“Kit.”
“All right, I’ll take it.”
He scooped his phone up from the night table, along with a bottle of sunscreen. From the closet, he got a fresh towel and a straw hat, which he jammed onto his head as he walked out of the room.
“Give me a minute,” I said into the phone and walked over to the window so I could watch Kit and see where he headed. I’d rented a private property with a beachfront view.
“Go ahead,” I said to Liam, still watching Kit find a spot and shake out his towel. He didn’t seem aware, but he’d attracted the attention of two men who were nearby. From their position wrapped around each other, they were lovers, but that didn’t stop them from peering at Kit as if they wanted to ask him to join them.
“How’s your vacation going?” Liam asked. “I’d say you’re not doing it right if you still sound so uptight.”
“You know this isn’t a typical vacation, Liam.”
“I don’t see why you can’t make it one. You’re already there on the island, and although I’ve never been, I hear it’s wonderful there. You have a hot little energizer bunny with you—”
“He’s a kitty.”
“What?”
“Nothing.” Liam knew nothing about our pet play.
“Anyway, like I was saying, take advantage of the circumstances and enjoy yourself.”
He was right, of course, but to have a relaxing vacation meant forgetting all about that man who tried to kill me. Luckily, Kit had been too tired last night from our flight to notice how long I’d stayed up, unable to sleep as I’d tried to make a profile of each person I’d killed or extorted money from for the Pinellis over the year. Although this revenge could be as far back as a decade.
“You know what would make that possible, Liam? If I got a name.”
“Well, I don’t have a name, but I got the phone records of the man you killed. Will that work?”
“It’s a start.”
“It’s a start, he says,” Liam mumbles under his breath. “Do you know the magic I had to pull to get these records?”
I groaned. “Spare me the details, but excellent job. I’d like a name before we return, or at least some kind of lead that will narrow things down for us.”
“I’ll get started on the phone records.”
“All right.” I frowned as one of the two men who’d been eyeing Kit walked over to my boy. “Liam, I have to go.”
“Wait a minute. I was thinking today. Are you sure this is something we should keep from Kit? What if being with you makes him a target?”
Did he think I hadn’t asked myself that since that night they shot at me?
“I don’t want him to worry unnecessarily, but if the situation changes and he might be threatened by our relationship, then I’ll reevaluate.”
“All right. Will keep you up to date. Go enjoy your vacation, man. I’m on top of things here.”
I ended the call and clenched the phone in my hand. Dammit, Kit was talking to the man. Why hadn’t he sent the man away? Instead, he laughed, running his fingers through his hair almost as if he were flirting. He even waved at the other man his new “friend” had been with a few minutes ago.
I’d seen enough.
My black pants and white button-down weren’t exactly appropriate beach attire, so I changed quickly in Speedos, all the while keeping my eyes on Kit. I was on the verge of storming over there like the Hulk and smash their faces, but then it registered. There was no touching. Just conversation.
My jealousy turned into something else. Something that stirred a low fire in my stomach. Had Kit told the man he was already taken? Was that the reason the man kept his distance, even though he continued the conversation? There was something possessive and hot about imagining Kit turning down this man who wanted him because of me.
I walked out of the house and headed toward Kit. He spotted me and waved with a smile. The man turned. His eyes roamed my body, an appreciative gleam in them as he took in my Speedos. I’d never noticed other men checking me out before, but it was sort of flattering seeing that interest in his eyes.
“Turns out I didn’t need that half an hour after all.” I plucked Kit up from the towel, and he squealed and wrapped his arms around me as I sat with him on my lap. “Who’s your friend?”