Decidedly Off Limits

by Stina Lindenblatt

  Which was why Mom had given me leftovers from the party.

  Yep, I was her favorite child.

  I chuckled, knowing Mom loved us all equally. We’d never given her a reason not to. Well, most of the time we hadn’t given her a reason.

  I loaded the dishwasher and headed back to the office. If I had a T-shirt that said, “Workaholics Need Only Apply” I would wear it with pride.

  By the time I arrived, the place was empty except for Holly (of course) and one other guy who was packing up for the day.

  You know how every company has that one asshole who is a step away from being slapped with a sexual harassment complaint? A jerk-off who thinks all women were hired for his own personal pleasure?

  Meet Dick Head. Or as Human Resources knew him, Brent Dickinson.

  He jerked his chin toward Holly, who was standing at her desk, papers in hand, then winked at me. His face wore a leer I would’ve liked to wipe off with my fist. It wasn’t like that with Holly, and I didn’t want him believing that it was. I didn’t want him fueling the office grapevine with his blatant lie. While it wouldn’t have hurt my reputation, it would’ve destroyed Holly’s. She worked too hard to prove herself in a testosterone-dominated world to deserve that.

  Before I could say anything to him or push him against the wall and tell him where he could take his douchebag attitude, he walked past me and left through the main door to the elevators.

  At the sound of the door clicking shut behind him, Holly looked up and smiled. “Hey. Did Dickinson finally leave?” She visibly shuddered, leaving me to wonder what he’d said to her.

  “You mean old Dick Head?”

  Holly laughed and I did my best not to cringe. How could someone so beautiful create such a hideous sound? I swear there were male cats who wanted to hump her whenever she laughed.

  And of course thinking about her laugh made me think of another laugh. One that I used to live for. There were days when it became my personal mission to make Kelsey laugh, just so I could hear the sweet sound. The downside was my cock always got excited when I heard it. It was both sexy and sweet, even back when she had been only sixteen—back when she’d been too young for me to consider dating (if you ignored the part about Liam being her brother and my best friend). Back when I had believed love was possible for me.

  “He’s not sexually harassing you, is he?” I asked Holly.

  She shook her head. “No, he’s just being a jerk. He’s pissed that Ted Callahan is impressed with my work and hasn’t given him the time of day.”

  “He should be impressed.”

  “Ted mentioned that he had recommended my name for Richard’s job, but that’s just between you and me, okay? I know there’ll be a lot of other qualified candidates, but it’s nice to be recognized.” She smiled at me, but not with the typical I’m-proud-of-what-I’ve-accomplished-so-far smile that I would’ve expected from her. This one was shy, not at all what I would’ve anticipated from someone so smart and market savvy.

  “Either way, congratulations!” I said. “We should go out and celebrate.”

  “I haven’t got the job yet.”

  “Doesn’t matter. The fact that Ted is recommending you for the position is reason enough to celebrate. He’s not easy to impress, not like that.” I thought for a moment about Kelsey’s social calendar for the next few days, which Liam had told me about when he reminded me of the promise I’d made him about his sister’s dating life. “What are you doing Friday night?”

  “Nothing.” Holly picked up the file she had just put down.

  “Good. I’ll pick you up at six thirty.”

  Holly grinned, her teeth white and perfect. Unlike Kelsey. Kelsey had a slight gap between her two front teeth, which looked damn sexy and adorable on her. Not all girls could pull it off, but she did.

  “Okay,” Holly said. “You’ve got yourself a date.”

  “Sounds good.” I returned to my office and called Antonio’s—Kelsey’s favorite restaurant.

  5

  Kelsey

  Studying my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I let out a long breath. Mr. Kitty Whiskers jumped on the counter and meowed at me.

  “What do you think?” I asked him.

  He meowed again. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. The shell-pink cotton fabric of my favorite sundress skimmed my body and made my legs look longer than normal. The downside was that it didn’t exactly scream, “Hey, I want to get laid tonight.”

  I brushed my hair. The light blond hinted at my Scandinavian roots, as did my light-blue eyes. Didn’t guys think Scandinavian women were hot? Although that might’ve had more to do with their accents than their hair and eye color.

  “Does this say that I want to get lucky tonight?” I asked Mr. Kitty Whiskers in my best fake Swedish accent.

  My phone pinged from my clutch bag and I checked to see who had texted me.

  Hey, Sis, how’s it going?

  Relief rushed through me, like it always did whenever Liam contacted me while he was away on a mission. Great. Have a date soon. How about you?

  You’re still going out on that blind date?

  Yes. I figured if it sucked, then Erin would think twice before setting me up again.

  What do you know about him? Maybe you should cancel. He could be a serial killer.

  Right. Because Erin knows so many serial killers.

  There’s always a first for everything…

  I rolled my eyes. I’ll be fine.

  Couldn’t you make it a double date? Maybe go out with Erin and Darren.

  Well, considering my date is due here any moment, I’m going to say that’s a no. :)

  I’d feel better if you went on a double date with Erin and Darren.

  And I’d feel better if you weren’t with the SEALs, but we don’t always get what we want. No matter how much we might’ve wished for it.

  We texted back and forth a few more times before signing off. Liam had to get back to duty…and I had a date to get ready for.

  I retrieved my clutch from the bed and walked downstairs. I slipped on my sandals, and once again wished I could wear stilettos like Holly. The sandals had a heel, but nothing that made me look sophisticated or sexy.

  But maybe looking sexy had nothing to do with the type of shoe you wore. Maybe it was all about your attitude.

  I puffed my chest out. I was confident. And there was nothing sexier than confidence.

  Or so I’d once read in a romance novel.

  As I was thinking sexy thoughts, the doorbell rang. I’m a sexy Norse goddess. I can make guys come at the mere sight of me. I giggled at the last one and opened the door.

  And then my mouth flopped open. The guy in front of me could’ve been a Viking, if we still lived in that era. His straight blond hair brushed against his unshaven jaw. Height and build? Definitely that of a Viking.

  The only difference between Stephen and a real Viking was that his hair was combed and he wore black dress pants and a white dress shirt.

  “Hi, Kelsey?”

  I nodded, my ability to speak temporarily on hiatus.

  “Are we still on for tonight?”

  Again, I nodded.

  The Viking, I mean Stephen, chuckled. “Erin never mentioned that you couldn’t speak.” His warm laugh caused an equally warm reaction to hum through my lower body.

  My lips finally decided to cooperate and a smile broke out on my face. “That’s because I can. You…you weren’t what I was expecting.”

  He leaned his hand high against the doorframe. “And what were you expecting?”

  Not a hot Viking, that was for sure. “Well, considering this was a blind date…” I let the rest of my sentence hang, figuring he knew exactly what I meant.

  He chuckled again, and my girlie parts grew even more excited. “I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect either. But Erin insisted you were gorgeous and I would thank her profusely for setting us up. She even told me where she was registered for her baby-show
er gifts.”

  I grinned until my cheeks hurt, in a good way. “That sounds like Erin.”

  “So, are we still on for dinner?”

  “Definitely.”

  No, Stephen hadn’t arrived at my house on a horse or dragon. He’d pulled up in something much better. I didn’t know much about cars, but I knew guys had wet dreams over the sleek black sports car in front of me.

  “Nice car,” I said, because it was true and because I could tell the car was his baby. Judging from the way it gleamed, he obviously worshiped it.

  That annoying, know-it-all voice in the back of my head whispered, But would he worship you as much as he worships his car…or is there only room for one girl in his life?

  I gave the voice the cold shoulder. This was just a date. We weren’t getting engaged.

  He opened the passenger door for me. I sat on the seat and sank into the soft black leather. Wow. The seat was comfier than my couch.

  “How do you know Erin?” I asked as we drove to the restaurant.

  “Through the ad agency she works for. My company is a client of hers.”

  “Oh, aren’t there rules against best friends of ad agency employees dating the employees of their clients?” I joked.

  Stephen laughed. “Erin said you were gorgeous. She never mentioned you were funny too.”

  “That’s me. A two-for-one special.”

  He flashed me a quick grin. “Erin told me you’re a physical therapist at the children’s hospital. That must be a tough job.”

  “It is, but it’s worth it.”

  “How so?”

  “Well…” I thought about the teen I’d been working with for the past few weeks after she had been involved in a motorcycle accident. Her boyfriend had been driving. He died and she ended up with brain damage. “When you know you’ve made a difference in the patient’s life. When they take their first step after a serious accident that left them unable to talk, walk, or do the smallest of tasks. When they smile for the first time after taking that step.” I blinked back the tears at the memory of the girl’s half smile from accomplishing something the rest of us took for granted.

  “Erin’s right. You are an amazing woman. And I can see why you like your job.”

  “All right, so you know what I do. What about you?” Unless he had a trust fund to pay for his expensive car, he must have a job that paid a lot more than mine.

  Not that it made a difference to me. If anything, it was a strike against him. As I’d already learned the hard way, a high paying job came with equally high costs—and I didn’t want to go there again.

  “I’m the owner and CEO of a small software company.”

  A growing sense of déjà-vu planted itself in my throat, and refused to budge when I swallowed. “I guess it keeps you pretty busy, huh?”

  He nodded. “It does, but I still find time to have fun.” He flashed me another smile, which drew up short of reassuring.

  At Antonio’s, he opened the passenger door and helped me out. I gazed at his lips. They were nice lips, but they weren’t Trent’s lips. Trent’s lips were fuller and screamed, “Kiss me. Now.”

  Stephen leaned in and my lips parted slightly. But just as I thought he was going to kiss me, he backed away. “Ready to go in?” he asked.

  “Yes, sure.” Congratulations, Kelsey. And that was what I got for thinking about kissing Trent when I was on a date with another man. Maybe Stephen had sensed that, which was why he changed his mind about the kiss.

  We entered the restaurant. As usual the place was busy. If Stephen hadn’t made a reservation already, we would’ve been waiting for at least an hour.

  “Have you eaten here before?” I asked.

  “Never, but Erin told me it’s your favorite restaurant.”

  The hostess showed us to our seats, a quiet table for four in the corner. I glanced around. There were a number of cozy tables for two, all occupied. Maybe when he booked the reservation, those tables had already been booked for the night.

  Stephen frowned at the table, pulled back the seat next to the wall for me to sit in, then sat in the chair opposite mine.

  The hostess handed us the menus and told us the specials. After we’d studied the menus for a few moments, Stephen asked me, “What do you recommend?”

  I opened my mouth to list a few of my favorites, but didn’t get that far.

  “Hey, Kels.”

  I looked up and blinked, the air in my lungs catching at the sight of Trent. And that’s what I got for thinking about him in the parking lot. I’d somehow summoned him—along with Holly. Cue the Twilight theme music.

  He was even hotter than the other night. And once again, I noticed how perfectly matched he and Holly were. She wore a short black dress that was both sexy and elegant. It made what I had on look like a little girl’s dress. Although in her case, she looked better suited for a five-star restaurant than for here.

  Trent had been here before. That was why he wasn’t overdressed for the place, unlike Holly. Like Stephen, he wore black slacks, but instead of a dress shirt, a thin, dark-green sweater hugged his body just right. It let anyone checking him out see that he was in great shape, but without being overly tight.

  “Hey, what are you guys doing here?” I asked, even though it was obvious why they were at the restaurant. Of all the places in San Francisco that Trent could’ve taken Holly for a date, he had to go pick the one Stephen had chosen for our date. Go figure!

  Please don’t sit near us, I silently pleaded.

  “We came here to eat, but there was a mix up with our reservation. And now there’s a two-hour wait. You don’t mind if we join you, do you?” Trent turned to Stephen and held out his hand. “Hi, I’m the best friend of Kelsey’s brother. You know, the brother who serves with the Navy SEALs.”

  Shoot me now. Why the hell did he have to bring that up? From the quirk of Stephen’s eyebrow, it was clear this was the first he’d heard about Liam’s career. Erin wouldn’t have told him. No point scaring him off prematurely.

  Oh. God. Did Liam put Trent up to this? That would explain why my brother had been so interested in my dating life. It was like that time when I was sixteen and Liam had a “talk” with my date while I was getting ready. There wasn’t a second date after that. It wasn’t until a few months later that I found out my brother had threatened to break both of the guy’s legs if he hurt me.

  Some things never changed.

  Before Stephen could object to them joining us, Trent sat next to me. His leg accidentally brushed against mine and it was like a jolt of electricity had hit the spot. A happy buzz hummed through my body.

  Whoa, definitely not a good thing.

  I jerked my leg away from his—and instantly missed his touch.

  Holly looked between the two guys, shrugged, and sat on the chair next to Stephen. At least Stephen was a gentleman and had pulled the chair out for me. Trent’s mom would have berated her son for such poor manners. She had taught him better than that.

  “Stephen, this is Trent and Holly. They work together.” And were no doubt here to discuss work, both being the workaholics that they were.

  Except that Holly was dressed as if it were a date.

  “Nice to meet you,” Stephen said, more to Holly than to Trent.

  A few tables over, a waitress carrying two slices of cake, one with a lit sparkler in it, approached an elderly couple. The man, who must’ve been in his eighties, stood and grinned at the woman. He picked up his wine glass and tapped it with a spoon. The deep, crisp sound broke through the noise from the nearby tables.

  “I’d like to make an announcement.” His voice was strong and proud and held several dozen photo albums worth of nostalgia. “Sixty years ago today, the most beautiful woman in the world became my wife.” He lifted his glass to her, and every woman in the restaurant melted into sticky goo at his sweet words and the way he worshiped her.

  I sighed in that way you do when you watch a sappy love story and wish it were yours.


  “So how do you know Kelsey?” Trent asked Stephen, breaking my attention from the happy couple. Something felt off with the question and the way he’d said it. He wasn’t asking out of interest. It was more like an interrogation. God, this didn’t sound like Trent. It sounded more like my brother.

  “Erin introduced us,” I said. Technically she hadn’t but close enough. “You remember Erin, right? Your sister?”

  Trent ignored my dig, his attention focused solely on my date. “How do you know my sister?”

  “My company is a client of her ad agency.”

  Trent hummed, his gaze penetrating Stephen’s. I squirmed in my seat. Stephen held his own.

  “Isn’t dating a friend of someone who works for the company considered a conflict of interest?” Unlike when I had joked about it, Trent was dead serious. What was his freaking problem?

  “I don’t think there’s a law against it, if that’s what you’re asking,” Stephen smoothly replied.

  “Holly,” I said, grasping for anything to end Trent’s interrogation. “I love your dress. You look great.” I turned to Trent. “Doesn’t she look great?”

  He glanced at her for a brief moment, long enough to smile at her and agree that she looked great, before returning his attention to Stephen. “And what exactly do you do for the company?”

  Stephen didn’t have a chance to answer. The waitress arrived to take our drink orders. I ordered a glass of my favorite Chardonnay. Holly did the same. The guys both ordered beer.

  “Kelsey,” Holly said before Trent could grill Stephen further. “How’s your car doing?”

  “Great, thanks. Turns out you were right about the fan belt.” And then I had an idea. A way to get back at Trent for being such an ass on my date. “Your brothers would love Stephen’s car. It’s gorgeous and hot.”

  “What is it?” she asked him.

  “A 2015 Ferrari 458 Spider.”

  I had no idea what that meant, but apparently Holly did. Her mouth dropped open in awe. She wasn’t the only one. Trent gawked at Stephen and was temporarily rendered speechless. Finally.

  Sitting back in my seat, I waited to see who’d recover first. I figured from the way Trent had responded to the news about my date’s car, it meant Stephen had passed whatever test Trent had thrown at him, courtesy of my brother.