Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
“ N ick .” Nola threw her arms around her brother. He was big and strong and rugged.
He was always there for her, even when her father had made it hard. She could always depend on Nick’s grumpy brand of overprotectiveness.
“Nola, you look great.” He smiled at her. His brown hair was a little shaggy and a dark beard covered his face. His blue eyes were the same shade as hers.
“Where’s my best friend?” When Nick had fallen head over heels for Lainie, Nola had been ecstatic. They’d been worried she’d be mad, but she wished the two of them had sorted out their feelings sooner.
“I’m here.” Lainie appeared, opening her arms.
Pregnancy agreed with Nola’s best friend/sister-in-law. Lainie’s pretty face was glowing, her brown hair was lush and long, and her body was curvier than ever.
“Hey, my sparkly mama-in-training.” Nola hugged her friend, then pressed a hand to Lainie’s baby bump. It was even larger than the last time she’d seen her. “You’re not overdoing it at work, are you?”
Lainie was the CEO of Pintura, an uber-successful, billion-dollar graphic design company. Nola had always known her smart, hard-working bestie would be a success.
“I’m delegating more.” Lainie waved a hand. “Don’t start. Your brother is watching me like a hawk.”
Nick crossed his arms. “That’s my job. And that’s our baby girl you’re growing in there.”
Lainie’s face warmed and she leaned into her husband. Just watching the two of them made Nola want to smile.
“Hey, Nola.” A tall, toned, and beautiful redhead waved.
“Hi, Devyn.”
“Love the shoes,” Devyn said with a smile.
“Thanks. They hurt like hell.”
The rest of Nick’s friends appeared. They all worked at Sentinel Security.
His always-handsome boss Killian “Steel” Hawke stepped into view. He slid an arm around Devyn “Hellfire” Hawke. The pair were a matching set—both gorgeous and deadly.
The others were there as well. Italian heartthrob Matteo “Hades” Mancini and his clever wife Gabbi. Elegant Hadley “Striker” Knightley and her husband Bennett. Big Irishman Bram “Excalibur” O’Donovan was there too, but his wife Addie wasn’t with him.
“Hi, everyone,” Nola said.
Bram lifted his chin. “I can’t stay long. One drink, then I need to get home to Addie and the twins.” He shook his head. “They’re pint-size balls of energy, and by this time of the day, Addie is exhausted.”
“I don’t think so,” a sharp female voice said.
Nola turned and saw the final pair of the Sentinel Security team. Sexy Cain “Shade” Cavanaugh and Sentinel’s tech goddess, Jet—better known by her codename Hex. Pink-haired Hex was glaring at her man. Cain—whose tawny hair was up in a man bun that just begged a woman to slide her hands into it and mess it up—smiled a charming smile and murmured something quietly. Hex narrowed her gaze and shook her head, but then Cain pulled his wife in and kissed her. Hard.
Hex melted in about half a second.
Nola’s heart squeezed. The pair had so much chemistry.
It reminded her of the man who’d just rocked her world with a kiss.
“Hey, guys, I want you to meet—”
“Hey, Stone.” Nick reached past Nola, holding a hand out. “You found the place okay?”
Nola blinked and found Nick smiling at Knox.
“I did, Wolf. Thanks.”
“The whiskey here is amazing,” her brother continued. “You have to try some.”
Nola swiveled, and took in Knox’s composed face. Stone? His easy-going smile was gone. And he knew her brother’s code name.
“Nola—” Nick settled an arm over her shoulders “—meet Knox ‘Stone’ Holman. He’s the newest addition to the Sentinel Security team. He’s a former Marine, but I won’t hold that against him. Stone, my baby sister, Magnolia.”
Knox nodded at her like she was a stranger. Not a woman he’d just flirted with and kissed. She could practically feel the icy vibes shimmering off him.
He’d gone cold.
“Let’s get some drinks,” Killian said. “To welcome Knox to the team.”
“Come on, bestie.” Lainie slid her arm through Nola’s and urged her forward.
They found a large table, and Nola had no chance to talk to Knox. He was sitting at the other end of the table with Nick and Bram, not looking her way.
Nola sipped her drink, trying to ignore the squirmy feeling in her belly. She didn’t like it.
And she sure as hell wasn’t going to let the man keep ignoring her.
Or that kiss.
A kiss like that didn’t happen everyday.
“Earth to Nola.”
With a jolt, she looked back at Lainie. “Sorry. Long day.” She found a smile for her friend. “I got a new listing. A big one in the High Line Tower.”
Hadley leaned forward. “Fancy.”
“Are you in the market?” Nola asked.
The brunette smiled. “We already have a nice place.”
Nola knew that in the huge warehouse that Killian had converted into the Sentinel Security offices, he also had magnificent apartments on the upper levels. He offered his employees cheap rent and a short commute. She guessed that was why Knox had found a place so easily.
“Your husband is a billionaire,” Nola said to Hadley. Bennett owned Secura—a company that specialized in high quality supplies for the military, including body armor, uniforms, and meals. “And you two do have a baby on the way.”
Nola nodded her head at Hadley’s small baby bump.
Hadley laughed. “I don’t think our baby needs a new multimillion-dollar penthouse, but if it does, you’ll be the first to know.”
As Nola half listened to Gabbi and Lainie talking, she swirled the last of her drink around her glass. That’s when she spotted Knox heading toward the bar. She tossed back the last of her drink. “I need another cocktail. Anyone need anything?”
“I have all the sparkling juice I can manage.” Lainie pulled a face and patted her belly. “I can’t wait until I can have a glass of wine again.”
“I’ll be right back,” Nola said.
She strode across the busy bar, her gaze locked on Knox. He’d taken his jacket off and that gray shirt—the same color as his eyes—fitted him so well. As he leaned against the bar, she admired the way his dark jeans hugged his ass.
“So.” She leaned on the bar next to him.
He stiffened.
That was hell on a girl’s confidence. “You’re just going to ignore me. Kiss my brains out, then act like I’m poison?”
“Nola.” He sighed. “Look, I’m a Marine, and we live by a code. Always be faithful, especially to our fellow brothers. That code includes not fucking around with someone else’s wife or fiancée. It also includes the little sisters of co-workers.”
“You aren’t in the military anymore. And I happen to be an adult.”
His jaw tightened. “You’re too young for me, anyway.”
Nola laughed. “I’m about to turn thirty-two. My friends are all lamenting about not being young anymore.”
“You’ve got a long way to go.” He lifted his drink—he’d switched to whiskey now. He’d rolled up his sleeves. She saw the tattoo on his forearm—a mix of an American flag, and the Marine Corps emblem—the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor.
She tamped down her hormones. “I like you, Knox. It’s been a long time since I felt like that about anyone.” Let alone a guy she’d just met. God, she was really putting herself out there, and it was a little scary. But she was sick of games, dating apps, and bad dates. “I like you a lot.” She leaned in. “I really liked that kiss.”
She saw the flash in his gray eyes and the way his fingers tightened on his glass. “Nola, you’re attractive…”
She tensed. He hadn’t said that in a happy tone.
“Tell me the truth,” he said. “You want to get married someday?”
“To the right guy? Yes.”
“Kids?”
She swallowed. “Eventually.”
“Right, and I’m past that. I tried marriage once, and it wasn’t my thing.”
He’d been married? “When?” She didn’t like the idea of him linked to another woman.
“When I was in my twenties and in the Marines.”
Nola raised an eyebrow. “So, a long time ago.”
“Yes.”
“Have you got kids?”
“No, thankfully.”
She tilted her head. “So, you failed once and that stops us getting to know each other? Enjoying each other?”
He sighed. “Nola…”
“It sounds like an excuse to me.”
He turned to face her, and his rugged features looked like they were carved from the stone he was named for.
“It was nice to meet you, Nola, but I’m not interested.” He nodded, then strode back to join the others.
Well . Nola blindly stared at the whiskey bottles lined up behind the bar. A hollow feeling filled her, and deep inside it was hurt.
She’d been resoundingly rejected.
She dragged in a breath. You barely know the guy, Magnolia.
Which meant it shouldn’t hurt this much.
The next morning, Knox stood as still as his nickname in the elevator as it descended.
The large, brick Sentinel Security warehouse had been completely remodeled. Killian had told him it had been a cargo warehouse back in the 1800s. The brick walls and arched doorways contrasted with the sleek, modern furniture and fixtures. There were also lots of green walls, filled with lush plants.
The ground levels were the main offices, and housed cyber security, corporate security, and the admin staff of Sentinel Security. The more modern steel and glass addition at the top of the building was all high-end apartments.
The elevator slowed and stopped. He stepped off into the secure lower level. This one was where Killian’s top team worked. The place sure was something, with top-of-line computers and gear. He was grateful for the short commute. The last thing he wanted was to battle the subway or the traffic.
He strode through an archway into his new office. He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it over the back of his chair. Suits and ties were not his thing. Jeans and a sports coat were more his speed.
He sat at his desk, facing the new computer. It might take him a while to get used to sitting at a desk. It wasn’t something he liked. He preferred being outside.
“Morning.” Devyn appeared in the archway, clad in fitted black pants and a black shirt. Her red hair swung in a ponytail behind her. “If you need caffeine, we have a fully stocked kitchen, and a great coffee machine.”
“I saw the machine. Figured I needed an engineering degree to operate it.”
She laughed. She was stunning, and he could see why she’d caught the eye of a man like Steel.
But Knox also knew she was former CIA. It would pay not to underestimate her.
“I’ll make you a coffee,” she said. “Since it’s your second day.”
“Thanks. I take it black.”
As Devyn walked out, Knox saw Nick on the phone in his office across the corridor.
Of course, that made his thoughts turn to Nola.
Who was he kidding? He’d been thinking of her every minute since he’d laid eyes on her last night. He’d relived that damn kiss a hundred times. His body tightened and he growled under his breath.
She was off-limits. She was Nick’s sister, and he wasn’t going there. It had messy and complicated written all over it. Besides, she was too young.
He shook his head. He had a new job to focus on.
He had to stop thinking about his sexy, dark-haired sprite.
“Stone.” Killian stopped in front of his desk. The boss wore a crisp and likely tailored black suit. He handed out a mug of coffee. “My wife made this for you.”
“Lots of perks with this job.” Knox took the mug and sipped. It was black and strong.
Killian arched a brow. “Don’t get used to me bringing coffee. How’s the apartment?”
“It’s great. I need to buy some furniture.”
“Talk to Hex. I’m sure she can help.”
“What, because I’m a woman?” Hex appeared, her pink-tinged dark hair brushing her jaw line. She put her hands on her hips.
Killian shot her a cool look. “Because you know everything, and if you don’t, you’ll find it.”
Hex sniffed. “Decent comeback. Striker is the one to talk to about decorating your place, Knox. Hadley has good taste, and loves shopping.”
“True,” Killian agreed.
Nick appeared, his face looking serious. “I just got off the phone with Richards over at HT Industries.” The man glanced at Knox. “They’re one of our biggest clients. They just bought a new property in Greenwich Village and want an urgent security assessment.”
Killian nodded. “Take Knox. You can show him around.”
“Great.” Nick turned to Knox.
Knox drank some more coffee and stood. “Sounds good.”
“I’ll drive,” Nick said.
Together, they headed for the elevator and down to the parking garage. A second later, Nick stopped beside a sleek, silver Aston Martin DB11.
“Nice ride,” Knox said.
“Thanks. Killian helps us with investments. I’ve done pretty well.” He opened the door and slid in.
Knox sat in the passenger seat, putting the seat back as far as it would go to allow his legs to fit. “Figured you must’ve had a rich family.”
Nick started the engine and scoffed. “I have a rich stepdad. But it would be a cold day in hell before I take money from him.” Nick grinned. “Besides, my wife is loaded.”
“Lucky you.” Knox paused. “So, your sister, it’s her dad who’s the rich guy?”
“Yes. Thankfully, Nola didn’t inherit his asshole-ness. And she also has limited patience for him.” Nick glanced over. “I know you aren’t married, but is there a significant other?”
“No. Tried the marriage thing once. Once was enough.”
Nick grunted. “I never thought I’d get married. When you find the right one, though…” His smile widened. “It’s worth it. Hell, and now we have a baby on the way.” He drove up the ramp out of the parking garage, the powerful engine growling.
“Are you excited?”
“Sure. And terrified. My dad was an ex-con, so I haven’t exactly had good role models on the father front.”
“We aren’t our parents,” Knox said. “My dad was a mean son of a bitch. I’ve worked pretty hard to be nothing like him.”
Nick nodded. “Yeah. I’m going to do everything I can to be a good dad.” He turned out onto the street and picked up speed. “Lainie and Nola are buying up half the baby things in Manhattan. I think Nola’s feeling a little broody since Lainie got pregnant. She’s so excited about the baby.”
Knox fought the urge to shift in his seat. “She’s not married?”
“No.” Nick scowled. “The last few guys she’s dated have been assholes. Nola deserves the best. I want her to find a guy who’ll treat her right, give her love and babies. Luckily, she has a big brother to keep an eye on her.”
“Lucky.” Knox looked out the windshield.
Magnolia Newhouse was definitely not for him.