Kellan Quinn.”
A memory flashed in her mind, so clear it might have happened just yesterday. The boy that had chased her from the beach so many years before. His name had been Kellan. She’d heard his brothers yell it across the meadow and she’d committed it to memory. This was the same boy, all grown up.
She smiled to herself. How many times had she woven long and complicated fantasies around that boy? For at least a month after, she’d thought about returning to the beach to find him. But the summer had ended and she’d been sent back to school, leaving thoughts of him far behind.
“Kellan,” she repeated. “I like that.”
“And what’s your name?”
“Gelsey,” she replied.
He said it back to her. Softly. The sound of it on his lips caused a shiver to skitter through her body.
“Do you have a last name?” he asked.
“I’m not sure I do,” Gelsey said.
A grin teased at the corners of his mouth. “Does that mean you don’t remember it or you don’t want to tell me what it is?”
“A little of both,” she said. She drew in a sharp breath as her gaze fell to his lips. Lord, he was handsome. She had dated an endless string of gorgeous men, but not one of them had captured her fancy like this man. He was just a regular guy, yet there was something so intriguing about him. “You kissed me,” she murmured.
“No,” Kellan said.
“You did. I remember. On the beach.”
“You kissed me,” he said.
“Yes.” Gelsey reached out and touched his face, then leaned closer, curious to see if the kiss she remembered was really so good. Her lips found his. He didn’t seem surprised or reluctant. Instead, he gently cupped her face in his hands and returned the kiss in full measure, his tongue tangling with hers.
Desire raced through her body, warming her blood and making her mind spin. Gelsey felt giddy, like that breathless young girl on the cliffs. He’d been such a handsome boy, but now he was a man, full grown and capable of making her weak with need.
“Does that help?” he asked.
“Help?”
“Your memory,” Kellan said.
“Yes,” she said. “I remember liking that very much.” She peeked under the blanket. “I have no clothes. Did you undress me?”
Kellan nodded. “You were cold. I had to get you warm.”
“I don’t remember that.” She reached out and took his hand and placed it on her bare shoulder. “Maybe you should show me how that happened.”
Kellan stared at the spot where he touched her, then slowly drew his hand away. “You—you should rest,” he murmured. “You’ve had a long day.”
“What time is it?”
“Nearly five,” he replied. “Do you have a place to go? Someone who might be waiting for you?”
Gelsey shook her head. “No,” she said. “No one is waiting for me.” In truth, the only person who’d wonder where she was might be Caroline, the housekeeper at Winterhill. She’d call the first chance she got, but Caroline knew not to worry. Gelsey often disappeared for days at a time.
As for her parents, they’d given up worrying a long time ago. No. No one really cared at all. The only one who’d ever truly cared had been her grandmother and she’d been gone for years now.
“You can stay here until you’re feeling better,” he said.
“I wouldn’t want to put you out,” she said.
“You wouldn’t be.”
“You know what I’d really like? A hot bath. I’ve got sand in places I didn’t even know I had. It feels like I slept in it.”
“You did,” Kellan said. “I found you on the beach.” He stood. “We have a shower. The bathroom is just through the kitchen. Or we have an old tub that I can bring in and fill if you’re set on a bath.”
“I think a shower would do nicely,” Gelsey said. “And I could use some clothes. Do you have my dress?”
“I’ll find you something better to wear.”
She slowly stood, wrapping the quilt more tightly around her naked body. “Thank you,” she said. “For saving me.” She paused. “You’re a nice man, Kellan. I haven’t known too many nice men in my life.”
“I’m not all that nice,” he replied.
“You can’t fool me,” she said, pushing up on her toes and placing a kiss on his cheek. Then Gelsey slowly walked toward the bathroom.
As she closed the bathroom door behind her, Gelsey leaned back against it and drew a deep breath. Had he been any other man in her life, she would have seduced him on the spot. She’d never been one to play coy when it came to satisfying her desires. And she’d never met a man who’d refused her.
But that was precisely how she’d gotten into trouble in the past. She’d led with her heart, not her head. Her argument with Antonio last night had been a prime example. She should have been nicer, considering his word would go a long way toward making the assault case disappear. Instead, all the anger and resentment over their breakup had come bubbling to the surface, and after a long predawn phone argument, she’d grabbed a bottle of champagne as the sun came up and wandered along the cliffs to the cove.
Her heart had told her to kiss Kellan that day in the meadow. And her heart had told her to do the same thing when he found her on the beach. And both times, it had felt so right and so real, not wicked or manipulative. Just … perfect.
She didn’t have to live her life in brilliant swaths of color and chaos. She could be just like everyone else if she wanted to be—normal. From now on, she’d try to become the kind of woman who didn’t indulge her every whim, a woman who controlled her desires and considered her actions.
“Except for kissing,” she murmured. After all, what harm could it do to enjoy the lips of a man as handsome and sexy as Kellan Quinn? It was only a matter of time before he found out about her past, about the life she wanted to leave behind. And men like Kellan were not the type to put up with the kind of baggage she carried with her.
Gelsey turned on the shower, then let the quilt drop to the floor. She was warm now, and happy. It was time to take a breath and see life the way everyone else in the world did—without the endless drama and rollercoaster emotions.
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