Chapter Nine
Joining the dots
Kyle
Amy darted from one foot to the other, the click of her heels echoing around the place as she waited for the arrival of Kyle’s guests. Even that first night he’d brought her back to Brock Hall and showed her around, he couldn’t remember seeing her so nervous.
“Relax, little girl.” Wandering closer, Kyle skimmed a palm along the back of her stockings and squeezed her delicious backside. His dick swelled immediately, recalling how much it liked to be buried between her pert cheeks. “You’re going to do just fine.”
“Thank you, sir.” She twisted to face him, apparently unconcerned by his attention. “But that’s easy for you to say. You already know these people, and well…” She glanced down at her delectable maid’s outfit. “You’re not the one dressed like this.”
“You must know just how fucking sexy you look,” he growled, trailing a finger beneath her skirt to stroke her panties. The scent of her hair filled his senses, his cock straining to be free and invade her wet, warm places. “And you know how well I’ll reward you when you’re good.”
“Yes, sir.” She pushed her sex toward his hand, welcoming his touch. “I’m just so tense.”
“About what?”
Hadn’t he spent the last few hours ironing out all the details so she wouldn’t need to worry? Jonah was safely shipped to Worthington’s, where his as well as three of his friends’ meals would be on the house. Brock Hall was clean and tidy—thanks in large part to her own splendid efforts—and they had both gone to see Chef to make sure the meal was in order. Both dressed and waiting for his friends, everything was ready.
There was nothing to worry about.
“I don’t know.” She sounded agonized. “Everything. What if they don’t like me? Or what if I make a complete fool of myself, sir, and tip dessert over one of them?”
He repressed his amusement at her catastrophized version of events. “On no planet will they not like you.”
He couldn’t believe she was concerned. Evidently, the woman hadn’t seen herself lately. Or maybe life with her floundering late husband had just meant she didn’t know herself. Maybe she wasn’t to everyone’s taste—a little older than some of the women his pals dallied with—but she was eminently smarter, sexier, and more capable than any he’d had the chance to meet. Furthermore, he recognized how she was increasingly becoming captivated by him.
Amy Kendal.
He smiled, his hand stroking her outer thigh as he recalled the years between visiting her then-husband and that sweet moment.
Amy had been on his radar for a long time—since he’d laid down the law to her pathetic husband—and he’d never forgotten about her. He’d served the eviction notice before he’d heard about Graham’s passing, but when the news had reached him, he couldn’t say he was surprised. The guy had seemed close to his breaking point that day in the hallway of Aspen Way; he had been at least twenty pounds overweight and a prime candidate for a heart attack or a stroke.
Graham’s demise, though, had started the avalanche of Amy’s bad luck that had seen her ultimately tumble into his arms at Worthington’s. Kyle hadn’t actively been involved in the numerous loans she’d been forced to take out after his death. He hadn’t urged either of her sons into lives of crime or insisted she take a second job, but he could see the way in which Kendal’s eviction from Aspen Way had been the irrefutable trigger for the downward spiral.
Kyle, for his part, had merely sat on the periphery, watching and waiting. He’d asked Stevens to keep his eyes peeled and discover where she’d gone after Aspen Way, then again when she’d been forced to give up that address and move to the nasty studio apartment. He’d witnessed her every move, biding his time, and only when she seemed almost brow beaten by her debt had he swooped in to make his move.
He still vividly recalled the morning she’d dropped into the uninspiring grocery store for bread. The way her face had reddened as she’d argued with the self-checkout and the glimmer of relief in her eyes when he’d rescued her. Maybe he should have had better things to do than follow her around like a love-struck puppy, but the problem with the kind of wealth he’d accumulated over the years was that it meant he didn’t really have to do any thing.
He had the yachts, the properties, and the super cars, and he’d played with them all, but after a while, the products money bought him had become devoid of tangible meaning, leaving him feeling empty. That void had fueled his curiosity about Amy, insisting he knew where she was living and working long after it shouldn’t have mattered. It demanded he ‘keep an eye on her’ when she was really of no concern, and it had ensured he found himself following her into the sunny parking lot that day, watching her park in her rundown car, then ambling after her once she’d slipped inside the grocery store.
Holding Amy against his body, the memories of that first encounter flashed into his mind.
Watching her from the other side of the aisle, his heart raced. It looked as though she was trying to pay for the item she’d chosen, but despite her best efforts, the self-service check-out was not cooperating.
This is it! The thought filled his head, accelerating his pulse as he strode toward her. Swoop in there and save her.
“Mrs. Kendal?”
She looked up at him, her light blue eyes widening as she searched his face, and, in that instant, he knew it had been worth it—the years he’d waited, the reconnaissance… all of it.
“Oh!” She stumbled backward with shock, and acting on reflex, he reached out to steady her.
“I’m sorry.” Christ, she was even more adorable in real life than he’d seen in the photos. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“No, you didn’t.” Her stunned expression said that was a lie, but he didn’t counter her, taking the moment to enjoy her creamy complexion before he crouched to retrieve the money she’d dropped.
“Here.” He foisted it at her, vaguely aware of how she’d need it. Kyle didn’t know her finances as intimately as he hoped to know her, but he was cognizant things were tough, and losing Graham had only amplified that urgency.
“Thanks.” She took note. “Do I know you?”
“Please, let me introduce myself.” He’d imagined that moment so many times in his head, the reality was like a movie. “I’m William Kyle. I knew your late husband, Graham.”
“Graham.” Emotions flickered in her beautiful eyes, and he instantly regretted mentioning her late husband.
“Yes, Graham and I worked together a few times.” He disliked the duplicity, but telling her he’d once been her landlord would have likely invited too many questions. Better to keep things vague. For now. “I heard what happened to him. Please accept my condolences.”
“Thanks.” She swallowed. “I don’t remember him talking about you.”
“It had been a while since we worked together.” That was true, at least. “I’m sorry to have missed the funeral.”
“It was a small affair.”
“I wished I’d made it.” If only to have consoled the grieving widow.
“If only we could turn back the clock, eh?” Her laughter was sad.
“Indeed.” It was fascinating to see her up close after so long of watching from afar. “I interrupted you.” He motioned to the check-out.
“I was trying to pay for my bread.” She glanced at the note in her hands. “I despise these machines.”
“They can be… temperamental.” He never had to waste time on things like grocery shopping anymore.
“That’s one way of putting it.” She sighed.
“Will you allow me to try?” He moved closer to her. “I have a way with these things.”
“Sure.” She thrust the money at him.
“Save your cash.” He reached into his pocket. “I have coins for this.”
“No, no!” she insisted.
A quick glance at her revealed her wonderful, blushing face.
“I can’t let you do that.”
“You’re not letting me do anything.” Bless her. Apparently, she thought it was a discussion. “I’m offering to help.”
He slipped the coins into the slot to pay for her bread and waited as the machine processed the transaction and counted his change.
“That’s very kind.” She looked overawed as the transaction concluded. “Please, let me repay you.”
“I wouldn’t hear of it, Mrs. Kendal.” He presented her with the bagged loaf. “Consider it my good deed for the day.”
One I’ve been thinking about for longer than I’ve known you.
“Well, I’m exceptionally thankful.” Her eyes shone with gratitude. “And please, call me Amy.”
Amy. He liked the way she said her name, but he suspected his would sound even better on her tempting lips.
“Grateful enough to let me buy you dinner, Amy?” It was time to make his move. Perhaps her appreciation would blindside her into accepting a stranger’s invitation.
“Dinner?”
“Yes.” He couldn’t wait to taste her supple lips. She must be well into her forties, but even the hard life she’d endured didn’t show on her face. Amy was truly wonderful. “It’s a meal that people eat at the end of the day.”
“Yes.” Her brow rose. “I know what dinner is. I just can’t…” She hesitated. “I shouldn’t say yes. I don’t really know you.”
“I promise to be a gentleman.” He feigned a salute, ignoring the ache in his balls. “But I’d still like to have dinner with you.”
Lifting a hand to her cheek, that first meeting seemed like a hundred years ago, not less than a week. She was more his now than she’d ever been, and tonight’s indulgence would only reinforce his possession.
He kissed her crown tenderly, his feelings furling in his chest. It wasn’t only the scintillating sex or the way she was clearly born to surrender to his commands; there was the tug of something else, too, something deeper that stung at the thought of losing her. Something soul-aligned that terrified him.
“And let me make one thing abundantly obvious for you, little girl.” He drew their combined focus back to the task ahead, his heart speeding up at her widening blue eyes.
She spun, perhaps sensing the shift in his voice. “Sir?”
“If you inadvertently spill any course over my guests tonight, I’ll have you tipped over my lap to tan your gorgeous ass before you can even take another breath.”
He saw the moment the idea cemented in her mind, the instant she imagined him doing just that. A darker shade hued on her cheeks, convincing him that, although she’d loathe the embarrassment, there were parts of her that would welcome—and relish—that humiliating treatment.
“Okay, sir.” She blinked at him as though she was a little kid and he’d just promised her an ice cream.
“Okay?” His thumb caressed her chin. “Think you can handle my demands for the night?”
He considered kissing her again but decided against the idea. Not that he didn’t want to, didn’t want her —having her around meant he always craved her, and having Jonah in residence had proved to be something of a buzz kill—but truly, they had other things to do than just enjoy each other. He had four of his oldest friends—his only friends, really—about to arrive, and he wanted everything to be perfect.
That was the only problem with Amy. She might be the sweetest distraction he’d ever known, but a diversion she still was. He wanted to be there to greet his guests, and she—his little server for the evening—should be liaising with Leonard about the timing of the first course.
“I’ll have to, sir.” She managed a small smile.
“That’s right.” He fisted her hair gently, once again toying with the idea of devouring her, but the headlights stretching through the glass behind her convinced him there definitely wasn’t time. “You have to, little girl. The guests have just arrived.”