Cocky Delight: A Hero Club Novel

by Maria Macdonald

  “You said husband,” he replies.

  “No, you said husband,” I retort like a child, quickly looking away.

  Kato slides his fingers across my cheek, capturing my jaw and turning me to look at him. My gaze automatically moves to stare at my hands in my lap.

  “Look at me, gorgeous,” he commands and my eyes automatically move to meet his.

  Shit. I’m screwed. My whole body responds like he has a magic remote.

  I can’t help my eyes moving to his crotch, definitely a magic something.

  Kato chuckles. “My eyes are up here,” he teases and I feel heat rush up my neck and spread across my cheeks as I look into his eyes once again.

  “There is no family, it’s just me.”

  I feel the pain in his words and I move my hand to lay on his thigh, squeezing him for comfort, although it’s hard to say if it’s more for his benefit or my own, right now.

  “And, the only woman I’m interested in is you. I don’t see anyone else, Nola.”

  I catch my breath at his words and start coughing. Of course I do. Every other woman on the face of the planet, when being told something so beautiful by the man they’re falling in love with, would react totally differently. All smooth and calm and dainty. Not me. I shake my head and snort at myself. Might as well get it all out.

  Wait, did I just say I’m falling for him? I didn’t say it aloud, did I? I look up at him and his eyes dance with humor, but thankfully it doesn’t seem like I’ve opened my mouth and word vomited all over him. Not yet anyway.

  “What were we talking about?” I ask, now extremely confused with myself.

  He smiles. “I love listening to you and never knowing what might come out of your mouth.”

  I smile back, my heart breaking with emotion I didn’t know I actually possessed.

  “I’m rich, Nola,” he tells me before my brain is truly engaged.

  I nod as though I understand what he’s said, but the truth is I’m still working it through. “Okay… rich, of course, yeah. I mean the car, right?” I say gesturing around me. “It makes sense.”

  His smile widens and the chin dimple pops out to say hello. Without thought I lean forward and press my thumb into his dimple. “Mmm, so yummy,” I murmur.

  Kato captures my thumb and pulls it into his mouth, biting the end.

  Letting it slowly slip from his lips and kissing the pad softly, he continues to hold my hand when he says, “You should stop looking at me like that, or we’ll miss our reservation.”

  I glance away.

  “Nola,” he whispers my name and I look back to him. “I’ve changed my mind, I want you to look at me like that forever.”

  Suddenly, we’re a tangle of limbs and lips. We breathe each other in as our mouths clash and fight for dominance. He wins. He always does, and I really don’t care.

  Kato pulls away and holds his hands either side of my head. We’re mere inches apart and he watches me. I gaze into his caramel eyes, looking at the slight flecks of green and the circle of silver around the outer edge. This man, God he’s beautiful.

  “My mom, she was the person behind Mrs. Lehec’s Bakery.”

  I jolt back in my seat and his hands drop into his lap. Regret washes over me at the loss of him, but shock still courses through my system.

  “Your mom was a baker?” I murmur, remembering him mentioning it. “But she wasn’t just a baker, she was Mrs. Lehec?” I know my mouth is hanging open in both awe and surprise. I have so many questions and I don’t know which one to ask first. “So, you don’t have twins, no little Jimmy and Jenny at home waiting on you to help them with homework?”

  “Erm, no,” he replies, grinning.

  “Okay,” I say, patting my chest. “Good, that’s good.”

  “So, husband?” he asks, determined to bring me back to my earlier faux par.

  I shrug and like a child I look away. “I don’t know where that came from,” I murmur my lie out quickly so it doesn’t choke me.

  “How about this,” he starts and my eyes eat up the space between us until I’m gazing upon his glorious face again. “We call this what it really is,” he says, his finger moving back and forth between us, “a relationship. An exclusive relationship.”

  “But, I…”

  “No. I was being nice before, Nola, giving you time. Now, this is me taking what I want. You and I, we are doing this. And if I see another man touch you, I’ll kill him,” he tells me, matter of fact.

  “Well, yeah,” I state, getting all uppity, “you’ll get away with it too, ‘cause you’re like a katrillionaire, and rich people do what they want,” I finish, with a roll of my eyes.

  His whole body expands as he expels a rumble of laughter that fills the air around us. “I’m not sure that’s even a word.”

  I shrug, “Whatever, doesn’t mean I’m not right.”

  He continues to smile at me indulgently. “So, you understand what this means?”

  “Yes, we’re in a relationship,” I reply quietly.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m scared,” I admit.

  “Do you know what happens on the other side of fear?” he asks me and I shake my head. “Anything you want,” he whispers, before kissing me again, but this time I’m pleased the car has blacked out windows.

  “So, how did your mom become Mrs. Lehec?” I ask when we’re halfway through the main course in the swanky restaurant he brought me to. “I mean,” I say, taking a quick sip of my wine before continuing, “your surname is Black which I guess could be your father’s?” I pause, realizing I know nowhere near enough about this man.

  “My mom’s surname was Black. And it all started with a bake sale.”

  “Huh?” I manage to utter, before shoveling more seabass into my mouth.

  “When I was younger, we lived like most people do… that is, on the poverty line,” he explains. “My mom worked three jobs and by the time I was ten, we’d moved at least four times that I can remember. I looked after myself when mom wasn’t around, which was most of the time.”

  I swallow my food and take another sip of wine, then place my hand on top of his and give it a squeeze, hoping he finishes the story.

  “The bake sale was for charity, and for some reason at the time it was a big story. I can’t remember who the charity was,” he shrugs, “but it gained a lot of attention, meaning the local news got involved in reporting on it. I guess someone ended up having one of my mom’s cakes, loved it and tracked her down. It all came about from there.”

  “So, then she became a bazillionaire and you lived happily ever after.” I sigh, like this is a fairytale.

  “If only.” His words are so despondent that my heart starts to thump rapidly. “Mom got taken for a ride for the first few years, she shared her recipes without really getting anything under a contract which would benefit her. She learned though, and when she presented the company with the rest of her recipes, she made sure to hire a decent lawyer. It cost her a ton, but it resulted in her having controlling shares. Also, all the new cakes and pastries would be bringing her the majority profit and she got to name the product, which until then had just been the company name with craft cakes as the type of item.”

  “She called them Mrs. Lehec’s Bakery.”

  He nods, “Yeah, apparently she had a Home EC teacher in school who was named that. Anyway, when I was around twenty, she sold her shares back to the company and when she died that money all came to me.”

  “You work though.” I find the words tumbling out of my mouth before I can stop them.

  “Because I enjoy it. Even when the money was Mom’s I never really took any. I mean she put something into an account for me each month, but I never touched it.” He looks at me and frowns. “I always enjoyed making my own money, I’m not a trust fund baby, Nola,” he promises, like it will make a difference to me.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask, and I cringe hearing the hurt in my own voice.

  The waiter cho
oses that particular moment to come and clear away our plates. I gaze out of the window taking in the beautiful view of the ocean. Kato grabs my hand and entwines our fingers.

  “Hey,” he murmurs as the waiter leaves.

  I look at him but say nothing and he sighs.

  “I dated a few women, all of whom wanted to be with me, but they also liked the luxury I could afford them.”

  I pull my hand away, “I’m not like that.”

  “And I know that. Now.” He adds the last word, making a clear point. One which I cannot deny.

  “The most recent woman I dated was Zara. I met her through a charity event. She mistook me for a waiter and we started dating. I didn’t tell her about my money, not until we’d been dating for a month. She was shocked, but I should have seen the lies back then.”

  “What do you mean?” I question.

  “There was always something off about her. Something even now I can’t put my finger on, but it meant I wasn’t fully committed.”

  I raise my eyebrow at him and open my mouth.

  “Nope, I wasn’t cheating,” he tells me sternly. I close my mouth and pout for a moment, unsure how I feel about the fact that he knew what was about to come out of my mouth. Even Bryony has never been able to guess what I’m going to say next, and she’s my twin.

  “What I meant by committed, is that I never fully bought into our relationship and so never gave it one hundred percent. I never actually loved her. So, when I found out, a year into our relationship, that she knew who I was at that charity function and she had planned on bagging me,” he says, making air quotes with his hands, “I ended it. I was a cash cow to her.”

  “A cash cow with a pretty exterior,” I wink and his face changes from solemn to amused.

  “Hmm, glad you think so,” he says, grabbing my hand and kissing the pad of each one of my fingers in turn.

  I swear my cooch and the girls start twerking at his touch.

  Not yet ladies… not just yet.

  “I guess at least you hadn’t bought into your relationship completely, I mean you weren’t in love,” I state. I think part of me wants him to confirm again, how his year long relationship isn’t something I’m going to have to compete with.

  “In hindsight that’s great, however it’s also not the way to behave when you’re in a relationship. You should absolutely be planning on going somewhere with it, or you’re just wasting time. I didn’t love her, I never did and honestly, I don’t think, even if things were different, that I ever would have. I realize that now… now it all makes sense,” he says, his eyes burning into mine.

  Does that mean he could love me? I shake my head and the thought away.

  “I guess I understand that. I mean I wasted so long on Lance,” I tell him and his fingers tighten momentarily on my hand before he relaxes again.

  “Lance is a dick, and he clearly didn’t recognize what he had in you. I will not make the same mistake,” he growls and I feel it to my core.

  Barney, Barney, fucking Barney you big purple dinosaur dickhead, where are you when I need you? The girls are going to poke his eyes out in a minute if he doesn’t stop saying shit to turn me on.

  “Do you think he loved you?” he questions, forcing me to focus.

  “I’m honestly not sure,” my reply is quiet and it says more than any words could.

  “Let me tell you, Nola. If a man wants you to be his forever, he will make it happen. If he’s not looking at the future, talking about the future, then he’s not that invested and he’s still considering his options.”

  “Are you still considering your options?” I ask, catching my breath on the last word, shocked at myself for being so forward.

  “Nola, my options went out the window the moment you flipped me off outside that coffee shop,” he tells me, complete sincerity in his eyes.

  “Let’s get out of here,” I demand.

  Kato stands and moves next to me. “Let me see where our check has got to,” he replies, then he grabs my hair, angles my head back and crushes his lips to mine, kissing me with a passion that should not be shared in an upmarket restaurant.

  “Hurry,” I breathe, when he lets me go.

  The fire in his eyes tells me we’ll be out of here and back at my place way quicker than the speed limit should allow.

  Chapter Fourteen

  NOLA

  “It’s been three weeks. Three weeks. Three damn weeks and I haven’t found a single thing wrong with him,” I complain to Aubrey.

  “So, you are actually looking for something then?” she questions, popping the last of her cookie into her mouth.

  “No,” I state. “I mean, obviously not.”

  She gives me the stink eye.

  “What? Don’t look at me like that,” I say shooing her away.

  “He’s hot, rich, nice and clearly sees something in you,” she arches an eyebrow, “although I want to say, God knows what, at this point, but I know you’re amazing… most of the time.”

  “Gee, thanks,” I reply.

  “When you stop trying to find fault in your hot, rich, kind boyfriend, I’ll say you’re amazing all the time.”

  “Ahh!” I groan, slamming my forehead down on the table.

  “Why do you try and find fault?” she asks me gently.

  I huff onto the table and feel my warm breath spread across the tiny space. Lifting my head, I look at Aubrey who’s watching me sadly.

  “I guess I just don’t expect something like this to be true. This is what happens in books or movies, not in actual real life.”

  “Can’t you just agree that the fact he still has his foreskin, is his imperfection?”

  I look at her aghast. “I like his foreskin!” I tell her, affronted.

  She grins, that grin turns into a smile and ten seconds later, we’re both laughing.

  “Why did we agree to this again?” I ask Aubrey.

  “Stop complaining, the fresh air will do you good,” Chance answers.

  I groan as Aubrey laughs and Kato grabs my hand. “Say the word and I’ll carry you, gorgeous,” he offers.

  “Oh, yeah. Cabot Park with people having picnics, hiking, going for bike rides, or roller blading and the kids playing at the park near the pond and you striding past with me in your arms. I don’t think so.”

  He grins down at me, “Well, the offers there.”

  “Noted,” I bite. Kato’s grin turns into a wide smile.

  “Why are we doing this?” Aubrey questions Chance. This time, of course, he straight up answers.

  “We have to put a bid in on this place. They want us to create our own design, so I thought it would be good to come and visit, get a real sense of what this place is like,” he explains.

  We’re about an hour away from home. Chance could have come here with Kato, but somehow Aubrey and I got roped in. To be fair, Cabot Park is beautiful, and apparently on the other side of the forest we’re currently roaming through, there is a beautiful lake.

  Aubrey sidles up next to me and grabs my hand, pulling me away from Kato. He drops back until he’s next to Chance.

  “Let’s run,” Aubrey murmurs.

  “Huh?” I reply.

  “Come on, let’s make them chase us, it will be fun.”

  “Are you twelve? A better question is, are you insane?” I ask.

  “Come on,” she encourages.

  “Aubrey, we’re on the downhill side of twenty, it’s fifty-six thousand degrees and my eyelids won’t shut because all the moisture in my eyeballs has evaporated. Again, are you feeling unwell?”

  Instead of answering me, she holds my hand tighter and drags me through the forest with her. We pick up speed and a thrill ripples through me. I can’t hear footsteps behind me, only laughter, so I know the guys aren’t chasing us, yet it’s still fun.

  “See, didn’t you enjoy that?” Aubrey asks, panting as we come to a stop at the top of a hill. I can see some of the huge lake glistening and it’s everything I expected it to be.
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  “Well, I’m sweating like a pig and my heart is beating so fast I can’t guarantee I won’t need emergency help in a minute, but yeah, it was fun,” I admit, smiling through my heavy breaths. “Come on, let’s go down there,” I nod toward the water.

  We clear the last few trees, giggling at leaving Kato and Chance who still haven’t caught up to us, when I spot a group of six teenage boys. They must be around eighteen and they’re terrorizing a lone duck next to the pond. They’re throwing stones and trying to kick it, and when it makes to scuttle away, they quickly block its path.

  “Hey, what the fuck are you little shits doing?” I shout, hurrying toward the clearly frightened duck as the teenage boys stand laughing.

  Aubrey rushes after me and as we both stop, I can see the worry for the animal in her eyes.

  “It’s a duck, get a life,” one of the boys says. He’s tall with brown hair and freckles. I stare at him, then eye them all up one by one, before turning to look around the park at the grown men and women turning a blind eye. I notice five or six girls lazing over by a bench watching our confrontation with eager interest, before I look back at the boys.

  “Look, I know that your mommies let you out to play today, even though you probably haven’t grown pubes yet,” I tease.

  Their faces redden and Aubrey snickers next to me.

  “But I’m sure you can find something more interesting to do than pick on ducks, like, have you got no life?” I sneer.

  “Shut up,” freckles splutters, clearly the leader of their little group.

  I turn my focus to him.

  “I know it’s hard being a teenage boy,” I look down at his crotch, “it’s probably hard all the time in fact, but no one ever notices ‘cause it’s also small,” I say, making an oops face as I hold my thumb and finger an inch apart.

  His friends laugh at him and he puffs up his chest, stepping toward me. I notice Kato and Chance walking our way and they’re clearly not happy, whether that’s because we ran away, or because we’re having a face off with a group of teens, I’m not sure.

  “You’re all dicks,” Aubrey fires at them, but freckle boy just smirks at me, getting ready to do God knows what.