Nailed Down: Nailed Down #1

by Bliss, Chelle

  The smell of her perfume disappeared, and I moved the smile off my face, making a mental note to thank my new boss Raquel for the shot at the crime beat in one of the most prestigious papers in the country and the first-class ticket. I felt like a king, comfortable, smug at having caught the attention of such a gorgeous woman, but then one of the flight attendants went around the plane, asking for final requests, and I knew we’d be landing soon.

  Since I got the job offer, there’d been a bone-deep knowledge that something was off. Something that made me a little suspicious. I was a great writer. I was even better at researching and pressing leads for information. But I wasn’t the best, not just yet. So why did I land this gig? And in New York of all places?

  It was probably stupid to be paranoid. Likely even more asinine to listen to my big brother’s warning before I left Seattle.

  “Watch your back, Kiel. That family has a long reach.”

  He meant the Carellis. He meant the past.

  Five years ago, Cara Carelli had jerked me into her criminal world with her mouth and hands, with her warm thighs and hotter pussy. She’d driven me away from who I was and any semblance of who I wanted to be. I loved her. I’d have done anything for her.

  I’d been a punk kid just finishing up a journalism degree at NYU. She’d been the troubled source I ran into while trying to break a huge story. That story ended up with me getting the shit beat out of me and her brothers landing in jail. She’d told the cops I was a stalker. She told her family she didn’t know me at all. None of those things was true.

  I knew Cara. I knew exactly where she lived.

  It took years for me to get my head on right. It took a lot of liquor and days of listening to my brother tell me what I’d done wrong and how not to do it again.

  Cara had lied, and when I left New York after graduation, my killer story a bust, my heart ripped to shreds, I promised myself I’d never go back.

  And here I was. About to land in the one place I told myself I never wanted to be again.

  What the hell was I doing?

  “You know,” I heard, moving my head to the side when that familiar perfume filled my sinuses again. “I have a two-hour layover.”

  “Is that so?” I slid my arm behind my head, blinking my eyes open to see Legs staring down at me. She nodded, pressing her lips together, looking hungry. The brunette rested an arm on the headrest of my seat, and I pulled on her wrist, examining her left hand just to have something to do. She let me take her fingers, press them against my palm. Her skin was soft, supple like her body, and the nails were long, shaped but neat. “I might be able to help you fill your time.” I sat up when she pulled her hand away, pretending to be a little wary of me. Then, when I turned toward her, resting on my elbow, she fought a smile. “I might be able to fill a few things.”

  A quick blush crept across her face, but she didn’t frown or seem at all put off by my innuendo. I got a noncommittal shrug for my effort before Legs returned to her seat, shooting one final glance my way before the captain came on the overhead speaker informing everyone to return to their seats.

  “Your glass, Mr. Kaino?” the flight attendant held out her hand, and I nodded, slamming back the contents of my whiskey, licking my lips clean before I handed over the glass, throwing the woman a wink for her trouble. But my head was still in the game and working out how to be smooth and subtle, just to see where Legs wanted to go.

  Central Park was the first thing you spotted when you descended toward New York. It went on forever, miles and miles of lush green in the center of buildings that seemed to stretch and reach beyond anything you could see. There were skyscrapers and landmarks all clustered tightly together, and in the middle of all that, the massive park. Just the sight of it brought back picnics with Cara and the lies that spilled from her mouth easier than the wine that tipped from the half-empty bottle of Chianti.

  Legs spared one final glance my way, eyebrows up in a silent question, and I grinned, moving my chin down to answer her. It was on, and I had every intention of starting my life in New York inside this beautiful, welcoming woman.

  “Enjoy your stay,” the flight attendant said, slipping something into my hand as I left the plane. I guessed what it was before I left the tarmac, fisting the wad of paper as I moved into the airport.

  Legs was four feet in front of me, hips swaying, fluffing her hair as she moved toward baggage claim to grab her luggage. There was one small bag waiting for her. I didn’t have anything but the duffle on my shoulder, and I waited, hanging back as she grabbed her suitcase, pretending to be more interested in my phone than the beautiful woman who slipped through the crowd, tossing a curious glance at me.

  Kane had texted about my flight, and I winked at Legs, not watching the screen as I sent my brother a quick “just landed” text before I walked behind the woman, catching up to her as she headed toward a hallway sealed off with a “Employees Only” sign haphazardly taped to the wall. There were several cleaning carts and a few buckets around the hallway, but I focused on the slow tap of her heels and the roll of her suitcase wheels moving ahead of me and not the vacant hallway or abandoned cleaning equipment around us.

  Legs disappeared into the last door on the left, and when I entered, the door still swishing closed as I came to it, that bone-deep worry returned.

  The woman stood against an empty wall, hands tucked demurely behind her back as she waited for me. She’d already taken her shoes off and moved her bag to the side.

  Two steps from her, I paused, securing her hand against my chest when she held up her palm. “How do you know about this place?”

  Legs shrugged, and there was a playful smirk moving her top lip. “I know people.”

  “You don’t know me,” I told her, licking my lips when she curled her fingers around my collar.

  “I’m about to.”

  A small release of sweet, bourbon-tinted breath and I grabbed Legs by the back of the neck, stumbling just a little when that full mouth dropped open and she offered me her tongue. She hummed against my mouth, seeming to get a thrill at how I held her, how tightly I fisted her skirt in between my fingers when she stepped closer.

  “Shit…you taste so good,” she told me, as though she was surprised, but she didn’t pause for long and gripped my hair, moving my face closer, pressing her whole body against mine. “Better than I thought you would.”

  Her hair was thick, lush, and I twirled it between my fingers, using it to guide her head to the left as I licked a path along her neck. “You taste exactly like I thought you would. Sweet.” I nibbled at the dip beneath her throat, then up to her ear. “Succulent.” Teeth tugging on her lobe, I released the smallest growl. “Hot.”

  “Ah…”

  Legs was a beautiful woman, and despite how my mother had raised me, despite what I knew was right and wrong, I was about to fuck her in an empty room at JFK airport. It made no sense to want this woman, but I did. She reminded me of…

  “Antonia!” I heard, and the woman in my arms broke away from me, pushing me back against the wall like she wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near me.

  “I…”

  Three oversized men stood in the center of the room, stoic and stern, but none of them had called her name. The sound of clicking heels met us between those men, and they broke apart, moving aside, and the clicking got louder.

  Cara stood in front of us, looking fierce, looking more beautiful than I’d ever seen her, but she paid no attention to me. She glared at Legs, her face tight with anger. “I told you to get him here,” she said, taking two more steps that put her right in front of us. “I never said you could try to fuck my husband.”

  Tension moved between my shoulders at the sound of her voice and that feeling I’d had all day burned inside my gut like a virus. Cara moved her head, gesturing for Legs to leave before she faced me. There was something cool and detached in her features, and just that look was warning enough. I should have bolted for the door. Fucking hell, I shoul
d have listened to my brother’s warning.

  But I hadn’t, and just then, Cara faced me, keeping her features stern and her eyes dull.

  “Hi, Kiel,” she said, reaching out a hand to adjust my tie. “Welcome home.”

  COMING IN JUNE!

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  ABOUT EDEN BUTLER

  Eden Butler is an editor and writer of Contemporary Romance novels and the nine-times great-granddaughter of an honest-to-God English pirate. This could explain her affinity for rule breaking and rum.

  When she’s not writing or wondering about her possibly Jack Sparrowesque ancestor, Eden patiently waits for her Hogwarts letter, edits, reads and spends way too much time watching rugby, Doctor Who and New Orleans Saints football.

  She is currently living under teenage rule alongside her husband in southeast Louisiana.

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  ABOUT CHELLE BLISS

  Chelle Bliss is the USA Today bestselling author of the Men of Inked and ALFA P.I. series. She hails from the Midwest but currently lives near the beach even though she hates sand. She's a full-time writer, time-waster extraordinaire, social media addict, coffee fiend, and ex-high school history teacher. She loves spending time with her two cats, alpha boyfriend, and chatting with readers. To learn more about Chelle, please visit her website.

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  Acknowledgments

  From Chelle Bliss:

  Thank you to Eden Butler for agreeing to write with me and helping my words come easy again. I’ve always adored your spirit and the beauty you portray on every page, sucking me into your worlds. It’s an honor to call you a friend.

  To my readers, thank you for diving into Kane and Kit. I can’t even begin to explain how much fun they were to write, but don’t worry… There’s more to come.

  And to the bloggers, you rocked it like always. Thanks for supporting our new series and we hope you loved every word Eden and I created.

  From Eden Butler:

  Thank you to Chelle for leading me into this journey. No one loves my words like you do. I will always be grateful for your love, support, and friendship.

  To my reader group, the Saints & Sinners, my “sweet” team, and all the readers and blogs who continue to support my work, thank you so much.

  And thanks, as always to my family: Chris, Trin, Faith, Grace, and Jax, for always loving me and believing in my work. I am truly blessed by such a phenomenal family.