by Ali Vali
“No,” Steve said, as if adding anything else required too much effort.
“If there’s nothing new, then we’ll all talk tomorrow,” Winston said as he stood pointing to the door. “If you don’t mind, it’s a night for family, not business.”
It was interesting to watch how Steve’s anger changed his appearance, and Kai got ready to intervene if he did something with his clenched fists. “What about…never mind,” Steve said, as if figuring out how whiny he sounded. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said to Vivien.
“Not if I see you first,” Vivien said, and Kai laughed, making Steve’s shoulders hitch up.
“Are you planning to be in the office tomorrow?” Winston asked Vivien. “Business goes on no matter what, but I doubt we’ll make any progress on the new leases.”
“I might be late, but I’ll be there, and with any luck I’ll get Kai to join us to see if you two are hiding any other secret projects from us.” Vivien seemed to stop herself as she reached for her. “Thanks for having us over tonight. I really enjoyed it.”
“Could I borrow Kai for a moment before you go?” Winston asked.
Winston held up a glass from the bar and she shook her head. Hard liquor straight up had never been her thing, but she did share a drink occasionally with her mother Hadley, who enjoyed a cognac every so often. Winston seemed to have that in common with her, as he sat with his snifter and closed his eyes while taking his first sip.
“What can I do for you, sir?”
“With everything going on, I thought we should talk about what comes next and how you fit in.” He took another sip but she stayed quiet. “Your job is on hiatus for the moment, but I didn’t want you to think your position is in jeopardy. Why don’t you come in tomorrow and work with Vivien and Franklin. It might be good to have perspective from the field for once.”
“Are you sure? Usually corner-office folks think the rabble belongs in the field for a reason,” she said and smiled.
“My daughter has rabble running through her veins, so she comes by it naturally. I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that she doesn’t see me in the best light, as they say, but I understand her more than she thinks. I really enjoyed my days on the water with responsibility for only the metal under my feet, so I can see why Vivien loves it so much.”
“From the few days I was on Triton I could tell she’s very good at her job. Everyone on the rig made a point of telling me that much and more. They like her, and more importantly, they respect her.”
He nodded, and his smile she assumed was from pride. “We’ve battled for years, so I’m not asking you to take sides, but I think Vivien needs someone to lean on and confide in who’s not Franklin.”
“You’re not asking me to report back to you, are you?” she asked, raising her right eyebrow. “I’ll gladly help you and Vivien, but I’m no Steve.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
She stood and poured him a little more cognac. “That you already have a kiss-ass in your life—you don’t need two.”
“You barely know Steve, and that’s the picture you see?”
She laughed and nodded. “How many other employees stop by to see how you are? And how many other people who work for you talk to your children as if they were either simpleminded or pieces of property?” She pointed at him before holding up her index finger. “I imagine that’s a short list of one.”
“You’re here, aren’t you?”
“At Vivien’s invitation, Mr. Palmer, and that’s the only reason. When she does the same with Steve, I’ll buy your argument.”
“I doubt that’ll ever happen.”
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow, but not to kiss your ass.”
Chapter Twenty-four
“Anything you need to tell me?” Vivien asked when Kai closed the passenger-side door. “I know what trips to that study usually entail.”
“He asked if I’d come in tomorrow with you until production starts up again and I’m thrown out of there back to Triton.”
“And you agreed?”
Kai smiled and nodded. “I figure it’s good for a lunch date, at least.”
She was glad when Vivien laughed and didn’t press for any more details. Winston Palmer still had a way to go, and she didn’t want to derail the progress they’d made. When they arrived at Vivien’s, they headed to the master bedroom, where they took their time undressing each other and got into bed without much conversation. She felt Vivien’s growing feelings for her in the way she touched her.
Their lovemaking this time was slow but still passionate, and she enjoyed the way Vivien pressed against her and went to sleep. Kai wasn’t a sexual novice, but this was the first time she’d spent the entire night with someone. Once Vivien’s breathing evened out she linked their shells and deepened the sleep she was enjoying so she could get up without Vivien sensing it.
Both her mothers appeared on the screen when she accessed their most secure line, and she smiled to try to relax the tension on their faces. “Sorry this has taken so long, but everyone got kicked off the rig. How are you guys?”
“We’re fine,” Hadley said, her expression not changing much. “Where exactly are you, and more importantly, where’s your team?”
“Isla and Talia are bringing the Salacia back in, but we’ve been in touch. From their report, more military is sailing into the area.”
“You forgot the where-are-you question?” Galen said with a smile that Kai knew preceded some teasing.
“I’m staying with Vivien until the Salacia’s in port,” she said, hoping the conversation about that would end there, but that was incredibly unlikely.
“Kai, you’re an adult, so no lectures from either of us when it comes to how you’re handling this,” Hadley said as Galen leaned against her, seeming content to let Hadley take care of this aspect of their talk. “But can I ask you a question?”
“Mom, if you have something to say, just say it.” She spoke evenly since she knew exactly what the question would be and it didn’t upset her.
“Do you think Vivien and her family will benefit by abandonment when all this is over?”
“It’ll make me sound immature in your eyes, I’m sure, but I haven’t thought that far ahead.” She glanced down at her hands, but not for long, since she wanted to own up to her choices. “You have my word I won’t compromise either Vivien or what’s expected of me when my time here is up.”
“Sweetheart,” Galen said to Hadley, “could you excuse us a moment?”
“Sure, but send for me before you go,” Hadley said to her.
Galen waited for the door to close before she said anything, and for once she lost her smile. However, it wasn’t replaced by anger or anything remotely close to it. “How are you, really, and don’t give me the stoic-warrior routine. This is your mother asking.”
“I’m fine in a sense and totally lost in another, if you want the whole truth.”
“Talk to me, Kai—I’m here to listen.” Galen lifted her hand like she often did when they had to speak through screens.
“After spending some time with Vivien, I thought the best thing I could do for her was to show her how wonderful she is and how it wasn’t wrong to pursue her passions. When I got the chance with her father, I tried to mend that void between them by showing him what a treasure his children are.” Saying it all out loud made her eyes glassy because her mom Hadley was right. There was no good ending here.
“But by doing that, you figured out how wonderful Vivien is, didn’t you?”
“She’s the perfect woman for someone like me, except for one cruel twist of fate,” she said, cursing herself for not realizing how deep she was in before having to admit it not only to her mother, but her queen.
“It’s okay to be honest, my love. She’s perfect for you, not someone like you, in ways you never owned up to with Oba. Am I right?” Galen’s tone was gentle but held a note of sadness.
“Leaving opened my mind to the truth of who Oba
and I have to be going forward, which I’m sure will thrill you and her.”
“But it opened your heart to other possibilities that leave you in kind of the same place,” Galen said and sighed. “I’ve always told you to follow your heart, but this time I’m afraid for you to do that because it might lead you away from us.”
“Don’t ever fear that. I’m many things, but a mythical prophecy in the flesh isn’t one of them. Tonight I learned something you always preached to me, and it was a lesson that maybe I would’ve been better off never finding the answer to.”
“Tell me.”
“My shell has found its match, but it’s one made by my own hand so I can’t rejoice in that because I can’t have her. I’ll come back and complete every aspect of my duty, but what you and Mama have won’t be possible for me.” A few of her tears fell, and she saw that her mom was in the same state. “The throne and children will have to be enough. Is that fair to the woman who’ll marry me?”
“Kai, I love you enough to change the rules, but you know Vivien can’t give you heirs, so you realize what that will mean to your reign. No heirs to follow you means your years on the throne will revolve most likely around chaos and confusion.”
“I totally screwed this up, didn’t I?”
“Nothing done by a good heart can be totally bad, tadpole,” Hadley said from the door, her hand around her shell. She’d probably come back because of Galen’s distress. “I’m sure you’ll come up with a solution. If not, we’ll think of something together. If everything else fails you can change her mind about what she wants with a small mental push away from you. Kind of like a reset.”
She had done the same thing to Winston when he was on the rig, but his thoughts were centered on Vivien and Steve’s wedding. She told her mothers about it and could only wonder what the look they shared was about.
“Was it hard to change his mind-set?” Hadley asked.
“I need more practice, but I did get through to him. Why would any one of our people plant that thought?”
“Kai, any manipulation like that needs royal approval, so we can’t answer that,” Hadley said.
“Mom, I have clearance, remember?”
“We can’t answer that because neither of us approved that order,” Galen said. “We use that skill sparingly in the human realm and never for something that ridiculous. What interest would we have in who marries who?”
“Only this time it’s the marriage of someone who happens to own a large rig with a large number of communication pods attached to it,” she said, her back coming off the chair. “Could we have stumbled into something by accident only because we were trying to fix some old wrong?”
“Who exactly is Winston Palmer’s dream son-in-law?” Galen asked.
“Steve Hawksworth,” she said, trying to remember if there was something interesting about the man. “He’s an asshole with an ego that would choke both Ram and Ivan.”
“He sounds charming, but find out more about him,” Hadley said. “Better yet, I’ll have Talia and Isla follow up from a neutral spot. You stick to Vivien and the Palmers for now and be careful.”
“And the rest?”
“Tadpole, I’m sure your mama gave you some good advice, so I’ll add my bit.” Hadley put her arm around Galen and kissed her temple. “I refuse to believe that a child we conceived through the bond we share will spend her life alone—the goddess isn’t that cruel. Have faith in who you are and what you have to offer someone, and that’ll be rewarded.”
“Thanks, Mom,” she said and held her hand up to Galen. “I know you worry, Mama, but I’ll be fine. I’ll call more often too to share information.”
“If it’s something urgent we’ll call the cell phone we gave you,” Galen said.
“Thanks for everything—I love you both very much.”
*
Vivien opened her eyes the next morning and wanted to laugh she was so happy to be in Kai’s arms. It was still dark outside, but she’d slept so well she was ready to start her day, though she was also content to watch Kai sleep.
“What’s going through that imaginative brain of yours?” Kai said softly as her hand headed south.
“Whatever it was has been replaced with one question—are you a morning person?”
“In what context?” Kai asked, and Vivien’s ears grew hot. She knew Triton inside and out, but sex wasn’t her strongest talent.
“I thought a jog in the park.”
“Sure, but I have to take care of something first.”
The joke badly misfired if Kai was leaving and expected real exercise. “Okay, can I help with anything?”
“I’m counting on it, but first can I help you with this?” Kai moved her hand down and put her fingers between her legs. One touch and she needed more. “You’re not the only one awake.”
“I can’t help what my overactive imagination comes up with when you’re this close to me.” She moved her hips, gliding her hard clitoris over Kai’s fingers. It electrified every cell in her body, but she wanted more.
“Tell me,” Kai said as if reading her mind again. “It’s okay to ask.”
“If you’re ready, can we do it like yesterday—together, I mean. I want to come with you.” The heat in her ears got worse, but Kai only smiled and rolled her onto her back so she could move over her.
Kai took her time kissing her and whispering how beautiful she was and how much she wanted her. It was so good and yet so strange in that she swore the shell around her neck had come alive and wanted Kai as much as she did. Sometimes in the past she’d thought it helped her hear what Franklin was thinking, but this was something completely different.
It was like she could see and hear what was inside of Kai’s heart and mind, and all Kai wanted was her. She could sense not only the passion building in both of them, but also what Kai felt for her, and her very being wanted it all. Kai was her mate, and all that mattered was connecting with her and letting her in where she’d never allowed anyone.
“Are you okay?” Kai asked before kissing along her neck.
“Yes…I need you.” She spread her legs and it was absurd, but she could swear her body and sex were opening and only Kai could fill her.
When Kai situated herself over her and pressed her sex to hers, she dug her fingertips into Kai’s back. In that instance they were one, and the rightness of it made her jerk her hips up into Kai, but after that Kai set their pace and she gladly followed her lead. All that mattered now was to give Kai the same pleasure she was receiving.
“Don’t stop,” she said as she clung to Kai, needing the closeness. It might’ve started slow and gentle, but now it was all about the culmination of her need and passion. She needed Kai to give her the orgasm she craved.
Kai lifted her upper body a little for what she guessed was better leverage, and she enjoyed the grunts that Kai couldn’t seem to help but make. She looped her legs around Kai’s body and welcomed the orgasm she needed as much as air.
The end made her want to spend the rest of the day in bed memorizing every inch of Kai’s body as well as everything she loved in life so she’d stay. Vivien was so overwhelmed she couldn’t say anything as Kai held her. The way Kai pressed her lips to her forehead made her hopeful for their future. How much better would this be when they really knew each other?
“You’re incredibly inspiring to my imagination,” Kai said, which made her laugh.
“I could say the same thing, and after that, being in the office with you should be torturous.” Kai rolled off her and held her head up so she could look at her. “Now I almost, and I’m putting the emphasis on almost, feel sorry for Steve.”
“The only way Steve trades places with you is by holding a gun to my head. You’ve got nothing to worry about.” She turned to face Kai and welcomed Kai’s leg between her own. “You aren’t worried about that, are you?”
“I’d worry more about me keeping my hands off you while we’re at work than anything to do with Steve.”
> They talked a little more before heading down for coffee, and by the time they were ready to go, Vivien prayed the clock would move as fast as it had that morning. She didn’t know what her father had in mind, but she was setting Kai up in her office. She was also taking Kai up on her offer to lunch, but she was asking Franklin along too. As much as she enjoyed Kai’s company, their relationship wouldn’t go anywhere if she didn’t understand her bond with her brother.
“Will this do until I can go shopping for stuff other than shorts and Dickies?” Kai asked as they headed out.
The navy slacks and white shirt would help Kai blend in with the people on the top floor, and she’d gone to so much effort that Vivien had thrown on a skirt and top she hadn’t worn in almost a year to appease her mother at some function they’d attended. “You look fantastic,” she said as she held out her hand to Kai.
“Thank you, but I doubt you’ll be safe for long since your ass is a work of art in that skirt.” Kai smiled, she assumed at her blush, as she held her door for her. “One way of getting me to behave is to invite Franklin to lunch with us, if he’s available.”
The offer made her almost suspicious, but it was ridiculous to think that Kai had the ability to read her mind. “Franklin loves being treated to anything, so don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”
“I rarely offer anything if I don’t mean it. Besides, he’s important to you, and you’re someone I want to get to know better.”
“Careful,” she said, not sure what to add to that.
“I am, and more importantly, I will be with you,” Kai said, then kissed her. “If you think I’ll pass inspection, invite Marsha too. She seems important to you as well.”
“Thank you.” She pressed her hand against Kai’s cheek.
“For what?”
“For seeing in me what I thought was invisible to everyone else.”
Chapter Twenty-five
“You can’t still have nothing,” Steve said through clenched teeth to Tanice. He’d spent two weeks watching Vivien and Franklin act like Kai Merlin was the answer to everything wrong with their lives. To make things worse, Winston had started inviting her to their executive staff meetings.