Yeah, right. They clearly had different definitions of pretty chill. Dealing with Nate after...everything had been the polar opposite of chill.

  “And don’t worry. You played it off much better than Nate. You did a good job at acting as if you guys hadn’t slept together, while he couldn’t seem to stop himself from acting like a jilted lover.”

  Jilted lover, really? Because if his indifference to her had been an act, he deserved an Oscar.

  “You may want to give yourself a pat on the back too, because you’re a pretty good actress with all your Don’t worry—Nate likes you,” Kennedy said, mimicking her friend’s frequent refrain.

  “That wasn’t a lie,” Aurora exclaimed, feigning innocence. Who, little ole me?

  “No, but that means you knew full well why I balked whenever you invited me to go out with you guys.”

  “Like I said, I didn’t want things to change between us. You’re my best friend and he’s my brother, and those are two things in my life that will never change. Whether anything is going on between you two or not, I want—no, I need—you guys to get along. You’re both going to be in my wedding and you’re going to be godmother and honorary aunt to my kids. Who knows, you may even be their aunt by marriage too.” She casually tossed in that stick of dynamite at the end.

  Kennedy completely ignored the resulting blast intended to tease a reaction from her, suggestive eyebrow waggling and all. No one was talking marriage and happily-ever-afters. She’d taken a pass the last two times they’d been offered to her. Right now, she and Nate were simply enjoying each other. A whole lot.

  “All right, then. I promise that no matter what happens, it won’t change a thing between us. Happy?”

  Aurora smiled. “Now, I’m not trying to jinx things, but I have a really good feeling about you two. I saw the way he was with you at the party. Nate likes you a lot. I can tell.”

  He also liked Junior’s cheesecake and the view of Central Park from his bedroom window a lot too, so it was good to keep things in perspective. She, on the other hand, was getting perilously close to liking him a little too much for the current trajectory of their relationship. The last thing she wanted to do was get ahead of the curve or overshoot the landing.

  “Speaking of this weekend, what happened to you on Sunday? You said you were going to call,” Kennedy reminded her. Not that it was a big deal. After a night and morning in Nate’s bed—she could tell sex with him could quickly become an addiction—she hadn’t minded going home to take some time to herself and regroup. She’d then spent the rest of the day resisting the urge to invite Nate over to watch Netflix and chill, where there’d be lots and lots of chilling.

  Aurora began picking at her skirt, something she did when she was nervous. Or guilty. Or flat-out lying. “I know. I’m sorry. It turned out to be a big cleaning day. The fridge, the oven, the floors. I cleaned everything and now the place is immaculate.”

  Kennedy studied her, replying slowly. “No worries. Just curious.”

  “Anyway, I’ll let you get back to work,” Aurora said, her smile overly bright as she quickly departed.

  * * *

  “You called?” Kennedy queried with a raised eyebrow when Nate opened his apartment door to her.

  “It was a request, not a demand.”

  “Right,” she said, smirking as she walked past him, only to be hauled unceremoniously into his arms.

  “Don’t I even get a kiss?” he murmured, his breath warm and minty on her cheek.

  Kennedy pretended to ponder the question before turning puckered lips up at him. But Nate wasn’t having any of that, plowing his hand into her hair and taking her mouth in a make you forget what day it is kiss, employing his lips, tongue, and teeth in a manner that had her nipples standing at attention and started a familiar thrum between her thighs by the time he finally broke it off.

  “Much better,” he said, smiling down at her. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

  Aroused and breathless from his kiss, Kennedy could only nod. She’d come straight from the office and thought she looked fairly conservative in her tailored skirt and blouse. He, on the other hand, had on worn blue jeans and a striped T-shirt, his size eleven feet bare. She found the look incredibly hot.

  Nate paused beside her while she removed her heels, and then followed her to the living room. “Does the kiss mean this isn’t going to be one of those talks?” she asked, her tone light.

  He grimaced. “Yeah, sorry about that. That’s how I get when I’m running late for a meeting and stressed out at the same time. Sit down. Can I get you a drink?” He headed toward the kitchen.

  Kennedy let out a snort of amusement as she settled onto the couch. “Are you serious? After the day I had, I came here fully expecting to be fed.”

  He treated her to a Cheshire cat smile and a wink. “Don’t worry. Dinner is on its way.”

  “I hope it’s something good, because I’m starved.” The Hanson & Co. emergency call had been the highlight/lowlight of her day. Talk about mission impossible. Margaret Hanson-Gertz would be lucky if she emerged from her ordeal with only her reputation in ruins and her stores being picketed for a month. It was a near certainty the board would vote her out as CEO and president, which had been Kennedy’s recommendation.

  The woman needed to step down.

  Like yesterday.

  “So tell me about the emergency you had at work today.”

  Kennedy watched as he deftly opened a bottle of wine. “You know Hanson’s on Park Avenue, right?”

  “My mom says it makes Tiffany look like a thrift shop.”

  A slight exaggeration, but she got his point. The place was ridiculously expensive and only serviced an elite clientele.

  “Well, last night, they refused to allow Vanessa Scott into the store and...” Kennedy’s voice trailed off with a sigh. The resulting scandal spoke for itself.

  Two glasses of wine in hand, Nate handed her one before joining her. “Vanessa Scott?” He let out a low whistle. “So your new client just insulted the richest Black woman in America. Looks like somebody’s about to lose their job or the company is going to lose a shitload of customers. I don’t need to flip a coin to know which one they’re going to pick.”

  “I wish it were that simple,” Kennedy said. “Apparently, the employee in question came forward with an email sent by Margaret Hanson-Gertz, the CEO, saying—and I’m paraphrasing now—that certain minorities were not welcome in their stores because most can’t afford the merchandise. Exceptions were of course made for celebrities, but Vanessa Scott was dressed in jeans and wearing little makeup, so no one in the store recognized her. When they wouldn’t let her in, her cousin pulled out her cell phone and started recording. It only took one hour for the video to go viral.”

  Nate placed his wineglass on the end table at his side, and then carefully pulled her into his arms, as though he’d been doing it his whole life. “What did you tell her?”

  “Not her. I spoke to the chairman of the board. I told him she needed to step down for the good of the company.”

  Pushing her hair aside, he nibbled her ear. “What about her? What does she think should happen?”

  Kennedy let out a hum of pleasure. The man was deliciously distracting. “It doesn’t matter. Saving the company’s reputation is what really matters, and it’ll go on better without her at the helm.”

  “Then she has to go.” His warm breath bathed her ear and cheek, sending tendrils of lust through her.

  Burrowing closer to him, Kennedy took a sip of her wine. “Okay, so now I told you about my day, why was it imperative you see me tonight?”

  “First, I wanted to see you tonight regardless,” he said, playing with long, curly strands of her hair. “Second, I wanted to ask you about your relationship with Trevor Markham.”

  Kennedy immediately went stiff in his arms. Why was he asking her about someone she’d dated over two years ago? And by dated, that was it. They hadn’t even slept together and had parted on friendly terms. Hell, she’d helped get him his job at Goldberg & Johnson. They’d kept in loose contact, but she hadn’t heard from him since last year, when they’d exchanged Christmas cards.

  Slowly, she wriggled her way out of his arms, and placed her wine on the coffee table before turning her narrowed gaze on him.

  “What do you mean my relationship with Trevor? How did you find out we even know each other?” Kennedy prided herself on how calm she sounded. Nate was lucky she wasn’t one of those women who jumped to swift and erroneous conclusions. Lucky that she was adult enough to listen to what he had to say before jumping down his throat.

  “Because Trevor Markham is the lead attorney representing the employees in the lawsuit against my company.”

  19

  “What!” Kennedy exclaimed, her eyes round.

  And that was all the answer he needed. She didn’t have a clue. The tension in his shoulders eased.

  “You can’t be serious.” Despite her words—as if spoken to herself—her expression conveyed the opposite.

  He arched an eyebrow at her. “What do you think the chances are of me joking about your ex-boyfriend being the lead attorney suing my company? How many laughs do you think I’d hope to get out of that?”

  “You know I didn’t mean it that way,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “And he was never my boyfriend.”

  Then what was he?

  “Although, when I think about it, it makes sense,” Kennedy continued. “Goldberg & Johnson have been trying to rehabilitate their reputation since what went down after they won the Landal lawsuit.”

  “Catch me up. What happened with the Landal lawsuit?” Nate asked.

  “Two years after the verdict, internal documents revealed how the retail company had been cheating their workers out of overtime. That’s when the law firm decided to take on pro-worker cases and diversify their legal team. They brought Trevor on because his specialty is civil rights. He may be young, but he’s one of the best out there.”

  “If you’re trying to make me feel better, you’re going to need to work on your pitch,” he said in a voice drier than the Sahara.

  “But you have nothing to worry about. Unlike too many companies, you want to do the right thing,” she stated confidently.

  If nothing else, her faith in him was gratifying and, in this instance, fully justified. He was going to make this right if it was the last thing he did. Reaching out, he pulled her back into his arms, settling her against his chest.

  “Okay, so now tell me about Trevor. What’s the deal with you two?”

  Kennedy snorted softly. “There is no deal. I told you he was never my boyfriend. But if what you really want to know is whether we had a sexual relationship...” She paused, purposely keeping him in suspense. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no, we did not. We went on a few dates before I started going out with Aidan. And as unbelievable as it may seem, despite his Regé-Jean Page chiseled jaw and manly bone structure, the sparks simply weren’t there. For me, I’m pretty sure it all boiled down to the lack of British accent. The face without the accent just isn’t the same,” she said, giggling impishly by the time she finished waxing poetic about the guy’s looks.

  Maybe there hadn’t been any sparks for her, but he was sure they’d blazed like an inferno for Markham. Which sane available straight man wouldn’t be attracted to her?

  Slowly, he slid his hand from her waist to the side of her breast. At his touch, her breath hitched. “Exactly how many British guys have you dated?”

  “None. But if I’m going to, I wouldn’t want to settle for an imitation.”

  Nate was too busy enjoying the slight weight of her breast in his palm, and the way her nipple pebbled at the repeated swipe of his finger, to make sense of what she was saying.

  “Can I ask you a question?” Her breathing was now audible as she gripped his wrist.

  Covering her entire breast with his palm, he replied, “Ask me anything.”

  She made a sound between a whimper and a moan. “Are—are you going to feed me before or after we have sex?”

  Nate chuckled and dipped his head to press a series of kisses down the length of her neck. He breathed her in. Her scent was intoxicating and her taste even better. Dear god, the things he wanted to do to her. “What are you hungry for more?” he whispered between kisses.

  She took his hand and guided it between her legs. He let out a primitive growl and took over from there, immediately cupping her warmth.

  “Does that answer your question?” she panted as she turned around in his arms, hooking her arms around his neck and offering up her mouth.

  The ring of his cell phone served as a momentary interruption. He ignored it, crushing her parted lips beneath his. Everything got hot fast. The kiss. The blood coursing through his veins. And hard. His erection strained against the fly of his jeans.

  “They’re not going to stop calling until you answer,” Kennedy said, her breathing shallow as she reluctantly ended the kiss.

  What? It was only then Nate realized his phone was still ringing. That whoever was calling hadn’t given up.

  “Nate, it might be someone from work. Something to do with the lawsuit,” she prompted.

  It was a good thing at least one of them was still lucid.

  Dragging his body from the soft warmth of hers wasn’t an easy feat. The phone had stopped ringing but started again as he reached the island in the kitchen.

  * * *

  Still hot and distractingly bothered, Kennedy drew in a breath and levered herself to a sitting position, slowly emerging from a sexual fog.

  Whew! The man knew how to kiss and played a serious game of foreplay. But then, he’d been dealt a pretty nice hand. Incredibly talented hands. And lips and tongue.

  She then ran her fingers through her hair, a mess of dark tangled curls, which reminded her that it had been about a month since she’d worn it straight. She’d make sure to take care of that soon.

  “This better be important,” Nate said, speaking to the poor soul on the other end of the phone. That person would never know what they’d interrupted.

  “Hold on. Let me check.” Looking at her, he mouthed, I’ll be right back, before he exited the kitchen and disappeared down the hall toward his office.

  Kennedy would bet her beloved iPad that I’ll be right back translated into more than fifteen minutes. Fine, just as long as he knew that when he came back, he’d simply have to get her hot and bothered all over again. No hardship there.

  She took a big gulp of her wine before hoisting herself off the couch. When she was at his place, she never seemed to have a lot of time to really look around, inspect things. Her gaze halted on the shelves of books surrounding his ginormous TV.

  Back when they’d first hooked up, his pleasure reading had strictly been books by authors like James Patterson, Stephen King, and John Grisham. These days she had no idea what he liked, which was how she found herself studying his collection of trade and hardcover books.

  More James Patterson and a few books by Vince Flynn. Her eyebrows rose at the sight of Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The book next to it had those same eyebrows practically meeting her hairline: How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi.

  For a moment Kennedy stood there, unable to do anything but stare at the lightly creased spine. Then she ran the tip of her finger down it in a state of dazed wonderment. Once the shock wore off sufficiently, she snatched the book off the shelf and whipped it open.

  Nate bought this? Had he actually read it? That question was answered soon enough once she began flipping through the pages, revealing comments in his handwriting along the margins. A lump formed in her throat and tears stung the backs of her eyes. Why she was getting this emotional about a book couldn’t be put into words. It was as if he’d opened a secret part of himself to her, allowing her inside.

  “Reading anything interesting?” he asked from across the room as he made his way toward her, his expression full of lascivious intent.

  Countdown to hot and bothered had begun, and she was more than ready for the sequel.

  “Have you been reading behind my back?” she asked coyly, batting her eyelashes and turning the book so he could see the cover.

  His eyes lit in quiet amusement. “Just some light reading to pass the time on the plane.”

  She carefully placed the book back on the shelf, dragged her tongue slowly across her upper lip, and gave him her full attention. “You have no idea how sexy I find you right now. How much I want to fuck you senseless.”

  Kennedy Amelia Mitchell, did those words just come out of your mouth? It’s like I don’t know you anymore. The Aunt Pauline part of her preferred to clutch rosary beads instead of pearls, as it offered a better chance of not burning in hell.

  You’re not a practicing Catholic, and fucking is a beautiful thing.

  Nate didn’t give her a chance to take a word of it back, his blue eyes blazing as he hauled her to him, his mouth capturing hers in a bone-melting kiss.

  Devouring.

  Positively ravenous.

  While relieving her of every stitch of clothing, he growled, “Wait until you see the James Baldwin books I have in my office.”

  Just when she thought he couldn’t turn her on any more, he managed to kick his desirability up another notch. The man was proving to be an irresistible combination of good looks, intelligence, with such a strength of moral character, humanity, and compassion, it was hard to believe he was real. He literally took her breath away. As in, she was having a hard time catching her breath, his large hands caressing her all over.