Defiant Heart (Starlight Cove Book 1)

WELL, I certainly hadn’t seen that coming. When I’d goaded Brady into kissing me, I’d assumed it would be stiff, dry, forced. Utterly and completely controlled, just like the rest of him.

Instead, I got heat and intensity and toe-curling passion I could still feel coursing through my body. My panties were ruined, for sure. And my outlook on Brady? Well. That might be ruined, too. If not completely demolished, then most definitely tainted.

What kind of man had that kind of passion buried underneath such a rigid facade?

“I already called Addison to let her know our…arrangement,” he said, his voice low and gravelly from where he sat in the driver’s seat as he drove us toward the resort.

Had he told her about the kiss, too? No, he wouldn’t. He may have let me glimpse a crack in his armor, but I was certain it wasn’t something he did often. I was also sure he wouldn’t want anyone else knowing it had happened in the first place.

I didn’t know whether I loved or hated that—after all, having a secret that only the two of us knew was more intimate than he probably realized. It certainly felt that way, with the electricity still arcing between us, even from my spot in the back seat—because God forbid, he allow me to sit in the front with him. But that was fine by me. I could study him better from this position. The man was tense. More so than usual. It was clear from the steel pipe I’d felt lodged against my stomach earlier that he’d enjoyed our connection. Maybe he was still feeling the effects of that…situation.

“Great.” I leaned forward as far as I could, putting my face right up to the opening in the plexiglass partition. “When can I expect you in your first class?”

He grunted, and I bit back a smile. This was going to be fun as hell, no doubt. And my requirements had really only been because I enjoyed fucking with him. My main concern and the only reason I compromised my position was getting the motion of discovery through and doing so quickly. Even if they didn’t find anything—which I’d bet my van wasn’t going to happen—Holton Group would have to halt all progress until the discovery was complete.

“With your track record, I’m going to make sure you don’t show up at the site tomorrow before I fill my end of the bargain.” He rolled to a stop in front of the diner and slid out of the car before opening my door.

Uncaring of the light rain, I stepped out, his tall, muscled body mere inches from me. Unable to stop myself from touching him, I crawled my fingers up his chest until I lightly patted his cheek, his short beard tickling my palm. “I always keep my word, Sheriff. And I expect you to do the same.”

His jaw clenched like he had more to say but decided to force it down, and he jerked his head toward the diner. “Addison’s in there.”

“Perfect. I need to thank Beck for my delicious breakfast anyway.”

With that, I strode away from him and toward the diner, loving the feel of the light rain on my skin. And if I threw a little extra sway into my hips just for Brady, well, who was going to call me on it?

“I’ll let you know when my first class will be. Hopefully you can find some spandex between now and then.” I tossed a grin at him over my shoulder before I opened the diner door.

He stared after me, his jaw clenching, and his expression…angry? Well, that wasn’t anything new, but I’d sort of hoped we’d come to a cease-fire after the kiss that rocked the world. Apparently not.

“So, I hear you’re our new employee,” Addison said by way of greeting. She stood behind the counter, hands propped on her hips, eyes narrowed on me.

While I hadn’t been expecting flowers and a celebration party, this still threw me a bit. Of all the McKenzies, she was the friendliest—barring Ford and his perpetual, almost automatic, flirtation.

“Um…yeah. That okay?” I asked as I sidled up to the counter and took a seat at the bar.

“Ignore her,” Beck mumbled, filling a mug with coffee before sliding it my way. “She’s just cranky because Mabel’s Live about your protest had more views than her last tour of the resort.”

I cringed, shooting her an apologetic look. I truly didn’t want to cause this family any harm, because they’d been nothing but nice to me since I’d arrived. Okay, so that wasn’t entirely true. I’d never actually met the elusive Levi, and Aiden was civil at best. And Brady? Well. Our interactions were definitely explosive. But Addison had greeted me warmly, even trying to convince Brady to stop arresting me in my early days here. Ford always kept me company, flirting in a way that proved he did so with everyone. And Beck fed me delicious food, even if he did so with little more than grunts.

“Sorry about that,” I said, gratefully accepting the coffee. “I did give the diner a plug on the Live, though. Told them all about how amazing the Luna Special was.”

Beck’s mouth twitched, but that was as close to a smile as he gave.

“Still would’ve preferred you did that without chaining yourself to a tree,” Addison grumbled, rolling her eyes. “It’s not a good look for the resort being so close to that.”

“So long as Brady fills his end of the bargain, I won’t be back there…” I paused, quieting my next words as I hid my mouth behind my mug. “This week, at least.”

“Speaking of,” Addison said. “Brady filled me in, and I’ll be real with you. We can’t pay you anything. We’re barely getting by as it is. But you can use the resort however you’d like and keep whatever you charge for the classes.”

I waved her off, not concerned about it, having not even expected that much. When I’d sold my house back in Maryland and bought the van, deciding to travel instead of being locked to one location, shackled to one job, I’d garnered quite a nest egg. I’d barely had to dip into it, considering my living expenses were fairly minuscule on the road. And what few I’d had were covered by freelance gigs.

“I’m not worried about it,” I said. “I just used it as part of the bargain to get your brother to stop arresting me.”

Addison smirked, her eyes alight with mischief. “Yeah…I’m not sure this will stop him.”

“It better. He promised.” Although I couldn’t deny the small part of me that would miss riling him up. He made my life difficult, without question, but there was no denying how utterly hot he was when he was all downturned lips and fierce, furrowed brow…especially when all that ire and frustration were directed solely at me.

“Was this seriously all you wanted in exchange for backing down for a while?” she asked.

“What, teaching yoga?” At her nod, I hummed, a smile sweeping over my mouth. “No, actually. I wanted some paperwork fast-tracked. That was all I wanted, really, but why stop there when it’s so fun to mess with him?”

Addison laughed, a bright, bold sound coming out of someone so tiny. “Oh God, what’d you do?”

I mirrored her grin. “He may also have to take two of my classes and get a massage. If he’s still uptight after I’ve had my hands on him, he’s beyond help.”

Beck sputtered and choked on his coffee, hacking even as he waved Addison and me off when we regarded him with concern.

“You gonna live?” she asked her brother.

“Fine, fine,” he sputtered out between coughs, his eyes watering as he avoided looking at us entirely.

“Come on,” she said to me, stepping around the counter and tipping her head toward the door. “Let’s get the paperwork filled out so Brady doesn’t arrest me next.”

Under her umbrella, we walked down the path toward the main inn, the sounds of the ocean lapping at the shore immediately setting my body at ease. The resort was slow, as it had been since I’d first arrived, and I couldn’t ignore the pull in my stomach at my unease over the future of this place.

“This article is a big deal, huh?” I asked softly.

Addison shot me a look out of the corner of her eye, her lips pursed as if she was debating how much to tell me. Finally, she said, “Yeah. Without it, I’m not sure—” She cut herself off and shook her head, pulling open the main inn’s front door and closing the umbrella. “Well, I’m just not sure.”

I followed behind her, stepping inside as the familiar warmth rushed over me. There was something so peaceful about this home, about this resort. Even though it was a little worse for wear, there was no doubt it was loved. That showed in the gorgeous flowers that lined the paths and bookended each cottage’s porch steps. It was in the tray of baked goods that sat at the check-in counter, refreshed daily, and the snack baskets that peppered the communal areas of the inn.

This place deserved to prosper, and I hoped the motion of discovery took long enough that I wouldn’t have to choose between helping this small-town business and the family I’d grown to care for or the acres of wildlife that no one else spoke up for.

Aiden stood behind the check-in counter, his crisp white shirt unbuttoned at the collar and his sleeves rolled up to reveal thick forearms. His jaw was dusted with a couple days of growth—not quite as thick as Brady’s, but there was no denying the resemblance between the brothers.

His light eyes met mine, his brow turned down in a scowl. Normally, a look like that from his brother would shoot a flurry of excitement through me as I contemplated all the different ways I could torture him. That didn’t happen with Aiden. Yes, the man was attractive. No one would be able to deny that. But he had nowhere near the pull on me that his infuriating brother did.

“Once we get you set up, you won’t need to worry about pesky things like business licenses while you’re here,” Addison said, slipping around the back of the counter and pulling out a stack of paperwork.

It was something I obviously hadn’t been worried about, but I shrugged all the same. “Sounds perfect to me.”

“Wait…you do have a massage therapist license, right? And a certification for yoga?”

I grinned. “Yes, of course. I’m not that much of a rule-breaker. I take my obligations to people’s well-being very seriously.”

“Good.” Addison passed over the papers, then held out a pen to me.

Before I could grab it, Aiden snatched it out of his sister’s grasp. “Not so fast. I need a little more reassurance before I’ll process this.”

“What kind of reassurance?”

“You have to swear you won’t protest again. At least until this article is secure.”

The thought of not protecting what was important to me unsettled something deep inside. If I wasn’t out there, I knew no one else would be, either, and that didn’t sit right with me. “How long will that be?”

Aiden shrugged. “Couple of weeks?”

A couple of weeks with nothing standing in Holton Group’s way could mean the land was cleared and the shopping center’s foundation already poured. And that wasn’t something I was willing to gamble on. But I didn’t need to show my cards this soon, especially when nothing was set in stone. Brady had assured me he would fast-track the paperwork, and I knew enough that once that had been accepted, no further movement could happen until the discovery was complete. And anything before that? Well, I just had to hope the meterologist was right and storms were on the horizon.

“Deal.”

Aiden narrowed his eyes on me, studying me for long moments. I didn’t break his gaze, simply held out my hand for the pen. When he finally handed it over, I offered him a smile and set out to fill in the paperwork.

“I hope you’re not going to need any special equipment for this, because we don’t have the budget for it,” Addison said.

I waved her off, keeping my eyes focused on the paperwork. “I’ve got what I need. I usually ask people to bring their own mats with them, but I have a few extras for those who don’t have their own or just want to try it out. And I’ve got a portable table for any massages.”

“Perfect. Now we just need to figure out a location. What kind of space do you need?”

“I’d like to do it outside whenever possible, and that little alcove I was using between Cottages Eight and Nine would be perfect. But do you have anywhere in here that would work for days like today when it’s raining?”

Addison hummed and pursed her lips as she tapped a finger against them. “Probably the parlor would work best. There’s not a lot of furniture in there, so it would be easy to clear out for a class.”

“Is that the room with the wall of windows?”

“That’s the one.”

As if the room weren’t gorgeous enough, with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a few cozy-looking chairs to curl up in, it also looked out over the most beautiful view of the ocean.

“Perfect.” I shot her a smile, and she grinned back.

I’d still have to figure out something for the massage I’d cornered Brady into accepting, but that was a single session. If it had been in my plans to stay longer, I might have needed to worry about a permanent location for massages. But at this point, I had no intention of sticking around much longer than making sure Holton Group didn’t get their claws into a piece of Starlight Cove.