a welcome sight for this Californian.

"I knew you'd like this place," Char drawled when I exclaimed over the selection of fresh vegetables. "You and your organic…"

"Hey, I don't like eating chemicals, can you blame me?"

I stepped up and asked the person behind the register for the surfer's chop salad while Char ordered the Greek topped with salmon. I insisted on paying since she took care of tipping our spa attendants when I'd been too traumatized to remember that little detail.

We sat at a table for two right by the front window, enjoying the air-conditioning while training our gazes at the beach just a two-lane highway and a few sandy steps from our current location.

I sighed, feeling a contentment I hadn't known existed before I came to Sunshine Key. "It is beautiful here."

Char clasped her hands under her chin. "Are you thinking of staying?"

I shot her a smile, appreciating her enthusiasm. "I'm not sure yet, but I'll be here at least a year. If I can get the house remodeled and the boat club earning a bit more, maybe I can swing it."

"Could you get a job out here? Doing your graphic design?"

I tipped my head back and forth. Sunshine Key wasn't exactly teaming with publishers or any publishers for that matter. Then again, I could branch out and try my hand in a different industry. Or take Liz's advice finally and go out on my own, freelancing.

"Maybe," I said without confidence behind it.

The woman behind the counter came out with our two salads, setting them in front of us and leaving once she was sure we had everything we needed to enjoy our lunch.

"Speaking of the house," I said before I took my first bite. "Do you know of anyone I could hire to help me with some of this demo? My best friend wants to come visit and I feel like there's just too much work for one woman. Besides, whether I keep the house or sell it, the poor thing needs its own glow-up."

I put the first bite in my mouth and moaned. "Holy crap," I said around the food.

Char beamed. "Told you! And yes, I bet one or more of the local kids would come help for pretty cheap. But enough about that. Tell me more about this kiss with Dec yesterday. Or was it with Harley?"

I choked on some lettuce and needed a few sips of water before I could speak. "What?" I hissed.

Char laughed, but this time, the sound was sharp. "The rumor is you kissed one of them on Dec's boat."

I leaned over the table, probably getting salad dressing on my shirt, but I needed to keep my voice low more than I cared about the fate of yet another shirt. "How do you know about that?"

"Aha! You don't deny it, then?" She set her fork down, eyes bright.

I looked left and right. No one was looking at us, but my face flamed anyway. "I didn't kiss anyone on the boat. And definitely not Harley."

Char let out a breath and picked her fork back up. Interesting.

"So you kissed someone not on the boat?"

I rolled my eyes. "Look, I don't want everyone talking about it, because I'm not even sure what happened and I definitely know he wouldn't want people talking about it, but Dec kissed me last night when he dropped me off at home."

Char practically vibrated in her chair, eyes lit up and voice crackling with excitement. "I knew it!"

I frowned, shoving a huge bite in my mouth. "How?"

"I saw the three of you on the boat, but I just tossed the kissing thing out there. I love when I'm right. So how was it? Was it dreamy? Tell me every detail."

I laughed, wiping my mouth with a napkin and shaking my head at my friend. "This feels like we're preteens, discussing our first kiss."

Char shrugged. "You've been married for twelve years, right? It's almost like a first kiss after kissing one man for so long."

Thoughts of Dec's hand cupping my face, his tongue tracing my lip, the look in his eyes when he backed away. I tried to cool my cheeks but it was no use. "No, I won't be embarrassed. I liked kissing him."

I hadn't meant to say that out loud, but there it was. And it was the truth.

"Good!" Char leaned over the table, eyes dancing. "You know Dec hasn't been linked with a woman in Sunshine Key since he moved here, right?"

That didn't compute. Dec was the hottest man I'd ever seen in person. He could be on billboards in New York City if he wasn't so keen on hiding out here in the Keys. "Really?"

Char nodded, digging back into her salad. "Really, my friend. And don't think I didn't notice you didn't give me the details."

The grin took over my face, thinking over those details. "I guess I'm not a kiss-and-tell kind of girl."

"Brat," Char said, winking at me, so I knew she didn't mean it.

We continued to chat as we ate our salads. My mind kept circling the confirmation that Dec hadn't dated anyone in Sunshine Key. Did that mean he hadn't dated anyone period? Or just not here? And why was he kissing me? I was a hot mess and in the middle of a divorce. Surely there were other women who'd be a better choice for him. Then again, maybe I shouldn't try to pick it apart and just hope he did it again. Maybe a flirtation with Dec was just what I needed to get my mojo back after Justin nearly flattened me.

As we were finishing, the bell over the door rang out and Char lifted her hand in the air. "Hey, Laurie!"

A woman with long brown hair and a thin scarf intricately woven through it waved to Char. Her breezy skirt flitted over her bare feet. She smelled of patchouli and paint, an interesting combination.

"Hey, Char. You look luminous today," the woman said, her voice deep and slow.

Char stood and hugged her, pulling away to introduce me. "Thank you. Laurie, this is my new friend, Kenna. Kenna, this is Laurie Eaton. She's a phenomenal local artist."

I stuck out my hand, but Laurie bent down to hug me. "Oh, hi!" I said lamely through the heavy ropes of hair.

She pulled back and studied me. "Hmm. You have sorrow in your eyes, Kenna. You have to let me photograph you."

"Oh! Um, sure?" I'd never had someone study my eyes or ask to use me as a muse. I got the sense that this was not out of the ordinary for Laurie, however.

Char jumped in. "Laurie's son, Liam, might be a good fit for that work you needed done on your house."

Laurie smiled at the mention of her son's name. "Liam is my favorite course correct in my life's journey." She looked at me. "And he's a good worker. If you need help, I'll send him over."

Laurie was definitely different, more on the wavelength of my mother's hippie ways than mine, but I liked her. "I would love that, thank you."

And just like that, I had a set of helping hands to renovate my house, a scorching kiss from my next-door neighbor, and not one extra second spent thinking about my cheating soon-to-be ex-husband.