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I shook my head rapidly, straightening now the man was at least partially covered and seemingly not about to attack me with his giant man salami. “I swear, I’m not. I’m Rebel. Miranda’s daughter?”
Some of the tension seeped out of his shoulders. “Oh, damn. You are too. I should have realized. You look like her. You could be sisters. If she was…” He cringed.
“Still alive?”
“Yeah. Tactless. Sorry. I really liked your mom. She was good for Bart. Made him really happy.”
My heart squeezed. “I wish I’d gotten to meet him properly. I don’t know why she didn’t tell me about him sooner.”
“They were a bit of a whirlwind, and very wrapped up in their own little love nest. Don’t take it personally. Vaughn didn’t know about it either until they decided to get married. Not many people did.” He ran his hand through the short lengths of his reddish-brown hair. “I’m really sorry about what happened to them. Bart was so good to me. I don’t even know what I’m going to do without this job and this house. I’ve lived here off and on my entire life. It’s always been home. I love everything about it.”
I could understand that. I’d fallen in love with the house the moment I’d laid eyes on it, too. “Why are you leaving then?”
He sighed. “Vaughn’s getting rid of it.”
My heart lit up. There was a chance there, and I was going to take it. “I own half the property. Bart left half of everything to me. I don’t want to sell it.”
The man leaned on the bathroom wall and crossed his arms over his broad chest. It popped his pecs, and I had a vague desire to lean in and lick the water droplets from them.
“No shit?” His eyes narrowed. “So you want to…what, exactly?”
“Live in it. Buy Vaughn out, if that’s what needs to happen.”
“Good luck with that. I’m sure he’s already contesting the will.”
“He is. And maybe he’ll win, maybe he won’t. I don’t know. But I don’t want him trying to sell this place until I’ve had a chance to fight for it. That’s where you come in.”
The man’s eyebrows shot up. “Me? What do I have to do with it?”
“I’m moving in…unbeknownst to Vaughn.”
A smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “Seriously? Like one of those environmentalists who tie themselves to trees so they can’t be cut down?”
“My dying houseplant is already out in the hall, and my car is filled with everything I own.”
He chuckled. “So you just waited ’til he left and started bringing your shit in? Freaking ballsy.”
I grinned. “He’s gonna be pissed when he gets home, right? Any chance he’ll find me cute or adorable?”
The guy chuckled. “Oh, so pissed. You’re cute as fuck, and totally his type, but his anger is going to obliterate all of that.”
I wanted to question him on me being Vaughn’s type when he was clearly married to a leggy blonde. Pretty much the exact opposite of me. But that wasn’t the most pressing issue. This man could pick me up and throw me out the door like I weighed nothing more than a matchstick. I needed him on my side. “Help me with Vaughn,” I begged. “Don’t let him throw me out. If we work together, maybe we can keep the house, and your job.”
He eyed me, that small smirk never leaving his mouth. Eventually, he stuck his hand out in my direction again. “I’m Kian.”
Slowly, I took his hand, letting his big fingers engulf mine. Fuck, he was big. Everywhere. “Nice to meet you, Kian. Do we have a deal?”
He laughed, the sound deep and sexy. “Oh, we have a deal, little demon. We most definitely have a deal.”
12
VAUGHN
The only good thing about coming home was the beach. The golden sands ran the length of both Providence and Saint View, connecting the two towns in one beautiful spot. I opened the visor on my helmet and breathed deep, sucking in familiar lungfuls of salty sea air.
With the sun starting its descent, I weaved my way through other cars and took the road that led up to the bluff and the lookout. It was a popular spot with teenagers who wanted to make out, and I’d spent a few nights up here myself, back before I’d left for college, getting naked on the back seat with whoever I was dating at the time.
It was too early for that though, and the cliffs were quiet when I got there, nothing but the waves crashing hundreds of feet below to pierce the silence. I slowed the bike right down to a crawl, inching closer to the edge with every rotation of the tires.