Page 43 of No One But You

I shrugged and waited for the heaviness that always sat on my chest to show up, but it didn’t come. Guess I’d finally moved on. “What can I do? I spent most of my life wondering why she left. When I found this out, it hurt, but over the years I’ve learned to live with it. Three years ago, Sebastian, Susie, and I gave money in her memory to a battered woman’s shelter. I still donate to them every year, and I’ve done some volunteer work for them as well. It’s my way of remembering a mother I only knew for twelve years and was stuck in a bad situation.”

I kissed Kora again and my heart lightened. “One day, I plan on doing more for the shelter, but right now, I want to do something else with you. What else can we get into?”

The cutest smile came to her face.

God, that smile was luscious.

“Want to kayak?” she asked.

Within an hour, we had stopped at the salon so I could change, then went to Kora’s. She came out of her back door dressed in black swim shorts, a bikini top with a short button-up shirt tied in the front, and a pair of water shoes. I wanted to strip her naked and lick her from head to toe. “Girl, you are hot as hell.” I raised my brows and took my hat off to brush back my hair and placed my hat back on my head.

Kora let out a hard breath. “You need to stop looking at me that way.”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about?” I said as I sauntered up to her and placed my arms around her waist.

She grabbed my shirt. “I can’t,” was all she said as she stood on her tiptoes, pulled my shirt toward her, and crushed her lips to mine. “If we don’t leave soon, I’m going to take you into my house and leave the river for another day.”

“That’s an idea.” My voice was deep, and my hands traveled up her back. I held her body tight and replaced my lips on hers.

She rested her head against mine. “I really want to show you the river. I know you’ll love it,” she whispered almost inaudibly.

“I’m sure I will, but you’re making it really difficult to leave,” I answered.

Our gazes locked.

She rubbed her palms along my neck and played with the few hairs sticking out the back of my hat. “I know, but if you weren’t so damn sexy, or didn’t taste so delicious, it wouldn’t be so difficult.” Her voice was seductive.

“Well . . .” I slid my hands into hers. We needed to go now, or we wouldn’t make it to the river. “I totally agree with you. Let’s get these kayaks into Matilda and get going before I change my mind.”

“Are you sure Matilda will make it to the back of the property?” She gestured to a grassy dirt path beside the fencing. “That path leads back behind those trees. The Red River flows through there. We can drive up to it. There’s an easy put-in.”

“Matilda can do many amazing things.”

A wicked grin filled Kora’s face. “Just like her owner.”

“Woman, you need to walk away.”

Kora laughed and jumped into the front seat as I loaded up the truck and headed down the road.

Chapter 16

Kora

We floated lazily down the river. The easy-moving current carrying us effortlessly through the water. It was always peaceful on the river, and today was no different. I floated along, enjoying the peace and quiet and the surrounding scenery. It wasn’t just nature that held my attention, but Kai. His shirt billowed in the light breeze as he focused on the scene in front of him.

I pulled my kayak up to the left side of his but made sure to stay behind him a bit. I took in his profile as he rowed gently down the river. The concern that had covered his face back at the pharmacy was gone. He seemed uninhibited, and his features softened as he immersed himself in the peacefulness of nature. His face, which was once tense and stressed, now seemed relaxed, and the lines that once creased his forehead had faded away.

The sunlight played across his skin and highlighted the contours of his face and the strength of his jawline. His crystal-clear eyes now sparkled with an inner light. Maybe I’m crazy, but this man seemed to grow more handsome, more alive, the farther we drifted down the river.

He turned toward me and gave me a lazy, crooked smile. I knew I had a goofy grin glued on my face but didn’t care at all.

“It’s beautiful out here, and so quiet,” Kai said, his voice hushed. He reached over, grabbed my boat to pull it next to his, and laid his oar across both our boats. I grasped his oar to lock us together as we continued to float in silence with the calm current.

“It is.” I agreed with him but wasn’t only talking about the river. “When I was younger, my dad and I kayaked every Sunday afternoon when the weather was nice. Then, when I got older and was too cool to hang with him as much, we still made time for a trip down the river.” I pointed up ahead. “There’s a great beach right down a bit and around the bend. We would stop there to eat lunch before we turned around and headed for home. If it was a warm day, it was a great place to wade in the river, and just a bit from the beach is a swimming hole, complete with a rope swing. As I got older, I realized it’s where all the high schoolers went to drink and have fun.”

I laughed as a memory popped into my mind. “One time, I guess I was around twelve, there was a fire pit with beer cans in it. I asked why the cans were there. Dad said he guessed the wildlife had a party. It was our job to clean up after them since they couldn’t do it on their own. I thought he meant the raccoons and deer. I pictured them all huddled around the fire drinking. I didn’t realize he meant teenagers were the wildlife.” I shook my head. “It wasn’t until I was in high school and at a party, sitting around the fire pit, drinking a beer with my friends, that it became clear what he meant.”

Kai’s face lit up.

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