Beautiful Chaos

by Keta Kendric

  Should I reveal to her that I had killed Keith? The handsy motherfucker had touched her with aggression. He’d shoved her into a brick wall outside the restaurant he had taken her to because she had refused to go back to his place. Then, he had left her on the cold street to find her own way home. I had been watching them closely because I knew his history, knew that his exes had been beaten and hospitalized multiple times.

  He had also broken his five-year-old son’s wrist. Therefore, satisfaction was the emotion that filled me when I had fractured every bone on him that he had broken on his exes and his son. For putting his hands on Desiree, I had cut them off and made him stare at them as he bled out and made a feeble attempt to fight off the flesh-eating ‘nest of beetles I’d unleashed on his ass.

  “Holy shit!” Desiree shouted, snapping me out of my vengeful memories. She was standing in front of me again, her body the kind of distraction that picked apart what was left of the sensible parts of my brain. She scattered my thoughts into a jigsaw of parts I was fighting to piece together as quickly as she dragged them apart.

  Her straining gaze roamed left to right, scanning my living room as a knowing gleam flashed in her eyes.

  “Leave it up to me, at the height of my irritation with you, to figure out why your living room is always talking to me.” Her gaze panned down and landed on me. She kept saying she was irritated with me, but I didn’t see or sense it. If so, she had the most peaceful type of irritation I’d ever seen.

  “‘Broken Home’. One of my works. The painting had been stolen from an auction and burned by a jealous opponent, over three years ago, when it outsold his signature piece. The piano, the clock, some of the pictures on your wall, they are all similar to those from that painting. The positioning of your furniture in this room bears similarities also.”

  She was going in a whole different direction from where she was moments ago. That I would pattern my living space after one of her paintings had lit her face with excitement, and although not on her lips, I didn’t miss the smile in the sparkling brown of her eyes.

  When I told her that I was fascinated with her, I had meant with every aspect of her. She was who had opened my mind to art, making me see deeper than the surface of a piece.

  Her discovery had taken the bite from her so-called anger. She loomed above me, turning in place as she took in the space of my living room, her smile growing wider with each ticking second. She eased back onto the couch, brushing my leg on the way down.

  “Khane,” she whispered my name. “Dammit,” she uttered under her breath. “You get me like no one else.” Was she assuming the unhealthy obsession I had with her equaled me understanding her? I squinted at the notion as the intricacies of her mind baffled the shit out of me. My behavior wasn’t normal by any stretch of the word, yet she remained close, and it was hard to miss the appreciation that now rested in her probing gaze.

  When she sat her hand on my forearm and allowed her delicate fingers to slide up my arm, I didn’t stop her. The fact that she was able to take the fresh hell I’d unleashed on her and still touch me had earned her the right to do so.

  Her grip on my arm tightened, each finger a deliberate point of contact that drove in a deep, sharp need. The jagged edges of my desire was leading to thoughts of me fucking her rough and recklessly until she screamed my name and begged me to hurt her harder.

  I sat in place, curious about her actions as she stood and slid one hand to the back of my neck with the delicate ease of a feather’s stroke. I didn’t stop my lips from melting into the cushiony softness of hers when she leaned in and initiated a kiss. My lips naturally slid apart when she slipped her tongue past them and into my mouth.

  Helpless, I couldn’t stop the overpowering flow of her possession because I fed on the delicious flavor of her boldness and desire for me. It swayed me, flooded me with sensations that made me dizzy.

  Her kiss had a soul. It had a vision. It was vibrant enough to breathe life into me. It reached in deep and awakened something I was unaware lived so vibrantly inside me. She controlled my heartbeat, and the rhythm of the roaring beats rose through my blood and danced atop my skin, the magic warming me from the inside out.

  She drew away, pouring her gaze into mine, keeping me pinned to the sensual exchange.

  Desiree was the universe poured into a single body. A woman that stole away the essence of who I thought I was and made a better, tamer version of me come alive.

  I had known more about death than I did life, but she had been the only person that possessed the power that awakened me from the nightmare I had chosen to live in.

  She leaned in and recaptured my lips. Her kiss possessed the power to carry me into flight, and I drifted on the beauty of it and relished the fullness of her gifted caress. She reignited the spark of light within me that had been doused by my harshest darkness.

  When she eased back, I managed to reclaim a small part of myself, but I eagerly accepted the changes taking place within me, only for her. My heart thundered in my chest, and my head swam with unrelenting emotions that made me sway. Observing the way her tongue slid over her lips after tasting me added fuel to the heat she had stroked.

  “Lit matches and gasoline don’t belong together,” she whispered against my mouth, in such a seductive tone, it intensified the situation in my pants.

  Desiree had delivered a message, letting me know that she had her own brand of chaos that had the power to make me bend to her will. She could take whatever the hell she wanted from me, and I would let her.

  Her lingering departure captured my gaze until she disappeared from sight. I’d never had a stronger desire than the one I had for her. She had turned that desire into a raging need so strong that I was giving serious consideration to my role in her life.

  It had to have been the strength of growing up as an Evans that had allowed her to accept my wicked revelations. Any other woman would have reported me to the cops, after dragging a gun from a shoebox to shoot my ass with.

  The plan to drive Desiree away had backfired, and I believed I had inadvertently drawn her in further. However, a beacon flashed through the hailstorm of emotions she had flooded me with. Arjen. I couldn’t ignore the glaring fact that she was my brother’s fiancée.

  How was I going to get through this? How was I supposed to resist what was irresistible?

  19

  Desiree

  Badly! It was how I was fucking this situation up. All I had to do was marry one brother, but I was falling in love with the other. Going back to face a life with Arjen would be an adjustment now that I had gotten a sample of Khane, his quiet and artfully tasteful living space, and the knowledge of his secret obsession with me.

  As sick as it was, I was flattered that he revered me as the woman of his dreams. That he had been using me as an outlandish form of therapy to ease his troubled mind. His home was a replica of my dream house, and it felt like I was in a place I was meant to see and dwell in. He had designed it with me in mind, incorporating my art into the place he saw more than anywhere else.

  Khane felt right for me, even though he was wrong on so many broken levels. He was my stalker and future brother-in-law. I also had to come to terms with the idea that I may now be just as obsessed with him as he claimed he was with me.

  I had kissed him with a passion that brought to life a boldness in me that I had only embraced for him. It had taken every ounce of strength I possessed to walk away from him. I’d had two options: either lock myself away from him or fuck him right there on his couch.

  I shook off the man’s ability to stupefy me. While most women would have run screaming down the mountainside, I had kissed the man and pretty much thanked him for stalking me.

  Why couldn’t I scrape together enough anger to be upset about him sabotaging my relationships? Was it that none of the men I’d met had ever truly captured my attention? It was a revelation I’d never admitted to myself. The few contenders that I had attempted to make a go of it with or the one
s he hadn’t decided to chase away, were the safe choices that I had settled for.

  If I was being honest with myself, all they had done for me was abate my loneliness. I had never poured a whole lot of effort into any of my relationships, and although the sting of break-ups saddened me, I usually recovered quickly and moved on to the next one.

  Khane had invaded my senses the first day and proceeded to take up residence in every nook and cranny of me. Even that night at the ball six years ago, I had been more drawn to him than anything at that party.

  My wheels released a low screech, forcing me to concentrate on driving along the narrow, curvy road leading us into the city.

  Although I didn’t see Khane’s truck following me into town, I could sense his eyes on me from a place in the distance. I was parking in the spa’s car lot as Patrena’s dark blue Jetta drove up.

  At the sight of Patrena, an instant smile surfaced. She was going to have questions, especially about the limited conversations we had been having for the past eight days.

  We smooched, hugged, and complimented each other about how good each item we wore looked before Patrena ditched the pleasantries. Her probing expression flashed with interest for something more substantial than girly hugs and kisses.

  “Can we at least wait until we’re in the sauna?” I suggested, causing a smile to lighten her golden-brown face and make her freckles dance. She shook her head, knowing I would eventually answer the series of telepathic questions she was sending my way.

  Less than ten minutes later, why did it appear that my friend had rushed out of her clothes? I hadn’t even gotten my pants down before she was glancing back, all of her items already secured in her locker. She tucked her towel around her body and stood glaring in my direction, her right foot tapping with anticipation. She was one of the nosiest people I knew, but I didn’t hold it against her.

  “Hurry up, Desiree. Shit. You know I’m trying to be all up in your new business,” she said before turning to leave the locker room area. I chuckled as I stripped, wrapped myself in the oversized fluffy towel, and prepared to tell her a story I didn’t know how to tell.

  We often booked our spa days on a Sunday, the slowest day that allowed us to be selfish with our time and the freedom of having privacy in the common areas. When I entered the sauna, Patrena’s gaze met mine with dramatic flair as she waited expectantly.

  Tightening my towel became a chore as I was taking my time to pick the best spot, sitting and standing several times.

  “Des, will you hurry the fuck up? Your ass is doing that slow shit on purpose, knowing my ass is nosey as hell.” Patrena’s impatient words caused my laughter to burst free before I released a deep sigh.

  “Okay,” I answered dejectedly. “I don’t even know where to start.”

  “I know you gave me the watered-down version of everything, trying to be all tight-lipped. You can start at the details that led to your engagement to that sexy-ass Arjen Vallin,” she stated. One of her sweaty eyebrows rose so high it looked like it was trying to stick to her forehead. The extreme heat of the sauna was no joke. It soaked out the moisture in my eyes as I shared details about my time with the Vallins.

  Patrena slid to the edge of the bench she sat on, her unblinking gaze pinned on me, mouth-watering for me to spill more.

  “So, you know who Arjen is?”

  “There isn’t a woman within a fifty-mile radius that doesn’t know who Arjen Vallin is. Pussy gets tossed at him from every direction,” she stated before her eyes widened. “Sorry, Des. No offense, I’m just saying, before you got engaged to him and all.”

  She hung her head low after revealing what he himself had confirmed the day I’d shown up at his house. There was no doubt in my mind that Arjen could charm the panties off a nun and make her repent for her bad decision later.

  “No offense taken because our engagement is anything but traditional. My life has become a series of illogical events, and I’ve been tossed into the middle of another of my father’s business ventures.”

  Her pitying expression flashed before she covered it with a smile. She knew that if my father was involved, there was usually trouble.

  “My father’s in trouble. Trouble like he might die if I don’t help him. He cut a big business deal with Arjen, and he claims the only way Arjen would take the deal is if I were a part of it. An Evans and Vallin alliance to bring our families together.”

  Nothing. She stared as the fan on the heater whined, and the hot air beat up our bodies and forced moisture to the surface of our skin. I closed my eyes and breathed the heat.

  “That’s not the worst of it.” My words came out on cue when I opened my eyes and met her wide stare. Her sweat-drenched body glistened against the dim light, casting a beautiful glow on her skin that made an impression on that part of my brain that breathed art.

  Patrena scratched the back of her head, causing her hair to swing, although the thick bouncy curls of her ponytail had deflated from the heat.

  “What can be worse than your father offering you up as a side deal to a crime family? Aren’t the Vallins some type of crime bosses? Don’t get me wrong, you could do a hell of a lot worse, but still.”

  “I’m unsure about their involvement in illegal activities.” I couldn’t tell her that I was doubling down on my involvement with criminals, adding the type of complications that invited danger and flirted with death. “The Vallins aren’t a crime family per se.” Considering who my father was, I should have been a better liar. “I do know that they own several businesses, including several resorts and high rise luxury homes. Eight days ago, I went to him like I was supposed to, but he got called away on a business emergency. He claimed the only person he trust me to stay with while he’s gone is his brother…”

  “The Kannibal!” Patrena shouted, cutting me off as sweat went flying from her face because her head had swiveled so fast. She knew more than I assumed she had about the family I was marrying into. Clearly, her being friends with Mecca gave her the inside track on certain information. As well, she helped battered and abused women. Some were wives or girlfriends of high-profile men and some big-time criminals.

  “Yes, except he doesn’t eat people like the rumors suggest. He is actually a gentleman. Smart, thoughtful, patient. He’s been teaching me how to cook. And his house is something to die for, a true work of art,” I stated, realizing too late that I was smiling like a schoolgirl with a crush when I spoke of Khane.

  “You little slut. Tell me you didn’t sleep with him,” Patrena hissed. “You’ve never gushed over a man like that before.”

  “Gush? I’m not gushing. I’m just saying that he’s not a wild animal like people think.”

  Her eyes narrowed as she aimed a firm finger in my direction. “Tell me that you’ve not decided to end your drought with your fiancé’s brother? One that is rumored to be a cannibal on top of being a fucking deadly killer, from what I hear. The Vallin name scares people, but no one truly knows the depth of their power or what they actually do, so I do believe they are the wrong people to be screwing with,” Patrena warned.

  “First, I didn’t sleep with Khane. Second, I didn’t ask for anyone’s hand in marriage. If my father hadn’t tossed me into this because his life is in jeopardy, I would be minding my own business.”

  Thinking about the situation was starting to piss me off. I hadn’t realized how upset I was until tears started to sting my eyes. Not knowing where my father was had also been weighing on me, although Khane and Mecca were convinced that we would know something if he were truly in trouble.

  Patrena lifted from her spot to sit next to me, sweat rolling off her body like she had been standing under a showerhead. She placed a caring arm around my shoulder, the other gripping my hand.

  “I can’t even imagine the bricks I would be shitting in your situation. I’m sorry, Des.”

  “Way to make me feel better, Patrena.” A sad little laugh followed my statement.

  “Isn’t there another w
ay to get your father out of trouble?” She leveled her head to meet my eyes.

  “When my father told me what he wanted me to do, the first thing I said was, ‘hell no.’ Knowing his life was on the line, I had to help him, even if it was his own fault. Before I agreed to it fully, we spent days attempting to come up with another plan. He needs a large sum of money, and Arjen Vallin agreed to give him the money and merge our families, but only if I were included in the package. Oh, and he also wanted Mecca to be Khane’s wife.”

  “Holy shit! So, not only are you lusting after your brother-in-law but your cousin’s future husband too? And how does Mecca feel about all this? I love her like the sister I never had, but she can go from sweetheart to crazy at the snap of a finger. And you know she’s got that quiet kind of crazy you never expect.”

  A deep sigh sounded as my eyes fell closed, and sweat dripped to my hot thighs.

  “When you put it that way, it sounds bad. My father broke the news to Mecca a few days after telling me. You know I don’t keep anything from her, so I had already called and given her the news. And you know how she is. She sees this situation as my father does: business.”

  I swept a line of sweat across my brow before it dipped past my eyes. “Being around Khane is the only time I don’t think about the entirety of this situation,” I admitted, realizing that so far, he had been the only light in this whole sea of dark madness. I was not going to tell Patrena about Khane stalking me or sabotaging my relationships. She would never leave me alone about it until she knew every last detail.

  She stared at what I intended to be a poker face as sweat continued to bloom and drip from every pore. Her slow head shaking and grin was the prelude to a pep talk.

  “You may not have slept with Khane, but based on the way you react when you talk about him, your ass is certainly falling for him. And I don’t think I’m wrong in saying the feelings must be mutual.”