The Future of Love (Bachelor Billionaire #6) (4 page)

"Still?"
John questioned.

"Not
a word," Kyle snapped.

"It's
been five damn years, and you've still got it bad for her. Why don't
you do something and stop being a pussy?" John whispered.

"I
don't know what you're talking about," Kyle said.

"Yes
you do," John said.

"Gavin
would kick my ass. I have to work with him," Kyle mumbled.

"Screw
Gavin," John said. "Do you think he would have listened to
anyone who told him to stay away from Becky? Look at Ethan and Julie.
He found a way to get over that," John said.

Jessie
ran through the yards and straight for Sarah.

"You
can't just run off like that, Jessie," Jenny said, as she leaned
down to catch her breath.

She
looked up and her eyes widened.

"Kyle,"
she said.

"Jenny,"
he said.

"I
didn't know you were coming since Ethan was here," she said.

"You
didn't think he would let me?" Kyle asked.

"That's
not what I meant," she whispered. "Come on, Jessie. We need
to get back. It was a good thing your dad was outside when you ran
off."

"I
want to stay and play," Jessie said.

"I'll
bring her back," John said.

"Thank
you," she whispered before turning and walking back toward Gavin
and Becky's.

"What
was that?" John snapped.

"What?"
Kyle asked, as he leaned back and closed his eyes.

It
was going to be a long week, he thought. There was no way he would
have gone if he knew she was going to be there.

"You
didn't have to be a jerk about it," John said.

"I'm
sick of people acting like I need permission from Ethan to breathe.
It's either one extreme or the next. Is there no happy medium?"

"What
are you talking about?" John asked.

"Nothing,"
Kyle said, as he shook his head. "I'll be back in a minute."

Jenny

She
was in shock the moment her eyes connected with his. Those perfect
dark eyes made her body shiver. Becky hadn't mentioned that Kyle was
going to be in Hawaii when she pestered Jenny every single day to go
on vacation with them. Maybe Becky didn't know, Jenny thought. There
was no reason for her to specifically point him out. Becky had told
her that the guys would all be there with their families. Jenny never
thought Ethan and Kyle would both leave the company for a week
together. She'd thought for sure Kyle would stay behind to run
things. They'd gone through some big changes the few months prior.
Ethan had signed over half of the company to Kyle. Gavin had gone on
and on about it at work. There was no way for Jenny to not hear the
conversations Ethan and Gavin had in person and over the phone.

Jenny
shifted from foot to foot as she looked down at him. He looked so
damn sexy on that lounger. The way his swimming trunks sat at his
hips and the light patch of hair that ran beneath them had her eyes
glued to him. It wasn't often that she was able to catch a glimpse of
him outside of his full suit and business attitude. Anytime he went
to Gavin's office, he was all business. Only at a few family
functions had he let himself relax. She enjoyed seeing him outside of
work. He'd laugh and smile with the other guys. It was adorable how
the dimples in his cheeks would be so deep when he'd let out a loud
laugh. He didn't let that side show at work. It was hard to believe
he was the same man. He was all man. She knew he kept his body in
shape, but seeing him covered in only his trunks for the first time
was unexplainable. It did things to her body. She felt like she
couldn't put a sentence together if she had too. His muscles weren't
huge, but they were definitely defined to perfection.

She'd
never let it slip to anyone, but the days he visited the office were
her favorite. He'd started coming around when Ethan hired him fresh
out of college. She was pretty sure Kyle was around the same age as
her. She'd started at Gavin's company after high school. Her mom
didn't have a lot of money, and the money she did have wasn't going
to be spent on college. Jenny hired in as a secretary and was so
thankful that Gavin had given her the opportunity. Once she made
enough money, she planned to start college. That never happened. He
ended up depending on her more and more. Within a year, he'd offered
her the position as his assistant. There was no way she was going to
turn it down.

It
had been nine years since she'd originally gotten the job as
secretary. Being Gavin's assistant kept her very busy and school sort
of slipped through the cracks.

Jenny
let Kyle's name fall from her lips without thinking. When he
responded with her name, she realized she had said it out loud. How
did he do that, she wondered? When he was around, she found herself
stumbling over her words like a teenager. Each time, she hoped nobody
noticed and tried to cover it up.

"I
didn't know you were coming since Ethan was here," she said.

When
he responded, she felt bad and offended at the same time. She was
just shocked that both of them had left the office. That wasn't
something that happened often. She knew Ethan was so damn worried
about every little thing. Kyle took it the wrong way. She wasn't
trying to say Ethan had permitted him to leave. What the hell was his
problem, she wondered? He was half owner of the company. She knew
that was a huge deal. He could come and go as he pleased. She was
sure of that. Why did he think she was insinuating he couldn't? She
wasn't putting him down, but he had sure taken it that way.

She
walked back to Gavin and Becky's feeling sad and alone. As she sat
down on the ground to play with little Gavin, Becky walked out of the
house to sit with the kids. Jenny thought about going home. She
wasn't sure she wanted to spend a week so close to him when he
couldn't stand her. He'd avoided her at all of the recent functions
he'd actually shown up at. She noticed him coming by the office less
as well. It had been going on for over a year. The thought of seeing
him outside of business for an entire week was hard for her to deal
with. She already had enough on her plate and wasn't sure she could
handle the stress of being around the one man she'd liked for five
years. She never could figure out what it was about her that he
didn't like.

She
thought about him on that lounger in only a pair of shorts. His chest
and abs were muscular enough for her to want to reach out and touch
him. She loved the fact that his chest was bare beside a few stray
hairs in the middle. When her eyes traveled down to see that light
line of hair traveling beneath his shorts, she couldn't pull them
away. His thighs looked tight and his calves were muscular. She knew
he most likely ran, and that was something she really liked. It was
something she enjoyed. Jenny ran every morning. She liked the fresh,
early air and the time running gave her to clear her mind.

"You
okay?" Becky's voice sent a jolt through her.

Jenny
looked down to see she had been drawing the same circle over and over
in the sand.

"Yes,"
she said.

"You
want to talk about it?" Becky asked.

Jenny
shook her head.

"I'm
glad you came with us, Jenny. You need some time away. Don't think
it's your job to watch the kids. Go out and have fun while your here.
You deserve it."

"I'm
not so sure it was a good idea to come with you," Jenny said.
"I'm thinking I might go home early."

"Why?"
Becky asked. "We care about you. All of our friends are here. We
never get a chance to all be together. This week is going to be
great. You're one of us. You're family. I want you to relax in the
sun, swim in the water, and go to the clubs. Maybe we'll even go with
the girls and do some shopping while the guys stay with the kids.
Maybe even a beauty day. That would be awesome."

Gavin
looked back over his shoulder and laughed.

"You're
already beautiful," he said.

"It
feels good to be pampered," Becky said.

"I
can pamper you," he said.

"You
know what I mean," she said with a smile. "Where is our
other daughter?"

"She's
playing with Sarah at John's," Jenny said.

"Who's
out watching them?" Becky asked.

"John
and Kyle were both out. John said he'd bring her back in a bit."

"Kyle
came?" Becky asked.

Jenny
nodded.

"I
didn't know he was coming," Gavin said. "I can't believe
him and Ethan are both here."

"Don't
say that to him," Jenny said. "He might bite your head
off."

"Interesting,"
Becky said.

"What
is?" Gavin asked.

"Nothing,"
Becky replied, as she looked over at Jenny.

"What?"
Jenny asked.

"Not
a thing," Becky answered. "We need to get in the water."

Becky
grabbed Jenny's hand and pulled her to her feet.

"We'll
be back," Becky said over her shoulder to her husband. “Watch
our little guy too.”

Once
they were in the water, Jenny felt Becky looking at her.

"What?"
Jenny asked.

"Spill
it," Becky said.

"I
don't know what you're talking about."

"Really,"
Becky said. "Is this sudden mood change about your ex? Did he do
something?"

"No,"
Jenny answered.

"Then
spill," Becky said.

"I
just have a lot on my mind."

"Does
Kyle have anything to do with that?" Becky asked.

"What?"
Jenny said with wide eyes. "No."

“
Bullshit,”
Becky said with a smile. “I've seen the way you look at him
when we're all together.”

“
I
don't think so,” Jenny said.

“
You've
never looked at him and thought he was attractive?” Becky asked
with a laugh.

“
Of
course I think he's attractive,” Jenny replied. “That
doesn't mean anything.”

Jenny
saw him come back into view. He took the kids down to the edge of the
water and sat down to play in the sand with them. She thought he
looked so sexy with the four kids surrounding him. He was laughing as
the bigger ones threw sand in his hair. When he grabbed his little
nephew and pulled him into a hug, her heart melted, and she couldn't
help the feelings that stirred inside of her.

Becky
cleared her throat and pulled Jenny from her thoughts.

“
Nothing
to do with him,” Becky said. “That is what you said,
right?”

“
I'm
going inside,” Jenny said in a snotty tone, as she walked out
of the water and up to the beach. She picked little Gavin up to hug
him before walking into the house.

Kyle

Kelly
called the kids in, so Kyle jumped into the water to clean the sand
out of his hair. When he got out of the water, he noticed that Jenny
was gone from where he had last seen her. He collected the stuff he'd
brought outside and went to his room.