My cheeks flamed in remembrance. I’d barely been a teenager. “I remember,” I said fondly.
He captured my gaze. “Do you? You were six.” Puzzled, I paused for a second before he got me moving again. “My parents came over to your house. Everyone cool was heading to the creek, but you clung on to me and my parents told me to stay or take you with me. I wasn’t yet enamored with you. You were a nuisance.”
“You weren’t used to a younger sister,” I teased with a wide grin.
“No, I wasn’t.” We spun for a second until I was lost completely in the memory. “My older brother, God rest his soul, had to put up with me.” He too was caught up in things long since passed. “You wanted to play house. Which is funny now if you think about it. I guess you have a domestic streak in you.”
My eyes rolled. He chucked before continuing, “I thought, well, I’ll show her.”
“And you kissed me,” I said, it all coming back to me.
“Yes… I did.” His eyes got all dreamy. “Something happened in that second our lips connected.”
It had been extremely short, barely a peck on the lips. I remembered the shock I got. I thought it was static.
“You were nicer to me after that.”
“I was,” he answered. “I may not have known then what happened. I was only eight. But I think somehow I knew then you were my destiny. Fate put us together for a reason.”
He closed his lips and focused on mine. The connection between us built, becoming palpable. He leaned in.
A tap on my shoulder made my head turn to see who was interrupting. Turner’s lips met my cheek as I saw Margaret standing there. “Can I cut in?”
The vixen in me wanted to say back off, bitch. But this was the community, not a New York club. Using a five-letter word like that would come with harsh repercussions.
“Sure,” I said, taking a step back when Turner reluctantly let go of me.
I walked to the corner and found a place to stand where I wouldn’t see Turner and Margaret. No doubt she’d put on a show to try to piss me off.
Another tap came, this time to my left, and I nearly yelled, “What?” It wasn’t as loud as a yell, but it was certainly rude.
Violet’s blue eyes looked stunned.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, unable to not be upset with Margaret’s bothersome presence. “I didn’t think you were coming.”
“Steven didn’t come home.” She shrugged as if his not showing up was okay or common. No individual house had a phone, and cell phones were banned. According to my father, people lived thousands of years just fine without new technology. Thus, Steven had no way of letting her know he’d be late. I hated to give him the benefit of the doubt, but there it was.
“Where’s Turner?”
I angled my head in his general direction, wishing I had a drink for the first time I’d come back home. We’d drunk the other night, but that wasn’t my idea.
“Oh,” she said. “I’ll go get us some tea.” She walked off, and I made the mistake of catching the smile on Turner’s face as he laughed with Margaret.
A mild case of jealousy washed over me for a second before I shrugged it off. I walked farther around the perimeter, looking for my brothers for whom I should have been watching. The music changed, and I told myself it was okay if Turner was still dancing with her.
Jake was easy to spot. He was chatting up the blonde girl I’d seen him smiling at days before. She too had that smile that sparkled of first love. It reminded me of what that felt like. While it was true that Turner and I had kissed when I was six, the first kiss that actually mattered was the one at the cove.
I spotted John on the fringes and began to make my way through the dancers to reach him, when a tiny girl who was little more than half his height came over to him. My brothers were tall for their age. Jake carried it like he was born that tall. But John was shyer. His broad smile brought one of my own to my lips.
“Can I have this dance?”
The request came from a very unlikely source. I turned to find Steven behind me. I had no reason to say no and graciously accepted.
“I know you don’t like me,” he began. “But I promise I’m in love with your sister.”
“Who says I don’t like you?” I asked, trying to be polite.
He hadn’t done anything wrong that I’d witnessed.
“My wife and I don’t keep secrets.”
Now that was a lie, unless Violet had lied to me.
“Why are you here?” I asked blatantly.
He shrugged. “A better life and I found it.”
“If you hurt her—”
He grinned. “I like that. Violet needs more people in her life that care about her.”
I dropped my eyes, feeling like crap. Vi had been the first and not a boy. Though Father would never say it, she’d been my mother’s love and his disappointment, which only got worse when I came then Mary.
Mary had weathered the storm by being everything Dad wanted in a daughter. I’d gotten attention by being my father’s worst nightmare. Violet had been like a ghost, seen and unseen.
“She’s loved and I’ll hunt you down if you ever hurt her.”
He laughed and said, “She means everything to me,” before twirling me around. When I spun back to him, I changed the conversation, feeling somewhat better about the man my sister had married.
“Violet was looking for you,” I said by way of conversation.
“I saw her. She’s heading home.”
That confused me. I was about to ask why he hadn’t gone home with her when my eyes locked with Margaret who was watching me intently.
Turner was no longer with her. Since she was friends with Mary, I could only assume she’d make gossip about me dancing with my sister’s husband out of spite.
“That’s one thing I like about being here,” Steven said as if he’d been speaking and I’d missed the early part of what he might have said.
I had no other response other than, “And what’s that?”
“Women are women here. And men are men. That’s something missing in America these days.”
I shouldn’t have been at all surprised by his answer. He probably got off on how my sister followed his every whim. It may have been the reason he liked living here, but it was at the top of my list why I couldn’t stay here forever. I did what I was told to further the community. But I would never do whatever a man asked me to do unless I wanted to.
“Lass.”
We both froze for different reasons. I looked to the side of Steven and saw Turner in the distance talking to my father, which was strange. My father had left. Why was he back?
Slowly, I turned the other way and met the eyes of the devil. I faced the man I’d left behind—Kalen.
When I heard a chuckle come from my dance partner, I snapped my focus back on my brother-in-law.
“Too bad I’m going to miss the fireworks. I should find my wife.”
He let me go as I thought about what he said. Earlier, he’d mentioned Vi was going home. Now he acted as if he didn’t know where she was.
“Come,” said the dark angel.
Kalen was beauty and wickedness all wrapped in one and my body wanted nothing more than to be consumed by him.
I folded my arms across my chest and planted my feet instead.
“What are you doing here? Are you stalking me?” I snapped.
This was starting to sound like a bad movie script.
He stood in a Henley tee and jeans. My thoughts, however, drifted to what lay beneath it all. He hadn’t even touched me, standing about three feet away, yet it felt as though we were alone and naked. My center clenched and the inappropriate time was meaningless.
His lips moved and I didn’t hear a word. I remembered how they’d felt against my hot skin, my heated nub, my tightened nipples and I nearly panted.
Unable to face the consequences of his being here, I stalked past him, infuriated by his non-answer.
When I passed the
perimeter, I caught sight of Jake walking outside to head behind the building with the girl. Great, Father would witness my failure at such a simple duty. I was in charge of making sure my brother didn’t do just what he was doing. I picked my skirt up a few inches off the ground to jog after them out the door. If they headed into the woods, I might not be able to find them in the dark.
My footfalls were silent. Just around the corner, my brother had the girl, who was probably blushing based on her posture, pinned against the wall. It brought back so many memories. I couldn’t help feeling like a hypocrite, but Father was here. Both our hides would be skinned figuratively if he caught Jake.
Something stopped me—the look of absolute happiness on the girl’s face. She wanted this. Hadn’t I back then? The fact that we could be caught hadn’t scared me. It only made things more exciting.
I turned back, taking a few steps to the mouth of the opening to hide my presence. I looked to see if anyone had followed.
He was coming for me, but no one else. I turned and saw that Jake had made contact. My focus was split between the man chasing me and my charge. When I heard the girl giggle, I faced them again. Clearing my throat, Jake and the girl looked to where I was standing. I gave them the sternest look I could muster in the midst of wanting to smile. It was the best impression of parental disapproval I could do at the moment given that I’d been just like them at their age.
Jake looked resigned and took her hand. He marched back in my direction toward the dance. His face had shut down. He knew he’d been caught. However, he probably assumed he could get away with this with me here. He’d probably asked me just for that reason.
I sighed when he reached me and gave him a half-smile in apology.
“Father’s here, so be careful,” I warned.
He stiffened and the poor girl looked on the verge of tears, fully understanding the consequences of their actions. Suddenly on alert, they peered around the corner first before making a dash back inside to the dance. They passed him on the way.
Not wanting to be far from my post, I headed back toward the side door I’d exited.
He hadn’t moved, standing like a sentry posted at the door.
“You’re a sight,” he said, taking a different approach from earlier.
His accent was thick. It felt like years since I’d seen him last. Yet, it had been minutes and before that only a week maybe, if that. My brain was clouded with the details. I was busy trying not to combust.
“I could say the same.” It wasn’t what I should have said, but I wasn’t thinking clearly.
Clouds of frost puffed out as we both breathed.
“Am I now?”
We were now a little over two feet apart. The urge to touch him was becoming overwhelming. “Kalen, why are you here?”
I should have urged him inside. We both stood without coats, and I should be freezing if not for his heated stare keeping me warm.
The door opened and Turner stepped out.
“Bailey, there you are. I’ve been looking for you. I see you met our visitor.” Turner came to my side and possessively put his arm around my waist. With his free hand, he held it out. “You must be Jeremy. I’m Turner. I’ll be showing you around.”
Jeremy? It hit me. I’d forgotten the man wasn’t Kalen. Jeremy was his first name. This night couldn’t get any worse unless Turner figured out Jeremy was Kalen without me explaining things first. That would be disastrous.
Tuner gave Kalen a congenial smile. I noticed Kalen’s hands clenched at his sides. I stepped away from Turner on reflex. Kalen’s eyes crinkled with amusement at my action. I turned to Turner who looked confused.
“I’m sorry to cut our night short,” he said slowly. I would bet he was trying to figure out what was up with me. “Your father wants me to give Jeremy a change of clothes and a quick tour. I’ll come to Vi’s later.”
All of his words were tentative and snapped me out of my Kalen fog.
I gave him a smile that was genuine and Turner took it as a good sign. He stepped to me and placed a chaste kiss on my lips. He turned back to Kalen and didn’t catch my eyes flicking to him. The man’s expression had darkened like a winter storm.
Together, they walked inside to get their coats. From there I watched them leave together, all the while wondering how this was my life. Kalen shouldn’t be here. My past and my present together couldn’t be good.
Twenty-Four
Kalen
My craving for the lass hadn’t abated. With an instant addiction, I still wanted her like no drug ever known to man before. Worse, I didn’t want to be cured.
I drank in the sight of her covered neck to foot. The dress wasn’t the deterrent it was meant to be. Instead, it made my eyes linger longer, wanting to peel it off slowly to enjoy every inch as it was uncovered. A few fire strands of her lovely hair had escaped whatever held it back and away from her face. I pictured releasing it and watching it tumble down her back.
“You’re a sight,” I said. The words were gruff coming from my dry throat.
“I could say the same.” Her voice was like a fist around my cock. My balls drew tight in anticipation. The idea of fucking her against the wall almost had me taking a step forward.
“Am I now?” There was nothing American left in me as I spoke. My need for her was barely contained.
“Kalen, why are you here?”
Her saucy mouth only brought out my primordial desire. That dress and our surroundings made me want to take her without further delay.
“Bailey, there you are. I’ve been looking for you. I see you met our visitor.”
With a pleasant smile, her bodyguard had shown up and placed a possessive grip about her waist. The sight of someone touching her nearly pushed me over the edge. It was as if some psycho horror movie killer seized control of my body. I tried not to detonate. But instinctively, my hands were ready to pummel. Yet, I was able to contain them at my sides.
When the lass anticipated my next move and stepped away from the poor lad, I had to smile. She’d defused the situation, and I couldn’t stop my widening grin.
She still wanted me despite her words. Otherwise, she would have stood her ground.
My competition spoke, introducing himself as Turner, and informed me he would be showing me around. If I wanted to be allowed to stay long enough to talk to her, I would have to play nice.
It took everything for me to walk away from her. I’d found her, only to be separated from her again. Patience, I told myself. There would be time enough to talk to her soon.
“What brings you to our community?” Turner asked.
Though he wore a congenial smile, there was cautiousness in his eyes as if he recognized the predator in me. It was a good thing. Because if he thought he had a chance in hell at keeping the lass, he was sadly mistaken. I’d never in my life claimed a woman, and now that I had, I wouldn’t let her go.
“Security,” I said by way of answer to his question.
That had been my excuse to be allowed in. Although they lived life not relying on technology, it didn’t make them safe from the world.
His eyebrows rose, but he didn’t question me further. He gave me a guided tour of what little there was to see, which wasn’t much. We ended up at what could only be described as a cottage that appeared to have been built over a hundred years ago.
He showed me inside the modest dwelling and gave me clothes he thought might fit. We were about the same height and build, but I could take him if I had to. I’d never lost a fight in all my years.
He was about to show me an honest to God outhouse when a blonde came running up calling for Turner’s attention.
“Give me a minute,” he said, leaving me on his porch.
I took the time to take in my surroundings. It was peaceful here and reminded me a lot of home. Not having the hustle of the city, I relished the quiet as I glanced from the landscape to overhead where the clear skies were dotted with stars.
“Hi.” The soft feminin
e voice was unexpected.
I dropped my gaze to the blonde I’d thought had left with Turner.
“I’m Margaret,” she said.
Her face was illuminated only by the moon above, and it was enough to notice she was pretty. But not enough to distract me from my goal. No woman had that power, save the lass.
“I’m Jeremy.”
She stepped up onto the porch and reluctantly I put out my hand to shake hers. I wasn’t sure if I should be touching her. The last thing I needed was to be asked to leave before I had time to convince Bailey the merits of leaving with me without delay.
“Nice to meet you. Have you had the tour yet?”
Turner hadn’t shown me much except what was along the way to where I was. With only moonlight to guide us, I wasn’t sure how much more there was to see.
“Turner’s planning to. He should be back soon,” I said, hoping she’d leave.
“You might be waiting for a while. He’s probably with her.”
“Her?” Though I was sure who she was speaking of, I hoped she’d say any other name.
“Bailey, his girlfriend. He’s always with her. She practically has reins on him.”
I shoved my hands into my pockets to hide my fists. Girlfriend? Had the lass moved on that fast? I had to word this correctly. “I think I saw him with her earlier? They mentioned she’d only recently come back into town,” which was a lie.
“Yeah, she just came back and he practically fell on his knees begging for her attention.” Is that what I was prepared to do? “I’m not sure what’s so special about her. She thinks she’s the queen when she’s not even that pretty.”
Clearly, she was jealous of the lass. I wasn’t sure how much of what she’d said I could believe.
When I said nothing, she finally added, “I think you’ll like it around here. We’re a friendly bunch. If you ever need anything, I live not too far from here. As I’m unmarried, I still live with my parents. But I can come and go as I please. They trust me to do the right thing.”
Her gaze left no confusion as to her interest.
Queen of Men: King Maker series Page 11