Suspended

by Taryn Elliott

  “God, that’s so good. More,” she gasped.

  He wasn’t sure how much more he could give her, but he increased his pace. The dark slide of madness closed in on him. His grip along her hips was punishing, but he couldn’t stop.

  She bumped her hips up on each full thrust inside her, and the friction of sweat and her excitement heated the air between them. Her cries pushed him for more. The sweet sound of her moans was all he could cling to as he held on through the lava-hot tingles rocketing up his spine.

  “Fuck,” he growled.

  She shuddered. The vibrations shook him as he chased her clasping pleasure until it wrung him dry.

  Slowly her legs slid down to hang off the table. She pressed her forehead to his shoulder, and the way she trembled made him want to cuddle her close. But this was just sex. Two people riding anger and grief and possibly a little hate. He didn’t want to confuse things.

  He held tight to the condom and pulled out of her. With her warmth gone, the emptiness returned twofold. At least now he was just too fucking tired to hold on to the anger. Her hair fell forward, and he couldn’t read her. Would there still be a sly smile filled with pleasure? Or would it be one of regret?

  She hopped off the table and swayed once before he caught her. She hid behind her shield of hair, turning away from him to pull her skirt down.

  “There’s a bathroom through that door.”

  She nodded and didn’t say a word before grabbing her panties off the chair and fleeing through the door.

  With a sigh, he took care of his condom. Every bit of those last fifteen minutes was ill-advised. So why did he want to chase after her and do it again?

  Chapter Three

  Kendall slumped against the door. Her thighs were still quaking, and she was pretty sure her system hadn’t quite caught up to the fact that she’d just gotten fucked within an inch of her life. Because there was no mistake; that had been sex in its purest and most basic form.

  God.

  And she had loved every second of it.

  Twenty-seven years of playing it safe, of doing exactly what she was expected to do, and no one was here to see just how far she’d gone off track. She didn’t have to tell anyone. It was insane, but the thrill of it still coursed through her veins.

  If this was what drugs felt like, she understood why people did them.

  Her skin buzzed, and she was pretty sure she was going to have a few creative bruises.

  She looked down at her wrists. Deep red marks stained her skin where his thumbs had bitten into her when he’d clamped her hands together. He’d surprised the hell out of her when he’d done it, but the quick shock had bumped up the excitement to another level.

  A dangerous one.

  A stupid one.

  But God, she wanted to be stupid for once.

  She moved to the mirror and had to lean over the sink. Her thighs still shook, and every part of her felt stretched to the limit. She forced herself to look up. Her lips were raspberry red, and her chin was raw. She touched the abraded skin. Flashes of his ardent mouth let that firefly loose again. She pressed a hand to her belly, then up to her tender breasts.

  She’d never been so deliciously taken. Ever.

  Allowing herself a few minutes to freshen up, she stepped into her panties and faced the door. Now she just had to figure out a way to act like having sex with a man she’d known less than twenty-four hours wasn’t a big deal. Oh, and not look like a whore at the same time.

  Piece of cake.

  She thumped her forehead against the door and took a deep breath. She swung the door open and froze. Shane’s shirt was still open, though his pants were buttoned and zipped. The light thatch of hair at the center of his chest arrowed down over his ridiculously tight abs. He definitely didn’t have the body of a man who spent time behind a desk.

  But it was the rosary that did her in.

  It was so old. The chain and the beads were antique and settled against his skin as if they were simply part of him. He pulled his shirt closed. When he looked up and continued to slip the tiny disks through their holes, her heartbeat roared in her head. His golden eyes were wary and yet still filled with heat. She swallowed the nerves that blasted into her belly and walked out with her head held high.

  “So what’s the plan?” she asked. He looked at her with that eyebrow raise she was coming to expect. Evidently he didn’t want to waste words.

  He glanced at his watch. “I think we need to go and talk to Kain.”

  “Tonight?”

  “It’s not that late, East Coast girl.”

  For her it was well after ten, but she supposed he was right. “Well, if I’m not going back home, I’ll need some supplies.”

  He nodded and jangled keys in his pocket. “Let’s go.”

  She folded her arms over her stomach and followed. His stride was long and purposeful. He shrugged into a leather jacket that had seen more years than anything in her closet. When he barely stopped at the door for her, she quickened her pace. Impatience surrounded him as surely as the battered leather.

  She was fairly sure that it wasn’t directed at her, but when he climbed into the truck without a backward glance, she didn’t waste time asking any more questions. She opened the passenger side door and swung her purse in. The truck was massive. Fortunately there was a running board and handle, because there was no graceful way to get in with her suit. She settled in her seat and reached for her seat belt. When she clicked it into place, she looked up. His gaze traveled up her thigh before she tugged her skirt back down to her knees.

  But there was no burn in his eyes this time. In fact, he looked even more pissed off.

  “What part of the construction business do you take care of?”

  “Evidently none of it.”

  The acid tone killed any future plans for conversation. He pulled down the drive and out onto the winding roads that led to the coast. The sun had long since set, but the roar of the surf against the shore was worth the drive. Lights dotted the horizon from slips and docks and the occasional boat on the water. Otherwise the ride was dark and quiet. Finally he snapped the radio on, and 30 Seconds to Mars pounded through the speakers.

  Leto’s harsh whispers suited Shane’s mood. She leaned against the door and studied his profile in the dim lights of the dash. She had a feeling that without the scruffy beard and buzz-cut hair he would be far prettier than he liked to own up to. His cheekbones were as sharp as his jawline, but she couldn’t stop thinking about his mouth. It was so wide and soft in contrast to the rest of him.

  When the muscle in his jaw rippled, she averted her gaze.

  And still he didn’t talk.

  She’d never been the type to need to fill the silence with chatter, but she could feel the babbling conversation bubbling up in her gut. Everything was happening so fast. By the third song, she couldn’t stand it any longer. “What exactly are you going to say to…Kain? Was that his name?”

  He didn’t answer her, but his jaw flexed again.

  “Shane. I’m so far out of the loop on this. You gotta give me a little info here.”

  “I don’t know the details, or I’d give them to you.”

  She wasn’t so sure about that. “Fine. Sit there and let your gut churn up acid until your voice box fries.”

  His eyebrow rose, and his lips twitched. But again, not a damn word. Her own anger started a slow burn. The entire album finished by the time he turned off onto another winding road. What was it about California? Did they have to carve all the houses out of the… Her thoughts drifted away as Kain’s house came into view.

  Glass and steel and sand. She could hear the ocean roaring below, but she couldn’t pull her gaze from the wall of softly lit glass. There was no hiding the inside of his friend’s home. Streamlined wood and contemporary furniture filled the lower level. A huge stainless steel and granite kitchen flowed around the open-floor plan.

  “Holy crap.”

  “Kain’s an architect.” />
  “You think?”

  Of course he didn’t reply. The jackass just opened his car door and left her to follow. She was getting tired of playing puppy behind him. She caught his arm at the door. “If you don’t stop stalking around and tell me what the hell the plan is, I’m going to deck you myself.”

  He was at least a foot taller than her, and his damn lips twitched again, but he didn’t say a word, just opened the door like he owned the place. “Kain,” he called out.

  “In my office, bro.”

  Kendall slid her gaze to Shane. “Bro?” But he was already heading up the stairs. Her molars clicked together as she followed—again. Halfway up the landing, she held on to the banister. The stairs were wide open, and the entire living room floated under her. She returned her focus to Shane’s backside and wasn’t sure which was more dangerous.

  The upstairs was as impressive as the down. Kain’s office was the first thing she saw at the top of the stairs. It was a huge room that was wall-to-wall glass. A panoramic view of the ocean and dark skies stole her breath. Wispy fog blocked the stars and filtered the moon. More warm furniture and streamlined couches filled the room. A large desk took up the corner with the fantasy view as Kain’s backdrop, but it was the man who completed the holy-crap view.

  He was huge. His shoulders were massive under a sleeveless shirt that hugged his broad chest. Long, dense black wavy hair hung at his shoulders with a few tiny braids peeking through. His eyes were a direct and uncompromising bottle green under slashing dark brows. His left eyebrow was bisected by a deep scar that emphasized the natural arch.

  He stood and came around the desk. “I didn’t realize you were coming out. And bringing company.” He looked down at his long board shorts and bare feet. “I would have been a little more presentable.” He held his hand out. “I’m Kainoa N’ai.”

  His voice was a deep bass any woman would react to. At least that was what she told herself when her heart rate kicked up. She tilted her chin back to keep eye contact. If she thought Shane was impressive, Kain had another few inches on him in brawn and height. “Kendall Proctor.” Her hand disappeared into his gentle grip. Shane vibrated with anger beside her, but she instantly felt at ease with this man.

  Kain straightened his shoulders, and she was pretty sure his chest puffed as he faced Shane. Kendall took a step to her right. “What can I do for you, kaikua`ana?”

  “Why’d you do it?”

  Kain’s eyes lost their friendly warmth. “Do what?”

  “Don’t put that fucking boardroom face on with me, asshole. What the fuck did you do?”

  “Why don’t you tell me what you think I did?”

  “I think you swooped in and took my father’s company when he was financially fragile.”

  Kain arched his scarred brow. “Is that right?”

  Shane paced the length of the room. “This isn’t one of your acquisitions that you can just come in and take over.”

  Kain folded his arms over his massive chest. “Do tell, brother.”

  “I know you’ve been trying to get a foothold here, but this is the lowest of the low.”

  Kendall’s stomach clenched. Between the prowling tiger and the stoic linebacker who could be an extra on Hawaii Five-0, she was a little worried. Surely they wouldn’t start a brawl. They circled each other, and she took another step back until her calf bumped into a couch. She sat down and curled her fingers into the edge of the cushion. The tension in the room was as thick and virile as the two men.

  “My dad always got back on his feet. You know that. What did you have over him that he’d allow you to swipe up his client list? That list had been cultivated for decades.”

  She frowned. The list seemed to be far more important than even the company. That was the third time Shane had reacted to it. What could be so important about names?

  “Not this time, Shane.”

  Kain’s quiet voice finally halted Shane’s pacing. He looked up, his golden eyes brittle with pain. Kendall wanted to get up and smooth a hand down his arm. Christ, what was wrong with her? None of this was any of her business. She had only the Heron to worry about. Not some name game in the middle of California’s finest-looking men.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Look, your dad had no choice when he came to me. Believe me. I asked him to talk to you about this.”

  “And you couldn’t come to me?”

  Kain looked down, and she saw his arms flex with his fisted hands. “Don’t you think I wanted to? For fuck’s sake, Shane, you’re my best friend.”

  “Yeah? Well, best friends would never betray each other like this.” Shane turned and headed down the stairs. Kendall rose and slung her purse over her shoulder.

  “Let him go, `ânela.”

  “He’s not going to leave me here, is he?”

  Kain smiled down at her. “No. He’s just going to go hit the beach.”

  “At night?”

  “It’s what we do. How we met, actually.”

  Kendall slumped back down on the couch. “I’m so freaking lost. I don’t know what the hell is going on.” She let her head fall back.

  He sat down next to her and covered her hand with his. “I knew when I put this deal together with his dad six months ago that he was going to lose his shit, but I thought I’d have time to convince Larry to tell Shane.”

  Kendall hooked her foot behind her ankle and turned to him. “Was it really that bad?”

  Kain rubbed his huge hand over his face. “Worse. Larry begged me to help him. I’ve got more money than sense, according to my accountants, because I took on the Justice Construction debt. It wasn’t in the will, but I also took on all of Larry’s employees.”

  That didn’t sound like any merger that she’d ever read about. Usually the company would place their own people in the spots. “You loved him.”

  Kain nodded. “He was as much my father as he was Shane’s.”

  Kendall flinched but kept silent. Who was this Lawrence Justice? The man they described was nothing like the man she remembered. Not even close to the sort of man who would inspire this much devotion.

  “My family runs most of the construction in Hawaii, but I wanted to branch out off the Big Island. I came here for college and fell in love with the area. After I got my company up and running, I had the know-how but not the contacts. California is all about old names and a good-old-boys network that I could never bust into.”

  She didn’t understand the intricacies of construction, but she did understand reputation and word of mouth. The Adirondacks of New York thrived and died by those same principles. “And Lawrence had those contacts.”

  Kain nodded, relaxing beside her. “Larry knows everyone, and he knows that Shane wasn’t built for this life forever.”

  Kendall frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Shane will have to tell you about that, `ânela.”

  She sighed and slid her hand away. “He’s not all mad at you.”

  He tapped his forefinger against his knee. “I don’t know about that.”

  “The lawyer, Mr. Murray…he wouldn’t tell Shane anything either.”

  He sat back and stretched his arm across the back of the couch, his face contemplative. “Are you his new girlfriend?”

  “Where would you get that idea?” Shane had been nothing but rude since before they left. There was no way they gave off a couple’s vibe.

  Kain shrugged. “Just curious.”

  “Why?”

  “You’re beautiful, and he left you alone with me.”

  Kendall’s eyebrows rose. “Should I be worried?”

  He grinned. “Nah. I’m harmless.”

  She doubted that. Something told her there was a string of women across the state who would attest to just how intriguing he was. But oddly she didn’t feel the least bit attracted. Oh, he was attractive and wore charisma like cologne, but that was all it was. Not like when she was with Shane. And that scared the hell out of her. “We jus
t met today.”

  “Huh.”

  She twisted the frayed edges of a woven bracelet under the cuff of her blouse. “I feel like I’m only getting half the conversation here, Kain.”

  He seemed to make a decision and sat up. “Shane’s kind of a loner lately. I’m surprised to see him bring someone here with him, let alone a woman.”

  “He doesn’t have a choice.”

  Kain cracked his knuckles. “And now the story gets interesting.”

  “Just you wait.”

  Kain stood and gestured down the stairs. “This sounds like a whiskey story.”

  She smiled. “Probably a bottle of whiskey.”

  “My kind of story.”

  Kendall went down the stairs, again marveling at the breadth and scope of Kain’s house. She wouldn’t want to be the one who had to keep all the glass spot and fingerprint free.

  “To the left,” he said from behind her.

  Even with his huge presence, she didn’t feel uncomfortable with him. There was an innate friendliness and openness about Kain. So at odds with the Shane she was beginning to know. He went to a sideboard and opened a crystal decanter, splashing two glasses half-full. She’d been kidding about drinking the bottle, but she took the glass when he offered it.

  The living room was much different from the front room. The furnishings here were wide and comfortable, and a huge picture of a perfect tidal wave hidden by tropical vegetation hung above a glass and crystal rock fireplace. She walked to the flames, grateful for the heat they gave off.

  How the hell was she supposed to tell him? It was probably better to just get it out. She sat down on the oversize leather love seat. “I’m Lawrence Justice’s daughter.”

  Kain sat beside her. He didn’t even try to hide his shock. “His what?”

  “Yeah.” She took a sip, and the bracing fire of good liquor faded to a pleasant burn. Kain was an active audience as she explained the shortened version of her story. He asked questions about her place and her mother. He was a calming influence that she hadn’t expected. Nothing had been what she expected since she’d gotten to Monterey.