Queen of Diamonds (Aces & Eights Book 4)

by Sandra Owens

  She looked up at him with eyes that snared him with the heat in them, and holding her gaze, he increased the pace of his thrusts. She tilted her hips up as if welcoming him, and he was lost. With each stroke into her, she tightened her inner muscles around him, sending him to the edge. And those little sounds she made were driving him crazy.

  “Now,” she said.

  “Now,” he echoed. He scraped his teeth over her shoulder as he thrust harder. The urge to mark her, to claim her as his was strong, and to keep from doing just that, he claimed her mouth instead. She arched up, her body going taut, and when she grabbed on to his arms—digging her fingers into his skin as if she needed him to keep her from flying away—the thread of control he’d been barely hanging on to broke.

  Sweet Jesus, that was incredible.

  “I’m crushing you,” he said when he could form words again.

  She shook her head against his shoulder. “You’re not.”

  “Au contraire, pretty sure I am.” He could feel her breasts pushing against his chest as she tried to breathe. Rolling them over, he kept his arms around her so that she wound up spread over him. “There. Better.”

  “That was…” She lifted her head, meeting his gaze. Mischief danced in her eyes. “Good.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Just good? I’ll show you good, woman.” He tackled her, and her laughter was the sweetest music. After a time of taking turns to find perfect spots on each other’s bodies to kiss, he was ready to go again. Unbelievable. She’d somehow turned him into a randy boy.

  Not much later she was begging for mercy, and only when she admitted that making love with him was amazing did he relent and give them what they both wanted. She snuggled up to his side, and once his breathing calmed and he could think again, he thought maybe he’d been wrong to think that he would never love again. Not that he loved her or was even sure he might someday, but the contentment settling in a heart he’d thought was dead and the instant connection he’d felt with her gave him hope that his healing had begun.

  “Thank you for telling me about Zoe,” she said, her voice sounding sleepy.

  He’d thought she had fallen asleep, but at hearing her say his daughter’s name, he smiled against Kinsey’s hair. He almost let her comment go, but he wanted to share what had happened earlier today. Mostly because he believed Kinsey had helped in a way he couldn’t explain.

  “This afternoon I went into her room for the first time in months.” He wrapped a ribbon of her hair around his fingers. It was like playing with strands of silk. “And for the first time I smiled when thinking of her.” He didn’t say, instead of crying and screaming at the universe for taking my little girl away from me. He also didn’t tell her about the episode at the restaurant when he’d picked up the pizza. That wasn’t the first time something like that had happened. The sight of a child, especially a little girl, was a reminder of what he’d lost. He avoided children whenever possible.

  Kinsey lifted onto her elbow and stared down at this man who was breaking her heart. “It took me a long time to be able to smile when thinking of my mother, but when it happened, it was the best feeling in the world. My memories of her are special, and I wanted to feel happy when remembering our time together.”

  She leaned down and brushed her lips over his. “I’m glad that’s beginning to happen for you. Zoe would want you to smile when thinking of her.”

  He slid his hand around her neck and pulled her back to him, giving her a kiss that was both gentle and sweet. “Thank you,” he said when he let her go.

  He could own her heart if he only half tried, but he’d warned her against falling for him, something she best not forget. Still he had shared something precious with her, so she would do the same.

  “You wanted to know why I was at your bar.”

  “Are you going to tell me a bedtime story?”

  His grin and the way his eyes focused on her made her tingle, all the way down to her toes. “Sure, I can do that. Once upon a time there was this girl whose father died before she was born, and that always made her sad. Then her mother, whom she loved dearly, died. The girl found a letter her mother had written her, telling her that the father she’d always wished she’d met wasn’t real and that she had three brothers. Because the girl had found herself alone in the world after losing her mother, she wasn’t sure how to feel about learning she had brothers. Would she like them? Wish she’d never met them? She finally decided to look for them. Then, after months of searching, the girl learned that her brothers owned a bar called Aces and Eights.”

  Kinsey frowned at the way the warmth in Rand’s eyes faded as she told her story. But she’d started it, so she continued on. “After the girl found out who her brothers were, she wasn’t sure she wanted to meet them. She worried that they were bad men. So she went to Aces and Eights, hoping to get a glimpse of them. Instead she met you.” She’d thought he would be amused by that, but he pushed her away.

  “The Gentrys don’t have a sister.” He left her bed so fast that she wasn’t sure what was happening. “What’s your game, Kinsey?”

  Game? She didn’t have a game. “I don’t understand,” she said as she watched him dress as if the room were on fire and he needed to evacuate immediately. Then she frowned when she realized what he’d just said. “And how do you know what they have and don’t have? You said you only met them once at closing.”

  “I know they don’t have a sister.” With those parting words tossed over his shoulder, he was gone.

  Kinsey stared at the indent in the pillow where Rand’s head had lain. She pushed the covers aside, slipped on her robe, and walked into her living room to lock up behind him.

  She leaned her back against the door. “What just happened?”

  6

  Rand stood at the window of his penthouse apartment and stared out at the night. Instead of seeing the twinkling lights of the boats, he saw Kinsey’s face as she’d told her made-up story. She was a good actress. He’d give her that. She’d looked genuinely confused when he’d said the Gentrys didn’t have a sister.

  What did she hope to gain by inventing such a tale? Did she think she could just show up out of the clear blue and convince the brothers that they had a long-lost sister? Like they’d fall for that.

  And why, when he finally felt a connection with a woman, did it have to be her? What if she’s telling the truth? He tried to ignore the voice in his head. Her story was just too far-fetched to be true. Wasn’t it? But hadn’t he thought there was something familiar about her? He closed his eyes and visualized her face; the almost-black eyes, her high cheekbones, and her full lips. It was impossible to deny that they were Gentry features. He’d been so infatuated with her that he hadn’t seen what was right in front of him.

  “I’m a dead man,” he muttered. He’d slept with her. If it turned out she really was their sister, the brothers were going to kill him. First thing in the morning he was going to have to tell Nate about her, and that was one meeting he wasn’t looking forward to.

  “Got a minute?” Rand asked from the doorway to Nate’s office.

  Nate glanced over the top of his monitor. “Of course.” He pulled off a pair of reading glasses.

  “Didn’t know you wore glasses.” Rand settled in a chair in front of Nate’s desk.

  “That happens when you start getting old. Things go to shit.” He smirked. “But Taylor thinks I look hot with them on, so there you go.”

  Rand chuckled. “That’s all that counts.” Nate and Taylor, a fellow agent, had fallen in love and then married a few months ago. In Rand’s opinion Taylor was the best thing that had ever happened to the boss.

  “What’s on your mind?”

  Rand hesitated. If there wasn’t a chance in hell that Kinsey was some kind of long-lost sister and he put her on the Gentry brothers’ radar, that could cause her a lot of trouble. Should he have told her first that he knew the Gentrys before coming to Nate?

  “Whatever’s making that smoke pour o
ut of your ears, just spit it out before your brain burns to a crisp.”

  Right. Just spit it out. “Is there any chance you might have a sister you don’t know about?”

  Rand had expected a laugh or maybe a snort from Nate. What he got was Nate’s full-blown attention, and was that hope he saw in the man’s eyes?

  “Why are you asking?”

  “Because I think I’ve met her.” And slept with her. “If you actually have one, that is.”

  Nate pushed the button on his intercom. “Court. Alex. Get in here. Now!”

  Well, hell. They did have a sister and they knew it. It was going to be a miracle if he left this office alive, or at the very least without a black eye or two.

  “Dude,” Alex said on seeing him. “That was his boss voice.” He smirked. “I just hope you’re the one in trouble and not me.”

  Oh, it was going to be him all right.

  “Rand just informed me that he’s met our sister,” Nate said after his brothers were seated.

  Alex shot up from his chair. “Where is she?”

  If he told them, they’d be on her doorstep in ten minutes flat. The brothers were intense, strong-willed men. He needed to prepare her, especially since she hadn’t been sure she wanted to meet them. He wasn’t going to stand by and let them overwhelm her with their attentions. Because they would.

  “Who is she?” Court asked.

  Alex paced in front of him. “I don’t care who she is. I want to see her.” He glared at Rand. “Now.”

  “Her name is Kinsey, and—”

  “Last name?” Nate said.

  “And she thinks the three of you are biker gang dudes, so she’s not sure she wants to meet you.”

  Nate narrowed his eyes, apparently realizing Rand was stalling. “We’ll set her straight on that.”

  “Kinsey,” Alex said. “I like that name.”

  “How do you know so much about her?” Court glanced at Nate. “What’s he not telling us?”

  That I felt a connection the moment our eyes met. That I slept with her. “Look, this woman came into Aces and Eights—”

  Alex made a growling sound. “She came into the bar alone?”

  And there was the protectiveness Kinsey would get from her brothers and would hate. Or so he thought. She’d been on her own, making her own decisions for a long time, and it was going to be an adjustment for her to have three very alpha males wanting to dictate her every move. That was the way the Gentrys rolled when it came to those important to them, and Kinsey would be. He doubted if she had a clue how much her life was about to change.

  They would mean well, but they’d smother her if she let them. She was a strong-willed woman, though, and it was going to be interesting watching their relationship play out. If he was still alive to see it.

  “I don’t like that smile on your face, Stevens,” Nate said.

  So now he was Stevens. And he hadn’t realized he was smiling, but he tended to do that where she was concerned.

  Court scowled. “I don’t either. You better not be messing around with our sister.”

  “Christ, you three haven’t even met her yet, and already you’re making decisions for her.” Before this little meeting ended up in a brawl, he said, “She’s nervous about meeting you. Let me prepare her.” It was time to get out of Dodge. He stood. “I’ll call you and tell you where she’ll be. I won’t bother her at work, though, so it won’t be until tonight.”

  He’d made it to the door when Nate said, “Fine, but I better not find out that you’re sleeping with her.”

  That horse already left the barn.

  Rand wasn’t sure what time Kinsey got off work, so a little before five, he parked outside her apartment. While he waited for her, he called Josh.

  “Listen, something’s come up, and I’m going to be late getting to the bar.”

  “No problem, dude.”

  “It’s possible I might not get there at all, but I’ll keep in touch. If anything comes up, call me.”

  “Got it covered, dude.”

  “Thanks, dude,” he said, grinning. After he disconnected, he checked his e-mail while he waited. A little before six Kinsey pulled up next to him. He got out of his car and walked to her door. Her frown at seeing him wasn’t a surprise considering the way he’d left her last night.

  “Rand?” she said after exiting her car.

  Distracted by how sexy she looked in a crisp white blouse—unbuttoned just enough to show a tantalizing hint of cleavage—a black pencil skirt, black heels, and her hair pulled back in a low ponytail, he didn’t answer her. He needed his mouth on hers, and the urge to back her up against her car door almost—

  “Why are you here, Rand?”

  “Ah.” He blinked away the fantasy playing in his head. “Right. We need to talk.” He hated seeing her expression close up and the way her beautiful eyes blanked, especially knowing he was the reason for it. He’d as much as called her a liar when she’d claimed the Gentrys were her brothers.

  “Can we go inside?”

  She glanced from him to her apartment door as if debating her answer, then shrugged. “Okay.”

  Rand followed her up the sidewalk but kept a few feet between them. If he was close enough to touch her, he doubted his hand would obey his command to stay at his side. The problem with being behind her was that he had an excellent view of her fine ass and his eyes were drawn to the sway of her hips as she walked ahead of him.

  He’d suffered a loss that no parent should have to live through, and he’d shut down, going through his days like a programmed robot. But this woman had him wanting to feel human again. If he could have one wish, it would be to live the previous evening over again, to believe Kinsey when she’d said the Gentrys were her brothers.

  Kinsey was mad at her heart for the way it had pounded against her chest when she’d seen Rand waiting for her. He’d hurt her when he’d walked out the way he had. She’d spent the day convincing herself that it didn’t matter because he meant nothing to her… Well, when she wasn’t avoiding Sebastian’s roving hands. He’d been a bigger pest than usual. It was becoming obvious that she needed to look for another job, and that only added to her sour mood.

  She almost asked Rand if he wanted something to drink but then decided she wasn’t feeling all that cordial toward him. “Well?” she said, turning to face him. The sooner he told her whatever he came to say, the sooner he’d leave. Then she could get about the business of feeling sorry for herself.

  He glanced into her living room. “Can we sit down?”

  She sighed. “Okay.” Ever the gentleman, he waited until she was seated on the sofa before he took the chair next to her.

  “First, I owe you an apology, Kinsey.”

  No kidding.

  “I should have believed you. There are reasons for why I reacted the way I did, which you’ll understand after you meet your brothers.”

  What was he saying?

  “I do know them, but they’d never once mentioned that they had a sister.”

  “They don’t know.” He knew them? Why had he claimed not to?

  “Actually, turns out they did, and they’ve been looking for you.”

  It was a good thing she was sitting down since she was pretty sure her heart stopped beating.

  “Are you okay?” he asked when she put her hand on her chest.

  “I don’t think so. Did you tell them about me?” At his nod she said, “I told you I wasn’t sure I wanted to meet them.”

  “They’re good men, Kinsey. I promise. I know you have questions, and everything will be explained. After they tell you who they are, I hope you’ll understand why I doubted you. Then I’m hoping you’ll forgive me.” He stared at his shoes for a moment, then lifted his eyes to hers. “You’re the first woman I’ve been with since my life fell apart, and you made me feel alive again. I don’t know how things will change for you after you meet your brothers or if it’s a good idea for us to see each other, but I’d like to if I have
n’t screwed things up with you.”

  She’d like that, too, but she wasn’t ready to trust him again, so she decided not to commit to anything until she understood why he’d as much as called her a liar. “I guess now that they know about me, I don’t have a choice in meeting them.” Rand had also taken that away from her. Why hadn’t he told her first before going to her brothers?

  “No, you don’t. If I don’t bring you to them, they’ll show up on your doorstep.” He glanced around her small living room. “They have a strong presence. It might be better to meet them at a neutral location, someplace where you have more space if you decide you need it.”

  “Let me think about it. Maybe sometime next week.” Or next year.

  He smiled as he shook his head. “Tonight. They won’t wait.”

  “It’s too fast.” What did a week or two matter to them? They’d gone this long without her in their life.

  “I think my place would be good, and anytime you’re ready to leave, I’ll bring you home.”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “You have about an hour before you have three men with strong personalities on your doorstep.”

  “Fine. Give me a minute, and then we can get this over with.”

  “I’ll wait outside.” He took his phone out, and she assumed he was going to call one of her brothers.

  She went into her bedroom and retrieved her mother’s letter. She paused at the door and pressed her forehead against the frame. Between her feelings for Rand and knowing she was on the way to meet her brothers, she was a hot mess of nerves.

  “Mom, look what you’ve started. I hope you know what you were doing.”

  Kinsey watched Rand slip a key card into a slot and then punch the button for the top floor. She was beginning to suspect that her image of a biker bar owner’s one- or two-bedroom bachelor pad had missed the mark. A paycheck-to-paycheck man did not live in a luxurious complex right on Key Biscayne. The lobby alone would be a dream to live in with its gleaming black marble floors, white leather chairs and couches, and flower arrangements that must have cost six months of her salary.