Victim. She didn’t want to be a victim, and she hated the word.
It was a word to describe other people, people who were helpless, and although she’d often experienced feeling powerless in these past weeks, she didn’t want to be reminded of the feeling. Kayla made sure her brother knew that.
“I’m sorry, sis. That’s the cop in me talking. But please take my advice. Let me go with you, or if you don’t want me around, you could have Duncan drive you.”
Kayla appreciated that Calum was including Duncan as an option for helping her. “Okay. I’ll let Duncan take me, okay?”
Calum nodded and slung his travel bag over his shoulder as he said, “I’m gonna go and crash in your guest room, okay, sis?”
“Yes, of course. So stupid I didn’t offer sooner. Sorry, Calum.” Kayla shook her head.
Calum gave her the stink eye. “Oh shut it, sis. I came here on a red-eye uninvited. But I need some sleep now, so we’ll talk tomorrow, okay? Holler if you need me, yeah?” He hugged her and then walked into the hall and straight into the guest room. Kayla was glad she had a spare room with a queen-size bed.
Her mind trailed back to Duncan and the way he reacted to her story. He was so kind, loving, and comforting. She knew she shouldn’t get too attached to him, but he made it so hard for her by doing the exact thing she needed. She was startled by the sound of her phone. The caller ID stated it was “Dunc” calling. She smiled at the sight.
Duncan had put his contact information into her phone before he went with Maureen to help her with some chores in her home. He was giving Kayla some alone time with her brother and said he would check in later with her, after his last training at his dojo.
“Hi.” She didn’t even recognize her own voice. She sounded as if she was a shy little schoolgirl. What was this guy doing to her?
“Hey yourself, beautiful. So I thought that maybe I could come over tonight?” He cleared his throat. Oh my, he was acting all unsure in a cute way. He didn’t sound like a scary fighter at all. Could it be that Duncan was as affected by her as she was by him? If he came over, would she be jumping him again?
“My brother is staying in the guest room.”
Great. Now he knew she was already thinking about taking him to bed tonight. Well, yeah, the thought had crossed her mind, but she shouldn’t let him in on that little fact.
“Well, umm....” Duncan was clearly at a loss for words.
Kayla quickly said, “I’m sorry, I don’t even know why I said that.”
He chuckled on the other end. “No, don’t even try. I love that you’re thinking what I’m thinking. I want to be there for you. I want to stay over and hold you all night. We don’t have to do anything. I just want to take care of you, so I know you’re all right.”
Kayla’s heartbeat skipped at his words, and she said, “Okay. Take your time. I’ll be here.”
He promised her he wouldn’t take long, and then they hung up. She jumped up from the couch and listened at the bathroom door. Great, Calum must have stepped into the bathroom before going to bed, and she knew he would be taking his time, as he always did. She rushed to her bedroom and opened her drawer. She ruffled around before picking her hot pink lace set of underwear that always made her feel sexy.
Kayla knew she had some curves to work with, although her D cup was a bit hefty on her five-foot-five frame. But she was happy with her small stature and her toned waist. She had a tiny, but firm, apple-shaped butt, and the right thong made her buttocks look a little bigger. She knew she had nothing to be ashamed of.
After picking out her underwear, she pulled on her bathrobe in a whirlwind and went into the bathroom now that Calum had walked out. She figured she had to shave because one never knew what could happen. Who am I kidding? Kayla scolded herself, but she was smiling at her own giddiness.
As she jumped into the shower, she heard the doorbell ring, followed by her brother and Duncan talking in the living room. Then the panic set in, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for this. Her brother would be in the guest room; she couldn’t be seriously thinking about taking the next step with Duncan.
After finishing in the shower, she put on her lingerie and slid into her bathrobe. She hadn’t yet decided on what she would wear to bed, and now he was already here. She was coming out of the bathroom when she intercepted Calum walking toward the guest room.
“Hi, sis. I know I’m your guest and all, but as I told Duncan, I don’t need to be scarred for life. You feel me?” He gave her a wry smile, making her laugh.
“Oh my God, Calum. No, please, don’t even bring that stuff up. Shut it right now. I wouldn’t—”
He held up his hand and interrupted her. “Good night, sis. Love you and see you tomorrow.”
She had just entered her bedroom when the door closed behind her. She looked over her shoulder and noticed Duncan turning the lock and smiling at her. He was so different from the three men she’d ever had sex with. He looked genuinely happy to see her just because he wanted to be there for her. Kayla knew he wouldn’t expect anything from her.
All of her experiences didn’t come close to what she’d experienced when she was in the back alley with Duncan. His touches, his whispers, all of him had hit her in all the right places. She was ripe for the plucking, and he could have taken her right then and there. She was never so spontaneous, especially not when it came to having sex.
And now he was standing in her bedroom and looking straight at her with a determined look on his face as he said, “I’m staying the night.”
She nodded at him. “Yes.” She smiled softly at him. “I sleep on the left. Make yourself comfortable.”
She walked toward her closet and rummaged through it before she dropped the bathrobe. Duncan growled behind her, and she looked over her shoulder, finding him on her bed with his back against the headboard. His white T-shirt was hanging on the back of the chair next to the dresser with his shoes and socks underneath the chair.