Page 23 of The Tempo of Truth
I couldn’t hold back a hysterical laugh.I knew this little display was going to be the talk of the town for the next couple of weeks because it was all so ridiculous and entertaining.Leave it to Ky to take putting on a show to heart.He’d always been the type of guy who could make a splash when he wanted to.
I wrapped my hand around Ky’s elbow and told him, “I was ready as soon as I got here.”
He guided me toward the exit.I saw Oliver moving to intercept us, but Ky smoothly sidestepped everyone who got in his way.His aura was intimidating enough to make others clear the way.That, mixed with the ingrained fear of causing a scene that was rampant within the elite, made our escape unhindered.I knew my uncles were bound to hear about the commotion as soon as I stepped out of the room.
I tossed my head back and laughed until my lungs hurt, not noticing that Ky stopped in the lobby and pulled me around to face him until I ran out of breath.Before I could ask what he was doing, his head dropped, and his lips covered mine.One of his hands lifted to hold my jaw in an unforgiving grip while the other wrapped around my waist and pulled me against him.I felt the heat from his bare chest radiate through my clothing.
It wasn’t a polite, chaste kiss that would be acceptable to share in a public place.
Ky kissed me like we were the only two people in the building, and he couldn’t wait to take my clothes off and crawl all over my naked body.I gasped in surprise and put my hands against his well-developed pecs to push him away out of reflex.I wanted to make a scene but didn’t expect him to ravish me in front of a legion of business associates.When he tried to shove his tongue into my mouth, I forcefully pushed him back a step and stared at him in shock.
Ky wiped his wet mouth with the back of his hand and arched an eyebrow.The hand resting on my hip moved so that he was grabbing my ass in a totally inappropriate way.“Isn’t this the easiest way to trash your reputation and give those guys ammunition against you?Do you have a room in this fancy-ass hotel?Let’s go.I’ve gotta earn my keep.”
I stumbled as Ky tried to drag me to the elevators.I tugged on the death grip he had on my hand.He wouldn’t stop until I kicked him in the ankle.The impact hurt my toes and had me hopping on one foot as I swore at him.
“I didn’t offer you money to sleep with me, Ky.I don’t expect you to sell yourself to me.I was just having a bit of innocent fun.You’re taking the joke too far.”
The complaint was swallowed up by his mouth, once again settling over mine.He held my cheeks between his rough palms and squeezed until I had to open my mouth under the pressure.The kiss was wet and deep.I felt my rationality start to wander, and I forgot we were in a public place.Ky’s tongue swirled aggressively around mine.My heart pounded in my ears, and my breath caught in my lungs.It was so easy to forget everything when he touched me.I always surrendered part of myself around him.
I pushed him away again when I heard the elevator ding.This time, he fell back a step, and I could see the anger in his dark gaze.
“I’m cheap.”Ky used the tip of his finger to wipe the curve under the bottom of my lip where he’d smudged my lipstick.“I’ll give you a great deal, Winnie.”
He smirked at me, but it wasn’t a pleasant or sexy expression.I cocked my head to the side and asked him, “Do you want to have sex with me, Ky?Are you attracted to me at all?”
Panic assaulted me and made my voice shake.I never asked the fundamental questions.I wanted him so much and had only him in my heart for such a long time; I never wanted to consider that I might actually repulse him.I had a terrible habit of putting him in an uncompromising position.Many men found obsession to be a major turnoff.Even Ky indicated that he found me following him around the world bothersome, and he never acknowledged my unwavering dedication.
I was in the middle of an existential crisis when I felt strong arms wrap around me.I was surrounded by heat and leather and felt a soft kiss land on the top of my head.
“Would I have put this much effort into your ridiculous charade if I didn’t want you, Winnie?I’ve never allowed anyone to make me their show pony before.If you want to play, let’s play.But you need to remember that with any game, there will be a winner and a loser.”
I rubbed my cheek against the firm muscles on his chest like a content cat.“What about a tie?Can’t we both win?”
He scoffed.“Impossible.”He set me away from him and asked, “What about the hotel room?If we spend a couple of hours doing some damage between the sheets, you get the spectacle you were after, and the guy in the Italian suit you keep getting photographed with will get the message that you aren’t available at the moment.I don’t like the way he looks at you.”
I wiggled my hand free so I could message Helio that my security detail could switch to discreet mode for a few hours.I told Ky, “That’s the way everyone who is motivated by money and the need to expand their family’s power and reach looks.It’s a kind of excessive hunger most people can’t relate to.No matter how badly you aspired to be a professional football player, it doesn’t touch how desperate a guy like Oliver Byrd is to have his name engraved at the top of his family’s accomplishments.”
I tapped the corner of my phone against his collarbone and reminded him, “I have to be home in time to put our kid to bed.If you’re going to blow my mind, you have to be quick about it.”
He gave me a look that clearly said, “Challenge accepted.”
Ky
We were back where we started—in a dark hotel room after one of us had too much to drink.Winnie was nowhere near as inebriated as I was the last time we hooked up, but all our kisses were flavored with gin and olives.I told myself a million times that I was not going to let myself end up back in bed with Winnie Halliday because our relationship was already layered with vast complications and differences.Sleeping with her made keeping an emotional distance more difficult.It blurred the line between being nothing more than civil co-parents and something far more dangerous to my sense of self-preservation.I had slept with plenty of women in a futile effort to make myself feel less alone and to prove I still had something going for me, even if it was just the face I was genetically gifted with.I’d never had alover,though.Anything with the word “love” in it wasn’t for me.However, I’d never been able to see Winnie as a one-night stand or just another body to add to the count.She always held a higher place than others, both in my memories and within my heart.Sleeping with her wasn’t about the sex.It was the manifestation of the feelings I fought for a lifetime.
It was makinglove,and that terrified me beyond measure.
We lost our clothes as we tumbled in the dark toward the bed.Winnie kicked off her heels and was suddenly four inches shorter.She had to stand on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around my neck and pull my head down to continue kissing me.I was wearing significantly fewer clothes since I’d shown up in what amounted to a Halloween costume.The heavy leather jacket hit the floor with a jangle, and the black and white Chanel tweed one Winnie was wearing followed.She had on a silk camisole underneath, and I immediately felt her nipples harden under the light fabric as our chests pressed together.
In the back of my mind, I heard Lev’s words reminding me, “I don’t know who you saved in your previous life to be deserving of all the amazing opportunities that have fallen in your lap over the years, but they must’ve been a saint.You need to stop looking behind you at what you lost, Ky.Start facing forward.Look at what you’ve got, because it’s far more than most men can dream of.”
Between Lev’s disgruntled advice and Winnie’s accusation that I ruined every good opportunity that came my way, it motivated me to not only play along with her silly game, but to break the rules of my own.For me, it was terrifying to be with someone I had genuine feelings for.Having sex with Winnie was basically me signing away my days of being a worthless scumbag.Showing up after she called with such a ridiculous offer to help with my bills and the request to be unforgettable was me acquiescing to playing the game between us by her ever-evolving rules.I kept my distance from her because I didn’t think I could face another loss.But now that I had her in my arms and felt her hands moving hurriedly to unfasten the studded leather belt, it was hard to consider the choice to jump back into bed with her after all these years of restraint, anything but a massive win.
Gone was the timid girl who was hesitant to touch me and show that she was excited.Winnie’s hands were steady and sure as she did her best to strip me down to nothing.The gold halo that circled her hazel eyes was practically glowing with excitement.There was a pretty flush covering her pale chest and crawling up the elegant line of her neck.Her fiery hair was coiled in an intricate style on the back of her head, but it was getting messy and had strands falling every which way from my fingers digging into it.
Our lips hadn’t separated from the moment we walked into the room.Winnie was no longer shy to show me how hungry she was for me.Teeth and tongues collided repeatedly until we were both panting and breathless.There was nothing perfunctory or chaste about it.Her mouth moved like she was starving, and her soft hands refused to stay still.They skimmed across every piece of exposed flesh, her nails scratching lightly at a couple of my tattoos.The sensation caused me to shiver and made my cock throb.
I liked women.The way they tasted and smelled.The way they were soft and warm.I got off on the way they looked at me like I was some sort of prize, even though I had nothing to offer.I appreciated that when I was with them, I could focus on making them feel good and giving them what they wanted and needed.However, outside of the bedroom or boxing ring, I wasn’t anyone’s idea of a good bet.
