SocialPreyAllRomance (12 page)

“He’s gonna find out,” Scott said, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Not if we’re careful.”

“Kiley…”

“I know,” she said tiredly.

He tightened his arms around her shoulders. Kiley had never felt more loved and secure.
She’d always felt safe with Scott. Always.

Unfortunately, even Scott couldn’t protect her from the anger that would come her
way once Keith found out about them. He would be livid and that was an understatement.

“It will probably come to blows, so I want you to stay out of it.”

Pushing out of his arms, she rose up on her elbow and stared down at him in shock.
“No!”

Scott put his finger over her lips, silencing her. “Your brother takes his protection
of you very seriously and that includes protecting you from me. He’s always said you
were off limits. I broke the rules so he’s gonna hit me. And you’re gonna let him.”

Kiley shook her head, but Scott grabbed her chin, holding her still. “Yes, Kiley.
He’s gonna be pissed. Let him get it out of his system. He will come around.”

“How do you know?” Kiley asked, unsure of that herself.

“Because he loves you.”

Kiley rolled her eyes and dropped back down into his arms. “He could sometimes love
me a little less.”

Scott chuckled and the sound vibrated enticingly against her chest. “You’re lucky,
you know. I don’t have any family. You and Keith are it.”

Kiley snaked her arm around his ribs, holding him close. Scott lost his parents several
years ago.

He was in the Seals and overseas on a mission at the time. Their death hit him hard.
They’d both died instantly in a car crash caused by a drunk driver. Since he was an
only child, he had no brothers or sisters to help him through things, so Kiley had
been there for him.

She’d helped him with the funeral arrangements. She’d been by his side at the burial.
Keith hadn’t been able to get leave since Scott’s family wasn’t his, so Kiley had
been support enough for both of them.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Scott said softly.

“I was just thinking about your parents.”

Scott’s arms tightened around her. “Did I ever thank you for everything you did for
me when they died?”

She smiled slightly. “Yes. You did.”

“I should’ve said something then,” he murmured. “I’m not sure when it was I fell in
love with you, but when I heard you say that last night, I knew what I felt for you
was more than just brotherly love. Especially since I’ve wanted to fuck you for years,”
he added dryly.

Kiley rose up and looked down at him. “Really?”

“And you parading around in those tight jeans and skimpy workout clothes at the gym
didn’t help either. You made it damn hard to keep my hands off you.”

“Apparently not hard enough. Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

He reached up and pushed her hair behind her ear. “We were good friends. I could tell
you most anything. We joked. We had fun, at least when we weren’t fighting, which
we seemed to be doing a lot of lately. I was afraid if I said something and you didn’t
return those feelings I would lose you as a friend.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t see it. I just knew everything I felt for you was showing.”

She leaned down and kissed his collarbone. Scott let out a slow breath as he curled
his fingers in her hair.

“Sometimes I would think I caught a glimpse of lust or…adoration.”

Kiley lifted up and snorted. “Adoration, huh?”

His lips titled up on one side in the most adorable, cocky grin she’d ever seen on
his face and her heart skipped a beat.

“Well, I’m nothing if not confident.”

“Arrogant,” she mumbled as she lowered her mouth close to his.

“Yeah, but,” he drawled as he slowly slid his hand down to her hip. “You’re gonna
have sex with me again anyway.”

“Oh, I am?”

Scott rolled her to her back and settled his hips between her thighs. “Yes. You are,”
he replied firmly and confidently.

Kiley smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “And if I don’t want to?”

He dipped his head and kissed the sensitive spot on her neck, just below her ear.
“You’ll want to by the time I’m done with you.”

A tingle of hot desire worked its way through every limb. “I’m thinking maybe I should’ve
gotten drunk a whole lot sooner.”

Scott chuckled softly as he brought his mouth to hers. “Definitely,” he whispered
just before covering her mouth in a kiss she felt clear to her toes.

Paula awoke to a dry mouth and the worst case of nausea she’d had in a long time.
Midmorning sunlight streamed through the crack in the curtains, bathing the middle
of the bed in light.

Behind her, she could feel the heat of a very large, very strong body. She glanced
over her shoulder, but wasn’t surprised to find Keith behind her. She vaguely remembered
asking him to stay, and she knew him well enough to know he would.

He would consider her his responsibility until they were home and that meant if she
felt scared, he would do whatever she needed to feel safe. That was part of his whole
knight-in-shining-armor personality. Despite his sometimes gruff exterior; despite
how he liked to make people believe he didn’t give a crap, Keith was one of the good
ones.

He was also way out of her league.

She turned back around and took several deep breathes, trying to settle her stomach.
She’d always thought Keith was handsome, but Keith was one of those guys that would
never settle down. He dated the gorgeous girls, drove the expensive SUV. He was the
type of guy Paula could only admire from afar, or occasionally say hi to in passing.
They’d probably spent more time together in the last day than they had in the last
five years.

It was a shame she had to get arrested in a foreign country to find out what it would
be like to wake up in his arms.

Nausea rolled through her stomach, and she tried to swallow it back down. It didn’t
work and in a rush, she threw the covers off, then wobbled as quickly as possible
to the bathroom.

Without even turning on the light, she dropped to the floor and emptied the contents
of her stomach into the toilet. Pain sliced through her ribs, and she winced as she
placed her hand over the throbbing ache. It almost hurt too much to throw up, but
once it started she couldn’t stop and had to suffer through.

She cradled her forehead in her hands and moaned as she tried to catch her breath.
God, she hated getting sick to her stomach.

She heard the water run and resisted the urge to moan again. The only other person
in the room was Keith so that had to be him behind her. The water shut off, and she
could feel his presence as he knelt beside her on the cold tile floor.

“Here,” he said softy as he handed her a warm rag.

She took it without looking at him and covered her face. “Thank you,” she mumbled
from behind the rag.

He began to rub his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion that made her heart
melt.

How many guys out there would actually kneel on the floor with a girl when she was
puking her guts up?

“You okay?” he asked.

She nodded, but still kept the rag over her face. “I’m so embarrassed,” she whispered
as she lowered the rag and wiped at her mouth.

“Don’t be. It’s my fault. I think I gave you too much. You should not have passed
out like you did. The doc said you might be sick this morning.”

“The doc?” she asked in confusion. She vaguely remembered the plane landing in London
and Keith carrying her into the room, but hardly anything beyond that.

“We have a friend who’s a doctor stationed here in London. He came over to check you
out as a favor. When you’re up and feeling better, he wants to see you in his office
so he can x-ray your ribs.”

“Does he think they might be broken?”

“Cracked.”

Paula sighed. “Remind me when I’m better to hit you with something for giving me too
much of whatever the crap that was you gave me.”

Keith chuckled and put his hand at her elbow. “Consider it done. Come on. There’s
some Ginger Ale in the fridge in the parlor. I hear it does wonders.”

Paula nodded and allowed him to help her to her feet. She followed him into the parlor,
then dropped slowly into one of the overstuffed chairs by the fireplace. The room,
she noticed, reminded her of a castle; tall ceilings with thick, ornate crown molding
and gold and beige curtains that screamed money hung from ceiling to floor. A thick,
plush rug covered the original hardwood floors and warmed her feet. Off white and
gold furniture was scattered around the large room.

It wasn’t exactly her taste, but it was nice. It was also another stark reminder that
Keith Tipton was way out of her league. Not only was he most likely richer than God
himself, he was prettier than the fabled Gabriel.

Scrunching her nose in disgust, she glanced toward the French doors that flanked either
side of the hearth with interest.

“Is there a balcony out there?” she asked, pointing toward the door.

Keith glanced sideways at her as he poured the contents of the bottle of Ginger Ale
into a glass filled with ice. “Yes. If you want, we can step outside. The fresh air
might do you some good.”

Paula sat silent, watching Keith as he set the empty bottle in the sink. His clothes
were rumpled, his shirt untucked. At some point, probably on the plane, he’d changed
into jeans and a button shirt that appeared to be made of suede. A morning five-0-clock
shadow covered his lower jaw giving him a very masculine, very roguish appearance.
His face was already rugged, but the stubble made him look even sexier - if that were
even possible.

I just went to prison over a man. What the hell am I doing?

“What’s the frown for? Still feeling bad?”

She looked up at Keith, who now stood before her holding out the glass of Ginger Ale.
He’d walked over, and she’d been so lost in thought over his body, she hadn’t even
noticed. Feeling the heat of a blush as it covered her cheeks, she grabbed the glass
and slowly took a sip. She needed to pull her thoughts together. It was probably the
aftereffects of the drug that had her so moony over a man she’d known for years.

“I’m okay. Just feeling a bit weird.”

“It’ll pass.”

Keith walked over and opened the French door to the left of the fireplace. Cool morning
air rushed into the room, and Paula swore she could smell coffee on the breeze. She
inhaled deep and sighed. Prison only gave you the basics and coffee hadn’t been on
the menu.

Despite the fact she no longer suffered from caffeine withdrawal, it still didn’t
stop her from wanting a cup.

“Come on and check out this view,” Keith called from the balcony.

Paula stood slowly and headed outside. As she went, she took small sips of her drink
in the hopes it would stay down. As her eyes adjusted to the morning light, she gasped
at the view before her.

Low overhanging clouds and wet streets gave the city a wintery appearance, and she
smiled in appreciation. “It’s beautiful,” she murmured. “London, I’m assuming?”

“Knightsbridge,” Keith replied.

Paula swallowed. “That figures.”

Keith turned and amusement sparkled in his eyes. “Excuse me?”

“Isn’t Knightsbridge one of the most expensive areas of London?”

Keith shrugged.

Sighing, Paula waved her hand in dismissal. “Never mind.”

Keith turned to lean against the railing. “Are you trying to imply that because I’m
rich it figures I would stay in a rich area?”

She eyed him speculatively. “Maybe. Unless that offends you…then no.”

Keith laughed, and she inwardly relaxed that he hadn’t taken offense.

“I don’t deny I have money, but…” He shrugged. “I just like this area. Lots of nice
restaurants and I do love to eat. If I don’t stop, one of these days it will catch
up to me and I’ll find myself fifty pounds overweight.”

Paula gave a very unladylike snort. “Please. You probably have to eat about four thousand
calories a day just to maintain all that muscle—“

She stopped abruptly and took a quick sip of her soda. Keith’s lips twitched in amusement
as he watched her.

“Is there any coffee around here?” she asked, suddenly feeling very much like a school
girl with her first big crush.

“I’ll call room service and have them bring some up. I could use a little caffeine
myself. While we’re waiting on the coffee, I’m going to give Kiley a call. She was
worried about you.”

Although she didn’t say anything, Paula cringed at the idea of talking with Kiley.
She felt so stupid over what she’d done the last thing she wanted was a lecture.

Keith’s surprised, angry voice startled her from her thoughts. “Scott?” Keith pulled
the phone away from his ear, glanced quickly at the screen, then put it back. “What
the hell are you doing answering Kiley’s phone this late at night?”

Scott froze, unable to think of anything to say. He scrunched his eyes closed and
tried to think.

Quick! Come up with something!

“Scott!” Keith snapped.

He tapped Kiley on the hip. “Give me a second, Keith! I just woke up. Stop yelling
at me or I’ll hang up on your ass.”

Kiley sat up and frowned.

“Kiley and I switched phones on accident. It was so late I just decided to wait until
tomorrow to switch them back.”

Kiley’s eyes widened as the realization of what was going on finally sank in. Scott
shrugged and lowered the phone from his mouth. “I answered it without thinking,” he
whispered. “I thought it was mine.”

Sighing, Kiley brushed her hair back off her face. Scott knew exactly how she felt.

“If you’re wanting Kiley, you can get a hold of her on mine.”

“Yeah, I’ll call her in a minute.”

Scott squeezed his forehead between his thumb and forefinger. Keith didn’t really
sound all that convinced, but Scott doubted his mind would immediately go to the two
of them were sleeping together. As far as he knew, Keith didn’t have a clue about
how much Scott cared for his sister.