Betrayed (8 page)

Chapter Fourteen

B
yron took a
deep breath as he pulled up to the office building where Bill Berkshire had a modest setup. The man had formally retired years ago, but he’d needed something to do in order to keep from going insane after the death of his wife.

The old codger was a royal pain in all the Knight brothers’ asses because he wouldn’t let them take care of him. He insisted on living in a run-down house, for example, and they had to fight him every step of the way to keep it maintained.

Bill had been a friend of Byron’s grandfather, who’d also been a wonderful man, and when Byron’s parents died, Bill and Vivian had been the ones to step up and take care of them. Byron knew for a fact that the old man had at least a few million dollars sitting in his bank account from that time so long ago — money he’d been assigned for acting as the boys’ guardian — but the man had refused to touch the money, saying it was tainted. He hadn’t wanted anything that had come from the boys’ parents, not after what those two had put the rest of them through.

As much as Byron loved Bill, he wasn’t looking forward to this particular visit. Bill hadn’t told Byron why he was summoning him, but Byron wasn’t a fool. His damn brother must have called Bill and told him that Byron was harassing a young woman. That’s the only interpretation Byron could put on the stern tone Bill had used when he’d demanded he come and talk with him immediately.

Of course, Byron could have said he was a busy man and couldn’t come by right then, but he’d never do that — not in a million years. Bill was one of the few souls on this earth for whom Byron — hell, all the brothers — would drop everything, no questions asked.

Even if that meant suffering through a long lecture.

Once inside the ten-story building, Byron began moving toward the elevator. He’d been to Bill’s office many times before. But several businesses leased space in the building, and before he got too far, a woman stopped him.

“May I help you?” she asked, and Byron wondered if she was supposed to be security. He kept his amusement to himself. A woman security guard wasn’t someone he would fear. Maybe some would say he was a sexist pig. He couldn’t care less.

“I’m just here to see a friend,” he said as he attempted to walk around her.

“You must not have been here in the last sixty days…,” she began, but when his intense gaze zeroed in on her, she choked on her words.

“What does when I have or when I haven’t been here have to do with anything?” he asked, trying to hide his irritation. By the rounding of her eyes, it didn’t appear that he was doing a very good job of that.

“Um…it’s just that…we…um…have new security protocols now. Everyone has to check in at the…um…what’s that called?” Her cheeks flushed.

“Front desk?” he asked with as little sarcasm as he could manage.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I’m not usually so…I don’t know…at a loss for words,” she gulped, her shoulders going back as she tried to regain her composure.

“Fine. I’ll check in,” he said. He wasn’t happy to be doing so, but, then again, it was the same at his own building.

“It’s just that we had a robbery a little while back and the people in the offices wanted better security,” she rushed to explain as she walked next to him to the front desk. And there was his reasoning of why a woman couldn’t be a security guard. She could barely speak, let alone take him down if he decided to get violent.

“I understand.” He was fed up with all these explanations.

“Thank you,” she breathed as they reached the desk together.

“Byron Knight here to see Bill Berkshire,” he said with crisp efficiency.

“One moment, sir,” said the man behind the desk, and he lifted his phone.

“You’re Byron Knight —
the
Byron Knight of Knight Construction?” the woman gasped, giving him no choice but to turn his attention back to her.

“Yes. Do I know you?” he asked, giving her a second glance. He didn’t recognize her, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. He would bet there were a dozen women he could pass on the street who he’d taken to his bed who he wouldn’t recognize a month later. They meant that little to him.

“No…not really, but my brother has worked for you for three years and talks nonstop about you and your brothers and about what a great job it is. I applied at your building a couple of times, but I haven’t been called back,” she said, looking up at him hopefully.

“I don’t do the hiring,” Byron told her; that was his typical statement when people approached him about work.

“Oh, I wasn’t implying anything,” she hastened to say, but he could see disappointment filling her eyes as she smiled up at him weakly.

To his amazement, Byron felt a twinge of guilt, as if he should at least offer the woman an interview. What in the world was wrong with him?

“You’re all cleared to head up to the eighth floor, Mr. Knight,” the desk attendant told him. “Here’s your visitor’s badge.”

“Thank you.” He turned and moved away from the desk and the woman.

“It was very nice to meet you, Mr. Knight,” the woman said, her eyes flaring the tiniest bit as she reached out a hand and touched his arm lightly. This was a change in the way she was playing things. She was now letting him know she was available if he wanted to ask her out on a date.

He said nothing else as he moved to the elevator. It was best to let her know he was neither interested nor available. Maybe a few weeks ago, and a few months ago for sure, he would have flirted a bit, seen if she piqued his interest at all. But since he’d kissed McKenzie Beaumont not only once but on four separate occasions now, other women held no appeal at all for him.

He wanted only one woman in his bed. And within the next few days, that’s exactly where he was going to have her. He hoped like hell his hormones would then simmer down to more manageable levels and he would stop acting like a damn teenager. Why did the term
blue balls
keep occurring to him?

It was a short elevator ride to the eighth floor, and then Byron went around the corner to Bill’s office. He would honestly love to know what Bill did all day — maybe the old man just played solitaire on his computer. Whatever made him happy was all that mattered, and if sitting in a downtown office was what he wanted to do, then Byron would continue letting Bill think the rent hadn’t gone up in four years and that he was paying fair market value on the space. He would never know that the brothers had made a deal with the manager of the building and that they were the ones ensuring that the old fellow stayed where he wanted to be.

When Bill looked up, Byron could have no doubt he was on the man’s naughty list — the old man was positively glowering at him. Okay, he probably deserved it for the many things he
did
do wrong on a daily basis. So he would take the verbal abuse and hopefully act humble enough to leave on Bill’s good side.

He decided to wait and see what Bill would say before he spoke. He didn’t have to wait long.

“What in the hell are you doing playing games with a fine woman like McKenzie Beaumont?” Bill asked gruffly, glaring at Byron from behind his desk.

“It’s good to see you as well, Bill,” Byron said as he moved forward and took a seat in the chair facing Bill.

“Don’t you patronize me, boy. I helped to raise you, in case you don’t remember,” Bill grumbled, and the words Byron had heard for his entire adult life made him smile.

He’d never said he loved anyone out loud — that brand of silence ran in the Knight family — but without a doubt, he had love for this man — this gruff, grumpy man who was probably the only reason Byron had any humanity left in him at all.

“I’d never think of doing such a thing, Bill,” he said. He was trying not to smile too wide, or Bill would think he was laughing at him, and that was not the case at all.

Bill looked at him suspiciously for several moments before he spoke again. “I asked you a question, Byron. Don’t think you can smile up at me and make me forget why I called you here.”

“What have you heard?” Byron certainly wasn’t going to spill his guts if the man didn’t know anything more than a rumor or two.

“Your brother told me how you went after this nice young woman who is the reason he met Jewell, and that he’s worried you’re going to hurt her. I’ve met McKenzie, and I agree with Blake. She’s a beautiful young woman and she doesn’t deserve to be harassed by the likes of you,” Bill said, his glare not flickering.

“I’m not harassing her,” Byron said. There was no one else he would actually defend himself to. Usually, if someone spoke to him this way — and it didn’t happen often — he would simply get up and walk away. He would never treat Bill with disrespect like that, though. He’d take whatever the man had to dish out.

Besides, he was in a little shock at wondering how in the world McKenzie had managed to bedazzle someone as savvy as Bill. The woman had run a flipping bordello for damns sake. She certainly wasn’t a saint, and he wouldn’t describe her as a nice young lady. She must be even craftier than he had given her credit for.

“You certainly won’t be anymore,” Bill said, enunciating each word.

Byron was silent for several heartbeats, and then he sighed. He didn’t want to give anything of himself away — he never did — but he suddenly felt as if he had zero choice. If he didn’t give Bill something to chew on, this could get really ugly.

“Look, Bill, it might have started out with me…harassing her, but it’s different now. I…I can’t get this woman off my mind. I can’t sleep, eat right, or even think on most days. I just…I don’t know.” Byron rubbed his hand across his hair. Even knowing everything he knew, he was infatuated to a certain extent.

“But you’re making her unhappy, so maybe you should back off. Maybe she just doesn’t want to be with you,” Bill said, but his voice was quieter as he observed Byron. That was the last thing Byron wanted, and his defenses popped right up, but with a lot of willpower he pushed them down again.

“She does,” Byron told him. “Believe me, if I felt she had no interest, I would back off, but there’s something between us, something that can’t be denied. She’s scared — and I don’t know what she’s scared of, but she’s running, and it’s not from me.”

“How are you so sure it isn’t you she’s trying to run from? You Knight youngsters have always had big egos.”

“I know when a woman has the hots…ummm…is interested in me,” Byron said. He could be confident about that, above anything else.

“Is sex worth torturing this woman over?” Bill asked.

“It’s not just sex…” Byron stopped himself before he said too much. This was going into a territory he refused to go into. “Sex is always worth anything,” he said instead, but it was too late. The only thing that would make this any better for him was if he told Bill he just wanted to screw her brains out until she was washed from him mind and he certainly couldn’t say that.

The words were too vile to let escape from his mouth, so instead he chose to be silent as Bill sat there and analyzed him. Byron felt as if he were under a microscope and he didn’t like the feeling one little bit.

“Look, Byron, you got the worst possible example of what love should be like by watching your very messed-up parents. In the end your father was weak, and your mother — well, your mother wasn’t…I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but your mother was a cold-stone bitch,” he said, sending Byron into shock. “It’s just that you don’t want to repeat those patterns. If you open up your heart, allow other people in, you can have a good life. Mistreating women isn’t the way to do that.”

Byron let out a bitter laugh as he looked at the only father…grandfather…uncle –—whatever he wanted to call him, he was the only male figure he’d had worth modeling himself after. “I’m screwed then, because I have no desire to ever feel love. Not after what I witnessed.”

“I’ve had my own demons a time or two in my life. But while married to my beautiful Vivian, those demons were kept at bay. Every single day since I lost her, I’ve been fighting depression or whatever the shrinks call it. You need to open yourself up before it’s too late, or you’ll find yourself alone and filled with emptiness.”

Bill’s statement stopped the next words Byron had been about to say. Suddenly, the man who had always been there for him seemed so lonely, so much smaller, so frail. Was that really how Byron wanted to end up — alone, sitting behind a desk with nothing to do?

“Bill…” He didn’t know what to say now.

Bill’s shoulders went back as if just realizing what he’d said. “Don’t you even think about offering me comfort, boy. I’m just trying to prove a point.”

“And what point is that?” Byron asked.

“Don’t be a fool,” he said gruffly.

“I won’t be,” Byron said, and he actually meant it.

“Good. Then our meeting is over. Get out of here and don’t keep screwing up. I won’t be so easy on you the next time.”

Bill obviously needed to protect himself now. Byron understood that, and it was okay with him. But he found himself doing something he hadn’t done since he was a small child. When Bill stood up to walk him to the door, Byron went up to him and gave the man a hug, gently slapping his back before he pulled away.

Bill said nothing as Byron released him, and they made it to the door, but when Byron said goodbye and glanced at the old man’s eyes, he could have sworn there was a slight shine there.

Was Byron really such a bastard that just the smallest act of kindness from him inspired tears? If that was the case, didn’t he need to make serious changes in his life?

Maybe. And maybe he would do just that.

Chapter Fifteen

M
cKenzie gazed helplessly
at her computer monitor — it was one of the first times she could remember being unable to make sense of what she was seeing. It might as well have been a jumble of numbers dancing on the screen.

This was so not her day at work.

She hadn’t suddenly lost her ability to read or suffered a stroke. There was only one possible explanation for her sudden ditziness: Byron Knight. He was a menace to society and he should be stopped.

One minute he was demanding and in her face, and then the next he was gracious and kind. She couldn’t keep up with him, and it was throwing her for a loop. It was Tuesday, five days since the kiss on the street. He’d been gone on Friday, and then had come into the offices on Monday as if nothing at all had happened.

She felt as if she were going to start screaming at any minute, and she didn’t like being this crazy, irrational person. She didn’t like at all that she felt as if her feet weren’t firmly planted on the ground anymore. She felt as if she were going to be carried away off into the atmosphere at any minute if her brain didn’t get some density to it.

On top of that, she hadn’t heard another word from Nathan, and though that should bring her joy, it worried her more than anything. Had he given up? She would be thrilled if that were the case, but she highly doubted it. She was just waiting for the ax to fall.

It seemed to be the story of her life these days.

In a perfect world, Nathan would disappear again and Byron would let her bring another of her accountants into his offices while giving her unlimited business and recommending her business to all of his friends.

But McKenzie had learned long ago that she in no way lived in a perfect world. With a sigh, she closed the program she was working on — or rather
not
working on — and leaned back in her chair. She wasn’t going to get anything done, not anytime soon.

On top of every other emotion she was feeling, the kisses from Byron had awakened something inside her that she hadn’t known she possessed— desire. She was feeling it more and more each day, and every time he walked by her, his subtle cologne drifting out to entice her, she felt that much weaker.

Looking at her watch, she let out a relieved breath to see it had finally hit five o’clock. With Byron not there at the moment she could actually leave at quitting time. Hallelujah. As she began gathering her things, Blake popped into her office, a friendly smile on his face.

“I was hoping I would catch you, McKenzie. If I’d messed up, Jewell would have had my head, but I’ve been on a conference call for the last hour,” he said in greeting.

Seeing Blake cheered her instantly. “I’m on my way out the door, but if Jewell needs me to do something for her, I can try to fit it in, though I will definitely rag her for not calling me personally,” she told him, cringing imperceptibly while thinking about all the work she needed to do tonight for her own business.

“Good,” he said. “I need you to come over for dinner.”

“I can’t tonight, Blake. I have a mountain load of work to do.” How she missed the days of having a work schedule that didn’t remind her of a sweatshop, or a chain gang.

“That’s why Jewell had me stop in instead of calling you. She is assured that my charm will win you over. Besides, everyone needs to eat.” Blake held open her door as she approached.

“I know, but I really shouldn’t.” Still, she hesitated. It would be so nice to visit with Jewell for a while, maybe even get some time to complain to her friend, though she probably wouldn’t do it.

“I refuse to take no for an answer. Jewell specifically told me to stuff you into my car to guarantee you didn’t try to get out of it. She’s worried about you,” Blake said as the two of them began heading toward the elevator.

“Well, I guess if I’m being kidnapped…” Jewell stepped onto the elevator and waited while Blake pushed the down button.

“It’s settled then.”

The two of them chatted on the way down and she followed him to his car, promising herself that she wouldn’t stay too late. She didn’t want to spend the whole time at her friends’ place feeling guilty about the pile of work waiting for her at home. At least she wouldn’t have to clean up a mess after fixing dinner.

Who was she kidding? She would have been lucky to throw a frozen dinner in a microwave. Lately, her dinner of choice — actually, her dinner of necessity — had been frosted flakes or ice cream. She made up for that by having a protein drink in the mornings and a healthy lunch at work. If time permitted, she even made it down to the office gym and used the elliptical for twenty minutes.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived and Blake and Jewell’s house, and Blake called out to his wife. She called back and Blake led her down the hallway into the family room.

When they both entered, McKenzie froze. Sitting on the couch, looking more than comfortable was Byron, with Jewell’s puppy biting at his toes, Justin sitting next to him, seeming to be in uncle idol heaven, and a big smile on Byron’s face. The sight almost made her take a step backward. It was time for a quick retreat. No wonder he hadn’t been at the office.

She thought for a moment about turning around and running back out of the house, but there was no way she could give away how much this man affected her. Jewell probably just hadn’t thought about the awkwardness when she invited both McKenzie and Byron to dinner. After all, McKenzie had brought Byron to their dinner last week.

If only she’d taken the time to talk to Jewell after then, to let her know that Byron was the last man on earth she wanted to spend any more of her precious social time with. Too late now, though. She wasn’t about to make a scene in her best friend’s home.

“Evening, darling,” Blake said as he walked right up to his wife and pulled her into his arms, kissing her like he hadn’t seen her in months instead of hours.

“I missed you,” Jewell told him before giggling as Blake pulled back.

His hand went to her belly. “Our son or daughter has a good, solid kick,” he said, and he looked adoringly into her eyes.

“Just like their mother,” she said with a wink.

“I’m famished,” he said with a wicked smile that made McKenzie squirm where she stood.

What in the world was wrong with her? She had hosted an escort service! A few words shouldn’t make her blush. Thankfully Justin saved them all.

“You two are disgusting, and you’re forgetting there are other people in the room,” he said.

Blake laughed before moving over and pulling Justin to his feet, giving him a hug, and then turning back to his wife. “Well, I’m hungry for real food, too,” he said with a wink.

“You are terrible,” Jewell pretended to huff. “But I guess I should feed you.”

“You said your back was hurting not five minutes ago,” Byron interrupted, and Blake instantly looked concerned. “Let me and McKenzie get the food together while you rest for half an hour.”

McKenzie was so shocked by his offer to help, she didn’t even take offense that he’d also volunteered her. If flies had been hanging around in the room, they would have buzzed right into her open mouth.

“You’re guests,” Jewell protested. “I couldn’t have you do that.”

“Of course you can. We’re family now, aren’t we?” Byron pointed out.

“Let me give you a back rub and see if that helps,” Blake suggested as he began pulling her toward the stairs.

“I have a bit of homework to do anyway and I’d rather get it done before dinner so I can play on the X-Box after,” Justin piped in, rushing from the room.

Jewell looked at McKenzie. “If you’re sure you don’t mind…”

McKenzie certainly couldn’t beg her pregnant friend not to go and lie down, but, oh, how she wanted to. She wanted anything but to be left alone with Byron, especially doing something as domestic as cooking together. She should have tried much harder to refuse Blake’s invitation to dinner.

“Go get some rest. We’ll make sure you have a wonderful dinner” is what McKenzie ended up saying, of course.

Then Blake led Jewell away, and McKenzie found herself standing there awkwardly with Byron, the first time she’d been alone with him since after dinner in the bistro last week. The fates weren’t in her favor right now. Even at the office, other people had been around.

“After you, McKenzie,” Byron said, holding out a hand. She was left with no choice but to go along with him to the gourmet kitchen. “How was work today? I was solving a crisis on a job site,” he told her as he looked in the fridge before he started to bring things out.

“It went smoothly,” she lied, and she waited for him to tell her what to do.

When all the dinner fixings were on the counter, he looked back at her. “I’ll do the meat if you want to get the salad ready,” he said, and he began unwrapping the steaks.

“That’s fine.” She found a cutting board and began dicing vegetables and putting them into a bowl.

Soon the two of them were moving around the kitchen together, and though it was large, McKenzie noticed that Byron was taking every opportunity possible to touch her. It was just a slight brush here, and their arms bumping there, but it was enough to drive her batty.

By the time he was letting the meat rest and whipping up a quick sauce for it, and she had the table set and the side dishes ready on the table, her nerves were stretched thin. She was more than ready for her friend to come back into the room and break up the tension. If Jewell didn’t show soon, McKenzie was calling a cab and getting the heck out of Dodge.

“It smells delicious down here,” Jewell said.

McKenzie whirled around when Blake and Jewell came strolling back into the room, Jewell’s cheeks practically glowing. McKenzie’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. Had her friend’s back truly been hurting, or had it all been a pretense to leave her alone with Byron? Just wait till she got Jewell alone for five minutes!

“Thank you, Jewell. We’ve been slaving away,” Byron said. He placed the meat on the table and then the four of them sat down.

“Yeah, I’m sure you had a rough time,” Blake said.

“Don’t you need to call Justin?” McKenzie asked as they all started dishing up.

“He’s on an iPad chat with a school mate trying to figure out their group project so we told him to finish up and then he could grab frozen burritos. The kid doesn’t like steak for some reason,” Blake said.

“He likes what he likes,” Jewell defended.

“He’s incredible,” Blake said, leaning over and kissing her.

“How has this year gone?” McKenzie asked Blake.

Last year Blake had found out he was the father of Justin, who was Jewell’s brother. It was long and complicated, but it had all worked out beautifully and McKenzie was really glad the three of them had found each other.

“It’s been strange becoming a dad to an adolescent boy, but I adore him, and he’s so damn smart. He’ll be working in the offices in no time at all,” Blake said, a proud smile on his face.

“As long as you don’t make him grow up too fast,” Jewell insisted.

“I’ve already missed too much. I wouldn’t think of making him grow too fast,” Blake said.

“This steak is fantastic,” Jewell said when there was a pause for a moment.

“I have secret methods of cooking ribeye,” Byron bragged.

“Yeah, you throw it in a pan and watch it sizzle,” Blake said.

“Hey. I know how to impress in the kitchen,” Byron insisted.

“That’s not a room I’ve heard you brag about before,” Blake countered.

The two brothers laughed, and Jewell looked at McKenzie and rolled her eyes. “Men. They are just not trainable,” she said with a shrug.

“Or they’re just crude,” McKenzie added. Blake wasn’t even shamed in the slightest about his past sexual exploits. That should be more than enough warning for her to stay away from him. But it seemed that if there was a chance of danger, she was the first one rushing forward.

“That too,” Jewell said.

“Thank you both for doing this,” Blake piped up. “Jewell felt much better after lying down for just a few minutes. Sometimes, it just helps her to get the weight off her back for a while.”

“Of course. It was no problem,” McKenzie told them. No problem if you like torture…

“How far along are you, Jewell?” McKenzie was surprised by this question. How could she know this and Blake not know?

“Six months already. I can’t believe this child will be here in three months. I’m nowhere near ready,” she said as she leaned back with a slight cringe. McKenzie felt bad because it was obvious that her back really was bothering her.

“I can’t believe you have a son, and are going to be a dad again,” Byron said. McKenzie couldn’t figure out how he felt about that from his tone.

“It was something I vowed to never want. What a fool I was to ever think being alone was better than having a loving family,” Blake said, looking pointedly at his brother.

Byron shifted in his seat, refusing to meet McKenzie’s eyes. She really wanted to run more than ever before. This conversation was going in a direction she wanted to be as far away from as humanly possible.

Thankfully the topic changed from family and then the conversation flowed smoothly as the four adults had a nice meal. The brothers kept ribbing each other, and McKenzie was surprised when she found herself laughing at several things Byron said.

She was seeing a side of him she’d never gotten to see before — not that she’d had all that much contact with him, even in the past week or so, but still, she was shocked when two hours passed and it felt like fifteen minutes.

Justin flitted in for a few minutes, threw burritos in the microwave, then rushed back out again, saying they were still working on their homework. What in the world kind of homework would a nine year old have that required hours? Dang, school was getting harder.

“We don’t let him do this every night. Normally we eat as a family,” Jewell said.

“I’m not judging you in the least,” McKenzie assured her.

“I’m judging me still. I hate that he was away from me for any time in the foster care system. When I finally got him back, at first I was overcompensating, barely letting him out of my sight. I was smothering him. But I was just so dang worried. But he’s doing wonderfully now. He loves his school, and he’s made such good friends. It kind of makes me sad how little he needs me now,” she said with a sigh.