Sinful Intentions

by Amy Redwood

  She gripped the wineglass tighter. “Who’s that he’s talking to?” Never, not once, had it crossed her mind that he would be seeing anyone besides her. If this was his girlfriend, someone he had cheated on, she’d kick his ass until he wouldn’t know his own name anymore.

  “That’s Vivian Miller, she owns the cutest little bookstore,” Linda answered. “I hope I’m not being too straightforward, but I thought for a moment or two that you two were together.”

  “You got the wrong impression.” Katherine felt Linda’s gaze wander over her, and then, curiously, linger on a spot on her neck. She’d thought his bite mark was not that obvious and hardly noticeable underneath her hair. Evidently, she was wrong.

  “Todd,” Linda called, and waved to a tall man with an angular face, a cute smile and brilliant blue eyes. At first sight, Katherine found it impossible not to like him.

  “Hello, gorgeous,” he said, giving Linda a quick kiss. “I’m Todd Baxter,” he said, and Katherine shook his hand. “Don’t mind my wife here, tell me all about you.”

  “Yes,” Linda said, “don’t mind me. I want to dance.” She went to push the squashy couches to one side, creating an open space, changed the music and started dancing by herself.

  “She’s something,” Todd said quietly, watching his wife, who was soon joined by other guests on the impromptu dance floor. “What brings you to Auckland, Katherine?”

  Katherine relaxed into easy conversation with him. Compared to Trent’s cryptic style of conversation, Todd was a delight. And before she knew it, she had told him half her life.

  ———

  “You lied to me, sunshine.”

  Trent didn’t like it. Todd was his best mate, a fellow wolf at heart, but the way he was grilling Katherine made him pretty pissed off.

  He turned his attention back to Viv and replayed her last words in his mind. “I’d never lie to you.”

  “You said you were done with breaking hearts.” She sipped at her water, glancing at him over the rim of her glass until he grew uncomfortable.

  “I said it because I am.”

  “Then who’s that girl?”

  “What girl?”

  “Trent?”

  “Yes, Vivian, what is it,” he answered, realizing that he sounded annoyed as hell.

  “I’m talking about the brunette who you keep staring at.”

  “Not sure I’m following. Another drink?”

  “Not for me, not for you either. You seem a little too thirsty tonight.”

  “This is a party, isn’t it?”

  “Trent, she smells of you. And you practically reek of vodka and sex.” Viv had lowered her voice, but all the same he winced. “Do you think I’ve left my sense of smell in the bookshop? I’m a wolf.”

  “Viv,” he started, but she interrupted.

  “Sunshine, from one friend to another, stop breaking these women’s hearts just because you can. It’s not cool. Don’t you see how she looks at you?”

  “Ha,” he said. “Here you are mistaken. She’s heartbroken all right, but not because of me.”

  Vivian stared at him, shaking her head. “Sometimes you’re such a clueless idiot.”

  “Marry me anyway?”

  Her mouth fell open. “You got to be kidding me.”

  “But you love me, admit it.”

  “I also love books, coffee and kittens. Shoes too. And you come right after shoes, sunshine.”

  “Can’t you just say yes?”

  “What is wrong with you, Trent?”

  He rubbed his forehead, his head hurting like mad. “I’m having a bad week.”

  She snorted. “Why is it that I don’t quite buy that?”

  He exhaled, glanced up, taken aback when he noticed the new arrival walking into the room. “Catch you later, Viv,” he said, happy to leave her nagging questions behind, and marched toward his partner. Last time Trent had seen him, his partner had been grumbling about having his quiet weekend ruined because his mates insisted on throwing him a bachelor party.

  An uneasy thought crossed his mind. Nothing less than serious business issues would get Simon on a plane for over twenty-odd hours and that with—if he remembered correctly—only days before his wedding.

  “Hey, Monhollon,” he called, and clapped Simon on his back by way of greeting. “If you’re here to talk me into accepting a new client, you can fly right back. I’m not working another case until the end of summer.”

  “So you told me before you left last week,” Simon answered, a surprised grin on his face. “Didn’t expect to meet you here. Small world indeed. Nice house Baxter owns though.” Simon’s gaze wandered through the room, gave a quick wave when he spotted Todd.

  “It’s the downtown office, isn’t it?” Trent asked. “Are we having trouble?”

  “Relax, McGregor. I’m not on a business trip.”

  “Thank God. I already saw my summer go down the drain. So, what brings you across the ditch?”

  Simon gave a short grunt. “The future Mrs. Monhollon is messing with my head. I swear, whoever invented monogamy should be shot.”

  Trent frowned and followed Simon as he walked toward Todd, who was still speaking with Katherine. It was only then, when Simon leaned forward and kissed her, that his world bottomed out.

  Chapter Eleven

  Katherine felt her heart skip and her stomach plunge when Simon walked into the room. She exhaled when he didn’t spot her right away.

  She listened to Todd’s anecdote about a recent fishing trip, nodded occasionally and kept her gaze locked on her fiancé.

  Ex-fiancé.

  He looked different, she thought. His face was a tad narrower with dark circles under his brown eyes. Maybe it was the strain from the long trip. Maybe it was because he missed her as much as he said.

  A lock of brown hair falling onto his high brow, he was still looking very much like the man she’d thought she knew so well. Chiseled chin, straight nose, the corners of his mouth often turned up to a faint arrogant sneer. Never had she met a man like him before, so charming and well-read. So arrogant. Jack hated him, which had made him even more appealing. He’d pounced on her after the third date and proposed after six months. Flattered beyond belief at his declaration of love, she had accepted.

  Glancing to her hand, she rubbed the empty spot where her engagement ring had rested. Before she’d left for Auckland, she’d stuffed the ring, twenty bucks and a note with the words A tip for the stripper into an envelope and had everything couriered to his apartment.

  Did she still love him? Were the days, the nights she’d spent with Trent just her way of coping with Simon’s misstep?

  Then Trent stepped next to him, clapped him on the shoulder, and she sucked in her breath as she saw both men side by side.

  One was taller where the other was broader in the shoulder. One was a skilled lover with all the right moves, and the other turned her into a wet mess by just looking at her suggestively. One was smooth, intelligent and sophisticated. The other was rough around the edges, too smart for his own good and so masculine it took her breath. When she was with Simon, she felt as if she had to live up to his high expectations. With Trent, she simply was happy.

  One felt good.

  The other felt goddamn right.

  One loved her, wanted her, needed her, and the other—did not.

  Amazing that she’d fallen out of love with one man in one heart-wrenching second only to fall back into love with another man just days later.

  But was it love? If it were only passion, it would fade out. But love would always be there, and she thought that underneath all that sex appeal, Trent was a man one could build a future with.

  Or maybe, just maybe, she’d lost her mind and needed a shrink.

  When Todd asked her a question, she couldn’t answer because she hadn’t been listening so she merely nodded vaguely. “Shrink, drink,” she muttered under her breath, realizing that she was the tiniest bit tipsy. Nevertheless, she drained her second gl
ass of wine as both Simon and Trent approached.

  If possible, she would have gone into hiding, but she calmly accepted Simon’s kiss placed snugly between her cheek and the corner of her mouth. “Katherine,” he said quietly. “You look beautiful.”

  She nodded, still feeling the odd tingle his lips had left on her skin. She almost brushed her hand over her face to get rid of the sensation.

  “Baxter,” Simon said, shook his hand. “Thanks for keeping an eye on my fiancée.” If Todd was surprised, he was hiding it well, and Simon launched into a conversation with him without missing a beat.

  Slick as usual, she thought, and got rid of the empty wineglass at a nearby table, pondering getting a third when Simon’s hand wrapped around her wrist as if he never wanted to let her go again.

  Then she made the mistake of looking at Trent.

  He gazed at her with hot, dark eyes and absolutely spine-chilling fury. She had the sudden impression she’d poked a sleeping wild animal with a stick and was about to regret it.

  Guess she should have told him who her ex-fiancé was before the party.

  If only he hadn’t pissed her off, hurt her feelings so much after they’d had sex at the beach.

  Maybe she’d gotten the hang of this getting-even game.

  “Simon,” Trent said suddenly, a gleam in his eyes, and she knew she was knee-deep in trouble. “How come you’ve kept your charming fiancée from me while I was in New York?”

  “Because you so rarely found it worth your time to stay afterhours for a drink.” Simon turned to her, a slight smile playing around his mouth. “Katherine, I think you haven’t met Trenton McGregor yet. He’s probably the most ruthless piece of work in the firm.”

  “That’s true.” Trent held out his hand. “It’s a real pleasure to meet you, Katherine.”

  Strangely, there was a faint groan coming from Todd.

  Her heart jumped into her throat as she closed her hand around his. A jolt of electricity zinged up her arm. “Likewise,” she managed to say, trying to pull her hand back while he all but crushed her fingers as he held tight for one, two, three seconds too long.

  “Come on, Monhollon,” Todd said suddenly. “I’ll give you a tour of my new wine cellar. I hope you’re thirsty.”

  “Sure,” Simon said. “You want to come along?”

  “I’ll catch you later,” she answered, wondering if Todd’s impeccable timing was all that accidental.

  “Simon,” Trent said, “you don’t mind if I take your fiancée for a spin on the dance floor while you catch up with Todd?”

  She looked at the small dance floor where couples danced close together and her knees went weak.

  There was a slight pause before Simon said, “No, of course not.”

  She felt Simon’s grip around her wrist loosen, and Trent pulled her toward the dancing couples while Simon disappeared into the bowels of the house.

  “So,” Trent said quietly, his hands coming around her hips as he pulled her into him. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”

  Moving slowly to the music, she didn’t know where else to look other than into his furious eyes. “Why do you care who my fiancé is?” she asked, matching his low voice. “What difference does it make ultimately?”

  His eyes turned to dark slits. “You know what I want to do, Kat?”

  “No idea.” She loved, loved it when he called her that, in that dark, husky voice.

  “I want to spank the living daylights out of you.”

  “That bad?” She imagined being in his arms without her dress. It was laughingly easy and her legs almost faltered. “Are you jealous, Trent?”

  He gave her a slight shake. “As always, you’re missing the point,” he gritted out. “He’s my partner. I work with him. The next time I’m in the States, do you think I want to see your bloody picture on his fucking desk?”

  “And whose picture is on your desk?” She felt his shoulders tense underneath her hands. She thought about Vivian, how comfortable they had looked together. “Do you have a girlfriend, wife? Who’s that blonde woman you were holding on your arm?”

  “That’s Vivian and frankly none of your business.” His dark gaze bored into hers as he leaned closer. “What else is there I should know about, what else is going on in your head? Come on, spit it out.”

  “There’s nothing to spit and also it’s none of your business anyway.” She stuck her chin out, wondering what Jack would make of Trent. She twisted free from his grip when she saw Todd walking up the stairs again, Simon hot on his heels.

  Trent followed her like a storm cloud, breathing down her neck. When she’d reached Simon, he clasped her hand again. “You okay?” Simon asked, squeezing her fingers.

  No, she wasn’t. She was completely out of her depth.

  “What brings you to Auckland, Katherine?” Trent asked, proving her right.

  Games, she thought, he played fricking mind games with her. “I was here to sell a property I own.” It was the best thing that had happened today. When she’d seen the offer, Susan had urged her to negotiate a higher price, but she wasn’t going to push her luck. Everything had developed so fast, she was still dazed that she’d managed to sell the wreck of a house for an acceptable price. “I closed the deal today.”

  “Really? Darling, why didn’t you just keep it?” Simon said. “Not that one property more or less makes a difference in our portfolio, but wasn’t the house more of…ah, sentimental value to you? It couldn’t have brought more than 200K. Why didn’t you ask me before closing the deal?”

  “The house was mine, not ours. We don’t have a shared portfolio yet, Simon.”

  “Let me see the contract,” Simon said, rubbing a finger across his forehead. “Maybe I can still fix this.”

  There, she thought, now, for the first time, she really wanted to cut off his dick.

  And Trent was looking so pleased with himself, she wanted to, wanted to…ah, dammit, she couldn’t even develop an appropriate response when her entire being wanted to gravitate into his arms.

  Todd cleared his throat over the increasingly awkward silence. “I think she got a good deal, besides, she has plans. Why own a house you don’t want or need?”

  Thank you, she thought. Linda must be a very happy woman indeed.

  “Plans,” Trent asked sweetly. “What kind of plans?”

  “Yes, darling,” Simon asked, his high brow slightly wrinkled. “What plans?”

  “We already spoke about it,” she said, her voice growing cool. “I’ll open my own firm.” Dare, she thought, dare to laugh.

  Simon’s eyebrows hitched up. “Let’s talk about this later.”

  “Know what, Simon, let’s talk now,” she said.

  “Anyone in need of fresh drinks?” Todd said, proving that his antenna for trouble was clearly better developed than Simon’s, and she watched how Todd hurried into the kitchen to get out of the firing line.

  Trent simply stood there, arms crossed, obviously sensing that he’d poked into a hornet’s nest and was enjoying every second of it.

  Simon bristled. “Well, it’s a no-brainer, Katherine. Why hurt your pretty little head and reinvent the wheel when you can work in my firm as we had planned?”

  Yes, he was right. She’d quit her previous job, planning to start working in his firm after the wedding, after the honeymoon. But why was it that instead of sweet-talking her he was riling her up? Maybe, she thought, maybe he didn’t even know how much his attitude turned her off.

  “It seemed like the logical thing to do,” she agreed. “But I don’t see myself working in the same office with you day in and day out anymore.” Working under you, she thought.

  Simon shrugged. “Then there’s your dad. He’s offered you a job, how many times?”

  “That’s fascinating,” Trent said. “May I ask what business your father is in?”

  She ignored him.

  Simon, unfortunately, didn’t.

  “Katherine has an amazing offer to join the in-h
ouse legal team for the Watts organization.”

  “The Watts organization?” Trent asked, clearly nonplussed.

  Simon’s arm slid behind her back and he pulled her close. “Jack Watts is Katherine’s father.”

  “Stepfather. And I’m not going to work for him either,” she said, and moved out from under his arm. “Jack isn’t offering me a job because I’ve earned it but because he thinks it’s his obligation.”

  “That’s not true,” Simon said. “You shouldn’t hesitate to use your connections. I sure won’t once we’re married. It’s just common business sense.”

  She swallowed the lump in her throat. Everything Simon did or said was logical and levelheaded, but why couldn’t he understand that it didn’t feel right?

  Trent maintained an inscrutable poker face. “Excuse me,” he said. “I need a drink.”

  ———

  “You’re leaving right now,” Todd said, leaning against the granite kitchen counter.

  “No, I’m not,” Trent answered, grasped the first bottle of hard liquor and poured himself a healthy shot.

  He kept his back turned to Katherine. He really, really shouldn’t be here, but he couldn’t force himself to walk away from her. And if he heard one more word from Simon, he’d lose it. He’d always respected Monhollon, admired his sharp intellect, but that he was a fucking disgrace of a man came as a surprise.

  Todd’s hand came around the glass before Trent could shoot it back.

  “I love you like a brother,” Todd said, “but what you are doing is insane. Your scent is all over her, your mark is on her neck. Simon is a full-fledged owner of the firm whereas you are not. You can kiss your job goodbye if he finds out. What the hell were you thinking?”

  “I wasn’t thinking,” Trent answered, trying to pry his friend’s fingers away from the glass. “Also, I didn’t know she was Simon’s.” He’d never been really, truly drunk, but tonight seemed like a great opportunity to give it a try.

  “Tell her how you feel,” Todd said. “It will drive you crazy otherwise. It’s against our nature, it’s— Does she even know?” Todd asked quietly.