The second story windows were curtained on the street side. But the first floor windows had only delicate lace adorning them. From this vantage point, he could see through the room with the bay window into what looked like a kitchen beyond. He saw Rebecca put her barely touched plate on the floor for Angus, petting him gently while he feasted on her dinner.
Of course she wouldn’t have eaten at the church. Rebecca always ate alone. Except when she was with him. She’d even let him feed her that once. The image of her closed eyes, chocolate-caked lips, and cream filling tipped nose filled his mind, along with the pure delight she’d experienced with that damned whoopie pie. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
When the plate was licked clean – perhaps a total elapsed time of six or seven seconds, Rebecca gathered up the lone plate and glass, washed them, and placed them in the drainer. It was all terribly lonely, and one thing he knew for certain – Rebecca should not be alone, not as long as he drew breath.
Kane moved up the cobbled walk. He had to fix this. He wasn’t exactly sure how he was going to manage it. He’d run a bunch of scenarios through his mind, trying to plan for every eventuality, but the truth was, he wasn’t sure what kind of a reaction Rebecca would have to him. If that afternoon had been any indication, it wasn’t going to be easy getting close to her again, but he sure as hell was going to try, because there just wasn’t any other option.
The wooden steps creaked beneath his weight, but held. A little shoring beneath, he figured somewhere in the back of his head, and some new boards on top. A few hours work, nothing more.
He got as far as the front door, raised his hand to press the bell... and the door opened. Rebecca looked at him through the screen door. Angus stood protectively by her side, regarding him with eerily intelligent blue eyes.
“Kane,” she said; there was no trace of surprise in her voice. Maybe she had been expecting him, he thought. Though the lack of sparkle in her eyes did not bode well for him.
“May I come in?” he asked.
“Did my brother send you?”
For just a moment he was taken aback. “No,” he answered honestly.
*
Rebecca believed him. Kane was not a liar. If she’d learned anything at all about him, it was that he was brutally, agonizingly honest. “What do you want?”
“I’d like to talk to you. May I come in?” he asked again.
She considered only a few moments before answering. Even with the screen door between them she could feel his presence wrapping around her. Rebecca had a tendency to lose her resolve around Kane. Being close to him made her do crazy things. All he had to do was look at her and speak with that slightly rough, deep voice and her body was already responding. Even after what happened at the cabin she still wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anything.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Then maybe you can come out here for a few minutes?”
She studied him for a few seconds, then nodded once. Yes, she could do that. On the porch, with the lights on, she’d be in full view of her neighbors, several of which were undoubtedly peeking out of their windows even then. If nothing else it might give her the incentive to refrain from doing something else monumentally stupid. Because of her lack of restraint, she had ruined the best relationship she’d ever had. As much as she’d wanted him, there was no sex worth the loss of her heart mate, because no matter what he said or did, that’s what he was to her.
He was the only man that had ever touched her soul.
She disappeared for a moment, donning a heavy sweater. It was a shield, a form of protection in the event he tried to give her his jacket. If she had to feel his heat or inhale his unique scent as it wrapped around her, she might not survive it.
“Can we sit for a moment?” he asked, indicating the wooden porch swing.
With a slight nod, Rebecca moved slowly to it and sat down. Angus laid himself at her feet.
They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes.
Kane’s eyes were powerful. Her hands closed into fists, feeling his intense gaze as he appraised her. It reminded her too much of the way he had looked at her that morning at the cabin, like she was defective.
She wanted to scream. She wanted to pound her fists on that marble chest until he understood.
But that wouldn’t be fair, because he really hadn’t done anything except speak a truth to her that she hadn’t wanted to hear. Kane was what he was – rock solid, strong. He wasn’t the type to sugar coat things or drape her in meaningless platitudes. Wasn’t that one of the reasons she had been so attracted to him? Because he wasn’t about all the bullshit?
No, this wasn’t his fault. She had only herself to blame. She had been the one to let her emotions run away with her. She had been the one to misread his kindness. She had been the one to ruin the special bond they’d shared by throwing herself at him when he clearly was not interested.
“Why are you here, Kane?”
“I’m worried about you.”