by Leslie North
To Kyra’s misfortune, Marcus did show. Twenty minutes into the meeting, he pushed through the door, his hair still wet and his gorgeous face looking freshly scrubbed. His woodsy cologne filtered through the air, filling her senses with memories of their hot night.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said and flashed a smile that sent Kyra’s heart into flutters.
She pinched her leg beneath the table and told herself to focus on the meeting. If she wanted that promotion, she needed to get her head out of the clouds and into the game.
As Marcus settled into his chair at the long boardroom table, he felt all eyes on him, judging him for his tardiness. A twinge of guilt passed through him. Maybe his father was right. Maybe he was just a playboy. He hadn’t even made it twenty-four hours on the new job before getting distracted—first by the gorgeous woman who also happened to be his colleague, then by spending such a passionate night with her that he accidentally overslept.
But maybe last night was just one last hurrah. Resisting Kyra Rogers would only be a growing problem for him. Better to get her out of his system straight away.
And he had.
Right?
He stole a glance at her from across the table. She looked perfectly professional, not like the woman who’d had wild sex with him for hours the night before. As she concentrated on Meriter’s presentation, her wiry curls fell over the side of her creamy dark cheeks, making him want to run his fingers through her hair, to touch her face… and more of her.
Okay, maybe she wasn’t out of his system. If he was honest with himself, she was all he’d thought about this morning.
He forced himself to focus. His old man would be pissed off when he found out about Marcus being late, and Meriter would surely spill the beans. Marcus had to buckle down. He’d had his fun, but the fun would have to be put on hold for the time being. His inheritance and his position in the kingdom were at stake. For the rest of the morning, he worked diligently to be attentive and on task, to answer questions, and to provide input. He even impressed himself.
At mid-morning break, Marcus decided to approach Kyra and lay things out between them. That way, it wouldn’t be uncomfortable moving forward professionally.
“I really enjoyed spending last night with you, Kyra,” he said.
She smiled, and his pulse quickened. “It was fun, but—”
“It can happen again?” he asked, both joking and hopeful at once.
Kyra shook her head and looked at him seriously. “I think we’d be better off keeping things professional between us from now on.”
Marcus nodded. “You’re probably right.”
“I’m glad we agree,” she said. “I’m going to get some coffee before we start up again.”
Marcus watched her walk over to the coffeemaker, her curvy hips swaying as if there was a song playing in her mind. His eyes roamed over her luscious body.
Kyra may have been right that it was best to keep their hands off of each other, but as far as he was concerned, resisting the temptation she presented was going to be hard.
He watched her bend down to pick up a stirrer she’d dropped on the floor, his gaze fixed on the ass he’d held onto for dear life the night before.
It was going to be damn hard.
3
“Wow, this place is swanky,” Maggie said as she inspected Kyra’s hotel suite. “I’ll take the master bedroom,” she joked.
Kyra laughed and patted her younger sister on the shoulder. “You and Ava will most definitely be sleeping in the second room.”
“So not only are they putting your family up for a visit during this work trip, but they’ve got you booked in a suite,” Maggie said. “Damn, girl, can I get a job at your company?”
Kyra was tickled watching her sister and niece remark on every luxury at the hotel from the stocked mini-fridge in the sitting room to the bidet in the bathroom.
“You do what with that little toilet, Auntie Kyra?” Ava asked with a horrified look on her face, backing away before Kyra could answer and then asking, “Will you help me unpack my suitcase?”
Kyra tousled Ava’s curls, ones that were so much like her own. “I sure will, baby girl.” She picked up Ava’s bag, feigning a struggle and laid it on the bed.
“What do you have in that bag?” she joked. “Rocks?”
“Pandy,” Ava said and pulled out her favorite stuffed panda. The animal was ratty and discolored but obviously well-loved.
“Pandy wanted to check out Sovalon, huh?” Kyra asked her grinning niece.
“I want to check out Sovalon,” Maggie said. She bounced onto the bed. “How’s the nightlife, sis?”
Kyra’s steamy night with Marcus flashed behind her eye in swatches of hot skin and full lips.
“Oh, it’s okay.” Kyra cleared her throat, hoping her sister wouldn’t catch on that she was hiding something.
Maggie got up and went to the mirror. She began primping. “I might have to check it out if you’re okay to keep Ava for the night.”
Of course Maggie wanted to party. “I’m fine keeping Ava, but you have to remember you’re in another country,” she warned her sister. “You can’t go out and get sloshed. You don’t know the laws here—you could end up in a lot of trouble.”
Maggie released a throaty laugh and plopped back onto the bed.
“Look at my big sister acting like she’s my mother,” she joked.
“Well, somebody has to keep tabs on you.” As usual, it was Kyra.
“Kyra,” Maggie argued. “I’m not a child anymore. I can’t even remember the last time I went out and got sloshed.” She made air quotes with her fingers and rolled her eyes. “I’ll be alright, won’t I, pumpkin?” she asked Ava.
“Yeah, Mommy,” Ava said.
Kyra’s phone buzzed with an incoming text. It was from Dr. Meriter to the members of the board.
The location we picked for the crisis shelter has major problems and the deal isn’t going to proceed. We will need a new location—fast. Start brainstorming and be ready to share ideas in the morning.
Kyra’s muscles tensed. This put them back at square one. Wistfully, she watched as Maggie bent over Ava and started tickling her. Ava giggled, and Maggie blew kisses on the little girl’s belly, making her laugh even harder. How nice it must be to have such a carefree life like Maggie’s, not having to take work home or worry about tomorrow’s meeting.
“Everything okay?” Maggie asked.
“Things have sort of blown up at work.” Kyra massaged her shoulders.
“Oh, that stinks.”
Kyra shrugged. “We’ll work it out.”
It was just a setback. Her job was sometimes stressful, but ultimately, Kyra reminded herself, she loved her career. This was just a challenge, a chance to prove herself capable of problem-solving.
She grabbed her phone and texted Meriter back.
I’m on it.
She grabbed her laptop and got to work.
The next morning, Marcus arrived on time to the board meeting. He’d set his alarm the previous night, making sure he had time to spare in order to be punctual.
As he settled into his spot at the table, he noticed the room was buzzing with heated conversation. He approached the woman to the right of him.
“Hey, Arlene,” he said. “What’s going on?”
She looked at him strangely. “Didn’t you read your texts last night? The site fell through for the shelter.” She rolled her eyes. “Back to the drawing board, I guess. We have to figure out a new location.”
Marcus nodded silently, not bothering to correct her assumption. It wasn’t that he hadn’t checked his texts, it was that no one had sent him a message. Marcus surveyed the room and noticed that several small groups had gathered. Everyone was discussing the problem at hand, and he hadn’t even known there was a problem until two minutes ago.
Nobody had bothered texting him, because nobody took him seriously. He was only here to serve penance for his lifestyle.
The
Kingdom’s Playboy Prince was in detention. It was humiliating.
Marcus was about to take a seat when Kyra sailed into the room, looking less than chipper. Her beautiful brown eyes had dark circles under them, as if she hadn’t slept. Marcus approached her.
“Are you alright?” he asked, then remembered that her guests had arrived yesterday. “Everything okay with your sister and niece?”
She ran a hand through her hair. “I’m just stressed about losing the shelter site,” she said. “There’s a lot riding on this project for me. If things go sideways, I stand to lose a lot.”
Marcus nodded. “I hear you.” A lot was riding on it for him too—his reputation, his father’s approval…
“And, this project means something to me personally,” she said. Her eyes took on a faraway look. “Something more than just what it will do for my career.”
Marcus wondered what she meant by that. He found he was curious about Kyra’s past. What made her tick? Why was this project important to her? He noticed her twirling a curl around her finger incessantly, an adorable nervous habit. He laid a hand on her shoulder, carefully as not to step over the line they’d agreed upon.
“Look around, Kyra,” he told her. “Everyone’s bouncing around ideas. Something will click.”
“I hope so,” she said.
Meriter called for everyone to take their seats, and the meeting got underway. As members tossed around ideas for new locations and suggestions on how to make them work, Marcus watched Kyra, whose face was painted with worry. She continued to twirl her hair and bite her lip. Marcus wished he had some way to reassure her.
“What about the green space behind the library?” Arlene suggested. “It’s at least five acres, right?”
John Jacobs piped up. “It’s protected land.”
A man whose name Marcus couldn’t remember stood excitedly from his seat.
“I’ve got it!” he said. “The old casino! On the river.”
“That place is a total nonstarter,” John argued. “Too much fire damage. It would have to be torn down completely and rebuilt.”
Suddenly an idea came to Marcus, a solution that just might work. The other day his brother was talking about a historical estate home he was interested in saving. Edward’s fiancée, Clementine, was obsessed with old things. Her family owned an architectural salvage business, and ever since she and Edward got together, they’d been heading up repurposing projects left and right.
Maybe the estate home could be repurposed as a shelter.
The property was a bit out of the way, in the middle of nowhere really, but that could be an asset. An out-of-the-way location with sprawling grounds could be an escape for women and children who needed to get away.
As the discussion continued around the table, Marcus mulled over the idea silently. The estate could really work! But would anyone even listen to him? He had to at least give it a try. He cleared his throat and addressed the board.
“I have a suggestion,” he said. Suddenly all eyes were on him.
“There’s a historic estate home an hour and a half from the city center,” he began and told them all about the wooded estate in Havershire.
A stiff man with slits for eyes was the first to respond. “It’s too far out,” he said simply.
“Residents will feel displaced,” echoed a woman with tight red curls and lipstick on her teeth. He thought he remembered her from a charity ball his mother had organized. He couldn’t for the life of him remember her name.
“Actually,” Kyra piped in, “somewhere a bit further away might be a good sanctuary. Remember these women and children are typically running away from their lives.”
Marcus’s heart swelled at her words. Those were his sentiments exactly.
“True,” Meriter said. “But how livable is it?”
“You said historic, right?” Arlene asked and Marcus nodded. “Historic typically means poor condition.”
“Not always,” Kyra replied and glanced at Marcus. He noticed the hope in her eyes. “Historic sites can have just the right feel for someone in need of asylum.”
Arlene scoffed.
“The last place we looked at ended up having a lot of problems, which is why the deal fell through,” she said. “An old estate home could have a lot of problems too.”
“It could, but we don’t know for sure. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions when it might be just fine,” Kyra said. “Let’s hear Marcus out.”
Kyra’s positivity lit up something inside of Marcus. He suddenly felt a surge of energy, a motivation he’d never really experienced before. Maybe he hadn’t originally been dedicated to this project, but now he was committed. In a moment of emotion, he stood from his chair and addressed the board.
“Look, I’ll be honest. The place hasn’t been inhabited in years which means maintenance isn’t up to date,” he said. A collective groan met his ears, but he was undeterred. “I’ll get a crew to work on making it habitable. We can send a few people to check it out, maybe even stay there for a few days to get a feel for the building.”
Chatter filled the room, until Meriter announced, “Let’s have a vote.”
As the votes were counted, Marcus’s eyes met Kyra’s. She smiled warmly at him, her dark brown cheeks showing hints of rose. Fantasies of ravaging her voluptuous body again began to play out in his mind, but he shook them away. He wished they could share something more than professional friendliness.
Marcus was grabbed from his thoughts by Meriter’s loud voice.
“Well, it looks like the board has voted to approve your proposal, Your Highness,” he said tightly.
Marcus beamed. “Great,” he said. “I’ll get a crew out there tomorrow.”
Arlene stood. “We’re going to need someone from the board to go and check the place out,” she said and several members nodded. More chatter ensued until John Jacobs raised his hand.
“Since you and Kyra are the strongest proponents of this idea, I think it would be appropriate for the two of you to go and stay out in Havershire at the estate for a few nights then report your findings back to the board.”
Marcus’s face grew hot at John’s words. He and Kyra exchanged a weighted look. He could see by her face that John’s suggestion had struck the same reaction in her.
“Excellent idea, John,” Meriter said.
Marcus sighed as his thoughts ambled once more down the lane of fantasy, recalling Kyra’s sensual curves and what a tigress she was in bed. How was he supposed to spend a night or two in close quarters with her and remain professional?
“It’s settled then,” Meriter announced. “Once your crew deems the estate safe, you and Kyra will spend some time there to ensure all the necessary work has been done.”
Marcus swallowed. He looked at Kyra, who nodded at him. They would have to do their best to keep their hands off of each other. This project was important to Kyra, and he was willing to put the effort in to make a go of it.
From across the room, he watched Kyra walk to the coffee machine, as she usually did during their morning break. Her blouse was unbuttoned just enough to expose the lovely neckline he’d covered in kisses. He remembered she’d smelled of patchouli and vanilla. Her pencil skirt hugged her curves and boasted her long, muscular legs. Marcus felt a tightness in his core as he stared at her, losing himself in the memory of what was underneath those clothes.
Damn.
A two-night stay at the estate with Kyra was going to be challenging.
And perhaps very interesting as well.
4
After only two and a half weeks, the estate was ready for a test run. Marcus’s crew had had minor repairs to complete, but, from what she’d been told, the home was in fairly good condition. Marcus had arranged for a driver to pick her up and drive her out to Havershire, so after handing her bags over to him to stow in the trunk, she slid into the limo.
Everything was top quality, as usual. Tiny fairy lights ran the length of the roomy backseat, and a stoc
ked minibar tempted her with its offerings. And not just her.
“Auntie Kyra, look!” Ava exclaimed, her eyes stretched wide. “There’s a fridge in this car! And there’s orange soda in here! Can I have an orange soda?”
“Too much sugar, Ava,” Kyra replied and closed the mini fridge. “Have a bottle of water if you’re thirsty.”
“Awww.” Kyra complained for a minute but soon got quiet. She continued inspecting the limo as they drove off.
Bringing her niece along on the visit to the estate hadn’t been the plan, but when it came to Maggie, things rarely went as scheduled. Kyra’s sister had flitted off to Barcelona a few days ago, promising to return the next night but had then sent Kyra a text claiming that there were weather problems delaying her.
Weather problems.
In Barcelona.
Please.
Kyra was sure this was just another one of her sister’s schemes. Maggie thought nothing of dumping Ava on Kyra’s shoulders when she felt like letting loose and partying. Her sister was so irresponsible.
Deep inside, Kyra admitted to herself that her feelings of frustration weren’t completely caused by her sister. Her stomach was roiling with another bout of sickness. For the past week, she’d been attacked by violent nausea every day. The onslaught of symptoms was so consistently timed, that she’d finally given into her suspicion and bought a pregnancy test. She hadn’t had the nerve to take it yet, but it was tucked securely inside her purse, just as her fear was tucked safely in the depths of her mind. She wasn’t ready to dive for it yet. Hopefully she just had a bug.
“Auntie Kyra,” Ava cried. “Are we almost there?”
Kyra sighed, acknowledging that Ava’s presence would leave little room for moments of peace over the next two days. The upside was that hopefully Ava would be a buffer between her and Marcus. Having Ava around might take some of the edge off being alone with Marcus. Maybe lessen the temptation she felt whenever he was around. Maybe…
It took about an hour and a half to reach the estate. When they pulled onto the meandering grounds, Kyra was taken aback by its pastoral beauty. The estate was situated in the middle of a copse of tall oak trees, with woods on three sides. A perfect oasis for a worn woman.