“Any good pick-up lines yet?” he asked with a teasing smile.
“No, thank goodness!”
We stared at each other for a few moments before Nash focused on his sister. “So when are we busting out the cake? You know I only came for Danny’s cake-making skills.”
Morgan hit his shoulder. “Yeah, right. Are you going to give a speech?”
I waited for him to tell her no, that there was no way he was going to stand in front of all these people and speak. He surprised me, though, with his answer.
“If you want, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.”
Morgan beamed with happiness as my heart melted on the spot. Then she turned to me, a look in her eyes that said she was about to do something I wasn’t going to like.
“How about you dance with poor Kaelynn? No one has asked her yet.”
Nash caught my gaze, his eyebrows turned down in disbelief. “What type of pansy-ass friends do you have, Morgan? I mean, who could resist that shirt she’s wearing?”
She laughed and shook her head. “Just do me this favor, will you?”
When he smiled, my breath stilled. It actually caught in my chest. He wasn’t even smiling at me, for Pete’s sake. It was the way his smile said so many things. That he loved his sister and would do anything to make her happy. That he’d dance with a lonely woman at a birthday party so she didn’t feel left out. Yeah, he looks like a keeper.
I glanced around the private room we were in. It was on the small side, so I couldn’t imagine Nash would really ask me to dance in these tight quarters. The Sedotto itself was huge. The main bar area had a small dance floor set off to the side, and the private room we were in had a stage area that was also being used as a makeshift dance floor and a display for all the food.
When Nash put his hand out for mine, I almost declined. So many things were spinning around in my head. This was my best friend’s brother. He had vowed off all women, especially women like his ex. I might not be exactly like his ex, but I was pretty sure the fact I had more money than I knew what to do with would probably play a huge factor in how extremely opposite I was to her. It was best if I declined and went about my business.
But I didn’t. Oh no. I had to make everything complicated.
Ignoring every warning bell going off in my head, I found myself placing my hand in his. When his hand rested lightly on my lower back, guiding me through the crowd, my entire body heated. I’d never had a man’s touch make me feel this way. For a moment, it threw me off balance and I couldn’t focus. On anything.
It’s just been a long time, Kaelynn. When was the last time a man actually touched you? A beyond good looking, caring, sweet, body-to-die-for man?
As we made our way onto the small dance floor, the fast song changed to a slower song. I paused and waited for Nash to change his mind. He didn’t. He shrugged.
Lord help me.
Had Morgan never showed me a picture of her brother? Maybe she had and I didn’t pay attention.
I glanced up at Nash.
No, if I had seen a picture of this man, I would have most definitely remembered.
“Shall we?”
Nodding, I let him pull me closer as Shania Twain’s “From This Moment On” played.
We moved together flawlessly across the floor. He didn’t hold me too close, yet close enough that my heart pounded, and I found myself aching for him to draw me in a bit closer. I couldn’t tell if he felt how ridged and stiff I was. My entire body was wound so tight, and I wasn’t sure if it was from the feelings I was having or the fact that this was Nash . . . Morgan’s brother. Maybe it was a little bit of both.
Yes, that’s what it was.
Leaning down, he spoke into my ear, his hot breath fanning over my skin, causing me to gasp for a breath. “Tell me about yourself, Kaelynn.”
My heart stopped, and I took a small step away from him. I needed the bit of distance between us to think straight. Regret instantly filled every inch of my body because I knew I was about to run. It would be easier to walk away than not tell him about me. Oh sure, I could sugarcoat it, but if I told him the truth, he would probably smile and give me some polite excuse as to why he had to leave. My mind and heart was in an instant tug of war. Tell him about yourself and have him walk way from you, or don’t tell him and savor the few moments you could have with him.
He frowned. “Is everything okay?”
Great. Make yourself look like an idiot, Kaelynn.
“Um, yeah, sorry.”
Nash tilted his head and asked, “Did you want to keep dancing or stop?”
Stop. Just stop this now, Kaelynn, and walk away from him. It’s the easiest thing to do.
Unfortunately, my body refused to listen to my mind. I stepped back into his embrace.
“I take it you don’t like to talk about yourself.”
I let out a nervous laugh. “No, well, I mean, I don’t mind. I’m from Utah. Born and raised there.”
He nodded.
“Family still there?”
“Yep. All of them.”
He smiled down at me, and I was pretty sure he felt my legs give out because he held me a bit tighter.
“I have an older brother and a younger sister who both live right outside of Salt Lake City.”
“I’ve always wanted to go to Utah. I hear it’s beautiful.”
There was no way I could not return his smile. “It is. Very beautiful. I think my favorite time of year is when we get that first snowfall. Everything is so beautiful and untouched. White for as far as the eye can see.”
“I’ve never seen real snow.”
My brows lifted in wonderment. “Real snow? As opposed to?”
He laughed and I couldn’t help but notice how my body reacted to that lovely sound.
What in the world is happening to me?
“Okay, I’ve never gone skiing or seen a major snowfall. It’s snowed a few times here in Texas, but nothing like what I imagine y’all get.”
Nash has the sexiest accent. It wasn’t too southern, but the slight draw to it let you know he was from Texas. Visions of Nash whispering in my ear as he made love to me flooded my brain.
Stop this. Kaelynn, focus!
“Up in the mountains they really get a good amount of snow. You’ll have to take a trip and see what real snow looks like.”
“I’d like that.”
There was something more to his reply than a simple, polite gesture. Something I wanted so desperately to read into, but then I remembered Morgan stating her brother had sworn off women . . . forever. He was being polite. That was all. This was all for his sister. That thought was something that physically made my chest ache.
“Morgan said you moved here recently? Is it a permanent move?”
“Yes, I think to both. I can actually work from anywhere since I own the company. I do have office space in Lehi, Utah, but I don’t work out of it. Well, I do when I need to, which isn’t often. At all. Really ever.”
He nodded and had good enough manners not to laugh or roll his eyes. “Where are you living?”
Crapola.
“Right now I’m in a hotel until I can find a place to rent. Morgan said she would help me with finding the right area in town.”
“The east side is booming right now. We’re actually bidding on a pretty big job over there. Would bring in a lot of money for my father’s construction company if we get it.”
“He must do well with how things are growing here.”
Nash shrugged. “It’s okay. My father tends to take on smaller jobs, whereas I’m the one who has to push him to take on bigger projects. I built my best friend’s house a few months back. Biggest house Barrett Construction has ever built. I’m pretty proud of it and am hoping it will open up the door for future projects outside of commercial. That’s where my dad has always concentrated his business ventures. We just needed to get our name in the hat and it sort of stuck.”
Smiling, I stared up at him. I hadn
’t even noticed the song had changed. We were both still dancing slow even though the song had sped up.
“I guess the song changed!” I said with a giggle.
“Can I buy you a drink? Oh, wait . . . I need to do this right. Cheesy pick-up line, at your service. Ready?”
I couldn’t help but smile at his goofiness.
“Wanna know what my shirt is made of? Boyfriend material.” We burst out laughing, and I found myself wanting to reply to his offer to have a drink.
Pressing my lips together, I fought to find the right answer. My mind said to say no while my heart screamed yes. Yes! Yes! Hell yes!
The moment this man found out my family background, he would walk away. I couldn’t shake all those conversations with Morgan where she told me what had happened or what was going on with her brother and his ex-girlfriend. She cheated on Nash with a guy who worked for her father’s company. A man with a financial portfolio that matched hers, or was very close to it. Morgan told me how she had hid their relationship, not wanting anyone to know she was dating Nash, someone not up to the same social standards as she was. It was hard to believe he was best friends with her brother. Or at least that was what Morgan had told me.
It was just a drink. What harm would come from a drink? Would anything really happen between us? I doubted it. Still, I wasn’t sure I wanted to start this friendship on half-truths. But then, did people really blurt out, hey, I’m an heiress with a family loaded in money? No! They didn’t. I wasn’t lying. I just wasn’t telling him everything.
So what is the big deal here, Kaelynn? Stop overthinking it.
“Kaelynn?”
My eyes snapped back up, and I was lost in his gorgeous, honey-colored eyes. “I’d love that.”
His dimples made an appearance again, and I knew I had made the right decision. After all, it was only a drink.
KAELYNN AND I were lost in conversation as Morgan’s birthday party went on without us. I’d walked her to the main bar, where we ordered our drinks and continued getting to know one another. There was something about her that pulled me in. She was beautiful, funny and smart, and her heart seemed as wholesome as Morgan’s.
“Do you do a lot of mission trips?” I asked before pressing the beer bottle to my lips and taking a drink.
“I try to do at least one a year. It’s something my parents taught my siblings and me early on. Always give back in some way. Big or small, it all means something. It also helps to ground me, make me realize that there are others in this world who are less fortunate than we are.”
I nodded. “Morgan has done a number of them as well. She always comes back a changed woman . . . and I mean changed for the good.”
She took a drink, then asked, “What about you?”
“I’ve done a few, yes. It feels good to give back. Our church works with a charity to bring fresh water to communities that don’t have any. I’ve gone on two of those mission trips, and Morgan and I went on one down in Central America to help build a church, and we repaired a lot of the houses . . . if you can call them houses. We also made some wonderful friends while there.”
Her eyes filled with sadness. For a few moments, she seemed to be lost in a memory.
Clearing my throat, I went on. “Our parents were pretty big on teaching us that even though we didn’t live in the fancy, expensive houses like most of the other kids in our school did, we were still blessed beyond measure. And we were, no doubt about it. Money doesn’t buy happiness.”
She smiled, then looked down at her drink.
Christ, Nash. Could you have said that with any more bitterness in your voice?
I noticed Lily walking our way.
Shit. I shouldn’t have suggested we come out to the main bar.
“Nash, who’s your friend?”
Glancing over Lily’s shoulder, I saw Mark talking to Tucker. When I didn’t answer Lily, Kaelynn took it upon herself to make the introductions.
“Kaelynn Dotson. I’m a friend of Morgan’s.”
Lily looked Kaelynn over before giving her a fake smile. “I see. I’m Lily. Nash, may I speak with you, please? In private?”
I took another drink of beer and stood. Taking a step closer to Lily, I answered her in a voice that wasn’t quiet. “Lily, we have nothing to talk about, like I told you not that long ago. Your husband is waiting for you.”
Turning to see Mark standing there, Lily pulled in a deep breath before glancing back at me.
She lifted her chin, smiled, then said, “Enjoy your evening then.”
When she walked away, I took my seat again. “I’m sorry about that.”
“Old girlfriend, I assume?” Kaelynn asked.
“Yes.”
She had the courtesy to not ask anything else. For all I knew, Morgan probably already told her the whole story.
We sat in silence for an awkward moment before I decided to come out with it.
“She cheated on me with a guy, actually. He was waiting for her just then. He was more up to her . . . standards.”
Kaelynn lifted a brow. “What do you mean?”
Slicing my fingers through my hair, I let out a gruff laugh. “I have a group of friends from college I’ve remained good friends with. My best friend, Tucker, owns this bar.”
“Really?” she said with a grin. “Morgan didn’t tell me she knew the owner.”
I shrugged. “Lily is his sister. She came into the group a bit later since she’s younger. We started dating a few years back, and she wanted to keep me her little secret. She told me it was because of her brother, that she was worried he would be pissed we were dating. I had to admit, I was afraid of that as well, so I went along with it. But she kept insisting we couldn’t tell anyone about our relationship. Looking back, I should have realized she was embarrassed by me.”
Kaelynn gasped. “What? Why in the world would she be embarrassed?”
“I didn’t—don’t—have the kind of money she has. I’m the only person in our little group of friends who is considered middle class, working my ass off every day to earn the good ol’ dollar. Not that my friends don’t work their asses off, because they do. Tucker especially does and has never really taken much from his folks. His father was a wealthy businessman here in Austin, but he passed away last year. Lily was being groomed to take over the business and was forced to find a husband suitable to her dad’s liking. Mark was the guy her father picked out for her.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that they lost their father.”
Nodding, I replied, “Yeah. It was hard on Tucker.”
“I can’t imagine,” was all Kaelynn said. I wasn’t sure if she was saying she couldn’t imagine losing a parent or couldn’t imagine the bullshit Lily pulled.
“All of them are good people, down to earth, and have great hearts. Charlie and Tucker, especially. They are considered to be the power couple simply because Charlie is CEO of a large and profitable consulting firm. Y’all would probably hit it off.”
She grinned and replied, “Probably.”
“Anyway, when Charlie and Tucker got married, the press naturally wanted to put his rich surname and Charlie’s name together and make it a big issue. Call more attention to it than either of them wanted or cared to. Charlie is still CEO of her company, but after the baby is born, she’s most likely going to be stepping down, or at least sharing the role to free herself up to enjoy being a mom.”
With a small gasp, Kaelynn leaned forward. “Charleston Middleton, formerly Charleston Monroe, of CMI Consulting?”
I nodded. “Yeah, how do you know Charlie?”
She laughed. “Oh, I don’t. I’ve heard of her.”
“That’s cool.”
“Yeah, I’d love to meet her.”
Standing, I took her hand and said, “Then come on. I’ll introduce you now.”
“Really? She’s here? That would be awesome.”
Placing my hand on her lower back, I tried to ignore the way it made my fingers itch to explore more of her bod
y.
I guided her over to the table where Charlie sat with Terri.
We stopped and they looked up at us. Both of them smiled.
“Terri, Charlie, this is Kaelynn Dotson. She’s a friend of Morgan’s and is helping her get everything set up for her new business.”
Charlie smiled. “You’re the business start-up consultant?”
Kaelynn returned the smile. “Among other things. My company helps individuals and companies with start-up projects like nonprofits, charities, charity functions—things that deal mostly with helping our veterans. I’m really just helping Morgan with getting connections to be able to reach out to veterans as well as giving her some advice on getting her business set up and going. Location, marketing, all that fun stuff.”
“That’s amazing,” Charlie said, motioning for us to sit down. “How did you get into that?”
Drawing in a deep breath, Kaelynn answered. “My brother was in the Marines and something happened when he was overseas. He’s never talked about it, but he lost a few friends because of it. He was never really the same after. He reached out for help a few times while still in the military, yet was turned away. Then he attempted suicide. I was in my freshman year of college at the time. I knew from that moment on I needed to do something more for these people who had served and are still serving our country and don’t have the support they needed. I needed to do more for my brother and for every other member of the military. So I started small within our community while still in college. I focused on coordinating groups of volunteers who would counsel vets and help them when they didn’t feel like they could turn anywhere else. Then I started having small companies reach out to me to start programs for their employees who were vets or to help recruit them for jobs. I planned a few benefits and worked for a nonprofit for a bit. It sort of went gangbuster, all starting from that.”
“That’s amazing, Kaelynn. Your parents must be so proud of you,” I said.
Her smile faded before she gave a small shrug with her shoulder. “They’re supportive, to a point. My father wanted me to go into the family business, but that wasn’t something I ever saw myself doing.”
“Been there, done that,” Charlie mumbled.
Entice Me ~ Kelly Elliott Page 3