Decidedly Off Limits

by Stina Lindenblatt

  And now that Trent was appeased, this date could go on as planned—other than the part where it had become a double date.

  “Statistics show,” Trent said, “that owners of sport cars tend to be reckless.”

  Oh, God, someone find me a brick wall to bang my head against.

  6

  Trent

  I knew I was being an asshole to Kelsey’s date. I couldn’t help it. Just look at him. It couldn’t have been more obvious from the way he was scoping her that he had only one thing in mind—and it wasn’t to discuss the latest in physical therapy news.

  It was official: I was going to kill my sister.

  And it had nothing to do with my promise to Liam. Kelsey deserved more than this jerk-off. He was only interested in fucking her. He didn’t care about the amazing woman in front of him.

  I shifted in my seat, letting my leg brush against hers again. The jolt that I had experienced the first time, when I’d sat down, hummed up my thigh and through my body.

  Kelsey inhaled a sharp breath, too soft to be heard by anyone but me. For a second I let myself believe that my touch affected her the same way her touch affected me. For a second I let myself believe that Liam and Erin wouldn’t have an issue with me being with Kelsey. For a second I let myself believe that I was the right man for her.

  But then the logical voice in my head reminded me that I was a workaholic who didn’t do commitments—for good reason.

  Kelsey did commitments.

  I moved my leg away from hers, doing my best to ignore the loss of contact between us.

  “Does that mean you aren’t a careful driver?” she asked me, a smirk in her tone. “You have a sports car.”

  You heard the ding-ding-ding, right? That was Kelsey scoring a point.

  “That doesn’t count,” I said.

  “Why doesn’t it count?” The smirk was still there.

  “Because I happen to like my life, and I’m not going to risk it by driving like an idiot.”

  “I feel the same way,” the jerk told me. Then to Kelsey he said, “There are other ways, more fun ways, to get an adrenaline rush.” Though from the way he was looking at her, it was clear what he meant.

  I clenched my hands under the table to keep from introducing them to his face. There might’ve also been the need to keep them off Kelsey, since I itched to place my hand on her thigh and soak in her warmth, to re-experience the jolt. A few other ideas as to what I wanted to do, involving my fingers and the heat between her legs, also came to mind.

  My cock hardened in agreement, hoping to get a piece of that action. It took everything inside me not to groan out loud. Focus.

  “You still haven’t mentioned what you do for a living,” I said, my tone five steps from being cordial. This resulted in a sharp kick to my lower leg. Ouch!

  Both women gaped at me like I was crazy, so I had no idea who was responsible for the bruise now forming on my leg. Although based on Kelsey’s expression, I wouldn’t have been surprised if she tried to lure me down a dark alley and murder me.

  Holly widened her eyes at me, her message clear: Why are you trying to sabotage your friend’s date? But it wasn’t as if I could tell her—although I was sure her brothers would understand why I was doing this on Liam’s behalf. The last person I would admit my feelings to when it came to Kelsey was another woman. While Holly wasn’t the type to date much, she was still a woman. She would tell me to get my head out of my ass and ask Kelsey out instead of being an asshole.

  Right. She wouldn’t have put it quite as crassly, but the sentiment was the same. And if Kelsey was anyone but my best friend’s sister, I would’ve done just that. It didn’t bother me that she was my sister’s best friend. Much.

  Erin was a different situation. She would’ve crushed my balls with a baseball bat if she even suspected I got hard over her best friend. She’d worry about what would happen if things between Kelsey and me didn’t work out.

  And she had a good point. History was a bitch.

  So that brought me back to my original dilemma: Kelsey’s douchebag date.

  “I’m the owner and CEO of Dinemar,” he said. “My company creates software for various companies, including hospitals and medical offices.”

  A twinge of admiration settled on my shoulders. The company wasn’t part of my mutual fund portfolio, but I’d heard one of the other guys in the office talk about it. The company was doing great things for his portfolio.

  But hell if I’d admit that to this loser.

  The elderly couple celebrating their anniversary stood up to leave. My heart warmed at the love they shared. Just like it was with my parents. You’d have to be a moron not to see how important the woman was to her husband. But I doubted she was anything like Angela. I doubted she would have pretended to be pregnant to trap herself a husband with a great future earning potential.

  “That’s nice,” I said to Kelsey’s date, whose name I could no longer remember. “And what about your free time? What do you enjoy doing?” This would be the deal breaker for Kelsey. Being owner and CEO of a large successful company meant he wouldn’t have free time for Kelsey. Which meant he would be no better than her ex-fiancé.

  “I enjoy all kinds of activities. I’m a firm believer that it’s important to have a life outside the office, or else the stress of the job can kill you. That’s what happened to one of my uncles. He was so obsessed about his job, he forgot to live his life, to enjoy himself, and the stress became too much. He died of a heart attack. He was only thirty-nine when it happened.” He listed the hobbies and activities that he enjoyed, and shit, the list was long.

  Way to go, shithead. Make me feel like a slacker.

  Kelsey’s eyes were wide and she seemed a little paler than before. She probably figured that with all his activities and hobbies, he wouldn’t have time for her if they dated—and she was probably right.

  As I mentally patted myself on the back for saving Kelsey from making another mistake she would regret, Holly said, “I used to practice tae kwon do in college, but haven’t done it in years.” She smiled at the loser.

  Somehow I managed not to laugh. Holly wasn’t the kind of woman to steal someone else’s date, or at least I never believed her to be that kind of woman. But here she was flirting with the jerk. Interesting.

  I leaned back in my chair, waiting to see what he would do. Maybe I could give him Holly’s phone number so they could hook up. That would save Kelsey the grief of being with someone again who didn’t have time to appreciate her.

  “Kelsey, you should give it a try,” Holly said. “I used to love it. It’s a lot of fun.”

  What the hell?

  “That’s a great idea,” the douchebag piped in. “You can come to the studio where I go. It’s a mixed group, so it doesn’t matter if you’ve never done it before. We have new members join us all the time.”

  That wasn’t a great idea. It was a terrible idea.

  “I might do that,” Kelsey said. “Thanks.”

  Holly and the jerk-off started discussing the things they enjoyed doing. Kelsey listened with rapt interest, every so often asking questions.

  “And what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?” the jerk asked, turning the question back on me.

  Holly laughed and the table next to us looked to see what had caused the weird sound. “Trent is a workaholic. If he hadn’t brought me here tonight, he would still be at the office, crunching numbers.” She flashed me a teasing smile. What could I say? She was right.

  “I’m not that bad. Besides, I love my job.” It made me feel alive.

  Or at least it used to. The thrill I used to feel had faded a bit over the past year and I couldn’t figure out why. So I pushed myself harder, spent more hours at the office, looking for the exhilaration I used to experience every time I showed up for my job.

  The jerk didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. His expression said it all: Well, it’s your funeral. Literally.

  For the rest of the m
eal I remained somewhat quiet, pretending to listen to what everyone had to say, but at the same time I couldn’t get out of here soon enough. So far I’d failed in screwing up this date between Kelsey and the guy. I still wasn’t convinced he was good enough for her, and Liam would want a full report.

  And more importantly, I wanted to ensure their date didn’t end with him going home with her. The thought of him fucking her was enough to drive me crazy.

  I was so focused on trying not to imagine them having sex together, I almost missed the sound of a cell phone interrupting their conversation.

  The jerk answered it. The only thing I could tell was that the call was urgent and had to do with his company.

  “All right, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He hung up. “I’m sorry,” he said to Kelsey. “I need to leave, but I’ll drive you home first.” He indicated for the waitress to fetch the bill.

  “I can do that,” I quickly said before Kelsey could respond. “We haven’t had dessert yet.” I nodded at the next table over where the waitress was serving Kelsey’s favorite. The girl loved her chocolate cake, and no one’s chocolate cake outdid the one they made here.

  She glanced over at the table and I could tell she was thinking the same. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d been fantasizing about it while eating dinner.

  The jerk-off must have sensed it too. “All right then.” His thumb skimmed the back of her hand and he smiled. “I’ll call you.”

  Did you spot it? The dejection in her eyes? I didn’t think he’d seen it because she was great at hiding what she was thinking—but it didn’t escape my notice.

  He paid for their meal and left. I winced at the anger now flashing in her eyes that was directed at me, and waited for her to unleash the temper I had experienced more than once from her while growing up.

  I would definitely be dropping Kelsey off first.

  But instead of unleashing her temper, she smiled at Holly. “Okay, I’m ready for chocolate cake. And lots of it.” She mumbled the last part, along with what sounded suspiciously like, “Since I’m not getting laid tonight.”

  That smile on my face? That was me inwardly high-fiving myself.

  7

  Kelsey

  Late Monday morning, I sat outside in the hospital courtyard, enjoying a quick break before my next patient. The sun was warm on my face, the breeze a slight kiss.

  Pathetic as it was, this was the most action in the kissing department I’d seen in a while. Lucky me.

  “Is someone sitting here?”

  I glanced up from my E-reader. Next to one of the white plastic chairs at the table, holding two cups of coffee, stood a tall, good-looking man in a suit.

  “No, you can have it,” I said, figuring he needed it for the next table over, where a family now sat.

  “Thanks.” He put the coffees on the table, one in front of me. “I bought you this. Linda said it’s your favorite. Hope that’s okay?” Linda was a barista in the hospital cafe. Her four-year-old daughter had been a patient of mine for a short time last year, and Linda and I were on friendly terms because of it.

  Which meant she didn’t think he was a serial killer if she’d told him what I liked to drink.

  I inhaled the subtle sweet scent wafting from my skinny vanilla dolce latte. Mmm. “Thanks, but really, you didn’t need to do that.”

  “Sure I did.” He pulled back an empty chair, scraping the plastic against the cobblestones, and sat down. “I figured we could count this as our first date.” The smile on his face was that of a man confident in who he was, and confident no woman would ever reject him.

  Pretty much like Trent.

  “And let me guess,” I said, “you’re expecting a kiss at the end of this so-called date?”

  He laughed, but it wasn’t the same sexy laugh that came from Trent so easily. The same sexy laugh that always turned my panties damp.

  It was more like a giggle.

  Oh, boy. Strike one.

  “I certainly wouldn’t protest,” he said, “but I can wait for our second date if you’d prefer.”

  I tilted my head slightly to the side, in potential flirt mode.

  Not that I was skilled at flirting.

  “And you’re expecting a second date?”

  “More like hoping for one.”

  A quick glance at his ring finger told me he wasn’t married. He didn’t have a wedding ring on, nor was there a tan line. “Are you visiting a patient?”

  “No. I work here, in finance.”

  Ah, so the guy responsible for my paycheck.

  I slipped my E-reader into my purse on the chair next to me and sipped my drink. “How come I haven’t seen you before?”

  “I only started a few weeks ago, and every time I saw you, you were busy reading. So this time I came bearing a gift.”

  I laughed and lifted my cup. “Ahh, a bribe so I’ll talk to you?”

  He giggled again. “Pretty much. So what were you reading?”

  Heat rushed to my face at what I had been reading. Or more specifically, the scene I’d been reading.

  There might have been dirty talk involved.

  And possibly a silk tie.

  Don’t think about Trent and his long strong fingers strapping you to the bed with his ties.

  This fantasy had already visited me more times than I cared to share. The fantasy where Trent ripped open my blouse, too impatient to waste time unbuttoning it.

  He spread his warm hands across my breasts, partially hidden by my black lacy bra, and squeezed them. I whimpered with need and my nipples ached for his hot breath, ached for his tongue.

  He unhooked my bra and let it drop to the floor, then pressed me against the door. His talented tongue lashed against a needy nipple. Heat surged between my legs. “Oh, God,” I moaned.

  With a sexy smirk that made my panties wetter, Trent pulled away and started to undo his tie.

  “Are you still with me?” A male voice jerked me back to reality.

  A reality that didn’t involve Trent and me, naked.

  My girlie parts all groaned in unison, aroused, achy, and cussing like a horny sailor. Sorry, girls.

  “Sorry,” I told the man. “I was just thinking about something I have to do after my break. What did you say?”

  “What were you reading?” He jerked his chin toward my purse.

  “Trust me, nothing that would interest you.”

  He smiled. It was a nice smile as smiles went, but my panties stayed dry. “I’m Craig, by the way. And you’re Kelsey, right?”

  “That’s right.”

  “And what kind of food do you like?”

  Odd question—unless you were getting ready to ask the person out on a date. “All kinds. I’m an equal opportunity eater…minus weird stuff, like bugs.” I made a face and he giggled. God, what was it with that giggle? “I love chocolate, but what woman doesn’t? But I’m not a fan of chocolate ice cream.” Although I could be persuaded if the flavor was to-die-for.

  “I don’t like ice cream.”

  My eyes widened. “How can you not like ice cream?”

  He shrugged. “I just don’t.”

  Strike two.

  Seriously, who didn’t like ice cream?

  I mean, unless you were lactose intolerant.

  “So what do you do in finance?” Not exactly a flirting-type question, but him not liking ice cream had me momentarily stumped.

  Six minutes later, after he droned on and on and on about his job, I couldn’t get away fast enough. I checked the time on my cell phone and scrambled out of my chair, even though I still had a few minutes before I needed to leave. “Sorry, I have to get back to work.”

  Craig unfolded himself from his seat with the same confident smile he had worn earlier. “So where would you like to go for our second date?”

  Anywhere you won’t be.

  This was never my favorite part—not that I had a lot of experience turning guys down.

  Maybe there was a Dummies b
ook on the topic I could quickly Google.

  “I’m sorry. But…but you’re not my type. I’m a lesbian,” I blurted. Something told me that excuse would not be in the Dummies book.

  His confident smile transformed into a confused frown. Confused why his gaydar had malfunctioned, no doubt.

  “Well, I’ll see you around.” Grinning on the inside, I picked up what was left of my coffee and high-tailed it out of there.

  8

  Kelsey

  I watched Chloe attempt to balance on the wobble board while doing my best not to check my cell phone for the tenth time in an hour.

  And no, I wasn’t waiting for the Viking to call me.

  Not really.

  Okay, maybe I was just a little.

  I was also waiting for Erin to return my call. I needed to go out and have some fun…and more importantly, forget about my failure of a date.

  The one with the Viking. Not the pseudo date with Craig, the ice-cream-hating guy from this morning.

  Yes, I was still annoyed at how the evening with Stephen had ended. Not that I had been too thrilled with the rest of it either once Trent had shown up. What the hell had my brother said to him prior to shipping off? It had to be because of my brother, otherwise why else would Trent have shown up at the same restaurant out of the blue?

  And when would Liam finally realize I was an adult who was capable of taking care of herself? I didn’t need him sending the interrogation squad while he was away. Heck, I didn’t need him interrogating my dates in person, either.

  I fiddled with the owl necklace he’d given me for my twenty-fourth birthday, as if by touching it I could tell if he was still okay. He had given me his special code word last night, warning me that he would be away on a secret mission for who knew how long—which meant no calls from his beyond-irritated sister, demanding that he get Trent to back off.

  My phone played Erin’s pre-programmed tune. “Hello,” I said, answering.

  “As if you even have to ask,” Erin replied in response to my earlier text, asking if she wanted to go shopping. “When do you want to meet me there?”

  “Say, in about thirty minutes? I’m almost finished here.” I tossed the beanbag at Chloe and gave her a thumbs up when she caught it.