by KB Winters
She walked to me, intent in her eyes as she leaned forward and pressed both hands on me, gripping my arms tight.
“No Terry, I really don’t think you do got it. We’re as close as family but we are not fucking family.”
I opened my mouth to tell her I got the message loud and clear, but then her plump lips were on mine and I couldn’t even think of any words beyond a few grunts and groans. Kat’s lips were soft and lush, and her tongue warm and demanding as it traced the seam of my mouth back and forth. Back and forth.
One hand slid up the back of my neck and tangled in my hair, gripping it tight enough to sting as her tongue slipped inside my mouth, explored and teased until I was hard as fuck and my hands went to her hips and then her ass, and I squeezed. Hard.
Kat groaned and deepened the kiss. She kissed me like I was a man, not some rando she’d known her whole life. Kat kissed me like I wasn’t family, like I was something else. Someone else.
That thought had me on my feet and walking her backwards until her ass met the concrete balcony and she was trapped, right where I wanted her. My hips pressed against hers as my hands tangled in her thick silky waves and I took over the kiss, loving her mouth the way I’d dreamed of doing since I was seventeen years old. The kiss went on and on, it felt like decades passed while I tasted her mouth, savored the blend of Kat and whiskey on my tongue.
Her hands slid under my shirt, cool against my overheated skin and I gasped, taking a step back to look at her. Yep, it was still Kat Ashby. The woman I’d wanted more than I ever wanted anything. Or anyone.
“Kat,” I growled.
Her lips curled into a satisfied smile. “Definitely not family,” she sighed and put one hand to her chest. “Now you know. Sleep well, Terry.”
I stayed rooted to the spot on the balcony and watched Kat walk off with a swing in her hips. I stood there long after she disappeared from my sight, not daring to move until I heard the door to the other bedroom shut with a quiet click.
Chapter Seventeen
Kat
The best thing about working in my home office was that no heels were required, and I could spend a ridiculous amount of time daydreaming, totally uninterrupted. And there was just one episode playing on repeat in my mind. That incredibly hot, panty-melting kiss with Terry.
A low groan escaped, and I covered my face with my hands, still embarrassed over how bold and aggressive I’d been. I’d love to blame the whiskey and it was damn good whiskey, but the truth was that I saw my shot and I took it. And yeah, okay, all that talk about family had hit a sore spot with me, so I felt compelled to act so that—if nothing else—Terry would understand that I was not his damn sister.
“Daydreaming about that blond hunk?”
Madison’s voice startled a gasp out of me. “Damn girl, do you moonlight as a ninja?” She had an ability to move through the house without making a noise, which I found unsettling, especially since I was daydreaming about that blond hunk, as she started calling Terry the second she woke up in the hotel suite.
“No. I’m thinking about work.”
At least I should have work on the brain because it was work hours, and the only reason I was home was to keep an eye on Madison and her stab wound. Well, that and the fact that she refused to sleep in the main house filled with people she didn’t know.
“And that blond hunk has a name.”
Madison flashed a smile and shrugged her shoulders, a move that produced another wince, which she shook off, so damn reluctant to show a moment of vulnerability. Not that I blamed her.
“It’s all right, I’ve dated a few guys who were just slumming it.”
I whirled around in my chair to stare at her, shock written all over my face.
“First of all, no girl is slumming it with Terry.” He was all man and had done well for himself. “But second, how old are you to have dated a few guys?”
Madison flashed her straight smile, chin notched in up an expression that closely resembled pride.
“Twenty. I’m small for my age, but the old dude wouldn’t take my word for it, and the streets don’t require ID.”
There was that tough girl smile that did fuck all to hide the vulnerability she tried so hard to conceal.
“Damn you are small for your age.” I took in Madison’s appearance again, searching for signs I missed about her age. But she had small bones, delicate features, and weighed about one hundred and ten pounds, soaking wet.
“This is what growing up poor and eating what and whenever you can gets you, rich girl.” I flipped Madison the bird and she laughed. “Here’s my ID if you don’t believe me.”
I waved her off. “I believe you until you give me a reason not to. How are you feeling?”
“Like I got stuck with a knife, but the pills help with the pain, and the wound is clean, so thanks.” She shrugged and looked away, seemingly uncomfortable with emotions like gratitude.
“No problem. I’m just glad we found you in time.”
“Me too. My Spanish isn’t all that good.” Her words were glib, but there was relief in her tone and the set of her shoulders.
“So, Madison, are you happy on the streets or do you want to work?”
She was more than old enough to work, earn a living so she could support herself eventually.
Her smile dissolved, replaced with a frown as she folded her arms defensively. “I don’t—”
“—Need charity,” I finished for her with a laugh. “I know and I’m not offering you charity. I’m offering you a job. You do know the difference, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I’m not stupid.”
“Didn’t think you were but that chip on your shoulder might affect your ability to think clearly. If you want to work, I’ll find something for you to do while we track down your sister. What can you do?”
“Whatever shit job exists, I’ve done it. Cleaned houses and bathrooms. Flipped burgers. I was even a valet for about two weeks. I’m good at math and I can type really fast.”
I wrote down everything she said and sent an email to my assistant.
“By the time you’re healed enough to work, we should have a few options for you.”
“You and that blond hunk, Terry?” she asked and waggled her eyebrows.
“No, my assistant.”
But her eyes brought a smile to my face as I remembered how hard, how turned on Terry had been on that balcony, and it was all because of me. But that was just a fleeting thought. Jasper would kill us both.
A knock sounded on the door and Madison gasped, but her shoulders immediately relaxed when Sadie walked in carrying four oversized shopping bags. “Good morning girls.”
“Mornin’, Ma. What did you bring me?” I flashed a teasing smile when she rolled her eyes.
“These are for Madison.” She dropped the bags at Madison’s feet, smirking when our guest looked at them like they were toxic waste.
“Kat you need to go into the office. No one has seen Ravager since the fight and rumors are swirling. You need to deal with it.”
Of course, I did. “I thought this was Jasper’s deal?”
“It is, but he’s doing something else right now.” Something more important, which meant this job managing House of Ashby was mine for the foreseeable future.
“Shit. Yeah. All right.” I stood reluctantly and made my way to the bathroom with a grunt. Was it just a few minutes ago I thought how nice it was to work without heels or makeup? Thirty minutes later I had my work bag in one hand, phone and coffee in the other as I said goodbye to Madison and strolled out of the guest house toward my car and came up short.
“Terry. What are you doing here?” He looked irresistible in jeans, a t-shirt and a blazer, leaning against my car like all my wildest teenage fantasies had come true.
He flashed a teasing smile and stood to his full height, shoving his hands deep in his pockets.
“I’m your personal bodyguard until Ravager is found and all the bullshit passes.”
�
��Is that how it works? Bullshit actually passes?” Not that I was complaining about spending more time with Terry. It would be a particularly unique form of torture, but maybe it would cure me of these lustful images in my head I had of him.
“So, you’re my bodyguard…forever?”
He shrugged. “I guess you’re stuck with me.”
“There are worse people to be stuck with.” I snickered at his words. “Impressive lengths you’ll go to just to get close to me, Stalker.”
His deep laugh bounced off the hot concrete as he held his hand out, waiting impatiently for me to hand over the keys. “Don’t worry, Kitty Kat, you can ignore me the way you always do.”
That pulled an unladylike bark of laughter from deep in my gut. Ignore him, as if I could.
“If I could ignore you, Terry, I’d be a lot less bothered by you.”
Hot and bothered was more like it, but since he didn’t return my feelings there was no way in hell that I’d ever say that out loud.
“So, I bother you,” he asked and slipped behind the steering wheel with a teasing smile that sent a bolt of electricity through my entire body.
“You know you do,” I grumbled and slid into the passenger seat, focusing on my seatbelt rather than the problem of being so physically close to this man but no closer to making him mine.
“Sorry,” he said, not sounding sorry at all.
“Yeah, right,” I snorted and motioned for him to get the car moving. “Come on slow poke, we’re burning daylight.”
Terry barked out a laugh that startled me. “Damn, woman, you sound so much like your old man sometimes I have to look behind me to make sure he’s not looking over my shoulder.”
His words brought a smile to my face. My dad was a son of a bitch most of the time but he was smart as hell when it came to most things. Things, at least, that didn’t involve gambling.
“Thanks. I think.”
“Oh, it’s a definite compliment. Your old man had his flaws, but he was a character and he knew people.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “He really did. Except for that one fucking blind spot,” I growled, thinking of how often we’d hosted priests and other church elders for dinners, fundraisers and the like.
Terry’s grip tightened on the steering wheel and his jaw muscles clenched so hard I thought I’d be able to hear the grinding of his teeth. He knew what I meant.
“Yeah well, that’s some mighty effective brainwashing they do and it’s fucking difficult to overcome.”
It was. “We managed fine. Eventually.”
His scowl vanished and, in its place, a smile bloomed. “It took us misfits some time, but yeah, we managed to deprogram ourselves.”
Both of us fell silent for a few miles, lost in thought about how our fucked-up childhoods had led us here.
“Now Kat, let’s talk more about how much you’re hot and bothered by me.”
Laughter burst out of me so fast, I snorted. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”
“It’s all part of my charm, Kitty Kat.”
“Charm. Is that what you’re calling it these days?”
He gave an exaggerated nod and pulled into the underground parking garage with a smile. “Damn straight. You’re charmed, aren’t you?”
Yeah, I was, dammit. “Maybe. Keep trying and I’ll let you know when I’m fully charmed, Terry.”
His deep chuckle vibrated in the confines of the car, and I felt each reverberation deep in my belly and shooting out through my nipples. It was so bad I clenched my thighs and slammed my eyes shut to stop the wave of desire that flowed through me.
“You know what, Kat? I just might do that.”
Oh please for the love of Irish whiskey, please don’t let this man try to charm me further. I didn’t think I could handle it.
“I’ll be sure to hold my breath.”
Terry laughed again as he slid into my reserved parking spot and stepped out of the car, the sound he left behind nearly as potent as his scent.
“I don’t mind if you hold your breath, princess.” He flashed a smile and held out a hand to help me from the car. “Blue is a great color on you from what I remember.”
Yeah, I shuddered at his compliment and the heat in his eyes, but I also brushed past him before I did something stupid like kiss him again. The elevator was stifling, his scent wrapped around me like a hug and I felt his gaze taking me in. “Stop.”
“I’m not doing anything.” His voice was pure sex and his lips quirked up into an amused grin. “Not. One. Damn. Thing.”
That’s what he said but the minute we were alone in my office, he dropped down on the sofa near the window and pulled out his phone, pretending to ignore me even though I felt his gaze aimed right at my legs.
“I can feel you staring, Terry.”
“Would you rather feel me touching you, Kat?”
Fuck me, why did his voice sound so much like warm honey?
“If I say yes, are you gonna run away and tell my brother on me?”
It was a nasty taunt but we both knew it was true. At least a little bit.
The heat in Terry’s blue eyes told me he wanted, more than anything, to come across my office and touch me. But either he thought I was a stuck up rich bitch, or he was worried about Jasper.
Either way, the only person touching these legs anytime soon would be me.
Chapter Eighteen
Terry
Watching Kat in her element, working and bossing around every single person in sight was torture. Pure fucking torture but I loved every damn minute of it. Maybe it was the black pantsuit that hugged her tits and ass, and damn, those thighs…were those pants painted on? She wore it because she thought it made her look like a badass, and it did, but Kat could wear a trash bag and still be badass.
Everything about the woman was sexy as fuck. She was impressive as hell, aggressive and bold, forceful when needed and sweet as pie when honey would get the job done. In fact, she was a lot like Sadie, I realized. When employees came to her for advice, she was happy to offer it up in the plainest way possible, but she expected perfection. Always.
“I don’t want to hear excuses, Jamie. I just want it done. Got it?”
The poor suit didn’t know how to respond to that sapphire glare that was icy enough to freeze him dead, so he nodded and backed away slowly, gently shutting the door behind him.
“Jeez,” she said, shaking her head, “how hard is it to do your fucking job?”
I shrugged. “I always do my job perfectly, so I don’t have an answer for you.” She glared at me and I laughed. “It’s true.”
Kat turned back to her computer and tapped furiously on her keyboard, the way she did when she was pissed and trying to be nice to someone. Eventually she leaned back in her seat and blew out a long breath.
“All right, I need to get out of here. Lunch?”
I blinked and looked around the empty office before pointing to myself. “With me?”
She rolled her eyes and pushed out of her chair with a groan.
“No, with Jim from marketing. Go ask him for me will ya?” Kat shook her head and reached for her purse. “Yes or no, Terry?”
My lips curled into a smile as I unfolded myself from the plush sofa.
“Yes. I’ll drive.”
Kat groaned but she didn’t argue, a pity really, since she was so damn sexy when she was all riled up. But the surprises kept coming when she directed me to a funky little bistro in the heart of Glitz.
“There’s customer parking around back,” she said matter of factly, her gaze burning the side of my face. “What?”
I shrugged and maneuvered the car around the block and through the narrow alley. “Nothing. Just surprised this is where you want to eat.”
Inside the place looked like your basic greasy spoon diner, but if it had been purchased by some Warhol wannabe with booths in three different colors, paintings hanging crooked on the wall and light jazz playing in the background.
“Are you
fucking with me, Kat?”
She looked around as if she was trying to see the place from my perspective and laughed. “No, I’m not. They have excellent French onion soup and the service is incredible.”
It was hard to believe her, but as soon as we were seated, a teenager came up to the table with a smirk. I was ready to jump in if I needed to, but he leaned forward and held up a fist, which Kat bumped, shocking the shit out of me. “Kat, you’re breaking my heart, babe.”
Babe? The kid couldn’t be more than eighteen years old and here he was, flirting with Kat and giving me a dirty look. Kat laughed.
“This is my friend Terry, Leander, and you have nothing to worry about. He thinks I’m a princess.”
“You are, babe. And I’m trying to make you my Irish queen.”
Damn the kid was smooth and he managed to get a smile out of Kat I’d only started to receive recently.
“If this rich dude is too blind to see that, these eyes see it crystal clear.”
She laughed again. “With lines like that, I’m sure the girls at Glitz High are lining up to make an honest man of you.”
“Age ain’t nuthin’ but a number, Kat.” He laughed and turned to me.
“You really don’t want her?”
Kat giggled on the other side of the booth while the high schooler put me on the spot. “I never said that.”
“So you do want her?” His smirk said he already knew the answer.
“Come on dude, she’s hot, badass, and doesn’t think she’s too good for this place. I know you want her.”
I opened my mouth when an older woman appeared with a head of salt and pepper curls framing her dark, olive-toned skin.
“Leander, you over here flirting with Kat again? You ain’t man enough to handle a woman like that yet. Keep practicing on the young ’uns.”
Her thick southern accent made her sound like a southern belle, but she was dressed like a biker. Maybe a beatnik.
“How will I know if I don’t try, Pearly?”
“Try with those young girls waiting on their milkshakes.”
At the mention of younger women, Leander’s eyes perked up and he flashed a smile at Kat.