Entice Me

by Kelly Elliott

“Okay. So the inside is a bit grander than the outside. Just don’t judge, okay? I know it’s an obnoxious house and all, but it’s my folks’ place and where we all grew up.”

  “Why do you think I’m going to judge your family?”

  “Well, I’m not sure how much that background check you did on my sister told you.”

  “I didn’t read it.”

  She stopped walking and forced me to do the same. “What do you mean you didn’t read it?”

  Lifting my shoulder up in a halfhearted shrug, I replied, “I told Blake, my friend, to not have it done. I had a feeling Kaelynn was going to tell me whatever secret it was she was hiding, and Blake went ahead with it anyway. He gave me the envelope, but I wasn’t going to look at it. Your sister happened to come across it before I could throw it out.”

  A slow smile spread over her face, and she tilted her head as she regarded me. “Okay, I like you a little more now and don’t really want to grab you by the balls and twist them until you cry ‘uncle.’”

  I crossed my legs and winced. Millie laughed, then started walking again. The front door opened as we walked up the steps.

  “Ms. Whitaker, welcome home.”

  “Thanks, Janet! This is Nash Barrett . . . a friend of Kaelynn’s. Will you be sure to put him in the guest room down the hall from Kaelynn’s bedroom?”

  “So much for being able to hide,” I mumbled loud enough for Millie to smirk then give me a wink.

  We walked into the house and I was stunned by what I saw. I had been in some rather impressive beautiful homes. Charlie’s parents’ house on Lake Travis in Austin was beyond stunning. But this house . . . this thing was stately. The marble floors were polished to perfection. On either side of the giant room there was a winding staircase that led up to the second floor. A huge chandelier hung from the ceiling. But the most impressive thing was across the room. The entire back wall was a picture window with the snow-covered mountains as the backdrop.

  “That’s beautiful,” I whispered.

  “I know,” Millie agreed. “Come, let me give you a quick tour so you can get your bearings. We have a theater room, a bowling alley, a trophy room where my father displays all of his trophies.”

  “He likes to hunt?”

  She laughed. “Likes to hunt? He lives for it. Do you hunt?”

  “Live for it.”

  “Well, then you’ll like that room, and you’ll earn a brownie point from my dad.” She motioned for me to follow her as she kept talking. “Let’s see, an indoor and outdoor playground. A dry sauna, a wet sauna, an indoor pool. A basketball court, indoor archery and shooting range, a meeting room, and if you brought your swimsuit, I believe the lazy river is on.”

  “You’re joking, right?”

  “Nope. Our parents wanted to make sure we wanted for nothing. My brother was into archery, so Dad had that built. He liked basketball, so Dad had it built. He wanted to make sure we could use everything year-round.”

  “I want to say the word spoiled, but . . .”

  Millie grinned as she walked up to an elevator and hit a button. “Fastest way down to the fun stuff.”

  “Holy shit. I’m thinking I should have read the background report.”

  This time Millie laughed and nodded. “You probably should have. Our family is wealthy, Nash. I don’t know this ex of yours, and I’m not trying to be a snob, but I’m pretty damn sure we’ve got her family beat by a few million. My great-great-great-—maybe one more great in there—grandfather put all of his money into railroads and industry like steel and iron. Then you had his wife, who had a smart head on her shoulders, not to mention she was pissed off at her cheating husband who put a lot of money into land in and around Boston, New York, and the DC area. Let’s just say between the two of them, they made a fortune and taught their kids to keep growing that. My father is no different. The man doesn’t have to work, but he works every single day except weekends. My parents have set up a lot of scholarships, donated a lot of money, and have helped with things that their kids have a fondness for. I like animals, so my father has donated a lot to charities I’m passionate about. Same for Kaelynn and my brother. What we have a passion for, our parents get involved in it. They have more money than they know what to do with, so they do good. You may think I’m blowing smoke up your ass, and to be honest, I don’t give a rat’s ass. I know the hearts of my family, and that is all that matters.”

  I gently took Millie by the arm and stopped her. “You don’t have to explain anything to me about your family’s money. Or what your parents do with it. It’s none of my business.”

  “I know, but it’s important you know that just because we have more money, it doesn’t mean we don’t do good for people. I don’t want you to think Kaelynn is like Li—”

  Her voice trailed off.

  “Lily?”

  Trying to hide her face so I didn’t see the embarrassed blush on her cheeks, she nodded.

  I sighed. “I’m not comparing Kaelynn to Lily. I need you to know that.”

  “I’m sorry, this whole thing is just . . . I’ve never seen my sister fall for a guy like she has for you. She hasn’t been herself the last few days, and I know you guys haven’t even really dated that long, but I also know you slept together.”

  This time it was my cheeks that burned.

  “Nash, I hope you won’t walk away from something that is clearly special. You might be telling yourself you owed it to Kaelynn to talk to her in person and explain, but I think you got on that plane today because you needed to see her.”

  Before I could answer, Millie’s phone buzzed and she glanced down at it. “Kaelynn’s here.”

  Lifting my shoulders, I dragged in a deep breath. “Guess the tour is on hold.”

  “Guess so. By the way, that snow is coming down. I venture to say you’ll have plenty of time to explore this place.”

  Laughing, I motioned for her to lead the way.

  Millie had taken us a different way, and I was already confused where I was in the house. Was I on the north side or the south side? Jesus, I needed a printed map with landmarks on it to make my way out of this maze.

  “What side of the house is this?” I asked, walking down a narrow set of steps that led right into a hallway that housed a butler’s pantry.

  “The north side. The kitchen is on the north side. There are four levels of the house. The basement houses all the fun stuff—the bowling alley, the theater, shooting ranges, the billiards room, and the pool. First floor has the kitchen, formal dining, and living room, the family room, the library, my father’s office, which has a meeting room adjacent to it, and the famous trophy room. Second floor has most of the bedrooms and a few other rooms like my mom’s craft room. If you ever need to find Kaelynn while you’re here, check the library. It’s her favorite place.”

  “Who are you talking to?”

  The sound of her voice left me breathless. I had been standing around the corner, so when Kaelynn came in from the garages, she must not have seen me.

  “What?” Millie asked, startled that Kaelynn had made it up to the house so quickly.

  “How did you get here so fast? My phone just went off that you came through the gate.”

  “I’ve been home the entire time, I didn’t come in through the gate,” Kaelynn said. “Who are you talking to?”

  Millie motioned for me to stay back. “Um, shit. That must be Jack then.”

  “Does he know I’m home?” Kaelynn asked, a bit of surprise in her voice.

  “No, but he’s about to find out that both of you are here and . . .” Millie looked at me and then used her head to signal for me to step out. The second Kaelynn saw me she smiled. Then it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

  “Oh shit,” Millie and I both mumbled at the same time.

  “What are you doing here, Nash? How did you know I was here . . . oh, wait. That’s a stupid question.”

  “Kaelynn,” I started before she cut me off.

  “Did yo
u have me followed here?”

  “No! Of course not.”

  Millie stepped between us. “Okay, stop. Jack doesn’t know what happened between you two. He’s very protective of his sisters, and if he finds out Nash caused you to run from Austin, he’ll shoot him.”

  My gaze jerked from Kaelynn over to Millie. “What? Shoot me? You’re kidding, right?”

  Both girls answered me. “No.”

  My eyes widened in horror. “Well, can I just go hide?”

  Kaelynn shot me a dirty look. “My hero.”

  “Your sister just said he would shoot me! How do you want me to respond to that?”

  “No, you’re going to have to pretend everything is okay. Kaelynn brought you home to show you where she lived.”

  “Why can’t we just tell him the truth?” I asked. “I’m really not in the mood to play pretend anymore.”

  Kaelynn looked at me with hurt in her eyes. I felt like a dick, but I was done playing games.

  Placing her hands on her hips, Kaelynn lifted her shoulders and stood taller. “Fine by me. Tell him the truth then. I’m sure he’ll be very interested in hearing that you ran a background check on his sister, slept with her, and then kept it from her.”

  “Okay, I’ll be sure to note how you gave me a fake last name, never told me about your family except for the things you wanted me to know, oh, and when the going got tough, you ran.”

  “Is that what you think I did? Ran? Nash, I was in a state of shock. You had my whole life history in an envelope stuffed in your jacket pocket.”

  “Yes, and I never had any intention of reading it. I told Blake I didn’t want the damn background check done. Even when I found out Dotson wasn’t your real last name. I had a feeling you were about to tell me. I wanted you to trust me enough to tell me on your own, Kaelynn. Not fucking lie to me. I had enough of that with Lily.”

  Kaelynn’s eyes turned watery, and she looked down at the floor. “I was afraid you’d only want to be friends if you knew the truth.”

  “You never even gave me a chance to figure that out on my own, which I wouldn’t have pushed you away. I . . . I care about you.”

  Shaking her head, she looked up at me. “Nash, you even said in the car you didn’t want a woman who came from money. Take a look around here, will you? I come from money. My whole life I’ve been trying to figure out who is really my friend and who is really out to gain something from me. It was easier to be someone I wasn’t to guard myself.”

  “You should have told me,” I stated.

  Millie stepped between us again. “Okay, well, I’m pretty sure if Jack hears any of that, he’ll want to kick Nash’s ass regardless.”

  “Why would I want to do that?”

  We all jumped and turned to see, who I was guessing was the girls’ brother, Jack. Kaelynn squealed in delight and ran to him. He caught her in his arms before she knocked him over. I couldn’t fight the smile that spread over my face as he spun her around and kissed her on the cheek.

  “Hey, it’s so good seeing you. I’m so glad you’re home.”

  After putting Kaelynn back down, Jack looked my way. Extending my hand, I said, “Nash Barrett, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  Jack smiled, but I knew he wasn’t sure about me. “And I’ve heard nothing about you except for the little bit of arguing the two of you just had.”

  “I’m sorry about that,” I stated, giving him a firm handshake.

  He returned the handshake and asked, “Do you mean it? Do you truly care about her?”

  My eyes went to Kaelynn. “Yes.”

  “Then figure that shit out. For now, let’s eat. I’m starving.”

  Millie clapped and did a little hop as she and Jack headed down the hall. Kaelynn stared at me for a few moments before turning and walking away. I followed her and we all ended up in a dining room that I was pretty sure should have been in a castle somewhere.

  Holy shit.

  A large white marble table sat in the middle of the massive room that I swore would echo if I decided to yodel. Ten decorative chairs sat around the table. Kaelynn glanced over her shoulder and looked at me as I stood planted in the entrance of the dining room, taking it all in.

  “How about we eat in the kitchen?” Kaelynn suggested.

  “Sounds good to me,” Millie said, grabbing a couple of boxes of pizza as Jack grabbed the rest of them.

  It didn’t take long to get to the kitchen. For the rest of the house being so grand, I was surprised that the kitchen wasn’t fancier. I liked it though. It was white with wood floors and granite counters. A large island sat in the middle with another large island at the end that housed four stools. Jack pulled one around to the other side, while Millie did the same. I pulled the stool out for Kaelynn and pushed it in for her before sitting down.

  “This house is incredible. I can’t imagine growing up in a place like this,” I stated as Jack started opening up pizza boxes.

  “You like to shoot?” Jack asked before shoving a piece of pizza in his mouth.

  Millie and Kaelynn both jerked their heads up to look at Jack, then me. Millie started shaking her head and motioning for me to say no.

  “Um . . .”

  Jack glanced up, a wolflike smile on his face.

  “I’m not sure what my answer should be here.”

  Laughing, Jack looked at Millie, then Kaelynn, before focusing back on me. “Did they tell you I would shoot you?”

  “Yes, they did.”

  “Nah. But did you purposely do something to hurt my sister?”

  “Jack,” Kaelynn started to say before her brother gave her a look to silence her.

  “No. But we do have a few things we need to talk about.”

  He stared at me intently. Then he tilted his head and regarded me even harder. Then he pointed his pizza at me and spoke. “I’m good at reading people and I like you. I get a good vibe from you, dude. So, do you like to shoot or not?”

  “Yes. I do.”

  Another bite of pizza was stuffed into his mouth as he nodded his head, chewed some, then swallowed. “Good. Let’s do some shooting after this.”

  “Jack, he just got here, and I’m pretty sure he came to talk to Kaelynn, not shoot at paper guys with you.”

  “Archery?” Jack asked me, ignoring Millie.

  “I’ve bow hunted a number of times.”

  A wide grin grew over his face. “Cool. Then we’re on for tomorrow. I’ll bring Jill with me so you can meet her. Millie, you bring Justin, and we’ll do game night or something.”

  “That sounds like fun!” Millie said.

  Kaelynn tossed her napkin onto the bar. “No, guys, no. We’re not going to have game night.”

  “Why not?” the three of us asked. Kaelynn stared at me. “What if we . . . I mean . . . we haven’t even talked yet.”

  I took a bite of pizza. “Are you planning on ignoring me until then?”

  “Well, no.”

  “Great, then I’m sure we can have game night with your brother and sister and all act like adults, no matter what happens between us.”

  She stared at me and I wasn’t sure if she wanted to kiss me or slap the hell out of me. I’m thinking a mixture of both emotions, so I winked and her lip snarled.

  Oh, she for sure wants to slap the hell out of me.

  MILLIE BOUNCED OUT of the house and over to her SUV. Before she had a chance to get in, I grabbed her arm.

  “You knew he was coming?”

  She grinned. “I picked him up at the airport.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me? Give me a warning or something? How did you even know he was coming?”

  My sister shrugged and looked at her watch. “Morgan told me. I’ve got to run, sis. It’s already late, and Justin is expecting me.”

  “Millie, you can’t leave me here alone with him.”

  “Janet will be here.”

  I rolled my eyes and sighed. “You know what I mean. Seeing him, it unnerves me. I want to be angry with hi
m, but my body keeps tell me to rub up against him like our cat used to do.”

  “Oh, kinky, sis. I like this version of you.”

  “You know what I mean. Not rub, be near. Feel him. Crap, I don’t know what I mean. When is Mom and Dad coming home?”

  “In a week. Christmas Eve.”

  “What!”

  I turned and started to pace, wringing my hands.

  “Calm down. He’s here to talk. Don’t push him away; let him say what he needs to say and you say what you need to say. Act like adults.”

  “I do act like an adult. It’s just, Nash makes me feel all . . .”

  “Squishy inside? Like your tummy is dropping and your heart is floating helplessly around in your chest? You can’t find words when he smiles at you? Breathing can be a struggle when he’s to close and the thought of him touching you makes your body feel like it is on fire?”

  Frowning, I said, “Yes. That’s exactly how I feel. How did you know?”

  She opened the door and jumped into the Lexus. “It’s called being in love, Kaelynn. Now go find your Prince Charming and figure this shit out.”

  After the door shut, Millie gave me a thumbs up then drove off without so much as a backward glance.

  Turning on my heels, I walked back into the house and set off to find Nash. He had wondered off after Jack left thirty minutes ago. Lord only knew where he could be. I searched the kitchen and then headed to the living room. Janet, the house keeper, pointed down the hall to the library.

  “If you’re looking for Mr. Barrett, I showed him to the library. He’s got himself a cup of warm tea, would you like some, Kaelynn?”

  “I would adore some, if you don’t mind.”

  She smiled warmly. “Of course, dear. Give me a few minutes and I’ll bring it.”

  Nodding, I headed to the library. My heart beat so fast I swore it was about to burst right out of my chest. When I walked into the library, I stopped when I saw him.

  Nash stood in front of the fire looking at a picture of me at my college graduation. A part of me wanted to turn and walk away. I didn’t want to deal with this right now.

  Turning slowly, I started to walk out of the library.

  “Kaelynn.”

  His voice was soft. Like the night he made love to me and whispered my name in my ear.