Chapter 4
BARON
Cora was breathtaking in every way. Baron literally struggled to take in his next breaths after hearing her perform. If he didn’t already have a sense of her heart and her sweetness, her performance alone would have brought him to his knees. Her voice seemed to sweep into his soul, carrying him into her song’s story, one that was fraught with heartache and hope.
When Cora walked up to him after playing one more song for the eager crowd, he didn’t think it through. He slid his hand behind her neck and pulled her to him, hovering his lips above hers for a few painful seconds before she lifted on her toes and joined them in a kiss. Inside the brief connection, he found out what he’d been wondering nearly since they’d met—how soft her lips were, what she tasted like, and how right she might feel with her body pressed to his.
When they parted, the air hummed with a promise of more.
The promise was held in her misty eyes and the wild beating of his heart. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. But he was moving too fast. He’d invited her into his beach house hours earlier. Now he wanted her under him, wanted his name on her lips…badly. He took a step back, trying to get ahold of himself. To break the spell she had over him, at least for a little while.
He cleared his throat and glanced over the bar where the crowd was beginning to thin. “Can I buy you a drink?”
Cora tapped her fingers on the glossy countertop as if she were deciding. He felt it then, instant regret at having pushed her too far too fast. But when she spoke again, her voice was steady, her words sure.
“Actually…if it’s okay with you, could we go back to my place? I mean…your place. The place I’m staying.”
She laughed and put her hands on her cheeks, which were growing darker.
Baron met her smile, and relief flooded him. “Sure. Are you all set here?”
She nodded. “Marty told me I could take off after I played. I can pick up the rest of my tips tomorrow.”
“Perfect. Let me get this for you.”
Baron picked up her guitar, and on the walk back to the beach house, Cora slipped her cool hand in his. She felt small and delicate, and all over again, he worried about the journey before her and all the dangers that might lie ahead.
Once inside, Baron made his way to the gas fireplace in the living room and switched it on.
“This is heaven,”
Cora moaned, stretching her fingers out to absorb the heat of it. She glanced up at Baron, a smile playing at her lips. “I wouldn’t mind that drink now, actually.”
The property managers for the house always left a couple of complementary bottles for guests, so Baron knew where to find them. “Red or white?”
“Red would be great.”
“Red it is.”
By the time he finished pouring two glasses, Cora had curled up on one of the comfy couches. Baron joined her there and swirled his wine like he was in the habit of doing.
“What should we toast to?”
she asked.
He pursed his lips a moment before lifting his glass. “To all your hopes and dreams, Cora.”
Her smile was slow and sad, and Baron wasn’t sure why.
“Cheers,”
she said before sipping the deep-red wine.
“You were incredible tonight. I had no idea…”
“I was emotional tonight. That helps. I get really lost in the moment, and when I snap out of it, I just hope the audience likes what I’ve given them. It’s like going into another world for a little while.”
Baron could understand why she’d want to. The life she was living was far from comfortable, but she’d chosen it in search of a dream. Still, he wondered how much she’d sacrifice in the name of that dream.
“How about you? What’s your passion?”
Cora snuggled a little closer, tucking her socked feet under his thigh.
Baron ran his hand over her calf, enjoying the familiarity, the easy intimacy that had developed between them. He was relaxed, happy even, being this close to her.
“My passion,”
he mumbled. “I work. I work a lot.”
“I could have guessed that about you. Seems like you have a lot of projects in the fire. Has it always been like that?”
Baron took another swallow of wine, collecting his thoughts. “Yes and no.”
“Tell me.”
Cora traced her fingers along his jaw, drawing his gaze to hers. “I want to hear.”
He’d tell her, but he wanted to kiss her first. So he did. The wine married with the taste of her, making him want to taste the rest of her. Every inch of her perfect body. She giggled when they pulled apart.
“Stop trying to change the subject.”
He pulled in a deep breath and began. “I’ve been driven for almost as long as I can remember. I think sometimes a person can be like that from how they’re raised. It was always hard to please my dad, but I never stopped trying. Until he died eight years ago. Everything changed for me. I tried to work through the grief and pick up where he left off, but I couldn’t do it. Something had shifted, and I needed to give it space. Needed to grow from it, learn whatever I could from this new hole in my life.”
Cora softened her shoulders and clasped Baron’s hand gently. “I’m sorry. That’s a terrible thing to go through.”
“We all have to face it eventually.”
“What happened then? You took a break?”
“I did. I took almost two years off. I traveled, I sulked, and I let a lot of things fall to the wayside. I dabbled in things that I wouldn’t have made time for before. I became kind of unrecognizable to the people around me who knew me as someone who just worked constantly.”
“And here you are…”
Baron chuckled. “Working, right? I was raised to push the limits of what I could achieve. But I realized that even if that had a lot to do with my dad, it was also a big part of who I was. Who I am, inherently. I slowly started to get back into work, but I took projects on for reasons that meant something to me, that reflected my values, not his. And I started taking better care of myself. I’d work hard, but I’d rest. Take breaks. Find balance with other areas of my life. I’d never done that before. I was the poster child for burnout.”
“How do you stay balanced here with so much on your plate?”
Baron swirled his wine again. “The beach grounds me. The people, too. They make it all real. Human. It’s easy to get wrapped up in facts and figures. The paperwork and fine print. But these people’s livelihoods depend on the choices I make every day. So I try to make smart ones. Not everyone always agrees, but I really want this place to succeed. I’ve invested a lot of money into Cape Haven, but I’ve also put a lot of heart into it.”
“I’m beginning to see that. They’re lucky to have you.”
Baron shrugged and brought his glass to his lips.
“I’m lucky too. You’ve been kind to me when you had no reason to be.”
He shook his head. “That’s not true. I have every reason to be kind to you. You radiate it to everyone around you. How on earth can a man not return that kind of gift?”
“That’s sweet of you to say,”
she said, setting her wine glass aside.
“I have to know…”
Baron brought her hand to his lips, kissing the back softly. “Were you born under a lucky star or something? You’re one of the purest people I think I’ve ever met.”
Cora laughed sadly. “I don’t know about that.”
“I do. I deal with people constantly. It feels like a big part of what I do. You’re different.”
“I don’t know. I probably shouldn’t be so trusting. I was forged in fire, I guess. Not the best home life. But you can let the world turn you into an ugly, hateful person, or you can keep trying to look for the good. The seeds you water are the ones that grow.”
CORA
“You’re wise, young traveler,”
Baron murmured, lacing their fingers together lazily.
She had yet to see this side of him, so relaxed and unguarded. And honest, baring the hurts of his past to her…little more than a stranger.
But she cherished his vulnerability because she sensed he shared it with so few.
Now her heart was twisting in her chest, and her skin sang every time he touched her.
And she counted herself lucky to be someone who was getting to know the new Baron Porter.
Cora carefully lifted herself to straddle him, bringing their faces close. “Wise…and blessed…and…”
She tapped her finger gently on his lips, falling into a heated vision of those lips other places on her, lighting her up everywhere.
Almost as if he could read her thoughts, Baron silenced her with a kiss unlike the others. This one was deep and possessive, hungry. He set his glass on the table with a clatter and settled his hands on her waist firmly. “And?”
Cora rolled her hips, creating friction between them, communicating with her body what she was hesitating to say with words.
“And very much wanting to be with you right now.”
“Are you sure?”
Cora lowered to nibble on his ear before whispering, “I haven’t been able to think about anything else.”
Baron lifted to his feet, bringing Cora with him. The master bedroom’s bedspread was rumpled from where she had napped earlier, and Baron laid her down onto it before turning on the bedside lamp.
“I want to see you. Every inch of you, Cora.”
She licked her lips anxiously. “I want to see you too.”
The next moments were a blur of mouths and tearing clothes away.
Cora lay bare on the bedspread, staring into the eyes of a man she couldn’t imagine wanting more.
She slid her fingertips over his scalp as he dragged searing kisses across her flesh.
He was handsome already, but under his clothes, he was lean and toned with a dusting of hair across his tan skin.
She couldn’t have drawn a more perfect man in her mind than the one who was moments from making love to her.
And the minute their bodies joined, she knew that’s what this was.
He was loving her and she was loving him, as deeply as the moment allowed.
As strongly as the connection that had already developed between them.
The deeper he rocked into her, the louder she cried his name and the more visceral that truth became.
Ephemeral and intoxicating.
And she truly never wanted it to end.
But he was Baron Porter, a real estate mogul who owned half a town, and she was traveling on a hope and a prayer straight out of his life come morning.
She scored her nails over his shoulders, lost herself in the depths of his savage kisses.
And he made love to her like a man who never wanted her to forget this moment…their moment.
The waves crashing on the shore mingled with their ragged breaths as they came down from their own crest.
Baron’s hand found hers, drawing it over his chest, where she could feel his heart pounding the same rhythm as hers.
Already, she wanted more, even as exhaustion was tugging at her.
She didn’t want to let him go.
When he lifted onto his elbow and gazed down at her, she couldn’t stop herself from asking… “Stay?”
He held her stare for a moment, seeming to search for something there.
Then he nodded and kissed her reverently, like Sleeping Beauty in reverse, because the moment he curled his body around hers and swaddled them together in the blanket, she fell sound asleep.
When the first light of the morning filtered into the room, Cora stretched her arms and legs, reveling in the buttery soft sheets and the warmth of the room.
Until she realized that the warmth she was missing was Baron’s.
He was no longer beside her, and the tangle of sheets and her clothes strewn around the room were evidence of everything they’d done last night—when they were as close as two people could be.
She sat up and combed her fingers through her messy hair.
She went to the kitchen still naked, feeling a little drunk on the memories.
Replaying the dirty things he’d whispered in her ear heated her cheeks as the coffee maker brewed loudly.
She’d never had a lover like Baron.
For a man who held his feelings so close, he seemed to unleash it all in the bedroom.
Cora finally found a sweater and walked around the house sipping her coffee, finding no trace of Baron’s things.
The wine had been corked, the glasses washed, the pillows on the couch straightened.
He was gone. The moment…their moment…had passed.
The memories of their incredible night began to recede, gradually taken over by Cora’s reality.
The road that lay ahead.
So many unknowns.
She decided to take a long shower.
There, she let the tears flow, tears that she’d held back for weeks.
Then she pulled herself together and packed her bag.
She went from room to room, cleaning and tidying. She changed the bed linens and started a load to wash, leaving no trace as she had promised.
When there was nothing left to do, she forced her feet forward, her heavy bag slung over her shoulder. Leaving the key on the counter, she let herself out, saying goodbye to the house, to Cape Haven, and the memories she’d made here.
She had one stop to make on her way out of town.
She’d forgotten to ask when Marty’s opened, but she’d hoped it would be early so she could pick up any extra money she’d earned the night before.
When she knocked on the locked door, though, no one answered.
She sighed and decided to explore the town a little more.
She stopped in a few tiny galleries and read the menus on some of the restaurant windows, something she wouldn’t normally do since she could rarely afford a meal anywhere nice.
But she felt more alive than she had in a while.
The sadness of leaving…the bliss of being in Baron’s arms…the energy of singing in front of a rapt crowd… She felt everything just a little more deeply today, and she wasn’t ready to give up the richness of it all.
The good and the sad.
So she dipped into the diner for a late breakfast and was happy to see Dee serving the counter again.
She ordered a hungry man’s breakfast with water, hoping it would give her the calories she needed to get to her next stop.
When she cleared her plate, she ventured back over to Marty’s. The door was open this time, and she found Marty sitting at a two-top table with a bunch of paperwork in front of him.
“Hey, thanks again for helping out last night,”
he said, handing her a small envelope of cash.
Cora didn’t bother counting it but hoped it would be enough to take her to Mississippi, maybe as far as Louisiana.
“I’m glad I could help. It was a great crowd, too. Is it always like that?”
“It’s starting to be. We couldn’t draw folks out for much other than high school football games until recently. Baron’s started up all kinds of community events to get people driving in from the nearby towns, though. I guess we just needed the right kind of entertainment. And you sure delivered. Wow.”
Cora smiled. “Thanks, Marty. I had a lot of fun.”
“You should join us next week. Same time. You’ve got a job if you want one too.”
As tempting as staying here for one more week was, it wouldn’t bring her any closer to her dreams. “I wish I could, but I’m getting back on the road today.”
“Oh yeah? Where to?”
“California, maybe? Or who knows…”
He answered with a half-smile and a grunt, like he wasn’t too impressed by Cora’s plan. She was starting to question the plan herself.
Leaving Marty’s, she inhaled the salty air and made her way to her car.
“Cora, wait.”
She spun in the direction of the voice she’d probably never forget. Baron was walking briskly toward her, worry in his eyes.
“Baron. Hi.”
“You’re not leaving, are you?”
She let out a weak laugh. “Well, yeah. It’s time, you know?”
“You weren’t going to say goodbye?”
“You left, Baron. Which is fine, but?—”
“I came back. I run in the morning. I always do. But I didn’t want to wake you up, so I showered at my place before coming back. And you were gone.”
“Oh,”
she whispered, hating the heartbreak that was starting to creep in. Somehow it was easier to think that he was done with things between them. That he was ready for her to move on to.
“You don’t have to leave yet, right?”
She shook her head, tears burning hot behind her eyes. She could stay, but she shouldn’t. Nothing would get better by staying. More nights in Baron’s bed would only bind her heart tighter to his, and neither of them needed that. “I have to go.”
“But what’s the rush? You can stay at the house?—”
“I can’t keep living off your generosity, Baron. It’s not fair. Not to you…and—”
Emotion seized her throat and assaulted her thoughts. “I broke down this morning. Because I realized that with everything you’ve done for me—the money and the house and getting me that gig at Marty’s—for the first time in a really long time, I could set down so much of what I’ve been carrying around. The stress, the worry, the not knowing what to expect, or if I’m making the right decision. And being with you last night, feeling safe…”
Tears streamed down her cheeks. She tried brushing them away, but she could feel that she was falling apart all over again, this time in front of Baron. As if walking away from this place wasn’t going to be hard enough already.
“Baron, you’re a good man. And this time I’ve had here has been the greatest gift. I’ll never forget it. I’ll never forget you.”
“Cora,”
he whispered, drawing her close to kiss the wet streaks on her cheeks. “Baby.”
She sighed into the contact, the strength of his arms, the surety of Baron Porter and the life he so masterfully held together. If she could spend forever this way, she probably would. But forever with Baron was a foolish hope, a loftier dream than the flimsy ones she was already clinging to.
“I have to go,”
she said, stepping away and breaking the contact while she still had a shred of willpower.
Baron’s eyes widened with panic. “Wait. Give me five minutes.”
“I can’t?—”
“You said you can’t stay unless you have a gig, right?”
She sighed, studying his features. His eyes were pleading, but there was something else there. Determination.
“I did say that, yes.”
“I have a gig for you.”
She rolled her eyes, trying to reach for irritation, anger, anything that would make getting in the car easier. “I don’t want to be a cocktail waitress for the rest of my life.”
“Okay, how about headlining your own show?”
She winced. “What?”
He pointed past her to the old marquee above the theater. “That’s the Westwood Theater.”
“I know.”
She’d spent most of yesterday outside it, singing for strangers. So what?
“And I own it.”
She rolled her eyes again. “I’m happy for you. Also not surprised.”
“And I’ll be completely honest with you. It’s struggling. The building is falling apart, and the ticket sales are shit. But I figure that’s mostly because the guy I have running it—god love him—has no business sense, and the talent around here is slim pickings.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“Perform. Put a set together. Let me advertise it and put some shows on the calendar.
“How can I let you pay me if you’re losing money on the place? You’ve been too generous already.”
“All business is risk anyway. I’m willing to take a chance on you and your voice, the same way any producer out in California is going to have to if you want a big break. That’s the way it works, right?”
“I…I guess.”
“It’s an opportunity, that’s all. You do with it what you will. But maybe this could get you closer to those dreams of yours.”
Baron closed the space between them again, taking her hands in his. “What do you say? Give the theater a chance. Give us…”
He swallowed and looked down at the sidewalk before meeting her eyes again. “Give us a chance.”
Cora’s lip quivered as more tears fell. Tears of happiness, tears of hope.
“Do you mean it?”
He palmed her cheek, touched her nose with his, and took her mouth in a slow, perfect kiss.
“If you leave right now, Cora, I’m going to have to follow you to California, and it’s going to mess things up for a lot of people here.”
She smiled, her heart tightening at his words. “I couldn’t take their hero away from them now, could I?”
He smiled. “Then say you’ll stay.”
Leaving home for the road had taken all the courage Cora could muster, but somehow, it seemed like a small step now. She was about to take a different kind of leap into a future with Baron in this little town that had stolen her heart in a way, too. As sure as she knew a brighter future lay ahead, she knew now that Baron was a part of that future.
She lifted up her keys and twirled them around her index finger. “You want to show me the theater?”
Baron’s eyes brightened. “You’ll stay?”
She nodded with a grin. “I’ll stay.”