Page 109 of Fraud
“WE DON’T REALLY HAVE TOdo this,” I said, looking up at the motel I’d been calling home for the last few weeks.
I could already feel Kate’s stern look before I even turned my head.
“Yes, we do. Remember that whole speech I gave about birthdays and how they were important and—”
“Yeah, I remember.” I smiled, taking another quick glance at the run-down front door. “But you’re not doing anything crazy, right? No suit required? I can just run up there and grab a pair of jeans. Maybe a fanny pack?”
She snorted.
It instantly made me laugh, and damn if it wasn’t the cutest thing in the world.
“No tuxedos. We’re not even going to leave my apartment, I promise. But, if you…I mean…” She stalled, the skin on her neck turning a deep shade of red.
“If I what?” I asked, rotating in the passenger seat to give her my full attention.
“Well, I was thinking…since you’ve been spending so much time at my place rather than staying here, maybe you can just check out. Permanently. Until you find a place of your own. If you want.”
I lifted my palm to her cheek and watched as she leaned into it.
So trusting.
So kind.
“I’d like nothing more,” I answered, seeing her eyes light up in delight, “but there’s one problem.”
“If you say money, Killian, I’m going to hurt you.”
Grinning at her adorable threat, I shook my head. “No, it’s not the money. I’d find ample ways to pay you back for letting me shack up in your place. The problem is, my brother.”
Her eyes went from a come-hither stare to something bordering on confusion. “Your brother?”
“He came to visit me a few days ago.”
Her mouth gaped open. “And you failed to mention it until now?”
I shrugged. “Are you surprised? This is the guy who hasn’t visited his father in years.”
“But he’s your baby brother!”
“He is not a baby anymore,” I argued.
“I want to meet him,” she announced, pulling the keys from the ignition.
“What? No!” I jumped out of the car to stop her.
But she beat me to it.
She was still wearing the bikini she’d bought from the kayak shop and very little else. It was not exactly the way I wanted her to meet my horny little brother.
Scratch that. I never wanted her to meet my brother.
“He’s your family, Killian!” she said, walking the short distance to the front lobby.
The tiny shorts she was wearing barely covered her ass. It was a distraction on my part, and by the time I reminded myself of this, we’d somehow made it through the door.
“There’s no stopping you, is there?” I asked when I caught up with her at the elevator.
She grinned. “No.”
