“You’ll pay rent, obviously. And you’ll pay for the demolition and rebuilding and whatever else.”
“Sounds like a good deal for you.”
“I’ll compensate you with my body.”
“Sounds like an even better deal for me.” He laughs, slaps my ass, and squeezes me close. “I wouldn’t be against it.”
“Yeah? Really?”
“Really.”
He’s grinning, and I’m blushing like crazy, half from the heat and half from this man looking at me like I’m his real prize in all this insanity, and I kiss him gently. He returns that kiss and I tumble into him, spiral down deep into this gorgeous beast.
I thought coming back here would be painful. I figured it would hurt for a few days—but it felt natural the second I stepped out of his car. I sat down with his mother that first day and we talked, mostly about Orin but also about Kellen and Cait, and I feel like I’m a part of the family.
Even though I’m not. I mean, not really. We haven’t actually—talked about anything. I think he feels the same way I do, but whenever we discuss our arrangement, it’s always in terms of the deal we set up in that contract and never about our emotions. He kisses me and looks at me like he can’t get enough and we sleep in the same bed and, yeah, we fuck like rabbits, he can’t keep his hands to himself—we’ve slept together every single spare second since we got back a week earlier—but that doesn’t mean he feels the way I do, at least not for sure.
God, I hate this second-guessing and uncertainty.
But it’s better than being in Florida and hating myself.
“Did I mention that Mother’s treatment is progressing?” He walks back to the house with me, arm in arm, and I’m looking forward to some air conditioning and a nice long shower (preferably with him).
“I saw her yesterday and she seemed pretty good. I like the new nurse, she’s nice.”
“Finn found her. Really decent person. Mother seems to approve, but she’s having a little trouble remembering her name and keeps calling her Eunika.”
“She’ll get it, don’t worry.”
“I know. Most of the mercury is out of her system and the doctors think she’ll be relatively stable now, but she won’t ever get back to her old self. She’ll have memory issues and emotional instability from here on out, but we can manage it.”
“You have help too, you know. The nurses, the staff. I can help, if you want.”
“She likes you.” He grins and stares at the back door of the house up ahead. “I know why.”
“Why, because I put up with her asshole son?”
“Pretty much.”
“Low standards, but that’s fair.”
“And she told me something else.” He hesitates when we reach the back door. I turn to him and we lean into the shade of a nearby awning. His hands move down my hips and a slight smile quirks his lips. “Hugh’s out as power of attorney. It’s officially me.”
“Kellen.” I get on my toes and kiss his cheek. “That’s really good news.”
“I thought it would feel like winning. But you know what? It just feels like being able to take care of my mother way she deserves.”
I nod and hug him tightly. The Kellen that first came home after his father died is so different from the Kellen today. I can feel him growing and changing, and all for the good. He’s expanding, finding himself, and my heart flutters at the thought of what he’ll be like in a year, two years, ten years’ time.
“What are you going to do with it?”
“Well, I’m not sure. Right now, I’m not going to do anything. Hugh’s locked out of the accounts and he doesn’t have access to any of our resources anymore. All he’s got is his position as CEO.”
“That can’t last forever, right?”
“Not if I kill him.”
The back door opens before I can reply. He glances over my shoulder and I follow his gaze. Finn walks out toward us, looking grim, and shades his eyes with a hand.