"I do believe our Kenda has a crush," Hayley announced over the catcalls.
"No, it's not like that. He's just nice."
Sydney snorted. "Yeah. I'll bet he's nice."
"He's probably has at least two girlfriends. Men like him are never single."
"Well, this man is single," Hayley said. "In case that's what you were asking."
Jaden shrugged and tried to look nonchalant.
"And he is a nice guy," Hayley continued. "I mean, a genuine nice guy. If it were Tyler, I'd warn you off, but not Kenda."
"Tyler seems nice," Bria said.
Hayley shook her head. "Okay, so Tyler is a nice person, but he's a womanizer. Just like your brother."
"No. He doesn't seem the type. Not like Nico. Our entire life, every week Nico had a new woman. New week, new woman. But me being in St. Sebastians has put a cramp in his lifestyle. He never brings them home. And he can't stay at their place either. I don't know what he's been doing with himself."
"I hadn't thought of that," Hayley said, throwing back her head and laughing. "I wonder how long it's been."
Bria held up a hand. "I don't want to know."
"Good for him." Sydney took a swallow from her drink. "The abstinence is probably doing him good."
Bria shook her head. "I doubt it. He's always so moody."
"So wait, let's get back to Kenda." Hayley turned to Jaden and raised an eyebrow. "He's been single for two years. He had an awful breakup back then. You know the story. Guy falls in love with girl, girl is a gold digger. When girl doesn't get a proposal in whatever period of time she determined in her head, girl tries to seduce guy's older brother."
"What?" Jaden asked.
Sydney's mouth fell open. "No way. Which brother?"
"If you were trying to seduce a Browning, which brother would you choose?"
"If it were because I wanted a rich husband, it'd be Chris. Tyler doesn't seem the marrying type."
"Nope. She went for Tyler. And of course, Tyler told Kenda."
"How'd Kenda take it?" Jaden asked. She couldn't see how anyone would choose Tyler over Kenda. Why not wait for a proposal? He seemed like he'd be worth the wait.
"He was heartbroken."
"So he believed Tyler?" Sydney asked.
"A hundred percent. The girl, Stacy was her name, she didn't understand how close they are. Tyler would never have done that to Kenda. And Kenda knows that."
"So what happened? Did Kenda kick Stacy to the curb?"
"He did. He was heartbroken, but he got her out of his life. And he's been single since."
"That's so sad," Jaden said. "Does he date?"
"He does, from time to time, but he's never been serious about anyone."
"He's not serious about me, either. The kissing just sort of happened."
"That's when it's best."
Sydney snorted again. "He rescued you from the pool, put you to bed, stayed with you all night, made out with you, then made you breakfast in the morning. What's the problem here?"
"Exactly," Hayley agreed. "So we know he likes you. Do you like him?"
"What's going on here?"
At the sound of the male voice, Jaden twisted around in her seat. The sight of Kenda, so unexpected, had butterflies dancing in her stomach. Which was ridiculous. She was too old for butterflies.
He had on a plain black tee-shirt, but the way it fit him was anything but plain. His biceps flexed as he moved to rub something off his nose, and Jaden couldn't take her eyes off of them. That is, until she took in the rest of him. Jeans that looked well worn, and instead flip flops he had on work boots.
Tyler, Chris, and Nico were with him, but she barely registered them. Tyler was still talking, but Jaden didn't hear what he was saying anymore.
Kenda came around to her side of the sofa and crouched beside her. "How are you doing?"
"I'm good. You?"
"Me, I'm feeling kind of stupid. I shouldn't have run out on you the way I did this morning."
"I probably shouldn't have assumed you're a playboy."
"It's funny, actually. No one has ever accused me of being a playboy."
"Why is that so funny?" Jaden demanded.
"Because you don't know Tyler and Nico. Nobody who knows them has ever mistaken me for a playboy. I kind of like it, come to think of it."
"I don't believe that."
He edged closer. He smelled wonderful. She wasn't sure if that was soap or cologne. Whatever it was, it worked for him.
"Have you thought about what you're gonna do tonight?"
"What do you mean?"
"You shouldn't be alone."
"I know. But I have a few options."
"I'll stay with you tonight."
"I can't ask you to do that."
"You didn't ask. I'd feel better knowing you're safe. Odd thing, really. You pull a woman out of a pool and give her mouth to mouth, and suddenly you feel responsible for her."
"You don't have to feel responsible for me."
"Why don't you sit, Kenda?" Hayley said, rubbing the spot between her and Jaden.
Jaden could feel the sofa shift as Hayley shimmied over to make room for him.
He didn't move at first, but continued to look at Jaden, as though waiting for her to agree or deny him. For a moment, Jaden stared back at him, unmoving. When Hayley elbowed Jaden's arm, Jaden realized she'd once again been guilty of staring at the man.
"Yeah, right," Jaden said, recovering. "Sit. Your legs will get stiff if you stay like that."
"I'm going to sit. What about tonight?"
"If you're willing to play bodyguard, I'm not going to argue." She patted the sofa beside her. "Please, sit."
Jaden moved over and Kenda sat beside her.
"You make jeans and a t-shirt look very good, Kenda Browning."
He smiled. "Thank you. You look very nice tonight."
"No, I don't. I've had this on all day. That includes a trip to the library, then a surprise trip to the old Lancaster Mansion. After that, we all agreed we needed a drink."
His eyes roved her from head to foot. "Nah, you look really good."
"What are we drinking?" Tyler asked.
"Everything," said Hayley.
Chris and Tyler were in armchairs at the end of the table. Nico was sitting between Bria and Sydney. Jaden could hear them talking, like a sort of white noise nearby. She couldn't make out anything they said, though.
"The Lancaster Mansion. I was there this morning. Why'd you go up there?" Kenda asked.
"Because Beryl Chambers has written about Chimera. She has a website. Bria found it." She motioned toward the others with a nod of her head. "We found out so much today. And all of it is weird. Why were you up there?"
"Beryl Chambers wants to remodel the place. She had Chris and me up there to look around to see what we could do and come up with a proposal."
The waiter returned to check on them. He took a new batch of orders from the men, then retreated.
Jaden started to tell Kenda about the Maliki, but was interrupted by Nico reprimanding Bria.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming here after you left the library?" Nico was asking her. "I've been all over town looking for you."
"Get off her back," Sydney said. "She's an adult."
Jaden refocused on Kenda. "If I tell you what we found out, will you think I'm crazy?"
He considered the question. "Will I think you're crazy? Let's think about that."
She shoved playfully at his arm.
"You're not crazy. This entire situation is crazy."
She told him about the books her aunt had ordered, then about the story she'd read in the book, Chimera, and that Bria had found a name for the Man in White. "His name is Prodigy."
"Prodigy? Like the band?"
"Yeah. But that's not the craziest part. I don't know if I should even tell you the rest. It's where Beryl Chambers comes in."
"You can't leave off the best part. Especially since I'm playing body g
uard tonight. I may need to know this." He was smiling, so she thought he was joking, but there was some truth in that statement.
"Okay. Like I said, it's about Beryl." She told him what Beryl had told them. When she stopped talking, Kenda was silent.
"She's telling the truth."
Jaden hadn't realized Hayley was listening. She shifted in her seat to look at Hayley and had a double surprise. Hayley and Chris had been listening.
Kenda looked at Chris, who stared back at Kenda. Their expressions were unreadable.
"We are not crazy." Hayley insisted.
"Strange things do seem to happen to the three of you," Chris said.
"The four of us," Hayley corrected. "Sydney isn't the good Samaritan we thought she was. She's been hanging around because she dreamed about Prodigy, too. So it's the four of us."
Kenda looked around the table, mouth slightly open. "All four of you have had the same nightmares about the same man?"
"That's what I'm saying."
"Okay. I have a proposal. It's eight-thirty. Why don't we get out of here and get something to eat, and see if we can figure this out over dinner?"
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
They went to dinner, but didn't come to any conclusions. She didn't like discussing this with Tyler or Nico. Especially Nico. He was too offhand and dismissive, despite all of the seeming coincidences. Now, she walked with Kenda down Main, toward the residences where her aunt lived.
After a few minutes, Kenda stopped in front of a pale green tiled house. "This is me. Do you mind if we stop in so I can pack an overnight bag?"
"Really Kenda, I can't expect you to stay with me again. What are you gonna do? Stay with me every night?"
"You're not asking. I'm insisting." With that, he turned up the flagstone path toward his front door.
His house was something else. She'd seen it before. On a street full of gorgeous houses, his was one of the nicest. Not because it was humongous, either. It was a three-story craftsman, tasteful and cozy. There were trees in his front yard, a deck that ran around the entire second floor of the house, and lots of beach grass.
She followed him up the path, then up the steps to the entrance of his house on the second floor. He felt around his back pockets for his house key. When he opened the door and led her inside, her breath caught.
"This is your house?"
He looked at her over his shoulder, a slight grin on his face. "You like it?"
"Who decorated? It's fantastic."
"I decorated. Remember, I'm an architect. I know a thing or two about houses and style."
She walked past him, marveling at all of the tall windows and soft lighting throughout the house. She was drawn, though, to the living room. It was lit up from the glow of lights he'd left on the deck. His walls were almost entirely made of glass. The one wall that wasn't was where the fireplace was.
"You must be an amazing architect," she said.
"Make yourself at home. I'll be right back."
She walked to the doors that led out to the deck and stared out. She had no right to feel at ease and relaxed, but she did. For the first time in her life she felt like she wasn't alone. It was a nice feeling. To have people she could discuss the dreams with, and her fears ... and Kenda ... she hadn't seen him coming. Not from a million miles away. She was on a sort of vacation and told herself she should just go with the flow and have fun, even though she'd never been one for casual relationships. She got attached to people. She already liked Kenda more than she should. But how could she not? He was chivalrous, funny, and good-looking.
She wasn't startled by the hands that closed over her shoulders. She'd seen his reflection in the glass as he approached.
"Are you ready?" he asked, staring into her eyes in her reflection.
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
He didn't say anything. Instead he turned her around to face him, then his lips were on hers. And she was lost. Lost in the feel of his body pressing against hers, and his lips on hers.
She leaned into him, drowning in the kiss until he pulled back and stared down at her.
"I had to do it," he said. "I wanted to do it at the restaurant, but my brothers and Nico are like big children."
"Catcalls?"
"Yes. And they would have been talking about it for the rest of the night."
She stood on her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her mouth. She kissed him this time, slowly. When he lifted her and carried her to the sofa, settling her down on the cushions beneath him, she didn't protest. Nor did she stop him when he slid his shirt over his head and tossed it onto the floor. His hands were all over her body, stroking and arousing her. He wasn't an inexperienced man, either. He knew how to touch her; how to inflame her.
Again, she had the thought that it was like drowning. Like drowning in him.
"Let me have you," he whispered into her ear. He was hoarse and panting, and the sound of his voice nearly drove her mad.
He arched up from her and undid the button on his jeans, his eyes fixed on her face. Waiting, hands poised over his zipper.
She nodded, almost frantically. "Yes."
He slid his zipper down. The sound, so familiar, was suddenly the biggest turn on of her life. He had to stand to get his jeans off. Then he freed her of her clothes. In a moment he was on her again. The warmth of his skin against hers, of his erection against her belly, had her mindless with need. She ran her fingers over his back, reveling in the hard muscle beneath her fingertips.
He kissed her again, moaning into her mouth. And then he was inside her.
She'd been with men before, but it hadn't felt like this. She hadn't even known this was possible. Every time he slid into her the pleasure was nearly too much. She thought she might float out of her body from the intensity of it. And it didn't stop or lessen. It got better with each possession. More intense, until she'd climaxed beneath him.
After, she lie spent on the sofa, trying to catch her breath.
He lay on top of her, holding most of his weight on his elbows. His breathing was as heavy as her own. She supposed the look of surprise and satisfaction he wore was a mirror of her own. She hadn't been expecting this, either. But she was glad it had happened.
"That was amazing," he said, still catching his breath. "I should have taken you up to my bedroom, but I couldn't wait."
"What's stopping you from taking me to your bedroom now?"
It took him a moment to get her meaning. When he did, a grin spread across his face. "Absolutely nothing."
In the next moment, he had her in his arms and was carrying her up the stairs.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Kenda looked out at the distant mountain range, confused. Where was he? He'd never seen those mountains before. But that wasn't quite right. They were familiar. They looked a bit like the foothills he saw from his office window every day. A bit like them, but different. They were bigger. The trees were taller, the foliage thicker. The vista seemed somehow wild and untamed. There wasn't a sign of any of the houses built along the mountain range. The structures that had caused thousands of trees to be chopped down to make way for pools, tennis courts, and mansions. He'd had a hand in designing many of those houses, so he knew them well. And they were gone. Every one of them were gone.
"It'll be dark sooner. We should be getting back."
Kenda looked to his left and realized he wasn't alone. A man was with him. The man was dressed entirely in green and was wearing black boots that came to just below his knees. The lower half of his face was covered in what looked like a green mask, but his brown eyes were wide and kind. He was surprised that he knew those eyes. Knew this person.
"Prodigy and his night raids," another man said.
Kenda turned to this new speaker. He knew this man, too.
He looked down at himself and was surprised to see he was dressed as the two men. But where was he?
"Collect the princesses," the first man said. "We'll make it back to the c
astle before nightfall if we leave now."
The princesses? What princesses?
But even as he'd asked himself the question, the sound of raised voices came to him. They were high and sweet and young. He turned around and saw four small girls splashing around in the lake. They were laughing and shouting. They looked so small and innocent, so helpless that his heart nearly broke just looking at them.
Yes, they had to get the princesses back to the castle before nightfall. Ever since the old Maliki had died, and the kingdoms were split between his sons, the forests between the two kingdoms wasn't safe.
"Time to go back," the second man said as he approached the princesses. "It'll be dark soon."
Kenda felt a tug on his pant leg and looked down. A tiny little girl was standing in front of him, staring at him with large brown eyes. One fat tear was on her cheek and her lips trembled.
"Sauda said there are monsters on the path at night and that's why we have to go home early now. Are there monsters?"
He crouched onto his knees so he could look into her scared eyes. He wasn't sure what he should say, but he wanted to comfort her so she wouldn't worry. No child of four should have to be concerned about monsters, even if they were real. She was young and should be able to enjoy her childhood.
"Sauda said that, did she?"
Kesi nodded. "Yes."
"Well..." he trailed off. He could hear something far off in the distance. He knew he should recognize the sound immediately, but he couldn't. He was confused today. Not sure even of who he was.
Then he knew.
He grabbed Kesi and stood. "Prodigy!" He ran toward the wagon, carrying Kesi with him. At his words, the others sprang into action. The girls were gathered and loaded onto the wagon. It would be a bumpy ride, so he secured each of the girls, then got in beside them. The first man he'd seen was driving, with another man beside him. The second man he'd seen got into the wagon and set himself at the other side of the girls.
"How can he know we're here. Zuri said she'd set a spell of protection on us, blocking us from view," the second man said.
"Chris?"
The second man looked at him, confused, but only for a moment. "We've no time for games. How did Prodigy find us?"
Jaden (St. Sebastians Quartet #1) Page 11
