Chapter 4 #2
"Mother wanted to spread the beauty." He still had her hand in his.
"She was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years after I was born.
" Her hand felt so good in his, soft, strong, and just right.
"The cancer went away for a few years, but that's when she decided she wanted to start the park.
She came up with the idea, and my dad supported her.
"It took years and hard work, but she was determined to have it done.
Some of the seeds were shipped from different parts of the country.
" He shook his head. "I remember when I started high school, and I would have to split my time working at the office with my dad and uncle and digging in the dirt.
I resented it at first, but I came to realize it was her way of making sure we spent time together. "
"She loved you."
He wondered if she realized how wistful her expression was and decided not to point it out.
"Yes, she did." His hand tightened on hers. "She was the best mother a child could ever hope for. She wanted more children, but after the diagnosis, the doctors told her it was hopeless."
"Your mother, her cancer came back?"
"More aggressive than before." He drew closer to her and when she did not object, he placed a hand around her shoulders and brought her up against him.
"She suffered in the end. I was home from university by then and it destroyed us.
Her pain and the way she whittled down. She was a beautiful woman. "
Unconsciously he began stroking his hand up and down her arm and Aria was lulled by it. Her first thought had been to back away, but somehow his touch was soothing. And so was his voice.
"She was cheerful to the very end." A laugh escaped him. "By the time it was over, she was the one comforting us. She was a hell of a woman."
The lump became lodged inside her throat as memories of her own mother surfaced. Instead of staying alive, the woman had taken her own life, because her husband had been murdered. The drama surrounding her parents was something she would not soon forget.
He felt her shiver and shifted to look at her. "You're cold. Spring in Birchwood is nothing to sneeze about. It would seem like winter is over, and then we wake up to snow. Here." Stripping off his cashmere jacket, he draped it over her shoulders.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Giving you my coat?" His thick brows lifted. "Why, because it's the gentlemanly thing to do of course."
She moved her shoulders impatiently. "No. This." She swept a hand to encompass the beauty around them. "Taking me driving and all of it. I'm not going to sleep with you."
He looked insulted at that.
"What if I said, I just wanted to be friends?"
She scoffed. "I have a friend. I have friends." She amended. He could have pursued that line of conversation, but he let it go.
"Then I am the one who needs the friendship."
"I'm sure you have tons."
"Just a few." He looked up then and grabbed her hand to haul her off the bench.
"What--" Before she could finish the sentence, the downpour came. They were drenched by the time they reached the car.
Starting the engine, he turned on the heater and immediately warmth flooded the interior.
"Better?" He asked as he backed up and turned the vehicle around.
"Yes." She still had his coat draped around her and could smell his subtle cologne. Before they had driven halfway, she was warm and dry.
"Look to your left." He had slowed the car down and the rain had decreased in intensity.
"What?"
"Look."
When she did, she let out a low laugh that had his blood tingling. "It looks like a haunted house."
He stopped at the gate so she could have a better look.
"It belongs to the mayor."
She turned her head to stare at him. "You're kidding. She has that much money and lack of taste?"
He grinned. The wipers were working furiously, and the rain was drumming on the roof but inside was warm and cozy. "She comes from a long line of wealth. And she lived alone with her twelve cats."
Aria stared at him quizzically. "You're joking."
"I swear."
Leaning forward, she peered out the windshield. "She never married?"
"Three times. All three husbands are deceased."
"Now I know you're making it all up."
"I dare you to look it up on the internet." He pressed the gas and pointed out a stunning rose-pink building that looked more like a farmhouse than anything else. "A retired rock music mogul."
"And over there." He pointed to a two-story building with lots of land space. "A retired actress. Dolly West."
She turned to stare at him and then at the building. "Reporters speculated for years on where she could be hiding."
"She came here to live after her last movie tanked. She's an eccentric, but she's also a friend."
"You're friends with her?"
"Rather, my uncle is. They were lovers."
Her head swiveled around as she gave him a suspicious look. "The woman is almost eighty."
"And very well preserved." He flashed her a grin as he negotiated the few traffic. He wanted to prolong the time spent with her. "And my uncle is not a man who allows age to get in the way of his affairs."
"He sounds like a gigolo." She muttered.
"One who does not need the money." He turned into the dirt road that led to the cottage.
"You said were. They broke up?"
"They parted as friends." He stopped behind her vehicle and killed the engine.
By this time the rain had died down to a drizzle.
It surprised Aria that she did not want to leave just yet.
She liked talking to him. And honestly, he had managed to take her mind off her worries since he picked her up earlier.
"I'm not going to invite you in."
"Not very sporting of you, considering I took you out on a very nice date." He grinned when she slanted him a wry look.
"It wasn't a date."
"You're going to send me out in the pouring rain."
She glanced out and then back at him. "It's mostly drizzling."
Taking a chance, he reached out and touched her cheek. "I enjoyed myself. How about we go out to dinner or better yet, come and have dinner at my place. You'll be properly chaperoned. My dad and uncle will be there to see to it."
She shook her head. "No."
"I'm moving too fast."
"I told you I'm not interested in a relationship."
"How about a friendship."
Her brows lifted. "That's all you want?"
"Eventually there will be more, but I'm prepared to wait." He was right. Her skin felt like silk.
"You'll be waiting a long time." She shoved his hand away.
"Breakfast then? You don't have to cook. There's a lovely little café a few miles away. I could pick up donuts and coffee."
"Kenneth--"
"At least we're on first name basis."
She hesitated; caught between her instinct to keep her distance and the unexpected warmth she felt in his company.
The rain outside made the car feel even cozier, and for a moment, she considered what it might be like to share a simple meal in good company.
But old habits die hard, and trust was a luxury she rarely afforded.
"Okay fine." She succumbed reluctantly. "Not too early though. Tomorrow is Sunday and I like to sleep in."
"How does nine sound?" He just remembered he had an early breakfast meeting with an associate who had arrived out of town yesterday.
"All right. But this is not a date." She warned.
She had come here to try and heal and certainly did not need to complicate things by starting an affair with a very attractive and charming billionaire.
She would be out of her mind to even consider it.
But that did not mean she could not have some fun.
"I hear you." His hand cupped her cheek, fingers gentle. "I'm going to say one thing and then you will never hear it from me again. Whatever it is that has you so unhappy, I want to take it away." His hand tightened when she started to move away.
"If it's death or loss of someone significant, time will heal the wound." His fingers tightened. "If it's some asshole who somehow managed to break your heart, he isn't worth one ounce of your regret or tears. It will all pass."
She resented him for making the tears burn at the back of her throat. And she hated the fact that she had the urge to crawl into his arms and feel his hands wrapped around her. His green eyes were gentle and compassionate, and she did not need it, she did not need anyone to show her sympathy.
Lifting her hand, she started to shove his away from her face but found herself wrapping her fingers around his strong wrist.
"You don't know anything." She whispered huskily.
"And you're not ready to tell all." He tilted her chin up; his eyes trained on her lovely face. He wanted to bury his lips on hers, taste her, savor the taste of her and make her forget. But for now, he was going to have to back off.
As much as it pained him to leave her like this, he knew she would not appreciate him forcing the issue. "When you are, I'm here."
The tears were threatening to spill, and she could not let him see her so vulnerable.
"Let me go Kenneth." She whispered.
He wondered if he kissed her, she would slap his face. He wanted to so badly, he could taste it. Her scent was assailing his nostrils, going through his pores and filling him with a need so intense, it staggered him. Letting go of her face, he shoved his door open and came around to open hers.
When she handed him the jacket he took it and walked her to the door. Without a word, he walked back to his vehicle and backed out, the tension making his entire body stiff.