by Jodi Redford
Ford stroked his chin. “Yeah, I like the sound of that better.” He dropped his arm. “So, kid, you ready to talk about the part I’m working on for you?”
The abrupt change of subject was enough to give him whiplash. “Uh—” Before he could say anything more, a loud bang came from the rear of the house. He and Ford automatically swung their attention toward the sound just as Kaitlin came barreling from the back door. Grady blinked as his gaze fell on the familiar face rushing after her. “Charlie?”
He barely registered Kaitlin’s presence, his focus instead entirely fixed on Charlie as she hauled short in front of him. They gaped at each other for a moment before simultaneously blurting, “What are you doing here?”
“Yes, Ford, what is my sister doing here?” Steam practically billowed from Kaitlin’s ears. “Other than she apparently thinks you and I are having some kind of torrid affair? Why would she think that?”
Beckett shrugged. “My guess? Because I told her we are.”
A scary sound came from the back of Kaitlin’s throat. “Have you completely lost your mind? Or is this your last stand of driving me off the deep end?”
“It’s the only logical reason I could come up with for why you had flown into a jealous rage and Charlie needed to get over here to calm you down.” Beckett offered up a heavy exhale and shifted his gaze to Charlie. “As you can see, your sister needs calming down. Thank Christ you’re here.”
The growl issuing from her enough to make any sane man cover his balls, Kaitlin lunged at Ford. Rather than aiming for the family jewels, she thumped him hard in the center of his chest. The momentum behind her shove succeeded in knocking Ford off balance and he landed in the pool with an epic splash.
Charlie gasped. “Kait, what the hell!”
Ford surfaced, laughing. Which only seemed to infuriate Kaitlin more. “I quit, you motherfucker.”
“You can’t,” Ford rebutted.
“Try to stop me! I quit on the grounds that you are insane! I refuse to work for a crazy ass person.”
“Darlin’, you’re the one who pushed me in here. Kind of the pot calling the kettle black, don’t cha think?”
“Darlin’?!?”
“Uh oh. Looks like someone needs a little more cooling down.” Without warning, Ford reached up and grabbed Kaitlin by the ankle. The next instant she toppled into the pool with him.
Charlie slid Grady a worried look. “This is not going to end well.”
“I predict major bloodshed,” he countered.
“Undoubtedly.”
Before either of them could get another word out, Hairy gave an excited woof and dove into the pool. Kait broke the surface of the water, sputtering, and clamped her hands around Ford’s neck. Grinning, he kissed her soundly on the mouth.
Charlie groaned. “Oh, dear. I better go hide the sharp knives.” She glanced at Grady. “Would you keep an eye on them and make sure one doesn’t drown the other?”
Not giving him a chance to respond, she hurried to the house. Completely bemused by the entire situation, Grady turned his attention back to the pool. Kaitlin was bitching up a storm as Ford wrapped his arm around her waist and hauled her along with him toward the steps at the opposite end of the pool. Hairy continued paddling around in the water, chasing bubbles and blissfully unconcerned with human squabbling.
Grady crossed to the sunken stairway and gave Ford a hand with helping Kaitlin out of the pool. Once his own feet were on the aggregate deck, Ford grabbed his cell from his pocket and toggled the power button several times before sighing. “A moment of silence for the death of my phone.”
“You’re lucky that’s all I killed.” Grumbling darkly, Kaitlin stalked toward the house, her sodden suit lending an awkwardness to her stiff gait. Grady and Ford followed in her wet trail. The squelching of Beckett’s loafers provided a humorous soundtrack for the journey. Compared to Kaitlin’s evident irritation and fury, Ford appeared completely unfazed by everything, like he took a dip in his designer duds on a daily basis.
The door they piled through led directly into the kitchen. Charlie glanced up from her task of covertly stashing the cutlery. “Um, everything okay?”
Mumbling an incoherent response, Kaitlin continued toward the massive brick archway separating the kitchen from what appeared to be the main entryway to Ford’s swanky abode. After informing Grady to make himself at home, the man headed after his employee. The second they disappeared from sight, Grady shook his head. “Those two have an interesting relationship.”
“You have no idea.” The corner of Charlie’s mouth quirked upward. “You actually caught them on a good day.”
He crossed to her side. She closed the cupboard drawer and sent him a shy look. “This is kind of awkward.”
“Don’t sweat it, sweetheart. You should see some of the crazy shenanigans that go down at the club. Probably a good thing we don’t have a pool handy, otherwise we’d be tossing each other’s asses in it all the time.”
“I don’t mean Kait and Ford.” She bit her lip and polished the edge of the marble counter with her fingers. “Yesterday—”
“Was fucking incredible. Every minute of it. Hands down the best day of my life.”
Her smile was the sweetest thing he’d ever witnessed. “Mine too.”
Unable to resist a moment longer, he separated the scant distance between them. Cupping the back of her skull, he slid his mouth over hers. Soft lips parted beneath his coaxing pressure and the tip of her tongue invited him inside. Not about to refuse that enticing offer, he re-angled his head for a better approach. She submitted to the deepening of the kiss with a wispy moan, her hands stroking his waist. Her touch sizzled his nerve endings, as did the way her breasts pillowed against his chest. Hell, everything about her absolutely did him in. He was falling fast and hard without a parachute to soften his landing. And he didn’t give a single fuck.
He reluctantly broke the kiss before he gave into the urge to hike her up onto the counter so he could feast on her properly. Stroking her cheek, he rubbed noses with her. “You taste like cupcakes and rainbow sprinkles.” And everything he’d ever wanted, wrapped in a sexy package.
“Well, I am a unicorn,” she teased. “That’s our natural flavor. Unlike Thundercats, which I hear taste suspiciously like waffles and bacon.”
“We are delicious.” He risked another quick peck. That would have to be the exact moment Kait and Ford reappeared, naturally. Charlie’s sister still wore her soaked clothes, but a massive bath sheet was swaddled around her. Beckett had ditched his apparel for a pair of board shorts and a T-shirt.
Rubbing his hair briskly with a towel, Ford grinned. “I see my evil plan worked.”
Grady frowned. “I don’t follow.”
“Kid, I saw the chemistry between you two at the shoot and immediately knew you’d both be fire on the screen. So I’m writing characters for you and Charlie.”
“What?” The demand popped from the sisters with equal amounts of shock on Charlie’s end and ferocity on Kaitlin’s.
“B-but I’m not an actress,” Charlie stammered.
Ford tossed his towel aside. “Not true. You act every time you record one of your audio books.”
“It’s not really the same thing, though.”
Grady stared at her. Audio books? He’d had no damn idea she did anything beyond her phone sex biz.
“But it’s not all that different, either,” Ford said, breaking through Grady’s bemusement.
Charlie still appeared uncertain. “If you were considering this why didn’t you just bring it up to me the other day? Why the crazy story about you and Kait?”
“Because I knew she’d try to talk you out of it, and I needed time to pull my ideas together.”
“Damn straight I’m talking her out of it. My sister is not going to be on Passion’s Diary.” Kaitlin tugged the oversized bath sheet around her and glared at Ford.
His gaze dipped to her torso. “You’d dry a lot faster if you took off your
clothes.”
Kaitlin’s eyes narrowed. “Nice try.”
“I’d let you wear my robe.” He waggled his eyebrows. “If you insist.”
“Still not happening. Just like putting Charlie on your show.” Her mulish expression remained unbudging.
“Don’t you think you should let your sister decide that?”
Kaitlin returned Ford’s challenging stare. “Oh, like you’re giving her the courtesy of that option? You’ve already written her in, you bastard!”
“If she doesn’t want to do it I’ll think of something else.”
Kaitlin swung her focus to Charlie. “Sis, don’t even consider it. You’ve seen how risqué the show is.”
Ford tossed up his arms. “For God’s sake, Kaitlin, they’re not going to have sex on screen or something. I promise it will be tasteful and sweet.”
“Like you even know the meaning of those words. I am not letting you corrupt my baby sister.”
“Kait, stop it.” Charlie pressed her fingertips to her temples and sighed. “If you’re trying to protect my innocent virtue, it’s a lost cause.”
“I’m not implying you’re a virgin or anything, but Ford’s kinky vision is way out of your comfort zone. Trust me on this.”
Grady nearly choked on his own tongue. Out of Charlie’s comfort zone? Holy hell. Either Kaitlin was seriously deluded where her sister was concerned, or she had no clue how Charlie spent her time after hours.
Judging from Charlie’s pained expression, safe bet it was the second option. She dropped her arms and took a slow breath. He automatically laced their fingers, determined to give back a tiny bit of the calm support she always offered. She glanced up at him, gratefulness shining in her eyes before she returned her gaze to Kaitlin. “I have phone sex. For money. And basically, because I’m a huge pervert. I’m as far from being a virgin as a person can get.”
Silence descended on the kitchen in the wake of Charlie’s announcement. Kaitlin looked like she’d been poleaxed. Ford, on the other hand, appeared vastly intrigued. He stroked his chin. “No shit. Are you taking new clients?”
Kaitlin growled and smacked him with her towel. He blocked another sodden whap by ducking his head. “I’m kidding! Although, you’ve gotta admit your sister has the sexiest voice on the planet. Good on her for capitalizing off it.”
Grady nodded. “I agree. Wholeheartedly.”
Kaitlin’s Dirty Harry squint materialized. “Is that how you know my sister? You’ve been having phone sex with her?”
Charlie gusted a weary exhale. “Please don’t give Grady a hard time. It’s not like he was engaging in it by himself. Furthermore, we’re two consenting adults who can get our rocks off any way we want.”
Kaitlin looked like she was valiantly attempting to block out any ponderings on what that might entail. Damn good thing she didn’t see the dirtiness they got up to yesterday. “Okay, so you’re a phone sex operator. That’s still a far cry from acting in soft porn.”
“Which is also a far cry from hard porn,” Ford pointed out.
If her grimace was anything to go by, Kaitlin had moved on to trying to separate Ford, porn, and hard from the same sentence, and was failing miserably. “Sis, I don’t want you to get in over your head.”
An unaccustomed stubbornness fell into place on Charlie’s face. “You don’t think I can handle it. Or maybe I’m too fat to be perceived as remotely sexy. Is that it?”
Kaitlin stared at her sister. “Of course not. Why would you even think something like that?”
Rather than respond, Charlie pushed away from the counter. She glanced at Ford. “I’ll think about it.” Without uttering another word, she strode toward the archway.
“Charlie.” Kaitlin resembled a deer caught in the highbeams of an oncoming semi. Her eyes wide, she peered helplessly at Grady and Ford. “What did I say?”
“All the wrong things, darlin’.” Ford waved his hand toward the exit. “Maybe you better go set things right.”
“But I don’t even know what I did.”
“You have the walk outside to figure it out. Take slow steps.”
It went to show how upset Kaitlin was that she didn’t even throw a single death glare Ford’s way, and instead hustled after her sister.
Once they were alone, Ford approached Grady and clapped him on the shoulder. “Just think, kid. She could be your sister-in-law one day.”
The words drilled through Grady, suspending him in momentary shock. Marriage was something he thought about pretty much never. It hadn’t been so much as a blip on the radar. But now that Ford planted that seed of a possibility...
“Terrified yet?”
Although he knew Ford was referring to Kaitlin as an in-law, the question could apply to settling down, period. He’d never committed to a woman beyond a night. Except for Charlie. She was the longest relationship he’d had. The only relationship he wanted.
Spending the rest of his life with her? Shit, he could definitely get used to it. More than that, it looked a hell of a lot like the kinda future he wanted to be a part of.
He returned his scrutiny to Ford and smiled. “Not even close.”
CHAPTER NINE
“Charlie!”
Rather than slowing at the sound of Kait’s shout behind her, she quickened her pace. She couldn’t deal with her sister right now. Yeah, probably it was unfair to pin the blame on her for the angry chaos in her head, but Kait’s stubborn insistence that she knew Charlie’s mind better than anyone didn’t help matters either.
“Damn it, would you slow down? You’re so damn stubborn sometimes.”
Officially at her breaking point, Charlie spun on her heel and glared at Kait. “You should talk! My God, did it occur to you at all that I’m capable of making decisions for myself?”
“I just don’t want you to make the wrong one.”
“It’s still my choice to make, Kait.”
“Is that why you’re pissed at me?” Her sister appeared thoroughly confused. “Because I love you and don’t want to see you get hurt?”
“You can’t protect me the rest of my life.” She chaffed her arms, the awful doubts and anxiety clawing her from the inside out. “You’re worried I’ll set myself up for embarrassment and ridicule by being on Ford’s show. That’s why you’re against it.”
Kait drew back like she’d been slapped. “That never entered my mind.”
“Are you sure? I can see why you’d think it could happen. Again. Maybe you’re even worried I’ll end up back in the hospital.”
A suspicious film misted Kait’s eyes. “It’s not that I think it will happen. I don’t want you to put yourself in a situation where the insecurities will eat away at you and potentially throw gasoline on the fire.”
“So you’re insulating me from myself?”
Kait’s shoulders slumped. “Well, it sounds ridiculous now that you say it. But in a way...yes.”
Charlie hugged her chest. God, was she really that bad off? Uh, hello. At first, you couldn’t even let Grady see your legs until you mind-fucked yourself into believing it was only phone sex. If that’s not a sign of some major body issue hang-ups, nothing is.
It was no damn wonder Kait wanted to save her from herself. She expelled a soft breath. “I have to bury my baggage and move on from the past.”
“I have no doubt that you can.”
She nodded at the fierce determination on Kait’s face. “I know. You’ve never been the one in question here. I am. I need to start believing in myself as strongly as you do. A big step toward doing that is giving myself permission to be vulnerable without hiding away in the process.”
“And you think that being on Passion’s Diary will accomplish that?” Kait held up her palms. “I’m not criticizing or judging. Only curious.”
“I don’t know. Maybe it won’t. But I have to try.”
Kait rubbed her forehead. “Okay, even though it completely pains me to let Ford win this round, you should do the show. And I will su
pport you one-hundred percent.”
The heaviness lifting from her chest, Charlie closed the gap between them and wrapped Kait in a huge hug. “Thank you. It means a lot to me.”
Kait ruffled Charlie’s hair. “You know I’d do absolutely anything for you.”
“Then I’m going to ask you a favor.”
“Shoot.”
She gave her sister a pleading look. “Please give Grady a chance.”
“No fucking way.” Kait returned her glare with a grin. “I’m just giving ya crap. I already gave him my sorta blessing earlier, before you got here.”
“You did?” Charlie didn’t bother disguising her astonishment.
“Yep. We had a good talk.”
“Oh God. You threatened to beat him with his own penis, didn’t you?”
Kait twitched her nose. “Clearly I’ve over-abused that threat.”
“It does seem to be your favorite.” She rolled her lips together.
“What?”
“Did you use it on Ford when he kissed you?”
Her sister’s face went cherry red. “We’re going to pretend that never happened.”
“Should we also pretend you completely hated it?”
“Puh-lease. Like that’ll be difficult to do, seeing how I did.”
“Uh huh.” She bit back a snicker at Kait’s side-eye. “Do you still want to kill him?”
“More than ever.”
The crazy thing? She didn’t doubt for a second that her sister was being completely forthright with her deepest wishes.
Whatever the future held for those two, it sure as hell wouldn’t be boring.
Kait started toward the house just as Grady stepped outside. He stalled for a moment and exchanged a few words with her before she disappeared through the doorway. Charlie raised her eyebrows as he approached. “Another talk? You and my sister are practically BFFs now.”
“She wanted me to know that my penis is in the clear, but my big toe has taken its place in the hot seat. I have no damn idea what that means.”
“Kait’s trying out new intimidation tactics.”
“Huh.” He scratched his scalp. “Gotta say, not nearly as intimidating as the penis beating.”