Kept from You (Tear Asunder, Book 4)

by Nashoda Rose

  “She’s not dancing here,” he said to Brett.

  I curled my fingers around the handrail and even though my posture was always good, I straightened more, raising my chin. “I’m already dancing here. I did.”

  “And you won’t again.”

  “We’ll see.” The sexy mouth I’d once tasted was not looking too appealing right now as the devilish corners tipped down. Lips were pressed together as he clamped his jaw. Okay, maybe not the smartest thing to say to Killian in his current state.

  He glared at Greg. “Put her in the office. After she gets out of those clothes.” He turned to walk in the other direction.

  “I’m not going to sit in an office while you make me feel like I’m in trouble.”

  Killian stopped. Strode back and got right in my space, the railing the only reason his chest wasn’t against mine. “You don’t need to feel like you’re in trouble. You are in fuckin’ trouble.”

  This time it was me who stepped back and found myself right against Greg. “How did you know it was me?”

  Some of the tension eased from around his eyes, but not enough that I was confident there wasn’t going to be some shouting in his office.

  “Savvy, I know every single fuckin’ way your body moves even after eleven years. So, you wearing a mask thinking I wouldn’t recognize you dance… not a fuckin’ chance.”

  My mouth gaped. He knew how my body moved? He recognized how I danced? How was that even possible? When had he ever seen me dance? “You know how my body moves?”

  He didn’t respond. He turned and strode through the crowd. There was no waiting for people to get out of his way; they moved. My eyes trailed after him all the way to a side door where there was an Emergency Exit sign above.

  “He’s leaving?” Maybe I could grab my stuff and get out of here after all. It looked like I’d need to go back to waitressing for a while.

  “No. Gone outside to cool off,” Brett said.

  “Oh.” Cool off was good. Having to go outside to cool off—not so good.

  “Never seen him like that before. He’s a pretty laid-back guy, but then Kite has never been interested in a chick either.” Brett winked. “But he’s certainly interested in you.”

  I wasn’t sure I liked him interested, especially if I wanted a job here. “I’d like to work here.”

  He shrugged. “Not stepping in the middle, darlin’. This is his call.”

  “Boss?” Greg asked, and Brett nodded, which I found out as Greg gently took my elbow, was to do as Killian wanted, and he urged me up the steps.

  When we reached the top, we had an audience—Frankie, Sculpt, Emily, and Crisis, who had his arm slung over a stunning blonde girl’s shoulders.

  “Nice to see you again, Savvy,” Sculpt said, then cupped the back of Emily’s neck. “This is my wife, Emily.”

  Emily smiled, brown eyes curious. “My husband told me you were at the concert last weekend. A friend from high school?”

  “Kind of,” I replied.

  “I’m Haven,” the blonde girl said, stepping forward and offering her hand. “I saw you dance. You’re incredible.” She reminded me of an angel with her slight frame and beautiful, flawless white skin.

  “Thank you.”

  My gaze shifted to Frankie, who had her arms crossed over her chest, hip cocked, standing next to Sculpt who made her scariness evaporate because he was a tall, muscled guy and I knew his past and had seen him fight.

  “You did great,” Frankie said.

  “Thanks.” I did. I knew I did because I felt it.

  “You have the job.” My excitement lasted about the same time as a flash of lightning. “If Kite says yes and by the looks of whatever was said downstairs, that probably isn’t going to happen.”

  And defeat. My shoulders slumped, and I saw everything slowly slipping through my fingers. Losing my apartment, my car, any hope of ever owning my own dance studio. It didn’t depend on this job, but it sure felt like it because the last six months had been shit, and everything was piling up.

  “Don’t you dare,” Frankie said, her tone gruff and hard. “You fought for this job. You wanted it, and you showed me you wanted it. Now, show him.” I heard Sculpt clear his throat, and Frankie rolled her eyes at him. “I know there’s history, but I don’t give a shit. Kite’s being a dick.”

  Sculpt replied, “Maybe, but he owns half this club and that history you don’t understand.”

  “It’s Brett’s too, and they are my girls. Compass is known for the best club dancers for a reason. He needs to get over whatever is fucking with his brain and see her as a dancer. A great dancer.”

  “Oh, he sees her alright,” Crisis said, grinning.

  Frankie looked back at me. “Fight for it.”

  Sculpt shook his head. “Frankie, you don’t know what you’re messing with. I’ve never seen Kite like this.” And that was the second time someone said that.

  She shrugged. “I have a feeling Savvy can handle herself.” Then Frankie reached out and lightly squeezed my hand before she walked down the stairs.

  Greg put his hand on the small of my back and urged me forward as I said, “Nice to meet you, Emily and Haven.”

  “You, too. I expect we’ll see you again soon,” Emily replied.

  Greg waited outside the dressing room while I changed into my jeans and T-shirt. He then escorted me down the hall into an office.

  The walls were gray like the club, but the floors were a distressed hardwood. There was a desk with iron legs, a shiny metal surface, and two mahogany drawers on one side. Two chairs sat in front of the desk and a floor-to-ceiling wood cabinet on the opposite side of the room with hardcover books and a couple of plaques. There was a small window to the right and another the length of the room, which overlooked the dance floor. Since I’d been on the dance floor, I knew you couldn’t see into the office from the other side.

  “Sit. Not sure how long he’ll be.”

  I didn’t.

  It was obvious why Greg stayed in the room with me. He didn’t trust me when there was a window. Although, I don’t know what he expected me to do considering we were on the second floor.

  “Maybe I can come back tomorrow and talk to him?” My hopeful tone drifted off when Greg chuckled midsentence as he stood beside the door, arms crossed, stance wide.

  Okay, I wasn’t getting out of this, so I had to man up and do what Frankie said. Killian was just a man. He wasn’t a freakin’ god.

  I amended that thought when the door clicked open, and my heart shot off into a pattering of rapid beats as Killian’s presence filled the room. Maybe I should sit? No, I had more power standing. Power? Against Killian? The thought was laughable.

  “Thanks, Greg,” he said, but his eyes were on me.

  “Sure thing,” Greg replied. “Be right outside.” He looked at me, so I think the comment was for my benefit.

  The door clicked closed. Twice now I’d been with Killian in an office. Alone.

  Killian had yet to move. It was unsettling, especially since he didn’t look angry anymore. He looked pensive as if he was deciding what to do.

  He took a deep breath, ran his hand through his hair, and bowed his head. “Don’t know what to do here, orchid.”

  I gasped, hearing the nickname he’d given me in high school.

  If he heard me, he didn’t give me any indication he did as he continued, “You’re good. Fuck, you owned that cage tonight… mesmerizing.” He paused then slowly raised his head and locked eyes with me. “To me and a hundred other guys.”

  “Uh, thanks?” I kept my tone quiet because maybe, just maybe, it would help my case.

  “But like I said before, you can’t work here.”

  I gritted my teeth. “Why are you being this way? It’s just a job.”

  He stiffened. “You don’t belong in a nightclub, Savvy.”

  I hadn’t seen him in eleven years. He had no idea where I did or didn’t belong. “Whether I do or don’t, that’s my choice, Kill
ian.” I hardened my tone. “I like it here. And I like the other girls.”

  “I’m glad. But it’s still no.”

  Shit. I was nervous about working at the other clubs. I didn’t know the owners or the rules, and the club district wasn’t the safest. But I might not have a choice. “I didn’t realize you had such a strong dislike for me, Killian.” I started for the door. “I’ll find another club.”

  “You’re not working in another club either.”

  I froze.

  He strode toward me, and I inched back until my heels banged into the wall. When he was a foot away, he stopped, but it was close enough that his scent drifted into me and my belly whooshed.

  I hadn’t had many people in my life tell me what I could and couldn’t do. And Killian saying I couldn’t work at any nightclub… that pissed me off. “If I can’t work here, I am.”

  “Like hell.”

  His expression was angry again, eyes dark, jaw clamped and even though he was scary looking, he was still sexy, and that softened the scariness—mildly.

  “You don’t have a say.”

  “You’re not dancing in a nightclub, orchid.”

  I stiffened as a red flare went off inside me. “Don’t call me that.”

  “You’re orchid to me. Always have been. That shit doesn’t change.”

  “Well, I want it known that I don’t like the name.”

  He had the nerve to grin. Grin. The heart-melting grin that turned me into a puddle of goo. “I know you liked it then and you like it now. You’re flustered and have that pink glow to your cheeks. It makes your freckles stick out.”

  I did, and it infuriated me that I loved that he had a nickname for me that no one else called me. But no way was I admitting that. Killian had enough confidence to scale Mount Everest without knowing I liked his nickname.

  He stepped closer, and I held my breath knowing if I inhaled, my breasts would brush against his chest.

  From the twitch of his lips, the spark in his eyes, he knew exactly what I felt when my breasts brushed his. If he tilted his head down, he’d see my erect nipples pressed into my tight black sparkled top. He’d also see the goose bumps that had popped up on every inch of my body.

  I was praying he couldn’t hear my heart thumping like crazy or see my pulse throbbing in my neck.

  He did. “You okay, Savvy? You look a little… rattled.”

  There was the urge to tell him to go fuck himself, but it wouldn’t help my case at all, and I rarely said anything so mean. “I’m fine. But I’ve been sweating for the last four hours. Need a shower and would like to go home.” I paused then added, “With a job.”

  He growled low in his throat, the amused grin fading. “You know I can’t do that.”

  I crossed my arms so at least his chest hit them instead of my breasts. “I don’t know. All I’ve heard is no without reason. You even said I looked good out there. Why won’t you let me dance here?”

  “Jesus,” he muttered as he turned away, took two steps and then came back. This time he didn’t stop a foot away. This time he kept coming until he pressed against me. Until I had every inch of his delicious rock-hard body against mine and his hand fisted in my hair at the back of my neck.

  Oh, God.

  “This is why, orchid,” he said, just before his mouth slammed onto mine. My head would’ve hit the wall with the force of his kiss if he hadn’t been holding my head.

  Any thought of resisting eradicated as his mouth claimed mine, roaming, searching and reigniting something that had been sampled but not fully discovered eleven years ago.

  His grip on my hair tightened almost painfully, and I moaned into his mouth. Not because I didn’t like it, but because I did.

  Killian’s solid thigh gently eased mine apart, and he pressed it against my sex.

  Holy shit.

  This wasn’t a boy kissing me for the first time. He was all man, and there was no question he controlled everything about it.

  Come to think of it, he had then too, but back then I had nothing to compare his kiss to. Now I did, and no man had ever kissed me like this.

  I sagged into him, hands on his chest, fingers curling into his tailored shirt. His hand slid down my side, one rib at a time until it settled on my waist, fingers tight as if to let me know that I wasn’t moving until he said so.

  His swollen cock pushed up against my belly, and a parade of heated sparks danced across my skin.

  Oh, God, I wanted him inside me.

  I wanted to feel every inch of him.

  Have him call me orchid as he thrust into me again and again and then watch his face as he came. And then I wanted to memorize every inch of his body. Trace his tattoos with the tips of my fingers. Put my mouth around his cock and…

  Christ. What was I thinking?

  He was distracting me from what I really needed, and that was a job dancing. A job I was desperate for as I really didn’t want to wait tables for shitty tips at an all-night diner like my mom.

  But it was Killian who ended the kiss first.

  “That’s why,” he stated, then spun on his heel, walked to the door and opened it. But it wasn’t Greg standing there; it was Luke, the guy who almost threw me out of the concert. “Luke,” Killian nodded. “Everyone still here?”

  “In the lounge.”

  “Do you mind taking Miss Grady home?”

  “Wait. What?” I stammered, still flustered from the kiss and trying to wrap my head around the fact that Killian just kissed me. “We haven’t discussed this.”

  “We just did.” He nodded to Luke who looked at me, eyes flicking to my mouth that was no doubt red and swollen.

  “We didn’t,” I shot back. “You said no then kissed me.”

  Luke cleared his throat but didn’t say anything.

  “Yeah. We did,” Killian repeated.

  “Well, kissing isn’t a discussion.”

  “It’s mine.” He glanced over his shoulder at me. “And now you’re going home.”

  “Fine, but I’m going home with a job.”

  “Jesus, you’re stubborn. No fuckin’ way. Get it through your head. I don’t want you dancing here, and since it’s partially my place, I don’t need a reason, although I just gave you one. You need money. I’ll help, but working here or any other club is off limits.”

  “The media said you were nice.” My lips still tingled and my body still swam in heated desire.

  “I was never nice, Savvy.”

  He nodded to Luke, who stepped into the room, but he made no move toward me. “A word, boss.”

  “You can say what you need to in front of her, Luke.”

  His brows lifted as if surprised. “She wants to work here?”

  “Yes,” both Killian and me said at the same time.

  “Better here than in his clubs. And Brett runs a tight ship.”

  Killian’s jaw clenched and his hands curled into fists.

  “His?” I asked.

  Silence. Who were they talking about? Maybe Trevor knew who owned the other nightclubs.

  I waited, heart still pounding, the scent of Killian still in the air around me, the taste of him still on my lips.

  “Give us a minute?” Killian finally said to Luke.

  Luke nodded and left, quietly shutting the door behind him.

  “Who were you referring to?” I asked.

  “Seamus Kane.” Oh, shit. His father. “He owns the competition. Two nightclubs.”

  Right. I recalled hearing in school Kite’s dad owned nightclubs. “Does he know you part-own Compass?”

  “No. But if he looks hard enough, he will find out. Not that I give a shit.” He walked over to the desk and leaned his butt against it while crossing his arms. “Sit, Savvy.”

  Since my knees were about to give out from the mixture of dancing for the last five hours and his kiss, I sat on one of the chairs in front of him. It was obvious Killian and his dad were not on good terms, which wasn’t surprising.

  “What happe
ned?” he asked.

  “Meaning?”

  “Something happened. I may not have seen you in years, Savvy, but you’re the same core person. I see it in your eyes, and I felt it in your kiss. You’ve been involved in two incidents within a week, one being illegal. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s not you. Something’s happened.”

  He read me right. That wasn’t me, but life had a way of throwing hardballs, and I was still learning how to swing the bat. “Why do you want to know? Will it make a difference on whether I get the job or not?”

  “Maybe.”

  I swallowed. “Okay. I was involved with my dance instructor who later became my boss when he hired me, and I taught dance at his studio. Fast forward two years and he cheated on me with one of his students. I moved out of his place and quit my job.”

  He frowned, jaw ticking. “So, why a nightclub? Why not work at another dance studio? His can’t be the only one.”

  “He didn’t like that I quit and moved out.” He snorted. “So, he spread word in the industry how difficult I was to work with.” Among other things. “No one would hire me.”

  “And he thought you’d have no choice but to come back to him?” I nodded. “Fuck,” Killian muttered under his breath. “How long has it been?”

  “Six months.”

  He nodded, head bowed, eyes on the floor as if he were contemplating something. I was about to get up when he looked at me.

  “I have a proposition for you.”

  “Does it involve getting the job?”

  “Yes. But with one condition.”

  I nervously laughed. “What? Personal lap dances?”

  A mild smirk emerged. “Would you like that, Savvy?”

  “Of course not.” But the image barreled into me of sitting on Killian’s lap, his mouth on my nipples while I rode him. “So, what’s the condition?”

  “You’ll date me for a month.”

  Whoa. Of all things for him to say, that was the furthest from my mind. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “No. I’d pay you, of course. Just name your price.”

  I stood. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. You’re a rock star and can date any girl you want. Why would you pay me to date you? God, that’s crazy. I’d be your what… call girl?”