by Anna Castor
“Ha! Crazy old man. He’s not going anywhere any time soon,” Duncan said with a grin.
Pops often spoke about dying, but there was nothing wrong with his health. He was seventy-eight years old, yes, but he was as healthy as a horse. He was just cranky, as he hated getting older and growing dependent on others. If you were stupid enough to assist him in anything, he would bite your head off.
“Look, I’m having lunch with her today. I’ll call you later, Dec, okay?” Duncan couldn’t wait to see Kayla. Last night was something else. The moment his lips met hers, they sparked like a sizzling hot fire he’d never experienced before. After weeks of hanging around at his brother’s office to get to know her, one night at Lucky’s broke down a little piece of the wall surrounding Kayla. He hoped that now that they’d kissed and she agreed to go on a date with him, she was going to let him in.
Kayla sat behind her desk and one of the elevators dinged. As usual, she looked up from her work to see who’d entered their floor. She wasn’t prepared for the sight of Calum walking out and striding straight toward her.
She jumped right out of her chair, which fell to the floor with a loud bang, and rushed over to him. He opened his arms wide so she could fly into them. She instantly burst into tears.
“Shh, Kay-Kay... shh,” Calum whispered as he held her tightly to his chest.
“Kayla? Are you all right?” Donovan asked from behind her.
She could only nod her confirmation. She was intoxicated by the familiar smell of her brother—of home, even. She hated that she’d left them all behind, without even admitting to the real reason for her sudden departure. It all had been a mistake, and now she realized what she’d done, not only to herself but to her family as well. She cried even harder from the shame that came over her.
“Ooh, sis. Shh, all is okay now. Please stop crying.”
She looked up at her brother and tried to give him a reassuring smile, but she couldn’t see him through her watering eyes.
“He’s your brother, Kayla?” Donovan was still standing there and had picked up on the fact that Calum had called her “sis.”
“Yes, he’s my brother.” Kayla took a step back from Calum, grabbed his hand, and turned around to see Donovan’s concerned face. “Donovan, meet my oldest brother, Calum. Calum, this is Donovan Mills. He’s my boss here at Mills Security.”
After they shook hands, Kayla introduced her brother to Jordan, Mike, and Jacob. The guys had all jumped right up from their desks when they heard the loud bang of her chair falling. She was so thankful for all of them and felt cherished by their protectiveness.
“So, Calum is your oldest brother. Can we expect more of them coming over and making you cry?” Jacob joked.
She smiled, but before she could answer, Calum took the lead. “We grew up with three brothers and three sisters.” And before Jacob could ask, Calum answered, “And yes, my sisters are all beautiful, but none of them are for you.”
The guys laughed, and Donovan said, “I would’ve said so too, if I had any sisters.”
“Would it be okay if I go on an early lunch break to spend some time with Calum?”
“Sure, Kayla. Please, take your time. We’ll see you back tomorrow. You can take the rest of the day off.”
She tried to refuse, but Calum thanked Donovan instead. “That’s real nice of you. I’ll be sure to have her back at her desk tomorrow morning.”
Donovan seemed to appreciate the dauntless way her brother operated. He stuck out his hand toward Calum. “You do that. We can’t miss Kayla for too long.”
In the elevator as they went down to the ground floor, she started to cry again when she thought of how she was supposed to tell Calum all that had happened. Calum was trying to comfort her when suddenly they were interrupted.
“Step away from my girl. Now,” Duncan roared.
The entire hall went quiet at his words, and Kayla stared up at him with teary eyes. Duncan stepped inside the elevator when Calum didn’t make a move to let Kayla go and yanked him away from her in one brisk move.
The moment he pulled his arm back to throw a mean punch at Calum’s face, Kayla shouted, “No! No, Duncan. Please, stop!” She yanked at his arm, and he froze.
Oh no, this can’t be happening. “Please, Duncan, stop. He’s my brother. Stop.”
Duncan’s face shifted from angry to confused as he looked from Calum to Kayla and back to Calum again.
“Your brother? He made you cry, wildflower?” Duncan was still in his protective mode and was assessing Calum through narrowed eyes. The doors of the elevator closed, and they went on their way up, who knew to which floor.
“Yes, I mean, no. Yes, he is my brother, but he didn’t make me cry. I’m happy to see him is all.” Kayla was all flustered and stuttering.
Duncan had called her “my girl,” and she realized that she wanted to be his, but she knew they weren’t together. Certainly not now that she’d seen her brother Calum again and was reminded of her life back in New Jersey.
“You don’t look so happy to me, Kayla,” Duncan said while looking her over.
“That’s because she’s missed her family, and she was letting it all out. Now what I want to know is who the hell you are, coming in here and shouting that my Kay-Kay is yours.” Calum was being his old self, and Kayla smiled. Calum was a textbook alpha male, never backing down, not from a seething Duncan who was surely intimidating, even for Calum with his strong physique and fighting skills.
“Kay-Kay?” Duncan looked at Kayla with a raised brow.
She smiled softly at Duncan but didn’t elaborate on her nickname.
“Are we still on for lunch?” Duncan asked Kayla.
She looked at Calum, but he didn’t let her in on his thoughts. He was so good at keeping a straight face without showing his emotions or thoughts. She knew her brother was waiting on her to make up her mind and decide if she would let the two worlds collide or if she would keep them apart.
“You can join us, if Calum doesn’t mind?” she finally answered.
Calum smiled at her choice to bring them together. “No, I don’t mind. It would be good to meet the fucker who’s been looking out for our Kay-Kay.”
Duncan stepped forward and offered Calum his hand. “The name is Duncan, not fucker.”
Calum bellowed a laugh, and Kayla released the breath she was holding because she’d worried how her brother would react to Duncan’s forwardness.
She had always sought Calum’s approval, and when she looked at them standing there grinning and shaking hands, she knew it would be okay—well, for the time being, at least.
After getting out of the office building, she gave Duncan her address and stepped into the rental car with Calum. Her brother took advantage of their time alone to pry and find out about her feelings for Duncan. She knew she was falling for Duncan, but she couldn’t admit it just yet.
“It’s too early to be sure about anything, Calum. Anyway, we’ll have to see where it goes, because I have no idea what to do next, especially now that you’re here.” Calum’s only response was to hum at her words, which irritated her, as it always did when he wouldn’t let on to what he was thinking.
Calum parked the car at Kayla’s instructions, and they waited a minute or two for Duncan to arrive. They went up in the elevator, and when they walked out on her floor and Kayla halted before her door to open it, Duncan said, “So, you live right in between Maureen and Caitlin, eh?”
“Yes. I could rent this apartment last minute through an old coworker. She told me that her grandmother took a fall and needed to move to a nursing home. I could move in straight away, so that was a bonus for me. Come, let me make us some coffee so we can talk more.”
Kayla led them over to her kitchen, which looked even smaller now with these two big guys hanging out by the counter on the two pink barstools. She gave Calum his cup of coffee and caught sight of his smiling face. Somewhere during her coffee making, Duncan and Calum talked trash over sports teams
and discussed why Calum was a Mets fan. At least they both seemed content when the other also rooted against the Yankees.
“How long are you staying, Calum?” Kayla needed to know what his plans were. Watching her brother and Duncan, it all seemed to fit. She could see Duncan at Thanksgiving dinner, fitting right in with her family, and it scared the crap out of her.
“You almost sound like you want me gone, sis.” Calum smirked over his cup, as if he knew what she was thinking.
“No. You know it’s not that. I... I just need to know.” She wasn’t making sense, even to her own ears. Calum and Duncan shared a look, and she sighed. They were teaming up against her already.
“I didn’t expect to see you walking into the office this morning. I knew you would be coming to barge into my life again. But now you’re here... sitting at my kitchen counter, next to Duncan, whom I’ve just met. And... and I don’t know what to think or what to say.”
“Well, start with the reason you up and left us,” Calum drawled before taking another gulp of his coffee. Kayla looked from Calum to Duncan, and her panic rose.
Duncan must have noticed and said, “If you wish to speak in private, I could come back later.”
She saw the worry written over his face and the pleading in his eyes, and she knew she couldn’t send him on his way. He needed to know her story so he would know all of her. And then he could show her if he truly wanted to be with her.
Kayla knew it wasn’t nice of her to think the worst of him and picture him leaving her, but she didn’t really know him. She was attracted to him, and she knew he was loved by Maureen and Caitlin. His family was welcoming to her and rooted for him when she was in Lucky last night. She even worked for his brother Donovan, but she knew he was a player, to say the least. She had to tread carefully.
“I left New Jersey almost two months ago,” Kayla started. Duncan nodded, reassuring her that he was listening. “It wasn’t planned, and I left in a hurry. I called Linda, my boss at the time, and told her I couldn’t come back on the following Monday. I told her I would be going on a trip for a year, and I did the same with my landlord. He was pissed, but it didn’t matter.
“I boxed up everything I owned and stored it because my former coworker said that this apartment was fully furnished. My boss was upset with me leaving, said that she knew something was wrong, but she wished me all the best after I’d said I couldn’t talk about it with her.”
She looked at Calum, and he was in his quiet mode again, damn him. He wanted her to spell it all out for him. Sighing, she looked into her mug.
“Why did you run? Were you scared of something? Of someone?”
Kayla was surprised it was Duncan who’d asked her these questions. It was as if he already knew that it was out of character for her to run and not to fight and stand her ground. It was indeed all so out of character, and that’s why she felt so ashamed of herself.
When she whispered a quiet “Yes,” Calum cursed.
“For the love of God! Why didn’t you tell us? Why didn’t you tell me? You know me, right? Your big brother, who’s a cop?” Calum was getting frustrated and, by default, sarcastic, but Duncan stretched over the kitchen counter and laid his hand upon hers.
“I think that’s the problem right there, Calum,” Duncan said calmly.
“How could it be a problem? I could have fucked this fucker up and....” And then it clicked for Calum. “Shit. No, Kay-Kay, please say you didn’t leave because of me.” His eyes burned with tears. Kayla had never seen her brother cry, not once in twenty-nine years of knowing him.
“No, it was not because of you, Calum. I couldn’t think straight when it all happened.” She sighed.
“What exactly did happen, Kay?”
She looked up at Duncan, who’d shortened her name, which she’d always hated. She never wanted to be called Kay, not when she loved her name and was proud of it.
“Please never call me Kay again. If you want to call me anything other than Kayla, stick with wildflower.”
Duncan chuckled and nodded at her. “There she is, my wildflower.”
Kayla rolled her eyes at him with a goofy smile on her lips.
“How bad was it?” Calum wasn’t bothered by Duncan’s flirting. He looked defeated, and he wanted answers from his sister.
“I checked into the hospital Thursday night and left New Jersey Saturday morning.” Kayla heard the scraping of one of the barstools before Calum started pacing in her kitchen, shouting curse words.
“Who hurt you? Tell me now, Kayla. This is no joking matter.”
Her body stiffened at his words. This was the exact reason she hid all of this from Calum. She knew he would barge in and be her hero, and if he had seen how badly she was hurt, he would have killed him.
Duncan squeezed her hand softly before he stood from his barstool and stopped in front of Calum. “Listen to her, Calum. Take a deep breath and let her tell you what happened. Please sit down.”
Calum scowled as if he wanted to punch Duncan in the face, but then he looked over at Kayla and sighed. He walked around the kitchen counter, picked her up from her stool, and pulled her into his arms for a warm hug. “I’m so sorry, Kay-Kay. I’m so sorry you went through this alone and you felt I couldn’t be there for you.”
She looked up at Calum. “I’ve always known you’d be there for me, you big goof. I didn’t want you to hurt him and get yourself in trouble. I was so angry that I didn’t trust myself enough to not have you find him and break him in half.”
He smiled softly and squeezed her once more before letting her go. “Okay. I’m getting us something from the diner next door. I’m going to take a breath of fresh air, order some food for us, and be right back. And then I want some answers, sis.”
He kissed her forehead and took his coat from the back of one of the barstools. “I’ll be right back. Burgers okay?” Kayla and Duncan both nodded before he went out the door.
Kayla swallowed when she spotted Duncan coming for her with a determined look on his face. He backed her against the fridge and held her face between the palms of his hands. He stared into her eyes, and for a moment she thought he wasn’t going to say or do anything, but then he kissed her. His lips touched hers ever so softly, and then he backed away a little.
“I’m so fucking proud of you.”
Of all of the things he could say to her, she didn’t expect that, certainly not when she wasn’t proud of herself at all. She tried to push him away, but he held on strong.
“No, wildflower. You survived. You are still here, you survived, and I have you here in my arms. I’m so fucking proud of how you’ve looked out for your brother, even when badly hurt. So selfless, caring, and strong.”
She shook her head and tears started to fall over her cheeks, but his thumb pushed them away. “I know you don’t believe me, but it’s true. Could you have handled it differently? Sure. But you did all of it in a state of shock, I presume. You weren’t thinking clear. And you know what? I’m fucking glad you didn’t think straight. It brought you here, right here in my arms, and I’m not letting you go.”
Fuck, she was beautiful. Even now standing here all teary-eyed, slobbering into his shirt. Such a strong woman, who went through hell. He didn’t need the details to know that, for her to run, she needed to be terrified. She must have felt as if she was running for her life, literally. He was in awe of her. She survived and was standing before him.
He’d met Calum only a few hours ago, but Duncan already knew he was not the kind of person who would let things slide. Fuck no, he would’ve hunted that fucker down and killed him. That was for sure what Duncan wanted to do. He would use him as his own living and breathing punching bag and would enjoy kicking and punching the life out of this guy.
But he couldn’t vent all of those feelings. No, he knew she would not be helped by him sharing this. She had run across the country because of those feelings she was sure her brother would have. Now was not the time for that. Duncan needed to give h
er enough breathing room to share her story so she could start getting over this bad experience. He promised himself he’d take things slow with Kayla. He would let her set the pace and let her come to him.
“Can I pour you some more tea?” She nodded at his question, and he let go of her so he could walk farther into the kitchen to do so.
She was watching his every move, and he could see she was getting uncomfortable. When he looked up from pouring her tea, he noticed she was staring at her feet and shifting from one foot to the other with her hands clasped in front of her.
“Hey.” He took her chin in his hand and tipped up her head so he could look into her eyes.
“Hey,” she said softly in return.
“I want you, Kayla. You are my wildflower.” He gave her a pointed look when she scowled and tried to interrupt him. “You feel it too. I don’t know how these things work. I’ve never, ever experienced what I feel for you before. I’m starting to fall for you.” He chuckled when her eyes opened wide at his confession. “Yeah, I know. I don’t even understand it myself.” He smirked at her when she narrowed her eyes at him and tried to jerk her chin from his hand.
“Duncan...,” Kayla scolded.
“Come on, you know what I mean. I don’t understand how I could fall so fast, but it’s happening, and I’m not backing away. I know you’re in your head right now, thinking about New Jersey, but I know when you give me a chance, you’ll see how good we are together. I know you felt it too last night.”
She nodded at Duncan’s words, and he kissed her once more. She put her arms around his waist and held on to him. He was losing track of time when suddenly someone tapped on Kayla’s apartment door. Kayla turned and walked away so she could answer the door. “Hi, Maureen. How’ve you been? Please, come in.”
Maureen looked over Kayla’s shoulder and spotted Duncan entering the hallway. “Oh great balls of fire! No, I wouldn’t dare to interrupt, dear. Hello, Duncan. It’s good to find you here.”
