Natural Blond Instincts

9

SURFACING, Kenna blew her soggy hair out of her face. Furious, and more than a little embarrassed, she glared at her target. Not the two horrified children, but Weston Roth. “Don’t even think about laughing.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

The two girls, crying now, ran for their mother, who’d just come onto the deck with an armful of towels.

Nice of her to show up.

Kenna’s teeth started to chatter, because the contrast between the air temperature and the water temperature was so great and she swam for the side of the pool. That’s when it hit her that Wes stood a good ten feet back.

Of course he did, the jerk.

“I could be drowning, you know.” She shoved more of her soggy hair from her face. She really was going to have to go with waterproof mascara.

The irritating man merely smiled, though he did step a bit closer. “Are you?”

“Yes.”

He laughed, and the low rough sound of his good humor really fried her. She knew damn well he wouldn’t be laughing if it was him in the water.

“You’re talking too much to be drowning,” he said, then hunkered down at the edge of the pool, careful to keep his shoes dry. “You’re a mess.”

“It’s very sweet of you to point that out.” She lifted a hand, too irritated to swim to the shallow end or toward the ladder. “Pull me out.”

Mockingly apologetic, he shook his head. “You said you were going to handle this.” His smile was slow, sympathetic and utterly, infuriatingly sexy. “You said-”

“Oh, shut up.” She held on to the side of the pool, the water dragging her clothes down while she plotted her revenge, never mind that it was her own stupidity that had landed her in the pool in the first place. Somehow this was his fault, she just knew it. “Give me a h-hand.”

She hadn’t faked the shiver at the end, but she realized when he frowned in concern that it was a nice touch and immediately added another.

He held out a hand, which she took. And latched on. Feet braced on the side of the pool, she tugged as hard as she could.

The splash he made after he flew over her head and hit the water was quite satisfactory.

When he broke the surface, he shook his head and stared at her, shocked. “You pulled me in.”

She smiled. “Your glasses are crooked.” She moved to haul herself out, meaning to do so gracefully, with dignity, so as to fully savor having the last word.

But her clothes weighed a ton. She’d lost one heel, and she couldn’t hike her leg up in her tight skirt. “Um…Wes?”

He swam to the edge, with a fine stroke she couldn’t help but notice, and shot daggers at her. “What?”

“Could you give me another hand?”

“Hell, no.”

She shivered again-not quite a fake one this time-and he rolled his eyes. “Oh, fine.”

In the next breath, he’d hauled her toward him, and since he could stand, he slipped one large hand around her waist, another other under her legs. His fingers curled just beneath her breast, his strong, warm forearm banding around her upper thighs.

For one all too brief second, she was plastered against his hard chest before he lifted her up and out, unceremoniously depositing her in a growing puddle on the edge of the pool.

At the feet of five gaping employees, all trying not to be amused by this situation. Nice of them to show up, too. Someone tossed her a towel.

“Thanks,” she said, pulling her clinging clothes away from her body in vain. Giving up, she worked on her hair. “Thanks so much for coming now, instead of say five minutes ago, when two little girls could have drowned.”

With the grace and dignity she’d wanted for herself, Wes hoisted himself out of the pool beside her, surging to his feet in one easy, strong motion that made her want to grind her teeth.

Only a moment ago she’d had a flashing thought that all those lean muscles of his were a bit sexy. They weren’t sexy, they were maddening as hell.

“Your skirt…” he said a little oddly.

Looking down at the material which had plastered itself to her body, rendering her porno material, she tugged at it again. “I hope you’re all of age,” she said to the employees still standing there, and they laughed a little nervously.

She sighed. “Okay, we’re fine now, so you can all go back to work. Assuming one of you stays out here to watch the pool.” She glanced at Wes, unable to get past the fact she’d done an extremely childish and reactionary thing by pulling him into the water.

He hadn’t yelled at her. He’d even helped her out of the water when she could have very well swum to the shallow end and gotten out herself.

Why had he done that?

She looked him over. He was every bit as drenched as she, and probably just as cold. His glasses had drops of water on them, making her wonder if he could even see her clearly.

Even more unsettling, for all his talk of wanting this job for himself, he’d been, if not exactly kind, at least honest. “Thank you.”

He looked confused again and a little wary. “For what?”

“Sticking with me. For working with me, even though I know you must resent the hell out of it.”

He pulled off his glasses and shrugged those amazing shoulders, so perfectly delineated in his wet shirt. “I just want the hotel to be a success,” he finally said. Shoving his fingers through his hair, he sent more water flying. And then seemed to realize she was hanging on his every word. “I’d like to hear you want the same thing.”

“As opposed to taking this job for the glory?” She gestured to herself, a soggy wreck. “Because from where I’m sitting, Wes, there isn’t much glory.” When he just looked at her, she relented. “I want the hotel to be a success. Of course I do. I’d just like to be a part of that success. Even have something to do with it.”

“As much as any of us are, you will be.”

She almost felt that odd lump of emotion return to her throat, because for a minute there, wet and chilled, he did seem kind.

“You have mascara running down your face,” he said. “It’s everywhere.”

Okay, not so kind. But definitely honest.

WES SPENT the day dealing with paperwork, phone calls and a handful of other things while doing his damnedest to avoid Kenna.

A few days ago that avoidance would have been directly tied into his aggravation at having to share his damn job, the one he’d wanted all for himself.

Now, he had to admit that it wasn’t all about the job. He needed some space to get over the pool incident, where he’d learned a couple of things. One, Kenna had a body full of lush curves meant to bring a grown man to his knees.

He was a grown man.

And his knees were willing to take his weight.

And yet it was the second thing he’d learned that really stuck with him. For all her tough-girl, bring-it-on attitude, Kenna had a softer side, and he had to say, for just a moment there, when he’d had her in his arms, helping her out of the pool, it’d brought out the Tarzan in him.

Luckily he’d come to his senses and regrouped.

He planned on regrouping for a while longer, and was happily at it when Mr. Mallory called him.

“I hear the union meeting went well the other day. What’s up for this week?”

Wes flipped open the calendar his assistant had left for him and talked business for a while before the question that he had hoped to avoid like the plague came.

“How’s she doing?”

No one had to tell Wes which she. “She’s…doing.”

“Good. I had no doubt that once I convinced her to give up her wild ways, she could be a good Mallory.”

For the first time Wes wondered at the pressures of being a “good” Mallory, and how that pressure would feel on the shoulders of someone like Kenna, who was clearly her own woman, with her own thoughts and ways.

As opposed to his own family, who had no expectations for him other than to be happy. And to have enough to eat.

“No problems, then?” Mr. Mallory asked.

Short of Kenna burning the place down, Wes had no intentions of being the man to complain to his boss about his daughter. “Did you expect problems?”

The older man sighed. “Look, I’ll be honest. I wanted to give Kenna this chance, I needed to give her this chance. But…well, I know what I’m asking of you. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in her, but I know she has some odd ideas, and can be a bit…shall we say strong-willed?”

Wes thought of Kenna and her concerns about the locals not getting good rates, being bothered that the restaurants didn’t have specials, irritated as hell over the employee contract negotiations… Then he thought about her dripping wet, hair in her face, makeup in her eyes, sheer, lacy clothes shrink-wrapped to every inch of her incredible body.

No, Wes doubted Mallory knew what he was asking. “Everything is fine.”

“Well…that’s good. Carry on, then, Roth.”

Carry on.

Sure. No problem. No problem at all.

TWO DAYS LATER, Wes still hadn’t had to deal with Kenna other than on occasional business issues. They’d divided things up and only ran into each other at meetings, where she seemed to be managing just fine.

As for himself, he was swamped. Between the ongoing renovation issues, keeping everything under control while having guests in the hotel at the same time, the accounting quarterlies and the myriad other problems associated with running a new hotel, he felt challenged enough.

When his brother Josh stormed into his office, Wes took one look at his expression and groaned. “Don’t tell me I have computer problems.”

“It’s not the system.” Josh, their computer wizard, was affectionately known as the resident “computer geek.” He was tall and lean like a runner, and tended to walk with his shoulders slumped as if he carried the weight of the world. He plopped in a chair and sprawled out his long arms and legs. “It’s not your computer, it’s your employees. One in particular.”

There was only one employee “in particular” who bothered Josh, and that was Wes’s junior manager in charge of conference booking. Truthfully, it wasn’t Serena’s job that got to Josh, but the woman herself.

Not that Josh would ever admit it, but he had a thing for her.

As for Serena…embarrassingly enough, she had a thing for Wes, which he’d been doing his damnedest to ignore. “What did she do now?”

“She’s insane.”

“Not insane, just…spoiled.”

“Yeah. A spoiled brat.”

Which apparently ran in the Mallory women. “What did she do?”

Josh didn’t answer, which in itself was the answer.

“Don’t tell me you asked her out again.”

“Okay. I won’t tell you.”

“Josh, let it go. She’s not your type.”

“Hey, one of these days she’s going to realize what a catch I am.”

Josh was the baby of the Roth family, which meant that for years, ever since Wes at age twelve had first found work washing cars to help his parents pay the rent, he’d felt responsible for his little brother. It was why he’d paid for Josh’s college, why Wes had encouraged him to come work here…but as a result of Wes paving the way for him, Josh didn’t tolerate things well. Things being…well, Serena not giving him the time of day. “Concentrate on work. You have enough of it.”

“Is that what you do when a woman is driving you crazy?” Josh asked. “Concentrate on work?”

“Yes.”

Unfortunately, at the moment, like Josh, it was the woman at work driving him crazy, leaving him no respite at all.

WES THOUGHT his date that night might give him a badly needed mental break. Irene was beautiful, sexy and fun.

Or she had been when they’d met at a mutual friend’s party a few weeks back. But at dinner she worried about a report she’d done earlier. She kept checking her cell phone to see if it was fully charged so she wouldn’t miss any important calls. She wondered if they could stop by her office to check on something.

When they’d met, her dedication to work had been a turn-on, but tonight Wes suddenly wished she could just…be. When they were heading toward his car after leaving the restaurant-with Irene checking through her digital organizer-she stopped walking but kept working through her schedule. “My place?”

“Irene.”

“Yours?” She frowned and kept her gaze glued to the small screen in her hands. “I don’t think I have time to get across town and-”

“Irene.”

Something in his voice finally alerted her and she looked at him. “Oh,” she said slowly. “You don’t want to…”

“I’m sorry,” he said, while wondering if he’d lost his mind.

He watched her walk away after they’d said their goodbyes, and pictured a different woman entirely, one with long, curly blond hair, moss-green eyes and a brilliant, shimmering smile which hid things he wondered about.

With a sigh he went home to his bed. Alone. Where he decided to spend the rest of the weekend hang-gliding, surfing, whatever it took to take his mind off one unconventional, whimsical Kenna Mallory.

WHILE WES was trying not to think about her, Kenna was trying not to think about him. On Saturday night, she and Ray met for Japanese food, and over sushi discussed her life.

“Tell me everything.” Ray used his chopsticks to load his plate from their shared platter. “Everything.”

“Like what?”

“Like…” He waved his chopsticks in the air. “I don’t know. The important stuff.”

“Well…” Kenna sipped her sake. “This week we’re working on quarterlies, and-”

“The juicy stuff, darling. Come on, cough up details. What are the men wearing?”

Kenna laughed. Ray shared her theory about color and attitude. “Black. Lots of black.”

“Oh.”

Ray looked so disappointed, she added, “But when I pointed out the lack of color, Wes wore a red tie one day and a light blue the next.”

“Really.” Ray’s eyes went sharp. “How’s it going with good old Mr. Weston Roth?”

Kenna shrugged.

“Oh, come on, you can do better than that. What does he look like?”

“How is that important?”

“Baby, baby.” He tsked. “A man’s appearance tells a lot about him. Come on now, does he dress slickly or as if he never looks in a mirror? Does he stand up tall or slouch over? Does he yell at everyone when he’s frustrated or remain calm? These are the things that tell you about the guy. So spill.”

“All right.” Kenna set her drink down and thought about Wes, which she hadn’t wanted to do that evening because thinking about him had begun to cause so many conflicted emotions within her she was feeling a little unnerved.

And Kenna hated to be unnerved. “He dresses well, I suppose. If you like conservative.”

Ray shrugged.

“He definitely stands up tall and stays calm no matter what’s happening around him.”

“Ooh.” Ray lifted a brow. “Sounds like a good match for you.”

“Stop it.”

“Is he mouth-watering?”

“I’m not kidding. You’re taking away my appetite.”

Ray laughed. “He’s mouth-watering.”

Kenna rolled her eyes. “We’re changing the subject now-” Her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and rolled her eyes again. “Why did I sign up for cell service again?”

“Who is it?”

“My father. My mother called yesterday. Clearly they’ve added me to their schedule, and are checking in with me in a way they haven’t since I lived with them.” She clicked the phone on. “Hello.”

“Kenna. How’s work?”

Right to the point. Wasn’t that just like him. “Great. I’m great, too, by the way.”

“Terrific. You know next weekend I’m throwing my annual charity benefit. Everyone will be there. I just wanted to make sure you knew about it.”

Next weekend she’d planned to lie on the beach and read the financials for Mallory Enterprises from the last few years. Much more fun than a fancy event. “I can’t-”

“Not a word I want to hear, Kenna. See you then.” He hung up.

She stared down at the phone, then tossed it into her purse with an oath.

Ray grinned. “Good old dad. How close are you to getting back in the will?”

“I am not working at the hotel to get back into the will, you deranged man.”

“Why are you doing it?”

Yes, Kenna, why are you doing it? “Because it’s challenging. And because…”

“Because…?”

“Because I’m good at it.”

“Well, that’s a disappointing answer.”

She frowned. “Why?”

“Because, baby cakes, you should be doing it for the joy of it, for the pride, because you’re crazy about it and can’t imagine doing anything else.” He poured them both some more sake.

“That’s why college was so much fun for you,” he said after a quick sip. “And that’s why you’ve enjoyed every job you ever had, because you were crazy about it, at least at the time.” He smiled at her. “It’s what makes you you, don’t you know that?”

“I can be me without loving my job.”

“You can’t be the best you that you can be.”

Kenna laughed. “You sound like a commercial for the armed forces.”

“I’m serious.” He pointed at her with his chopsticks. “A career requires passion. You, Kenna, you require passion.”

She stared at him. “What?”

“It’s true,” he said gently.

“I’m missing my passion?”

“Yes.”

Oh my God, he was right. He was so right. Somehow, somewhere along the way, she’d really lost it. “How do I get it back?”

“Well, as I see it, you can do one of two things.”

“What?”

“Not what. Whom.” A slow grin split his face. “You can do Wes.”

“Ray!”

He laughed. “Kidding. But you do have to do something. Sorry, but you just have to figure it out on your own.”

“Gee, thanks.”

He grinned and toasted her with his sake. “You’re ever so welcome.”