One Unforgettable Kiss

Home. Wife. Kids. The perfect storm, Garrek thought.

At one point in his life he’d thought he might want that. And then he’d thought better of the silly notion. His life was his career; that’s what he’d always planned.

“Nonsense,” Morgan said after she’d taken a few seconds to ease into the chair across from Gray. “I’m due September 1, and that’s the perfect day for these babies to be born. It won’t be in the sticky and stifling heat of the summer, but knocking on the door to fall.”

She was rubbing her stomach as she spoke, and Garrek couldn’t help but stare.

“I hope they’re not girls,” Jack said as he shifted in the seat next to Garrek.

“There’s nothing wrong with girls,” Gray replied while lifting Lily and placing her into the seat beside him. “They’re sugar and spice and everything nice.”

The kiss he planted on Lily’s cheek was loud and resulted in the girl smiling as she practically beamed at him.

Yes, they are, Garrek thought and then shook his head to clear his mind.

“Harper works for you?” he asked Gray after the blessing had been said and everyone was busy putting food onto their plates.

“Harper owns Presley Construction. Her cousins Craig and Marlon work with the construction crew, and Harper manages the project,” Gray told him.

“She’s really good at what she does,” Morgan added. “And she’s a nice girl. So you should definitely take her out on that date you paid for.”

“How much do you pay for dates?” Jack asked.

“Usually men don’t pay for dates,” Gray answered quickly. “But my brother wanted to make a donation to a worthy cause. Isn’t that right, Garrek?”

“Ah, yeah, that’s right,” Garrek answered. He figured now was definitely not the right time to bring up the fact that he hadn’t known he was doing any of that. He’d just been enjoying his drink. Maybe that had been a sign that he’d had enough to drink for the night.

“I think they should go to a movie and have dinner at the diner,” Morgan said. “Something casual.”

“I want to see Beauty and the Beast,” Lily replied quietly.

“I don’t really want to go on a date,” Garrek announced.

The words had been rolling over and over in his mind since Morgan had brought it up on the porch. He hadn’t come to Temptation to date anyone. He’d had enough of that back in Washington. Garrek was here to get his thoughts together, to figure out what his next step in life was, and that did not involve Harper, the prettiest construction worker he’d ever laid eyes on.

“I mean, that’s not why I came to Temptation,” he corrected when he noticed Morgan and Gray’s questioning gazes were on him.

“Why aren’t you flying planes?” Lily asked. “Daddy says you like to fly planes all the time.”

Another mistake in what was beginning to seem like a stream of them. Garrek lifted his glass and took a gulp of orange juice.

“I do like to fly planes, but I’m on leave... I mean, I’m on a vacation for a while,” he corrected when he thought Lily might not understand that Garrek’s commander had authorized an emergency leave chit for Garrek. So his vacation had been both impromptu and nonnegotiable. He was still pissed about that fact, but he had no intention of letting Gray or his family know about it.

“We’re on vacation, too,” Jack chimed in. “For the whole summer! We’ve got days and days to just play and sleep.”

“We have to help Mama get ready for the new babies,” Lily corrected her brother.

“But we can still play, too. The babies aren’t coming till the fall. That’s what Aunt Wendy said,” Jack argued.

“Eat, both of you,” Morgan stated firmly. “Granny’s coming to get you at noon to go to the playground.”

That was enough to silence Jack for the rest of the meal, and while Lily obeyed her mother, she continued to send questioning gazes toward Garrek. She was a pretty little girl with her black hair separated down the middle into two ponytails, the way Garrek’s mother used to style his sisters’ when they were young.

Olivia Taylor had loved the sextuplets she’d prayed for. Bringing the six babies—Grayson, Garrek, Gemma, Genevieve, Gage and Gia—home from the hospital thirty years ago had been the light of her life. Having a town that was just as excited about the first multiple births as they were about the revenue from the reality show the Taylor family starred in, was a joy as well. Until seven years later when it all spiraled out of control.

The constant invasion into their privacy, coupled with the scandal Theodor created by having an affair had proved to be too much for Olivia to endure. She moved her children to Pensacola. When each of them graduated, they’d all gone their separate ways, with no intention of ever returning to this small town. But look at him now.

After breakfast Gray announced that he and Garrek would clean the dishes while Morgan took Jack and Lily upstairs to get them ready for the day with their great-grandmother. Garrek had planned to spend the bulk of the day going over the papers in his room and doing more research, but he had to admit that Gray stopping by and bringing him to meet his family had been a pleasant distraction.

“You’ve got a great family, Gray. I’m really happy for you,” Garrek said as he brought in the last of the dishes from the dining room.

Gray was at the sink scraping the remnants of the plates into the garbage disposal.

“Thanks, Garrek,” he said over his shoulder. “I didn’t think it was possible, but here it is.”

“Yeah,” Garrek said and nodded. “Life’s funny that way.”

He walked over to the back door and stared out the windows to a porch that was in progress and the large backyard where Garrek remembered them playing as kids.

“Life is what you decide to make of it,” Gray said.

Garrek nodded. “Dad said that at our graduation.”

“He did.”

“I didn’t think you were listening to him. You never made it a secret that you hated him,” Garrek replied without turning to look at his brother.

“I didn’t hate him,” Gray answered. “I hated what he did to us.”

“The affair or leaving?” Garrek asked, because their father had done both. He’d had an affair with one of the production assistants from the Taylors of Temptation reality show, which their entire family had starred in from the time Garrek was born until he was seven years old.

“It doesn’t matter,” Gray said. “He’s gone. Mom’s gone. All of that happened a long time ago.”

Garrek agreed with that, but still, he couldn’t help but wonder if some mistakes were hereditary.

“I opened a new account and transferred the money under my name,” Garrek told Gray. “If my commanders found out I had an offshore account, it could be a problem.”

That had been his reason for taking the money that his father had apparently saved for him. Theodor Taylor had left his wife and six children for a younger woman, but he’d never stopped taking care of his family. That was obvious by the child support payments their mother always received on time, the gifts their father routinely provided for them as they were growing up and the money he’d put into accounts on Grand Cayman Island for each of his children. Money that Garrek had no idea what he was going to do with.

“It’s yours to do with as you please,” Gray said. “That’s why I sent everyone the account information.”

Gray had sent that information, along with a sealed envelope that Garrek had just opened two days ago.

“How long are you planning to stay?” Gray asked him.

Garrek turned to see his brother loading the dishwasher. He moved to the counter and picked up a damp white cloth. Without another thought, he went to the island and began to wipe it clean.

“I don’t know,” he answered finally. “This wasn’t a planned trip, but I’ve got a lot of thinking to do about that stuff you sent me, so I’m going to take my time with that.”

“Is that okay with your commander?” Gray asked. “Gen and I have been talking about how hard you work and how you’re rising in the ranks. You sure you can be away now?”

Garrek paused and lifted his head to look at Gray, who was now standing on the other side of the island.

“Yeah, it’s cool. I just want to take care of a few things before accepting my next post.”

Gray stared at him for a few seconds before nodding. “Well, like I said, you’re welcome to stay here.”

When Garrek opened his mouth to reply, Gray held up both hands.

“But it’s cool if you don’t. I understand. It wasn’t easy for me when I first came back here, either. I do, however, want you to come over for Sunday dinners and to spend time with us. We’re family, Garrek. I know we haven’t acted like it in the last ten years, but I think it’s past time we started living up to what Mom always wanted.”

Olivia had been proud of Garrek when he’d decided to enroll in the Naval Academy. She’d visited him in Annapolis and beamed at him in his dress uniform. Garrek could still hear the last words she’d spoken to him that day at the airport.

You’re going to be a fine pilot and an extraordinary man, Garrek. I know it here in my heart.

The memory almost brought tears to his eyes as Garrek thought about the past few weeks and how the choices he’d made would have been such a letdown to his mother.

“Ah, I will,” Garrek said and cleared his throat. “I’m going to head back to the B&B now. I’ll catch up with you later.”

He moved quickly, afraid that if he had to stand in that charming kitchen staring at his brother, now a father and a husband, a moment longer, he would crack. He did not want to break down, and least of all in front of Gray. So Garrek moved quickly out of the house, so fast that he almost stepped off the curb before spotting the tractor-trailer speeding down the street.

He did, however, look up in enough time to see that Harper was carrying two huge bags of something over her shoulder in a way that blocked her view of the tractor-trailer and its fast trek toward her. Garrek ran into the street and pushed Harper out of the way. They landed on the other side of the street, the bags going one way, Harper flat on her back and Garrek on top of her.

Time seemed to stand still. Everything and everyone around them also disappeared. Or rather, Garrek tuned it all out as he looked down at her. Yes, her body was soft and his was definitely responding quickly to the new physical arrangement. But it was her eyes that reached out and grabbed him, holding every part of his body completely still. It was fear, stark and bold in the depths of her eyes. He couldn’t look away. Not from the orbs that resembled drops of root beer.

“I’m okay now,” she said in a breathy whisper.

She pushed at him, her palms moving between them to flatten on his chest. The blood that had been pooling in his groin heated, and his erection pressed painfully against the zipper of his jeans.

“Garrek,” she started once more.

He liked the sound of his name on her lips and dragged his gaze from her eyes to watch her lips move. Bare lips that were shaped like those of the heavily made-up women he saw in magazine ads. Her nose was long, straight and peppered with freckles. It wasn’t a usual feature he saw on women, but damn, on her it was more than a little arousing.

“What happened?” a male voice asked.

“Are you all right, Harper?” came another.

It was then that Garrek realized a few things. One, they were not alone, and two, he was still on top of her. And he was enjoying being on top of her, much more than he ever would have anticipated.

“I’m okay,” she said and pushed at him hard enough this time that he moved.

As he came to stand, Garrek took her by both hands and helped her up. When she was standing, she immediately pulled her hands from his grip.

“What the hell was that?” A tall guy dressed in cargo pants and a T-shirt came over to move between Garrek and Harper. “Are you all right?”

“I’m good,” Harper told him, but he didn’t seem convinced. “Really, Marlon, I’m okay.”

Garrek looked at the guy differently now. At first he’d been wondering if it were her boyfriend or something like that. But he remembered hearing her say the name before, and Morgan saying that Marlon and Craig were her cousins who worked for her. So he relaxed a little when he replied, “A tractor-trailer going way too fast in this residential area.”

Marlon turned to stare at him. He was a young guy, maybe midtwenties, with a bush of curly dark hair and a beard.

“And you are?” Marlon asked.

Garrek extended his hand and answered, “I’m Garrek Taylor.”

It wasn’t until he said Taylor that Marlon’s stance eased and he shook Garrek’s hand. Garrek could totally understand protective cousins.

“We need to get back to work,” Harper said, and the others who had gathered around them began to scatter.

Garrek didn’t move, and neither did Marlon.

“Thanks, Garrek,” she said as she looked over to him. “I should have been paying more attention.”

After that Harper walked away with Marlon following her. Garrek figured the guy still wasn’t a hundred percent certain about him. Perhaps because of the way he’d been lying comfortably—or at least pleasurably—on top of Harper. But Garrek wasn’t concerned with Marlon or his perception of him at the moment. He was mesmerized, once again, by the way Harper’s jeans fit her and how her long legs carried her gracefully across the street. When she squatted to pick up one of the bags she’d been carrying, Garrek continued to watch her, noting the strength in her arms and the independence in her spirit as she refused Marlon’s help.

He stared at her for much longer than was probably proper, and when he finally decided to turn away and started walking down the street, he was still thinking of her. With everything else he had going on in his life, the very last thing he needed was to have another woman on his mind. But she was there, her face apparently permanently etched in his mind, the feel of her beneath him emblazoned on his body. Even the air he breathed seemed to smell just like her—an earthy, floral mixture that was driving him crazy.

When he finally arrived at the B&B Garrek went straight to his room and dropped down into a chair. He ran his hands over his face and shook his head in an attempt to erase the current thoughts. Harper Presley was not what Garrek needed to be thinking about right now. He already had one woman wreaking havoc in his life. He definitely did not need another one.

Chapter 4

He was hard.

Strong...she meant.

And hard.

And the memory of him stuck in her mind like rocks in cement.

It had been about seven hours since Garrek Taylor had saved her life—from the idiot tractor-trailer driver who had been illegally speeding down a residential street. Almost twenty-four hours since he’d saved her from the Magnolia Guild and further humiliation in front of a small portion of the town’s population. And a little less than that since he’d invaded her dreams with his sexy voice and that knowing glare.

Truth be told, Harper wasn’t overly worried about what the townspeople thought about her. They’d been thinking the same thing all her life—that Harper Lane Presley was an incorrigible tomboy who’d rather swallow flies than wear a dress and makeup. They were partially right. Harper did not like makeup. She’d tried it once and her stubborn freckles had poked right through, like tenacious weeds growing in a garden year after year. And dresses did not work well with climbing trees or playing softball and sliding into home to score the winning run, which was the ultimate act to show off in front of her cousins.

But she was not incorrigible. In fact, when Harper had left Temptation to attend Virginia Varsity University, where she’d studied building construction, she’d actually made a concerted effort to try to act like the other girls. That hadn’t ended well, and Harper decided then that she simply was who she was, and whoever had a problem with that just didn’t matter.

Garrek Taylor didn’t seem to have a problem with her. He’d shown that with his twenty-five-hundred-dollar bid. Did that make him an ass? Bidding on a woman like she was a piece of property instead of doing the sociable thing and asking for a date like an ordinary man? Or did that mean he’d liked what he’d seen as she stood on that stage in one of the few skirts she owned, praying for a way to escape? She didn’t know, and she shouldn’t even be worrying about it. She couldn’t go on a date with Garrek Taylor.

She did, however, if she were totally truthful with herself, want to feel his hard body against hers once more. Sure, he had done it to save her life, but Harper had immediately realized that there were worse scenarios than having a man who looked—and oh, yes, smelled—like Garrek lying on top of her. His cologne was a bold musk fragrance that screamed strength and confidence even louder than his stance and actions. She’d picked up his scent last night as he’d walked beside her. Had dreamed about it last night and almost swooned over it when he’d been standing right behind her on the porch this morning. By the time he was on top of her, she’d been ready to rip his clothes off and press them to her nose. Damn, she was pitiful.

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you. We’ve got company.”

Harper startled at the sound of her father’s voice. She’d been standing at the railing on the back porch of her family farm, staring out at the miles of grass that led down to the barn.

“Oh, Daddy, I’m not in the mood for guests—” Her words were lost as Harper moved away from the railing and turned to see the company her father was referring to.

“Garrek here says you two met last night. Then Craig and Marlon told me about the incident at the Taylor house this afternoon. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Arnold Presley was a retired marine colonel. He was six feet three inches tall and almost as wide as a doorway. He kept his bulky frame in good physical condition by doing all the lifting and hauling around the farm. And according to him, he exercised his brain by watching an even mix of CNN and Sanford and Son reruns. His gray hair was cut close, while his keen sense for people ran rampant all day long.

“Last night was ridiculous and not worth talking about. Except that Mr., ah... Garrek Taylor...he um, made a great contribution to the Veterans Fund. So that was the highlight,” she said, managing to keep her gaze from falling on Garrek, who stood just behind her father.

He’d changed clothes. Earlier he’d worn jeans and a T-shirt. Tonight, he had on blue slacks and a gray button-down shirt. From laid-back to business casual, he looked like a model. Everything fit just the right way, and he appeared perfect in everything. It would have been sickening—if it wasn’t so alluring.

“Well, I would expect nothing less of a military man,” Arnold continued.

He was smiling—which her father rarely did—when he reached over to slap his brawny hand on Garrek’s shoulder. If that action caused Garrek any pain or discomfort, he was an expert at not showing his emotions, because he only smiled at Arnold and then returned his inquisitive gaze to her.

“You’re in the service?” she asked.

“Navy,” he replied.

“He’s a navy pilot!” Arnold added. “I’ll excuse him for choosing the navy over the FRS.”

Arnold thought everybody who even considered a career in the military should select the marines. How many debates had she witnessed between her father and her grandfather about which was better, the marines or the army? Too many to count.

“I didn’t know that,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. “Well, I’m sure my father will keep you entertained with talk about the war or the service, or both. I’ve got a few things to check, so I’ll just get out of your way.”

She made it all the way into the living room before she was stopped.

“Never seen you run from anybody before.”

“What?” she asked and spun around to see her grandfather sitting in his favorite recliner.

Harper hated that chair. The dingy brown floral pattern was straight out of the ’60s, and it creaked every time Pops leaned back to recline in it. But two Christmases ago when she’d bought him a new motorized leather recliner, he’d thanked her kindly but flat out refused to sit in it, declaring there was nothing wrong with his old one. The new recliner made its way into her father’s bedroom, and Harper wisely never broached the subject of Pops’s favorite seat in the house again.

“Oh, Pops, you scared me,” she replied.

“Only reason somebody would be frightened in their own house is if they were doing something they shouldn’t be doing,” he quipped.

He was sitting back in that chair, legs crossed at the ankles and pouring tobacco into his pipe, while his wire-framed glasses slipped slightly down his nose.

“Who’s frightened? I’m heading to the barn to make sure Craig stacked all the boxes of tile along the side like I asked him to. Aunt Laura called him and Marlon home right after we finished up today, so he said he’d bring the tile by after the special dinner she had planned.”

Pops nodded and took the first puff of his pipe. He’d been lighting it while she talked. That’s how she’d known she’d been rambling, because he hadn’t looked up once.

“Laura celebrates everything. I think Giff said it was the anniversary of the day they moved into that house. That’s why she was having a big ol’ dinner. Your father told Giff we already had our dinner on the stove when he called. That way we wouldn’t have to go.”

Harper frowned. “We had smoked sausage and fried potatoes for dinner tonight, and Daddy didn’t start cooking that until after I was home and showered.”

“Yep,” Pops said and gave his wide, toothy smile. “You’re right about that.”

Harper smiled in return, because her grandfather’s bug eyes, those glasses and his grin always made her feel happy inside.

“Right. So I’m just going to go out and get a count. I might load them in my truck so I’ll be ready to leave early tomorrow.”

“Sure. Sure. Take all the time you need,” Pops said. “I’m sure that nice navy fella will be gone by the time you’re done.”

Harper knew exactly what he was trying to say. But he was wrong anyway—she wasn’t running from Garrek Taylor. There was no reason to run from a man who meant nothing to her, but who still managed to set every inch of her traitorous body on fire with one gaze.

“He didn’t come to see me, Pops. So it’s fine if I leave,” she said and moved closer to the door.

“Guess you’re right. He came all the way out here to meet two old duds like me and your dad.”

Harper kept going, muttering once more, “He didn’t come to see me,” before opening and closing the front door behind her.

* * *

Garrek had driven out to the Presley farm to make sure that Harper was all right. After the near accident this morning, he’d just wanted to make sure he hadn’t hurt her with his impromptu save-the-day act. She was a lot thinner than his two hundred and thirty pounds.

He also wanted to get his mind off the many papers he’d read while he enjoyed the room service meal earlier this evening. A stout woman with tightly curled, frosted gray hair had welcomed him back when he arrived at the B&B after leaving Gray’s house. She’d introduced herself as Mrs. Louisa Reed, but insisted Garrek call her Nana Lou and apologized profusely for any bad things he might have heard about her son, Harry—who was now in jail—and Gray’s wife. Nana Lou felt the need to cater to him personally, even though there was another man at the front desk when he’d come in. His name was Otis, and the old herringbone cap he wore had definitely seen better days.

Garrek had found the scene to be homely and welcoming, a stark contrast from life on the base, or flying out at a moment’s notice for secret flight exercises. It made him think once more about the life he’d chosen, the one he’d thought he wanted more than anything else.

A few hours later, Nana Lou had sent up a large bowl of beef stew with two thick chunks of warm homemade bread and a pitcher of lemonade. It was a humid June day, and yet the hearty stew and bread had hit the spot as an early dinner in the quaint air-conditioned room. While he enjoyed the stew, Garrek read through everything in the two envelopes that Gray had sent him months ago. After the meal, he sat in the high-backed chair near the window and thought about everything that had been in those envelopes. When he finally felt a bit overwhelmed with it all, the idea to check on Harper hit him. And Otis had been the one to provide her address when Garrek inquired.