by Cathryn Fox
Alec snickers. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Work comes first over everything for you,” he says, humor gone from his voice.
“You’re one to talk.”
“Priorities change when you’re married. You’ll see.”
“No, I won’t see, and we’re not having this conversation again.” Why the hell can’t they all just leave me alone? I’m married to my job now, and I’m content. Happy.
I’m also having the best sex of my life with Khloe.
“Come on...” Alec goads. “Humor me. You, of all of us, wanted to get married.”
“Things have changed,” I say. “When you see Granddad can you please ask him to call me? Also ask him to check the staffing agency. Leonard Elementary needs English teachers. Surely there must be one unemployed teacher on the list.”
“Will do, bro.”
I end the call and step up to Khloe, my chest to her back. She leans against me.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Fine, why?”
She turns and presses her hand over my heart. “It’s beating a little fast.”
I shake my phone before shoving it into my pocket. “My brother.”
“You two get in a fight?”
Not really wanting to get into it, I hedge with, “Something like that.”
“I always wanted siblings,” she says quietly, a look of longing in her dark eyes.
“You can have mine.” I snort. “My brother and my cousin and his wife are driving me crazy.”
“I love that you’re all so close.”
“You’d love them, Khloe. I think you’d really hit it off with Summer.” I laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“After Summer had Jules, she lost all her filters. She tells it like it is.”
“Then I probably would like her.”
“She told me I needed to get you out of the house today, that you deserved to do something fun for having to put up with me.”
“You have been doing something fun for me.”
I grin. “Yeah, it has been fun.” I put my hand around her waist and lead her back to the stairs. We descend slowly, and she runs her hand along the wooden rail. But my grin turns to a frown as I go over my conversation with my brother. Khloe studies me, concern etched in her eyes.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just. Alec and Tate and even Summer are on me about getting married.”
“Ah, I see.”
“I don’t need a wife to make me happy.”
“Just like I don’t need a husband,” she says.
I eye her. “Do you still love him?”
“My ex, you mean?” I nod, and she exhales.
“No, I don’t. I’m glad I woke up before I found myself in a controlling marriage.”
“But someday you’d like to get married?”
She gives me a very unladylike snort, and it makes me smile. I like that she’s herself around me, doesn’t pretend to be something or someone else. I’m used to pretense from the women in my circle, especially the ones looking to marry up. It’s hard to know who’s real and who isn’t. I appreciate Khloe’s honesty.
“I’ve given up on the idea. Besides, right now, after my last job, I need to concentrate on me.”
I give her a nudge. “Maybe while you’re here, you can write that book you talked about.”
“I would.” She pauses and gives me a seductive smile. “But I think my boss is about to start keeping me up late at night. He’s an ogre, you know.”
I laugh, the tightness in my chest easing a bit, as we talk openly. I’m not usually like this with women. But she’s not any woman, is she? She’s open and real, and I kind of like that we have this easy banter. I chuckle inwardly. Christ, with the ease she can get things out of people, she’d make a good reporter.
“You know, I have a lot of connections in the publishing ind—”
She holds her hand up to stop me. “Will, I appreciate that but—”
“But you need to do everything on your own.”
She nods. “I want to get there on my own merit, you know. I want the validation that I can do it.”
“I understand.” Her dark eyes are serious as they move over my face, like she’s not sure if I really can understand. “I get it, Khloe. Sometimes, though, it’s okay to get by with a little help from a friend.”
She smiles. “Is that what we are?”
“Friends?” I nod. “Yeah, I like that. I like the idea of us being friends.”
“With benefits,” she says, and nudges me.
“I like that, too,” I say, and laugh. “Come on, let’s get that ice cream, and I have one more stop to make before I take you home and have my way with you.”
We go down the rest of the stairs, the noonday sun beating on us. We find an ice cream stand and both get double scoops. A few minutes later, we’re in the car, headed to the middle school. We finish our cones as I drive.
“Where are we?” Khloe asks, as she takes in the old school and the new one in construction behind it.
“This is where Bevey’s daughter goes.”
“Oh, you wanted to say hi to her?”
“Something like that.” I look into a field where the kids are seated at picnic tables. “Do you want to wait here?”
“No, I’ll come.”
We slide from our seats and walk toward the kids, who are all dressed in the same uniforms and eating boxed lunches. When they see me, they jump up and run our way.
“Whoa,” Khloe says, as they huddle around me. “I guess you’re well known here.”
“Kids, kids,” Amelia says, and claps her hands. “Come finish your lunches.” After a few grumbles the kids all file back to their seats.
Khloe casts me a curious look. “Aren’t you popular?”
“I have a way with kids,” is all I say.
“Uncle Will. Uncle Will,” Chardane says, and waves me over.
“Come meet Bevey’s daughter.”
“She calls you Uncle Will?”
“I’ve known her since she was born.” Khloe follows me across the sunburned grass, and I note all the girls at the table are coloring as they eat their sandwiches. I go down on one knee to talk to Chardane. She gives me a hug, and I introduce her to Khloe.
“Is she your girlfriend?” Chardane teases in her childlike voice. All the girls around the table chime in and rib me about my “girlfriend.”
“She’s my friend,” I assure them.
“Good, because Chardane wants to marry you,” one of the girls says.
Chardane turns red and glares at her friend. “Annie!” she cries out. “That was a secret.”
Beside me, Khloe is muffling a laugh, and I catch Amelia’s eye as she looks on with concern. I scrub my hand over Chardane’s head.
“I’m an old ogre,” I say. “Just ask Khloe.” I look past Chardane’s shoulders. “Besides, I think that boy two tables over might like you.” Chardane spins and then makes a face.
“Chad is a butthead.”
“And he picks his nose,” the girl to Chardane’s right adds.
I laugh at that and stand. “I need to go talk to your teacher. Will you girls take care of Khloe for me?”
They snuggle together to give Khloe room on the bench. “Will you be okay for a minute?”
“Coloring is my favorite pastime.”
I walk with Amelia until we’re out of earshot.
“It’s good to see you, Will.” Amelia pushes her thick dark hair from her shoulders, her brown eyes full of concern.
“You, too. How are things?”
“Overcrowded classrooms and overworked teachers.”
“I’m waiting to talk to Gra
nddad, to see if he can find someone at the staffing agency that can take the position.”
“Even one more teacher will make a difference,” she says.
“No sicknesses, with the mold?”
“We keep the window open and the school ventilated. The new school will be ready before the rainy months, and we have you to thank for that.”
“You don’t have to thank me. It’s the least I could do.”
She looks beyond me, and I follow her gaze to see Khloe laughing with the kids. It brings a smile to my face.
“Bevey told me you had a new friend. That her?” She fiddles with the bright pink scarf around her neck, lifting it over her head to block the sun.
I laugh. “Oh, is that how she put it? And yes, that’s Khloe.”
“Bevey is just happy to see you enjoying more than work.”
“Why is my love life suddenly everyone’s concern?”
“It’s not right for a man to be alone.”
“I’m fine alone, and Khloe is nothing more than my assistant.”
Who I sleep with.
“Uh-huh,” she says, and I shake my head, letting it go.
“I need to speak with the foreman.” I nod toward the new schoolhouse.
“You go. I’ll take good care of your assistant until you get back.”
“Amelia,” I warn, and she laughs and brushes me off. I head to the new school and stand back to take in the progress.
“Will.” I turn at the sound of Lyron’s voice. I extend my arm and his big palm closes around mine, squeezes with a firm handshake.
“Lyron, my friend. It’s good to see you.”
Lyron takes off his ball cap and uses his arm to wipe away the moisture on his forehead. “She’s coming along good, no?” he says, his accent much like Bevey’s. “Right on schedule.”
“That’s good to know. The sooner we get those kids out of that old school the better.”
He shakes his head. “Not healthy at all.”
“How’s the family?” I ask.
“Raeni is no longer coughing, now that we’ve moved into the new housing complex. Clean running water and no mold. It’s heaven.”
I put my hand on his back. “Glad to hear it.”
“How is your family?” he asks in return.
“Doing well. Granddad is still as stubborn as ever.” I wink.
“And a wife for you?” he asks. I just shake my head.
“I can’t get away from it,” I say, and he laughs.
“It’s not natural, Will,” he says.
“You’ve clearly been talking to Bevey.”
He whistles innocently. “Come, I’ll show you through.”
I follow him into the building, and I’m pleased to see how fast it’s come together. After the inspection, I bid him a farewell and make my way back to the girls.
My girl.
Whoa, where did that come from?
Khloe glances up when I block the sun from her table. Her eyes are alive, full of happiness.
“You really do like coloring,” I say, and she sets her crayon down.
“The girls were just telling me a funny story about the time you went scuba diving and panicked when you thought you saw a shark, but it turned out to be a sea lion.” The girls all laugh again, and Khloe joins in.
“My goggles were foggy.”
“Sure,” Khloe teases.
I shake my head, defeated. “I’m going to have to have a talk with your mother, Chardane.” I say, and she just grins up at me. “No more talking about me.” I turn to Khloe. “And you...didn’t you have your own incident where you thought you encountered a shark?”
Khloe stands. “All righty then,” she says quickly, a grin playing on her mouth. “Thanks for letting me color with you, girls.”
I put my arm on the small of Khloe’s back, and we head back to the car. “Sweet kids,” she says. “I’m glad they’re getting a new school.”
“Now we just need to find teachers to fill the classrooms.”
“There’s a shortage?”
I nod. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of Granddad, to check the staffing agency for qualified English teachers.”
“Will,” she says quickly, and touches my arm to stop me.
“What?”
I turn toward her. “I can help out. I have an English degree, remember?”
“Yeah, I remember.” I stare at her for a moment, and see nothing but open honesty on her face.
An odd lump settles into my throat. “Are you serious, Khloe?”
Her eyes widen like she’s excited by the opportunity. “Very serious.” But then her demeanor changes, her enthusiasm waning, and she frowns. “Oh, but wait. I already have a job here.”
“Well, so far you’re pretty shitty at it,” I tease.
“Hey,” she says, feigning offense. A second later a grin pulls at her lush lips. “Okay, well, maybe you are right. But your granddad—” She stops talking, like she’s about to say too much.
I frown and narrow my eyes. “What about him?”
“I don’t want to let him down.”
“Okay, so maybe you can’t cook, and you break things, but he is going to lose his mind when he hears you’re going to help out in the classroom.”
“I think he’s already lost his mind,” she says.
“You’re probably right.”
Her teeth dig into her bottom lip, and it draws my attention. Once again, I can’t help but wonder how her lush mouth would taste. “Would you mind? I could work around what you need.”
“You could take a few hours in the afternoon to help while you’re here. If that’s what you really want.”
“I do,” she says, a new purpose about her. I start the car and can’t help but feel this woman is too good to be true.
Could I be right?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Khloe
I STEAL A glance at Will as we drive back to his villa, feeling excited. I’ve never taught school before, but at least I’ll now be doing something useful. I study the man who has given me this opportunity—he has a strange, unreadable look on his face.
“Hey,” I say.
He smiles. “What?”
“You never told me what you wanted for winning the race.” I lift my chin. “Although I do want a rematch.”
His hand slides across the seat, and there is a new kind of tenderness, a mellowness in him I’ve not seen before.
“How about I show you instead.”
“Ooh, I like the sound of that,” I say, as the heat from his hand seeps under my skin and arouses my body.
“There’s a festival coming up. Have you heard anything about it?” he asks.
“No, what’s it about?”
“It’s a cultural fair with a mix of food, drink, plants. Things like that. It’s a fundraiser for the church and schools. They play traditional games, and nightly performances by schools and organizations display various aspects of Virgin Islands traditions and culture.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“We should go.”
I eye him carefully. “As long as it’s not a date. Rule number three.”
He frowns at me. “I know the rules. And it’s not a date. I just thought since we both want to go, and we’re going in the same direction, we might as well go together.”
“Good. Then okay, let’s go.” He looks ahead as he navigates a turn, and my gaze settles on his mouth. Why, again, did I say no kissing?
Because it’s too personal.
Yeah, maybe, but damned if I don’t want to feel his lips on mine. They’ve been pretty magnificent on other parts of my body.
I sink back into my seat and enjoy the scenery as we make our way home. I’m a little sleepy by the time we reach Will’s villa. But I si
t up straight when I see a big truck pulling out of his driveway and a man standing on the path waving the driver off.
“What’s going on? Who is that?” I take in the stocky man dressed in long white pants and a long white shirt that contrast with his dark hair and skin.
“Right, you haven’t met Vin yet.”
“Vin?”
“He’s the caretaker when I’m not here. He was overseeing a job for me today while we were gone.”
The mischievous smirk on Will’s face raises my curiosity. “What kind of job?”
“Oh, just a little something I thought you’d like.”
I frown at him. “What have you done?”
“You’ll see.”
I give him a warning glare, but he just laughs and exits the car. I hop from the passenger side, and Vin comes to greet us.
“Vin, meet Khloe. She’s my new assistant.”
“Nice to meet you, Khloe.”
“You, too,” I say, and shake his outstretched hand, noting the warmth about him. Most people here on the island are so laid-back and welcoming.
“Everything is in order?” Will asks.
“Exactly as you asked,” Vin answers.
“Excellent,” Will says, and puts his arm on my back to lead me inside.
“What is going on?” I demand when we’re alone.
“Come with me and find out.”
He guides me down the long hall into his bedroom, and when I step inside a gasp climbs out of my throat.
“No. Way.”
Incredulous, I spin to face Will, my cheeks flaring hot.
He arches a brow at my reaction. “You don’t like it?”
“Vin,” I begin. “He knows.” I cover my face with my hands. “This is so embarrassing.”
Will chuckles, puts his arms around me and backs me up until we’re standing in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling mirror he had installed beside his bed. “Don’t be embarrassed.”
For some reason, with Will I have no problem being open. But maybe deep down I’m still scarred from my ex, still shy and embarrassed about my needs. “What must he think?”
“That we’re adults, doing what adults do. I’m pretty sure he’s not judging, Khloe. Even if he is, so what?”