Betrayed (11 page)

Chapter Twenty

T
wo nights and
one full day of pretty much nothing except for making love. In the bed, in the shower, on the small kitchen table, the couch, in front of the fire and more… Byron was pretty certain they had christened every square inch of the cabin.

Yet still he stood on the front porch, watching the soft morning sunrise, and he wasn’t sated. He wanted more. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d spent so much time with one woman, made love so many times, and still felt unsatisfied.

Not that he wasn’t pleasured beyond his wildest imagination each and every time. But as soon as they were finished, he could take her again, and again, and again… He was beginning to wonder whether he’d ever get enough of this small but surprisingly strong woman.

If he didn’t get himself under control soon, he would be no better than his pathetic father. Is this what had happened to his dad? Had the man been so infatuated with Byron’s mother that, after she had control over his body, she had been able to destroy him? It seemed a very likely conclusion to make from the way things had ended with his parents.

Sex was essential to survival. It might not be listed as one of the food groups, but it certainly should be. But even so, a myriad of women were ready and waiting to offer the use of their bodies. There was no reason a man should ever lock himself down with just one.

Okay, the thought of making love with any woman other than McKenzie turned his stomach. But that was something he would have to change. Maybe he needed to just cut this off, to push her out of his life, at least if he wanted to keep his sanity intact. He didn’t need answers to who she was. Screw all the mystery.

It was settled, then. He was going to fly McKenzie back home, release her from her contract with him, and never see her again.

Even though she was friends with his sister-in-law, he could easily avoid her. But just the thought of acting that way infuriated him. Since when did he, Byron Knight, ever need to hide from anything or anyone? He hadn’t done it since he was a child and witnessed the gruesome murder of his parents. That day had hardened him, and he was determined to stay hard.

As he shifted uncomfortably on the front porch, he realized he was already hard in other ways. They had last made love only a few hours before, and it was taking every ounce of strength within him not to march into the cabin and wake her by sinking deep within her tight body. And how could a madam be so tight? He’d barely fit inside her the first time.

There was so much that didn’t fit when it came to McKenzie. And the entire point of this weekend had been to exorcise her from his system, not find more questions he feared he would not ever receive answers to. He’d planned on satisfying his body’s needs first, and then interrogating her.

He’d never gotten around to the interrogation part.

He had to stay focused, to remember who and what she was. She had messed in the life of his brother. And if a person messed with one of the brothers, then they messed with all of them.

Tyler and Blake were the only blood he had, the only true friends he had, the only two people on the planet he would take a bullet for. Oh, wait. There was also Justin, so Byron guessed it wasn’t only the three of them anymore. He now had a nephew, and soon another niece or nephew.

No matter how hard he tried to resist opening his heart, he was being forced against his will to do so. He hadn’t wanted to like Justin, not at all. He was an interloper. But how could he not adore the small boy with so much strength? The kid reminded him a lot of his brother, even though his brother hadn’t known of the boy’s existence until last year.

Why did everything have to change? Why couldn’t they have just gone through their lives with no bumps in the road? His eyes narrowed. Because Blake had met McKenzie Beaumont.

The creaking of the door alerted him to the fact that he was no longer alone, but even without it, he would have known. Though he sure as hell didn’t want to, Byron had a sense of when McKenzie was around. He felt her presence.

But it didn’t fill him with anger. Instead, the feel of her satin-encased arms wrapping around his back brought peace to his thoughts. Her open hands slid beneath his shirt and caressed the skin of his stomach as she leaned into his back.

“Morning,” she mumbled.

The raspy sound of her sleepy voice sent lust surging through him. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath as he tried to tamp down his desire.

“You’re up a lot earlier than I thought you’d be,” he said. Almost against his will, his hands lifted to settle over hers, and his fingers caressed her soft skin.

“I woke up cold without you lying there,” she whispered.

Her words should again have sent terror through him, or anger, or anything other than an odd sense of joy. He didn’t want her to get used to him being there. This was all temporary, and though she’d said she knew the score here, she was getting too familiar already.

So why wasn’t he pushing her away?

“I have an obligatory party I’m attending next Friday. You will come with me,” he found himself saying. Huh? Yep, he’d called it right. Insanity.

Her hands stilled on his skin and her body tensed the slightest bit, before he felt her take a breath and relax. She resumed caressing his skin, but he could feel the tension inside her.

“I would rather not.” He waited, but she didn’t elaborate.

Turning, he leaned against the rail of the porch and tugged her into his arms, needing to look in her eyes, to see what she was trying to hide.

“I want you to be there.” If he wanted it, then she should know that’s exactly what he would get.

“No, you don’t. I’m not good with parties, and I’m sure you have a list of people willing to go with you.”

Anger flashed through him again. She was right. That was far too much like a date, and they weren’t dating. They weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend. They weren’t anything to each other. He should be grateful she was refusing him.

So why wasn’t he?

“I know what I want. If I said I want you there, then I want you there,” he said, a dangerous edge to his voice.

She was quiet for a moment as she looked at him. “We both know what we’re doing, Byron. Don’t try to make it something it’s not.” She spoke with a smile, but he knew she wasn’t kidding.

Before he could make a response, a wicked gleam lit her eyes, and she pulled from his grasp, then dropped to her knees, and reached inside the sweats he wore. She pulled him free, and the cool air didn’t affect his hardness at all. No shrinkage.

“What are you doing, McKenzie? People could be walking by,” he said, turning to look out at the trail, which was only a few hundred yards from their cabin.

“Then you’d better shield me,” she said before taking him in her mouth and making him forget everything they’d been talking about.

Within minutes, Byron felt his release coming. “Stop now,” he groaned, but his fingers were tangled in her hair.

His words only served to spur her on and speed her up, and he barely managed to muffle his cry as he spilled his seed inside the warm recesses of her mouth. After he stopped shaking, he pulled her back up into his arms, covering himself as he again tried to figure out what the hell she was doing to him.

“Your turn,” he said, and he lifted her into his arms and carried her inside the cabin. But before he stopped speaking altogether, he delivered this warning: “You’ve only managed to delay this conversation, McKenzie. You
will
agree to go to the party with me.”

Maybe later, when he wasn’t in a sexual haze, he might realize what a dangerous road he was taking while he explored his infatuation with one McKenzie Beaumont.

Chapter Twenty-One

I
t’s a good
thing I don’t spend every weekend like that one,” McKenzie said as they approached her house, a yawn slipping from her before she was able to stop it.

“I thought it was a pretty great weekend,” Byron said. He seemed offended somehow.

This was how he’d been behaving since they’d left the cabin in Idaho, though — grumpy and more like the man she had first met than the man who’d let down his guard for a couple of blissful days.

“It’s not that I didn’t have an amazing time. It’s just that I need sleep. Most humans do, you know,” she said with a false laugh. The closer they got to her house, the more downcast she felt. Their time was just about up.

She had managed to distract him from his discussion of next Friday’s party, but only because she knew he would regret inviting her the minute they separated. He was on a sex high right now, but McKenzie had no illusions about where she stood with Byron Knight.

They were consenting adults, they’d had great sex, and now it was done. They weren’t a couple, never would be a couple, and it was something she needed to keep reminding herself of. Yes, they’d managed to spend a couple of days together without the walls caving in around them, but that didn’t in any way mean that they were compatible.

Anyone could have sex. It was how the species survived. But men like Byron Knight didn’t settle down, and if they did, it certainly wasn’t with women like McKenzie. He would never look past the fact that she’d owned an escort service. He was an important businessman, and she was just dipping her toes in the waters of what she considered the legitimate business world.

She needed to appreciate the good weekend, finish her time at Knight Construction, and then get on with her life. The last thing she needed to do was go on a real date with Byron. That would put ideas in her head — ideas she shouldn’t be considering if she cared for her mental health.

After pulling into her driveway, Byron shut off his car and turned to face her. “Invite me in, McKenzie.” The intensity in his voice nearly made her issue that invitation.

At the last minute she managed to keep her mouth shut as she tried to form the right words. “We both know that’s not a good idea. I invite you in, we head straight to my bedroom. We had our weekend, Byron. It’s now time for us to go back to our real lives,” she said as she undid her seat belt.

She had to get away from this man — the sooner, the better.

“You know that you aren’t ready for this weekend to end,” he said, reaching over and cupping her neck before she could exit the car. “Your body knows what I can give it, so stop fighting me every step of the way.” That sounded like a command.

“My body — along with every other part of me, including my muddled brain — is exhausted,” she replied, only partially joking.

He paused before a beautiful smile filled his sensuous mouth. “Then we will just have dinner — no sex,” he said, looking at her as innocently as he possibly could.

Though she knew she should say no to him, she found herself nodding. He was right. She wasn’t ready for their weekend to end. It didn’t count as a date when it was still Sunday and they hadn’t parted yet.

Even she had to scoff inwardly at that absurd rationalization for spending more time with him now that they were back home. She knew that the more she prolonged this, the more it was going to batter her fragile heart. But knowing what was best and acting accordingly were two entirely different things.

“Wait,” he told her as he got out of the car. She was shocked when he came to the passenger side and opened her door. Byron never professed to be a gentleman; so what was he doing now?

“Thank you,” she said quietly, then waited while he grabbed her bag from his trunk.

They only made it a few feet when McKenzie froze in her driveway. Byron wasn’t expecting her to stop, and he bumped into her. “What’s the matter?”

She didn’t have to tell him. He turned his head and saw the same thing she did. Humiliation burned through her, and McKenzie found herself fighting tears as she stood next to Byron, the humiliation so much worse with him as a witness.

“Call the police now,” he said though clenched teeth.

“There’s nothing they can do about this,” she said with a sad shake of her head.

“That’s bullshit, McKenzie. This is vandalism and defamation of character,” he thundered.

“Please calm down, Byron. I don’t need the neighbors alerted to what’s going on,” she said as she looked around. Her embarrassment was already too high, so she didn’t need it to get worse.

“Really? That’s what you’re concerned with right now? What your neighbors think?” he fired off.

“Yes. Maybe you don’t give a damn what people think of you, but I do,” she snapped as she turned from the car and marched up her porch steps. She was on a mission to find sandpaper, spray paint, anything that would erase what had been done.

Byron caught up to her before she was able to unlock the front door. “Maybe someone saw something, saw who did this,” he said.

“I doubt it,” she said, and she got out her keys and opened the door.

“Dammit, McKenzie, something needs to happen!”

“Why, Byron?” she shouted as they entered her house. Her humiliation, her exhaustion, her stress all reached a peak. “You call me the same thing. So why in the hell do you even care?”

He took a step back as if she’d slapped him. “I would never spray-paint the word
whore
across your vehicle,” he finally whispered.

“What’s the difference between painting it on my car and calling me one?”

“McKenzie…,” he began, but she held up a hand to stop him.

She didn’t need to hear him try to explain himself. She knew who he was. She knew who she was. And they would never find common ground.

“Just go home, Byron. I need to get this fixed,” she told him, so tired she suddenly couldn’t even see straight.

His shoulders stiffened as he looked at her. “What in the hell aren’t you telling me? I know there are problems in your life, and this just cements it. Why don’t you let me help you?”

“Nothing is going on, Byron. It was probably drunk teenagers thinking they are being funny, and my house was empty so they went on the attack. It was just my car that they harmed.”

Without asking for her permission, Byron pulled out his phone, dialed, and soon arranged to have her car picked up and taken in for repairs. She would have tried to stop him, but she was learning to choose her battles. And the reality was that she needed her car and she simply didn’t have the emotional stamina left to deal with the problem right then.

When he hung up the phone, she moved into her living room and sat down. She had told him he could stay for dinner, but she didn’t have the energy to prepare it, and she wanted more than anything for Byron to just pull her into his arms and take care of her. That angered her. She wasn’t weak, and that was such a weak thing to want.

Byron followed her, a look of concentration on his face, as if he were trying to find the right words to say. She had no idea what was going to come next.

“Go and gather some clothes. I’ll bring you to my house.”

She waited for him to continue, but he didn’t say anything else. She closed her eyes for a brief second as she fought the desire to do just that. But there was no way she could accept his offer. If she did, then she would certainly become reliant on Byron and that was as dangerous as facing whoever had damaged her property. Maybe even more dangerous.

“I think our weekend is over now, Byron,” she finally said, crossing her arms against her chest.

“What is that supposed to mean?” He took a step closer to her.

“I’m not coming to your house, and I’m too tired to cook. I think you should leave.” That was pretty cut-and-dried, though it was killing her to say it.

“What if whoever did that comes back?” he asked. “You aren’t safe here.” He began pacing her small living room, making it seem even smaller than normal.

“I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time, and I don’t need to start leaning on anyone now,” she almost growled. She was too close to falling apart right now. If he touched her, she would completely lose it.

“I want to… Look, McKenzie. Just let me take care of you.”

McKenzie froze. She had no idea what Byron meant by that, but she was sure it wasn’t what she needed it to mean. How could he take care of her when he thought she was so horrible?

He couldn’t.

“Look, Byron, this weekend was a bad idea. Sure, the sex was great, but now that we’re back here, I realize that it…um…complicates things. I need to just finish my job, and you need to go back to doing whatever it is you do. There’s no reason for this game to continue. We’ve already had sex,” she said with a humorless laugh. “I’d really prefer it if you left now. This has to end here.”

His face went blank, and he stopped and stared at her for several tense heartbeats. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

No! That wasn’t what she wanted at all, but it was what she needed to happen. What she wanted was for him to take her in his arms and tell her the world was right and that she would never hurt again. What she wanted was for him to want her for more than just a good time in the closest bed. But that’s not what she could tell him.

“Yes. It’s what I want.”

He moved over to the couch and leaned down, resting his weight against the back as he came within inches of her face. “Be very sure that’s what you want, McKenzie. Because I don’t need to be told no over and over again. I wanted you; I pursued you. We had sex. If you really want me to go away, I will walk out your door and never come through it again,” he warned her, his hot breath caressing her face.

She waited until she was sure her voice wouldn’t shake when she spoke, and then she was proud that she wasn’t so choked up that the welling tears would come through in her words. “Would you like me to find a replacement tomorrow? I have two people who are more than ready to take my place at your company.”

His eyes narrowed and he leaned a half an inch closer before pushing back to put a distance of several feet between them. She had a feeling he’d done it to keep himself from putting his hands around her throat and squeezing. But she’d never know for sure.

“No. Be at work tomorrow. I’ll send a driver.”

With that, he turned and walked from her house. She heard him start the car, heard him pull away, and still she sat there as still as a statue. It was at least fifteen minutes before she managed to stand up and look out her window to verify that he was indeed gone. Then, and only then, did she curl up in a ball on her couch and let the tears fall.

All she had truly wanted was for him to wrap her in his arms. But she hadn’t been brave enough to ask him. And now it didn’t matter anyway. He was gone.