52. Kian

52

KIAN

I f my brothers could see me now…

They'd probably think that I'd had a lobotomy on the flight down here.

But I can't help it. I just want to make her smile and, of course, stop her from trying to convince both of us that last night was a one-time thing.

I like to think that this morning in the shower was a good clue that I'm not happy leaving things at last night, but this is Lorelei we're talking about. Who the hell knows what goes through her head most of the time?

I sit on the couch in our suite, wearing a pair of tan pants and a dark gray polo shirt, waiting for her to emerge for her six P.M. deadline. But just like always, she makes me wait until the very last second.

When I came up with the idea for what we could do tonight, I figured that none of the outfits I packed for her would work. Okay, that's a lie. I just wanted her to wear something that I hand-selected.

I knew the moment I saw it appear on my screen that it was made for her, and now my knee is bouncing with impatience to see just how right I was.

There's movement on the other side of the room, but that isn't anything new. It's been the same since I returned to our suite to change thirty minutes ago.

I sit up, my eyes shooting to the bedroom door when the noise gets closer.

It takes her a couple more seconds. She's blatantly looking at a clock and waiting for it to tick around to six on the dot before she pulls the door open.

"Oh wow," I breathe the moment she emerges, wearing the denim dress I chose.

It's fitted with a zip up the front that stops in the perfect place to showcase her tits, and rests halfway between her knees and hips. It's also every bit as good as I hoped it would be.

"You've got good taste," she says as she moves farther into the room, letting me see the red pumps and purse I chose to go with it.

She's right. I do have really good taste.

"Not bad for a man who's never bought a woman clothes before, huh?"

Her eyes narrow. "You've never?—"

"Nope," I say, cutting her off as I jump to my feet, ready to leave. "Never cared enough before to buy a woman anything more than a taxi ride home."

"You really are a catch, you know that, right?"

"Too fucking right, I am. I got you that, too," I say, pointing at a wrap thing that's resting over the arm of the couch. "In case you get cold."

She studies me for a beat before picking up the wrap and feeling the soft, luxurious fabric beneath her fingers.

"You really have thought of everything, huh?"

"I'll ask you again at the end of the night. Shall we?"

I desperately want to reach for her hand, but I know she won't have it. Not while we're in Callahan territory, at least.

Side by side, we walk out of the hotel, and instead of stepping into one of the taxis that are loitering, I take a left and continue walking.

"Interesting," Lorelei muses beside me.

"I like surprising you," I confess.

"Trust me, you're full of surprises."

We walk in silence for a few minutes, both of us taking in the beauty of the city at dusk. It's not until I'm confident that we've left the world of Callahan Enterprises behind that I make my move.

Spotting an alcove ahead, I finally entwine my fingers with Lorelei's and tug her into the shadowed hideaway.

"Kian," she gasps. "What are you?—"

Her words vanish as I press her back against the wall and duck down so our lips are almost brushing.

"You've no idea how badly I've needed to kiss you all day."

"Kian," she warns, pressing her hand against my chest as if that'll be enough to push me away.

"I know you want it too," I state, studying her closely.

"We've returned to real life today, Boss. This needs to stop." She tries to look away from me, but I catch her jaw with my fingers and turn her face back to me.

"I know you don't really mean that," I say softly. "You want this as much as I do."

"What is this, though, Kian?" Her frustration with the situation is clear in her tone.

"It's whatever you want it to be," I say honestly. "Right now, I'm enjoying spending time with you, even when you are trying your hardest to piss me off. Does it need to be anything more than that?"

She shakes her head, sadness seeping into her eyes.

"I don't want to be anyone's secret fuck buddy, Kian. Not even yours."

"When did I say anything about secret? I asked you to date me, babe."

She balks, and I instantly regret the words.

"Fake date. You asked me to fake it with you to have a break from your fan club. That is not asking to date me, you moron."

"So then, date me," I say simply.

A laugh punches from her chest. "No, Kian. I am not dating you."

She pushes harder against my chest and slips from between me and the wall.

I let her go for a few seconds, giving her a little thinking space before I rush to catch up with her.

"I'm not ashamed of being with you, Lorelei."

"I never said you were," she says tersely.

"You did when you called yourself a secret fuck buddy. You deserve more than to be anyone's secret."

"But I'm not good enough to be anything but a fake girlfriend."

Grabbing her wrist, I spin her around to face me.

"I just asked you to date me. Fuck the fake shit. If we have to be officially dating to continue with whatever this is, then so be it."

Her eyes widen in disbelief. "So be it? So fucking be it? Unbelievable."

"What?"

"For a smart man, you can be really fucking stupid, Kian Callahan."

I fall silent.

"It wasn't meant to come out quite like that," I confess when I hear the words I just said.

"It doesn't matter. None of this is happening anyway. Where are we going exactly?" she asks when we come to the end of the street.

Ahead of us is the ocean, and she stares out at it longingly.

The loose tendrils of hair around her face dance in the light ocean breeze, and I lose myself in her beauty.

"Kian?" she snaps as she looks back to find me doing nothing but staring.

"Straight ahead."

"B-but that's the beach."

"And?"

"I doubt there are any five-star restaurants down there."

I laugh. "You underestimate me, Temptress."

We cross over and then take the ramp that leads us to the beach.

"W-what have you done?"

"Oh, me?" I ask, pointing at myself. "Thought I'd bring the five-star luxury to us."

"You're unbelievable," she breathes as we approach our nighttime beach picnic.

We have a gazebo that twinkles with fairy lights, a thick blanket on the sand, and a huge basket with our dinner and a bottle of champagne on ice waiting for us.

"You said you wanted to spend time at the beach, and you also mentioned McDonalds, so…"

"You didn't." She laughs.

"Go and find out."

With a new burst of energy, Lorelei kicks her pumps off and then all but floats toward the blanket.

I stand to the side, watching as she flips open the basket and breathes in the scent of freshly cooked burgers and fries.

"Kian," she cries. "You are crazy."

I kick my shoes off with a wide smile playing on my lips. "I've been called worse, babe. Hungry?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

Together, we pull everything out of the basket and set it up between us.

But while she eagerly dives into her burger, I hang back, content to watch her.

"Wait," she says, studying her burger as closely as I am her. "This isn't a McDonalds burger."

"Guilty," I confess. "I sweet-talked the chef at The Regency to create something special."

She shakes her head in disbelief, but she can't wipe the smile off her face as she pulls the fries from the basket.

"You're something else."

"Do you like it?"

She looks around, taking in our surroundings before looking back at the food, and finally at me.

"It's perfect. Thank you."

"Anything, Temptress. You only have to ask."

Before I can think too much about what I just offered, I reach for my burger and unwrap the familiar paper covering it. Chef really did understand the assignment here.

"Oh my god," I moan after taking my first bite. "So good."

Lorelei agrees with a moan of her own that makes my dick twitch before devouring her food like she hasn't eaten in a week.

"Pretty good third date, huh?" I ask a while later after all the food has been demolished and we're lying back on the blanket. I desperately want to reach and pull her into my body, but I refrain. For now, at least.

"It's not a date," she argues."Let alone a third one."

"If you say so."

Rolling onto her side to face me, she blows out a slow breath.

"Kian," she starts, but I reach out and press my fingers to her lips, stopping her from continuing.

"We've got one more night here, and then we go home and return to normal. Can we just have this? We have all the time in the world to argue about what happens once we get back to Chicago. Don't you think last night was too good not to repeat while we can?"

"It's not that simple," she argues.

"Why? Are you worried that you will fall in love with me?" I ask with a laugh. Honestly, the idea of anyone falling in love with the real me is nothing but amusing. Everyone just wants the man they think I am.

She swallows thickly, and panic hits me like a tsunami.

No. Surely not.

"Lorelei?" I whisper, terrified that I've totally ruined everything for good.

"No, Kian," she states coldly. "You don't need to worry about that. I just mean that things will get messy if we?—"

"They won't if we don't let them. We both agreed that us dating was a good idea, for both of us. Why not explore it properly?"

Her eyes bounce between mine. She looks utterly terrified.

Well, she's not the only one.

She doesn't say anything for the longest time; she just stares at me, deep in thought.

Eventually, though, she can't deny the chemistry that's crackling between us, and she leans forward.

My heart slams against my chest, and my head spins with all the unknowns I'm opening up here, but the second our lips collide, everything goes silent. The only thing that matters is the woman beside me.

Reaching out, I tug her closer, pinning our bodies together as we tell each other with actions what we're too scared to with words.

"We're going to get arrested if we don't stop," Lorelei says after long, blissful minutes. But she's right. My dick is trying to rip through my pants, and my hands have definitely roamed a little too far for a public beach.

"It would be worth it."

"Let's go cool off," Lorelei says, jumping to her feet and taking off toward where the waves crash against the sand.

"I'm not swimming. It'll be freezing," I call, attempting to adjust my dick so I can get to my feet.

"Pussy," she calls back as she wades into the water. It's easy for her—she's wearing a dress.

She spins around with the water lapping at her calves and a wide smile on her face.

I may not know her all that well, but something tells me that she doesn't smile like that all that often.

Before I can stop myself, I pull my cell from my pocket and snap a photo of her.

She looks so light and carefree.

If nothing else comes from this trip, then at least I was able to give her this moment.

"Pants off, Callahan. The water is lovely."

"Fuck's sake," I mutter as I undo my pants and kick them and my socks off before taking off toward her.

Our laughter rings out into the silent evening around us as we frolic in the ocean like a couple of kids.

I can't remember the last time I felt this free, this relaxed.

It might be the setting, but I know that's bullshit. It's the company.

Lorelei allows me to step out of the skin I'm forced to wear as the CFO of Callahan Enterprises and get a taste of what life could be like without the pressure of my job and my family.

It's something I think I'll forever be grateful for.