“Well, then come on over here, and we’ll head back.”
He must have decided to bypass the opportunity for some one on one time.
Too damn bad, she thought.
They were going inside the boathouse. He might look for a way out, but he would not find one. He tried to avoid taking her there in the first place, and she realized why. They were alone and Kane didn’t do all-alone well, at least not with her.
“I will but first… you promised to show me around.”
“I don’t make promises. Braden hasn’t brought you out here?”
“Nope,” she said as she tumbled out of the car with too much spring in her step and bounce in her boobs. It was deliberate. She was blessed, and she liked to flaunt it. Plus, she was eighteen. She needed to shake and bounce around Kane all the more. Maybe then he’d notice what he’d missed.
Kane pursed his lips but he followed her. He took the steps down to the water two at a time. With a key in his hand, he unlocked and pushed the front door open all at once.
“Do you come out here a lot?” she asked.
“Some,” he replied.
“With girls?”
“Women.” He made his point.
She smirked. “Well, I guess I’m in the right place then. I’m eighteen today, and I’ve felt like a woman for years. I have the body to help me look the part, you know.”
“I don’t want to know,” he said, rolling his beautiful dark eyes and grinning enough to sport the cute dimple in his cheek. At six foot three, he looked like a giant next to her.
He walked through the close quarters and pointed out anything worth a mention. “There’s the kitchen. If you’re out here and there’s beer in the fridge, don’t drink it. I count them.”
“I bet.” She whirled around, reached up, and pinched his cheek. “Do you count how many your girlfriends drink so you can charge them by the can?”
“No, I don’t.” he grunted. “Over there’s the bedroom. Two sets of bunks and we’d better not catch you out here using them for anything more than a sleep over.”
“There’s an idea.”
He ignored her and moved into the living room to open the patio door. She rushed by him before she stepped onto the tiny dock where two jet skis were pulled up to the enclosed deck. “Wow! Talk about a bachelor’s pad. Why don’t you live out here?”
“I meant to move out here this summer. It didn’t work out.”
“Why?”
He shrugged and looked at his boots. “Just didn’t.”
“Braden refused to allow it because of me, right?”
Kane chuckled. “Do you think everything is about you, little girl?”
She gritted her teeth. “I’m not a little girl but in case you failed to noticed, it seems most everything with you guys somehow ends up about me.” She walked through the terrace door and headed for the bunkroom. “Where’s the bathroom?”
“Over here,” he said. Walking into the confined quarters, he pulled back the shower curtain and showed her how to operate a faulty faucet.
“Pay attention. You might want water sometime. What you do is hold up the knob here and then jerk it really tight before you turn on the hot or cold. Otherwise, the water pressure is limited.”
She tried to act interested but it proved tough. Looking at his ass, she made a quick decision. She’d figure out the function of water works when she needed a shower. Right now, other things occupied her mind.
“Peyton, are you listening to me?” he asked over his shoulder.
“I’m listening.” She patted his lower back and his body went rigid. She noticed how he quickly straightened his back and reached for the sink.
“Under here, we keep a first-aid kit, extra towels, washcloths, and plain ‘ole bathroom stuff. You know, shampoo and that sort of thing.” His eyes widened when he spotted something sticking out from under a stack of towels.
She noticed the alarming look and peered under the sink quickly. There, she saw a white little tote. “What’s in the bag?”
“Personal stuff.”
“Oh,” she said. “Afraid you might bring a chick here and she has a need for personal stuff?” She wrinkled her nose.
“No, I’m not.” He moved her to the side but she didn’t budge on her own. She stooped lower and reached for the bag.
He caught her wrist. “It’s private.”
“So, I’ll come back out here tomorrow and look. It’s a long way out here to satisfy curiosity but I will come back. I earned a key to the place, you know.”
She watched for a flash of recognition. One telling sign to let her know he took her at her word. Oh yeah, she’d drive back out because she realized what she would find.
“Leave it alone, Peyton,” he deadpanned. This time, he placed his hand on her waist to move her out of his way. She still didn’t make it easy on him. Her knees refused to bend. She stayed put.
“Show me.”
“No. Let’s go. Somebody has a birthday dinner to eat and a friend waiting. Evan and Braden will wonder where we are.”
She stretched her arms over her head and let them fall. Her palms settled on her thighs. “I’m legal now, you know.”
He refused to stare at her breasts when she tried to get his attention. Instead, he concentrated harder on her face. Damn if she wasn’t a pretty thing.
Ah shoot, why not notice the boobs? He allowed himself the indulgence. With her scoop neck white T-shirt, and perky little nipples pressing through the thin material, when she stretched, he looked. He stared hard. It was long overdue.
“I didn’t get a birthday kiss,” she pointed out.
“Yes, you did,” he reminded her. “Three hugs and three kisses.”
“On the cheek, only on the cheek.” She pointed where.
“I’m not kissing you, Peyton,” he told her.
When Peyton first moved in, she gave them attitude. Every day started with a new game. One day, she’d leave the bathroom door open while showering. The next she ate breakfast in her thong and bra. It was never- ending. He moaned. Until she realized they didn’t look because of her illegal age status. Oh boy, a long winter straight ahead rang out with trouble.
“Have it your way.” She stooped again and pulled the white leather bag from under the sink.
Before she opened it, he caught her hand and tugged her against his body. “Listen to me, little girl, we’re not opening this for your virgin eyes.” He tore it from her grip, and she shrugged then walked out.
He tossed it on the counter so he wouldn’t forget to take it with him. If he forgot it, she’d come back to snoop. What he had tucked away inside might scare her to death.
On second thought, knowing Peyton, she’d probably strip.
“I bet it’s your loss,” she teased.
He followed her into the bunkroom. She climbed to the top bunk, and let her legs dangle over the wide iron frame. She twirled a few strands of hair. “It is, isn’t it?”
“What? Not living out here?”
“No, I mean, I bet whatever you’re toting in your sling pack, you can use on your women. Since I’m very much a woman now, it’s your loss.” She rolled over on her stomach and stared at him. “Are you sure you don’t want to go get your little goodies? We’ll pretend we don’t know one another and play house.”
