Seaside Heartbeats: A Sweet Romance (The Seaside Hunters Book 2) (12 page)

"Who knows? Why didn't they take anything? I have a brand new laptop as well as expensive paintings on the walls." He shrugged. "Obviously, they weren't after that stuff." They walked to the door, and he held it open for her.

Lana took his other hand and tried to warm it also. They remained on the sidewalk, heading for the beach. She leaned against him, noticing that his whole arm was just as chilly as his hands.

Even though he appeared strong on the outside, it was obvious he was rattled by the whole experience.

"I can't imagine what it must have felt like to wake up and discover someone had been there while you were sleeping."

"It's unsettling, but it won't happen again. Not with the new security system. A ghost couldn't slip by unnoticed."

"A ghost, huh? Do you think that's who broke in this time?"

"If my front door hadn't been unlocked, I might think that."

Lana squeezed his hand. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"What's to discuss? Nothing's missing, and it won't happen again."

She looked up at him. "Talking about it might help."

"How?" he snapped.

Lana let go of his hand, surprised by his tone.

His face softened. "I'm sorry. I'm not upset with you. Talking won't change anything, and honestly, I'd rather not think about it."

"Well, then a walk by the water is just what the doctor needs. Patient's orders."

Brayden cracked a smile. "Yes, ma'am."

She took his hand and ran her fingers along his cool palm slowly before threading her fingers between his. They walked in a comfortable silence along the path, avoiding children and joggers zigging and zagging faster than them.

When they got to the beach, they walked around sunbathers and sandcastles while dodging Frisbees and the occasional stray volleyball. The sun beat down from above and the hot sand warmed them from below. Lana was about to break into a sweat but hoped that Brayden was warming up as well as relaxing. From the look on his face, he had felt pretty bad for snapping at her.

"Do you feel any better?" she asked as they stopped just a few feet from where the water splashed onto the shore.

"I'm starting to." He squeezed her hand. "The company definitely helps." He looked into her eyes, his hazel eyes darker than usual.

"Your eyes seem to change color with your mood." Her heart sped up as she reached for his face and ran the back of her fingers along his cheeks.

Brayden reached for her hand and held her wrist gently. Her fingers remained on his cheek as they continued staring into each other's eyes. He let go and her hands made their way down his face. It was rough with stubble. That was the first day she'd seen him without a smooth face. Clearly, he was shaken up from the break-in.

"Sorry about not shaving. I didn't want to be late meeting you."

"I don't mind."

He pulled her into a hug. "You deserve a better date than this."

Lana looked up at him again. "I'm just glad I can be here for you. It's been a stressful day, and I hope I've helped to brighten it a little."

"You have."

She moved her hands to his shoulders and rubbed. "You're really tense. Sit down and let me try to loosen you up."

"I won't argue with that." His gaze lingered and then he sat on the sand. Lana lowered herself and went around back. She stared at his back. He was so muscular. Her breath caught before she put her hands on his shoulders again, rubbing softly but pressing harder with each movement.

Brayden let out a long breath, and Lana moved her hands down to his back. It was so firm she had a hard time positioning her fingers to give a proper massage. Finally, she gave up and just ran her hands up and down his back. She could feel him relax at her touch. Her heart raced faster, making her worry she would have an SVT episode right there on the beach.

Lana moved next to him and sat. He had his eyes closed, his face looked more relaxed than it had all day. One eye peeked open and then the corners of his mouth twitched. "I suppose it's too much to ask for that to last forever."

She laughed. "I'm not sure my hands are up to it."

He took her hands and held them in his, bringing them up to his chest. She could feel his heart beating and her pulse picked up even more. She leaned against him, resting her head against his shoulders. Watching the waves lulled her heart back into a normal pattern despite leaning against the best looking man alive. Lana could feel his heartbeat slowing as well.

She could have stayed there forever, but eventually, he let go of her hands and checked his cell phone. "I'm going to have to take you back to your house soon."

"Two hours have passed by already?"

"More than an hour, but it's going to take a little time to walk back and then get to my place."

"I hope you're feeling better now."

"Much." Brayden smiled and then scooted away from her, leaving marks in the sand. He smoothed them out and then pressed his first finger into the sand, moving it around in a circular shape. He stopped at a point and mirrored the other side.

Lana held her breath and then released. "A heart."

"I think you're stealing mine." He looked shy, almost boyish.

Her heart swelled. She stared into his eyes, unable to find her voice. His eyes were a lighter shade of hazel…lighter than she could recall seeing them before, in fact.

Still unable to speak, she put her own finger to the sand and drew a heart inside of his.

Brayden took her hand and pushed his fingers against hers in the air. She moved her fingers around his, their hands choreographing the perfect dance.

He leaned over the two hearts and his lips brushed against hers. She closed her eyes, and he pressed his lips upon hers with a gentle force. Lana leaned forward, kissing him back.

Brayden pulled back and smiled. "I've wanted to do that for a long time."

Heat rushed through her. "And I've wanted you to since the moment I saw you."

Fifteen

Brayden stood on his deck, sipping coffee as he watched the waves splash from a distance. The last three days had dragged on forever. It felt like a month since he'd last seen Lana…not that he'd stopped thinking about their kiss for a moment.

He had the thieves to thank for that. If his emotions hadn't been so raw—he'd felt so violated having his previously-safe home broken into—he wouldn't have opened up to Lana like that. It already felt like his feelings for her had grown too fast, but at least now he knew she felt the same way.

Lana's kindness had helped wipe away his raw, angry emotions with every touch of her hand, soothing not only his tense muscles but his feelings, too. Drawing the heart had been a risk, but the look on her face had been worth it. Then when she drew a smaller heart inside of his, everything inside of him had exploded into a beautiful fireworks show.

Kissing her soft lips had been the most natural thing in the world. He wanted more of her, and couldn't wait to pick her up and head back to the museum. They had barely seen any of it that day, having spent most of their time in the library. He hadn't been able to bring himself to suggest looking elsewhere for the clues she was so eager to find. There were three other levels to check out.

Though Brayden had been there countless times, he'd never once thought to look for clues on old man Kittle's disappearance. He had always assumed the unsolved mystery would always remain part of Kittle Fall's heritage. The light in Lana's eyes at solving it made him wonder if they could actually change that.

History couldn't be fixed, but they could bring justice by exposing the truth—whatever that may be. Her excitement made Brayden want to solve the mystery. It was the perfect way to spend more time getting to know her, and he wanted to know everything about her. What were dreams and fears? He couldn't wait to learn more, and he would spend every minute with her making her feel like the most special woman alive, because that's what she was.

Brayden's heart felt five times its normal size, and he wanted to lean over the railing and shout that he loved Lana Summers. That he had her heart, too. Everyone needed to know that the most beautiful and wonderful woman was falling for him as much as he was her.

He sipped his cup, discovering that he had already emptied it. It was time to get ready, anyway. He'd spent long enough thinking about her, it was time to actually see her. Smell the fruity scent of her shampoo. Feel her smooth skin, and this time, his own skin wouldn't feel like an icicle against hers.

Nearly skipping, he went inside, closing and locking the sliding door behind him. He double-checked the alarm to make sure it was still set. He'd been checking it obsessively, but that would hopefully soon stop. No one would be able to get in unnoticed again. And if anyone tried, that would very likely be the last time they ever attempted a break-in again.

He went into his room and spent too long picking out his clothes. They were all nice, and for the most part, in the same color family, making it easy for him choose things that looked nice and went together. But today he wanted to look nicer than normal—he wanted to knock Lana's socks off.

Brayden ran his thumb along his shirts until he came to one that was a trifle snugger than the rest. It was something he'd ordered online from Asia not realizing their sizing ran a bit smaller than he was used to. Though he hadn't been working out as much lately—that had to change right away—he still looked buff.

He took off his robe and shirt, and went to the mirror and flexed. Brayden still had it, and really, no one else would know he'd lost a little muscle tone since Dallas. He grabbed the smallish shirt and the other clothes he needed and headed for the bathroom. Before going in, he looked toward the front door to make sure the locks were all in place.

Everything looked as it should. Brayden just hated how skittish he felt. All the more reason to get back into the habit of working out. He had no excuse, really. The hospital provided a workout room, and there was also one near the garage in the building here.

He got ready as quickly as he could, eager to see Lana again. Three days was too long. In addition to working out, he needed to make a little time for her the other days of the week. Sure, he was busy and tired, but they both had to eat, right? That was as good of an excuse as any.

His hair kept sticking out in funny directions. He used gel and hair spray to no avail. After a dozen tries, he gave up and stuck his head in the sink, running warm water over his scalp. After towel-drying, he gelled and brushed it, and then he took the rarely-used hair dryer and tried that. It looked better, but not how he liked it.

Why was his hair giving him so much trouble today? Sighing, he ran more gel through it and called it good. Or at least good enough. If he kept this up, he would never see Lana.

Brayden noticed his pulse was quicker than normal. Was it nerves that made everything so difficult? Usually, he got ready with no problem. That had to be it. He was already anxious about looking perfect for her.

He was as ready as he was going to be. The car was in perfect shape. He'd cleared out his junk and then had it detailed while he worked the day before. It even smelled better, not that he'd noticed it rank before.

Luckily the drive to her beach house was short—only a few minutes—so he didn't have much time for his already-fried nerves to get any worse. He checked the mirror before getting out of the car and walked up the short walkway to the front door. His heart pounded loudly. Brayden was sure everyone in the neighborhood could hear it, no sensitive equipment needed.

He took a deep breath and then rang the doorbell. Immediately, he heard shrieking and the pounding of running feet. Someone yelled for the kids to calm down. The sounds made him feel more at ease. Growing up, his house had been like that, times three, with six kids running around.

Dwight answered the door. "Hey there, Brayden. Come on in."

Brayden came in, giving the boys high-fives as they ran circles around the bottom level. "How are you, sir?"

He shook Brayden's hand. "I'm good, and you?"

He'd be a lot better once he could see Lana. "Well, thank you."

"Make yourself comfortable. I'm not sure what the girls are doing upstairs, but I'm sure they won't be long."

Brayden made his way to the living room, but turned around to look at Dwight's drawings. "What's this?"

"It's a mansion. One of my colleagues had a family emergency, so I'm taking over."

"You're supposed to be on vacation," his wife said, coming into the room. She smiled at Brayden.

"Can't leave a client hanging." He gave Susan a kiss. "But I'm spending as much time with the family as before. Am I not?"

"Yes, but no one else is working."

"Cora has. She's been on the phone several times a day."

Susan laughed. "It's not the same, but I love you for your dedication." She squeezed his arm and then went into the kitchen. "Do you want anything, Brayden?"

"I could use some water, actually." His throat was dry.

"Coming right up." She grabbed a glass from the cabinet and got water from the fridge and then dropped in some ice and something else.