by Lisa G Riley
Interested now, Kyle leaned forward in his chair. “What surprise?”
“You remember how I said that I came home early to surprise Kendra?” Sloan began with a wicked glint in his eyes. “Well, before I left for the trip, I bought her a little—”
“Ow! Hey!” he objected when she elbowed him sharply in the stomach. “As I was saying”—he continued laughing as he struggled with her to keep her from covering his mouth—“I bought her a little something, and I’d been trying to get her to use this little…something…for the whole three weeks I was gone, but she just wouldn’t—mph—”
Having finally succeeded in getting her hand over his mouth, Kendra pressed hard. When he licked her palm, all dignity was lost. She stiffened in instant arousal, and her voice, when she spoke, had softened helplessly. “I can’t believe you’re trying to tell.”
Recognizing the state she was in, Sloan slowly moved her hand away, squeezing it in promise before releasing it. He grinned when she closed her hand, knowing she’d done it to hold on to the sensation from his tongue. “Why’d you start the story if you didn’t want to tell the whole thing? You’re the one who brought it up.”
There was a long pause in which Sloan’s grin dimmed a bit as heat rushed through his body. Kendra looked like she always did when she was ready to make love to him. Damn! I should have kept my fucking tongue to myself, Sloan thought, right after he reminded himself that he could not strip her bare and have his way with her. He cleared his suddenly dry throat and tried to get her attention again. “Uh, Ken? Baby?”
Kendra’s smile was so smug that he knew he’d been had. She took a swallow of her beer and had him gulping in reaction. “I only hinted at the story,” she said. “I was hoping that it would shame you into shutting up. But I don’t know how I could have forgotten that there’s not a shameless bone in your entire body.”
“I don’t know either,” Sloan agreed. “Can I finish the story?”
“If you do, don’t expect to ever have another day like the one you had today,” she cautioned before standing. “I’m going to work on dinner. I’ll leave you two to your juvenile imaginations.”
“They’ll be right here waiting for you when you get back,” Sloan retorted.
“You just remember what I said, Blondie.” The warning was tossed lightly over her shoulder as she made her way through the dining room and into the kitchen.
Kyle shook his head at their shenanigans. “Why do you tease her?”
“Because she just makes it so damned easy.”
“So why were you gone for three weeks?”
“I had a case in New York for one of my big clients. It’s one of the costs of heading my own law firm. The client wanted the man in charge, so he got the man in charge.” Sloan had been one of many lawyers at L and H, but had left the advertising firm soon after he and Kendra met there.
“How’d you do?”
“Oh, pretty well. We won.” He took a sip of beer. “But enough about me. What’s going on with you?”
“Well, that was a smooth segue.”
“It’s a gift. Stop stalling and tell me what’s going on, will you?”
Kyle leaned forward in his chair again and he eagerly explained. “I’ve come up with this idea for a computer chip—one that will make computers run even faster than they do now. Right now there are a couple of big guys on top of the heap, but I plan to give them a run for their money. I won’t go into all of the mechanics behind it, but what I’m going to do is—” He cut himself off and laughed. “Your eyes have already started to glaze over. You never did understand computers, did you?”
“Only enough to type up reports and do research. That’s all I need to know. But go ahead, finish telling me,” Sloan encouraged.
“I won’t bore you with the details,” Kyle continued. “But let’s just say that this idea is my best one yet. I could probably settle down with this one.”
“Really?” Sloan was thrilled to hear it, and he believed Kyle. He’d learned long ago not to underestimate his brother, because he was brilliant and constantly surprising people. And despite his refusal to live a life of normalcy, Kyle was actually quite dependable. “So this means no more gambling?”
The last time the family had seen him, Kyle had just come from a weeklong poker tournament. He’d told them that he’d spent almost every waking moment playing the game, barely taking the time to eat. He’d also lost all of his money. Sloan and Kendra had given him a loan to get him back on his feet. He’d paid them back within a couple of weeks with a check he’d sent from Las Vegas, which was the only way they’d known that he was okay and where he was.
“Maybe.” Kyle’s shrug was philosophic. “I don’t just gamble because I need the money, Sloan. I hate to tell you this, but I enjoy it. Call it my vice if you want.”
Sloan snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, one among many.”
“Hey. The women love me, and I don’t like to deprive them. Anyway, I still gamble because I still like it.”
Sloan didn’t argue. “All right. So tell me more about your idea. Will it make you rich?”
“Absolutely. If all goes as planned, it will definitely make me rich.”
“Want some financing from your brother?”
“Nope,” Kyle said proudly. “Got that all taken care of.”
Sloan leaned forward. “You don’t understand, Kyle. I wasn’t asking you if you needed financing. I was asking if I could be in on it. I want a piece of it.”
“You actually want to give me money?”
Sloan just looked at him. “Ken?” he called. “Honey, can you come in here for a second?”
“Dinner’s almost ready,” Kendra said as she walked back into the room and sat down next to Sloan. “What’s up?”
“Kyle has a plan to put Intel out of business. He’s got an idea for a new, faster computer chip. I want us to be in on the ground floor. What do you think?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Kyle interrupted, “because I’m not going to take your money. I have meetings this week with potential investors here in Chicago.”
“Really?” Kendra asked. “Who are they?”
“A couple of venture capitalists—Casey Reed Group and Diamond in the Rough.”
“Hmm,” Kendra said thoughtfully with a nod of her head. “That’s impressive. I’ll need to hear more about it over dinner, but I think we can swing a small investment.”
Kyle looked at Sloan, who raised a brow and said, “She’s the boss.”
Chapter Four
“Sloan? Sweetheart? I think we can invest at least thirty in Kyle’s idea.”
Sloan looked over at her from his position by the bathroom door. She was already in bed, sitting up surrounded by pillows with her back against the headboard and her knees upraised. She had their investment portfolio and bank ledgers in her lap. He shook his head. She was never one to let grass grow under her feet. “Thirty dollars? That’s all?”
Kendra looked up, saw he was teasing, and smiled in return. She looked down at her papers. “Ha ha. You know I mean thirty thousand, you adorable idiot. Maybe a little more, but with the wedding coming up and our wanting to buy a new house next year, I don’t want to get too greedy.”
Her gaze had lingered hotly on his chest for a moment, and always attuned to her moods, Sloan cleared his throat, grinning when she caught his eye and gave him an embarrassed grin. He took the towel from around his waist and tossed it onto the bathroom floor. When he heard her sound of disgust, he sighed, picked up the towel, and tossed it into the hamper. He got into bed, deciding he’d give her a few minutes with the finances before he started seducing her. “I thought we were in the all-clear for the wedding. We’ve already budgeted for it,” he reminded her as he studied her thick hair.
“We have,” Kendra assured him. “But stuff happens, you know? We have to be ready for any little catastrophes,” she finished and absentmindedly pushed his hand away from her neck. He’d started playing with the fine hairs there, and
it was already distracting her.
“What little catastrophes?”
“I don’t know… Okay, for instance, we still haven’t chosen a cake yet. Depending on which one we choose, the budget could need to be expanded by as much as fifteen hundred.”
Sloan stopped his hand on its way back to her hair. He grinned because he knew talk of the cake would irritate her. The issue had been going on for weeks now. “Hey, can I help it if I’m picky about my pastries? Chocolate mint, white-chocolate-mousse torte. What’s a man to do?”
“Chocolate mi—” Kendra began in disbelief. He knew just what buttons to push. “Whatever, Sloan,” she said in studied nonchalance as she looked back down at the portfolio. “All I know is that I’d better not have a wedding cake that tastes like a Girl Scout cookie.”
“You just might,” he told her and let his hand finish its return to her hair. “And there’s no sense in getting mad at me. You’re the one who made the deal. You agreed that I would choose the cake all by myself. You agreed when I agreed to let you increase the budget by ten percent.”
She pouted a bit and knocked his hand away again. “You only came up with the idea because you knew it would annoy me not to have anything to do with picking it.” She looked at him, daring him to deny it.
He didn’t.
“Sloan.”
“Kendra,” he mimicked her irritated, plaintive tone in a high-pitched voice.
“It isn’t fair. I agreed before I remembered that when it comes to sweets, you have the taste buds of a ten-year-old.”
“Yep, sure do,” he confirmed unashamedly as he rubbed her thigh. “And right now you have the temperament of one.” He laughed when she scowled at him. “All right, all right.” He continued caressing her soft skin. “Is everything else cool? Church, priest, flowers, caterer, reception hall?” He asked because the wedding planning had been so stressful in the beginning. They’d had to get a hold on things and quickly, because the planning had started interfering in other parts of their lives. It was true that she took the lead, but he was still involved quite a bit.
Kendra continued to scowl, perhaps trying to hold on to her irritation about the cake. But excitement seemed to get the best of her. “Check, check, check, and check! And it’s not just a reception hall; it’s the South Shore Cultural Center, one of the most beautiful sites in the city,” she reminded him. Her legs automatically opened when he moved his fingers to stroke her inner thigh. “But yes, we can put a check in the column for that too. It’s all confirmed.”
“Uh hm.” Sloan watched her pulse kick up beneath the skin of her throat. He caressed her some more. “Good, and don’t you worry about the cake. It’s all covered. You’ll be happy to know that I’ve decided against the peanut butter one.”
Kendra couldn’t be baited this time and locked her thighs together in defense, which only challenged him to do more. When it came to the discussion of money, she liked to have all her wits about her. He knew that if she weren’t so horny for him, she would.
“Well, will wonders never cease?” she mumbled sarcastically between shortened breaths. “Ah…let’s get back to Kyle’s money. Do you think thirty thousand is too much?”
“No, not if you say we’ve got it to spare.” Sloan refrained from telling her that she had a funny way of distrusting him. She didn’t trust him not to leave her, yet they shared an investment portfolio and bank accounts. “But you’re forgetting one thing. He didn’t say he’d let us invest. He may get everything he needs from those venture capitalists.” He doubled back with his fingers to circle her knee.
Kendra dismissed that notion with a wave of her hand. “He wants to build a start-up; he can’t afford to turn down money.”
“Yes, he can, and he just might. But let’s forget about Kyle for a minute.” He paused in his ministrations so he could think clearly. He couldn’t help but grin when she let out a shuddering breath that managed to sound both disappointed and relieved. “I’ve been thinking about our moving and buying a new house. I think we should stay here a few more years. We’ve got plenty of room, we both like the area so much, and we own the joint. We should let it appreciate some more. And maybe in a few years, we can buy one of those stately old town houses or brownstones in the area. What do you think?”
Kendra stared at him as she contemplated his words. They had a plan, which was to wait a year after their marriage to start having children, and naturally they’d move to a bigger place when she got pregnant. But he was right. A three-bedroom apartment was more than big enough to start out with. They lived on the Gold Coast, one of Chicago’s most expensive and safest neighborhoods. They’d gotten their apartment for a relatively cheap price, considering the area. The real-estate agent had let it slip that the previous owner, a bitter wife who had won it in the divorce, was selling it for less than market value to spite her ex-husband, who’d housed his mistresses in it over the years.
“Well? What do you think?” Sloan repeated.
“I think I love you, that’s what I think!” she said excitedly and grabbed his face to plant a sloppy kiss on his mouth. “That’s a great idea. If we wait to sell it and it appreciates, we could trade up. Put that way, it does make sense to keep the apartment for a few more years.”
“Exactly. We got such a good deal on it, and I’d hate to lose our advantage by moving so quickly. And once we get that bigger house, not only could we fill it with babies but maybe by then we’ll have found a dog that you aren’t allergic to.”
“Oh,” Kendra cooed and patted his cheek. “I hope so, especially since you love animals so much. But don’t try to distract me with guilt. Just how many babies are we talking about?”
Sloan grinned. “Let’s just say that the more we try, the happier I’ll be.”
She chuckled. “You look like a total lech.”
“That’s handy, as I’m feeling totally lecherous!” With a dramatic roll of his eyes, he playfully hooked an arm around her chest and pulled her back so that he hovered over her.
“Ah!” Kendra feigned fear and struggled to sit up. “Unhand me, you sex fiend!”
“For now, my pretty, for now. But later…you’re all mine!”
Still laughing, Kendra straightened her gown. “Anyway, I want to ask you something. You think maybe since we aren’t moving, we should invest more money with Kyle?”
Sloan lifted a brow. “No, let’s keep it at thirty, and that’s only if he’ll let us invest. Why are you so anxious to invest in this?”
Kendra shrugged. “It’s really more of an investment in him, Sloan. But I do think it’s a good idea, and that we’d get a huge return on it.”
“Yeah, I guess the kid’s worth a few grand.”
“Of course he is. He’s so excited about it, and he’s so smart, you just know it’s going to work. I really believe him when he says things are different. Don’t you?”
“Yes, I do, and that’s why I suggested we invest.”
“I know, and I already told him that I’d like to see a business plan and that we’d let our broker take a look too. I also told him that we needed to see everything he’d be showing those venture capitalists to get their money.”
“And here I was thinking that you’d gone soft.” Sloan buried his nose in her fragrant hair and went back to tracing invisible patterns on her inner thigh.
“Not on your life. We’re family, but he needs to treat us like any other potential investor, “ she told him. She hunched her shoulder when he started licking behind her ear. “Why didn’t you go out with him tonight, by the way? Too tired?”
“Yeah. And he was meeting up with some friends I don’t know very well. And most importantly, I missed my fiancée.” He pushed the papers and ledgers off her lap so they landed on the floor. Tired of the tease, he was now ready to go full throttle.
“Uh-huh,” Kendra said skeptically. She bit back a moan when he made his way to the outline of her panties. Her fingers tightened on his shoulders. “What you really missed was your
fiancée’s punani,” she said breathlessly as she opened her legs to accommodate him when he levered his torso over her. “Don’t deny it. That’s what kept you home tonight.”
Sloan lifted his head from the breast he’d started teasing through the silk of her nightgown. “Why, Kendra, I’m crushed that you could even think that of me.”
She only snorted and rolled her eyes before pulling his head up for a desperate kiss. Her need had risen quickly, and she held nothing back as she devoured his mouth, sucking his tongue and nipping at his lips. She lifted his head from hers and waited.
Sloan stared at her. “Okay, so I lied,” he said when he’d caught his breath, making her laugh. “And since the truth has set me free, I might as well see if our girl here missed me just as much.” He rubbed his fingers across her already wet labia, while at the same time closing his mouth around an eager nipple.
Her laughter stopped immediately, along with her ability to speak.
*
Kendra stirred her tea some more, took a deep breath, and picked up the kitchen phone to dial her mother’s number. “Morning, Mom,” she said.
“Hi, honey,” Camille Masters said cheerfully. “You’re up early for a Saturday.”
“Yeah, I have that breakfast meeting, remember?”
“Oh, that’s right. So we can’t talk too long, then. Has—”
“Yes, Mom, Sloan has made it home,” Kendra cut her off impatiently before she could ask her favorite question. “He surprised me yesterday.”
“Watch your tone. I’m still your mother, no matter how grown you are.”
Kendra sighed, rolled her eyes, and tried to make a joke of it. “Well, that’s a fact I’m probably not ever going to forget, you know.”
“And don’t think I don’t know you’re rolling your eyes either, young lady,” Camille warned.
“God, Mom, will you stop?” Fed up with her mother’s efforts to control everything, she said, “Yes, I am rolling my eyes because almost every day that Sloan was gone, you called me with the same question, and got the same answer each time, but you asked it anyway. I just want you to stop doing it; that’s all. Sloan isn’t Dad.”
