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“Madison…?” the girl asked.
“Ms. Adair is still working,” Kyle said pleasantly.
“I’ll have another draft, Katie, thanks,” Madison said.
Katie walked away to fill their order. He couldn’t help smiling as he stared at Madison, except that, as he looked at her, he felt a sudden tremor streak through him, hot as fire, constricting something vital in him. She was angry, nasty, could be bitchy as hell.
God, he wanted her.
He exhaled a long breath, staring at her, glad of his roomy denim cutoffs and the table hiding his arousal from her.
She’d been cute and clever at thirteen. Beautiful in college. He’d felt affection for her when she was a kid, pride when she was older, and, always, a strange pull. Now she was pure, sensual elegance. It was startling to realize the strength of what he was feeling for her at that moment.
She’d been his stepsister, for God’s sake, he reminded himself. But they weren’t biologically related, for which he was grateful, considering the purely physical reaction she was causing in him now.
Except that he cared about her, too. Even though part of him wanted to be a million miles away from her. Even if he was…
Unnerved.
That was it. Completely unnerved by her.
He cleared his throat. “Did you drive here, Madison?” he asked her.
“Yes, why?”
“Because you shouldn’t drive home. I’ll wait for you.”
The beers were set before them. Madison stared at him, her eyes hard. “You’re not my big brother. You don’t need to wait for me.”
“You’re drinking too much.”
“Oh, I’m drinking too much. So I should ride home with a beach bum who’s been sitting here drinking for hours?”
Kyle grinned slowly. “I’ll go to coffee next.”
“Don’t bother on my account.”
“Are you staying at your dad’s place?”
She hesitated. “Yes.”
“Then I’ll wait.”
“Maybe I have a date.”
He looked past her, studying the band members, who were again readying their equipment.
Kyle lifted his beer. “Are you sleeping with one of them? Joey King, maybe? He looks like your type.”
“He’s married, with kids.”
“Glad to hear that would stop you.”
“Damn you, Kyle—”
“Sorry, sorry, I just haven’t seen you in a long time.”
“Who I sleep with is none of your business.”
“Maybe it’s the natural concern of an older brother.”
“I thought we’d established that you’re not my brother.”
He shrugged. “Have it your way. Old habits die hard. I’m just trying to ascertain who you’ll be seeing after your gig.”
“Maybe I sleep with the whole band. At the same time.”
He smiled, lowering his head slightly. “Madison, you have the tolerance level of a baby when it comes to alcohol.”
“Really? You haven’t seen me in more than six years! You think I’m drunk already? You think you know my tolerance levels? Then maybe you don’t want to stick around. I’m Lainie Adair’s child, remember? If I’m so loaded, you should watch out. I might resort to some kind of wild strip show up there.”
He grinned, tugging on the brim of his baseball cap. “Well, cool. You did just remind me that there’s no blood relation between us. Our kids wouldn’t have two heads, or anything like that. I’ll be watching and waiting.”
“Our kids? Oh, Kyle, never, not even if the survival of the species depended on it.”
“I think they’re waiting for you, Madison.”
She stood up with sudden anger, then bent down, whispering vehemently, “Don’t wait for me.”
“I’m not having any traffic fatalities on my conscience. I’ll be here when you’re done.”
“Kyle—”
“I’ll be waiting, Madison.”
She straightened. Turned. Wavered.
She really didn’t have any tolerance for alcohol. None whatsoever.
She banged into a table on her way back to the stage.
But she sang just fine. Her voice was great. She moved sensually to the music.
And when she finished, he was waiting.
3
Madison could have kicked herself. She prided herself on looking at life with level, matter-of-fact vision, and here she was, behaving like a two-year-old.
Because Kyle Montgomery had suddenly stepped back into her life.
To make it worse, she reflected, he was behaving well. Apologizing. Putting the past in the past, trying to establish a friendship.
She could be mature, too. She could. He had just taken her by surprise, that was all. And, of course, he did know her. She had no tolerance for alcohol whatsoever—which seemed absurd, considering what her father could put away without the slightest slur in his voice. But that didn’t matter; she had a handle on that now. During the second break, she had laced herself with strong black coffee. By the time the group finished for the night, she was clearheaded. Tired, but clearheaded. So much so that she was able to insist with quiet, mature dignity that she could drive her own car home.
Still, when she drove through the gates to her father’s Key West “bungalow,” Kyle was right behind her. It would have appeared rude to rush in ahead of him and slam the front door in his face, so she stepped from the driver’s seat of her Cherokee, closed the car door and waited. She wasn’t going to appear rude. And she wasn’t going to fight with him like a child. She wasn’t going to embrace him with enthusiasm, however; she was going to be cool, aloof and unerringly polite. Courteous. Naturally, he was welcome in her father’s house. At one time, as he had said, they had been a family, however dysfunctional.
“So, how is being back home in the land of sun and fun?” she inquired as he stepped from his rented Honda and started along the path toward her. He looked good. As if he spent lots of hours in the gym. There were the larger touches of silver in his dark hair than the last time she’d seen him, as if life had beaten him up a bit. It had; she knew that. His face was more striking now, with a few sun lines working their way around his mouth and eyes. He was tanned. He might use good sense and sunblock now and then, she thought, but vanity would never keep him from the outdoors, which he loved. It was, in fact, strange to think of him spending so much time in the Washington area without coming home. She knew that his house was actually in northern Virginia, near Quantico and the office where he worked most frequently, with a lot of beautiful scenery nearby, as well as museums, theaters and sporting events. But he loved the sun and the things to be done in the sun, swimming, boating, diving, fishing. Maybe staying away had been some self-imposed punishment after Fallon died.
Nearing her, he arched a dark brow, apparently surprised by—and perhaps wary of—her conversational tone of voice.
“It’s good to come home,” he said, staring up at the “bungalow.” Jordan Adair’s “Key West shack”—as he referred to it on talk shows—had eight bedrooms and baths, and sat on a patch of man-enhanced private beach. “Not that I would presume to call your father’s house my home,” he said, a small smile curling his lips.
Madison shrugged. “Well, we were definitely the strangest family in the world. My father and your father used to play at being rivals, now they’re each other’s best friends.” She hesitated, determined to keep a grudging tone from her voice. “I’m sure my father considers this place home for you.”
“That was quite magnanimous of you.”
She shrugged. “Well, I’m exhausted. And five-year-olds wake up early.”
“Your daughter is here?”
“You didn’t know that?”
He shook his head. “I drove in, dumped my gear in an empty guest room, saw your father briefly—he had one of his Enter at Your Own Risk, Madman Working signs on his door. He said I should go on over and have a few beers, he’d probably show up.”
“He didn’t mention that the group would be there tonight?”
“No.”
“Sounds like Dad—he also didn’t think to mention to me that you were coming in.”
Madison turned, walking along the gravel drive that led to the tile path to the house. A few steps brought her to the rustic front door—the place was a mansion with every conceivable luxury on the inside, but the weathered wood exterior made it look like something of a crab house. Kyle followed her inside.
The foyer led straight through to a massive living room that opened out onto the patio and pool. On either side, the house sprawled out, kitchen and four bedrooms to the right, Jordan’s office and another four bedrooms to the left. Beyond the pool was a separate building that housed a Ping-Pong table, a billiard table and a multitude of games and coin operated machines. Next to it was a storage facility for scuba and fishing equipment. The patio was always lit, so even though the house was darkened, there was plenty of light for the two of them to see one another.
“Well, as I said, welcome back.”
“And as I said, I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “Apology accepted.” She hesitated. “How long are you down for?”
“I don’t know yet. I have to be in Miami on Monday. From there, it depends on how things go.”
Miami on Monday.
Madison felt an instant chill, but she didn’t intend to say anything to Kyle. She didn’t want him asking her what kind of a witch she was again.
“What’s going on that you’ve been called down?” she asked casually.
He shrugged. “You don’t know?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t know.” That was the truth. “I don’t see everything, and I don’t control what I see, and I wish to hell that you’d stop treating me like some kind of freak!”
“What?” He seemed startled.
“I’m not a freak.”
He frowned. “I never said you were.”
“Well, you’ve acted like it.”
He shook his head again. “No…I…No. Madison—it was just a bad time. Hell, I’ve said I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, well, welcome home. I guess I’ll see you around.”
“Good-night.”
He didn’t move, continuing to look at her.
She hesitated, wishing she knew more. “You still didn’t tell me exactly why you’re down here.”
“No, I didn’t. It’s a long story. Want to go out on the boat with me tomorrow?”
“No.”
He shrugged. “Well, a boat is a good place to tell a long story.”
“Maybe I’m not that curious. And maybe I could just ask Jimmy—or Jassy—what’s going on in Miami.”
“Maybe you could. Suit yourself.”
“I can’t just take off with you in the boat. I have a five-year-old. And we always spend Saturdays together, unless she’s with her dad.”
Madison thought that a streak of pain flashed through his eyes, but it was gone so quickly that she decided she might have imagined it. But then, he should have had a little girl, too.
But he was smiling at her then, so guilelessly that she was sure she had imagined the darkness in his eyes and soul.
“Your five-year-old is Jordan Adair’s granddaughter. I’ll bet she just loves a day out on the boat.”
She hesitated.
“Hey, sis, come on. I’m just trying to make peace. Honest to God, once upon a time, we were friends.”
“Maybe. We’ll see. It depends on when you’re leaving.”
“Early. By eight.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
