Kindle Indecent 2 (6 page)

Jules nodded, completely understanding. “But why me?”

“Chemistry? Fate? Hormones?” Carol shrugged. “Who knows? But for the first time in two years, Erik wanted someone more than he wanted to hide.”

“But he wasn’t
going
to come out of the shadows. If I hadn’t figured out he was there, he would’ve hung back and watched me and Keegan. And that’s all.”

“Do you really think you ever would’ve known Erik was there if he didn’t want you to?”

Okay, Carol had a point. If Erik had only wanted to watch, he never would’ve stepped out of the shadows. She didn’t know him well. Hell, she barely knew him at all. But she’d learned enough about him that night to know Carol was right.

“Then what the hell happened with Keegan tonight?”

Carol shook her head. “No idea. I only know that it’s totally out of character for him. Keegan’s a sweet guy and I don’t mean that in a bad way. He and Erik run the business together but Erik had been the public face until the accident. After that, Keegan was forced into the role. It’s not one he likes. I think he got used to Erik handling all the messy stuff. Keegan’s good at smoothing, at tying up the loose ends. They’re both brilliant engineers and, when they work together in the lab, it’s like they read each other’s mind. But they’re two very different men otherwise.”

It wasn’t only engineering where they seemed to read each other’s mind. When they’d fucked her together, it’d been like nothing she’d ever experienced. The way they worked together…

“Didn’t Keegan say anything at all tonight?” Carol prompted.

“He wanted to talk but I couldn’t keep my hands off him. And afterward, I was too freaked out. God, what an absolute mess.”

“So call him. Let him talk.”

Jules couldn’t stop shaking her head. “Maybe I should just cut my losses and run.”

She looked up at Carol for any hint that she agreed but her friend just stared at her.

“If that’s what you think you should do.” Carol raised her eyebrows. “But you know that’s not what you want.”

No, it wasn’t. Jules was starting to work up a good mad. At herself. At Keegan for waylaying her. At Erik for not calling.

“Hey, Jules.” Lori stuck her head into the room and held out Jules’ cell. “This has been ringing for the past few minutes. You left it on the table. Thought it might be important.”

Jules took the phone and gave Lori a weak smile. “Thanks. I better check to make sure it’s not my mom.”

“No problem. Hey, Carol, that bitchy blonde is looking for you to settle up. Jon’s been deflecting her but he’s getting to the end of his rope with her. Sorry.”

“Go on.” Jules waved her friend to the door. “I’m fine. Sorry I laid all this shit on your doorstep.”

“Well, technically I brought it to your doorstep first so I feel kind of responsible. Just think about what I said, okay?” Then Carol rolled her eyes and straightened her shoulders. “Off to be the boss. Not as much fun as you might think.”

Carol left but Jules knew her friend loved owning her own business, even with all the headaches. It’s what Jules had always wanted and the money Keegan and Erik had given her might actually make that dream come true one day.

She wanted to bang her head against the wall. Her thoughts just kept going in circles.

Checking her call record, she realized she didn’t recognize the number but whoever it was had called four times. Someone wanted to reach her badly.

She hit redial. The phone rang once before being picked up.

“Jules.”

Erik
. She’d recognize that voice anywhere. It had that distinctive rasp, the one that sent a shudder through her body. It held the same power as Keegan’s accent.

“Yes.” She wracked her brain for something else to say and came up blank. First Keegan, now Erik.

“How are you? Are you okay?”

No, she really wasn’t but she wasn’t going to admit that. “I’m fine. Why are you calling?”

Okay, that had sounded steady. So far, so good.

“Can you come to the house? I’d like to talk.”

“Why?”

“Because we should’ve done this the day after.”

“Are you talking about the day after you and Keegan paid me or the day after we actually had sex?”

Okay, maybe not so steady.

“Yes.”

She waited for him to say more, to say anything. He left that hang there.

The silence grew uncomfortable after several seconds and finally she couldn’t stand it anymore. “Fine. Will it just be you or will Keegan be there too?”

“Do you want Keegan here?”

“He told you what happened tonight, didn’t he?”

Erik paused. “We can talk when you get here.”

Damn him, he wouldn’t rise to her bait, to the slight sneer in her tone. Fine. “I can be there in half an hour.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Chapter Three

“She’s on her way.”

 
“Good. Apologize for me. Tell her I was a total dick.”

“You can tell her yourself. Get your ass over here.”

Through the phone, Erik heard Keegan blow out a breath. “No way. She won’t want to see me. And I already started on the tequila.”

Fuck. When Keegan drank tequila, it was bad.

“Keegan—”

“No. You can handle this one. I’m fucking sick of handling shit. I’ve done enough damage for the day.”

 
“Shut the fuck up and get over yourself. If you really did fuck up so badly, then you need to be the one to beg her forgiveness. Don’t be even more of a dick.”

Keegan fell silent and Erik wondered if he’d pushed his friend too far. When Keegan was depressed, the guy could stay silent for days. Like, not talk at all. It made Erik want to yell in his face just to snap him out of it.

Finally he heard Keegan sigh. “Too late.”

The call went dead.

Sonuvabitch
.

Erik wanted to throw the phone against the wall but managed to rein himself in. Barely. He had half a mind to drive over to Keegan’s house and drag him back before Jules arrived.

Since Keegan only lived about a mile away, that wouldn’t be a problem. It’d take Jules at least half an hour to get here. If she even showed up.

Damn it. What the hell was he supposed to say to her?

Keegan usually handled this stuff, the messy stuff with women. Erik had been the one to make first contact but Keegan had been the one to smooth everything over when Erik was a dick and blew them off after a couple of days.

Christ, he really had been an ass. He’d learned his lesson when the one girl he’d really liked had blown him off. Desiree. Beautiful girl. He’d actually thought about asking her to marry him senior year at Princeton. But she’d turned around and dumped his ass.

He’d drowned his sorrows for an entire weekend. Keegan had been the one to pull him out.

He didn’t want to fuck this up. He wanted to get to know Jules. She drew him in, made him want to get to know her.

Pacing the hallway, he was glad he’d told Jane and Bill Carlson to go early today. He’d employed Jane to take care of the housekeeping and cooking and her father, Bill, was damn handy with a wrench and a hammer. And this old house needed a lot of work.

He’d planned to do the renovations himself, had chosen the house because he loved a challenge. And this house was definitely that. He’d seen the potential right away. Keegan had laughingly called it a money pit and bought property down the road where he’d built a brand new log cabin. Green all the way, from the cork floors to the solar panels on the roof.

How the hell he and Keegan worked so well together was still a mystery to some people. Erik knew their differences filled in the gaps in each other. Which is why Keegan needed to be here to help him fix this.

Too late
.

He heard her car pull up out front. He knew it was hers because he recognized the engine noise. That deathtrap she drove should be condemned. Hell, they’d given her more than enough money to get a new car in addition to paying off her and her mother’s bills.

Probably shouldn’t bring that up.

Yeah, the money was going to fuck up everything, wasn’t it?

Didn’t it always?

He didn’t hear the bell ring as he walked to the door but he hadn’t heard the car drive away either. Which meant she was probably still in it. Talking herself out of getting out of getting out.

He couldn’t let her do that.

His pace quickened and, by the time he got to the front of the house, he was running. Throwing open the door, he stepped onto the porch and nearly knocked her off her feet.

“Whoa. Sorry.”

He reached for her, grabbing her shoulders so she didn’t go tumbling back off the porch. She reached for him at the same time, her hands landing on his abdomen.

They ended up closer than he’d expected to get to her tonight.

And just where he wanted her. Plastered up against him.

She stared up at him, her dark eyes wide. Rimmed with red.

Had she been crying?

Shit
.

“Are you okay?”

He forced the words from his dry throat as he slid his hands from her shoulders and around her back, pulling her even closer.

“Yes. I’m fine.” She tried to take a step back but he wasn’t about to release her. Not yet. Maybe not at all tonight. At least, not until she heard him out. “You can let go now.”

He ignored her, holding her gaze. “What if I don’t want to?”

She blinked up at him, and he could have sworn he saw tears forming right before she sniffed and dropped her gaze.

“Well, I want you to. I agreed to talk. Not…anything else.”

He opened his mouth to tell her exactly what he was thinking—that now that she was here, she was his—and shut his mouth. Obviously, the caveman routine hadn’t gone over well with Keegan. Guess he’d have to try a different approach.

He took a step back, releasing her shoulders, and gritted his teeth when she released him as well.

“Okay then, come on in and we can talk.”

He waved her into the house. Habit had him turning away from her so she couldn’t see the full extent of his scars, letting his hair fall over his cheeks. She passed by him without a glance, waiting for him to close the door behind him before he headed down the hall.

He’d intended to take her into the library where they’d spent those hours together two weeks ago, then thought better of it.

Settle her down. Get her used to him again.

Maybe she hasn’t called because she doesn’t want to look at your hideous face again
.

Turning abruptly, he headed to the kitchen. Neutral territory, he figured.

And the farthest room from the front door. If she wanted to leave, he’d at least have some time to convince her to stay before she actually got out the door.

“Have a seat.” He waved at the round oak table in the curved alcove with windows overlooking the backyard. “Do you want something to drink?”

“I’ll take some water.”

Well, she didn’t sound pissed, so that was good.

He grabbed a bottle for her and a soda for himself, then steeled himself before he turned back to her.

She’d kept her coat on. As if she didn’t intend to stay. Not the puffy pink thing she’d worn last time, that’d hidden a ball-busting corset that made him want to beg her to let him take it off. This jacket was leather and short, stopping at the top of her tight black skirt. It hung open to expose the plain white, button-down shirt.

Her hair hung in a braid over her shoulder, the end brushing against her breast.

Yeah, looking at her breasts was probably
not
going to help him keep his hands off of her.