Chapter 25
Kasen
I’m watching from the doorway to my office as Dove and the boys walk up the hall.
She has this way of causing chaos with everyone around her, and the flurry now happening in my office is no different.
But if she notices, she doesn’t pay my staff a lick of attention; her filthy glare is directed toward me.
Before I know what’s happening, my feet are moving toward her.
As she gets closer, I swear my heart stops.
She’s had all her hair cut off and looks like a goddess.
Guess the boys took my suggestion literally of making sure she was looking presentable for our date today, even if she’s in my office wearing those damn denim cutoffs and a flimsy singlet with nothing but swimmers on underneath it.
Would it kill her to try some of the beautiful designer clothes I bought for her?
Probably, but she would look amazing in a dress.
“Why are you so late?” I demand.
Her brow pops up. “Why am I here?” she sasses, a hand moving to her hip as she tilts her head up defiantly. “How can I be late when I was never given an invitation?”
“We have lunch reservations to celebrate.” I force a smile, trying not to let her snippy attitude affect my excellent mood.
She thinks she got all of us worked out, thinks she can keep fighting me at every turn, but today, my little birdie is going to learn the hard way that I always get what I want.
She throws me a bitchy look but doesn’t give me a snippy remark like normal.
“You closed the deal?” Bodhi asks, a hint of excitement in his voice.
Normally he would have been here with me.
He knows this place as well as I do, but the old dude who owned the land we needed to acquire to build the golf course was skittish, and Bodhi isn’t always so agreeable when he wants something.
He may have scared him off, and I knew we needed to keep it simple or it wouldn’t go ahead.
A sly smile crosses my lips. “Sure did. We settle in four weeks, and since the plans are already underway, construction will be started before the end of the year. He saw it was win/win for everyone. Just like we knew he would.”
“Sweet,” River agrees. “You’re going to like this one, Dove. New jobs for locals, a place for functions and events, recreational entertainment for the local kids.”
She throws him a dirty look. “Yeah, and more money for you lot. I’m sure it was win/win for you. Where are you building it?” she asks, only sounding half interested even though I know this is important to her.
My lips roll, not sure I should tell her the finer details.
The filthy expression on her face tells me she’s just waiting for another reason to hate me.
“Barry’s farm,” I mutter, knowing she would have found out when she saw the development sign go up in a few weeks anyway.
Probably best not to keep shit from her that I don’t have to when things are already so tense, and right now, I need her on my side more than ever.
Her eyes widen in shock. “The sunflower farm?” she gasps, clear pain in her voice.
I run a hand through my hair, tugging at the ends.
I knew she would have a problem with it.
I should have kept my mouth shut and at least tried to have one day without something new for us to fight over.
“We can keep the sunflowers as a part of the course, Dove, don’t go being heartbroken over it.
The farm has been out of service for years since Barry got too old to care for it.
The land was just sitting there. Even you can’t tell me that’s not a waste. ”
She shakes her head, her disappointment palpable. “Yeah, I bet he was too old. Nothing to do with the cash you threw at him.” She turns away from me and back to River. “Take me home, Easten,” she demands like she has some right to.
She has to be kidding me. I move toward them, taking her arm to move her into my office since she’s making a scene. She can’t just go around demanding shit. That’s not how this is going to work.
River gives me a worried look. “Sorry, babe, Bodhi and I have some work to do here this afternoon. K’s going to hang with you for a bit.
” He side-steps us and makes his way over to Bodhi who’s looking over the contract on my computer.
Smart. He’s getting way too close to her.
It’s about time he remembers his place in this family.
Even from this angle I notice the way her face hardens as I force her to give me her attention, not him, my fingers pressing firmly into her wrist.
Her glare narrows, and her breathing kicks up. “I don’t want to celebrate more of our beautiful town being destroyed by you,” she snips, clearly angry.
I smirk down at her, though it’s not kind, more condescending.
She’s so damn pretty when she’s all worked up.
Her eyes have this almost emerald gleam that lights up, and her cheeks flush with heat.
“You’re being dramatic. River was right when he said this development will be nothing but good for our town. You will see soon enough, birdie.”
She shoves at me, trying to break the contact between the two of us. “No, I won’t. Because I don’t plan on sticking round long enough to see you destroy something else I loved.”
I huff out a laugh, bitter and filled with the frustration she causes having to fight me over every little detail. “If you love this town so much, why aren’t you planning on sticking round and making it your home again?”
Her brow knits together, and she sucks in a labored breath, rolling her eyes.
“Because you’re here.” She shoves at me again.
Her delicate finger bites into my abs, her nails sharp and ready to inflict pain.
What she doesn’t realize is her hands on me only turn me the fuck on.
She couldn’t hurt me in any way. Truth is, all it does is makes me feel alive.
Makes me want her more than ever before.
A stupid grin curls its way onto my lips.
That comment was meant to cut deep, but it only proves what I already knew.
My birdie is all hung up on me. I’m affecting her so badly she’s running scared, worried about falling for me like she did last time.
Luckily for me, I have built a cage so secure she won’t ever be able to escape my love again.
Always guarded by one of us, locked in my home by a security system that won’t let her leave unless one of us lets her.
A town who respects me so much that if I say she’s mine, my word is gospel.
With a smug sense of satisfaction knowing I have all the power between us, I release her.
Turning, I open a closet, pulling out the garment bag and shoe box I had stored in there, knowing she would turn up looking like she was ready for the beach and not an expensive lunch.
“Go put this on. River can show you where to change.”
She pulls a face, looking at me like I have grown two heads. “What?”
“The place we are going for lunch is fancy, they won’t let you in looking like that.” Even if I do enjoy the way her nipples have hardened under my air-conditioning in that bikini top. Or is it just for me, because my rough hold on her turns her the hell on.
Her scowl deepens, and I know I’m about to cop a mouthful from her. “You…”
“Hello, boys,” comes my stepmother’s shrill voice as she shoves her way into my office like she’s supposed to be here.
She has her own room up the hall, not that she spends a lot of time in the place, it’s more for show.
She never really understood what it was we Thrones were doing here.
But Keller married her because of the way she looks, not for her brain.
On her way past, she kisses both Bodhi and River on the cheeks before she saunters toward me.
“K.” She kisses my cheek then wipes off the ruby-red lipstick mark she would have left, and her finger lingers way longer than it should on my cheek.
I cringe, inwardly of course. Right now, the three of us tolerate her because this woman still has way too much control over our business, with Keller’s estate and businesses still with our legal team.
Another reason I need this all cleared up sooner rather than later.
I force a smile. “To what do we owe the pleasure, Gloria?”
She brushes some imaginary lint off her perfect pale blue sheath dress.
It fits her like a glove, showing off her assets, including the fake tits and ass implants Keller paid for.
“I was just out in reception when I heard we have something to celebrate. Where are you taking me?” She glances around the room, not seeming to even notice Dove at all.
But Dove notices her, glaring daggers in her direction, clearly not impressed by her intrusion.
I could have gone without the two of them meeting ever.
Gloria is nothing but trouble. Money hungry and manipulative, the type of person Keller gravitated toward.
Like knows like and all that. “We could do a four-way?” She counts out the people in the room, clearly missing Dove on purpose.
Her suggestive words make my body involuntarily twitch.
“The boys have work to do, and I’m taking my girl to lunch,” I respond, making it clear whatever she’s trying today isn’t going to work.
Might not be ideal timing, but I need her to know I’m taken before she tries anything or says anything stupid in front of Dove and I have another fight on my hands.