Kings of the Fire Box Set

by Lily Cahill

  “Do you have any brothers, Hudson?” she asked.

  “Why do you ask?”

  “My best friend Laila is dating someone who looks a lot like you. Well, technically, she’s trying her best not to date him, but that’s beside the point.”

  “No brothers. No cousins either. Do you and your friend try not to date people who look like me as a rule?”

  Kay laughed. “No. Laila tries not to date anyone at all. Not just people who happen to look like you.”

  “And you?” he asked.

  Again, that blush. It made his groin stir.

  “I have no opinion on the subject,” she said. Though from the flush of her cheeks, he knew it was a lie. “I have to admit,” she said. “I know who you are.”

  “Oh?” he asked, cringing inwardly. Why had he given her his last name so quickly? Maybe they could have spent their first night together without that hanging over his head.

  “You’re the Hudson Royce of Royce Capitol Group, correct?”

  “That’s me,” he said. He wished for about the millionth time in his life that he could don a secret identity when it came to women. It always clouded things, polluted them. It always made him wonder if a girl was really interested in him or just his money. Most of the time, it had been his money. He couldn’t stand for that to be the case now. Not with his mate.

  “Then you should definitely not be buying me a drink,” she said. “I have an interview with your company this week.”

  “Really?” he asked. “What position?”

  “Junior VP of Property Acquisitions,” she said.

  “You have a background in PA?”

  “Are you going to interview me yourself?” she asked with a laugh.

  “No,” he smiled. “Just intrigued. You’re beautiful and smart. It’s a rare combination.”

  She blushed again. He’d suspected she would, which is why he’d said it.

  “I should probably get a table,” Kay said. “My friend will be here soon.”

  “What’s the rush?” Hudson asked.

  “I don’t mean to be rude,” Kay said. “I really don’t. You seem so nice and if you were anyone else I’d love to have a drink with you, trust me. But I don’t think this is a good idea.”

  “Because of the interview?” Hudson asked.

  “Because of the interview,” she said, moving to slip off her stool.

  Hudson stopped her. “What if I promised not to interfere? No matter how our conversation goes tonight, no matter who you leave this bar with, I’ll stay out of it completely.”

  “Aren’t things a little awkward already?” Kay asked.

  “They don’t have to be,” Hudson said. “We’re both adults, right? And we’re just spending a little time together. It doesn’t have to bleed into our professional lives.”

  Kay studied him, seeming to consider his proposal.

  “I promise. Just sit with me until your friend gets here and I won’t say a word to anyone at the office. You’ll get a fair shot just like everyone else.”

  “All right,” Kay said. “I mean, I guess it’s just a drink, right?”

  “Exactly. Now tell me more about your career. You seem awfully young to be interviewing for a VP role, so you must be doing something right.”

  “Not much younger than you, and you own the company,” she said.

  “Touché,” he said.

  “But you’re right. I don’t have a lot of experience,” she admitted. “I was referred by my mentor at Princeton, Melody English.”

  “Melody has an excellent reputation.”

  “She does. I learned a lot from her.”

  “And she doesn’t offer to mentor people often, so you must be good.”

  “I’d like to think so,” Kay said.

  “Is corporate real estate something you want to get into long-term?” he asked.

  “Possibly. I interned at Melody’s redevelopment project in Jersey City for two years during grad school and I enjoyed it. It was mixed-use commercial mostly. Condos built above ground-floor shops.”

  “We’ve been doing a lot of that lately.”

  “Yes, and you’re doing it poorly.”

  “Really?” Hudson laughed. He had to admire her boldness.

  “Maybe that was too harsh. But you’re not doing as well as you could be. That’s why you made my list,” Kay said.

  “Oh, so there’s a list?” he asked with a smile.

  “Ten interviews over the next two weeks. A girl has to keep her options open,” Kay grinned.

  “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

  “I have a feeling you’re not talking about work anymore, are you?”

  “Not in the least,” Hudson said.

  Before Hudson knew it, an hour had passed since they’d sat down together. The time had flown by without a single pause in their conversation. Kay was funny and damn sharp. Their children wouldn’t just get the benefit of her looks, but her intelligence as well.

  Children. The thought had come to him as naturally as breathing, though it had never occurred to him before. He wanted to have children with this woman. Lots of them. A whole pack. Just as he was daydreaming about what she’d look like pregnant with their first child, she clicked on her phone to check the time. A look of disappointment clouded her features, and Hudson remembered.

  “When was your ex supposed to show?” Hudson asked, irritation lacing his voice. He wasn’t sorry the lout hadn’t shown. But he hadn’t texted or called Kay once in all that time to tell her why. It was goddamned inconsiderate and selfish. Hudson could see it had hurt her.

  “Seven,” she said.

  Jesus Christ. It was nearly eight-thirty. So the guy had already been late when he’d spotted her? What a complete shithead. He could kill the bastard.

  “But you’re not worried about him?” he asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you haven’t looked at your phone once for the last hour. And you’re not calling anyone to see if he’s okay.”

  “No,” Kay said.

  “So you’re not surprised he didn’t show?”

  Kay’s voice grew quite. “No. Not exactly.”

  Hudson shook his head in disgust. “Which means he’s the kind of asshole who’s done this to you before, correct?”

  “Once or twice,” her eyes lowered when she said it, like she had something to be embarrassed about. Like him being a total dick to her was her fault. “He usually turns up after a while, though.”

  Hudson took her hand in his. “If I ever showed up even a minute late to see you without calling first, you’d know it was because something was seriously wrong with me. You’d be calling the police.”

  Kay looked up at him, her big brown eyes rich and golden as a field of wheat under the hot summer sun.

  “You don’t deserve to be treated like that, Kay,” he said. “You deserve to be loved, respected, taken care of. Anyone who’s mistaken about that can answer to me, understand? If you want, I’ll go find this guy and show him what an utter ass-hat he is.”

  “You’re serious, aren’t you?” Kay asked, disbelief and amusement in her voice. “If I told you his address you’d go find him right now?”

  “If you told me his name, he’d be on his knees apologizing to you within the hour.”

  Something about that seemed to strike her as funny. She laughed. “As much as I’d like to see that, it’s really not necessary. But thank you,” she said, her eyes going serious for a moment. “Thank you for saying that.”

  She pulled away from him and stirred her second vodka soda.

  “It’s true, Kay. You deserve better.”

  “Can we … can we talk about something else?” she asked.

  “Anything you like.”

  “What’s your story?” Kay asked. “I mean, I know the basics. You quit undergrad at Virginia Tech to start your own company, made your first million before you turned twenty. Now you’re, what? Thirty-three? And on pace for your first
billion this year. Right?”

  “That sums it up pretty well, yes.”

  “So tell me something I can’t read in the papers.”

  “Hmmm … let me see,” Hudson said. “I love how you’re wearing that dress.”

  “Doesn’t count,” she said, rolling her eyes.

  “And I especially love how it matches your face when you blush.”

  “Definitely doesn’t count,” she said with a laugh.

  Hudson brushed the back of her hand lightly, tracing her soft skin with his fingers. Every contact with her was like a spark near gasoline. From the look of the soft flush on her cheeks, he was having the same effect on her.

  “Okay,” he said. “I’ll tell you something the papers don’t know.”

  “What?”

  “I’ll tell you the thing I’m most curious about in the entire world.”

  “Really?” Kay asked with a grin. “What is the elusive Mr. Royce most curious about in the entire world?”

  “I’ve been trying to figure it out all night, but I have no idea what color your panties are.”