Pretty Packages

by Dodson, Mi'Chelle

  “When will you meet Kentucky?” Giada asked casually, successfully playing down her excitement.

  “Any minute now. Bartley asked him to meet us all for breakfast on the yacht.”

  The yacht Fabian spoke of was the rental that he would be residing in for the next month and a half of touring. The boat was mobile and able to take him from one island location to the other. It would also keep him at a safe distance from fanatic fans, which he’d acquired over the last year of recording back-to-back hits.

  Fabian and Giada had spent their first night on the yacht together last night. It had been romantic and satisfying . . . at least for one of them.

  At the thought of suddenly seeing Kentucky again after all these months, Giada’s body began to betray her. The tips of her bosom became rigid, her pulse quickened, heat shot through her veins, and her hand shook slightly on her glass.

  No other man could do this to Giada sight unseen. She resented Kentucky for this power he seemed to have over her, for making her need a change of underwear, or rather, a change of swimsuit since that was basically all she had on right now.

  Giada had barely stood up after excusing herself to their cabin when none other than Kentucky Jones stepped on board. He wore all black as usual. This time it was a black T-shirt tucked into a pair of black jeans. Black boots were upon his large feet, and he walked with that confident stride that dared anybody to cross him. Behind him was blond-haired Bartley.

  Giada plopped back down in her seat just as Fabian stood up to greet their guests. She had to sit. Her legs had gone all jelly on her.

  Crossing her legs, Giada attempted to squeeze out the ache that the sight of Kentucky’s bulging muscles had produced within her body. The way his rippled abs strained against the tight T-shirt he wore and the narrow V of his waist had her going through another heat wave. It had her remembering old times between them, fun times.

  * * * *

  Kentucky felt his lower body tighten the moment he saw Giada standing near the breakfast table. Her mocha skin looked like a scrumptious chocolate bar from being out in the sun, and the swimsuit she wore was far from modest. While she’d been standing, Kentucky saw that the mesh shorts she wore did nothing to hide the thong bottom of her bikini.

  This is one time I should have researched my client further. Kentucky regretted that he hadn’t dug deeper into Fabian’s personal life before taking this assignment.

  Although he’d been very thorough with Fabian’s professional background, the price had been so right and the financial need so great that Kentucky had only performed cursory research on the man’s personal affairs. Plus, he’d been told by Bartley that the singer had no current love interest in his life.

  Wonder why he lied? Kentucky continued to ponder, also wondering why Giada never appeared in any photos with Fabian.

  Suddenly Kentucky’s ponderings stopped as he remembered what kind of woman Giada was. No doubt Bartley didn’t count her as a serious love interest due to her gold-digging ways. The manager probably kept her out of all photos for the same reason.

  Kentucky started to wish that Giada was a passing fancy for Fabian, too, but for very different reasons. After all, ever since their encounter, she’d been visiting his dreams on the regular. Last night was no exception.

  Although Kentucky didn’t allow himself to daydream about Giada during his working hours, when he was driving home or flying on a plane somewhere, his mind would wander to those incredible two nights when they made love until the sun came up. If only he hadn’t signed that contract and given his word to guard Fabian for the next six weeks. If only he didn’t have so many fatherless kids counting on him to provide a place of refuge for them.

  Pushing all thoughts of Giada away now, Kentucky pasted a business smile on his face. Then he forced his powerful legs to move the rest of the way to actually shake the hand of his new employer.

  “Nice to meet you, Kentucky,” Fabian said, shaking the hand offered to him.

  “Nice to meet you, too, sir,” Kentucky replied, releasing the man’s hand after a firm shake. “Giada.”

  He gave her the briefest of acknowledgements and a polite nod. He wasn’t about to touch any part of her body. Not now. Not ever.

  “Hello, Kentucky,” Giada replied, giving him a return nod.

  “Oh, so you do already know my lady. Giada told me that you did,” Fabian said, making polite conversation.

  “Yes, sir, we do. She used to live across the street from my mother,” Kentucky replied, digesting the fact that he’d been discussed between the two lovers.

  Had Giada been responsible for him getting this job? If so, why? And if Giada now knew about him being a bodyguard to the rich and famous, then she had to also know that he was not as poor as she originally thought.

  No need to worry, Kentucky told himself. The man she has now is rich and handsome. I’m just rich. He comforted himself with that thought. It was a great day to be an average-looking guy.

  “How is that wonderful mother of yours?” Giada asked, drawing Kentucky’s attention back to her.

  “Mama is fine,” Kentucky replied, ignoring the heat that attacked his body as their gazes met again for a longer period of time.

  “Good. Well, tell her I asked about her, okay? That I really miss her cooking,” Giada said, giving him a charming smile.

  “I will.” Kentucky braced himself against that smile. “And how is Mercedes?” he asked, concerning her beloved pet.

  “Fine. I wanted to bring her along for the tour, but Fabian didn’t think she’d like the sea. So I had to leave her in a kennel since the regular sitter couldn’t keep her for six whole weeks,” Giada replied with touches of sadness in her eyes.

  Kentucky silently noted the forlorn look in her amber pools at the fact that she’d be so far away from Mercedes for so long. He felt compelled to help her, despite his misgivings.

  “If you’re uncomfortable with Mercedes being in a kennel, I could ask Mama to watch her for you,” Kentucky offered. “She had grown fond of the little thing when you lived across the street. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind looking after her. Plus, Mama could definitely use the company with me being gone for six whole weeks, too.”

  Giada’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Oh, could you, Kentucky?” Her voice was just as excited.

  “No problem. I’m sure Mama won’t mind at all,” Kentucky replied. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Fabian’s frown. He quickly deduced that the man either didn’t like Giada’s pet or didn’t like some other man making her happy. It was probably both.

  Promptly returning his attention to his new employer, Kentucky said, “I was instructed to call you Fabian, sir. Am I correct on this?”

  “Yes.” Fabian smiled, looking satisfied that the subject had been changed. The easy rapport between Giada and Kentucky had seemed too unsettling for him. “I prefer to use first names only. And you can also drop the ‘sir’ part since I’m a very informal guy all around. What would you like to be called? By the way, please have a seat.”

  “Kentucky is fine,” he said, sitting as requested.

  Bartley had already sat down and was now shooting covert icy glares at Giada.

  Watchful as always, Kentucky noticed those glares, too. He understood the manager’s suspicions.

  Giada was one of the most determined gold diggers there was. With a mind that could have made her a brilliant lawyer who earned thousands, she chose to use it to con men out of their money instead.

  Just sad. Such a waste of brilliance and intelligence. Kentucky grieved for the woman Giada could be if she wasn’t so materialistic.

  “Kentucky is such an odd name for a person. Were you named after the state you were born in?” Fabian asked. “Your slight rural accent suggests that you’re not a native of Florida.”

  “Something like that.” Kentucky issued one of his rare smiles.

  Then he went on to share how his Kentucky-bred father was offered a great job in Florida when his birth moth
er was seven-and-a-half months pregnant with him. He talked about how his mother went into premature labor right at the Kentucky/Tennessee line.

  “After pulling over to the side of the road, my father delivered me in the backseat of their car,” Kentucky continued. “Paramedics came a little while later to drive me and my mother to the nearest hospital, which was in Tennessee. Since I was born right at the border, there was some dispute about which state to put on my birth certificate. When Papa couldn’t get them to put Kentucky on it due to their rationale of using the state of the hospital I’d been examined in, he decided to name me what he did as an act of defiance.” Kentucky chuckled, causing everyone else to laugh, too.

  Giada laughed though she’d already heard this story before. Their eyes met and briefly held as they both remembered exactly when and where she’d heard it.

  * * * *

  Giada suppressed a moan as she remembered the first time she’d heard the story of Kentucky’s birth. She also had to catch herself from being mesmerized by the sight of his perfect teeth and the wonderful sound of his deep chuckle. She must have been a fool to ever think he was ugly. Anyone with an uncritical eye could see that he was the other U-word—unique.

  “Good thing your parents weren’t born in Georgia. Imagine going through school with a name like that,” Fabian said. “You’d have to fight every day.”

  Everybody laughed again.

  Giada fell a little bit more in love with Kentucky’s smile.

  “Yes, Georgia would have been a hard name to live down,” Kentucky replied after the laughter had died down some. “But I was so big as a child that no one dared poke fun at any name I had. By seventh grade, I was five-ten and looked like a full-grown man.”

  “Have you stopped growing yet?” Fabian asked with a playful smirk.

  “Yes, as far as I know.” Kentucky nodded. “Papa grew to be nearly seven feet tall. I’m still just six-four.”

  “Wow,” Bartley said, taking a break from scowling at Giada to actively participate in the conversation. “I wonder how big your kids are going to be.”

  Kentucky shrugged. “Who knows? But I do hope my wife fares better than my birth mother did. Giving birth to a ten-pound baby took such a toll on her body that she died soon thereafter. As a result, my father refused to impregnate his second wife, my current mother, for fear that the same thing would happen to her.”

  “W . . . Wife?” Giada suddenly blurted out. “You’re married, Kenny?” She released his nickname by mistake as anxiety surged through her veins.

  Fabian frowned at her emotional outburst.

  Kentucky gave her a look of disapproval. “No, not yet. I was speaking of my future wife.”

  Giada instantly relaxed again. “Whew! I thought I had missed out on the best red velvet cake in the South. Your mother said she was going to fix a five-tier one for your wedding day since that was your favorite dessert,” she said, smoothly playing down her unexpected outburst.

  “Don’t worry, Giada,” Kentucky replied calmly. “You’ll be one of the first people to get an invitation to my wedding. How could I not invite the woman that put her life on the line to help the police catch the thieves that robbed my family home?”

  Fabian’s brows rose. “Giada helped you in a crisis? I thought it was the other way around.”

  “Actually it was both,” Giada replied, doing her best to quell any suspicions her boyfriend had about the true nature of her past relationship with Kentucky. “The Joneses put me up for a night when I lost my car and house keys. I, in turn, called the police for them when their home was being robbed while they were away.”

  “Yes, Giada’s testimony led to the discovery of a rising crime ring in the area,” Kentucky added, causing Fabian to relax further. “My old neighborhood is now safe again because of her act of bravery.”

  Fabian smiled adoringly at Giada. “Beautiful, bodacious, and brave. I believe I’ve hit the jackpot with you, baby.” He leaned over and planted a possessive kiss on her lips, clearly staking claim and sending a silent message to his new bodyguard—Giada is mine!

  Giada felt her face grow hot even as she returned that warm smack. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the left side of Kentucky’s mouth twitch. His nostrils flared wider. Yet he regained his composure so fast that Giada thought she imagined those sure signs of jealousy.

  “No, Fabian, it is me that hit the jackpot with you,” Giada said, tenderly stroking her lover’s face just to see if she could cause Kentucky to twitch again.

  Nope. Kentucky had his guard up this time. He had it up real high.

  In the seat beside Giada, Bartley looked as if he wanted to throw up yesterday’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

  Chapter Nine

  I’m not gonna make it, Kentucky thought after he returned to his home later that evening. How was he going to protect Fabian from others when he wanted to kill the man himself?

  He’d wanted to bash the man’s head in just for even daring to kiss Giada in front of him. How was he going to survive six long weeks of them kissing and hugging and doing more than that right down the hall from him?

  Was Kentucky insane? Or trying to be driven insane?

  I need to terminate my contract immediately, Kentucky decided, ready to save them all a great deal of trouble.

  Yet, when he thought about all those fatherless kids due to come to the HardyJonesAcademy in the fall, he knew he would go through with the Fabian assignment. Kentucky needed the

  money . . . for them.

  With his mind firmly made up, Kentucky went upstairs to take a shower. He needed a cold shower at that. Seeing Giada again today had him all hot and bothered on multiple levels.

  Just as Kentucky was toweling off, he heard the doorbell ring. After slipping on a pair of gym shorts, he rushed downstairs to answer it.

  Who can this be? Kentucky thought, looking at the mahogany wood clock on the wall as he descended the stairs. It read 9 p.m.

  One look through the peephole answered his question. It was Giada.

  * * * *

  “What do you want?” Kentucky demanded as soon as he swung the door open.

  Giada gasped as the sight of his bare chest snatched her breath clean away. “I want . . . I

  want . . .” she began, trying to answer his question through the thick fog of desire clouding her brain.

  Although sex was not her original intent when she came here, it was now. Thick lust was all over her. It oozed out of her pores, danced in her eyes as she stared ravenously at Kentucky’s chest, which he deliberately folded his arms across in order to break her stare.

  “I want answers,” Giada finally squeezed out, dragging her gaze upwards to his scowling face.

  “I want a few of those myself. Like how did you get my address? And does Fabian know you’re here?”

  “I got your address from your resume in Fabian’s office. And no, he doesn’t know I’m here. He thinks I went back to the condo to get a few last-minute things,” Giada replied, looking downward again, this time at his bulging arms. They were even bigger than before. The flames of desire lapped upon her even higher. “Now are you going to let me in or what? Because I have a lot of questions for you, and it might take a while.”

  “I can answer any question you have right here,” Kentucky said, blocking the doorway with his large frame.

  Giada frowned at his deliberate movement. She’d been just about to squeeze past him and boldly enter his home unannounced. Dang. Now she couldn’t make the most of this visit by cornering him unchaperoned behind closed doors. Double dang.

  “As you can see, my front porch is very private,” Kentucky continued, pointing to the tall shrubs aligning both sides and the front of that greeting space. He removed the lock from the door, stepped farther onto the porch, then closed the door behind him.

  Giada narrowed her eyes at him. “Why can’t I come inside, Kenny? Do you have a woman in there?” Hot jealousy made her ears tingle with warmth as she stood akimbo styl
e.

  It gave her great pleasure to see desire instantly flare in Kentucky’s chocolate pools. Had her jealousy gotten to him? The sound of his nickname upon her lips?

  “That’s none of your business, Giada. I said I can answer any question you may have, not that I would,” Kentucky said after quickly getting himself back under control.

  Giada huffed in frustration. She’d forgotten just that fast that she couldn’t wrap Kentucky around her finger like other men. She’d forgotten that his will was even stronger than his body. Why did that both thrill and irritate her?

  “Why didn’t you tell me that you were rich, Kenny?” Giada asked, continuing her line of questioning. “If you had, I would have dropped all my other men for you.” She moved closer. “All of them.” She slowly ran her hands up his large chest. “Oh, Kenny. We would have still been together now.” She embraced his neck and met his gaze again. “In every way.” Giada licked her lips with anticipation.

  * * * *

  Inhaling sharply at her unexpected touch, Kentucky realized in that moment that it wouldn’t take much effort to snatch her away from Fabian. One kiss and Giada would be his again. It was in her hungry look. That look became even more ravenous because she now knew about his money.

  My money! Kentucky thought, forcing himself to focus on why Giada had really sought him out tonight. She didn’t really want him. She wanted his money.

  Well, she’s not getting either. Kentucky frowned. Then he took two steps back, causing Giada’s hands to fall back to her sides.

  Giada frowned at his clear rejection of her advances.

  “I didn’t tell you I was rich, because I needed you to choose me for me, not my money,” Kentucky said, picking up the conversation where it left off. “And how long have you known about my wealth anyway? Did you set up this job as a way to get back into my life?”

  “I found out that you were more than a bouncer just this morning after Fabian told me who his new bodyguard was going to be. I did some checking of my own afterward and discovered all kinds of interesting things about you.” Giada smiled, looking pleased that she now knew so many of his secrets.