Malibu by Moonlight Read online

I had never felt attraction to any of my clients—I could appreciate the shape of a man's body or his face, but I was so focused and driven about my career that I knew I didn't have time to give to emotional things like attraction and desire. I blamed the absence of Simon for my momentary lack in focus, and I blinked and smiled inwardly at the whole chain of thoughts.

  "What do you think?" he asked.

  "Me? Nothing."

  "Nothing?"

  "Yeah, I wasn't thinking anything," I said, trying to cover myself.

  "Nothing is an odd answer to my question," he said.

  "What question?"

  "I told you I was here for a couple more days and asked if you thought you might have time for a ride. I was thinking about picking up a bike from my family's shop."

  "Did you ask me that just now?" I asked.

  He smiled and nodded.

  "I'm sorry. That's how out-of-it I am. I didn't even hear you." I shook my head regretfully. "I've got too much to do around the store, and I don't know anything about biking, anyway, but thank you. It really was nice meeting you."

  "It was nice meeting you, too, but I wasn't talking about biking. When I said bike I meant motorcycle. My family has a dealership here, and I was thinking of borrowing one of their motorcycles to check out one of your scenic highways."

  I smiled. I felt shy and caught myself adjusting my stance as I stood next to him. I had forgotten that Courtney's new husband was part of the same Bishop family that made motorcycles, and now it was all making sense. "Riding on a motorcycle is certainly more appealing than going for a bike ride, but even then, I'm just so swamped. My head cutter is on vacation this week. I wasn't even planning on coming here today."

  "Do you need some help?" he asked. "I can work a pair of scissors."

  I laughed. "I appreciate your confidence, but I'm afraid it's a little more complicated than knowing how to work a pair of scissors."

  Liam nodded and gave me a resigned shrug. He was too proud and too much of a gentleman to continue putting himself out there, so I knew this meant he was throwing in the towel. It's what I wanted to happen, but at the same time I hated it. I thought it might be fun to ride on a motorcycle, and I was mad at myself for denying him. I knew I didn't have time for it, though, and for the next few seconds I fought an internal battle where I regretted the decision to turn him away.

  "If you want, you can get my number from Courtney," I said. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to touch base with me before you go for a ride just in case I happen to need a little break or something."

  "That's a 'yes'," Liam said, smiling wryly at me.

  "No, it's not," I assured him. "It's a call me and maybe there will be a ten percent chance that I might just be able to leave my workstation for a second."

  "I'll take it," he said with a confident nod.

  He stepped toward me, and without asking my permission, he took me into his arms. He was probably just saying goodbye, and to him, it was likely a normal thing to give a farewell hug, but I wasn't used to such behavior and it caught me off guard, forcing me to stiffen. I was raised in Arkansas, and I knew people from the south liked to give hugs, but my family never really did. I continued this tradition once I became a professional, and the extent of my human contact was a handshake or an occasional pat on the back.

  I thought Liam would just squeeze me quickly and awkwardly and let me go, but he didn't. He held me there in spite of my stiff resistance.

  "You were better at this yesterday," he said.

  "That's because you asked me yesterday. I knew it was coming."

  "May I hug you, Taylor?" he asked without moving.

  I laughed. "I guess…" I said tentatively.

  This caused him to chuckle. He shifted, trying to make our position more comfortable. He was grasping me gently and I could've easily gotten away from him, but he smelled good, and it felt good. The human contact was actually a welcome comfort to my senses. I tentatively wrapped my arms around him, giving him a little squeeze.

  "That's more like it," he said.

  He let me go after a few seconds, staring at me with a smile. I had to look away from him. I was shocked to find that I wished our encounter had continued a little longer.

  "I must be going," I said. "I guess you might call me tomorrow when you go for a ride."

  "I will, but it might be the next day," he said. "My cousins were talking about going for a hike or to the beach, and I'm not sure when that's going to happen, but I will call before I go for ride. I wouldn't forget… since there's a ten percent chance you'll come with me."

  "Maybe twenty," I said.

  "Did my chances just double because of that hug? Because if that's the case, I'll give you another one. I'll stand here and hug you until we get to a hundred."

  I laughed. "That won't be necessary," I said from over my shoulder as I walked toward the car.

  "So, you're saying it's a hundred without the hugs?" He stood with his palms out, wearing an irresistible grin.

  I smiled and shook my head at him. "Fifty."

  "I'll take fifty," he said. "I'll see you soon."

  I grinned at him as I sat in the backseat of the sedan. My driver closed the door and walked around to the other side. My heart was beating a thousand miles an hour, and I felt like I couldn't catch my breath. I didn't want to do it, but I turned and looked out the window to see if Liam was still standing there. He was in the process of turning to walk away, but I caught a glimpse of his profile and could see that he was smiling. That made me smile, and I bit my lip to stop myself. I sighed and let my head flop onto the seatback, wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into.

  Chapter 7

  I really thought I would hear from Liam the following day, but it didn't happen. I even wore clothes to work that I thought might be appropriate for a motorcycle ride just in case he called.

  I tried my best not to be disappointed when I didn't hear from him, but I had never ridden on a motorcycle before, and I had worked myself up to looking forward to it. I knew about Courtney's new husband being a Bishop from the Bishop Motorcycle Company, but for some reason, it hadn't fully sank in that Liam was one of them as well. Either way, I searched Bishop Motorcycles a time or two that day when he didn't call, and was taken aback by what a mega enterprise it was. I saw some pictures of Jesse, Rose, and a few other people I recognized from the wedding, which was sort of surreal.

  I had never in my life regretted maintaining personal boundaries with my customers, but as I waited for Liam Kennedy to call me that day and he didn't, I experienced regret for the first time. Normally, I was happy or relieved when a man tried to pursue me and I said enough to convince him to keep his distance.

  I blamed the absence of Simon for my weakness.

  Obviously, I was out of my head with grief.

  To my own chagrin, I woke up the following morning and, again, put on clothing that was suitable for a motorcycle ride. The morning before, I had even Googled the phrase clothing suitable for a motorcycle ride to make sure I got it right. I got really embarrassed after I did that and cleared the history on my computer even though I was at my house and no one could possibly know.

  On morning number two, I wore a pair of dark, stretchy jeans with a white blouse and a fitted denim jacket that I had made myself. I put on a pair of brown boots that went well with the outfit. My attire was still fairly dressy, but it was slightly more casual than the clothing I would usually wear to work—especially when I had a few fittings scheduled. By this point, though, I really wanted to go with Liam if he called, and I wanted to be prepared just in case.

  "Jeans two days in a row," Anthony remarked when I came into the back room.

  "These were dark enough that I figured they could pass for slacks," I said, trying to brush him off.

  "They could. You look nice," he said.

  "Thank you." I took off my denim coat and hung it on the back of my chair.

  "Going somewhere?" he asked.

  "I don't think s
o. No. I might. I mean, maybe later, but I'm not sure." I clamped my mouth shut, staring at my workstation. I absolutely never rambled, and Anthony would definitely know how out of sorts I was if I continued. I stared at the rack of clothing in front of me, feeling overwhelmed by how much work I had.

  "You look like you're going to a rock concert," Drew said, coming into the back room.

  I had come in through the back, so it was the first time he saw me. I sighed and let my shoulders slump as I turned to face him. "Seriously?" I asked. "Is it really that different from what I normally wear?"

  "No, no, no," he said, feeling bad. "You look amazing. I just meant it was… playful, you know with the denim and boots and everything."

  "You should have seen her yesterday," Anthony said.

  (Drew had the day off, and our part-time retail girl, Emily, was there instead.)

  "What did you have on yesterday?" Drew asked in a way too curious tone. Apparently, both of them were amused by my change in clothing choices.

  "She had on baby blue trousers with a black blouse. She looked like a movie star."

  "I did not," I said. "This is all stuff I had in my closet—all stuff I've worn before."

  "Yeah, but not at the same time," Drew said.

  "And not to work," Anthony added.

  They were right, and I didn't know how to respond other than to change the subject. They were accustomed to my all-business attitude, so neither of them skipped a beat when I said nothing more about my clothing choices and began discussing the orders we needed to fill.

  We worked like mad all morning, took a short break for lunch, and then went to work again that afternoon. The time flew by so quickly that I hardly noticed Liam Kennedy had not called me.

  I don't know what I was thinking getting my heart set on going on a motorcycle ride, anyway.

  I shouldn't have done that.

  It was three o'clock in the afternoon, and I was thinking about anything but a motorcycle ride when the screen of my phone lit up.

  It was a text, and my heart skipped a beat when I noticed it was from Courtney Cole.

  Courtney: "Hey chica, Daniel's cousin is asking for your number. I thought he wanted to see you about a suit, so I told him to call the store, but he said he wanted your cell. He seems to think you won't mind me giving it to him, but I wanted to check with you first. Thanks for coming to the wedding! Love U!"

  I grinned as I stared at the screen, deciding how exactly to respond. It's a wonderful feeling when you assume you've been rejected and you find out you haven’t. I had no idea if we would actually go on a ride, but at least he was trying to reach me.

  I typed out a response to Courtney.

  Me: "Thanks for double checking, but you can pass my number along to Liam. And your wedding was beautiful! Thanks for having me."

  I stared at the screen before I sent it and decided to delete Liam's name and replace it with "Daniel's cousin" just so it wouldn't be so personal. I was completely aware that this meant I was overthinking things, but I didn't care. I read the text three times before finally pressing send. I went back to my sewing after that and didn't look at my phone again until the screen lit up a few moments later.

  I expected it to be Courtney with a response, but it wasn't. It was a text from a 901 number.

  Unknown number: "Hey Taylor Quinn, it's Liam. I know I only have half a chance that you'll come with me, but I figured I'd let you know I was planning on taking a ride this evening. I'll pick up the bike at 5, so I could probably be at your place by 5:30 or so if you want to come."

  I set down the phone. I was tempted to respond immediately, but I gave myself a couple of minutes to collect my thoughts. I decided to go for something simple.

  Me: "I could use the break. Would love to go."

  I heard from him within a few seconds.

  Liam: "Is this Taylor Quinn?"

  I stared at the phone with my eyebrows furrowed as I replied.

  Me: "Yes, why?"

  Liam: "Because that was too easy."

  I snickered out loud when I read his text, causing Anthony to look at me.

  I responded to Liam without offering an explanation to Anthony.

  Me: "I'm looking forward to it."

  Liam: "This seems too good to be true, but I'm still coming by your store."

  Me: "Good. Thank you. I'll be here."

  An hour had passed when my cell rang.

  I glanced down to find that it was Liam who was calling me. I answered on the second ring and instantly stood up to find a more private location to take the call. Anthony was sitting close by and so was another employee named Benjamin who had come in for the afternoon shift. They both glanced at me curiously regarding my sudden departure, but I kept walking toward the bathroom.

  "Hello," I said quietly.

  "Is this Taylor Quinn?"

  Liam's voice made me smile.

  "Yes," I said. "Is this Liam Kennedy?"

  "Yes."

  "Are you okay?" I asked.

  "Yeah, but there's been a slight change of plans."

  "Okay…"

  "I was trying to get a ride to get to the dealership, and some of my family decided they wanted to go for a drive also. They thought it was a great idea. I guess some of the highways up here are pretty famous."

  I thought this meant he was no longer coming to pick me up, and my heart felt heavy. "They are," I said. "You guys should have fun." I knew I sounded way too cheerful, but I had to overcompensate for the feelings of disappointment.

  "I thought you were coming with me," Liam said.

  "I thought I was too, but I, uh, I thought you were calling to tell me you were going with your family instead. I thought that's why you're calling."

  "No. I'm just telling you that once I told them about it, they dropped everything and got in the car. We all came over to the dealership to get the bikes. We're all here now, and everybody's about ready to go. I know I told you five-thirty, and I can still make that happen, but I thought I'd give you a call in case you can sneak away early."

  "Who's all with you?" I asked, feeling suddenly excited and nervous.

  "My sister, and parents, and grandparents, and a couple of my cousins. And you met Jesse and Rose, they're here too."

  A wave of nausea hit me after thought of interacting with all of these people. "Your parents and grandparents are going?" I asked.

  "Yeah," he said. "I'm really sorry if that changes things with you. I asked for a ride to the dealership, and I had no idea they'd all decide to go. We're all going back home tomorrow, and they thought taking a drive was a great idea. I couldn’t really say 'no'."

  "How many people?" I asked.

  "There's quite a few of us, but it's just eight bikes since most of us are pairing up—and it's not like they'll be right in our faces the whole time. We'll give each other space once we get out on the road."

  I could feel myself blushing at the thought of interacting with his whole family. I wondered what they would think about him picking me up—the random girl who had sold him a suit two days before. Would they assume we were seeing each other? Would they assume I liked him? Because I didn't. It was not like that at all. It's just that he asked me to go on a ride, and I thought it would be fun. It was good timing with having lost Simon. I should've never agreed to this. I would have never agreed to it if I wasn't so off-kilter over Simon.

  "Hello?" he asked since I had been silent for so long.

  "Why don't you just go with your family? It's probably out of your way to come pick me up, and it works out for me, anyway, because I've still got a ton of work to do here."

  "What? I thought you already said you were coming. Nothing has to change. I'll still pick you up at five-thirty. I'll ride with my family for a few minutes, and then I'll leave and come pick you up. We will go by ourselves. We don't have to go with them. Our plans don't have to change."

  "No, no, I don't want you to do that," I said. "You should go with your family."

  "I
want to go with you," he said.

  He sounded so confident and sure that an unfamiliar tingling sensation happened in my chest.

  "I would've never even told them I was going if I thought it was going to make you cancel."

  "You're family's gonna think it's strange that you're picking up a suit maker you just met."

  "No they're not. I already told them I was going to get you, and they didn't think anything about it. I just told them I saw you at the wedding and invited you because you never rode a motorcycle before. They don't think anything's is going on between us, if that's what you're scared of. It's not like that. I just broke up with my girlfriend like five days ago, and they all know I'm not interested in jumping into anything."

  Stabbing.

  Crushing.

  I couldn't really tell whether the pain was sharp or dull, but there was definitely pain in my chest. I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. Why in the world did the news that Liam had a girlfriend only five days ago make me want to blow my top? Who was this girl? What was her name? What did she do for a living? What did she look like? How long had they been together? I could feel my face turning red.

  "Taylor?" he asked.

  "What?"

  "May I please come pick you up?"

  "What time?" I asked.

  "As early as thirty minutes, or as late as… whenever. Whenever you say. Whenever you can."

  "I didn't know you just broke up with someone," I said.

  I begged myself not to say those words, and yet they still came out of my mouth. I silently rapped my fist against the bathroom wall, feeling so aggravated with myself for saying such a thing. Why did I care? I didn't care. What in the world was wrong with me?

  "She was technically my girlfriend, but not really. She was a nice person, but she was more like a friend."

  I felt the urge to ask if he was in the habit of kissing his friends, but thankfully, I was able to keep that question to myself.

  "It doesn't matter," I said. "I don't care. It's none of my business. I don't know why in the world I even said that."

  "I wish it was because you were jealous," Liam said.

  I could hear the smile in his voice.