by Nana Malone
"I'm East Hale. But you know that. Or do you make out with strangers often?"
"I did not snog you. You snogged me."
He chuckled. "If you need to tell yourself that, fine, Agent Kinkade. I'm going to get in that car and drive off now. Do you have your phone?"
I frowned. My fucking phone. Did I have it? And then I glanced at my wrist and the wristlet that was attached to me. It had my phone inside. "Yes, I have it."
"Good. Call a friend or whoever you came with. I'm leaving."
"The hell you are. You are not leaving me on the side of the street in this soaking wet dress."
"You have a blanket and a phone. Hopefully it works after the waterworks."
He handed me back my shoes, and I stared at him. "If you leave me here, I will not stop coming after you."
"I expect nothing less."
And then he climbed into the driver's side of the car, and even though I couldn't see him, thanks to the tinted glass, I knew he was staring at me. And he pulled away.
I was going to murder East Hale the next time I saw him.
8
East
Later that night I tossed in bed. What the hell had I been thinking?
You’re a glutton for punishment.
Okay, yes, this was true. Absolutely. I was a glutton for punishment. And I was punishing myself big time. Snogging Nyla Kincade… again. What an idiotic fuck up. And who was I kidding? I would have shagged her right there on the lawn if I’d have let my dick have his way.
What the hell was wrong with me that I found it extremely hot fighting with her? It meant I was a sick puppy and had no business anywhere near the woman.
Every time I closed my goddamn eyes, I could hear her whimper. The way I'd swallowed it in my mouth. The way I'd coaxed her tongue into dancing with mine. The way her body felt pressed up and molded against me. I hadn't given a fuck where we were, in public at an Elite member’s birthday party. Anyone could have seen me kissing a fucking Interpol agent who would happily put my mates and me in jail if she got any wind of what we'd done. But not just us; Livy, Lucas, Bryna, Sebastian, Penny, Roone, and Jessa were involved as well. And let’s not forget the Chase brothers. Either of their beautiful wives would skin me if the police came knocking on their doors. I needed to get myself together and stay the fuck away from Nyla Kincade, of that I was pretty damn sure.
The worst of it was that I couldn't even remember how the fuck I'd ended up like that. With my tongue in her mouth, her scent wrapping around me, taking full possession of my balls.
I nearly choked with need and had to adjust my dick pushing insistently against my boxers. Unable to think for myself. To breathe. To do anything. All I wanted was her. Nyla completely crowded my mind. I hadn't been able to put two and two together. I hadn't been able to think, to rev the old brain engine. Nope, she'd shorted it out.
I’d made a colossal mistake. That shit was not going to happen again. There were a million women I could fuck, but Nyla Kincade just couldn't be one of them.
With a sigh, I glared at the clock. It was three. I prayed to all hell while I texted AJ that she'd be asleep. But ever since she was a teenager, she’d had difficulty sleeping. She slept in patches. Sometimes napping through the day, sometimes not. When I texted her, she called me right away. "What are you doing up, little brother?"
"I couldn't sleep. I was thinking of you."
"Why can't you sleep?"
"Ah, don't worry about it. How's Margaux?"
I heard a mumble and whispered words.
"Shit, I'm waking Margaux up, aren’t I?"
AJ whispered, "Hold on, let me get out of bed."
I could hear the rustling of sheets. The shuffling of slippers on the wood floor. I could picture her as she left her bedroom and went down the hall toward the living room. "Sorry. I thought Margaux was in a deeper sleep. But the baby is keeping her up, and she's uncomfortable."
Margaux had gotten pregnant earlier in the year. And she was six months along. Just far enough along to be uncomfortable.
"Is she having real cravings yet?"
AJ laughed. "You know, not really. I mean, she did threaten to cut me if I didn't give her a pain au chocolat the other day, specifically from Rue Grimaldi So that required some effort. But other than that, she's been mostly normal. She wants gelato a lot, so we make that a thing when we go on daily walks. But that one bakery was her only choice for the pain au chocolat."
I laughed. "Didn't you take me there once?"
She laughed. "Yes. And they have the worst pain au chocolat. They're terrible."
"They are terrible. How does a bakery that bad survive in Monaco?”
She laughed. "I don't know. But there's something that Margaux really likes about them. I'm convinced they're sprinkling crack on the chocolate, because it's the only explanation. Their croissants are hard."
"I know. Your wife has zero taste."
She snorted. "Hey."
I chuckled. "Well, I mean hey, I could criticize my big sister too."
"Screw you."
"I miss you." I murmured.
She laughed. "Well, I'm not sure I miss you now."
"Sorry, sorry. I'm just being a dick little brother."
"What's the matter? You seem tense and on edge."
"I'm fine."
"Stop it. You're not fine. Something is wrong. Why are you so on edge?"
"I don't know. Remember Garreth Jameson? Been dealing with him a lot. And I just— Christ he’s a wanker." There was a beat of silence, and in that moment, I want to cut my own tongue out. "Fuck, AJ, I'm sorry."
"Would you stop it, East? Just stop. You don't have to treat me like I'm some fragile shell of a person."
"I don't think you're fragile. I think you're incredibly strong. And I shouldn't have brought him up."
"When will you stop trying to be the big brother? You're not. I'm the big sister. I protect you from things."
"Yeah, well, how about we protect each other?”
“That’s a good one. Of course, East. We should do that, protect each other and shit. Now, tell me everything. You saw him and… what?"
"It doesn't matter, AJ. I just, I don't know. I wanted to talk to you and make sure you're okay."
"I'm always okay. Look, East, all of that was a lifetime ago. A million years ago. I don't think about that part of my life. Not anymore."
"Therapy, it does a lot of good, doesn’t it?"
"I wish you could let it go, East. None of that matters anymore."
"I know.”
“Okay, how about we not talk about him? Because he's that kind of guy that will try to get under your skin when there's nothing to get under."
"I know. But if there was something you needed to get off your chest, you could tell me."
"There's nothing to tell, love. Go on. Who is in your life now? What type of model or actress are you dating?"
I scowled as I rolled over. "Ah, that's the worst question."
"Oh? If it's the worst question, what's her name?" AJ teased.
"There's no one. No name."
"Oh my God, East Alexander Hale. If you think for a minute that I believe that bullshit, you're fooling yourself. I still remember that day when I caught you kissing Elsa Holiday. You tried to act like you hadn’t been up to anything, but I could see it written all over your face. You'd had your hand up her skirt. My little brother, having his first sexual experience. It was so gross. And I had a feeling you were fumbling it."
Bullshit. I was good. No, you weren’t. "Hey, I figured it out."
"Judging by the line of women dying to date you, I'm sure you did. Or they want to date your millions. Whichever. As long as you're getting some action."
I choked a laugh. "Jesus, AJ."
"What? I'm just saying."
And because she was my sister, I told her the truth. "There is someone who's interesting. But she’s bad news."
"Married?"
I shook my head, even though she couldn't see me
. "No." I scratched at my abs. "No, nothing like that. She's just trouble with a capital T."
AJ laughed. "Oh, but don't you like trouble though?"
I snorted a laugh, remembering exactly what she meant. Isabelle Monroe, the Australian exchange student. My mate, Tommy Fletcher, and I had both fallen hopelessly in love with the new girl at school. Before the end of the school year, Tommy and I had been rolling around on the ground because Isabelle had promised to walk home with both of us. We never recovered our friendship.
"Fucking Tommy Fletcher. I wonder where he is right now."
"Actually, you know, I saw him when he came to Monaco."
I laughed. "He came to Monaco? When?"
"Maybe about six months ago, I think. You know how Mom is. 'Oh, you must speak to the Fletchers. They're coming,' and whatever. She gave him my phone number. So I showed them around the museum and all that. He seemed surprised to find that I hadn't somehow grown out of liking girls."
I rolled my eyes. "Twat."
"Whatever. He's an idiot. Anyway, you will be happy to know he's paunchy and looks like he's had his nose broken more than once."
That did make me feel better. "I guess there's some satisfaction in that." We both laughed thinking about stupid old Tommy Fletcher. "It's good to hear your voice, AJ."
"It's good to hear yours too. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I think so."
There was a long pause, and then she asked me the question I knew she would ask. "Does this have anything to do with the ten-year anniversary of Toby’s death?"
She didn't know all of it. She just knew that Toby had died. She didn't know how or why because I hadn’t told her everything we’d found out. I hadn't wanted her to worry, because she’d have known that I would do something stupid. Which obviously, I had done. "Maybe a little. A few months ago we saw Emma, and she really needled us about, you know… about not having done anything and fought harder."
"I can't imagine how hard that is."
"Yeah. It feels like shit honestly, but it is what it is."
"I know the man that you are, East. I know that you love fiercely and protect what's yours. I know that you'll do what you need to do. But you can't do it if you're stressed out and not rested. And if it's a woman keeping you from resting, resolve that issue so you can focus on the important things at hand, yeah?"
"My big sister, forever the wise one. I love you. You know that."
"I love you too. Now, go to bed."
"You first."
I hung up with AJ and then laid back on the bed, trying to sort through the jangled mass in my brain. I could do this. I could stay the hell away from Nyla Kincade.
Or, you could see her. Deliberately direct her away from the London Lords.
Even before that thought formed, I knew it was a ridiculous plan. A recipe for disaster. A very, very bad idea. The problem was that my dick liked that idea very, very much.
Nyla
The afternoon following my roll in the grass with the billionaire, I glanced up at the London Lords building and whistled under my breath. The office was connected to the hotel and had the same bold contemporary style. Glass, chrome, and elegance.
Are we really going to do this?
Looked like it. Because despite my best efforts this was the case I had, and East Hale was my best lead. So I could walk in there and deal with him. Pretend like the previous night hadn’t happened. Act like I didn’t know his taste or how he kissed.
Easy.
Right.
Stepping into London Lords, I got that feeling of understated yet opulent wealth. The London Lords Soho wasn’t the place you went on staycation. It wasn’t something the average Londoner or tourist could afford. You had to be well and truly monied to enjoy a place like this.
While the building was chrome and steel, there was a distinct elegance about it. Perhaps it was the décor and the lighting, but there was a warmth to it. Like you were instantly welcomed, and why would you ever want to leave?
Maybe it was the artwork on the walls. Maybe it was the plush carpeting under my stacked-heel boots. Everything about the place exuded the wealth of the London Lords.
"Very nice, Mr. Hale," I murmured to myself. This was my third visit to the offices, and I couldn’t help but feel as if I’d missed my calling. I should have been a billionaire.
Next life maybe. I’d like to think I would do billionaire right, but knew I’d somehow still insist on keeping my job. Bad guys always had a way of leaving a bad taste in your mouth. There was no way I’d be able to rub elbows with them. The corruption would drive me mad.
The elevator dinged and slowed to a stop. When the doors opened, I stepped out into the top floor of the London Lords offices. And while I was used to going left to speak to Bennett Covington and the women who worked for him, Olivia Ashong and Jessa Ainsley, this time I went right. Because this time I was going to see a different billionaire altogether.
When I was shown into East Hale's office, I had to bite back my gasp. Two walls of his office were completely glass. It looked like we were sitting on a ledge overlooking London.
East Hale strode out of some sort of office chamber or something, perhaps a bathroom, and my breath caught. Charcoal Briony suit. Moss green tie to bring out the color in his yes. Crisp white shirt. And his hair. Lord, his hair was messily styled but so artful that it couldn’t be by accident. It was pure mussed sex hair. I had to work hard at the whole in-out even breathing thing.
"Agent Kincade, what a delightful surprise. It’s almost like you knew I was thinking about you." He shook my hand. His grasp was warm, firm, and completely enveloped my hand. The spark of electricity stung my palm, and I swallowed hard. I didn't jerk my hand away though. Just waited patiently for him to release me. When he did, a slow, smug smile lit that perfectly full mouth. He felt it too, and the idiot wanted to remind me about just how close we’d come to shagging alfresco.
I took a seat, but instead of doing the same, East leaned on the edge of his desk instead of sitting behind it. Was it a power play? It had to be, because he made it very difficult for me to concentrate. "Mr. Hale, why don't you take a seat?”
“I’m good here. Besides I like flirting with trouble.”
“I’m not the one who’s trouble.”
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “Aren’t you? You’re the entire reason I didn’t sleep a wink last night. If I can unsettle you just a little, payback will be complete.” His gaze searched mine and he licked his lips. “I must admit, I didn’t think I’d be seeing you again so soon, but I am delighted. I have a bet with myself that you can’t possibly taste as good as I’m remembering.”
The way he spoke to me, Christ. I felt like I was an ice-cream he wanted to lick. My skin was prickly hot, but I refused to look away from him. I had a job to do and I needed him to answer a few questions.
He had to know he was too close. I could smell him from such close proximity, and he smelled like leather and something musky. He smelled… absolutely delicious. It swirled around me, entranced me.
His voice was a low, coaxing rumble, and I could feel myself softening, my posture changing, my lips wanting to curve into a smile. That was the danger of this man. He knew his effect on women and wielded that power expertly.
“That’s interesting. I haven’t really given you much thought.”
His grin was quick as a flash and just as devastating as that low purr of his. “You really don’t have to play hard to get with me, Agent Kincade. I assure you, I’m already quite enchanted. Matter of fact, I think we should have dinner. You know, to get to know each other better before you accompany me as my date to Ben and Livy’s wedding.”
“I already told you, I’m busy.”
Another grin from him, and there went my panties. Eviscerated into the ether. “You don’t know when it is yet.”
“And I will always be busy. I don’t date bad boys.”
“Said no woman ever,” he said with a laugh.
“When will you give up?”
“As soon as I can forget that that little whimper you made at the back of your throat and once I can erase your taste from my tongue. Dinner. And I promise by morning you’ll be more than happy to be my date.”
“Morning. My, my. So sure of yourself.”
His eyes danced, and I could see he was having fun. Sadly so was I.
“Let’s just call it hopeful. Besides, I said dinner. I didn’t say what time zone.”
“Ahh, flexing those billionaire muscles. Sorry, but it’s still a no. I also don't date dodgy men with secrets. You tell me you’re not a thief, but yet I caught you up to something.”
“All these rules. Tell me, Agent Kincade, have those rules ever gotten you kissed like last night? My guess is no.”
A pulsing heat concentrated between my thighs. Time to bring it back, Nyla. Focus then get to safety.
I cleared my throat. I had to right this ship, or I’d become a cliché by shagging him on his desk. “I want to ask you a couple of questions."
One side of his mouth quirked upward. “Fine. Business before pleasure. I can respect that. I do have to tell you I’m not going to answer any questions about last night. Anything other than that is on the table.”
Of course he wasn’t. I cleared my throat. "My understanding is that you are the London representative for the Royal Museum in Monaco. You and a Miss," I checked my notes, “Analisse Du Mont.”
He blinked in what seemed like honest surprise. "You would be informed correctly.”
“Might I ask your connection? I thought you were in the hotel business?”
The corner of his lips twitched and distracted me. The way he lazily leaned against his desk, I had full vantage point of his long lean body. He was every bit the rogue billionaire.
“Analisse Du Mont is my mother. She inherited a sizeable art collection upon my great-grandmother’s death. My grandmother had always wanted to display the works the family had, but for several reasons never managed to, so the task eventually fell to my mother and sister. We’ve consigned the entire collection to the Royal Museum in Monaco. My sister is the curator.”
