The ocean wind was cold now, but it couldn’t even touch the heat flooding her body. She smiled to herself, thinking that the splurge on the dress and shoes had been totally worth it. Having him touch her, take her, on the beach beneath the moon had been an experience she would never forget. The man was far too sexy for his own good and his touch was magic.
The whole night had been perfect and was, she told herself with another smile, about to get even better.
She was going to be happy, damn it. She wasn’t going to deprive herself of the chance to be with Rafe because of old fears and trust issues. She wouldn’t pass up a shot at happiness because of past mistakes. Besides, she had been thinking about what Rafe had said earlier all night.
He had a point. Part of what had attracted her to Cordell had been the fact that he was rich. So what did that say about her? She couldn’t really blame his actions on the fact that he had money any more than she could blame her response on the fact that she wasn’t wealthy.
They were just people.
And people made mistakes, right? The important thing was to learn from them and try not to make the same mistakes over and over again.
She remembered the feel of Rafe’s arms coming around her. The slow, intimate caresses. The heat of desire and the warmth of love rushing between them and her breath caught in her chest. She hadn’t realized it until just this moment, and now that she had, she couldn’t imagine how it had escaped her for this long.
Katie was in love.
Real love. She knew the difference this time and she wrapped herself up in the amazing sensations as they spiraled through her. What she’d thought she felt for Cordell before wasn’t even a glimmer of what she felt for Rafe now. He was everything she had hoped to find. He was the man she had been waiting for all of her life.
How had it happened so quickly?
But even as she wondered that, she smiled to herself, remembering that Nana had always said “Love doesn’t go by the clock.” One moment was all it took when it was real. One amazing moment when the world suddenly became clear and your heart knew exactly what it wanted and needed.
She sighed a little and held her newfound knowledge close. Tonight was a night she would remember forever.
“Katie?” A deep voice called her name. “Katie Charles? Is that you?”
A small thread of something unpleasant unwound throughout her system as Katie turned slowly toward that too-familiar voice. She saw him instantly, but then he was hard to miss. Tall, gorgeous, black hair long enough to lay on his collar and sharp blue eyes fixed on her.
Cordell King.
She stood her ground and lifted her chin as he walked to her. She shouldn’t have been surprised to see him.
She knew he lived in Laguna Beach and this restaurant, being the most expensive one in miles, would surely be a draw to him. But what did amaze her was the fact that she felt nothing for him. There were no leftover feelings trapped inside her. Not even anger, though as he smiled at her as if they were long lost friends, she could feel a spark of irritation flash into life.
“It’s great to see you,” Cordell said as he got close enough. He swept her into a brief hug whether she wanted to go or not, then released her. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks,” she said, even more grateful now that she’d bought the fabulous black dress. Imagine if she’d run into him wearing that beige one.
He glanced around, then asked, “Are you here alone? Can I buy you a drink?”
“No, you can’t,” she said, amazed that he had even asked. “I’m sure the woman you’re with wouldn’t appreciate the company.”
“No date,” he said. “I’m here meeting a couple of my brothers.”
“Well, I’m here with someone else. He’s just gone to get the car.”
“Oh.” He shrugged and gave her that slow, easy smile that had first tugged at her. “Well, not surprising you’ve got a date. You look great.”
“You said that already.”
“Yeah, I know,” he told her. That smile came back, but when she didn’t respond, he continued. “Look, Katie. I’m actually glad we ran into each other. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about you lately.”
Now that was surprising. “Is that right?”
“Yeah,” he said, stepping in a little closer. “I was going to call you, but doing this in person is even better.”
“Why’s that?” she asked sharply, folding her arms over her chest. “You didn’t think breaking up with me was important enough to do in person. You overnighted me a diamond bracelet along with that charming note that said something along the lines of ‘Our worlds are just too different.’ Remember?”
He had the good grace to wince at the reminder, but it wasn’t enough to shut him down completely. Oh, no, not a King, she thought.
“Okay, I could’ve handled that better,” he acknowledged. “But I did send you diamonds.”
And she’d sold them to help pay for the kitchen remodel, Katie told herself.
“I never asked for diamonds,” she pointed out.
“No, but—” He stopped, took a breath and said, “Look, we’re getting off the subject.”
“Which is?” The toe of her shoe tapped against the cement, making a staccato sound that played counterpoint to the conversation.
“I’d like to give our relationship another chance,” he said. “I mean, we had a great time for a while—”
“Until you dumped me, you mean?” she interrupted, that spark of irritation flashing into quite the little blaze.
“Yeah, well.” He shrugged as if that were water under the bridge. “That was then, this is now. And, babe, looking at you now makes me think we could work things out if we tried.”
“Babe?” she repeated, taking one step toward him. “Don’t you call me ‘babe.’”
“Hey.” He lifted both hands in the air as if he were surrendering, but that meant nothing. “Relax, I just thought—”
“You just thought that I’d what? Leap into your arms at the gracious offer of being able to go out with you again?”
He smiled and that simply infuriated her. Cordell King had bruised her heart so badly, she’d completely lost sight of who and what she was. He’d shattered her confidence and made her question her own ability to judge a person’s character.
“All I’m saying is—” he started.