Wrapped Up in You Read online

  He wasn’t sure. But he did know that right before she’d left, she’d flashed a vulnerability, like she was surprised to find that she liked him.

  Too much.

  He recognized it only because it was the exact same for him. Which meant they were at a bit of an impasse. Maybe with a little distance, they’d both come to realize it was just physical attraction. They could explore that—in great detail, he hoped—and then when he left, there’d be no bad feelings.

  So he’d driven up to Sonoma to visit an old friend. He’d gone to middle school with Donovan, and even back then, the guy had always wanted to move outside the city and have a horse ranch. He’d recently bought property, and when Kel got there and rode around with him over his hundred acres, he got it. The rolling hills were rich and lush and gorgeous, but more than that it was about being on the land with the horses. There was a peace to it that was missing from his life. They’d stayed up late talking about old times, and Kel’d had a hell of a time getting out of bed at the butt crack of dawn.

  Caleb hadn’t had a single ounce of sympathy, dragging Kel’s half-dead body out anyway. “Thought you were a country boy. Country boys are hardy,” he said, pushing Kel hard.

  Kel’d had just enough spare energy to flip him off. But it was his own fault. He’d not told Caleb, or any of his family, how badly he’d been injured.

  “So,” Caleb said casually. “What’s going on with you and Ivy?”

  Kel nearly tripped over his own feet. “Nothing.”

  “Is that because you think you’re relationship jinxed, or because she’s not interested in you?”

  Oh, there was interest. Lots of it. And that wasn’t ego. It was fact, and it went both ways, and it was seductive and hot as hell.

  And just a little terrifying. “You know my job gets in the way of my personal life,” he said.

  “It’s not your job,” Caleb said. “It’s you.”

  His sister, Remy, had said that to him on numerous occasions. So had the last two women in his life. It rang in his head more than it should. It’s you . . .

  He’d ignored all of it.

  “Ivy’s a five-foot-two-inch dynamo of a cook with a personality much bigger than her petite frame,” Caleb said, not struggling to breathe and run and talk at the same time, the bastard. “And she’s one of the rare good ones.”

  “I know.”

  “She’s independent, savvy, fearless, creative, street smart, and has some serious authority issues.”

  Kel snorted at the truth of all of that.

  “You can count on her to give it to you straight up.”

  Kel thought maybe this wasn’t necessarily true. He saw Ivy slightly different. He believed she was a chameleon, and good at figuring out what people wanted to hear.

  Which meant he wasn’t 100 percent certain why she appealed to him so very much. And there was appeal. So effing much appeal . . .

  After the run, they stopped for breakfast tacos. It was seven straight up and there was a line at Ivy’s truck, but she served quickly and efficiently, exchanging an easy banter with everyone in front of them in line.

  When it was Kel’s turn, she met his gaze, her own hooded.

  Yeah. She didn’t know how to handle this thing either.

  “What’ll it be, cowboy?” she asked.

  Thinking he was being cute, he smiled and said, “What do you suggest?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re a glutton for punishment.”

  “I’m not,” Jake said. “My usual, please.”

  Caleb nodded the same. “We need it to go, cutie, we’ve got a meeting.” And as they stepped aside to wait, his cousin eyed Kel. “You screw things up?”

  “There’s nothing to screw up.”

  “I really thought you’d have more game than this,” Jake said.

  When their order came up, Ivy handed out their baskets, again serving Kel last. Their fingers brushed and she sucked in a breath.

  “Thanks,” he said quietly, not pulling his basket from her hand, but holding it with her, stalling . . . “How’s it going?”

  Their eyes met. She didn’t answer, but gave him a small—and, he’d like to think, just for him—smile, before walking away.

  Jake and Caleb were staring at him.

  “What?” he asked.

  “There was enough heat in the air between the two of you to light this whole city up in flames,” Caleb said.

  Jake just gave a slow nod. “Guess you do have some game after all.”

  Caleb’s and Kel’s phones both buzzed at the same time with a reminder of a meeting in thirty minutes. Their entire day was full.

  The story of his life, of course. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d told Ivy his life didn’t lend itself to relationships. But it was the first time he’d ever wanted to put personal stuff ahead of work. He wanted to take the time to talk to her, and see what might happen next.

  This of course led to some fairly creative fantasizing, none of which he had any business doing. Didn’t stop him. And it wasn’t all sexual. He thought about taking her out on the water in one of Jake’s boat. Sans Jake, of course. Or walking Pier 39 and sightseeing. Or going out on the town for the night.

  The entire duration of his and Caleb’s meeting with the city inspectors, he nodded when necessary and spoke when he needed to, but in spite of the importance of the meeting, he’d definitely done what he’d never thought he could—relegated brain power to his personal life.

  To Ivy.

  He’d hoped to get some time later in the day to go talk to her, but that didn’t happen. And right after work, he had something else he had to do first, something he’d put off.

  He wasn’t even sure why. He loved his sister. They had a good relationship. She’d been in Idaho just a few months ago and had stayed with him. Plus, he couldn’t wait to see the new baby. But he knew it wasn’t going to be just a catch-up visit. It wasn’t going to be that simple. His sister wanted family unity, including his mom.

  And Kel wasn’t sure he was ready for that. Or if he ever would be. So he stood on the porch of his sister’s small Victorian house in the Soma District, hands shoved in his pockets, feeling more jumpy than he’d ever felt at work in Idaho, and that was saying something.

  He knocked, but he could hear a baby wailing away at high decibels inside, so he doubted anyone could hear him. But just as he lifted his hand to knock again, the door whipped open and his sister, Remy, stood there with a baby in her arms, red face and crying.

  The baby, not his sister, though Remy looked like she was on her way to doing the same. “Oh, hello. Has hell frozen over?” she asked.

  He grimaced. Yeah, he was really good at pissing off all the females in his life. “Sorry it took me so long.”

  “Harper’s three months old.”

  “I know,” he said softly. “I’m sorry. I let work rule my life and I suck.” No way was he going to tell her he’d nearly ended up six feet under, especially when she looked so close to losing it. “I missed you. Can I come in?”

  “I’m trying to decide,” she said, her brown eyes looking suspiciously shiny, her voice hitching.

  Shit. He knew what that meant. An impending storm. He slowly stepped into her, forcing her to back up a step. Shutting the door behind him and hitting the bolt, he turned and pulled Remy and the baby into him for a hug.

  Remy clung for a long beat and he knew they were going to be okay. He kissed Remy on the top of her head and then nodded to the still squalling bundle. “May I?”

  His sister handed the baby over, and at the exchange, the little thing hiccupped and took a shuddery breath, holding off on the sobs for a beat as she took in her new carrier. Huge drenched eyes stared up at Kel, her skin blotchy and mottled from her temper tantrum. “Hey, Harper,” he said softly, staring into her sweet little face.

  A face that started to scrunch up again, because clearly the kid knew the score. He wasn’t packing warm, soft curves. Or her next meal. “You’re not going to cr