The Billionaire's Final Stand (18 page)

              “Sorry to interrupt, but I’ve been looking all over for you. We have an appointment in a half hour and you haven’t been answering your phone. Now I see why,” Cassie said with a wink, mortifying Kinsey even more.

              “Morning, Cassie. Can you go away for a few minutes?” Austin asked as if nothing was wrong.

              “Only a few minutes? Wow, Austin,” she goaded him.

              Kinsey sent her best friend a pleading look, which Cassie pretended not to see.

              “No problem. I’ll meet you in Joseph’s room,” she said before shutting the door behind her. Austin turned back to her and bent down like he was going to kiss her again.

              “I don’t think so,” Kinsey said as she quickly scrambled to her feet and held out her hand.

              “Come on, Kinsey. Last night was great,” he said as he followed her.

              “Stop right there, Austin. I can’t think when you touch me,” she admitted, then wanted to sew her mouth shut when he gave her a cocky grin.

              “Nothing wrong with that, baby.”

              “I have to go,” she said in a panic, then skirted around him and flew out the door. She didn’t turn to see if he was following. She ran for the nearest bathroom and locked herself inside. When she looked in the mirror, she groaned. Her hair was sticking up in all directions, her lips swollen from his savage kisses, and when she brushed her hair aside, she turned scarlet as she noticed the slight bruising on her neck.

              She had a freaking hickey!

              She hadn’t had one of those since high school.

              She did her best to untangle her hair, pulling it forward over her neck, then rinsed her mouth out, using a paper towel to brush her teeth. It was as good as it was going to get until she snuck back to her room, hoping he was gone.

              She slowly opened the door and peaked both ways before deeming it safe, then she rushed back to her small room. She breathed easier when she found it empty.

              She didn’t even have time to sit and think about her actions. She had to meet up with Cassie, who she knew was going to grill her worse than a prison interrogator.

              Kinsey left her room and tried to walk with confidence down the hall. She peeked in Joseph’s door, grateful when she noticed Austin wasn’t there. It was only Katherine and Cassie. She felt her heart calm a little.

              “Good morning, Katherine. How is Joseph this morning?” she asked as she walked over and looked at his chart. There’d been no changes the night before.

              “I know this sounds silly since the night nurse said nothing was different, but I feel something. I think he’s getting ready to come back to me,” Katherine said with a serene smile.

              Kinsey envied the unbreakable connection between Joseph and Katherine. How would it feel to have someone love her so much, they never lost faith?

              “I think you’re right,” Kinsey agreed. There was no way Joseph could stay away for long. Not with a woman as remarkable as Katherine waiting for him.             

              “You ready to leave?” Cassie asked.

              Kinsey wanted to say no. She knew the inquisition was coming and she needed to gather herself together before Cassie grilled her. She thought quickly of a reason to stay. Her mind raced as sweat broke out on her brow.

              Got it!

              “I know we’re supposed to get pedicures, but I’ve been hanging by a thread while waiting for Katherine to tell us more about her romance with Joseph,” Kinsey said with almost giddy relief. She knew Cassie would want to hear the story continued, also.

              “Me too,” Emily said as she stepped into the room with Amy and Jessica. “We rushed down here this morning with snacks and a
do not disturb
sign.”

              The three women pulled up chairs and looked expectantly at Katherine, who looked at the five women before her.

              “Each one of you are so beautiful, inside and out. I’m so happy to have you be a part of my family,” Katherine said, making eye-contact with each woman, including Kinsey.

              Kinsey shifted uncomfortably on her feet. She didn’t know if Katherine knew about her and Austin, but even if she did, Kinsey having sex with her nephew, didn’t make her a part of the family.

              “We love having you as family,” Jennifer said as she stepped inside the room and brushed away a tear. “Sorry, these dang pregnancy hormones are killing me,” she added with a giggle.

              Kinsey looked down at Jennifer’s petite frame, her belly just starting to show. She felt her own internal clock start ticking. Her hand grazed her flat stomach as she wondered what it would be like to carry a life inside her.

              “I can help you with that,” Austin whispered in her ear, making her jump. She hadn’t even heard him enter the room. His words sent a shiver down her spine. She could picture a little dark haired boy with bright blue eyes lying in her arms. She almost ached for the child. She knew he didn’t really mean the words. He just wanted to get her back underneath him.

              “This
is
a hospital room, brother. You may want to watch the hands,” Trenton said as he walked in the room behind Jennifer. Trenton smiled at Kinsey in a knowing way, then winked. She quickly looked at the floor.

              She finally realized Austin’s hands were resting at the top of her butt, his thumbs dropping dangerously low. She tried to pull back, but he curled his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against his body.

              All eyes in the room turned to the two of them. She didn’t want to cause a scene, but she hated being the center of attention. She knew her face was flaming. As Austin’s fingers caressed her hip, she melted. He was messing with her head, causing all kinds of confusion.

              “Oh, leave them alone, Trenton. There used to be a time you couldn’t keep your hands off me, either,” Jennifer scolded her husband.

              “Used to be a time,” Trenton said in mock outrage before he gathered his wife in his arms and kissed her so intimately, Kinsey felt like an intruder.

              “Okay, you’re forgiven,” Jennifer said breathlessly a few moments later when Trenton released her lips. Trenton turned her in his arms, not willing to let her go, as he backed up to a seat, pulling her onto his lap. Jennifer actually giggled as she laid her head back to rest against his chest.

              Austin pulled Kinsey to the couch against the far wall of the room. He sat down, pulling her beside him. His arm wrapped around her shoulders, trapping her against the side of his chest. She was too embarrassed to look up and see if everyone was still watching the two of them.

              His hand rubbed along the side of her neck, making her wish they were alone – one touch from him and she was putty in his hands.

              “I guess I can continue the story. Where exactly was I? Oh yes, so the day after Joseph left, after making such an ass of himself in front of my neighbors, I had to deal with the aftermath,” Katherine began.

              All attention focused solely on Katherine as she began reflecting back…

              “You have to spill. Is he an escort? Honestly, I don’t even care if he was hired, just as long as you give me the number to his service.”

              Katherine took a deep breath in, then slowly blew it out. She was standing in her doorway, her hair a mess, her robe having seen better days, and with what she was sure was atrocious morning breath.

              Her neighbor hadn’t wasted any time whatsoever in knocking on her door, first thing in the morning so she could get the scoop on the hunk in the hallway the night before.

              “He wasn’t even drunk. He’s an old friend who I haven’t talked to in a very long time, and he showed up unannounced. I wasn’t going to let him in, so being the stubborn fool he is, he decided to embarrass me to get his way,” Katherine said.

              She could see by the look in her neighbor’s eye’s that she didn’t believe her. Katherine tried not to let it bother her, but she cared what people thought of her. She in no way wanted anyone to think she’d been at some bar picking up strange men, or worse, calling an escort service.

              “Fine, keep it to yourself. Rumors will just continue to spread, though. It’s better to fess up and tell us.”

              Katherine decided right then that it was time to move. The hassle of dealing with gossip over her sex life for the next few months just wasn’t worth staying. Her neighbors had no lives, so her love-life would be their entertainment until the next big event happened to take their minds off of her.

              “Look, Penny…” Katherine started to say when Penny’s eyes widened as she looked over Katherine’s shoulder. Katherine decided she didn’t want to turn around and find out what was causing the stunned look on her neighbor’s face. Joseph was probably back. He tended to have that effect on women.

              “Holy mackerel, how in the heck do you get all these gods beating down your door? I’ll pay you to teach me your secrets,” Penny reverently muttered.

              “Penny, I explained to you already that Joseph is just an old friend,” Katherine snapped, losing all semblance of patience with the woman.

              “Well, you may have been a lot more believable if it weren’t for the fact that Zeus number two is currently walking toward us with an earth shattering smile plastered on his face. Oh my gosh, you have to give me the number.”

              Katherine felt a chill run down her spine. There weren’t many men she knew who could inspire that kind of reaction in women. The
drop to your knees, strip naked, and roll over
look that had come into her neighbor’s eyes. She had a really bad feeling…

              She slowly turned, her eyes rising up the custom fitted slacks and button up shirt, open at the neck, showing a glimpse of his smooth chest. As she finally met his eyes, her heart pounded and rage took over her temporary shock.

              George.

              How dare he show up. He saddled over to her and leaned in for a hug. Without conscious thought, she raised her arm and slugged him square in the jaw.

              His smile faltered as he looked at her with astonishment. It took about three seconds before Katherine felt a searing pain shoot from her knuckles all the way up her arm. His jaw felt solid as granite.

              Tears welled up in her eyes as she gripped her hand and jumped back.

              George’s eyes immediately looked down, concern radiating from their deep blue depths.

              “Katherine, you should be more careful,” he uttered as he reached toward her.

              “Don’t you dare touch me,” she snarled. He seemed amused because the corners of his lips turned up. It seemed she wasn’t as intimidating as she wanted to be.

              “Hi,” Penny said as she gained back the ability to speak. She crept up right next to George, her barely clad breasts rubbing against his arm as she introduced herself. “I’m Penny.”

              Katherine looked on in shock as the woman actually batted her eyelids. She shouldn’t be shocked. When she’d dated Joseph, and thought George was her friend, she’d seen countless women throw themselves at the two men. George had always shamelessly flirted back, but she’d been so impressed when Joseph had seemed to not even notice them. She guessed it had all been an act for her benefit, though.

              Without even acknowledging Penny, George took Katherine’s arm and pushed his way inside her apartment. He shut the door in the face of her stunned neighbor. It was almost comical enough to make Katherine laugh. Almost.

              “I’ve missed you, Katherine. I think it's long past the time for me to explain my actions,” George said as he led her to the couch. He walked away, making her wonder what he was doing. She heard some noise from her kitchen, then he was back with ice wrapped in a towel. “Put this on your hand and it will feel better soon. It doesn’t look broken, you most likely just bruised it.”

              He acted as if her punch had done nothing to him, which wasn’t fair, considering that her hand was throbbing.

              “What are you doing here, George. I think you’ve done enough damage already.”

              “I’ve missed you, my friend. There are a lot of misunderstandings from our time five years ago, but if you give me a half-hour, I can explain…”

              “There’s nothing to explain. You and your brother like to play games with innocent girls. No problem, I get it. I was just stupid enough to think you were my friend, and even more stupid to believe Joseph loved me. Good job,” she said with sarcasm.

              Katherine was barely hanging on to her anger. If she let it go, she’d internally combust and be nothing but a pile of ash. The temporary Band-Aid placed over her emotional wounds had been quickly ripped off, leaving her hurts fully exposed to the elements around her. Seeing Joseph, and then George, was almost unbearable. It was like looking at that coveted toy in a store window, only a thin piece of glass separating her from it, but having it be just out of reach. She knew the men were out of her reach. She couldn’t ever trust George to be her friend again, and certainly couldn’t trust Joseph with her heart anymore.