Dark And Dangerous (11 page)

 
Turning back to her aisle, she quickly set up
the rest of her things. It was a beautiful day to paint. The sky was clear, the
grounds of the resort were lush and green and the ocean was a deep seething
turquoise.

 
Within seconds she was engulfed in painting,
barely sensing anything but the scenery she was beginning to create on her
canvas.

 
She didn't notice as Nathan watched her
paint, or as he got up and walked over to stand behind her. Not until he slid
the back of his finger softly over her shoulder and up the back of her neck,
did she realize he was there.

 
Turning her head, she found herself looking
into his deep blue eyes. Her heart skipped, then beat frantically when he
smiled at her.

 
"You're beautiful, Kayley."

That caught her completely
off guard. No one had ever called her beautiful, and she had never considered
herself as so.

Unsure of how to respond,
she opened her mouth to say something, then just closed it again as no sound
came out.

 
"That surprises you?" He tucked a
stray lock of hair behind her ear. "It really shouldn't. I would have
thought that a painter of your caliber would see everything clearly. Including
yourself."

 
Uncomfortable she moved her shoulders.
"I rarely do portraits, so I've had no reason to study humans intensely. I
do however see the different aspects of nature perfectly, and that is all that
matters," she said defensively. She would have stepped back, but he
stopped her, framing her face in his hands.

 
"Kayley, I didn't mean it as a critique.
And certainly not of your skills. I just find it very interesting that you can
see the beauty in your surroundings so clearly, but you fail to see it in
yourself." He leaned down and kissed the frown that had formed between her
brows, at his words. "But whether you see it or not, Kayley, I find you
very beautiful, both inside and out."

 
Her breath caught and backed up in her throat
at his words and the intense look in his eyes. She tried to think frantically
of a response, but her mind wasn't cooperating.

Nathan smiled, seeing the
stunned look on her face and the turbulence in her eyes. Leaning down again, he
kissed her sweetly and made heat spread through her body and her heart quake
uncomfortably.

 
He lifted his head and looked down at her.
"I have to go in and look at the papers for the new resort, but if you
need me I'll be right in the next room." He kissed her quickly again.

"You can just come
right in."

 
Releasing her, he walked out of the office.

 
Alone, Kayley let out an explosive breath.
She didn't know how he was able to send her heart galloping with nothing more
than a look. It was unsettling, she thought. Okay, and exciting, she admitted
to herself. But God it scared her as well. It was unlike anything she had ever
felt before, and she wasn't quite sure if she liked it.

 
Sighing, she picked up her pencil. She really
had to stop thinking about Nathan all the time. It was getting in her way.

 
Deciding resolutely to expel all thoughts of
him from her mind, Kayley turned her complete attention to her painting. And
discovered it wasn't nearly as easy as it had always been for her. Frowning in
annoyance, she put more effort into it. Still it wasn't easy. But at some point
along the way, she forgot about her intentions not to think about him, and was
instead caught up in the joy painting brought to her.

 
Walking into the room, Nathan stood still for
a moment and just watched Kayley paint. She made such a beautiful picture, he
thought, as she stood there completely unaware of his presence. The Sun
cascaded over her, making her golden hair ripple and shine as she moved. He
walked over to stand behind her to watch the painting she was creating. It was
extraordinary, he thought. Absolutely stunning. She had caught the turquoise
depth of the Ocean, the twisted cypress trees against the soft blue sky, and
the Suns play over the land exactly.

 
"You've made quite a lot of
progress."

Kayley let out a shriek of
surprise at the voice coming from right behind her, and turned swinging her
paintbrush.

Nathan barely managed to
catch her hand, before the brush collided with his chest.

 
"You have to stop doing that," he
said unaffected.

 
"I will if you stop sneaking up on
me." She glared at him annoyed.

 
"I didn't sneak up on you. You were just
too preoccupied to notice me." He lifted the hand he had caught to brush a
kiss over the knuckles. The gesture made her knees weak and her stomach
flutter. Nervously she cleared her throat.

 
"Did your meeting go well?" she
asked.

 
"Yes, we have decided to build in Mt.
Shasta. So now we will begin taking all the next steps." He smiled at her
over her hand and kissed it again, before releasing it.

 
"You must be happy then?" Her hand
still tingled from his kiss.

 
"I am."

 
"And Damian?" she asked.

 
"He's very happy. We both agreed that
this is what we want." He touched her hair lightly.

 
"So are you done working for
today?"

 
"No, I still have some details to look
over, and then I want to start looking for an architect."

 
"You're not going to use the same one
that build this resort?" she asked surprised.

 
"No, he retired just after he finished
my house, so we will have to find another one. But I thought I might call him
and ask if he can recommend anyone."

 
"Okay."

 
"Then I'm going to call Smith Imports
and see what I can discover."

Kayley felt a dread settle
in her stomach at the thought of her brother.

 
"You really shouldn't be the one to make
that call. I should."

He looked at her troubled
eyes and reached out, pulling her into his arms.

 
"Be careful," she said, stiffening,
"I'll just get paint on you."

 
"I'll live." He simply pulled her
closer and laid his cheek on her hair. "I know you think you have to do
everything yourself, Kayley, but I won't let you." He pulled her back, so
he could look into her eyes. "Lean a little, Kayley. Let me help
you."

His eyes were serious and
direct on hers, and she could see that he meant it.

  
"You're a good man, Nathan, and it's
not because I'm not grateful for all your help. It's just that it's not your
responsibility."

 
"This has nothing to do with
responsibility. I know you're not used to leaning or depending on anyone but
yourself, and I know you've been let down most of your life. I know you're
afraid to trust, Kayley, but believe me I have no intention of letting you
down, and I'm not going anywhere." He smiled charmingly at her, although
his eyes remained serious. "And besides, you might as well give in now
because I'll just keep chipping away at you until you do."

 
He sounded so sure of himself and cocky, that
she couldn't prevent her smile. "You're awfully confident, aren't
you?"

 
"Only because I know I'm right." He
leaned down and kissed her brow. "I'll make those calls now."

 
He walked over to his desk and sat down,
picking up the phone. Kayley turned back to her picture and let out a slow
breath. The man was dangerous, she thought. He appeared to see straight through
her, something that no one else had ever been able to do. It scared her, just
as he was right it scared her to lean on him or anyone else, even just a
little. She picked up the paintbrush again and continued to paint, as she
listened to him speak with the architect for a while. Then her stomach
tightened convulsively as he dialed a new number and waited. And waited.

 
Finally he hung up. "I just tried
calling Smith Imports, but I only got an answering machine."

 
Kayley turned around to look at him, and was
ashamed of herself for feeling relieved that he hadn't reached anyone.

 
"But
it's
Saturday, so I didn't expect anything else," he added.

 
"No, of course not." Nervously she
wrung her hands together.

 
"I thought about ordering up some food.
What do you say to a break?"

 
"That sounds good."

He called down their
orders and they walked out onto the balcony to enjoy their meal.

 
"Did your architect recommend you anyone
else?" she asked as they ate.

 
"Yes. He recommended an architect that
had worked at his company. An Alexander
Gabriels
that
he had nothing but praise for."

 
"Are you going to call him?"

 
"Yeah, I'll call him on Monday, and set
up a meeting. See some of the work he has done and have him come up with a
suggestion and plans for the new resort."

They talked about that and
Nathan's ideas as they finished their meal, before they went back to work. It
wasn't until it was nearly four o'clock, before Nathan finally broke her
attention.

 
"Are you ready to call it a day?"

Pulled out of her deep
concentration, she looked up at him and blinked. It took a moment for her mind
to engage.

 
"What did you say?"

 
"I asked if you're ready to call it a
day."

She looked back at her
painting and reluctantly nodded. The light had changed anyway, she thought with
a sigh. "Okay, I'll just pack up."

 
"You could just leave the painting
here," he said casually. "You will have to come back anyway to finish
it."

 
"Oh, well, that's true. I suppose I
could leave it here," she considered. "If you don't mind?"

 
"I don't. If you want to paint at the
house you can always take the rest of your gear with you. But otherwise you can
just leave everything here."

 
"I think I'll take my equipment with me
just in case."

 
"Okay. I'll go and have a quick word
with Damian, while you pack what you need."

Kayley went about her
business quickly and had everything packed, right as Nathan walked back in.

 
"Are you done?" he asked.

 
"Yes." Before she could lift the
box, he took it from her.

 
"You know," she said as they walked
into the elevator, "no one has ever carried all of my things for me
before."

 
"Well, it's about time then."

Chapter 11

 
Kayley
leaned her head back against the headrest and tried to relax as they drove back
to his house. She watched the landscape pass by her window and tried not to
think about Nathan's family. Suddenly she realized that they were driving in
the wrong direction.

 
"Where are we going?"

 
"To my family."

 
"Now?" she asked panicked.

 
"Yes."

 
"But I thought we were going back first.
I haven't changed clothes, and I probably have paint splatters all over
me."

 
He spared her a sideways glance and wisely
hid a smile. "I can't see any paint on you."

 
"But
—
" She looked down at herself, but couldn't
find any paint either. "Well, I still can't go looking like this."

 
"I didn't think you cared so much about
your looks," Nathan said amused.

She didn't usually, and
had to admit to herself that it was partly because she was trying to stall.

 
"Kayley, it doesn't matter what you
wear. It doesn't even matter if they like you or not. I just want you to be
there."

Her heart melted at his
words. "Okay, but don't be disappointed if they don't like me."

 
"I don't see why they wouldn't,
especially since they already like you. But I meant what I said. It won't
matter to me."

He pulled up in front of a
big Victorian house, and turned off the engine.

 
"You ready?" Nathan asked turning
to her.

 
"Okay."

Stepping out of the car,
she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Nerves squeezed her stomach
when they walked up three elegant wide steps to a massive wooden front door.
Before he rang the bell, Nathan slid his arm around her and pulled her close.

 
"Just relax, Kayley. I think you'll
enjoy it."

He rang the bell and bend
to kiss her hair, while they waited. It only took a moment before the door was
opened and Elizabeth beamed a smile at them.

 
"You're here." She stepped back to
let them in and then hugged Nathan and kissed both his cheeks, before repeating
the process on Kayley.

  
"I'm so glad you came, Kayley."

Before she had a chance to
respond, Nathan's father joined them.

 
"You made it." Richard gave them
both a hug, and Kayley found herself swept through the house and into the
kitchen by both of Nathan's parents, while Elizabeth chattered happily away.

 
"Your exhibition was just wonderful,
Kayley," she said. "I loved all of your paintings."

 
"Thank you." Kayley watched in
fascination as Nathan's parents helped each other in the kitchen. It was clear
to see where Nathan had gotten his ease in a kitchen from.

 
"We bought one of the big paintings. The
one called 'Shadow in sunlight'. It was just so beautiful. I think I'm going to
hang it in the family room. That way we can always see it." She looked up
smiling at them both. "When are you getting your pictures, Nathan?"

 
"I'm picking them up tomorrow," he
said, avoiding Kayley's eyes.

 
"They were so beautiful, but then they
all were. What was it
there names
was?" she
asked oblivious to Kayley's frown.

 
"It was 'Fresh spring' and 'Wild and
free'."

 
"You bought some of my paintings?"
Kayley asked him.

 
"Oh, you didn't know?" Elizabeth
asked surprised.

 
"No, your son didn't tell me." She looked
at him with narrowed eyes.

 
"They were so lovely. Nathan has always
had great taste," Elizabeth told her proudly.

Before Kayley had a chance
to respond, the doorbell rang again.

 
"Oh, there they are." Elizabeth and
Richard hurried out to open the door, leaving them alone.

 
"Why didn't you tell me you bought my
paintings?"

 
"It didn't come up," he said
easily, reaching out to touch her hair. "Does it bother you that I bought
them?"

 
"Well I..." She had to admit, at
least to herself, that it felt a bit strange. "It just surprised me,
that's all."

 
"It shouldn't. I've told you several
times that I think your paintings are extraordinary."

 
"Well, I thought that was mostly just
the kind of flattery that people always give, but rarely ever mean."

 
"Kayley," he took a step forward
and framed her face with his hands, "I'm not the type to give meaningless
flattery. If I say something I mean it." He bent and kissed her swiftly,
before stepping back and releasing her when they heard cheerful voices
approaching.

 
Yasmin and Damian stepped into the room in
front of their parents and once again, Kayley found herself enveloped in hugs.
It was such a stark contrast compared with her own family, she thought. She
couldn't remember having ever been hugged by anyone in her family. But Nathan's
parents and siblings were the warmest and most affectionate people she had ever
met. She enjoyed listening to them talk and laugh, while Nathan stood beside
her behind the kitchen counter, and Yasmin helped her parents cook.

 
"How did it go with your painting
today?" Damian asked, leaning relaxed back against the counter.

 
"It went well. I didn't finish it, but
it went well."

 
"Are you planning to exhibit it at the
resort?" he asked.

 
"It depends. I never know if I will be
satisfied with the end result, until I reach it."

 
"What do you do with a painting if
you're not satisfied?" Yasmin asked curiously.

 
"It varies. Mostly I start over, or
sometimes I simply store them away, until I can decide what to do with them.
And sometimes, if they're particularly frustrating, I may throw them out."

 
"Does that happen often?" Elizabeth
asked.

 
"Not anymore. But the possibility is
always there."

 
"I know what you mean," Yasmin said.
"Before I realized I didn't have a gift for painting, I used to discard my
paintings like a furious hurricane because they never turned out looking like
the vision I had of them."

 
"I didn't know you used to paint,"
Kayley said surprised.

 
"Oh, yes. I had great visions, but I
could never transfer them to the canvas. Finally I realized that although I
love art, I'm not meant to create it."

 
"So you decided to own a gallery
instead."

 
"Yes, and it turned out to be exactly
what I wanted."

The kitchen was noisy with
sound and laughter, while everyone pitched in making their meal. Kayley found
herself making the salad, while the others made different interesting dishes.
She decided they had to be the most natural cooks she had ever experienced.
Okay, granted she hadn't met that many cooks, but still they didn't even look
at a recipe once, she thought watching them. They just seemed to toss
everything together as they moved easily around each other, talking.

 
Before Kayley could finish chopping
everything for her salad, the others had finished their dishes and went outside
to set the table and start the grill, leaving her alone with Nathan.

 
Feeling nervous all of a sudden, Kayley
concentrated deeply on slicing cucumbers.

 
"You look beautiful, Kayley." He slipped
his arms around her waist, nearly causing her to drop the knife with surprise.
"And you smell good enough to eat." Leaning down, he nibbled on her
ear, making her fumble with the knife as pleasure rippled through her.

 
"I can't make the salad if you do
that." She poured cucumbers into a big bowl and reached for a couple of
tomatoes.

 
"Okay." He started to nibble on her
neck instead.

Giving up the pretense of
cutting tomatoes, she leaned her head to the side, giving him more freedom to
taste.

 
"I'll get nothing done if you keep up
this way."

 
"That's okay. There's plenty of food to
go around."

She opened her mouth to
say something, but only managed a sigh as his mouth roamed over her throat.
Somewhere far in the distance, above the rush of her own pulse, she heard
footsteps coming closer. Pulling away, Nathan leaned relaxed back against the
counter and smiled at her as Elizabeth walked back into the room.

 
"Is the salad ready yet?" Elizabeth
asked.

 
"Nearly there." Kayley looked at
Nathan with narrowed eyes. He simply grinned at her and picked up one of the
tomatoes she had just cut, plopping it into his mouth.

 
"Nathan, quit disturbing the girl and go
and help your father grill."

 
"I thought Damian was doing that."
He stole a piece of cucumber as he talked.

 
"He is and so will you," she
answered, giving him the kind of look only mothers can give.

 
"Yes, ma'am." He grinned at her and
stole another piece of cucumber, before he strolled lazily out of the room.

 
"Those men are always getting in the
way," Elizabeth said affectionately. "Why Richard used to fluster me
so. He would just look at me and I would forget what I was doing," she
sighed happily. "He still does."

 
Surprised Kayley looked at her. "Really?
After all these years?"

 
"Yes. True love is like good wine. It
only gets better with the years." She smoothed down her skirt. "Of course
that doesn't mean we never argue. The man can be frustrating at times. Cocky
and mule-headed. But then he's also kind, generous and intelligent. I'm afraid
all our children have inherited those traits."

 
Kayley quickly cut the last batch of vegetables
as Elizabeth watched her. "I remember the first time I saw him, like it
was yesterday. He was so tall and handsome and serious, and from the moment he
looked into my eyes the rest of the world just seemed to disappear."

 
"How did you meet?" Kayley asked
curiously.

 
"I was forced to go to a party I didn't
want to attend, and as I was sulking out on the balcony, cursing my life, I
suddenly heard a voice beside me. I turned to see where it came from, and
looked up into the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. Of course my parents
were very set against our relationship and did everything they could to stop
it. Finally they disowned me when I told them I would marry Richard."

 
"I'm sorry." Kayley reached out and
squeezed Elizabeth's hand.

 
"It's okay. I got exactly what I wanted.
The love of my life and three beautiful children. In the end the only thing
that will ever make you happy is love."

Kayley considered that and
felt her stomach sink. She had never been truly happy and she had never had
love.

Finishing the salad, she
quickly tossed it together.

 
"Ready?" Elizabeth asked.
"Then we better go see how the others are doing."