So Kennedy once dated the lawyer who was currently suing his company. No big deal. He was sure it happened all the time.

  “And you think this is important why?” Nate asked.

  Jack straightened to his full height, his hand dropping to his side. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I am. She has no idea which firm is handling the case, much less the individual lawyers working on it.” In truth, Nate didn’t know shit. They’d never talked about it, but if he had to put money on it, he’d swear Kennedy didn’t know, because if she had, she’d have said something to him.

  “She runs a PR agency with your sister. Do you honestly think she doesn’t know? After the show she put on at your press conference?” Jack scoffed.

  Nate was trying hard to remain calm, but his friend was beginning to test his patience. “What exactly are you accusing her of, Jack?”

  “I’m not accusing her of anything. All I’m saying is the guy is pushing his team to take this to court and you want to settle. He wants a jury to decide without knowing how much money’s on the table. My question is why. Why doesn’t he want to at least hear what you’re willing to offer?”

  “And you think Kennedy has something to do with that? That she put some fucking bug in his ear? That she’s scheming behind my back to help a guy she used to date? Is that what you’re suggesting?”

  Nate knew his friend had real trust issues when it came to women, stemming from his ex-fiancée, but this, what he was insinuating now, was bullshit. If nothing else, Kennedy was as loyal a friend as Aurora ever had, and she wouldn’t do this to him.

  “All I’m saying is it doesn’t look good for you or the company, and I don’t want you to get hurt. Sue me for caring about one of my oldest friends and the best boss I’ve ever had. And tell me you wouldn’t do the same thing if the situation was reversed.”

  What would he do if the situation was reversed? Nate asked himself.

  Of course you’d tell him, if for no other reason than he had a right to know. And if there’s nothing to it, all is well. Nothing to see here, move along. The end.

  “Okay, I get it. And now that you’ve proved your loyalty, you can tell me whether you’ve heard back from Duncan Flynn,” Nate said, quickly changing the subject. He didn’t want to talk to him about Kennedy, the woman he was sleeping with. The woman he was falling for, again.

  * * *

  “My, don’t you look bright-eyed this morning. Are you getting laid by Mr. Tech Billionaire?”

  Besides Aurora, only Jonathan had the temerity to speak to her like that.

  In the midst of hanging up her linen jacket on the coat stand near her desk, Kennedy turned with a dramatic huff and treated him to her fiercest mock glare. “Mr. Tech Billionaire? Really, Jonathan?” she asked with a supercilious arch of her brow. “I’d prefer if you referred to him by his given name.”

  Julie, the agency’s contract lawyer, popped up behind him, the top of her head reaching his shoulder. “Did I hear something about someone getting laid? Who’re we talking about?”

  “Jonathan.”

  “Boss Lady.”

  At the simultaneous answers, Julie’s gaze ping-ponged between the two before coming to rest on Kennedy.

  “Right, except we know he’s getting laid,” Julie said, jerking her head at Jonathan.

  “Now now now,” Jonathan tsked. “Assuming and knowing are two different things. I’m a professional, and I don’t discuss my love life at work.”

  Kennedy’s eyes met Julie’s, and they instantly burst out laughing.

  “Then I must have heard about your third anniversary trip to Hawaii and the romantic wedding suite you stayed in from someone else.” Julie’s brown eyes were sparkling.

  “I’m not denying I told you, but it was during happy hour, which comes with entirely different rules. And I thought what was said during happy hours can only be mentioned during happy hours,” he mock admonished.

  “Does that mean my favorite boss is getting laid?” Julie asked, circling back to her original question.

  Kennedy responded by pressing her lips together.

  Amusement lit Julie’s eyes. “Good for you. It isn’t good to stay off that horse too long.”

  Jonathan guffawed and Kennedy laughed despite herself.

  Julie was really something else. Initially, she’d presented herself as a buttoned-up professional; no cursing, no idle chitchat, no vulgarity, and no caffeine. The latter Kennedy considered a crime against humanity. She’d been working for the agency almost a year when Kennedy accidentally knocked over her purse. A makeup case, a tampon, and a pregnancy test tumbled out—a great way to break the ice, by the way. Kennedy hadn’t known if congratulations were in order. That was when Julie confided to her that she and her surgeon husband had been trying to get pregnant for the last three years with no success.

  But she’d been good about it. At thirty-two, she claimed she wasn’t going to start officially panicking for another two years, since the fertility specialist had told them there was nothing wrong with either of them. They’d been told it could be stress, which was why Julie had left her high-stress position at a top law firm and taken a position as their part-time contract lawyer.

  “How about instead of worrying over whether I’m getting laid—which, by the way, is no one’s business but mine—Jonathan can tell me why I have a phone call appointment with the chairman of the board of Hanson’s in a half hour and I’m only finding out about it now.”

  Hanson & Co. was the most exclusive chain of luxury jewelry stores in the world. Retaining them as a client would be an incredible coup and would do a lot to add to their credentials. But she’d have appreciated more than thirty minutes to prepare.

  “He said it was urgent. He also said you came highly recommended by Phil Draper over at ECO Apparel.” Jonathan sent her a wink. “Word’s really getting around.”

  “All right, since I’m sure I got my answer, I’ll leave you two to talk work,” Julie said, and bade them a goodbye with a teasing smile.

  Kennedy sat down, blew a lock of hair from her eyes, and turned on her miniature desk fan. “Okay, then. What is going on with Hanson’s?” she asked, angling the fan toward her. The cool air felt wonderful on her overheated face.

  Jonathan sent her a look. “Buckle in. It’s going to be a wild ride.”

  18

  A lot had changed in ten years, but some things stayed the same. Some things might never change—at least, not in her lifetime. Speaking with Elliott Bellamy, Hanson’s chairman of the board, keenly reminded her of that. Certain attitudes were entrenched, so thoroughly ingrained in the DNA of the country it was hard to imagine life any other way. People like Margaret Hanson-Gertz would never change.

  Which led her to Nate.

  They’d had sex. Now what? Where did they go from here? Would this be another fling? Did she want anything more? What exactly was he looking for?

  He’ll never marry you.

  Aidan’s words now haunted her.

  Nate was the only white guy she’d ever gone out with or had sex with. And it wasn’t as if she hadn’t had plenty of other opportunities. But when push came to shove, she’d chosen to keep her distance. At the time, she’d told herself the relationship would be a road to nowhere—a dead-ender—so why bother. Whether that would end up being the case or not, she didn’t know, but she did know that her relationships with Black men had ended much the same way. And there was some irony in that her most serious relationships to date had ended in proposals of marriage, and she’d been the one who’d walked away.

  Her actions were a mass of contradictions. She’d always thought of herself as someone who wouldn’t allow herself to be limited by her gender or race, and that included romantic relationships. And as a relatively young, attractive female, that should mean the world was her oyster. After all, her first sexual experience had been Nate.

  But maybe that was the crux of the matter.

  He’d been her first and it hadn’t worked out the way she wanted. Not that back then she’d been looking for a long-term commitment, but it would have been nice if it had lasted longer than four weeks. It would have been nice if it hadn’t been so easy for him to slip back into the best friend’s older brother role.

  Kennedy wouldn’t say he’d broken her heart, but it had been plenty sore after things ended between them.

  Getting involved with him now would be even more complicated. Which brought her full circle; where did they go from here? She was currently screwing her fake boyfriend and the sex was fabulous. Nate had shown her how much better it could be with time and experience. And frankly, she didn’t want to give that up. She wanted more.

  After a brief gut check, Trepidatious Kennedy asked, But what happens if you fall head over heels this time?

  Fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants Kennedy was equally quick to respond. For the love of God, Kennedy, stop overthinking this and just go with the flow. You want him and he wants you. Get naked and have lots of sex for as long as it lasts. Who knows, maybe that’s all you’ll ever want from him?

  Trepidatious Kennedy snorted at that. The one thing that hadn’t changed between them—once they both let down their guard—was the red-hot chemistry, which was undeniable. If she’d thought he knew which of her buttons to hit before, he was even better at it now. What this man could do with his hands, lips, tongue, and—

  The ding of her cell phone yanked her from her lustful thoughts. She picked it up off her desk.

  Nate: Busy tonight? We need to talk.

  We need to talk? What happened to, I had a fantastic time this weekend. The sex was . When can I see you again?

  Kennedy: Is something wrong?

  Nate: Can’t talk now. On my way to a meeting. After work at my place? I’ll send a car.

  Kennedy tried not to let her thoughts run away with her, but what was going on? What did they need to talk about—besides how this weekend had been a game changer—and why was he being short with her? She fired off a response.

  Kennedy: If something’s wrong, tell me now. That way I can prepare myself.

  Nate: Nothing major. Gotta run. The car will be there at 6.

  Who was he kidding? We need to talk in no way equated to nothing major.

  She had a good mind to tell him she wasn’t free tonight, but that would be petty, and she was saving the petty shit for if or when they passed the three-month mark. But it was cruel of him to send that kind of cryptic message when she still had another six hours to get through. Practically a lifetime.

  He had her mind zigzagging in a dozen different directions. She assumed they were exclusive, but they hadn’t actually talked about it since their fake dating moved to real sexing. One could conceivably say they’d done what they set out to do in garnering positive coverage of him. What if he wanted to propose something different? Or, what if sex with her was just an itch he’d needed to scratch, and now that he’d scratched it—many times—he wanted out of their arrangement? It would certainly be an easy way for him to kill two birds with one...big dick.

  Chillax! Stop thinking about it or you’ll just drive yourself crazy. He wants to see you tonight at his place and he’s sending a car. Does that sound like someone who doesn’t want to see you again?

  Kennedy did as her inner voice demanded: she took a deep breath and chillaxed.

  “Have any room in your busy schedule for me?” Aurora’s query, accompanied by a light tap on her open door, was the distraction she desperately needed right now.

  Then Kennedy got a good look at her and blinked. Her best friend looked extra something today. The sleeveless white-and-red polka-dot dress she wore could only be described as flirty, and the hip-hugging skirt revealed several inches of tanned bare thigh.

  “Don’t you look...gorgeous. Is that new?” she asked, flitting her hand at the dress.

  “I bought it Saturday. You like?” Aurora twirled around and sent the tulip skirt fluttering around her thighs.

  “It’s beautiful and looks great on you. But—and I ask this with no judgment—what happened? This isn’t...you,” Kennedy finished weakly.

  Aurora preferred tailored blouses and slacks, and pencil skirts to dresses, and as far back as Kennedy could remember, her friend was averse to thigh-revealing clothes in workplace settings—with good reason.

  “I know, right?” Aurora said, grinning. “But I don’t have any client meetings today and it’s supposed to be hotter than Hades out, and I thought, what the hell.”

  Kennedy laughed. “I’m sure no one’s going to complain. And the hair, is that also a new office look?” At work, Aurora usually wore her long straight locks in a loose chignon or an elegant ponytail. She complained it got in the way too much. Today, she wore it loose.

  Aurora gave her head a flirty shake, sending her blond hair swaying and curls bouncing. “The hair went with the dress.”

  “Are you sure there’s something you’re not telling me?” Kennedy asked, studying her closely.

  “Can’t I show off my new dress without it raising your suspicions?” her friend teased. “Now, on the good-news front, Sahara came through. Brittany Faulkner got two backstage passes to her concert.”

  “That’s wonderful. You’re better than a fairy godmother.”

  “She’s such a sweet kid. It breaks my heart that she’s had to grow up without a mother, but she’s lucky she has such a great dad. Adam’s done a fantastic job with her.”

  “Adam has, has he?” Kennedy inquired, her brow raised in speculation. “And how would we know this?”

  Aurora made a face. “Oh stop. She’s a great kid and he’s been raising her on his own since she was five. Give the man some credit. He’s earned it.”

  “All right, fine. He or some overworked nanny and a cadre of babysitters did a good job of raising her,” Kennedy joked.

  “You’re terrible,” Aurora scolded playfully. “Anyhoo. What about you? How did things go with my brother? He seemed a little tense at the party.”

  Kennedy stared at her best friend and debated what to do next. What to say. It took her only seconds to reach a decision, and then she motioned for her to close the door.

  “Okay,” Aurora said with a strained laugh as she turned and pushed the door shut before plopping her shapely ass on the guest chair. “Let me take a wild stab in the dark. You’re sleeping with him.”

  “What?” Kennedy sputtered. Aurora’s matter-of-fact tone surprised her more than the nail on the head accuracy of her statement.

  “That is what you’re going to tell me, right? That you’re sleeping with Nate?”

  Eyes wide, Kennedy could only gape at her. “You know?” What, had he called his sister the second she’d left his apartment?

  “Kennie, I’ve known since freshman year.”

  Kennedy’s jaw dropped then. She’d known from the beginning, not just since their latest romp in the hay.

  “Oh. My. God. I can’t believe you’ve known about it this whole time,” she said, her voice little more than a strangled breath of air.

  “Oh, don’t worry,” Aurora said with a dismissive flutter of her fingers. “It wasn’t anything you did or said. It was Nate, and he fessed up when I confronted him.”

  Making Nate an egregiously weak link. She filed that nugget of knowledge in the back of her mind.

  “Don’t you have anything to say about it?” Kennedy couldn’t understand her friend’s reaction. She’d braced herself for something other than calm acceptance.

  “What can I say?” Aurora gave a negligent shrug. “You’re both adults. Although, I should be mad at you. And hurt. I get that he’s my brother and it makes things awkward, but you’re my best friend. We’re supposed to tell each other these things. I’d tell you if I slept with one of your brothers. And it’s not like the thought never entered my mind. Cam and Jay are hot.”

  She and her sister had once joked that it was a mandatory phase all their girlfriends went through: crush hard on the Mitchell brothers and then move on with your life.

  “How could I tell you after you told me what happened after Nate broke up with your friend?”

  Aurora’s gaze softened. “Ken, you’re the sister I never had. We may occasionally bicker, but nothing is ever going to come between us. And that includes my brother.”

  Smiling, Kennedy blew her a kiss, and Aurora caught it. They giggled.

  “Okay, now I have a question,” Kennedy said, clearing her throat. “You said Nate gave us away. What did he do to make you suspicious?” At first, she wasn’t going to ask. However, curiosity got the best of her—as it usually did.

  “It was when Spencer asked me to spend August with him in California before classes started. Nate was the one who encouraged me to go. That’s when I got a feeling he was going to try something. Especially when he promised to keep an eye on you.” Aurora snorted a laugh. “Keep an eye on you, my foot. More like keep his—”

  “Aurora,” Kennedy exclaimed, cutting her off amid a furious bout of blushing.

  Aurora laughed. “Anyway, when I came back, and you didn’t say anything, I figured nothing happened. Then Nate started acting weird—weirder than he had been before—and I came right out and asked him. He denied it, of course, but I know when he’s lying, and I just kept after him until he finally told me the truth. He asked me not to say anything to you, so I didn’t. I figured if you wanted me to know, you’d tell me yourself.” She shot a pointed look at her watch. “And look, it only took eleven or so years.”

  Kennedy made a face. “Very funny.”

  “Hey, don’t think I’m not still holding a grudge about that,” Aurora said, half teasing before her expression became thoughtful. “What’s most important is it didn’t ruin things between us. I mean, there were the times the tension between you two was off the friggin’ charts, but other than that, I’d say things have been pretty chill.”