Page 14 of King of Desire

Not that his job didn’t come with some serious downsides. We’ve all had our crosses to bear.

But now that he’s married, and he seems more balanced than I’ve ever seen him, I know his role in the company has to change.

We’re working him into security for both us and the Kincaids. Because while Killian uses his ability to walk through shadows to collect all kinds of intel on our enemies, Jake Kincaid has learned the ins and outs of security monitoring. Together, they’d make an unstoppable force.

I hired a company to install all my security at home, but an in-house team would allow us to better hide any activity that was on the gray side of legal.

Killian stops by the door, steps out of the car and comes up the steps.

I stand up, eager to move, looking for an excuse to get up from my desk. I don’t normally meet my brother in the hall, but I can’t stand another second of sitting. But as I make my way toward the stairs, I don’t see or hear him.

I trot down to the ground floor, still not finding my brother as I stride down the hall and into the entry.

Where I stop. Killian leans against the jam of the massive entrance into the ballroom.

His arms are crossed, his chin notched up. “So tell me. How did you meet my brother again?”

Reaching the opening, I glance into the ballroom, my heart nearly stops in my chest. Honeyeh is up on a ten-foot-tall stepladder, dusting one of the three crystal chandeliers that adorn the room.

“Honeyeh.” My voice is sharp and I see her start in surprise. My heart stops, thinking she might fall, but she rights herself, grabbing the top of the ladder as the duster drops to the ground, creating a large clatter.

She lets out a cry, one of her hands coming to her chest. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Just get down,” I bark back, striding toward her. I don’t want her on ladders like that, it’s dangerous.

I can’t question my visceral reaction, I’m too busy feeling hectic.

She starts down, bending a leg, just as I reach the bottom of the ladder. I only meant to help her but…

I can see straight up her dress to the crisp little pair of white panties that only accentuate the full, round curve of her ass.

My cock is hard as a rock even as I reach my hands up to grasp her hips and help her down.

Which might have been a mistake.

The curve of them fills my hands, her combination of muscle and softness making my brain fritz.

“Ahem,” Killian says behind me. “As I was asking…”

“Not now, Killian,” I grit out. “Mrs. Raith,” I call loudly, my hands lingering on Honeyeh even as she steps onto the floor.

My house manager appears a moment later. “Mr. Smith?”

“Why is Honeyeh up on a ladder?” The words come out like an accusation. I briefly glance at my brother, his eyebrows high up on his forehead.

“She was dusting,” Mrs. Raith answers, her head cocking to the side. “As we agreed would be a suitable role.”

I let out a long breath, slowly removing my hands from Honeyeh’s body as she turns to look back at me, her own eyesfilled with questions, the crinkles around them, showing her worry.

Shit. She thinks I’m upset with her. My hand comes to the small of her back, my palm spreading wide into the gorgeous curve of it. “Why don’t you go home for the day, Honeyeh? We’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Go home?” She turns to me then, so that my hand slides to the curve of her small waist. I give the indent a small squeeze. “Did I do something wrong? I can correct whatever it might be. I promise I’ll complete whatever work is required. I…” Panic fills her voice with each passing word.

“You did nothing wrong,” I assure her, giving her waist another squeeze. I can’t seem to stop touching her. “You’re not dressed for ladder work. That’s all. This is about your safety. I’m protecting you.”

She nods. “I know you have a large event on Friday. I can do more work today, just of a different variety. If I can’t finish the chandeliers, perhaps dishes need to be prepped, or silverware needs to be polished.”

Killian loudly clears his throat. “I’m not sure it’s the silverware he wants you to polish.”

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