She was anything but unprepared, and there was nothing casual about what they had just experienced. Whether she believed it or not. It had stirred him emotionally, warmed him right down to his toes, and left him yearning for more. Definitely a feeling he’d never encountered before.
He grinned. His eyes moved over her face. “Meet me in an elevator sometime and I’ll show you how much I like public places.”
Her head snapped up. She shivered almost violently.
Kale sensed it was a shiver of anticipation.
Chapter 3
A light dusting of snow fell over Kale’s much too flashy candy-apple red rental truck as he pulled into his mother’s circular driveway. Strings of white icicle lights lined the perimeter of the aged cedar-shingled bungalow and twinkled in the dark night. Kale smiled. For as long as he could remember, his mother had always made Christmas a special time for her three children, regardless of their limited funds.
A sense of belonging washed over him as he took a moment to peruse his old neighborhood. Not much had changed since he left eight years ago. He’d been home for visits, of course, but this was the first time he’d been back for the holidays. Earlier in the week, he’d spent time with his mother, but now he was looking forward to catching up with his sisters and spending Christmas as a family, instead of waking up in his overpriced condo with some corporate climber who was nothing more to him than a passing interest. Nor was he anything more to her.
Kale knew his reputation as a playboy had preceded him. It was a well-known fact that he’d played the bachelor game and lived the playboy lifestyle, just like all the other men and women in his social circle. Six months ago, after realizing he wanted more out of life, he’d begun searching for a woman who stirred him both physically and emotionally. He’d almost given up his quest to find his perfect partner.
Almost.
Now, after meeting a sexy scientist who’d turned his world upside down in the span of a week, he wasn’t interested in going back to his old ways and was eager to leave his playboy persona behind him.
Even though Erin had so blatantly stated that men were good for one thing and one thing only—sex—Kale was seeking more from her than a frivolous one-night stand. The first time he set eyes on her, he’d felt like he’d been sucker punched. Her killer smile, intelligence, quick wit, and easy demeanor had him reconsidering his disbelief in love at first sight.
Kale blew out a heavy sigh, knowing Erin wasn’t ready to hear him express his feelings and tell her he wasn’t simply interested in exploring a brief affair. Gut instinct warned he’d scare her off with his candor. She was guarded and vulnerable for a reason, a reason he vowed to get to the bottom of.
Kale swept his gaze across the small bungalow once again as a movement behind the bay window caught his attention. He’d managed to make a life for himself in Los Angeles, but he had to admit, there was no place like home. It had been far too long since he’d joined the family for one of their ritual Sunday night dinners.
The sound of a car pulling in behind him roused him from his musings. He grabbed his keys from the ignition and reached for his door handle.
Waving wildly, his younger sister Lisa scrambled from the passenger side of the vehicle and dashed toward him. He barely had time to climb out of the driver’s seat before she threw her slender arms around his shoulders and squeezed him with a strength someone as tiny as she was couldn’t possibly possess.
“Kale,” she squealed, her warm breath visible in the chilly night air. “I’ve missed you.”
“Jesus, I can tell,” he teased, hugging her back. “Have you been working out?”
Lisa chuckled. “Yeah, Nick works in the campus weight room. He got me hooked.”
The wind picked up as Kale gripped her shoulders and inched back. Snow swirled around them and clung to their coats like dander. Kale blinked the heavy wet flakes from his eyelashes and dipped his head to meet his sister’s gaze.
“Nick?” he asked, giving her a stern look. His protective instincts surged to the surface. He furrowed his brow and let out a sigh. “Why is this the first I’ve heard of Nick?”
She whacked him with her gloved hand, sending snowflakes flying through the air in a mad flurry, and then rubbed her palms together to create heat as the temperature around them dropped a few more degrees.
“Because I didn’t need a lecture over the phone and I don’t need it now.” She waved for Nick to come over.
Kale glanced past his shoulders. As Nick moved toward him, he absorbed every detail of the plow truck who had caught his sister’s attention and had given her Schwarzenegger muscles.
Even though he was twice Kale’s size, he looked afraid. Good, Kale mused. He should be.
Kale widened his stance and put on his best scowl as the man drew near.
Lisa squeezed his arm in warning. “Kale, stop it. You’ve scared enough of my boyfriends away over the years. And you can stop protecting me. I’m all grown up.”
He cocked a skeptical brow. “All grown up? What are you, twelve now?”
She swatted him. “Very funny. I’m twenty-two and you know it. And I only have one semester left of college.” She tilted her chin and flashed him a perfect smile. “Thanks to Jay’s connections, I’ve already got my foot in the door down at Iowa Research Center.” Her eyes lit up. “Maybe we’ll get to work together someday.”
Kale returned her smile. It was nice that Jay had continued to watch over Kale’s family in his absence.
Nick moved in beside Lisa and wrapped one arm around her in a protective manner, warming her shivering body, as he thrust
