Or was she talking about herself, always surrounded by others, but still alone? They were so much alike in that respect, really. Except when they were together, like this. Then he didn’t feel so alone. He hoped she didn’t, either.
The sun settled lower in the autumn sky, and the shadows grew longer by the minute. Rebecca drew her arms in close and tried to hide a shiver in the fading light.
“You’re cold,” Kane said immediately. There wasn’t much he didn’t notice, especially when it came to Rebecca. For whatever reason he seemed naturally attuned to her; it was something he would not let himself think upon too closely. “Would you like to head in?”
“Not just yet.”
Kane refused to read too much into that. There could be a dozen reasons why she preferred to stay out in the quickly chilling twilight, and none of them were based on some unspoken desire to spend more time with him. Still, there was a little part of him that hoped. A part that he thought he’d lost a long time ago.
Rebecca’s eyes widened as Kane began to remove his dark flannel shirt, exposing the long sleeve T beneath it.
“Here,” he said, holding the flannel out to her.
*
Rebecca’s breath caught in the display of rippling muscle as a result of the action, not to mention the way the soft cotton clung to his very fit frame. It took a moment for her brain to catch up and process what her ears had heard. Wearing his shirt seemed ... strangely intimate. The very idea shot a thrilling tingle through her.
“Go on,” he coaxed, his voice softer as if speaking to a frightened animal. “Put it on.”
Rebecca took the shirt in her hands. It was so soft and warm with his body heat. She had the sudden, almost irresistible urge to lift it up and bury her face in it. Thankfully, she managed to control her baser impulses. “Won’t you get cold?”
Kane shot her a look that could only be described as vintage Kane. Without words, his eyes, his expression, everything manage to convey amusement (“you’ve got to be kidding!”), disbelief (“do you really think I’m that big of a pussy?”), and unquestionable authority (“just do it!”) all at the same time.
“Right,” she mumbled, slipping into it. “Mmmmm,” she moaned softly. It was soft. It was warm. And it did smell like Kane. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine that it was Kane wrapped around her instead of simply his shirt.
When she opened her eyes again she saw him watching her intently. A fresh dark blush rose up into her cheeks; she hoped she hadn’t actually voiced any of her thoughts out loud. “Thanks,” she managed, feeling rather embarrassed.
“My pleasure.” His eyes were twinkling; a sky filled with stars suspended in crystalline sapphire blue.
“I seem to be having a hard time adjusting to the cooler climate,” she tried to explain, though it sounded lame even to her own ears. Yeah, that made sense. Rationalize it, Rebecca.
“I understand.” He kept his face neutral, though she had the distinct impression he was trying not to smile.
“Because, you know, I was in tropical climates for quite a while.”
“Uh-huh.” The corner of his mouth quirked – she definitely saw it that time. Her blush deepened and she pulled the shirt closer, wishing it would just swallow her whole.
*
Tempting as it was to tease her when she looked so adorably flustered, he decided to take pity on her. Or perhaps, himself. Because seeing her snuggling into his shirt was causing the oddest sensations to hum through his chest. “Do you have plans tonight?”
Just that quickly, a shadow crossed over her features and she bowed her head, unconsciously seeking the comfort of his scent within the collar of his shirt. Another rumble worked through him, this one of stronger magnitude.
Kane took advantage of her hesitation to take a quick sanity check. What the hell had just happened? For a few moments there he could have sworn he actually felt her inside of him, stroking all the raw, gaping holes, easing them, soothing them. Her bottomless brown eyes promised comfort; the shimmering golden flecks promised ferocity.
A small frown creased her brow. “I’m meeting Aidan for a late dinner.”
Ah. That explained the unease. For a moment there he thought it might be sexual tension, but then he realized that was just wishful thinking on his part. Someone like Rebecca would never be interested in a man like him. She cared so much about people and he... didn’t. So what if she kept snuggling into his shirt and inhaling the scent of it when she thought he wasn’t looking? It meant nothing.
“You don’t want to go?” he asked.
She shrugged, finding her hands suddenly fascinating. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my brother. But... sometimes I get the feeling I’m not quite what he wants me to be.” She shook her head, but not before he caught her slight embarrassment. “No, forget I said that.”
Kane nodded, but he wouldn’t forget. He filed it away, along with a hundred other bits and pieces of the intriguing puzzle that was Rebecca. He’d formed the same opinion about the way Aidan was treating her, and it irked him.