Lilac Lane (Chesapeake Shores #14)(69)

Kiera knew she should say no. She really should, but somehow when her mouth opened, the proper response simply wouldn’t come.

“Give me ten minutes,” she said, a breathless note in her voice that didn’t belong there. If she was making a reckless mistake, well, so be it. She’d made her fair share and lived to tell the stories.

*

Oh, he was tempting fate, alright, Bryan thought as he opened a bottle of Pinot Grigio and poured two glasses, then took them out onto the deck along with a plate of cheese and some crackers. Wine and a late-night snack outside under a starry sky spelled seduction, pure and simple. He knew it, and Kiera clearly did, as well.

He thought of Luke’s perfectly reasonable word of caution earlier and winced. He needed to remember exactly who Kiera was. Not that she was his boss’s mother-in-law, but a woman who’d been deeply hurt by the two significant men in her life, albeit in entirely different ways. He couldn’t allow himself to be the third.

He thought he was a better man than Sean Malone and healthier, perhaps, than Peter McDonough, but what did that matter when he had no idea what his intentions were? An honorable man would tread carefully under the circumstances.

He took a long swallow of the crisp wine and reminded himself that there was something none of them knew, something he usually kept pushed so far to the back of his mind that it didn’t even register. He could very well still be considered legally married. While it might be an easy thing for him to forget after all these years, he doubted Kiera would consider it a small omission. Of all the women in the world who might overlook such an uncertain history, Kiera was definitely not one likely to do so. Caution would have her running in the opposite direction and, perhaps, rightly so.

Which meant he had to tell her before things went any further between them...if only he could find the words.

Though it was a clear night, the stars provided little light, and the slip of a moon added almost none. Still he saw Kiera’s shadow crossing the lawn between their houses. He smiled at the sight of her bare feet and the oversize robe she’d belted tightly around her waist. He immediately found himself wondering what she wore beneath the thick white terry cloth that covered her from neck to midcalf. His fingers suddenly itched to tug the belt free and find out.

“Warmer now?” he asked softly as she joined him on the deck.

“Warmer and dry,” she said, accepting the glass of wine he held out. She took a sip and sighed. “This is definitely just what the doctor ordered. You’ll have to tell me where to find him on the internet. He seems a reliable sort, after all.”

“I thought you might come to appreciate him,” Bryan said. “Try some of the cheese.”

“Not just yet,” she said, sighing and closing her eyes. “I think I could fall asleep right here.”

“It was a long day,” Bryan agreed. “But a good one, too.”

“It was. Luke must be pleased. The pub was busy from the moment we opened until we closed for the fireworks. And I heard compliments for the food throughout the day from those who were visiting Chesapeake Shores for the first time. I suspect they’ll be back again soon. I must have handed out a hundred copies of the flier for our upcoming music schedule.” She shook her head ruefully. “And I caught Nell handing out a flier about the cooking competition.”

Bryan chuckled. “She’s not one to miss an opportunity to spread the word. Did you get a look at her flier?”

“Not even a glimpse,” Kiera admitted. “She claimed not to have enough to go around and to wait until she’d made another batch.”

“That’s worrisome,” Bryan said. “That tells me she was fairly certain you and I wouldn’t like whatever it said.”

Kiera sighed. “That was my reaction, too.” Suddenly she sat up straight. “Do you have a pen and paper handy? I should probably jot a note to myself to remind Luke to have more copies of the pub’s music schedule made.”

“Stay still. I’ll help you remember.”

She glanced his way. “It must be gratifying to you to hear such universal praise for your food.”

He smiled. “And it must stick in your craw,” he said.

“Why would you say such a thing?”

“Aren’t you always telling me that your ways are better?” he reminded her. “And aren’t we destined to put the claim to the test just a few months from now?”

Kiera sighed. “And we were having such a pleasant time,” she grumbled. “Why would you bring that up now?”

“To be clear, you brought it up when you mentioned Nell handing out notices of the fall event, but I’ll let it drop. I wouldn’t want to ruin one of these treasured moments of peace between us.” He hesitated for a long time, then said, “Luke said something today that we should probably talk about.”

“About what?” she asked warily, visibly stiffening.

“He warned me not to hurt you.”

Kiera turned a dismayed look on him. “He didn’t! Why would he do such a thing?”

“Because he saw that kiss this morning and he’s concerned about you. And I imagine Moira added her two cents as well and demanded he deal with me.”

“Am I not a grown woman capable of looking out for myself?” Kiera demanded indignantly.

“Of course you are, but the people who love you will always be concerned. They want to know I’m not going to take advantage of you.”