Page 197 of The Havenport Collection

Nora

A nd the hits just kept on coming. It wasn’t enough that I had a shitty day? A fire in my kitchen? And being rescued by the amoral rich guy I hated instead of a hot shirtless firefighter? Yes, I know firemen did not show up to a fire shirtless, but a girl could dream, right?

Instead I was sitting with Lucas Kim, a guy I had sworn to stay away from, trying to piece together how my entire life had gone to shit in a matter of hours.

The Chief had said the fire had started in the dryer.

I hadn’t gotten around to replacing the ancient appliances that came with the place.

Apparently dryer vents are massive fire risks.

Why didn’t anyone teach me this in school?

Instead I got berated about quadratics equation and gerunds.

Fucking gerunds. If I ever become rich—I shook my head— when I become rich, I’m going to donate to local schools so they can teach actual life skills to kids who want to learn them.

So now I was stuck in Luke’s house, waiting for the firefighters to finish up.

I paced around the gorgeous kitchen, tying my hair back in a knot and wishing I was wearing something cute.

Instead I was wearing sweats, an old T-shirt, and my sleep bra, which didn’t offer a lot of support to the girls, who were jiggling around wildly in Luke’s presence.

“I am so confused. You live here? In a brownstone?”

He nodded while pouring me a glass of water.

I wasn’t following. Why would tech billionaire Luke Kim live in an old brownstone when he could be at his gated estate with his docks and stables and acres of solitude and privacy?

“But I’ve been to your actual house—you know, the 15,000 square foot historic mansion on the ocean?

In fact I was just there last month when you totally humiliated me by making me wear a skanky elf costume in front of half of the town. ”

He turned around and smirked at me. Goddamn that smirk. If I was a weak woman it would be enough to make me lose my panties. Thankfully, I had a strong constitution.

“First of all, you enjoyed it. You wore the hell out of that elf outfit.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and it was annoyingly cute. “And second, that is my house, but so is this.”

I crossed my arms, trying to hide my rioting nipples. “Explain.”

“I bought this place five years ago for my mom, and we renovated it together.” That was sweet. I didn’t know much about Luke’s mom, just that she had lived in Havenport before she passed away.

“Over the years I offered to buy her any house she wanted, but she loved these brownstones, and this was all she wanted. Together we renovated and redesigned it. And she loved every minute of the process. And then she got sick.” His face fell, and I fought the overwhelming urge to hug him.

This was so disorienting, seeing Luke Kim act human.

Expressing emotion? I had spent years carefully cultivating my hatred and distrust of this man. It was jarring.

“I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Thanks. It’s been two years, but it’s still hard.

We did everything we could—experimental treatment, visited doctors across the country—but she got diagnosed and things went downhill fast. I set up hospice care here and moved in.

Made her as happy and comfortable as I possibly could until the end. ”

He was pacing around the lovely open-plan kitchen.

It was a chef’s dream, and coming from a family of chefs, I was uniquely qualified to make that assessment.

I wondered if his mom had loved to cook.

I could see them here, making and sharing meals, her pinching his cheeks and telling him to eat more.

My cold heart thawed a bit. He couldn’t be that terrible if he had been so devoted to his mother, right?

“I can’t bring myself to sell it. My mom loved it here. It was her dream house. When I was little we loved to come to Havenport and walk around together, looking in the shops and restaurants and scoping out the real estate.”

He gestured to his beer and I nodded. I could do with about ten right now.

“She always dreamed of living here. We would talk about which houses we would buy and what we would order in all the restaurants when we had the money. So I wanted her to have that dream.”

“I’m glad you were able to do that for her.”

“Me too.”

“So you actually live here?”

“Sort of. My mom was the only person I had. My dad is long gone. Most of my mom’s family is still in Korea, and I’ve visited a few times, but we’re not that close. She made me donate most of her furniture and possessions, but this place, it just has her essence and reminds me of her.”

Fuck. I took a big sip of my beer. That was so sweet and adorable.

I would have to fight extra hard to dislike him now.

His appearance certainly didn’t help matters.

He was all low-slung jeans and broad shoulders.

He was tall and lean but muscular, like a swimmer.

And his hair? Dark inky-black, longer on the top and shaved on the sides, just long enough to pull if I wanted to.

I took another sip to hide the flush on my face.

He seemed to sense my discomfort and came closer, leaning across the counter on his elbows. I could see the thick dark lashes rimming his gray-brown eyes.

“I like having a secret hideout,” he whispered. “A place that no one knows about. I bought the big house because I was young and cocky and wanted to buy the biggest piece of fuck-you real estate in this town. But it’s not a real home.”

I took a deep breath. This conversation was confusing me, and combined with the exhaustion from my shitty day, I was starting to get lightheaded. “It’s great for parties,” I said lamely.

“It is. But I hate being there alone. It’s too big for one person.”

I laughed. “It’s too big for ten people to live in.”

He tipped his beer bottle at me. “Touché. Are you hungry? I have a lot of fancy cheese.”

I nodded. I was famished. At this point I would take anything, including fancy cheese from an evil billionaire.

He opened the massive refrigerator and removed several hunks of cheese, salami, and prosciutto.

“Italian or French cheese?” he asked.

I gestured to myself, obviously Italian.

He busied himself grabbing plates, crackers, and some olives.

I watched as he deftly sliced cheese with a complicated looking knife, and I smiled. He was clearly passionate about food. Maybe I didn’t totally hate him after all.

“People send me a lot of those gourmet gift baskets,” he said, “so I always seem to have cheese and crackers on hand.”

“I’m not complaining,” I said, reaching for the gorgonzola and some almonds.

We snacked and sipped beer, and I marveled at how perfectly the salty cheese and hoppy beer paired together.

I also watched as Luke assembled tiny sandwiches for himself.

It was sort of adorable. His hands were large, yet his fingers long and graceful.

The tiny crackers looked ridiculous as he popped each one in his mouth.

“So now that I’ve fed you, are you going to tell me why you don’t have smoke detectors?” His eyes narrowed, and I looked down, peeling the label off my beer bottle.

“They aren’t hooked up yet. We’re mid-reno.”

“But it’s illegal! No building inspector would sign off on you living there.”

I cut another slice of Asiago and shoved it in my mouth to keep from having to answer him.

“Explain how you are living there, Nora?” He seemed angry and frustrated, which I didn’t understand. What did he care? It was my house; I could live there if I wanted to.

I slowly raised my gaze up to meet his. “Because I have to, okay? Not all of us are filthy rich with multiple houses to choose from. I bought the place. It’s my home. I’m living there, and eventually it will be fixed up and it will be amazing.”

“But it’s not safe.”

“It’s fine. You saw it yourself. The fire was confined to that one wall in the kitchen and bathroom. Chief Mason said it was safe. I’ll get everything cleaned out, talk to the insurance adjuster, and get back to work.”

“Nora, this is ridiculous. Stay with your parents for a bit, or some friends.”

I laughed. A bit of an obnoxious, open-mouthed laugh.

“My parents? My parents are divorced. My father loves his business and my oldest brother Bruno, who helps him run it, in that order. The rest of us just kind of fended for ourselves growing up. And my mother would love to see me crash and burn. Watching me struggle gives her pleasure. I would sleep in the street before I would ask her for help.”

He stared at me for a moment, digesting what I had just revealed. Thankfully he didn’t ask any follow-up questions. I guess he had some tact. “What about Cece?”

“And interrupt her newlywed bliss with Liam? No, thanks.”

He paced around the kitchen island, running his hands through his hair. “Why are you so stubborn, Nora?”

“Why are you so annoying?” I fired back. “And furthermore, why do you care? You hate me, remember?”

His face softened and he stopped pacing. The intensity in his eyes made me shift uncomfortably in my seat. “I don’t hate you. And I certainly don’t want you living somewhere unsafe.”

I stood up. I was done with this day. I was tired and irritable and facing a mountain of shit to shovel. “Just stop.” I held up both my hands. “When you act nice it messes with my head. You don’t have to put on the benevolent act for me. Just be your usually shitty self.”

He put his hands on the countertop and leaned over, the muscles in his forearms flexing and his jaw clenched. “You are infuriating,” he shouted.

“And you are a pain in my ass! I don’t want anyone’s help.” For once, I just wanted to do something on my own. I didn’t need my parents or my brothers swooping in to save little old Nora who should have never bought a house or started a business on her own.

I’m tired of being underestimated. Fuck that noise.

I put my hands on my hips. “If I want to live in my fire-damaged house then I will fucking do it.” I stomped my feet and instantly felt like a little kid throwing a tantrum. I didn’t have to justify myself to Luke. I didn’t have to put up with his patronizing shit.

I grabbed my phone and computer and headed toward the door. “Thanks for the beer, Luke.”

“Nora, wait.” He rushed over and grabbed my arm. His hand was strong and firm and sending pulses of attraction through my body. I glared at him.

He let go. “Sorry. I know you want to handle things yourself. And in some twisted way I kind of understand. But you may not have water for days.”

I shrugged. I could handle it.

“Sleep here tonight. You can have one of the extra bedrooms or the couch if you want. You have to meet the fire chief first thing tomorrow morning.”

I looked around Luke’s warm, inviting home and quickly calculated my alternatives. Sleep in my disaster zone of a house? Call my dad or my brothers? Bother Cece and Liam late at night?

I sighed and forced a smile.

“My assistant keeps everything well stocked,” he said nervously. “I have toothbrushes, phone chargers, anything you need.”

I gritted my teeth. I had limited options and he knew it. “Thanks Luke,” I said, feeling the weight of my failure. Here I was, taking handouts from someone I despised. I had sworn I had already hit rock bottom today, but oh goodie, it seemed like I had even farther to fall…