Tingle All the Way (9 page)

“I would just feel more confident in my
suit.”

He leaned in and kissed her softly. “And
here I thought you were more comfortable naked and in my arms.” That earned him
a laugh.

“Now that you mention it, I am pretty
comfortable with you. It’s just I’ve never worn anything like this before.”

That’s when he realized that she wore her
suits like armor. She was an attorney but it wasn’t only
who
she was.
Didn’t she realize that she was a beautiful, desirable woman as well, and more
importantly that it was okay?

“Today appears to be a day of firsts for a
lot of things.” He winked in an effort to return them to the comfortable
intimacy they shared earlier.

She blushed prettily.

“Baby, let me share this experience with
you as well.” Barry knew he had won the battle when Kayla pressed her slender
frame against his.

“I’d like that.” She spoke with a purr in
her voice. But it was her half-shuttered eyes that sent his mind straight to
visions of silk sheets and tangled limbs.

The heat of her body next to his lit the
flame that flickered within. Removing that dress, making her truly vulnerable
to him as she had been in his bed earlier, was sounding better by the minute.
But his parents had him on a technicality—sovereign immunity. They were the
sovereigns of the shindig, and he was not immune just because he was their son.
They expected him to be there, at least for a couple of hours.

“If it wouldn’t hurt my folks, I’d suggest
we just stay home.” The Christmas Eve party had begun with his suggestion when
he was only a child. The family tradition had continued for almost twenty-six
years. And in all honesty he loved the holidays and had always enjoyed
himself—he even put up elaborate decorations in his home though he lived alone.
Even with his mother meddling in his love life.

“What a good son you are.” Her lips
vibrated with each word against his mouth.

Sliding his palm slowly over her ass, he
discovered no panty line.
Thong.
“I aim to please,” he said while he was
thinking of how pretty her globes had looked flush with color after his
spanking.

Kayla dragged her lips over his once more,
her nose caressing his. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” She smelled of a
light powder, soft and feminine.

Damn. She could tempt a man of the cloth,
but Barry had to make an appearance. Besides, he had a special Christmas gift
for her. He popped her on the butt.

She squealed, laughter dancing in her eyes.

“Stop teasing me or I’ll have to paddle
you.”

Her chin rose with an air of indifference.
“Promises, promises.” She blew a breath across her fingernails, pretending to
admire her cherry-red polish and ignore him.

Barry jerked her back into his arms and she
started to giggle. “You little witch.”

“Me?”

“You.” His mouth closed over hers. She
melted against him and he lost himself inside the kiss. When it ended, he
pressed his forehead to hers. “We better get going.”

After ensuring her front door was locked,
Barry led her outside where his car was parked next to the sidewalk. A cool
breeze whispered by as he opened the door and watched the long-legged beauty
climb in. Again his cock stirred. Barry could take her so easily, right
here—right now. Instead, he skirted around the automobile, got behind the
wheel, and they were off.

His parents lived about twenty minutes
away. Kayla seemed quiet as he turned into their gated community. During the
drive he had tried to engage her a couple of times, only to realize that a
change had come over her. Kayla’s Ice Queen persona had returned with a
vengeance. Her answers had been short and to the point, offering no more to
enhance the conversation.

“You’re really nervous about this party.”
He glanced over at her. “Why?”

“I don’t care to socialize.”

Barry was smart enough not to belabor the point.
Remaining quiet, he focused on parking, and then his gaze rose and he started
to laugh.

His parents had outdone themselves this
year. Their entire house was lit up with colorful lights. The yard ornaments
looked new. He didn’t recognize the snow globe or half a dozen other huge
blowups. But he did have to admit the snow globe was his favorite. White pearly
snowflakes fell softly on several penguins, a North Pole sign and, of course,
Santa Claus.

When he and Kayla stood before the bright
spectacle, she muttered, “I bet the neighbors love your parents.” There was a
tinge of sarcasm in her voice, but her eyes sparkled as if she were a child
experiencing Christmas for the first time.

Barry took her by the hand. “Come on. Let’s
go inside.”

The second they stepped inside his mother
squealed, parting the crowd as if she were parting the Red Sea to get to their
side. Like she always did, she hugged him with a death-defying grip before she
kissed his cheek and commented she thought he wasn’t eating enough.

Then she turned her sharp attention to
Kayla. “Oh my goodness, sweetheart. Who is this charming creature?”

“Kayla Jones. She’s an attorney for Buckman
and Chase. Kayla, this is my mother, Cecilia Allred.”

Kayla extended her hand. “Mrs. Allred, it
is such a pleasure to meet—”

His mother almost flew into Kayla’s arms,
giving her a big, warm embrace. Kayla’s eyes widened with surprise as she
hesitantly wrapped her arms around the smaller woman.

Barry smiled inwardly. His mother could
melt the coldest of hearts. Kayla was no match for her.

After waving a maid over to take Kayla’s
wrap and purse, his mother turned back to his date. “Now tell me about
yourself. Parents. Brothers. Sisters.” She must have seen Kayla’s expression
freeze, because she brushed her hand through the air and quickly changed the
subject. “Charles told me that you won your case against a dastardly
prosecutor.”

She winked at Barry.

“Charles?” he asked, as confused as Kayla
appeared.

“Buckman. You know he and your father are
friends. He keeps us apprised of all your courtroom antics when he can.” She
turned her gaze to Kayla. “Apparently you are Buckman and Chase’s fair-haired
child. Charles has wonderful things to say about you. I’ve been dying to meet
you since I found out you would be attending tonight.”

This time his mother had surprised even
him. How did she know about Kayla or the fact he would be escorting her? Then
the answer stepped amongst the throng of partygoers.

Stan.

Barry should have known his mother would
have quizzed his friend about her son’s love life. Once she knew about Kayla,
she probably hunted Charles down and interrogated him about her.

His friend took one look at Barry’s date
and male appreciation slid across his face as he approached. “Barry, who is
this breathtaking beauty?”

“Kayla, this is Stan Keller, my broker and
ex-friend
.”

Stan chuckled, taking Kayla’s hand in his.
“I’m his very best friend, he means.”

“It’s a pleasure, Mr. Keller.”

“Stan. Call me Stan.” He held Kayla’s hand
longer than was polite and she arched a chilly brow. But Stan would be Stan. He
raised their interlocked hands to his mouth, pressing a kiss to the back of
hers.

“Barry?”

Turning, he greeted his father with a
handshake and a slap on the back.

“I’m told you’re not alone tonight.” His
father smiled warmly at Kayla, and Stan finally released her to shake the older
man’s hand.

“Kayla Jones, this is my father, Conway
Allred.”

She slowly extended her hand. “Conway
Ammunition and Arms.”

“You’ve heard of my company?”

“Yes, I—” Could it be he didn’t remember her?

His father laughed. “Yes, I know. But there
are no hard feelings.” When Barry flashed his father a questioning look, the
man explained. “Your date was instrumental in reallocating some company
resources.” When his father shared with the small group their acquaintance,
Barry’s gaze darted to her.

Kayla had sued his father.

Chapter Seven

Talk about wanting to die a thousand
deaths. Kayla’s heart started beating so fast she thought perhaps she would
drop right there and then. The world truly was a small place and she felt it
getting smaller by the second.

Her boss roamed the room somewhere and the
man standing before her…

Well, she had sued his company for half a
million dollars for a client and won. It was some time ago, but evidently
losing five hundred thousand dollars tended to stay in the mind of the person
paying it out. And evidently his son hadn’t known anything about it.

The site explosion had been due to
negligence. Yes, it was true a disgruntled employee had caused the incident,
but Conway Ammunition and Arms had still been held responsible.

The doorbell rang and Cecilia grasped
Kayla’s hand and squeezed. “Barry, I expect you to bring Kayla to Christmas
dinner.” Then she and Conway left to greet the new arrivals.

Kayla breathed a sigh of relief. She had
been momentarily saved from what surely would have led into a more awkward
conversation. Still, she forced herself to meet the disbelief in Barry’s eyes.

“It shouldn’t surprise me. Dad doesn’t talk
shop with me. He has his own attorneys for the business. But you really sued my
father?”

“It is what it is,” she found herself
saying with her chin held high. If he was looking for an apology or further
explanation, he wouldn’t get it from her. Business was business, surely he knew
that. But still her heart sank a little. What man would want to be with a woman
who relieved his family of a cool half a million bucks?

As Barry and Stan began to chat about
investments and stocks, she gazed around the room. The Allreds’ home had a
welcoming feel. Family pictures were hung freely on the walls and atop crisp,
white doilies lying on inn tables and a credenza. They spoke of love and a
close-knit family. Something she had never experienced.

“You okay?” Barry asked.

“Of course.”
Yay.
Kayla sounded
surer of herself than she felt. In fact, she was ready to go home. When a voice
in her head reminded her of the agreement she made with Hector, she wasn’t sure
if it was her own subconscious or the faery.

“Want a drink? I’ll even drink half of
yours to ensure it’s safe.”

Stan gave Barry a look of intrigue, but
Barry must not have thought it deserved an explanation because he didn’t say
anything more and left her standing with his friend.

“You don’t look like you’re enjoying
yourself.”

Kayla turned to the six-foot-three blond with
chocolate-brown eyes and scrutinized him. Did Barry say he was a broker? From
the look of his deep, rich tan against his black silk shirt and tailored
slacks, the man was successful, or at least carried the air he was. Prominent.
Confident.

Most people weren’t what they portrayed,
with the exception of Barry. For some reason he had broken through her
defensive walls. She trusted him. The realization was a shock. She was still
pondering the thought when Stan asked his question for a second time.

“Enjoying myself? Of course. Don’t I look
like I’m having fun?” Her forced smile must have failed.

“I think you’d enjoy it more if you were
dancing with me.”

Unbelievable. The man was beyond cocky.

Stan didn’t wait for her to refuse him. He
swept her hand in his and pulled her to where three couples shuffled to the
small orchestra playing a waltz. In seconds, she was in his arms moving across
the floor. Strength and authority held her in an embrace that made her stumble.

“Don’t worry, love, I’ll catch you if you fall.”

Liquid heat simmered in his eyes as if he
were trying to convey some unspoken message. His warm palm slipped farther down
her back, resting just above her ass where his fingertips teased the area with
pressure.

Oh yeah. This man could be dangerous to a
woman.

When the music died, Barry was waiting on
her with a martini in hand. “Stealing my girl?” he asked Stan.

“Is she your girl?” he asked Barry, but his
eyes were on her.

This man was good at playing games. But it
was the look of expectation in Barry’s gaze when he glanced at her that sent
those tingles raging through her body. She’d give anything to be his
girl
,
but something held her back from saying it. It didn’t matter what she thought
though, because a small, high-pitched voice coming from one of the blonde curls
hanging at the side of her ear spoke for her.

“Yes.”

Hector!

Kayla started to reach for the swirly lock
and strangle one troublemaking faery, but her hand stopped midway up when she
saw the soft smile on Barry’s face. He stepped forward, his arms going around
her waist before he kissed her so tenderly that her heart skipped a beat or
two. Lost in the moment, she’d forgotten where they were until Stan cleared his
throat, forcing her to take a step back and break Barry’s hold.