Questing (Cosmis Connections, Book One)

by Huffert, Barbara

  “God, this is awful.” Kiley stopped looking at him again.

  “Knock it off. I’ll have you know that undressing you for the shower is one of my fantasies.”

  “Not what you pictured though, is it?” Kiley actually grinned.

  “Well, no but hey, that’s why they’re called fantasies. No more stalling. Let’s get you cleaned up. Hold onto my shoulders.”

  He had her stripped in no time. Jordan tried very hard to ignore her body. Briefly, he considered leaving his underwear on but decided against it. Kiley would be less embarrassed if they were both on equal ground. “In we go.”

  This was torture! The moment he’d been dreaming of for months and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. She was incredible. So much was hidden by the style of her clothes. The green dress had hinted but what he found was way beyond what he’d guessed.

  “Jordan?” Kiley said tentatively when she noticed his jaw clench. “Am I that repulsive that you won’t even look at me?” Her voice trembled. “I know my boobs are ridiculous and my ass is too big. I’m sorry to put you through this.”

  “Shut up.” He sounded dangerous. Jordan sighed and rested his forehead on hers. Taking a deep breath, he raised his head and met her eyes. “I’m sorry.” He saw her confusion. “You are unbelievable, do you know that? Kiley, this may be the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.”

  “What?”

  “Standing here with you, both of us naked and not being able to touch you the way I want to. I’m not looking at you because I’m afraid you’ll see what I’m thinking and that it’ll scare you. If my opinion matters, I think you’re perfect. Your breasts are lush and full of promise, not ridiculous. As far your ass, well, I’d love to run my palms over it after you wrap your legs around me and pull my cock deep into you.”

  Kiley could feel it as he described it. “Do it.”

  “Oh God, Kiley, you’re killing me.”

  “Do it, Jordan.”

  “Not tonight. Even though I lack control around you most of the time I can’t touch you now.”

  “You don’t want me.” She was close to tears again.

  “More than anything. Look.” Jordan looked pointedly at his erection that was a fraction of an inch from her belly.

  “Oh my!” Kiley reached for him. She managed to circle his shaft before he caught her wrist.

  “Don’t. We can’t do this. Not when you’ve been drugged. I won’t take advantage of you.”

  “But I want you. I think I’ve been excited since the moment we met. You talk about fantasies. Well, you in the shower is one of mine.”

  Jordan groaned. “You shouldn’t say that. Not now. Turn around and let me wash your hair. Put one hand on the wall and one on the bar.” As he lathered her hair, Kiley began to moan. “Am I hurting you?”

  “No, don’t stop. Your hands feel so good. Touch me, Jordan. Everywhere.”

  Her words made him realize just how sensual the act of washing her hair was. He was taking too long and needed to get them out of there. Kiley leaned back against him, trapping his erection between them.

  “Hold still please.” He backed up, recreating the space between them. “I’m almost done here.”

  “I am too.” She giggled at her own words. “You make me feel so hot. Your voice alone could make me come if you’d keep talking. I need you. I can’t take it anymore. I’m going to explode. Just one touch is all it’ll take.”

  “No, I can’t. Not tonight. Listen, I’ll make a deal with you. If you let me rinse you off, get you dry and tuck you in, I promise that tomorrow night I’ll do anything you want.”

  “Anything?”

  “Anything.”

  “I can’t wait that long.”

  “Yes, you can and so can I. Close your eyes.” He rinsed her hair. “I want our first time together to be special. If we make love tonight, I’m not entirely sure you’d even remember it.”

  “I’ll remember. There’s nothing about you that I’d ever forget.”

  “Please, Kiley. Don’t make this harder than it already is.”

  Kiley managed to wrap her fingers around him again. “I don’t think this can possibly get any harder,” she giggled.

  “Hey! Behave yourself.” Jordan gently removed her hand. “I can’t believe that I’m saying this but keep your hands to yourself.”

  “You don’t mean that.”

  “Tonight, I do. Hang onto this and don’t move. I’ll just dry off first and then we’ll get to you.”

  She surprised him by doing as he asked. “Can I really touch you tomorrow?” she wondered seriously while he toweled her off.

  “If you still want to. I already told you that I’m up for anything you can think of as long as you behave tonight.” He had mixed emotions when he finished buttoning her into his shirt. It helped, having her body hidden from sight but it sure had been magnificent to see. “Want me to comb your hair?”

  “I can do it. I’ll sit on the sofa and keep you company while you clean up my mess. I wish…”

  “We already settled that. Wait here, I’ll get you some socks.”

  Jordan had to force himself not to stare while Kiley combed her hair. It was usually held back by some sort of clip. Now, with it framing her face, Jordan needed to stifle another groan. He had to stop picturing the way it would look spread across his pillow when they made love.

  This time when the phone rang, Kiley managed to assure Alyssa that she was fine and not to worry. Although the call ended better than the last one, Jordan repeated his request that they stay away.

  After Jordan stowed the cleaning supplies, he made a few quick calls. Kiley was amazed when food and clothes were delivered less than fifteen minutes later. When she finished the soup he insisted she eat, she glanced at the clothes the unnamed person had dropped off. “You’re taking me home tonight.”

  “Absolutely not unless you ask me to.”

  “I’d rather stay here with you. I’m still a little shaky. But the clothes?”

  “The clothes are for tomorrow morning. I figured you might be happier if you’re dressed when my brother and your cousin get here.”

  “Thank you. I know I don’t have to say that but I want to. Not everyone would have wanted to deal with this. Not everyone would have rescued me like you did.”

  “You’re welcome.” He held her gaze for a prolonged moment. “Why don’t we go lie down? The game should be over soon. We may as well get comfortable while we wait.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “Give me the address in case we get separated along the way,” Alyssa demanded.

  “Wait,” Brett finally yelled to get their attention. “You cannot go over there tonight!”

  “The hell I can’t,” Alyssa yelled back. “I’m going to get Kiley and take her home with me where she belongs.”

  “And I want some answers,” Shane added as they turned to go.

  “Both of you just shut up,” Brett growled.

  Shane was stunned. In all the years he’d known him, Brett had rarely lost his temper. Now he was madder than he’d ever seen him.

  “How dare you,” Alyssa shrieked.

  “I said. Shut. Up.” He took a step toward her so Shane moved between them. “Kiley is right where she should be and you are not going over there to interfere tonight. They’re waiting for us to call with who won but I’ll bet he’s already tucked her in. There’s no way in hell I’m letting you disturb them now.”

  “Brett, be reasonable,” Shane began.

  “Me be reasonable? Me! Speak for yourself. There’s something you two don’t seem to get here. For the past four months, Jordan has been referring to Kiley as his future. He is so in love with her. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “You said they haven’t even gone out,” Alyssa interrupted.

  “Doesn’t matter. Jordan’s positive and that’s enough for me.”

  “This sounds like another one of his impulsive schemes,” Shane snapped.

  “Shane, I
am so tired of you putting Jordan down like that.” He stepped closer until they were nose to nose. Alyssa was certain they were going to fight. “It’s time you took a long, hard, honest look at your brother and stopped making the same asinine assumptions you’ve made all our lives. If you did, maybe you’d see that he rarely does anything impulsive. He’s organized and thorough and every damn thing about him is planned down to the last detail. You just don’t want to accept that this is the truth because you can’t verify it like you usually do. You can’t audit love, Shane. Not like you did before you turned over your savings.”

  “You had your own brother audited?” Alyssa gasped.

  “Yeah, he did,” Brett confirmed. “Twice. The first time shocked the hell out of Jordan. It hurt. You alone make him feel incompetent even though he knows better. And of course Jordan hid it completely, just like always.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean, like always?” Shane demanded.

  “It means like every other time you were an asshole and hurt him. As long as I can remember, you’ve never given him any credit. No matter what he did, you dismissed him like he’s some insignificant nothing you don’t give a shit about. Big brother Shane, Jordan’s hero. He idolized you and you barely knew he was there unless there was trouble. Then you’d swoop in and put him in his place. He only did all that stuff to get your attention.

  “Didn’t you realize how he tried to do everything you did so you’d have something in common? No, you were such a self-centered asshole that you never noticed, not unless you had some bogus criticism to shove down his throat. You never did figure out that he moved here and took that shit job just to be close to you.”

  “The shit job that he lost,” Shane pointed out.

  “That he lost because he wouldn’t back down on something he believed in.” Brett was growing angrier by the moment. “The deal that cost him that job earned your useless, screw-up of a brother his first million. Why is it, Shane, that the most wealthy and powerful people around flock to Jordan and trust him implicitly when you, his own brother, are so suspicious of him that you had him audited twice for a few measly thousand dollars?

  “Maybe I should thank you for that second audit. That’s the one that pushed him into finally waking up about you. Not that it matters. Even though he’s accepted the fact that all you’ll ever be is a mere relative and not the friend he always wanted, he went ahead and put you in our investment group anyway. I hope he lets me be there when he gives you your first million although I’m sure you’ll find something negative in that too.”

  “Gee, McKade, you’re even worse than I thought,” Alyssa said smugly.

  “What makes you think you’re any better than he is?” Brett turned on her.

  “Hey,” Alyssa bristled.

  “You’re not so high and mighty yourself and you know it,” Brett stated. “Okay, so you passed on the chance to be embedded with a combat unit in Iraq but have you told Kiley about your latest scheme yet? What’s with you? You got some sort of weird death wish? Do you get a thrill from walking out your door every day, knowing that steady, predictable, dull Kiley is being a good girl, going to work at her nice, safe boring job, visiting with her old folks while you intentionally put yourself in danger? You think she doesn’t deserve to have some fun with a great guy? She shouldn’t have someone who’ll do anything to make her happy? Or is all the good stuff reserved for you? Well let me tell you, Kiley is so far out of your league. You need to stop trying to drag her down to your level and start using her as an example instead.

  “You knew damn well that Kiley would get tickets for tonight’s game. It’s your birthday and this is what you told her wanted so she made sure that’s what you got. Unlike you, it matters to her whether or not she lets people down.

  “She’s honest and giving and truly cares about the people around her. I, for one, consider myself very fortunate to have her call me a friend. I hope she and Jordan do get together because they’re perfect for each other. Neither of them would ever lie to someone they care about.”

  “I don’t lie,” Alyssa declared.

  “No?” Brett glared. “How are your ribs? Did you enjoy your night in the emergency room? What does Kiley think about your idea for your next assignment? Omission is just another form of lying in my book.”

  When Alyssa just stood there with her mouth gaping, Brett switched back to Shane. “You still over on the south side? Jordan’s pretty much stopped telling me what you’re working on since he’d probably end up getting yet another of my pointless lectures about you.”

  It was Shane’s turn to look stunned.

  “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to call my best friend and ask if he or his love need me to drop anything off before I head home. I’ll be visiting tomorrow, after lunch. In case you actually decide to listen for a change and don’t barge in on them tonight, I’ll leave the morning free for you since you’re family.” He turned to go. “Oh and Shane, I’ll save you the trouble of hunting down Bo. The third guy tonight goes by the name of Malcolm Winslow but you’ll want to check Melvin Wilson too since that’s his real name. Jordan could tell you a lot more but I doubt you’ll bother to ask.” He gave them each one more pointed glare before stalking off.

  Alyssa and Shane stood silently, staring down the street long after Brett departed. Eventually, Alyssa spoke. “I don’t think I could feel any worse. How about you?” When Shane didn’t respond, she continued, “Everything he said is true. How does he know about all that? I thought he was going to hit you.”

  “That’s maybe the fifth time I ever saw Brett angry. But this is the first time Jordan wasn’t around to step in.” He paused. “I guess I’ve had that coming for years since, like his assessment of you, he was right about me too.”

  “So now what do we do?”

  “We do what he advised. We call to check on your cousin and remind them that we’re available if they need us and tell them we’ll be over in the morning. Maybe, just in case, you should ask Kiley if she’s still okay where she is or if she’d prefer you to take her home. Did you know about them?”

  “No but that’s my fault. Kiley mentioned that a guy had started coming in at lunch and was paying a lot of attention to her. When she said he had a sexy voice, I made fun of her. She hasn’t brought him up again and I haven’t talked to our friend, Dee, who works with her recently so I forgot about him. Kiley always listens to whatever I want to talk about. She’s so supportive of me and I don’t do the same for her.”

  “You’ve never publicly humiliated her though, have you? I really did have my brilliant brother audited twice. Maybe he could forgive me the first time but the second? I was way out of line. Brett was right. Jordan handles million dollar deals for high profile people and top notch companies and I questioned his ethics. I was somewhat afraid his success was due to illegal activities rather than his abilities. I really never have given him the credit he deserves.”

  “I guess we both have a lot to think about,” Alyssa decided.

  “Yeah and I’ve got a lot to make up for. Can I suggest something?” She nodded. “Tomorrow, I’d like to go to Brett’s first. He should be there in the morning, more than we should.”

  “Can I meet you somewhere so we can all go together?”

  “Why don’t you come to Brett’s too? And I think I’ll talk to Jordan before I start checking into that Winslow guy. I’ve heard that Jordan investigates potential clients before he accepts them but I guess I assume he did it haphazardly. We better call before it gets late.”

  She agreed.

  “Hi, Jordan. How’s Kiley?”

  “Worn out but otherwise okay. After her shower, she managed to eat a little.”

  “Good. Is she still awake? Alyssa wants to talk to her if she is.”

  They both turned over their phones. “Hey Kiles, how are you feeling?” Alyssa felt shy.

  “Better. I had some soup.”

  “That’s always good. Do you want me to come take you home or a
re you okay there?”

  “I’m good where I am. Jordan has me tucked in and I’m cozy. We’ve been waiting for you to call before I doze too much. I’m sorry I wrecked your birthday.”

  Alyssa felt her throat close. She reached out and clutched Shane’s hand as she fought the tears that threatened. “You didn’t. Brett told me the lowlife who drugged you is pretty scummy.”

  “He said you were in trouble and needed me. I never stopped to think that there was no way it could be true.”

  “Of course you didn’t. I’m sure you were too worried about me to think about anything other than helping me. You’ve always come to my rescue, Kiley. If I weren’t so reckless all the time, you wouldn’t be so worried about me getting into trouble.”

  “Lyss, I’ll worry no matter what you’re doing. You know me, Kiley the worrier.”

  “Yes, I do know you. You’re Kiley, my kind-hearted, caring, super-sweet, over-generous cousin. Do you need anything?”

  “No, Jordan took care of everything for me.”

  “He seems like a good guy. I’ll let you get some rest and Shane said we’d come by in the morning. Can I talk to Jordan a sec?” Kiley said good night and handed him the phone. “Jordan, thank you for taking such good care of my cousin.”

  “No problem.”

  “Brett told me how you arranged for all the tickets and planned to run into us. You must be quite a guy to do all that just to make Kiley comfortable with you.”

  “Yeah well, Kiley’s very special to me.”

  “I’m beginning to understand that. I wish it had turned out the way you’d wanted it to.”

  “Me too.”

  “Okay then, I’ll meet you tomorrow. I think your brother and I are going to grab something to eat but I’ll be home after that. Call me if Kiley needs me. Here’s Shane.”

  “That goes for me too. Try to get some sleep once Kiley’s out. You must be almost as wiped out as she is.”