When You Kiss Me (Maine Sullivans) (The Sullivans Book 21), Page 2

  She meant what she’d said to her mother. Nothing could be more unlikely than falling head over heels for one of her students and ending up madly in love with him.

  No question about it, Lola’s heart was safe from a fairytale, whirlwind romance.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Duncan Lyman was a man who lived by a fierce code of ethics. He didn’t lie. He didn’t cheat.

  And he sure as hell couldn’t seduce his drawing instructor…even if she was the most extraordinary, and beautiful, woman he’d ever met.

  Everything about Lola Sullivan drew him closer. Her sparkling eyes, full of such intelligence and interest in everyone and everything around her. Her talent, the scope of which he knew he had only barely glimpsed today. Her laughter, which seemed to come so easily and so freely, and which had managed to light up the dark places inside of him in a way few things had in a very long time. And on top of everything else, the attraction that he had felt sparking between them throughout the day. An attraction so heated and potent that at times he had felt as though they were touching even when they were across the room from one another.

  Despite their undeniable connection, however, given Lola’s reaction to her mother’s obvious attempt at matchmaking, she was practically wearing a Keep Away sign on her back. He’d been shocked to realize Lola was single, when guys must surely be begging her to be with them every second of every day.

  Then again, what man could possibly be good enough for Lola Sullivan?

  Duncan knew he wasn’t.

  Every day since he’d walked away from his family’s venture capital firm and started his own, Duncan had worked to make amends to the people who had been hurt by his brother Alastair’s crimes. Lola’s class was the first weekend he’d carved out for his own pursuits in five years. And even then, the only reason he was in Bar Harbor was because Gail, his office manager, had given Lola’s class to him as a birthday present. Gail had made it clear that she would be insulted if he didn’t use her gift. She’d made more than one concerned comment over the years about the long and punishing hours he spent in the office, and she clearly wanted him to take some time off for himself.

  Duncan had been charmed by Bar Harbor immediately upon arriving in town earlier that morning. He’d always loved being by the sea. It was different here than Boston, though. The big-city smells and sounds had been replaced by a laid-back, small-town feel. When he’d driven in from the airport, he’d been pleasantly surprised to realize that only a mere handful of blocks from downtown Bar Harbor was nature at its finest. With rocky, windy shores, the Maine ocean was both stunningly beautiful and a serious force to be reckoned with. Lush green trees and forests covered nearly every bit of land that hadn’t been domesticated, and when Duncan rolled down the window of his rental car, he’d breathed in pure, unpolluted oxygen.

  Now, Duncan breathed in Lola’s intoxicating scent as she leaned over his shoulder to show him a more effective way to use the new nib she’d lent him. He was not only learning a great deal from her, he was also encouraged by the positive remarks she made about his work, especially given that she seemed to know quite a bit about the specialized world of hand-drawn cartography.

  Her office phone rang and when she saw the number, she made her apologies to the group. “I don’t normally take calls during classes, but this is a distributor I’ve been hoping to work with.”

  After everyone said it was no problem, she picked up the phone. Though she pitched her voice as low as possible to keep from distracting her students, Duncan was sitting close enough not only to overhear, but also to see her face in profile.

  Unfortunately, both her tone and expression soon changed from pleased to disappointed.

  “Surely,” he heard her say, “you can decide whether you want to distribute my textiles without meeting for dinner again? I’ve already given you my sales figures and new designs.” Her frown deepened at the person’s response. “Whether I’m single or not has nothing to do with a potential business partnership.” She pressed her lips together hard at the reply, her skin flushing with what looked to Duncan like a mix of frustration and anger. “I’m in the middle of teaching a class, so I can’t discuss this any further. But based on today’s conversation, I don’t think my company is a good fit with yours. Good-bye.”

  She looked a little shaken as she hung up the phone, and Duncan realized his fingers had clenched around his pen.

  Lola took a moment to compose herself before turning back to her students with a smile. “Sorry about that. Now, who needs help with something?”

  He wanted to ask her if she was all right. He also wanted to know how many times she’d had to deal with such blatant sexism. But she obviously wanted to move on as if it hadn’t happened.

  Too soon, the workshop came to an end. Lola showered everyone with compliments on their work, drawing them even more under her spell. Her mother, Beth, was best described as warm and adorable. But while Lola was warm, she was also dazzling. On every level—personal and professional.

  As Duncan and his fellow students had worked on their drawing projects throughout the day, she had done several great freehand drawings to show them the techniques she wanted them to master. What’s more, the textiles pinned around her studio looked extremely marketable. While she seemed happy in her small, sunlit studio in Bar Harbor, and she’d mentioned working with retail stores throughout Maine, she could easily go global. All it would take was the right investor behind her. And, of course, not having to deal with sexist jerks like the man she’d spoken with on the phone.

  Duncan quickly justified the need to stay behind after class by telling himself that since she had helped him with his drawing skills, now he could return the favor by offering suggestions about potential avenues to grow her business. LS Textiles could become an international powerhouse, and he’d love to help her get there. Plus, he couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing her again. The sooner he could see her smile and hear her laugh, the better.

  Though the students hadn’t known one another to begin with, they included him in their warm embraces at the end of class. A tall, muscular man, he always went out of his way to make sure people didn’t feel threatened by his presence, and he was glad that everyone had been comfortable with him in class. He also appreciated the way the women insisted he stay in touch as part of their newly formed drawing group.

  After the other students had left, he said to Lola, “I know you’ve already given up your day to the class, but I’d like to speak with you about something. Could I convince you to have a quick cup of coffee with me?”

  When she paused before replying, he was surprised to realize that she was going to turn him down. Duncan couldn’t remember the last time a woman had said no to one of his invitations. But Lola wasn’t like any other woman he’d known.

  But instead of saying no, she asked, “What do you want to talk with me about?”

  His invitation had clearly made her wary. But was it him specifically who made her wary? Or was it men in general? He knew enough beautiful women—although none as stunning as Lola—to understand that beauty wasn’t always a bonus. On the contrary, it could be a huge burden when a woman wanted to be taken seriously. Her phone call that afternoon with the distributor proved that in spades.

  “I’d like to speak with you about your business,” he clarified, to make sure she knew he wasn’t planning to hit on her, even though eight hours with her in a group class wasn’t nearly enough.

  She frowned. “Were you unhappy with the class?”

  “It was great. You’re a fantastic teacher. But it’s your textile designs I’d like to discuss. As I said earlier, cartography is just a hobby. I work in venture capital.”

  A faint expression of disappointment moved across her face, though her tone was more teasing than condemning as she said, “And here I thought you were one of the good guys.”

  “Every day, I do whatever I can to be a good guy.” Though he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to wipe his slate
completely clean, he’d go to his grave trying. “I’d be happy to walk you through my portfolio of companies so that you can see that the people I work with are honest, hardworking, and talented. Whatever time you can spare to talk with me about your company, I’d appreciate.”

  Again, she made him sweat as he waited for her reply. Men, he figured, sweated in Lola Sullivan’s presence a great deal.

  Just then, her stomach let out a loud grumble. She laughed as she told him, “I need at least five meals a day to keep chugging along, and I’m afraid I was talking so much that I skipped most of lunch. I’ve actually been hankering for Irish steak with potato scones. If you’ve got thirty minutes or so, I can make enough for both of us in the café’s kitchen.”

  Duncan was more than happy to stay for as long as she wanted him around, even if he had only her hunger pangs to thank for it. As they headed down the block to the café, he tried not to ogle her spectacular figure, but it wasn’t easy when every inch of her was perfect, from her glossy dark hair, to her luscious curves, all the way down her long legs to her stiletto heels. Compared to Lola, the size-zero blondes with Botoxed faces from his Boston hometown looked pale and insignificant.

  The guy who convinced Lola to give him a chance would be very lucky indeed. And even though he knew she deserved to be with a far better man, one without dark skeletons in his past, Duncan still couldn’t help but wish he could be that guy.

  Other men on the street didn’t bother trying to disguise their interest in her. Duncan had noticed the same thing when they’d gone to the café for lunch—people’s eyes constantly followed Lola. Without exception, men drooled. And the women with those men frequently shot Lola jealous glares. Lola didn’t seem to take any notice, but Duncan knew she must be aware of the way people reacted to her. Yet again, it struck him that being gawked at everywhere she went had to be disconcerting. Hugely so.

  In the café’s kitchen, she introduced him to the staff, then set them up in a corner by an unoccupied stovetop. She gestured for him to sit on a nearby stool while she took out a frying pan and myriad ingredients from the industrial fridge, then began to chop potatoes deftly after turning down his offer to help, saying she was happy to cook.

  Noting how comfortable she was in the commercial kitchen, he asked, “Did you ever think of being a chef like your mother?”

  “No, although I have spent a lot of time in this kitchen. All seven of us have worked here at one time or another when our parents needed us to help out.”

  He thought back to the lovely woman he’d met at lunch. “Your mother looks so calm, and so youthful, I can barely wrap my head around her having raised seven kids.”

  “She’s actually quite the firecracker,” Lola informed him with a smile. “It’s the lilting Irish accent that fools everyone.”

  Her smile was so stunning, he forgot what they were talking about for a moment. All he could do was stare at her, drinking in her incredible beauty. Until her quizzical glance, and then her slight frown as she realized he was staring at her, snapped him out of it. Still, while he had invited Lola for coffee to talk business, now that he had a chance, he couldn’t resist finding out more about her. “What was it like to grow up as one of seven?”

  “Honestly,” she said as she finished peeling and chopping, then steamed the potatoes, “there have been times when I’ve wished I was an only child. Usually when one of my brothers or sisters is hitting me over the head with something. But the rest of the time, I’m really glad to be a part of such a big family.”

  “Where are you in the lineup?” She didn’t seem like either the oldest or youngest. On the contrary, she seemed more like a middle child who refused to be forgotten.

  “Are you sure you want the full rundown of my family members? There are so many of us that it could take all night. And you’re here to talk about my business, not to draw the Maine branch of the Sullivan family tree.”

  Duncan couldn’t think of anything better than sitting in this warm and cozy café kitchen listening to Lola tell him about herself. And if it took all night…well, he’d be more than willing to stay up until sunrise with her. “After meeting you and your mother, I’m curious about the rest of your family.” Lola and Beth were obviously close. It was the kind of tight-knit relationship he’d only ever had with his brother.

  Until he’d learned the truth about Alastair’s crimes.

  Lola’s voice broke Duncan out of his dark thoughts. “Okay, but when you start to lose track of names, don’t say I didn’t warn you. As you’ve probably already guessed, Mom grew up in Ireland. She came to America after she met my dad, Ethan, in County Cork. Dad is one of four brothers, although my Uncle Jack passed away quite a while ago. And we have Sullivan relatives all over the world. My brother Hudson is the firstborn. He’s married to Larissa, and they live in Boston.”

  “Do you get to Boston often to see them?” Duncan shouldn’t be hoping Lola was a regular visitor to his hometown, when he had no business setting his sights on her. But he couldn’t help wanting to see more of her anyway.

  She looked a little sad as she shook her head. “When Hudson and Larissa were first married, we used to spend a lot of time together. But these past few years, I don’t see nearly as much of them as I’d like to. Lately, he’s been coming up here without her for family events, which is a bummer.” She frowned as she stirred onions in the pan. “My brother Brandon is next in the lineup. He opens hotels all over the world. We don’t see enough of him either, although he can be a little bit of a you-know-what, so that’s not all bad.”

  But Duncan could tell she didn’t mean it. She would have loved to see Brandon more often. That’s when it hit him. “Is your brother the founder of the SLVN hotel brand?”

  Lola’s pride in her brother’s achievements was evident as she grinned. “That’s him. He works too hard, though,” she added, the grin fading. “Then there’s my brother Rory, who lives nearby and is a furniture maker. Although saying he makes furniture is like saying Louis Armstrong simply played in a band. Rory is also madly in love with Zara, who makes fantastic glasses frames.”

  “It sounds like there are a lot of makers and entrepreneurs in your family.”

  “Our parents always encouraged us to follow our hearts and to trust that money would follow passion.”

  “That’s pretty rare.” Duncan hadn’t known his father well enough by the time he died to know what he would have encouraged Duncan to do, but his brother, who’d raised him from the age of six, had ended up being more concerned with money and power than anything else.

  “My dad had a whole other life before he met my mom,” Lola told him. “To hear him tell it, he made all the wrong choices, for all the wrong reasons, for a really long time. I’m sure it was more nuanced than that, but he ended up completely changing his life after going to Ireland and meeting my mom. Which is probably why he always says the only thing he truly wants is to know that we’re happy.”

  “Are you? Happy, I mean.” Duncan knew he shouldn’t ask Lola such an intimate question. Just because she was making him something to eat and telling him about her siblings didn’t mean she was inviting him into the inner recesses of her heart.

  But he needed to know the answer. Though he had known her for only a handful of hours, Duncan was surprised to realize that Lola’s happiness already meant a great deal to him. He’d hated seeing her frown so deeply during her business call today—a call that hadn’t actually been about business at all.

  Her hand stilled over the pan, the spatula hanging in midair, as though she was thinking about whether to let him in deep enough to give him an honest answer.

  At last, she raised her eyes to his. “Most of the time, I am happy.” It was the first time she’d let her defenses down around him, and her honesty stole his breath away. “And those times when I’m not…well, I just try to remind myself that I have so much to be grateful for and so many people who love me that I love back just as much.”

  There.

&
nbsp; Then.

  It was the moment Duncan fell. Not just for Lola’s beautiful face and stunning smile. Not just for her immense talent.

  But for her heart.

  Duncan couldn’t think of anyone he knew who loved with their whole heart. Truly loved with everything they were.

  Not until now.

  Until Lola.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Lola’s gaze held his, and for a moment, he thought he might not be the only one falling. But then she broke the intense connection and said, in a purely conversational tone, “Anyway, back to my family. My sister Cassie is a wizard with candy. You wouldn’t believe the things she can make with sugar. Honestly, I’m not the one you should be talking to about investors. Cassie and Rory are far better candidates.”

  Before he could reply, she looked down at the stovetop as if she’d only just remembered that she was cooking. “I’ve been waxing on so much about my family that I almost burned our meal.” She took the pan off the heat. “Although I still need to tell you about Cassie’s fiancé, Flynn, and his little girl, Ruby. Flynn is a brilliant screenwriter, but what’s more important is that he’s an amazing dad. Ruby is the cutest kid in the entire world, apart from my sister Ashley’s son, Kevin. And even though I know no one wants to see pictures of other people’s nieces and nephews, I’m still going to show you some while we eat.”

  Lola plated their food, which they took to a small yellow table with matching yellow chairs under the shade of a leafy tree behind the café. Though they couldn’t see the harbor from their seats, the sounds and smells of the waterfront wafted through the air.

  They dove into their meals, and as the flavors hit his tongue, he was blown away all over again. “I had no idea steak and potatoes could taste this good. You’re a wizard at everything you touch, aren’t you?”

  Most women would eat up his compliments. But Lola gave him a small, slightly wary smile. Almost as though she thought he was simply telling her what he thought she wanted to hear. He had to wonder how many men over the years had told her whatever they thought would get her to fall for them, even if it was a lie.