Keep It Sexy (KIS Series Book 3)

by Snow, Olivia

  She took a deep breath before chugging her soda and slamming it down on the bar. I opened my mouth to say something to her, something soothing to calm her down because I could practically see her vibrating in her seat. She stopped me.

  “But wait, there’s more! After she dumps all this on me, she casually tells me Talon is back in town. Fucking. Talon!”

  Why does that sound familiar? Mallory pulled the side of her hair while slamming her forehead against the slab of wood. I looked around as I felt people staring at us. Everyone in the bar seemed to be glaring at Mallory and her outburst. Christian frowned, then stepped toward us, but I waved him off. Mouthing to him that it was okay, he nodded, then said something to the people around him, making them laugh, taking their attention away from us.

  “And we don’t like Talon?” I asked, filling up her glass, trying to remember why that name sounded so familiar.

  “No. We hate him,” Mallory mumbled against the bar. My heart hurt for her. She was clearly dealing with a broken heart and had no one to talk to about it. Her best friend was gone, and all the times she hung around Ava, it felt like there was some sort of wall between the two of them.

  “Hey, how about we go back to my place after my shift? I’ll pick up something stronger to drink.”

  Mallory slowly lifted her head, her eyes glistening with tears.

  “You’d do that for me?”

  I smiled, my chest squeezing from the expression of awe on her face. I had a strong feeling she was rarely anyone’s main priority.

  “Of course. Let me get you an order of cheese fries and you can hang out until I’m off, yeah?” She nodded eagerly.

  Ten minutes later, Mallory had an order of cheese fries keeping her company while I busied myself stocking up the mini-fridges along the bar. I was distracted by beer bottles and almost didn’t notice Jade tapping on my shoulder. I looked up, annoyed that I had been interrupted.

  “What’s up?” I asked.

  She pointed in the direction of the dining room with a scowl. Puzzled, I stood up and followed her gaze. In the corner table sat two very attractive women dressed in pantsuits. They were both brunettes. One had her hair in a bun, and the other wore her hair in loose curls. Her pantsuit was a cream color with a white button-up dress shirt underneath her jacket. Her high heels were a bright blue. Then I looked up at her face again, and I recognized her. It was Hannah, Christian’s booty call. Christian was crouched down at eye level with her as he sat back on the heels of his shoes. Hannah was leaning into his personal space. I wanted to jump over the bar and drag her away by her hair.

  “Uh-oh,” Mallory said, clearly noticing the same thing.

  “Billie, honey, relax,” Jade whispered.

  “What the fuck does he think he’s doing?” I growled.

  Hannah leaned in closer, almost like she was going to kiss him, then pulled back to run her red polished fingers through his hair. I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination but I could have sworn the glass I was holding began to crack. I didn’t have a chance to look because Jade took it away from me.

  “Billie, you’re not together, remember? You’re broken up. He’s allowed to be with other people.”

  She was right, but it didn’t feel that way. My rage instantly dissipated while hurt took over. I stepped away from the bar and got back down on my knees to stock the fridge. At least, that’s what it looked like I was doing. In reality, my head hung low as I frantically wiped away the flood of tears running down my cheeks.

  Jade handed me a paper towel without even saying a word to me. I wanted to crawl into a hole and cry my eyes out, until I heard “Drowning” by Saving Abel, the song that felt like our song. My spirits lifted a little.

  I started to stand, but Jade stopped me by pushing my shoulder down with her hand. Confused, I looked up at her. She swallowed slowly before shaking her head. Disregarding her objections, I stood up and turned to the dance area where Jade’s disapproving stare was centered. Christian and Hannah danced to a rock song as if it was a slow jam.

  I was livid, a volcano erupting anger instead of lava inside my chest. I watched them dance for a few seconds until the slap of realization hit me. This was the real Christian, one of the reasons why I stayed away from him as long as I did. I had my reservations for a reason.

  “Hey, Billie?” Mallory said with sadness in her tone. I turned my attention to her and tried my best to ignore the asshole across from me.

  “Yeah?”

  “Listen, we don’t have to hang out tonight. One of us needs to be in an okay mood for this night not to end in a veg-out feast of ice cream, whisky, and chocolate cake. And judging from Latin Lover over there, that’s something you need and I’m no good at that.”

  I grinned back and nodded. Her honesty was endearing. I could tell if she kept coming in, a friendship would quickly form between us.

  “Thanks, Mallory. I actually would prefer to be alone tonight.”

  She jumped off the stool and threw a twenty on the counter.

  “No, it’s on the house,” I told her.

  She scoffed. “Shut up, and take my money.”

  I smiled again, swiping the money off the wood.

  “I’ll see you soon?” she said.

  I nodded, and saluted her goodbye. “Drive safely.”

  For the next hour and a half, I concentrated on working as hard and as fast as I could. By the time last call went out, we were pretty empty and I was nearly done with the rest of my work. At closing, I finished up quickly, kissed Jade goodbye, and practically flew out the back door. I made it back to my apartment in record time. In the privacy of my own home, I was able to cry myself to sleep.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Christian

  “You have to give us something, Christian,” Morse, the greenhorn detective, said after I told him and his partner, O’Neil, that I didn’t have anything new.

  I was sitting across from them on a picnic table at a community park two cities away from Denver. They were both dressed in street clothes with jeans and hoodies. Morse was wearing a navy blue baseball hat and O’Neil wore a gray knit beanie over his head. If someone were to walk by, they’d think I was shooting the shit with two of my buddies.

  “Want me to lie to you?” I said. “I have nothing for you. I told you this meeting was pointless.”

  O’Neil huffed, then leaned in closer. Close enough that I could smell his piney aftershave. It reminded me of a Christmas tree.

  “Christian, we let your brother get out early in good faith because he told us you would do this.”

  “I could have saved you a lot of time and manpower if you had come to me directly,” I retorted firmly. “I would have told you to fuck off. And I’m sorry, but I find it hard to believe that Roman would think I’d do this for him. The only reason I agreed is for my mother. I don’t want her heart to break again by putting Rome back in jail.”

  “Well, if you don’t produce, Christian, that’s exactly what’s going to happen,” Morse replied. Apparently, he’d grown some balls.

  “You have a week to give us something, or Roman will go back to jail.” O’Neil didn’t even wait for me to reply before he got up and headed for the black sedan they’d come in.

  “We’ll be in touch.” Detective Morse sounded almost apologetic—almost.

  I came to their meeting in a bad mood and now I was in a worse state. I had left Billie’s apartment mad that she didn’t want to move in with me. She continued to think she had to handle Connor all by herself. I knew I was confusing her. I was giving weird signals, but I couldn’t tell her what I had agreed to, and I didn’t want to be a couple with this secret between us. I hated lying to her, but for now it was necessary.

  I tried to shake the feeling away because today I was interviewing for someone to replace Ava. As I finished up interviewing with yet another overly excited girl wearing an excessive amount of makeup, a guy walked in the bar. Actually, he sort of limped inside. He was huge, with a bigger build tha
n mine. From the way he strode in—limp and all—I could tell he carried a sense of pride with him. Instantly, I assumed he was in the armed forces. I stood, shaking the girl’s hand goodbye as he neared me. She was no longer interested in me but in the muscled soldier. She fluttered her eyelashes at him, but he completely ignored her.

  “Hey, man, you Christian?” he asked, his voice low and resigned.

  “Sure am, what can I help you with?”

  “A friend of mine told me you were hiring. I’m sorry, but I don’t have a resume, and I don’t have experience, but I was hoping you’d help me out since we share a few of the same friends.” There was a small amount of humiliation in his tone—not because he was asking for a job, but because he didn’t know the actual job. I could tell this guy was full of pride. And I admired that.

  “Which friends?” I asked. His thin lips curved a little.

  “The Saint Johns.”

  “No shit, Vanessa and Declan?”

  He nodded. “That would be them.”

  “Small fucking world. What’s your name, bro?” I asked, holding my hand out as he took mine for a shake.

  “Talon, Talon Hunter.”

  I gave the guy a job on the spot, and told him he’d start tomorrow. I instructed him to dress in black and ask for Jade when he arrived. When he left, I noticed his limp wasn’t as visible, and I wondered if that was going to be a problem if he was standing all night. I felt like an idiot for not even thinking about that when we spoke.

  My skin suddenly warmed and I knew that was a symptom of Billie staring at me. I looked over to where she was standing and grinned at her. Her smile wasn’t even a smile; it was like her bottom lip curled over itself, then snapped back into place. She looked away, leaving me with an empty feeling in my chest.

  Ever since Roman’s barbeque, she’d been acting distant toward me. She wasn’t smiling at me like she used to, and she hardly wanted to talk. She’d built a wall between us. The thought of her feelings changing was killing me slowly.

  So, that night, when Hannah came in with her friend, my first instinct was to test her. It was a dick move, but I was a desperate man and desperate men were known for making stupid, knee-jerk decisions. When Hannah asked me to dance, I wasn’t paying attention to the song that was playing in the background, which was very heartless of me. It was her song, our song, and when I stole a glance from the corner of my eye to see her reaction, my heart split in two. I pulled back from Hannah and tried to turn to Billie, but she stopped me.

  “Hey, where do you think you’re going? I finally have you after weeks of you dodging me, so don’t think I’m letting you go that easily.”

  My stomach filled with acid, and suddenly I felt disgusted with myself. Wrapping my fingers around her fragile wrists, I slowly tore them off my shirt and tried to smile at her. Hannah hadn’t done anything wrong; she didn’t know I was in love with Billie.

  “Hannah, this isn’t going to work out. I’m sorry I led you on tonight and avoided your calls, but I’m interested in someone else.” This didn’t even bother her. She rolled her eyes and sneered.

  “You’re an asshole, Christian.” She clomped to her empty seat and grabbed her purse before throwing the front door open, leaving her friend to chase after her.

  For the rest of the night, Billie ignored everyone, concentrating on her work. I knew it wasn’t the best time to speak to her, so I decided to wait until closing, and follow her home.

  ***

  I watched as the first floor of her apartment blackened, then the lights in her room turned off. Yet, I could still see her silhouette behind the sheer curtains of her bedroom window. That’s when I decided to park a couple of blocks away from her apartment, just in case she or someone else was watching.

  I closed the door softly, then pressed the alarm button to activate it. Jogging quietly toward her house, I avoided the streetlights and headlights of oncoming cars as I moved. Shivering when the cold night hit my bare arms, I was reminded it was the beginning of October and the nights were cooler now. I crossed my arms over my chest in an attempt to get warm, regretting leaving my sweater in the car.

  When I neared her apartment, I jumped over the aluminum fence, trying my best not to make it rattle too much. My next obstacle was climbing the decaying tree next to her bedroom window. Glancing up, I hoped the branches wouldn’t break and that her window would be open. I was trying to make a grand gesture by climbing to her window and begging for forgiveness. With my luck, Billie would kick me out—which was understood if not expected—but I still had to try. I knew how to break into houses, and I also knew she didn’t have a security system.

  Tempting the strength of the tree, I gripped the thickest branch and pulled it down to make sure it could hold my strength. The wood didn’t even bend and nothing seemed to break off. Inhaling, I said a quick prayer before jumping on the sturdy branch and making my way up to her window. Peering inside, the curtains were closed except for a small sliver. Through it, I could see her tiny frame inside her bed. She was fast asleep. I inspected the window, noticing that it was indeed locked. I chuckled, because this was going to be one hell of a groveling session. Something I’d never done for any other girl before, excluding my ma.

  Taking out the switchblade I never left the house without, I worked my experienced thief’s fingers and popped the lock open without making any noise. Gradually, I dragged the window open enough that my body would fit through it. Once inside, I pushed the window down just as carefully, just as slowly. But before I could turn around to face her sleeping body, I froze at the sound of a gun cocking.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Billie

  By the time he finished closing the window, I had already jumped out of my bed and gotten my pistol from underneath my mattress.

  “You have some nerve breaking into my house after the shit you pulled.”

  Christian’s rigid body visually relaxed as his shoulders slumped a little in relief.

  “Are you going to shoot me now? Why do you own a gun, anyway?” He turned his head. “And a G19 at that.”

  “I lived in Harden, and robbed casinos. What do you think?” I snapped. “And legally, I can shoot you. There’s this little law in Colorado called the—”

  “Make My Day Law, yes, I am very aware of our laws, but we both know you’re not going to shoot me and I’m not really an intruder, so do us both a favor and put that away before someone gets hurt.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I know how to shoot a gun.” I tightened my grip on the solid black metal.

  “I’m sure you do, Billie, but ah…you’re making me a little nervous. So, could you please lower the gun?”

  I hardened my stare, fully aware he couldn’t see my expression. I was pissed, hurt, and mortified to think I had let him into my life. To think I had finally lowered my guard just a little and convinced myself that I could have a relationship with him.

  “Come on, chiquita, you’re making me real nervous.”

  The ice around my heart melted a little from the name he only used with me. Letting out a heavy sigh, I slowly lowered the gun, turning it away from Christian and me. I placed the three safeties back on. He turned, slowly eyeing the lowered gun.

  “That thing is still loaded.” His voice was edged with anger. Now that I didn’t have a gun in my hands, I rolled my eyes.

  “It’s empty,” I replied, stepping toward my dresser. I positioned the heavy metal with the barrel facing the wall away from us. “What are you doing here, Christian?” I crossed my arms over my chest, and stepped back, trying my best to get as far away from him in my small room as possible. He smiled boyishly, showing off his dimples, and rubbed the back of his head. He was hard to stay mad at.

  “I messed up.”

  I closed my eyes for a beat before opening them. Christian was directly in front of me. I didn’t need to look to know he had his knees bent so we were at eye level.

  “I’m sorry, Billie,” he whispered, and I felt his warm bre
ath on the side of my face while he rested a portion of his forehead against mine.

  The proximity to his lips, to his flawless face, made it hard to breathe. I felt my breath come out in uneven harsh waves when he slowly moved his face away from mine and returned his nearness but this time with his lips only. I felt the vein on the side of my neck pulse when his mouth feathered against mine.

  “I’m so sorry,” he whispered again.

  I was still unable to move, unable to speak, and when his teeth nipped my bottom lip, I could barely think. He pulled my flesh and then took it into his mouth to suck. And I lost it. Feeling the warmth inside of his mouth, feeling the moment his tongue pressed against my lip, made my insides light on fire. I needed more. I needed more of him, because there was a huge possibility that if I didn’t get my hands and lips on him, it would end in my tragic death. As soon as my hands made contact around the sides of his face, he lost control and I let him. I invited him, happily.

  Christian pushed his tongue inside my mouth in an effortless rhythmic dance and I followed, just as fluid, just as smooth. We both breathed roughly as the air rushed out of our nostrils. The temperature in the room seemed to have risen. I could have spent the rest of my life attached to his lips the way we were this very second.

  I felt his arms circle around me in a tight hold. He held me so tight, it was almost like he was holding me in an effort to keep me from running. Our bodies were pressed together, and I felt him hard against my stomach, and it was then that I released a moan and gripped him tighter. Trying my damnedest to weld my body to his.

  Christian groaned in response, then gripped my hips with his hands and before I knew it, my back was pressed against my mattress and his enormous body was on top of mine. Our chests met every time we breathed out and I could have sworn our hearts were beating at one in a frantic rate. Supporting himself on bent arms, Christian looked me in the eyes and grinned.