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  Kael Strong missed his daughter.

  Long after church service was over, and the family all met up at the house for dinner, he made his way down to the barn and stopped at the stable, where Kaitlyn’s all-white horse, Snowflake, was housed. The horse moved forward and Kael raised his hands to rub her nose and feed her carrots.

  Although it had been a few years since Kaitlyn gave the horse the time of day, Kael still thought of Snowflake as hers. He remembered the look on her face at her sixth birthday party when the all-white foal with a long white mane was walked out to her. She took just a second to hug her father close around the neck before she raced off to ride the young horse—still in her party dress and all.

  He smiled.

  Kaitlyn was his only daughter. His baby girl. After his wife—she was his heart.

  The one to make him laugh.

  The one to say wild and unexpected things to keep things lively.

  The pop of red in a black-and-white day.

  Kael missed that. He felt no anger that she had severed ties with him and her mother. He was patiently waiting for her tantrum to be over.

  But in the meantime life sure was a lot less interesting.

  “Good game, Q.”

  Quint nodded to his teammates, Justin and Kyle, as they walked off the indoor court of the recreation center. They had just won their three-on-three pickup game, and Quint felt rejuvenated from the physical exertion.

  “Thanks,” he said, his shirtless chest still heaving as he grabbed the towel from his bag and wiped the sweat from his face.

  Aware of the chill in the air, he quickly pulled on his sweatpants over his knee-length basketball shorts and then his hoodie before sliding the strap over his head across his body.

  “We’re headed to my house to watch the football game,” Justin said, also throwing his hood up over his head as they all left the building.

  “I might ride over later. My daughter is cooking dinner for me,” Quint told them as he unlocked his truck and threw his bag onto the passenger seat.

  “You know where I stay, so just come over,” Justin said. “We’ll all be in the garage, to stay out of my wife’s hair.”

  “A’ight.” Quint climbed into his vehicle and started the engine.

  The ride back to Holtsville took all often minutes, but during the entire ride his thoughts were on Kaitlyn. He hadn’t seen her much during the last couple of weeks. He’d even asked Lei what was up with her, but she didn’t know.

  Maybe she’s spending time with a new man, he thought.

  He thought about Kaitlyn flashing her pretty eyes and flirting with another dude and he frowned. Deeply.

  As he turned his Ford F-250 into the parking lot of the complex, he spotted her flashy red car parked in the space in front of his door. As he pulled into the spot across from her, he wondered if she was home. His eyes shot up to her door as he made his way to his apartment.

  He couldn’t believe he actually missed her.

  Unlocking his front door, he paused, surprised by the sound of voices and giggles from the kitchen. Lei was supposed to be next door at Mrs. Harper’s until he got home.

  “Lei?” he called out.

  “In here, Daddy,” she called back.

  He strode into the kitchen to find Lei and Kaitlyn in bright pink aprons looking at him over their shoulders as they stood at the stove. He was surprised by his reaction to having Kaitlyn suddenly reappearing in his life—and in his home. He had to force his eyes away from her smiling face. It felt too much like sunshine right after a bad rain.

  “What are you two up to?” Quint asked, coming over to stand behind them and peer over their heads at the pots on the stove.

  “We cooked,” Lei said as she stirred a pot of yams.

  That he recognized.

  Kaitlyn stirred something white as it bubbled over onto the stove.

  Quint made a face. If that was rice, then he could only pray for how it ended. Rice was best cooked if left alone.

  “We made steak, rice, yams, and macaroni and cheese,” Lei said with pride. “I invited Miss Kaitlyn to eat dinner with us. Okay, Daddy?”

  He looked over at Kaitlyn. She slightly lifted her eyebrows as she eyed him back.

  “That’s cool,” he said as Kaitlyn turned back to the stove.

  His plan had been to guide Lei through cooking her first meal.

  “I didn’t know you could cook, Kaitlyn,” he said, reaching up to remove his hood as he took a seat at their kitchen table.

  “Me either,” she said, sounding excited.

  Quint bit back a smile. These two were going to make praying before a meal even more necessary.

  “Well, I’m going to wash the funk off me before we eat,” he said, rising to his feet to leave the kitchen.

  He happened to glance back over his shoulders and he absolutely caught Kaitlyn’s eyes zoned in on his buttocks. He cleared his throat as she shifted her eyes up to meet his. If Lei wasn’t present, he would have asked her if she enjoyed the view. Instead, he enjoyed the flush of color to her cheeks as he chuckled and walked to his bedroom.

  Closing the door behind himself, he rushed out of his clothing and boxers, feeling the kind of nervous excitement of a child waiting on Christmas morning. Kaitlyn had him on edge—especially in the V-necked, formfitting sweater she wore, with even more formfitting leggings and thigh-high boots.

  His dick stirred as he made his way across the room to his bathroom.

  “Don’t,” he said, looking down at it. “She’s off-limits.”

  Easier said than done.

  He hopped into the shower and enjoyed the feel of the water pelting against his body as he inhaled the steam, which swirled around him. It brushed against his body like a whisper. Like the soft kiss of lips.

  Full pouty lips that were perfectly shaped.

  Kaitlyn’s lips.

  He remembered the feel of them on his neck.

  Or the sight of them open and panting as the things he did to her made her breathless.

  Or the feel of them as he kissed her.

  Shaking his head, he felt his gut clench as his dick hardened and hung away from his body like a strong arm. He tilted his head back and took the thickness into his hand as he tried to fight the image of Kaitlyn suddenly on her knees in front of him, with the water beating down on her head as she took his dick into her mouth.

  “Shit,” Quint swore, catching himself stroking the eleven inches of length. He even considered finishing the job and getting some relief.

  Kaitlyn strutting her fat ass around in those damn leggings in front of me can get real crucial.

  But he didn’t give in to the temptation as he grabbed his soap and cloth and vigorously scrubbed every inch of his body. This was not his first time imagining the woman showering with him and seducing him. Kaitlyn could get to be very distracting.

  Finishing up the shower, he walked into his bedroom, with just a towel loosely slung around his hips. After putting on his deodorant, he had to catch himself from putting on cologne and pulling out an outfit. That was overboard and would be obvious. He could just see Kaitlyn giving him teasing and knowing looks as he strolled back out there in a cashmere sweater and dress denims with hard-bottom shoes on.

  Instead, he settled on no cologne, a little coconut oil on his bald scalp, a pair of jeans, and a V-necked tee.

  When he made his way back to the kitchen, the ladies were setting bowls of food on the center of the table. Kaitlyn turned to grab a glass from the top shelf of the cabinet. Quint had to fight not to take in the way her sweater rode up and exposed the small of her back, just above the rim of her tight leggings.

  Damn good sight.

  Quint stepped over to her and was instantly hit with that subtle but sexy scent of her perfume. He easily reached for the glass to hand to her as he looked down at her, looking up at him.

  “You’re welcome,” he joked.

  Kaitlyn gave him the hint of her smile. “Thank you so much, Quin-to
n,” she whispered up to him.

  And he shivered. Literally, stood there—a grown man—and felt himself shiver from softly spoken words from her.

  Like a bitch.

  Quint got the hell away from her and turned, surprised to see Lei looking at them and smiling like she had won the lottery.

  “You sit here, Daddy,” she said, tapping the back of the seat at the end of the table.

  He eyed her suspiciously as he bent his tall, muscled frame onto the chair as she took the seat at the other end, leaving the seat in the middle for Kaitlyn. The seat directly adjacent to him.

  And her scent was there again, making his head feel cloudy as she sat down. She felt like a drug he was trying to kick, and he was failing and still jonesing bad for her.

  And he was beginning to realize that his feelings were more than sexual. He didn’t know when or where or even why, but he cared for Kaitlyn. He missed her when she wasn’t around. He enjoyed the sight of her smile. He hated to see her upset or disturbed. He felt protective of her.

  Somehow this woman, who he thought was a replica of his ex, proved him wrong and had gotten under his skin and into his heart. And he hadn’t wanted or expected that at all.

  Lei held out one hand to Kaitlyn and the other across the table to her father.

  Kaitlyn slid her hand into Lei’s and then turned to look at Quint as she offered her other hand to him.

  Quint took Lei’s offered hand first before he finally slid his hand into Kaitlyn’s. She closed her fingers around his and her index finger ended up lightly pressed against his wrist. On his pulse point. He wondered if she felt it pounding as hard as he felt his heart racing.

  As Lei said grace, Quint was so aware of that crazy energy between him and Kaitlyn. It seemed to have a life and a heartbeat and a pulse all its own. And the pace of it all quickened to a dizzying speed whenever they made contact. Quint didn’t uncoil the tension from his body until his daughter said “Amen.”

  His eyes shot up when he thought Kaitlyn purposefully stroked his pounding pulse before she released his hand. She just looked away from him and turned to Lei as his daughter rose to scoop a little of everything onto everyone’s plate.

  “Now, be honest, Daddy,” Lei said as she reclaimed her seat.

  Quint picked up his fork as he looked down at his plate. He wasn’t a gourmet cook, but from looking, he knew what needed what. The yams could use more cinnamon and butter. The rice could’ve taken less water. The steak needed more cooking time. The mac and cheese could use more milk.

  But nothing smelled or looked inedible.

  “I’m sure it’s delicious, baby girl,” he told her, picking up his fork to dig into the steak first. “Thank you.”

  “Miss Kaitlyn too, Daddy,” Lei said, giving him a meaningful stare.

  “Thank you, Kaitlyn.”

  They both eyed him as he raised his fork to his mouth. He paused and shifted his eyes from one to the other. With one last deep breath, he slid the food into his mouth.

  The saltiness of the meat made his eyes bug before he caught himself. He chewed and smiled at them. The meat was a lot more tender than it looked, though.

  Kaitlyn bit back a smile. “I didn’t realize your meat tenderizer was seasoned, and I had already put a lot of seasoning on it,” she admitted.

  Quint swallowed and reached for the glass of juice next to his plate. “Not bad,” he admitted, taking a deep sip. “A little salty but not bad.”

  They all resumed eating. Like he thought, neither was ready for a chef position; but it was edible, if not delicious.

  He looked up when Kaitlyn started choking.

  “You all right?” he asked, reaching out to pat her back lightly as she set her glass back down on the table.

  Kaitlyn nodded as she continued to cough. “It went down the wrong hole,” she said.

  Kaitlyn and Quint looked at each other and said “Pause” in unison before they laughed.

  “You okay, Miss Kaitlyn?” Lei asked.

  “I’m good.”

  Quint removed his hand from her back and tried not to notice that the outline of her bra proved to be just as skimpy as the one she wore that night in the shed.

  Her nipples looked so damn good against the black lace.

  “I got a job,” Kaitlyn said suddenly.

  It was Quint’s turn to choke, but he held up his hands that he was fine when Kaitlyn moved to swat his back.

  “That’s good,” he said as she eyed him.

  “Yeah, they even gave me a better position than the one I wanted,” she said, pushing around the food on her plate. “After I met with the owners to be a salesclerk/stylist, I was offered the position as the majority owner’s assistant and to help with the buying for four stores he owns.”

  Quint puckered his forehead. “So you got a promotion without even trying?” he asked, sounding skeptical.

  Kaitlyn shrugged as Lei rose to take their plates.

  “I think they didn’t want to offend me by not giving me a job, because I spent so much money there, but I also don’t think they wanted to trust putting me in the store, in case I quit after a month or something.”

  That made no sense to Quint, but what did he know about the mind-set of rich folks?

  “And your boss is a dude?” he asked.

  “Lyle? Yes,” she said. She set her chin in her hand as she looked at him. “Why?”

  “Just asking,” Quinton said, rising from the table. “Is he married?”

  Kaitlyn rolled her eyes heavenward. “No,” she stressed. “Why?”

  “Just curious about old boy, that’s all,” he said, trying to sound nonchalant.

  “We didn’t have time to make dessert,” Lei said.

  “We can ride to Dairy Queen and get some ice cream,” Quint offered. He looked down at Kaitlyn, who still sat with her chin in her hand, watching him. “Care to join?”

  She tilted her head to the side before she rose. “No, but thank you. I have to drive some files to my boss’s house later.”

  Lei looked disappointed.

  Quint grunted.

  Kaitlyn threw her hands up in exasperation. “Now what, Quint?”

  “Lei, go get your coat,” Quinton said as he walked behind Kaitlyn to the front door. “And, Kaitlyn, just be sure this great deal is all business and no pleasure.”

  “Not every man within two feet of me wants to screw me,” she drawled before turning to head up the stairs.

  “Now that’s a bunch of bullshit,” he said, enjoying the view as she walked away.

  Kaitlyn never stopped her ascent up the steps, and soon the sound of her front door closing echoed.

  CHAPTER 12

  “I’m headed to lunch, Kaitlyn. I should be back around two.”

  Kaitlyn looked up as her boss, Lyle Turner, strolled past her desk with his usual flair. Blond hair lying just right. Clothes pressed and styled to perfection. Skin perfectly tanned, even as the fall season reigned in South Carolina.

  “Enjoy,” she told him, glad he was leaving the downtown Charleston offices and not watching her like a hawk.

  And she learned in the weeks that followed that around two probably meant that he was done for the day. His equally gorgeous male lover, whose skin was as smooth and dark as black opal, would keep him tied up for the afternoon.

  Her job was to look pretty, dress well, answer the phone, and take messages when he didn’t ask her to accompany him to fashion shows or designer showrooms for her opinion on the latest trends. She was handling the job just fine, and even enjoyed it. And she was learning even more about the fashion and retail industry than just shopping up a storm. He owned four upscale boutiques—two in Charleston, one in Mount Pleasant, and another in Charlotte, North Carolina—and he wanted her to start presenting ideas for items to be carried in all of them.

  She just wished the government didn’t snatch so much in taxes. Kaitlyn opened the envelope with her first paycheck. She was paid every other week—a concept she had strug
gled to understand—and she had not counted on losing such a chunk.

  Taxes were no joke; and Quinton said that at the end of the year, she had to file tax returns and possibly pay more!

  Ugh!

  She looked out the clear glass window at the beautiful sight of historical Charleston. Lyle’s offices were located on the upper level of a beautiful four-story building on King Street. The brick building had a façade that matched the history of the surrounding neighborhood. It was a nice view. The offices were plush and stylish. All of the best eateries and shops were in walking distance, and she got to talk fashion on the regular.

  The life!

  Because she knew she had checks coming—and her parents were still covering her expenses for the next few months—Kaitlyn had splurged a little. A few new wardrobe staples. A pair or two of sensible kitten heels for those days she didn’t feel like strutting in four-inch heels. Her hair cut and dyed and laid to the side. New makeup. Mani and pedi.

  She was completely back to the old Kaitlyn, or was she?

  Kaitlyn twirled in her seat and reached down into the infamous Hermès bag, which had started it all, to pull out her cell phone. She crossed her legs in her A-line navy linen skirt, with leather piping detail. She hit number five on her speed dial roster. Parents first. Then Kade. Kahron. Kaleb. And Kaeden.

  “Yes, little sister,” he said.

  “Hiya, Specs,” she said playfully as she pulled out her compact and tube of bright red lipstick.

  “Ever since you cried to Ma about us teasing you about that streak of white hair by calling you—”

  Kaitlyn stopped applying her lipstick and sat up straight in her chair. “Don’t you say it,” she warned.

  “Skunkie,” he finished without a bit of pause.

  Kaitlyn snapped her compact shut and was pretty sure she cracked the glass. “Okay, no more nicknames,” she said quickly.

  Kaeden laughed.

  “An-y-way,” she stressed. “I need a full list of all my bills.”

  The line stayed quiet.

  Kaitlyn tapped her bright red fingernail against the mouthpiece.

  “Hello?” she sang into the phone.

  “Sorry, you shocked me. You never asked that before. Ever,” Kaeden said.