Harlequin Kimani Romance June 2017 Box Set

by Arthur, A. C.

  “Will,” Zoe said, “I live a very fast-paced life, but there are some things I like to take my time with. Getting to know someone before sleeping with them is one of them.”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to mock her with the sleeping part, but she caught on to him and shushed him with her index finger. Will cupped her hand and stroked her finger. “I’ve got all the time in the world for you, Zoe. As a matter of fact, I think it would be good for us to take things slow.”

  A light behind the house twinkled in the air. His attention drifted for a moment.

  “Because of the job?”

  Focusing on her words, Will nodded. “Especially because of the job. I need to know that I’m thinking about the future of my family’s company and what the right path to take is.” Before Zoe could argue back, Will took his free hand and pressed it against her lips. “I don’t want you to be misled about anything.”

  “You know what’s strange?” Zoe began before he had the chance to shush her. “For the first time in my life, Will, I’m not actually thinking about work.”

  Zoe parted her lips. Under the moonlight he watched breathlessly as her tongue darted along his fingertip. He found his breath again when she pulled it into her mouth and sucked slightly, drawing desire from his body.

  “What’s on your mind, then?” Will asked, already knowing the answer. She wasn’t alone in this. He wanted her. He needed her.

  “You,” Zoe said, resuming her position against his body. The palm of her hand rested over his heart and its fast beat greeted her. A half grin spread across her face as she looked up with her head turned slightly. Zoe pressed her hand against her own heart. Through the fabric of her T-shirt, her heartbeat fluttered.

  An owl hooted and cheered him on as Will lowered his head to brush his lips across Zoe’s. There was that familiar sweet taste he’d had before. They fit perfectly together, her cradled against his frame. Will deepened their kiss, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. He could take her right here and now at the edge of the forest.

  “Zoe,” Will said, hating to break the kiss. “We need to stop.”

  “Because of my dad?” Zoe cast a glance over her shoulder, shrugged and looked back up at him. Her long lashes batted against her cheeks. “He’s not even home.”

  “Our first time is not going to be outside.”

  A wrinkle appeared between her nose and brows. “There you go, thinking I’m going to do something wild with you like that. I’m not that fast.”

  “Fast, huh?” Will tugged on her hands.

  “You know what I mean.”

  Even with the darkness surrounding them Will could see her cheeks redden. “I already told you, nothing more is happening between us, at least not until we get back home.”

  “You’re so sure of yourself?” Zoe asked. Zoe pressed her hands against his chest and caressed downward across his abs to the waistband of his pants.

  Humid evening air filled his lungs. “Zoe,” he warned.

  The warning went unnoticed. With a defiant raised brow, Zoe locked eyes with him. Her hand slipped beneath his boxers. Just from kissing her, his body went back to his adolescent days and a semi-erection already peaked. When she wrapped her small hands around the base of him, however, he stiffened to granite.

  Heat rose between them. Enjoying the sweet torture, Will leaned over and captured her lips with his. Each of her strokes and grip matched the intensity of their tongues. Excitement coursed through his veins. Will broke the kiss and set a thread of kisses along her chin, jaw and neck. With his hands free, Will cupped her breasts, kneading them with his palms. His thumb and forefinger rolled her nipple. Zoe leaned closer. Her hand moved up and down as well as it could within the restriction of his damn pants. Will needed to think. This was not the place he wanted to have a hand job. Blood pounded in his ears. His vision blurred.

  “Zoe,” Will whispered, “we can’t do this here.”

  Zoe stepped out of Will’s embrace. Ice water poured over him. “We’re not,” she smiled.

  Laughing, Will shook his head. “Get in the car, woman, before I change my mind.”

  CHAPTER 8

  Saturday morning, after tossing and turning all night long, Zoe awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside her window. Still in disbelief of her bold actions last night, Zoe rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hands. It was safe to say there was no turning back now regarding her relationship with Will. Lines were crossed. Zoe’s fingers moved from her eyes to her mouth, where her lips tingled from heated dreams of Will. Her heart raced at the thought of seeing him again. Her body shivered with the idea of seeing him alone on the alleged date he said he wanted to take her on when they returned. She couldn’t wait.

  Eager to see him again, Zoe kicked her comforter off her body and headed for the bathroom. She gave her side of the door a soft knock, just to be safe. No one answered. Not sure why she was disappointed, Zoe went ahead and took her shower. Steam hung in the air and coated the mirror by the time she finished. A thick, daffodil-yellow towel soaked up the moisture on her body. She tucked it under her arms and wiped down the mirror with her bare hands.

  Tonight was their last night at Magnolia Palace. Kenzie had set up a fancy dinner. Yesterday while in the bathroom fixing Kimber’s emergency, Lexi had mentioned she planned on sending over a proper dress for tonight’s event. Zoe trusted Lexi’s taste and couldn’t wait to see what her friend chose. She couldn’t wait to see Will in his suit. Hell, she couldn’t wait to see him this morning.

  “Hey, Zoe,” Will said, knocking on his side of the bathroom door.

  Zoe, careful to tiptoe on the rugs to avoid the cold floor on her bare feet, stepped over and opened the door. What did he call her last night? A tease? She’d show him. “Good morning,” she said lightly.

  From the way he was dressed, in a pair of black baller shorts and a black sleeveless T-shirt, along with the sweat glazing his hard muscles, Will had already been up and working out. He held a piece of perfectly crisp bacon in his big hands.

  The look of shock on his face was perfect. Will’s mouth dropped open. His eyes immediately went to the droplets of water dribbling from the wet curls of her hair and to the cleavage created by the way she held the towel. The Adam’s apple at his throat visibly bobbed up and down as he tried to find words to say.

  “Did you need something?”

  “Um,” Will began. “You have…”

  “I have what?” Zoe shook her hair loose with her free hand.

  Will blinked several times.

  She reached for the lavender bottle of body cream, courtesy of Ravens Cosmetics. “I love this stuff.” Zoe held the bottle for him to read the label. He didn’t, so she popped the cap open and squirted the magnolia-scented lotion into one hand. Skillfully, she held the towel tucked under her arm and cocked one leg on the counter for a better angle to smear the product on it. The towel was long enough to cover the important parts.

  “Will?” She tried to snap but her moistened fingers lacked the friction.

  “Sorry,” said Will, finally finding his voice. His eyes glanced up to where steam billowed out into his room. “There’s someone here for you.”

  “Someone or something?” Zoe asked. “Lexi said she was sending over a dress today.”

  “Someone,” Will repeated. He took a bite of his bacon and closed his eyes for a moment while he chewed. Zoe’s stomach began to rumble from hunger for food and the man. “Actually, several people are here for you.”

  Zoe’s brows fused together. “What?”

  “Get dressed and meet me downstairs.”

  Curious, it took Zoe a matter of seconds to find a pair of blue gingham shorts and a matching plain blue top. She bounced down the steps toward the sound of chatter. Lots of chatter. The moment her foot hit the bottom step, a gaggle of girls
began screaming. Zoe glanced over her shoulder for the rock star who must have been behind her. There was no one. They must have been screaming for her.

  “What’s going on?” Zoe asked, taking a step back from the wave of practically every flowery and fruity scent possible from Bath & Body Works.

  Kenzie made her way through the crowd. “The prom for Southwood High is tonight.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  Some of the girls began wringing their hands together and bobbing at the knees. No one wore a bit of makeup. Zoe looked at all their faces like blank canvases. A twinge jolted through her fingertips as she put two and two together. “Do you guys want some help?”

  “Please?” the girls all chorused.

  “Did we have plans today?” Zoe asked Kenzie.

  “We just have the dinner this evening.”

  Zoe bit the corner of her lip. She would have loved to hang out with Will today, but this was what she considered an emergency. “Alright, let’s form a line. Do any of you have pictures of your gowns with you?” Everyone held their cell phones in the air. The room lit up with colorful glowing screens. “Well then, let’s get started. Who was here first?”

  The girls all began to speak at once, trying to figure out who was at the head of the line. Other pageant staff was trying to maneuver through the foyer. Even though Zoe didn’t use the private elevator, there was another guest who did. Kathleen wheeled out and was blocked by a few of the girls. Rebecca walked out of the dining room and accidently stepped on the toes poking out from one girl’s flip-flops. This was not going to work.

  Reading her mind, Will sprang into action. “Okay, okay, ladies, let’s assemble a line here.”

  “I was here first.”

  “No, I was,” someone else cried.

  There was an easy way to handle this. Zoe stepped up another stair and cupped her hands against her mouth. “Alright, if you’re wearing a tube top or something easy to slip over your head, step forward.”

  Understanding what she was trying to do, Kenzie nodded. “Okay, if you don’t have an easy top on, run back home and change into something to slip on. If you need to slip your dress over your head, come back around three.” Kenzie turned to glance up at Zoe for approval. She nodded. “Okay, let’s get to it.”

  “I don’t understand what’s going on,” Will whispered.

  She didn’t expect him to. Zoe patted the center of his back. “Those girls are going to put on their dresses over their heads, so the last thing they’re going to want to do is smear their makeup on the material of the gown.”

  “I can help.” Rebecca moved toward the stairs and held on to the banister. “I can do hair.”

  “And I can do nails,” said a pageant staffer, Lily Ortiz, from the banister at the top of the stairs. The pretty nail tech and Zoe worked together in the past at fashion expos.

  “Sounds like everyone has a job,” Zoe said. “Alright, let’s get to it.”

  All the girls began to scatter. Some began forming a single-file line while others trotted out the front door. Zoe turned and found Will staring at her with awe. He stood a step above her, causing her to stare right at his chest. The muscle shirt he wore revealed the work he put in at the gym. A long vein bulged down each bicep.

  Will tipped her chin toward him with a brush of his finger. “What do you need me to do?”

  “Probably nothing,” Zoe said honestly.

  A crash came from around the corner. Some of the men from the bed-and-breakfast rushed to the rescue. Luke backed out of the room carrying a broken vase. Ramon pushed his door open and accidentally hit another girl in the back of her legs.

  “I’ve got an idea,” said Will. “How about we start an assembly line of sorts in my room? The girls can hang out in there and come through our bathroom to keep out of the way down here.”

  Zoe sighed with appreciation. “You wouldn’t mind?”

  “Not all,” Will said, sliding his hands into the pockets of his shorts. “I was still at home when my sisters started dating. Our house was pure chaos.”

  “This isn’t just a date,” Zoe reminded him. They started walking up the stairs together. The girls waddled in their heels behind them like ducks. “This is the prom.”

  “Well, if you remember, I wasn’t home for prom.”

  “I didn’t have a prom either,” Zoe said, elbowing him in the ribs, “but I at least can remember how much I wanted to get all dressed up and go.”

  “Ah,” Will began to counter, sliding his forefinger against the slope of her nose. Her cheeks flushed with heat at the touch. “You went to Comic-Con, though.”

  Zoe hid the sly smile by turning her head to the side. “Dressing up as the ultimate warrior princess was worth missing my prom.”

  Will placed both hands on her shoulders. She glanced up into his dark eyes and a flutter rushed in the pit of her stomach. “Wait, you dressed up in a frayed leather skirt and bustier?”

  Her response was a grin. She already saw the wheels in his head turning. No, she didn’t still have the outfit, but Zoe did have a pair of black spikey boots and star-spangled panties. Didn’t everyone?

  “You two should totally come tonight,” blurted out one of the girls closest to the two of them. “I’m on the prom committee and I could totally get you in. You guys would totally be the coolest chaperones.”

  Will paused at the top step for a moment and wiggled his brows. “I’m totally up for the after-prom,” he whispered in Zoe’s ear. Some of the girls giggled. Maybe not at what he said, but at the way Zoe stumbled on the step.

  * * *

  Later on in the afternoon, after a trip to the ice cream shop for milk shakes and the pizza parlor for pizza and wings, Will returned to the hotel. The cars had disappeared from the parking lot. The lines had thinned down to a few girls getting their hair and nails done in the dining room and living room. He wondered if Zoe was finished. Will thought of the Creative Design Director position. Zoe displayed great leadership when it came to organizing the girls. She didn’t panic, and her generosity in sharing her skills with these girls in their time of need humbled him. He wasn’t sure how many of the interviewees would have taken time out of their day to help.

  Because he’d been running back and forth all afternoon, he never got a chance to see the prom girls when Zoe was done with them. Will hated to admit he was frightened at first to see what kind of looks she’d placed on the girls. This would have been a live résumé for her. All the jobs in her portfolio were of heavily made-up people, although there were several artistic pictures. But Ravens Cosmetics didn’t need artwork displayed on its clients’ faces.

  What Will wouldn’t mind seeing, however, was a repeat of the view from this morning when she’d opened the door after her shower. The droplets of water against her brown skin haunted his brain, in a pleasant way. Damn, he couldn’t take much more of this torture.

  “Oh, hey, there you are.” Kenzie’s voice caught Will’s attention. She rounded the corner from the kitchen with a pile of black garment bags in her arms blocking her face.

  Will hurried toward her. “Let me get those. What are you doing with all of this stuff?”

  “Evening attire,” said Kenzie. She stretched her arms, then massaged her biceps. “Courtesy of Grits and Glam Gowns.”

  Lexi’s shop, Will remembered. He draped the bags over one arm. “Where do you want the rest of these?”

  “Come with me,” Kenzie said, waving her arm down the other hallway. “We start down here.”

  As they made their way to each female guest’s door, Kenzie went on about how excited she was about tonight. Even Will started to get excited. With each delivery of a dress, the ladies all squealed with youthful excitement, much like the teenagers from this morning.

  “Have you enjoyed your time here at Magnolia Palace?” Kenz
ie asked. They waited for the elevator. She insisted he not climb the stairs with the rest of the garments.

  Will nodded. “This place has been wonderful.”

  “I’m kind of partial to it, myself.”

  “Are you and Ramon partners?”

  “No!” Kenzie hissed. Her light brown cheeks reddened and her lips pressed together. Quickly she shook her head and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “I mean, we’re not partners. I just have a deep-rooted attachment to this place.”

  “Did your parents get engaged here, like Zoe’s folks?”

  “Yes, but that’s not the only reason.” Kenzie regained herself. “This house used to belong to my family, back before the turn of the twentieth century.”

  “No kidding?”

  “Never would kid,” said Kenzie. “But during hard times, the structure was lost by the original builders and turned over to family members who made more bad investments in wartime.”

  “Until Ramon Torres came along?” Will asked. The elevator arrived at the second floor. Will waved his free hand for Kenzie to exit.

  “Yes,” Kenzie answered, looking at him over her shoulder.

  Will nodded. “Smart of him to listen to you.”

  “Smart of me to be the town historian.”

  “That’s a real thing, huh?” Will asked.

  “Of course.” Kenzie’s cell phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and declined the call. Will wondered if the R he saw pop up on her screen stood for Ramon. “Enough about my family drama. I can take the rest of the dresses down the hall if you’ll give this one to Zoe.”

  At the sound of her name, Will grew excited. The pit of his stomach shifted with an odd feeling. “I can do that,” he said coolly.

  “Thanks, and I’ll see you later tonight.”

  Will headed toward his room first. He wanted to clean himself up before seeing Zoe again. Since his door was closed, he assumed the girls had disappeared. He opened the door and the smell of flowers was now faint.

  “I don’t want to look like all the other girls,” said a young voice.