“You okay, Miss Westbrook?”
My head jerked up. Fuck.
More knocking.
“Miss Westbrook, we tried calling, but there was no answer.”
The phone rang?
“We’ve had a complaint about banging.”
My mouth dropped open and eyes widened as I looked at Kai.
He slowly grinned.
I didn’t. I pursed my lips together then scrambled around for my clothes. “Yes. It’s… a… Yeah… it’s fine, Derek. Thank you.” Shit, where were my boxers? Damn it, the garbage.
“Do you mind opening up? I have to check. Someone reported screaming, too.”
Jesus Christ. I’d lived here for almost two years, was quiet as a mouse and suddenly, I had a complaint about screaming and banging. I snagged my shirt off the floor and pulled it over my head while I ran into the bedroom and grabbed a pair of yoga pants from the dresser.
“Yeah, sure. I was just….”
I heard the deadbolt click and the door open.
Kai had his shirt and pants on already. “She’s fine.”
I glanced at the floor a few inches from the door where his knife lay. If Derek looked down, he’d see it. Shit. I ran for the door, kicking the knife to the side as I greeted Derek.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize how late it was. We were hanging—”
“Ah yeah… a painting. Your boyfriend said.” Derek chuckled and winked at me. Oh. My. God. My face felt like it was on fire. “Hey, you watch the game yesterday?” he asked Kai.
Boyfriend? The game? “No, unfortunately I had business to attend to.”
“Oh, man, you missed a good one. The Raptors totally kicked ass….” I looked from one to the other as they chatted about the basketball game.
Kai put his arm around my shoulders and dragged me in to his side. “Right, hon?”
“Huh?” I was still reeling that one of the security guards spoke to Kai as if they were friends. A man I was sleeping with in order to fulfill a deal.
“Well, keep the ah… hammering down?” Derek wiggled his brows at me.
Jesus. I’d been the quiet geek in loft 607 and now I was… God, I didn’t even want to know what the security guys would talk about now. I’d never be able to look them in the eye again. I’d have to run for the elevator or better yet, come in through the parking garage and avoid them altogether.
Kai shut the door. I pulled from his snug embrace and walked into the kitchen. I grabbed a bottled water from the fridge, cracked it open and chugged it back.
By the time I’d set it down on the counter, Kai stood next to me, eyes twinkling.
“Boyfriend?”
He didn’t say anything.
“The game?”
Again, he didn’t say anything.
“What are you doing? You have two more nights then this is over.”
“Four.”
I glared. “No. Two. You didn’t show up for the last two nights. That’s not my fault.”
He gently took the water from my hand and took a sip before answering. “Four, London. Actually, five because tonight isn’t over.”
“That’s not the deal. It was one week.”
“Yes. Seven days.”
I wasn’t giving in on this. I couldn’t let him win. He was taking advantage and I couldn’t do four more nights. It was… it unhinged me. I lost control and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like any of this because the truth was I did like it and it was wrong.
I marched to the washroom then glared over my shoulder at him. “Two more nights and then our association is over.” I slammed the door.
I leaned over the sink and splashed cold water on my heated cheeks, brushed my teeth and hoped by the time I was done, he’d be gone.
He wasn’t.
He was lying naked in my bed.
I crossed my arms. “What are you doing?”
“If you insist on two nights, I plan to make them last.”
“You can’t stay the night.” Shit, this was backfiring. I expected him to fuck me and leave, not lie next to me all night.
One leg was bent and the sheet pooled at his hips, dipping where there was a light trail of sparse dark hairs. He was half-perched up by two pillows under his shoulders and I hated that he looked hot in my bed, relaxed, as if he belonged there.
“You going to throw me out, London?”
I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him. “I’m not sleeping naked,” I grumbled as I walked to the bed and climbed in with my yoga pants and shirt on.
“We’ll see,” he said and pulled the sheet up over me. His thigh landed on top of my thighs. Then his arm came around my shoulders and tugged, pulling me back against his chest.
I fumed.
Because I liked him wrapped around me. I liked the feel of him. I liked him in bed with me.
And I’d never felt so protected in my life. The irony was I had the feeling that Kai could very well destroy me.