Chapter 9
Aleck’s stomach dropped to his feet when Kenna directed him to turn into the Coral Springs condo complex the private beach was connected to.
His condo complex.
“Here it is,” she whispered as if a security guard might hear her all the way out in the parking lot.
“I’ve been drooling over this place ever since I saw it online.
They’ve got a beautiful beach, the pool has a slide, which is awesome, and they even have hammocks strung up around a grassy barbeque area. It’s perfect.”
“No place is perfect,” Aleck mumbled. He knew he should just straight up tell her that he lived here, and he opened his mouth to do just that.
To make a joke about how he knew all about the amenities because he paid a shitload each month in home owner association fees. But she spoke again before he could.
“I bet the people here don’t appreciate what they have.
They probably sit up in their overpriced condos and complain that it’s too sunny.
Or the water is too blue or something.” She rolled her eyes.
“I don’t get rich people. As pretty as this place is, there’s no connection to the locals out here.
Most of my neighbors are native to Hawaii, and they’re generous and funny and have welcomed me with open arms. I love walking around my neighborhood and playing with the kids and being a part of a community.
I bet everyone living here is from the mainland and they probably don’t even know their neighbors. It’s kind of sad, really.”
Well, shit. That wasn’t exactly the opening he wanted to confess that he lived here. Aleck wanted Kenna to like him, not think of him as pathetic. And it wouldn’t help to admit that he owned a penthouse.
His opportunity to not only tell Kenna that he lived here, but that he was one of the rich people she didn’t seem to think much of, was cut short again when she opened her door excitedly and hopped out.
Not sure how this was gonna go, Aleck slowly got out as well. He reached into the backseat and grabbed both their bags and met Kenna at the front of the Jeep.
“Okay, this is what I’m thinking,” Kenna said as she reached for her bag.
Aleck gave it to her, only because he knew it wasn’t very heavy.
“There’s only a few entrances and the beach has a fence around it to keep it private, so we’re going to have to go in the main door and right through the lobby.
That’s tricky, because if they have security, they might ask for our IDs or something.
But if we’re in the middle of a conversation, maybe they’ll feel as if it’s rude to interrupt us.
If there’s a security desk, you can give the person that chin lift thing you do so well.
Whatever you do, stay casual. Don’t look guilty.
Try to blend in.” She chuckled. “Although, everyone is probably wearing overpriced name-brand clothing and you’ve got… a pineapple on.”
“Hey, I love this shirt,” Aleck told her.
She smiled up at him and patted his chest. “I do too. But I’m thinking the people around here wouldn’t be caught dead in it. Come on, we’ve got this.”
It was obvious Kenna was amped up and totally excited about the possibility of getting onto the private beach.
Aleck wasn’t all that happy about how she constantly seemed to put down the residents, though.
Yes, most people who lived here probably had very comfortable bank accounts, but that didn’t mean they were assholes.
He might not hang out with many of his neighbors, but he’d met a lot of them, and they seemed like perfectly nice people.
Not wanting to be a downer when Kenna was so excited, he took her hand in his and they headed for the entrance.
If they really were trying to slip onto the property without being noticed, Aleck knew they’d fail.
The security here was top-notch and no one got past the front desk without being recognized or without showing ID and letting them know who they were visiting.
But he went along with Kenna’s plan. The idea of sneaking in clearly thrilled her. The time to admit he lived here had definitely passed, and an uneasy feeling churned in his gut. He should’ve said something immediately, when he’d found out what beach she wanted to visit.
He’d already put his foot in his mouth about her job and didn’t want to say or do anything else that would give her a reason to decide they weren’t compatible—and it was abundantly obvious she thought she had nothing in common with rich people.
Now he’d have to find a way to tell her another time.
Funny thing, remember the other day when we went to the beach at that condo complex? Well, I live there.
Shit, that wouldn’t work. He’d have to come up with something much better, and if she couldn’t forgive him for not fessing up sooner, well…at least he could give her this adventure.
“Marshall, pay attention,” Kenna scolded. “We’ve only got one shot at this and I really want to check out this beach.”
“What happens if we get caught?” he asked.
Kenna scrunched her nose adorably. “I’ve got another beach in mind as a fallback. But it’s not as nice as this one.”
“I don’t care where we go or what we do,” Aleck told her. “I’m just thrilled to get to spend time with you.”
She looked up at him and smiled. “Wow, I think that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
“It’s true. Fancy private beach, hanging out in that amazing beanbag of yours, or sitting in a dive restaurant eating peanut butter and jelly. I just like being with you. You make me feel…happy.”
Aleck regretted the words the second they left his lips because they were so sappy.
But he changed his mind when Kenna stopped walking and leaned into him. Aleck put his arm around her waist to hold her close.
“You make me happy too. I could be in the worst mood, but then I get a text from you and it’s like whatever upset me is completely forgotten. I don’t recognize myself lately.”
Aleck couldn’t have stopped himself from leaning down and kissing her if his life depended on it. Cognizant of where they were, he kept the kiss light, but it was still intense.
Kenna reached up and put her hand on his cheek, but she didn’t say anything.
A loud honking made both of them jerk in surprise, and Aleck chuckled as he hustled them out of the middle of the road. He waved at the man behind the wheel of the large SUV in apology and saw the man laughing as he continued on.
Kenna took a deep breath. “Okay, this is it. Act natural.”
Aleck didn’t know if she was telling him or herself, but he nodded anyway.
As they neared the front doors to the complex, she started babbling about what they needed to buy at the grocery store later.
Aleck knew she’d picked a topic that would make it seem as if they lived here, and he couldn’t help but hope for a time when they’d be shopping together for real, or leaving each other notes about what they needed at the store.
It was somewhat surprising, as he’d never considered living with a woman before, but with Kenna, he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it.
The automatic doors opened and they walked into the lobby of the condo complex.
Just as Kenna had ordered, he gave the security guard a chin lift as they approached the desk.
Of course, he knew Robert fairly well. He’d come home from a mission very early in the morning a few months ago and they’d gotten to talking.
Robert had a brother in the Army, and he wanted to make sure Aleck knew he appreciated his service.
Kenna had a death grip on his hand and she started talking even faster. Aleck wanted to end this farce right now. He didn’t like seeing her all worked up, but now definitely wasn’t the time. She’d be embarrassed if he told her he lived here after she’d tried so hard to look like they belonged.
They passed Robert, who looked back down at the papers on the desk in front of him. They headed toward the doors at the back of the large hotel-lobby-like space, which led out to a grassy area where Aleck and his team had barbequed often.
The second the doors shut behind them, Kenna turned to him with a huge smile on her face. “We did it!” she half-whispered, half-screeched. Then she hugged him once more.
Now it was Aleck who was too embarrassed to tell her they’d made it past Robert because the man knew him—because he was a resident.
“That was awesome!” Kenna said, a smile lighting up her face.
Aleck wanted to bottle her energy and enthusiasm and pull it out when he needed it the most…probably right after he told her they didn’t actually “sneak” anywhere.
“Come on. I want to see this beach. And I’m telling you right now, it had better live up to my expectations.” She chuckled. “Man, my heart is beating out of my chest and my adrenaline is making me shaky,” she said as they headed toward the beach.
Aleck moved closer and put his arm around her shoulders as they walked. “You liked that.” It wasn’t a question.
“I like winning,” she said with a grin. “I don’t really like the stress that comes with actually breaking the law.”
Aleck couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not sure sneaking onto a private beach constitutes breaking the law.”
Kenna shrugged. “I’m a goody two-shoes,” she said without any artifice. “I don’t like breaking the rules. Never have.”
“Well, we’re here now. And as far as anyone else is concerned, we belong here. So no feeling guilty, okay?”
“Absolutely!” Kenna said happily.
Then she pulled away from him and ran ahead to where the grassy area met the sand. She stood there as he caught up to her.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed.