Chapter Twelve
Grant
I parked in the garage and took a minute to decompress.
The death toll did, in fact rise, and I spent the better part of the afternoon holding sobbing mothers and attempting to soothe angry fathers.
Despite the text message fiasco, I was grateful to have Mom present.
She filled in where needed—making coffee runs, picking up food orders, and conducting interviews.
When we returned to the office, I checked in with her and asked if she was okay after such a stressful day.
She denied but urged me not to worry because Dad would take good care of her.
She reiterated that I needed to dump Clitasaurus Rex and find a suitable partner who could take away my stress at the end of the day.
Finally, she roped me into attending a spa day with her.
The word ‘no’ was at the tip of my tongue before she fixed me with the “this isn’t up for negotiation” gaze she and Kiyah shared.
My phone buzzed with a group chat message from my brothers.
Little Bro: Did you guys get your gifts yet for Daisy and Nori?
Whore: A month ago.
Little Bro: What did you get them?
Whore: Some VIP wine and food tour bullshit.
Little Bro: You stole my idea!
Whore: Doubt it.
Little Bro: Big Bro? What did you get them?
Me: We got them several items off their wedding registry.
Little Bro: Awwww, we’re giving them a joint gift?
Me: No, you’re just a procrastinating piece of shit, and I knew you’d try to find something last-minute.
Whore: And he’s too cheap to buy a gift himself. Don’t forget that.
Me: That too.
Little Bro: You both are jealous because my net worth is greater than yours, and I haven’t even tapped into my trust fund yet.
Whore: That’s because you’re a fucking moocher, and you don’t pay for shit.
Me: I concur.
Whore: You live at home, you drive Dad’s hand-me-down vehicle, you conveniently forget your wallet when you go out to eat, and someone picks up your tab, and when you travel with Ronan, Uncle Ant picks up all the expenses!
Little Bro: You sound jealous. I can’t help it if I’m fiscally responsible.
Me: You’re a user.
Little Bro: I’m the baby of the family. I should be taken care of.
Whore: How much did you clear last year?
Little Bro: That’s none of your business.
Whore: Tell me.
Little Bro: No.
Me: $8,278,111.23.
I exited the truck, laughing as Casey raged in the group chat about how spoiled Kieran was and how everyone, including myself, enabled him. I shrugged. I felt guilty for letting Kieran slide, but how could I tell him no when he gave me those big puppy dog eyes?
When I entered the house, my stomach tried to rip itself out of my body and hunt down the burgers. The smell of caramelized onions made my mouth water.
“I’m home!” I yelled, not wanting to startle Kiyah. She stressed the importance of announcing myself when I enter the room to avoid injury or death. I’d been told numerous times that I was too light on my feet and had been known to “slink around in the shadows.”
“Kitchen!”
I abandoned my briefcase, kicked my shoes off, and loosened my tie before entering the kitchen. Kiyah was slicing a beefsteak tomato with a blue-and-white checkered towel slung over her shoulder.
“Good evening,” I said, making her smile. She glanced up before returning her attention to the tomato.
“Always so formal,” she teased. “How was your day?”
“Long,” I mentioned, rounding the kitchen island in pursuit of affection.
Kiyah abandoned the knife, placed a hand on the back of my neck, and tugged me down for a kiss.
The stress of the day began to melt away as we became more engaged.
My hands traveled down to her ass, and my fingers gripped the flesh through her cutoff shorts with unbridled need.
I started walking her out of the kitchen, completely forgetting that food was on the stove.
“Grant. Don’t be ridiculous,” she whispered, trying to shove me away. My lips traveled from hers to her neck. I froze when I caught a whiff of something. I inhaled deeply, thinking I was confused, but no, it was there.
I pulled away and asked, “Why do you smell like another man?”
She seemed caught off guard. “What?”
I signed my question since she wanted to pretend she was deaf.
“Okay, trigger fingers. Calm down.”
“I’m not calming down until you tell me why you smell like another man,” I declared, still signing.
“I can explain.”
“Make it quick,” I insisted, finally resting my fingers.
“I ran into this guy at Emerald Hills, and he was lost. He was looking for the skilled nursing unit to visit his wife. He had a toddler with him, and I held the kid while I helped him find his wife’s room.
The kid didn’t want to let go when we tried performing the handoff, so I guess his cologne transferred to me when we were trying to untangle the kid from my hair and body. ”
“That sounds like bullshit.”
“Maybe,” she replied, returning to the stove to flip a patty. “But I can assure you no funny business went down at Emerald Hills.”
Is Kiyah lying to me? No. I always know when she does. But that still doesn’t mean I want to smell another man on her.
I peered over her shoulder, trying to judge if dinner was ready.
“Back up before you get burned by this hot grease,” she said, transferring the fries to a plate with folded paper towels covering it. I complied and waited for the perfect moment to strike. “Oh, can you do me a favor? Can you call my phone?”
“Why? Did you lose it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Let’s hope not, considering there are compromising photos on there,” I grumbled, calling her phone.
“You liked it,” she teased.
Liked it? I fucking loved it.
“It went straight to voicemail.”
“Shit.”
“When was the last time you used it?”
“The last time I remember using it was at the retirement home. I’ll call in the morning to see if it’s there. It could’ve fallen in the couch or something in the Ladies’ Lounge.”
“How was your visit?”
Kiyah sighed and transferred the patties to a plate. “A little depressing.”
“Granddad?”
“Yep. I got him lucid for a few minutes, and we had a short discussion. I spent the rest of the afternoon with Grandma and her friends. Those women talked my fucking ear off.”
“I like to keep my visits brief. They always try to hook me up with their granddaughters.”
She chuckled. “I believe it.”
Once I confirmed the stove was off, I scooped Kiyah up and threw her over my shoulder.
“What are you doing, Grant?”
I slapped her on the ass.
“I gotta wash that man’s scent off of you.”
“God, you’re such a caveman.”
And don’t forget it.
* * *
“You’re a creep,” Kiyah mumbled into my chest instead of saying good morning.
“Says the woman who sends unsolicited nudes.” I chuckled, tightening my hold on her.
“Okay, but hear me out. Mom was being judgy as fuck.”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
“What else did she say about me?” she asked.
My cell phone vibrated on the nightstand, but I ignored the alerts.
Texts from my siblings flooded my cellphone like a category five hurricane when I informed Casey that he’d be in charge for the next few days while I took time off.
The conspiracy theories became more far-fetched and egregious with each message.
Eventually, they all agreed I was suffering from a rare case of Ebola.
Casey texted me outside the group and asked if I was okay.
I thanked him for his concern and informed him that my absence was not alcohol-related.
“What she said doesn’t matter.”
Kiyah clucked her tongue and slid a cold foot across my shin.
“Hmph. I bet she’d change her tune real quick if she knew about your little accessory down there. I wonder if she’d think you came from a broken home,” she huffed.
“Probably not, but I’d never fucking hear the end of it,” I sighed, pulling her on top of me.
“G,” she whispered in a low warning.
“One more round to get the day started,” I suggested, squeezing her hips.
She leaned down and teased the flesh of my collarbone.
She nipped and licked before sucking the skin into her mouth, forcing a groan out of me.
My hands stayed busy, smoothing down her body until I reached her ass.
She arched her back, giving me access to her abused pussy.
Precum leaked from me, smearing between us as I recalled how I took her in the shower last night.
I slipped two fingers into her tight channel and hummed satisfactorily when she moaned.
She began backing up on my fingertips, urging me to go deeper.
When I refused, she became frustrated, pulled away, and lined me up.
I closed my eyes and licked my lips when she impaled herself.
Simultaneous moans slipped from us once her ass met my lap.
My fingers sank into her hips as she rode me fast and hard.
She dropped on me so hard that I was bouncing against the mattress.
I pursed my lips when she reached up and grabbed the headboard.
She smirked down at me and flipped her hair out of her face.
“Ready to come already, G?” she taunted. She cursed when my hips snapped up, meeting her down strokes. I moved to tease her clit when she covered her clit with her fingers, blocking my access. She smiled at me deviously and shook her head.
She always thinks everything’s a joke.
I sat up, wrapped an arm around her waist, and climbed out of bed with my dick still inside.
Her back hit the mattress, and I hooked her legs on my shoulders.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand as I slammed into her.
A few strokes later, Kiyah came apart, and I followed behind her moments later.
I pulled out and painted her abdomen and breasts with my cum.
I snickered when she glared at me for getting some on her chin.
“Let me help you with that,” I said breathlessly. I swiped at the cum with my thumb and pushed it to her parted lips. Her tongue ran across my finger.
I love you, I signed, still catching my breath. She cracked a smile and signed it back.
“I have an idea.”
Kiyah and “I have an idea” never ends well.
“Let’s hear it.”
“I’ll take an Uber to Mom and Dad’s, get my bike, and then we can go for a ride,” she offered.
“Only if I’m driving.” She scrunched up her face in displeasure. “You can look at me like that all you want, but I’m not riding bitch.”
“But it’s been forever since you drove my bike,” she protested.
“You’ve heard the phrase, ‘like riding a bike’ before, right?” I asked, lowering her legs from my shoulders.
“I have, but—”
“Great. I’m glad you agree. Let’s hit the shower.”
* * *
It was Kieran’s third call—his bat signal for me, but I didn’t give a damn. The building could be on fire with him in it. Nothing could get me to answer.
Little Bro: Yoooo. When did politicians become Kiyah’s type?
What the hell is he talking about?
“G? Are you coming?” Kiyah shouted from the bathroom.
“I’ll be right there,” I said as I called Kieran.
“I’m offended that it took gossip for you to return my call. The building could’ve been on fire.”
“Last I checked, I didn’t have a fire truck, hose, or a Dalmatian. What do you mean Kiyah’s type is politicians?”
“Guess who is in the office right now.”
“I don’t have time for fucking guessing games, Wesley,” I snapped.
“Geez, somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”
I was painfully aware that my blood pressure was climbing by the way my carotid thumped in my neck.
“G?”
I muted Kieran and yelled, “Give me a minute!” I whispered ‘damn’ under my breath. The last thing I wanted to deal with was Kiyah with an attitude. I unmuted Kieran and had to stop him to tell him to take it from the top.
“Do you know who Thaddeus Branson Jr. is?”
“Of course. He is on the fast track to becoming the youngest governor of Texas. Why?”
“He showed up to the office with Kiyah’s phone and, if I’m being honest, a charming bouquet of flowers.”
My jaw clenched so hard that I’d break my porcelain crown if I didn’t ease up.
“Flowers, huh?”
“And her cell phone,” he added.
“Do me a favor, Little Bro.”
“Anything,” he replied eagerly.
“Keep the governor hopeful there. I want to have a little chat with him.”
“Grant,” he sighed. “You can’t keep doing this.”
“Doing what?” I asked, tugging on whatever I could find.
“Pulling the overprotective big brother card and running him off. He seems really nice—the complete opposite of the assholes I’m sure Kiyah’s been with. Maybe he’ll be a good influence on her, and she’ll stick around.”
“You’re exaggerating as usual. I’ll be there in ten minutes. I needed to swing by the office to leave Casey instructions anyway. I can kill two birds with one stone.”
“He’s speaking with Daisy now, so he’ll be here a minute. She never shuts up.”
Look who’s talking.
“God help him if Nori shows up for a surprise visit.”
“I don’t even think God could help him. That girl has a vicious jealous streak.”
“I’ll be there soon,” I confirmed, hanging up the phone as I slipped on a pair of tennis shoes. I poked my head into the bathroom and raised my voice to be heard over the shower’s spray. “I have to swing by the office. I’ll be back soon!”
“What? Grant! You promised—”
I left before she could finish the rest of her sentence.
I promised not to go into the office, but these are extenuating circumstances. It’ll be a cold day in Hell before I sit back and allow a man to make a move on Kiyah while she is legally Mrs. Grant Maxwell Baker.