Jade gaped incredulously. “You framed a picture of your ex-wife and her husband?”
He knew how odd that sounded, considering most severed relationships weren’t so amicable. But Jamie Ann had been one of the few people who’d understood his reckless nature and hadn’t tried to put a tether on it, or him. For that alone, he would always care deeply for her. “She’s not my ex-wife,” he said. “And the three of us are all really good friends.”
He could tell the triangle boggled Jade’s mind, and was aware his comment informed her he hadn’t “done the responsible thing” and married Jamie Ann. But there was so much more to the story than met the eye, so much history to wade through, history that had motivated the rash actions of the eighteen-year-old hellion he’d been.
Instead of pursuing something so personal, she gave him an easygoing smile. “You’re not very traditional, are you?”
“’Fraid I never have been,” he drawled, returning her smile with one of his own. “And most likely never will be. Being a bachelor suits me just fine.”
“Umm.” She went back to studying the snapshots, seemingly digesting that bit of information.
He, too, glanced over the cluster of photographs showing his daughter in various stages of growth, and he experienced a familiar sense of loss. Even though Kyle hadn’t married Jamie Ann, he’d fallen in love with Christy the moment Jamie Ann had plopped the squalling two-week-old infant into his arms.
Over the years he saw his daughter at least once a year, talked to her on the phone monthly and wrote regularly, and he hadn’t missed one child-support payment—even when times had been tough and it had been a choice between food in his belly or his daughter’s welfare.
He didn’t delude himself into believing that he was the ideal dad, and the resulting regret he’d experienced as he’d matured into a man was his cross to bear. He might have fathered Christy, but Tony was her dad in the truest sense of the word. Kyle was grateful that his daughter had been raised with love and the guidance of two parents who had her best interests at heart.
“Your daughter looks just like her mom,” Jade said, bringing him back from the past.
He met Jade’s gaze, liking this easy friendship they were forging. It went hand in hand with the trust he intended to establish, and the attraction he meant to pursue. “She might look like her mom,” he said with a wry grin, “but trust me when I tell you she’s a chip off the old block.”
Amusement lit her eyes. “How so?”
“Unfortunately for Jamie Ann, Christy’s got my wild, reckless blood.” But she demonstrated nothing more than healthy, normal teenage behavior, rash impulses that pushed boundaries but rarely crossed them. Nothing at all like the hostility and resentment that drove him to defy his father at every opportunity, and shock his family and his parents’ elite group of friends with his outrageous exploits.
“If you’re from Michigan, what brought you to California?” Jade asked.
“Camp Pendleton,” he said, naming the military base near San Diego. “I joined the marines three months out of high school, came to California, decided I liked seeing the sun year-round, and never went back.”
She eyed his left bicep, her lashes falling half-mast. “So, that tattoo of yours isn’t a fake, then?”
He chuckled. “Nope.” He turned to glance at his arm, and the indelible reminder of his stint in the service flexed with the movement. “It’s a permanent souvenir of one wild, crazy night blurred by tequila.”
Her mouth curled at the corners, and her eyes danced with a delightful secret. Then she shook her head and laughed, the sound so pure and sweet it reached him on a gut level and grabbed hard.
He wanted to probe the reason for her amusement, but he’d already spent more time with her than he had to spare at the moment. Reluctantly his gaze strayed to the clock on the wall, then drifted back to her.
He took in her unreserved expression, her affable smile, and knew a moment of supreme satisfaction for having breached her do-not-cross zone. “As much as I’ve enjoyed talking to you, I’ve got to be at The Black Sheep in half an hour. I spent the day helping the contractor tear down walls in the new restaurant, and I was just getting cleaned up for my shift tonight when you caught me.”
As if realizing how much time she’d spent with him, her eyes widened ever so slightly, and she took a telling step back. “I’ve got to go anyway. I just wanted to bring you your mail.”
“I appreciate the personal delivery service,” he said, following her to the door and enjoying the view from behind.
Once outside his condo, she turned and gave him a smile. “Have a good night at work.”
“Oh, I will.” How could he not after getting closer to Jade in twenty minutes than he had in the past six months? “I’ll see ya around.” Leaning a shoulder against the frame, he watched her walk down the corridor until she turned the corner at the end. Slipping back inside his condo, he grinned as he headed back to his room to finish dressing.
He’d thrown her a curveball today. Purposely, and with impressive results. She’d arrived stiff as starch and full of preconceived ideas about how he’d behave, and had left relaxed and smiling.
Kyle’s grin deepened as he tucked his black T-shirt into his jeans then grabbed the leather belt he’d left at the foot of his bed. He’d flirted—it was a natural part of the chemistry between him and Jade—but he’d also enjoyed talking to her on a casual, getting-to-know-one-another level. And the beauty of it was, in the process, he’d stripped away a layer of defense and smoothed it over with friendship and easy rapport.
Between the journal of fantasies he had in his possession and his slow, gradual persuasion, his little tiger didn’t stand a chance.
* * *
Jade turned her flashy red Mazda Miata—a present to herself three years ago to celebrate her newfound independence—into the driveway leading to her private parking alcove. A horn blared and she glanced in her rearview mirror to find Kyle pulling in behind her.
He drove a navy-colored Jeep with a soft top, which he used only when it was raining. The open-air vehicle framed by thick roll bars and little else suited that rebel attitude of his, and gave truth to his comment about enjoying the California sun year-round.
She waved out her open window and saw him grin before she made the turn to her parking spot and he drove past to his. Once she was parked, she lifted her laptop case and purse from the passenger seat and slid from the low-slung sports car.
They met on the main walkway leading to the lobby of the complex, though he had to jog a short distance to catch up to her deliberately clipped pace.
“Those heels sure do make your legs look great in that miniskirt,” he said once they were side by side. “But it baffles me how a woman can walk so fast and steady in them without toppling over.”
“Years of practice.” She smiled at him, taking in his wind-tousled hair, shot with strands of gold from the sun, and eyes sparkling with mischief. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’d planned this.”
He didn’t look the least bit offended by her suspicion. “Hey, what can I say? I’ve got great timing. Besides, I’ve been wanting to talk to you. This saves me a trip to your place.”
Despite how much she’d enjoyed talking with Kyle the other night at his condo, she preferred the neutral territory of the lobby to the private, intimate sanctuary of her home.
A tall, curvy blonde exited the front of the complex and sauntered down the walkway toward them, her gaze riveted to Kyle. She wore a tight, skimpy pair of shorts and a workout top that revealed more than it covered. Her mouth lifted in a sultry, come-hither smile, and she tossed her wild mane of hair over her shoulder in a deliberately seductive gesture.
“Hi, Kyle,” she said, giving him a thorough once-over that was at once possessive and appreciative. Jade was irritated to realize it struck a resentful chord within her.
“Hello, Lynette,” Kyle replied pleasantly.
Jade recognized the woman as a
tenant, and guessed that she and Kyle were acquaintances. Or perhaps a whole lot more, Jade speculated, noting the way the blonde was eating him up with her hungry gaze.
“You working tonight?” the other woman asked hopefully.
Kyle grinned. “I’m closing the place down.”
Lynette looked pleased. “Count on me being there.” She trailed a finger up his arm and along his shoulder as she passed him in that loose-hipped walk of hers, then added, “Save me a place at the bar.”
The whole exchange provoked Jade’s ire, which grated on her nerves even more because she had no claim to Kyle. Nor did she want one, she told herself firmly. The lecture to herself didn’t improve her mood.
“I see you have your own fan club at The Black Sheep,” she muttered, unable to hold back the catty remark.
An infuriatingly sexy grin curved his mouth. “Jealous?”
“Of course not!” she denied a little too vehemently. Arriving at the double glass doors leading into the lobby, she reached for the handle, but before she could pull, his hand closed over hers, giving her little choice but to stop.
Her pulse leapt, as it always did when he touched her. No man had ever had such an instantaneous, blood heating effect on her. It unsettled her that Kyle had that much influence over her body and mind.
She jerked her hand away and forced herself to meet his gaze, which she’d fully expected to be brimming with amusement at her obvious negative reaction to the blonde. Instead, she saw only sincerity and a lush, healthy dose of desire. For her.
“You have no reason to be jealous,” he said, splaying his hand on the flat surface of the glass door to keep it closed. “I’ve been faithful to you from the day we first met.”
She stared at him, stunned and incredulous, certain he was joking, but the truth of his words was reflected in his dark blue eyes. “That’s quite a noble sacrifice, but it’s totally unnecessary.”
“I don’t seem to have a choice in the matter.” He sighed with the burden and leaned closer, revealing in a confidential tone, “Charlie isn’t attracted to anyone but you.”
“Charlie?” She burst out laughing, tickled at the prospect of Kyle, the image of virility and sex appeal, naming that masculine part of his body.
He shrugged without a hint of embarrassment. “He’s very particular.”
Her mirth subsided. “And you’re absolutely crazy.”
“Just about you,” he said, his deep voice so earnest her heart gave a distinct thump in her chest.
Summoning a defense against Kyle’s charm, she gave him a sassy grin. “Don’t bother wasting a vow of abstinence on me. The long wait will make you eligible for the monastery.”
He lifted a golden brow, and his mouth curved oh-so-enticingly. Daringly. “You willing to put your money where your mouth is, tiger?”
A shiver rippled down her spine. Belatedly, she realized her grave mistake at challenging Kyle—a wholly sexual male who had made it his mission to pursue her.
Knowing he had all that sexual energy stored up for her made her weak in the knees and gave her a sense of power that was more exciting than she cared to admit…but not so exhilarating that she’d accept his outrageous dare.
“I guess not,” Kyle said, winning the challenge by default. He opened the glass door and inclined his head for her to precede him.
She slipped past him with a murmured, “Thank you,” and they strolled down the carpeted corridor toward the lobby. Remembering something he’d said earlier, before the incident with Lynette had shifted them onto a different course, she asked, “So, what did you want to talk to me about?”
He glanced at her and smiled amiably, as if he hadn’t come close to propositioning her minutes before. The man knew how to throw her off-kilter like nobody’s business. “How’s the decorating business?”
Ah, work she could handle, she thought as they stopped at the bank of mailboxes in the lobby. “Busy.”
“Do you have room to take on another client?”
“I never refuse business.” Setting down her attaché, she rummaged for her key in her purse, inserted it into the slot and opened the metal box.
“I guarantee it’s a sure thing,” he drawled as he retrieved his own mail and flipped through the few standard-size envelopes. “A few months ago I bought the building next to my bar. I’m expanding The Black Sheep, and I’m going to need someone to decorate the new restaurant and give the bar a facelift.”
She sorted through her own mail, finding everything delivered accurately. “And you want Casual Elegance to do it?”
Stuffing his mail into the back pocket of his jeans, he relocked his box. “No, I want you to do it.”
She lifted her gaze to his. He sounded and appeared very sure of himself and his decision, despite the fact that he’d never seen her portfolio or scheduled a consultation. Decorators were a different breed, each one with a style and flair all their own. Sometimes her bold and eccentric taste clashed with certain clients’ vision and ideas. Those accounts she gladly handed over to Mariah, who was far more traditional and straightforward in her decorating approach.
However, the thought of letting her creative juices run free with a restaurant and bar was exciting, because it would be a first for Casual Elegance, who specialized in decorating and remodeling plush offices, upscale model houses, and custom-built homes. This project would be a challenging and refreshing change, not to mention an impressive addition to her already fat portfolio.
Tucking her mail into the outside pocket of her attaché, she straightened and faced him, not quite ready to grasp the treasure he dangled in front of her. “Your offer is generous and your faith in my ability is flattering, considering you haven’t seen my portfolio and I haven’t even given you a preliminary consultation. How do you even know I’m any good?”
Casually propping his hip against the sofa a few feet away, he crossed his arms over his chest and let his gaze flicker over her. His eyes traveled over her emerald green silk blouse, lingering for several heartbeats where the last closed button revealed a swell of cleavage bordered in sheer lace, before he continued down her black pleated miniskirt, and along the length of her legs. Slowly, and with enough heat to spark an internal flash fire, he dragged his eyes back to hers.
“No doubt about it,” he said, his low, sexy voice flowing over her like warmed molasses. “I think you’re plenty good.”
She ignored the double meaning and the flutter of awareness deep in her belly. “I suppose it’s your dollar, you can spend it any way you choose.”
“You’re a smart businesswoman.” He grinned and tilted his head. A lock of tawny hair fell over his forehead, making him look like the rascal Jade knew him to be. “So, have you ever been to The Black Sheep?”
“Would it make a difference if I have or haven’t?”
“Nope. Just curious.”
“No, I’ve never been there,” she said, feeling obligated to make him aware that she was accepting the job as blindly as he offered it. “It’s really not my type of place.”
“Ummm.” The sound he made was thoughtful, as was the way he looked at her. “How do you know that if you’ve never been there?”
Her face warmed when she realized she’d stereotyped his establishment without grounds. “I’ve heard about it,” she quickly qualified with a shrug. “It’s a typical country-western bar. Casual, a little rowdy. Mostly blue-collar clientele.”
He didn’t refute her description. “And you prefer Roxy’s and the more sophisticated clientele they have to offer.”
She shrugged indifferently, not about to defend her choice of nightclub to him.
“Considering my direct competition seems to be Roxy’s, I’d like to upscale.” He braced his hands on the sofa on either side of his hips and crossed his legs at the ankle, briefly drawing her attention to the way soft denim encased his muscular thighs, and other parts of his anatomy. “I want to keep the same casual, blue-collar atmosphere, but class up the interior a bit.”
“Another four to six weeks should do it.”
She nodded, digesting the time frame she had to work with. “Then we want to get started on colors and fabrics and a design to fit your theme.”
“I’ve got a general idea of what I want,” he said, a charmingly impish grin creasing the corners of his mouth, “but I was hoping you could help me tie it all together.”
“That’s what you’re gonna pay me to do.” She flashed him a quick smile and dug through her purse for her business-card holder. Finding it, she pulled out a cream-colored card with a bright abstract design in the corner beneath Casual Elegance, and her name printed across the middle. She handed it to him. “You can give me a call at the office and we can set up an appointment for an initial consultation to figure out what you want, the cost and to sign a preliminary contract.”
He glanced at her business card and flicked the corner with his thumb. When he met her gaze again his eyes glimmered with purpose. “What if an emergency comes up and I need to contact you at home?”
“I don’t give out my home phone number to clients.” She commended herself on her quick response. She was determined to do the job and maintain a professional relationship with Kyle. “My cell phone number is on the business card. Do you have a day in mind that’s convenient for you and I to meet at the bar?”
His brow creased as he mentally flipped through the upcoming week. “How does next Monday late afternoon sound? Quitting time for the contractors is around three-thirty, so any time after that we’d be able to walk through the restaurant.”
“That sounds fine.” She dropped her business-card holder back into her purse. “But I’ll check my schedule to be sure I’m free and get back to you.”
“Great.” He straightened and moved closer to where she stood. “Got a pen so I can give you my number?”
Her Sexiest Fantasy (The Sexiest Series Book 2) Page 5
