Miss Understanding (The Miss Series Book 1)

by Aubrey Bondurant

  He stood by the entrance and hit the garage door opener button, still frowning.

  He watched while my hands fumbled with my phone in the charger. It was almost dead. Next, I hit the GPS so I could find the fastest route from here to my apartment. Eighteen minutes. Not bad. I’d just put the car in reverse when the knock startled me. He was at my window.

  I hit the button to open it, wondering if he was about to lecture me on his expectations regarding Monday’s in-the-office behavior, but he shocked me by moving to take my lips. He absolutely possessed my mouth, flicking his tongue against mine. Then he suddenly pulled away. “Brakes, Kendall.”

  Huh? I was mildly disoriented when I realized the car was moving backwards. Oops. I put it back in park, giving him an embarrassed grin. “I didn’t realize.”

  But he was back, kissing me. Jesus. I was about to unbuckle and skip all responsibilities for the day. My willpower was completely obliterated by this man. But he ended it before I could contemplate further poor choices.

  “Strawberry lip gloss,” he muttered, putting his forehead against mine.

  “What?”

  “Strawberry lip gloss is my kryptonite. Drive safe.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Liam

  Once Kendall backed out of my driveway, I pressed the button to close the garage door. The taste of strawberry gloss lingered on my lips.

  Although I’d been tempted to wake her when I’d gotten up, I’d let her sleep, knowing she needed it. Then I’d gone downstairs to try figuring out how to talk to her this morning. She probably thought we’d spend the day together. How would I let her down easy? Despite the temptation to spend more time in bed with her, I had work to do. This was the reason I didn’t want a relationship. Because of the demands on my time.

  But never one to do what I expected, she was ready to leave when she came downstairs. I’d forgotten what a busy girl she was. She probably had a lot to do after having been gone last week. No doubt she’d be seeing her family tomorrow since she’d missed seeing them last weekend.

  What a contrast to my weekend plans, which included work, work, and more work. Jesus, only fifteen minutes after she left, I was sitting here in my living room feeling—was it lonely?

  When other women stayed the night, I was anxious for them to go the next morning, but when Kendall had been in a hurry to leave, I’d felt oddly disappointed. Then I’d kissed her because I couldn’t help myself. It turns out strawberry lip gloss wasn’t merely an incredible smell but actually tasted like strawberries. I was a goner. Especially if she wore it to the office.

  The thought of Monday left me anxious. My leg tapped involuntarily just from my thinking about it. How would she act? What would the dynamic be between us? Could she sustain the professional line? But the bigger question was how would I react? I was already wishing she was back in my bed, under me.

  By midnight, although I had more billable hours left in me, I was too distracted to log any more time. I found myself up until two thirty, when I texted her.

  “Are you off?”

  “Almost,” came her reply.

  “Call me on your way home?” I lay in my bed waiting for her reply, hoping she would. It had been tempting to go to the club. However, I considered one night there stalkerish enough.

  Still, I hated the thought of her being out at this hour. I’d seen the way she’d dressed last night. Like pure sin. Although she had a bouncer accompany her in the parking lot at the club, there was no one at her apartment building to watch over her.

  When my phone rang with her number, I picked up immediately. “Hi.”

  “Hi.”

  “How was work?”

  “Busy. How was your day?”

  I’d gone for a run. Worked on the deposition. Billed hours on two other cases as well. My day had been boring. Uninspiring. Uneventful until the moment I heard her voice. “Better now.”

  “Me, too.”

  I wanted to ask her to come over. For a guy accustomed to his solitude, it was a strange sensation to want her here with me. “You still there?”

  “Yeah. I looked for you tonight. Is that weird?”

  “Not any weirder than me being tempted to show up again.” It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her to drive here now, but the timing of her yawn reminded me she hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. “You seeing your family this afternoon?”

  “Yeah. I’ll do dinner with them and head back up.”

  “What time do you think it’ll be?” It was a vague way of asking if she might be open to coming over.

  “Not sure.”

  Either she was too tired to realize what I was asking or it was her way of avoiding an actual answer. “You almost home?”

  “Mm. Almost.”

  “Will you stay on the phone with me until you’re inside your apartment?”

  “Do you have ten minutes of conversation in you at this hour?”

  “I’m a litigator; I always have something I can say.” Of course that was in a court room, not with personal chitchat, but with her, I wanted to know more. “Tell me what you like to do for fun.”

  “Hang out with my family. Cook. Bake. Binge the Food Network shows.”

  She was definitely in the wrong field if her hobbies included her passions. “Sounds like you need to be a chef.”

  “Someday, maybe.” My suggestion elicited a sigh. “How about you? What do you like to do for fun?”

  “Work out.” I’d thought it was a fair answer until she laughed.

  “Working out is your idea of fun?”

  I was a bit defensive with my reply. “It’s necessary to stay in shape.”

  “And I did appreciate that fact earlier this morning.”

  She not only knew how to soothe an ego, but also how to make me blush. Now I was thinking about having her back in my bed.

  “But what do you do to unwind? What were you doing this evening before you called?”

  “Working.” Then, because I could practically hear her eyes roll, I added, “It’s not easy for me to relax.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m always thinking of what I need to do next.” I wasn’t enough, therefore I constantly push myself to do more.

  “Mm. Perhaps we need another cooking lesson.”

  It had been surprisingly relaxing. “If I recall, I wasn’t very good during the first round.”

  “I could entice you into another round by wearing nothing but an apron.”

  Damn. I was hard. “Sign me up.”

  Her laughter was contagious, making me once again wish she was on her way here. But I wouldn’t ask. We chatted a few more minutes about what type of pasta we’d make next time until she said, “I just pulled into my parking lot.”

  “Talk to me while you go inside. Do you live in a safe neighborhood?” It bothered me to think of her alone at this time of the morning.

  “It’s not bad, although I must admit without my roommate here, I’m happy to be talking to you while walking up to my apartment.”

  So was I. Not that there was a lot I could do by sitting here in my bed. Instead, I waited for the sound of her locks.

  “I’m inside. All locked up.”

  I let out the breath I’d been holding. Feeling protective over someone other than my family wasn’t an emotion I’d been expecting. But here it was. “Good. Glad you’re home.”

  Her yawn reminded me of how exhausted she must be from the trip, her job, and not sleeping much this morning. “I know you’re tired, so I’ll let you go. Have a good day with your family tomorrow.”

  “Thanks. Guess I’ll see you Monday.”

  “Yeah. Monday. Bye.”

  On Sunday, I lasted until six o’clock before I had to reach out to her. I rationalized we needed to talk so we could be on the same page tomorrow when it came to our first day in the office, but the truth was there. I missed her.

  Sending her a text was the safest bet in case she was in the middle of something.

 
; “You still at dinner?”

  “Yep. It’s Christmas at Plum Creek. I really can’t stand Nellie Oleson. She shouldn’t have Bunny.”

  I had no clue what she was talking about. “Have you been drinking?”

  “Not a drop. Watching Little House on the Prairie. Bunny is Laura Ingalls’s horse. She sold her to the horrible Nellie Oleson to afford a stove for her mother for Christmas. Gets me every time.”

  I couldn’t help grinning at the complete obscurity of her text message, and her thinking her explanation would make me understand better. But at least I remembered her mentioning her grandmother loved to watch this show.

  “Does she get Bunny back?” It felt only right to ask, after all.

  “It takes years and a bit of drama where Mrs. Oleson wants to put Bunny down because Nellie pretends to be paralyzed after she’s thrown, but yes. Eventually it has a happy ending.”

  “Sounds serious.”

  “You have no idea.”

  I sent my next text before I could overthink it. “Do you want to come over tonight?”

  Nothing came back. Shit. Was I pushing too hard too quick? Was she getting the wrong impression? I forced myself to take a deep breath. I was already far too anxious for my health.

  “Sorry, was finishing up and saying goodbye. I have to take my nan back to the center, and then will be heading up. Is eight o’clock okay?”

  “It’s good.” Maybe if I typed it, I would learn to be good by the time she got here.

  Six minutes past eight o’clock, Kendall dialed my number.

  I picked up on the first ring. “Hello.”

  “Hi. I’m in your driveway. You want me to park in the garage?”

  “Yeah. Hold on.” I was up and outside, pressing the button. I felt a bit guilty in hiding her car, but I didn’t want to take any chances with other attorneys I knew who lived in the neighborhood. It wasn’t as if any of them were prone to snooping, but all I needed was for someone from the office to recognize her car.

  She didn’t seem to mind parking in the garage if her smile was any evidence.

  “Hello,” I greeted.

  “Hi.”

  When she came up and stepped into my arms, it felt natural to have her there.

  I hit the button to close the garage and kissed her. Strawberry lip gloss greeted me.

  “You and this gloss,” I said, taking her hand and leading her inside.

  “Now that I’m aware you’re a fan, how can I not wear it always?”

  “Dangerous words.” Which reminded me. We needed to talk. “I think it’s a good segue into tomorrow and what to expect.”

  She quirked a brow. “Is this a conversation about rules and boundaries in the office? Because if so, I’m gonna need wine.”

  I probably would, too.

  We went into the kitchen where I poured two glasses of red.

  She immediately hopped up on the countertop where she’d been the other morning. Shit. I was already fighting an erection from simply recalling that moment.

  Her amused expression let me know she was most likely thinking about the same thing.

  “You’re a big fan of my countertop?”

  “It holds some special memories.” With a wink, she sipped the wine I handed her.

  It was time to remember she was all of twenty-four, and I’d poured the wine for a reason. Our talk. “Look, I don’t want you getting attached. This isn’t a relationship.”

  The way her eyes narrowed told me my words had come out wrong. I tried to do damage control. “What I mean to say is we want different things long term.”

  “After sleeping together once, I wasn’t aware we were talking long-term plans.”

  “We’re not, but I wanted to make sure we’re still on the same page.”

  “We are on the same page. If it changes, I promise to let you know. I would hope for the same in return.”

  “Good.” This had been simpler than I’d thought. I set down my glass and stepped in between her legs, loving when she twined them around me, pulling me closer. “So I have a question.”

  She gasped when I trailed kisses behind her ear. “What’s that?”

  “Why on earth did they name the horse Bunny?”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Kendall

  I didn’t leave Liam’s house until five o’clock the next morning. Oh, yeah, there was nothing like leaving your boss’s bed the morning before seeing him in the office a few hours later to establish truly professional boundaries.

  After returning to my apartment, I showered, put on my favorite black skirt suit with a crisp white shirt and black-and-white pumps. I was ready to look the part at least. On the inside, however, I was a nervous mess. What would it be like to see him in the office today?

  My arrival was on time at eight thirty despite the fact I’d had to drive in so I could lug the files back. They were in the trunk of my car, back in their boxes. I would need to get the cart later to bring them up to our office floor.

  Figuring Liam was already in his office, as typical, I sat down at my desk and took a deep breath. Then I booted up my computer and logged in. I needed to think of this as a typical Monday, which meant not picturing him rolling me over in his bed last night and riding him. Not imagining the way he’d used his tongue after, leaving me completely spent.

  Nope. No sex thoughts. Instead, I needed to get his breakfast as per usual. I got up, giving a brief rap on his door like I did every day, and opening it when he said to come in. “Good morning, Mr. Davenport.”

  Why was my heart threatening to pound of out my chest? My face heated as soon as his gaze hit mine.

  “Good morning, Ms. Tate.”

  Jesus. When did that statement become so hot? “The usual for breakfast?”

  “Yes. Please.”

  The please was a new word. I turned to go, unable to help my smile. I went downstairs to the cafeteria to get a veggie omelet, side of fruit, and a coffee with cream and sugar, putting it on to his account.

  Balancing Liam’s food, I knocked on his door again. When I entered, I noted he didn’t hesitate to fix his baby blues on me. No more ignoring me by staring at his monitor. Instead, he was tracking me with his gaze like I was the prey and he was the predator. The thought made me both want to giggle and to hop on his desk like I swore I wouldn’t do. Before I could go too far with my imagination, I set his tray with his coffee on his desk.

  “Thank you,” he murmured, causing me to smile again.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Did you bring the files back in?”

  “Yes. I’ll need to get a cart to bring them up. I can do it now if you like.”

  “I can help you. I should’ve taken them with me so you didn’t have to haul them in.”

  “It’s not a problem. I can get one of the guys from facilities to help me.”

  He was about to respond, but we were interrupted with a knock.

  It was the managing partner, Phillip Kinkaid, peeking his head in. “Hello, Liam.”

  My boss immediately stood up.

  “Good morning, Mr. Kinkaid,” I said, taking my leave.

  The impeccably dressed and always polite older man gave me a warm smile. “Good morning, Kendall.”

  “I’ll go get those files now, Mr. Davenport,” I said, excusing myself.

  By the end of the day, I had to say that staying completely professional hadn’t been so difficult. Probably because I couldn’t imagine being flirty or sexual in a place that sucked out all of the fun the minute you walked through the door. Aside from carting up the files and getting Liam lunch, I’d had no other interaction with him. That wasn’t a surprise considering he was one week before the deposition. He was basically hunkered down, completely focused on the case.

  By the time five thirty came around, I did as I normally did. Logged out and didn’t bother to say good night. We hadn’t bid each other goodbye before last week, so doing it now seemed like it would come off as awkward.

  Tonig
ht was my first class of the winter quarter. I tried, but wasn’t very successful, in not getting bored with the topic of organizational leadership. This quarter also included a class on business-oriented computer applications. After these two mind-numbing classes, I only had two more left until I earned my degree. I couldn’t wait to be done. Yes, balancing work and classes was exhausting, but frankly, the subject matter bored me to tears. Hopefully, the payoff would be worth it once I could put a bachelor’s degree on my resumé.

  Once I was done with class at nine, I checked my phone, but nothing from Liam. I hadn’t expected him to text me, but I did find myself disappointed.

  Non-relationships were turning out to be tough to navigate. It was proving difficult to avoid breaking the rules of something I didn’t really know how to play. I was officially the uncoordinated girl in the back of the relationship step-aerobics class, hoping I didn’t trip and fall on my face.

  The bright spot was when I returned home to see Chloe was there. I’d missed her over the last week.

  “Hi,” she squealed bounding off of the couch to hug me.

  I happily hugged her back. “Hi. Gosh, am I glad you’re back.”

  “Me, too. Catch me up. What happened during a week with your hot dick boss?”

  Oh, God, was her metaphor about to take on a new meaning. Only, wait. I couldn’t talk about it. Right? I’d told him I wouldn’t tell anyone. But then again, she was my best friend and roommate, not someone we worked with. I was torn and decided to change the subject for now.

  “I’ll tell you, but after you tell me about home.”

  Immediately, Chloe’s smile disappeared. “Nothing much to tell. It was unfortunate family drama stuff.”

  “Your brother?” Her older sibling had become involved in drugs, leaving his mother with a mountain of debt while still caring for two younger children. The reason Chloe worked two jobs was in order to help them.

  “Yeah. But I can’t talk about it without getting angry. Tell me about your boss. Was it horrible? Awful? What? I’ve been dying to find out.”