“Good.” I stand and kiss the crown of her head. “I will be back tomorrow to check on you. Sleep well, mo chroi.”
“Good night, Kitten.” Nick follows me out of her room, leaving Kelly behind.
After changing out of my suit in my room, I walk to my office and find Nick behind my desk. “I assume you are not pleased with my decision?”
Nick watches Kelly from the monitor, pacing in her room and rubbing her neck. Kelly relents and climbs into bed and leaning over to switch the side lamp off. The faint glow of the TV illuminates the room as Kelly falls to sleep.
Nick backs away from the desk, allowing me to sit. “You assigned me as her bodyguard. So, yeah. I’m not happy.” Nick’s disapproval is clear.
I move to the monitor and watch Kelly as she curls up on her side and burrows into the covers. “I don’t need your approval Nicholas.”
“No, boss. You don’t need my approval.” Nick turns his back to me and heads for the door.
“We did nothing to manipulate Kelly’s will.” I tap my index finger on the desk blotter. “I have ensured that I will always be able to find her. Her blood… her blood is like a beacon. She can never hide from me now.”
Nick turns to look at me. “No, but you had me mess with her memory without her knowing. You are my Sire. I am compelled to do as you command. But you need to know how messed up that was!” He throws his hands up in the air. “This is not the way to build trust!”
“Nick. Do. Not. Question. Me. Again.”
He has more to say to me, but the deadly stare coming from me, his master, stops him cold. “I apologize, boss. I… I didn’t mean…”
My clinched fists open as I attempt to relax. Taking a moment to pull my anger back. “I know you have feelings for Kelly.”
“No, boss. It’s not like that.”
I can feel the panic rolling off my friend. I raise my hand to stop him. “I know, I know. We’ve had this conversation before. Your loyalty to my mate is that of a friend; a brother. I know your thoughts, progeny. If for one moment I believed you wanted more from her, friend or not, I would have killed you by now. You don’t have to agree with me. You need to do as I ask.”
Nick leans on the chair. “Have you thought about how you will explain to her about our world? I mean, at some point she will figure it out. Better it come from you, right?”
I’m growing tired of this. “You have been my friend for a long, long time. I know you mean well.” I slump down in my chair. “Go, get some rest. We will work things out tomorrow.”
“Good night, boss.” Nick nods and pulls the door closed behind him.
I pull my attention back to the monitor. Kelly looks peaceful in her sleep. I never thought, not once, I would find my fated mate. But now that I have, I want her. And truth be told, I want her to want me too.
I run my hands through my hair and groan. It would be so much easier if she just did what I told her to do. When I was still human, women were more than happy to have a man command them; take care of them. But Nick is right. She needs to understand I would do nothing to harm her. I need to tell her about the world she is living in now. Truth and honesty. It will crush her, but she must know soon.
I take one last look at Kelly before I pull out the files Alex sent over to me for review. The charges against Finn need to be in order. Alex has called an emergency council meeting for tomorrow evening. We need to get Finn off the streets and into a holding cell while he awaits his trial. Until then, Kelly will continue to be in danger.
Chapter 13
Kelly
It’s been two weeks since Grant and I came to our compromise. He told me I would not be leaving my room for my safety, and he kept his word. The only view of the outside world comes from my bedroom window overlooking the strip.
I watch an empty Las Vegas Boulevard from my tower window. The breeze blows scraps of small hand bills advertising half-naked women waiting for a good time. Every night, sleazy men will line the street offering tourists female companionship. The morning's light chases the nastiness off of the street and forces them to crawl back into their holes until the circus repeats itself again.
The lock to my bedroom door clicks. I turn to face the door, expecting to see Sofia with breakfast. I look forward to Sofia’s visits. She keeps me company every morning. I didn’t have many friends growing up, and I like Sofia. But my new friend feels obligated to share with me how wonderful Grant is. Sofia had been homeless, and Grant took her off the street and offered her room and board for her loyalty and service. I am not sure exactly what loyalty or service means, and I thought better than to ask.
I turn to greet her and realize it wasn’t Sofia. Grant strode into the room wearing blue jeans and black boots. A tight fitted black t-shirt over his shoulders and abdomen, leaving nothing to the imagination. I stop myself from fixating on him and turn back to the window.
“Good morning, Kelly.” I can see his knowing smirk in the window's reflection. He caught me staring at him. Not good.
“Hi.” I continue to watch the morning walkers below and suddenly he is pressing himself against my back. “Oh.”
I stand still. In the two weeks I’ve been stuck up here, Grant hasn’t invaded my personal space like this. In fact, he has only come to see me a few times. And with each visit he keeps a respectable distance from me. I try to sidestep away from him, but he has me caged in, not allowing me to move.
“I didn’t mean to startle ya mo chroi.” He whispers as his lips hover over the curve of my ear.
He pulls himself away from me when I feel the side of my neck begin to tingle. Little strings of static electricity connect between us. I want to be closer to him, and this startles me. Raising my foot to take a step away from him, I want to disconnect from whatever is happening. I want to put distance between us, but Grant stops me. Folding his arms around me, he leans down and sears his lips to mine.
The static vibrates between us as he continues to kiss me. When I feel myself leaning into him, my body relaxing, the static becomes an audible hum. My mind races trying to reason out what is happening between us. I tear my lips from his, covering my hand over my mouth. My eyes are wide as saucers as the shock of what just happened between Grant and I sinks in. He kissed me.
His forehead touches mine as he takes a deep breath. “Mo chroi.” He rubs his soft hands over my shoulders and back down around my waist. “Kelly. I am sorry. I didn’t mean for that to happen.” He straightens his back but continues to hold me tight to him. “But I’m glad it did.”
I shut down as he scans my face. Locking my emotions up tight in an invisible vault to protect myself.
“Mo chroi. Don’t push me out.” He tightens his hold on me until I yelped.
“Grant, I can’t breathe. Please let go.” When he does, I walk toward the small table on the other side of the room. “Why did you come to see me?” I need to draw attention away from what happened. Expelling the breath I am holding, I turn around to face him. Can he sense the electricity dancing between us?
Grant hesitates. The internal debate is will he leave this alone or not? He pushes his hair back from his face and did not hide the fire in his eyes. I realized then this wasn’t over.
“I came because I have a surprise for you.”
“What is my surprise, Grant? Have you changed your mind?”
“About you? No, mo chroi. I have not changed my mind about you. You kept your end of the bargain, so it is my turn to keep mine.” Silver orbs of light encircle his iris’.
“Tell me, then. What is this surprise?” I murmur.
“Would you rather stay indoors, then? No problem.” He steps toward the door. I reach for his arm to stop him.
“Wait, what?” My hopes rising.
“Well, I thought you might enjoy some time outside.”
“Outside?” I peek up at him.
Grant takes my hand back and brushes a kiss against the top of it. “There is a private pool and deck here on the roof.” He pulls me int
o an embrace, but I stiffen.
“I am sorry, mo chroi.” His jaw, taut. He releases me.
I admit he has been a gentleman over the past two weeks, and I have grown to be more relaxed with him. But, he is still holding something back from me. I want him to tell me no matter what it is, good or not. Until then, I will continue to keep space between us. And not until I figure out what my jumbled emotions are about, if I would ever let him in at all.
“Please, let me escort you outside. Sofia will spend the day with you and keep you company. That is if you wish her to do so.”
“I would love to spend the day with her.” I take a moment to study him. “Thank you, Grant. That’s very… thoughtful.”
We stand facing each other for another quiet moment before he speaks. “Well then. You should change into your swimsuit so we can get going.” Grant waves his hand toward the ensuite.
“I’ll be back in just a minute.” I make my way through the bathroom area and into the closet. I open drawers to the built-in dresser. “I hope I can find…” The next drawer I open I find a blue two-piece bikini and put it on. A perfect fit. I love blue. Did he know it’s my favorite color? That’s stupid. He knows everything.
I consider wearing a cover up. What if I make it out of the hotel with no one watching? If I’m lucky enough, I don’t want to walk the strip wearing a bikini. But do I want to leave?
I tamp down my thoughts and pull a pair of black walking shorts from the lower rack of clothes and step into them. I find a blue button-down camp shirt and slip my arms into it. Buttoning the shirt to my waist, I tie the bottom of the shirt into a knot, creating a fitted look. Flip-flops or runners? Pouring over the rows of shoes, I pick out a pair of white Skechers and slip them on.
I stand in front of the three-way mirror to view my outfit.
“Kelly?” Grant calls from the bedroom.
“Sorry… coming.” Having one last glimpse at my reflection, I exit the closet.
“There you are.” Grant appraises me, starting from my bare ankles, lingering up my legs, then my chest until our eyes met. “Blue is becoming on you.”
I tug the bottom of my shirt and wipe the imaginary wrinkles off of my shorts. Butterflies tumble in my stomach with fluttering wings because of his words. I imagine my face flushed with embarrassment. His perusal is unnerving. I check the knot tied on my shirt and without looking at Grant, I whisper to him. “Thank you.”
“Come, let me take you outside.” He motions toward the bedroom door.
I reach for the knob and turn it. It is unlocked! I pull the door open to step through but find myself blocked by Nick.
“Good morning, Kitten.” He smiles down at me.
“Hi, Nick.” I turn and faced Grant. “I take it I won’t be on my own then?”
“Nick is here for your protection, mo chroi.”
“Right.” I glance from Grant and back to Nick. “Well then, let’s go. I’m ready to breathe some fresh air.”
Nick chuckles. “I don’t know if I would call the air in Las Vegas fresh, Kitten.”
“Anything outdoors will be refreshing. I’ll take what I can get.” I follow Nick to the foyer of the penthouse while Grant follows behind me. The hum between us is still audible. Or maybe it is just me? I look behind me at Grant.
His lip twitch, and he whispers. “I hear it too, mo chroi.”
I trip over my own foot, but before I hit the carpet, I feel hands from behind lift me up. “Watch your step.” He chuckles.
Ignoring this infuriating man, I quicken my step and catch up to Nick. We approach the elevator, but instead of pressing the call button, Nick ventures down a hallway I haven’t been down before. The soft lighting has an inviting warm glow.
When Nick stops at the end of the hallway, he turns and waits for Grant’s silent approval to move forward. With a single nod from Grant, Nick opens the door, and I am blinded from the sun. “Ugh.” I cover my eyes for a moment until my eyesight adjusts to the bright light.
“Here. These are for you.” Grant offers a pair of sunglasses that seem to materialize from thin air.
“Thank you.” I put them on. No longer blinded by the light, I take in the outdoor surroundings. The lenses make everything extraordinarily clear. “These are amazing.” Standing in the rooftop paradise, I move the glasses down the bridge of my nose to see the sparkling pool in front of me. The glare from the desert sun make it difficult to see. Squinting, I place the sunglasses back on. The high definition lenses delineate the lines and curves of the outdoor furniture and block out 100 percent of UV and UB rays. Even the most supersensitive eyes can enjoy the outdoors without feeling the burn of sunlight.
“One of my companies, VGuard manufacturers the glasses.” Grant murmurs.
“I’ve never heard of them. Are they local here in Vegas?”
“No, no. It’s based out of Silgo.”
“Silgo?”
“Ireland. I am from Silgo, Ireland.”
“Now I understand where your accent comes from.” I can’t help but smile up at him. “You try to hide it. Your accent. Why do you do that? I think it’s…” I stop myself from saying something I may regret later. Like, I think it’s sexy when you slip into it.
Grant leans down and whispers in my ear. “You think it’s what, mo chroi?”
I turn away and head toward the two lounge chairs facing the poolside. This is not a conversation I want to have with him. “The rooftop is for you alone? Does anyone else come up here?”
“No, just me.” He follows, concealing a knowing grin.
I sit myself down on the middle section of the closest lounge chair, enjoying the sparkling diamond shapes the sun makes in the pool water. It is nice to be outside again.
Grant sits on the lounger opposite from me. “What’s on your mind, Kelly?”
I shake my head and continue watching the ripples in the water. “Nothing. Just happy to be outside.”
Grant places two fingers under my chin, pulling me to face him. Forcing eye contact, he asks again. “What’s on your mind?”
“I don’t get you at all.”
Searching around the rooftop, I see Nick near the same entrance we came through. Tony is standing at a secondary entrance on the other side of the pool.
Grant leans toward me. “Will you do something for me, hmm?”
Avoiding any commitment, I ask, “what is it you want?”
“I want you to enjoy the day here at the pool.” He lifts his chin to Nick. Nick disappears into the building. “I have business to take care of right now.” He looks down at his arms and examines his now red skin and stands.
He pulls me up to stand next to him. We both turn our heads at the same time to the sound of murmuring voices. Nick is leaning down and says something to Sofia that earns a beaming smile. Sofia nods and turns to head toward Grant and me when Nick playfully swats her butt. Sofia laughs and shakes her head.
The intimate behavior between Sofia and Nick surprise me. Nick has done everything he can to make me comfortable, and Sofia helps pass time away with her friendly conversations. These two people are becoming important to me. I can’t help but smile, knowing they must be a couple.
As Sofia makes her way across the patio with two glasses, Grant turns back to me. “What I would like is for you and Sofia to enjoy yourselves today. And then this evening you and I will have dinner. I promise to answer your questions and set your mind at ease.” I glance up at him. His dark sunglasses hide secrets I want to uncover. “Will you have dinner with me tonight mo chroi?”
I glimpse over at Sofia and then nod to Grant. “Okay.”
Grant pulls me into an embrace, setting off electrical currents that entangle us. He kisses the top of my head then whispers, “good. We have much to talk about. I will see you this evening.”
He takes a step back and acknowledges Sofia. “Take care of our girl, hmm?”
“Yes, Master Grant. We will enjoy ourselves today.”
“Excellent” With one last
scan across the rooftop, Grant disappears through the door leading back to the hallway.
I inhale the outside air and relaxed into the lounge chair. “Come sit with me.” I look over at Sofia. “Tell me about you and Nick.”
Sofia laugh. “What about Nick? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She giggles.
“Don’t you hold out on me, Sofia! I’ve been cooped up too long. Spill!”
Sofia sits the two glasses filled with ice water down on the table in-between our chairs. She then sits down, stretching her legs out on the lounge. “I brought you ice water. This desert sun will dehydrate you without you realizing it.”
“Thanks, Sofia.” I take a sip of the cool liquid and then place the glass back on the table. “Now. You and Nick?”
Sofia turns herself to her side and faced me. “We’ve been together a long time now.” She begins. “We tried to keep it a secret. Nick didn’t want our relationship to be public. We didn’t know how Master Grant would react to two of his… staff being together.”
“Why would Grant care? It’s none of his business who you date.” I am more than annoyed by Grant’s misguided authority. “He doesn’t get to tell you who you can be with.”
With a disapproving shake of her head, Sofia frowns. “No, Kelly. We have committed ourselves to Master Grant and owe him everything. Nick and I would not want to anger him.” She thought a moment. “It’s not that we fear him, we don’t want to disappoint him.”
I sip my glass of water. “So, what you’re saying is if Grant said you two couldn’t date, you wouldn’t?”
“That’s what I’m saying.” Sofia swings her legs across her lounge chair. “Nick thought it would be better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.” She smiles. “But it didn’t matter. Master Grant knew and pulled Nick aside to give him his blessing. He is happy for us.”
Paid in Full: Kelly Kennedy Series (Book One) Page 10
