13. Paige

13

PAIGE

I can't sleep again, and this time, it's not because of bad memories or nightmares. This time, it's because my body's on fire with what Kael and I did. Well, what Kael did. I guess all I did was rock back and forth.

I had an orgasm. A real orgasm. And they're right about it being the stuff dreams are made of. Holy shit. I thought I was going to explode, and I almost screamed when I finally reached my peak. It was so hot, Kael rocking me back and forth, flexing his powerful thigh under me...

I can't lie still in bed, trying not to think about it, and eventually, I figure I might as well get up. It's almost daylight anyway, and this wouldn't be the first night's sleep I've missed recently.

I walk downstairs. I need to check on the delivery menus in the kitchen. I'm hungry, and I could go for something similar to what Kael made me for breakfast the other day—sausage biscuits.

I order breakfast, getting some for him too, feeling a little guilty that he seemed to push me away so quickly.

I mean, he's right, I guess. We need boundaries .

It's not like I want to date Kael, but why couldn't we fool around a little? It doesn't escape me that just yesterday, watching that movie with Lara, I'd bemoaned the brother's best friend trope, talking about how gross it was.

But Kael is...different when he's around just me and not Declan. He's not as focused, not as strict about everything. He's actually kind of fun, which is crazy to me. I've always thought he was the world's biggest grump.

But he's not like that at all, at least not away from everything else.

My front door opens at about six in the morning, my brothers bursting in with food.

I stumble down the stairs, nearly falling over.

Declan smiles. "Saw your delivery guy at the front gate."

"What are you both doing here? Is something wrong?"

Gray's face looks awfully serious. "Where's Kael?"

"Asleep. The way you two usually are this time of the morning."

Something's happened, I just know it, and I figure they're going to try to talk to Kael and keep me out of it.

Gray tilts his head toward the corridor. "Wake him."

"Fine." I walk over to Kael's door and knock on it.

He's up and at the door in a moment, wearing a pair of black sweats and thank god, a T-shirt.

I don't know if I can take him shirtless after what happened yesterday.

And what did happen yesterday, anyway? Was it an accident? Did he not mean to make me orgasm, and I was just so worked up that it happened?

Is that why he pushed me away?

I don't want to feel rejected, especially since most of the time I can't stand Kael anyway, but I can't seem to help it. I've always been pretty sensitive, and I'm kind of annoyed at him for being standoffish now.

"What's wrong?" He looks over my shoulder to Declan and Gray, ignoring me completely.

He leaves his room, closing the door behind him, and heads over to my brothers, who have come into the living room, sitting our food down on the coffee table.

"I ordered breakfast," I mumble, and Kael grunts something in response.

Gray sits down, arms on his elbows as he leans forward. "We need to talk."

Kael's sandy-colored brows nearly knit together.

"What's going on?"

"Paige, why don't you go upstairs?" Declan smiles.

I frown at him, crossing my arms over my chest. "Whatever you have to say to Kael, you can say to me. I assume it concerns me?"

"Paige…" Declan shakes his head, but I huff out a breath, about to give him a piece of my mind.

It turns out, I don't have to, surprisingly.

Kael's looking at Declan and Gray. "She should stay. This is her life."

Declan's eyes widen, and Gray frowns, but Declan sits down too.

I perch on the edge of the couch where they're sitting, and Kael takes the loveseat.

Kael just looks at them, leaning forward slightly, and I try not to look at how his biceps bulge in the T-shirt.

Declan looks at me before turning to Kael. "We got some intel from Diamond."

Kael's eyes widen slightly. "You've been working with Diamond?"

I frown. "Who's Diamond? "

"A stripper," Gray says. "One of Murphy's."

My frown deepens.

Of course, Kael knows her. He probably knows every stripper in the state. But that shouldn't bother me.

And yet, it does. A little.

It's not like I want him for myself. I just want to feel the way I did yesterday again. Badly. I want to know what else there is. I want him to teach me, show me what sex is.

I try to focus on the current conversation and not to imagine how impossibly hot Diamond probably is and how she's probably gotten a lot more orgasms out of Kael than I have.

Declan's voice pulls me out of my head. "Murphy's off his rocker. He's violent, throwing punches, drinking too much—the other day, he threatened her just for smarting off to him."

I frown. "None of this is a surprise. Why wouldn't you want me listening?"

Declan sighs. "It's not just that. It's that he's been bragging about some plan he has."

"We're worried that he's still trying to target you." Gray looks at me with stormy green eyes, a shade darker than mine. "And so, it's important, now more than ever, that Kael keeps an eye on you."

Kael nods. "Murphy's always been off his rocker. He's always been targeting the Burkes. What has changed?"

Declan shakes his head. "It's not that something changed, it's that we need you to understand that the job might be a bit longer term than anticipated. I'll pay you weekly, of course."

Kael waves his hand. "I'm not worried about that, Declan. I want to see this through. I'll protect her. "

He looks at me with those ocean-blue eyes of his, and my stomach rolls.

The feelings and sensations he's awakening in me are so foreign, so wrong. Because I want him to do more than protect me. I want him to show me how a man makes a woman feel good. I want him to wreck me. To defile me.

God, I need to talk to Sophie. I need my brothers to leave so that I can call my best friend and ask her to come. Maybe we should head to the mansion where we can talk without risking him overhearing us.

I reach across to grab my breakfast, digging in.

Gray smiles. "I'm glad you're eating better, a'stóirín ."

I smile at him. "Kael's been taking good care of me. He makes me eat, and we've been doing some self-defense training."

When my brothers frown at him, he looks away. "Just teaching her stances and how to punch."

Is he embarrassed? Is he ashamed of what happened last night? Ashamed of me?

"I'm glad you two are finally getting along." Gray chuckles. "I know when you were a senior in high school, you guys really butted heads."

I smile at him. "To be fair, I was young then."

Declan snorts. "You're young now."

"I'm almost thirty." I hate how whiny my voice sounds. I hate being the baby of the Burke family sometimes. It's like being forever a child in their minds. I glare at him. "Are we done here?"

Kael clears his throat. "I want to take a little time off on Sunday. While Paige is at dinner."

Why does he want time off? Is he going to one of his girls? I have no reason to believe that he is, but at the same time, the way he mentioned that Diamond girl.. .

"I'd feel safer if you stayed," I blurt out, and Kael's gaze shoots to mine.

He looks at me for a long, hot moment, and it's almost uncomfortable because my brothers are in the room.

"Aye," is all he says in response, and Gray looks from Kael to me like it's a tennis match.

"Looks like you're still butting heads a little."

Kael laughs. "I can handle the little princess."

Great . We're back to that, are we? Even though I have to admit there was something very hot about how he called me that while I was riding his thigh.

"We're done." Declan stands up. "I'll see you both on Sunday."

"I'm inviting Sophie over to the mansion. I want to use the pool."

Kael nods. "Fine."

I finish my breakfast after saying my goodbyes to Declan and Gray, and call Sophie as I head upstairs to put on my bikini.

"You working today?" I ask when she answers.

"I'm off in ten minutes. Blackjack."

"You're working? On a weekday?"

She shrugs. "The Italians and the Bratva don't ever take a day off of gambling."

"Right. Well, I need you to come over right away. We're going over to the mansion so we can jump in the pool."

"All right. I can be there in thirty, keep your panties on."

I laugh. "That's kind of what I need to talk to you about."

"Hold up. You better spill."

"Not until you get your ass over there," I say in a sing-song voice, feeling a lot more like my usual self.

"I'll meet you at the mansion. I'll take a taxi there. "

"Fine, I'll see you there."

I put on my bikini, just a simple two-piece, nothing fancy like Lara has. She has a bunch of string bikinis and expensive coverups, but I'm happy to order mine online. After all, I have much more curves than she does. Those overly expensive places only sell to size zero to four or something.

I'm a seven-eight for sure. But I've never minded my curves.

As I head downstairs, Kael freezes in the middle of the living room after putting on his shirt.

"You're not wearing that."

I chuckle. "That's funny. I don't remember getting the memo that you're my stylist now. Until I do, you don't get to tell me what to wear."

"Paige…" His face is stone-cold, his jaw clenched.

What's the deal with him, anyway?

I head outside and get in the passenger seat of his car. If he wants to throw a tantrum, let him, but he's still driving me there.

We head over to the mansion, and I wave hello to Marisol as she sets the table.

"You eating with us, sweetheart?"

I shake my head. "Just wanted to do some laps. I invited Sophie over."

She nods, and Kael and I walk out back to the pool house.

"You gonna swim?" I ask Kael, and he shrugs.

"Maybe."

"You bring your suit?"

He lifts one eyebrow. "Don't need it. I don't mind swimming in my boxers. They reveal less than that bikini."

I can't help but flush a little and look away .

Sophie arrives in about thirty minutes, and she comes out in a cute little one-piece with cutouts around the hips.

"You look adorable," I coo, and look at Kael. "Can you go inside, please? We need girl talk."

I expect Kael to argue, but again, he just nods.

I huff out a breath. I definitely don't like this version of Kael. He's cold, almost rigid. Like a statue.

That's not my Kael .

What the hell? Where did that come from?

Sophie nudges me with her elbow. "So... How's living with your brother's hot best friend?"

I grin. "That's what I needed to talk to you about." I look left and right. "He...well...he made me come."

Sophie gasps. "He popped your cherry?"

"Shh." I slap her arm. "Someone might hear you!"

My eyes fly all over the place, making sure no one's close enough to hear us.

When I make sure it's safe, I pull her closer, just for that extra bit of insurance. "Not exactly, no." I flush. Having to say it out loud makes it so scandalous. "I-I came on his leg."

She tilts her head as she makes a face. "His leg?"

I nod, covering my face. "He held me while I humped his tight. Oh god…"

"Oh, he's into foreplay." She grins. "That's a green flag, Paige."

"Stop." I laugh. "It's not like I want him to date me or anything."

"Don't you?"

" No ."

"Hmm, okay. If you say so. You can send him my way if you don't want him."

"Absolutely not. "

She laughs out loud, and then runs to the pool, cannonballing in with a big splash.

I turn, and Kael's watching us through the window.

Creep.

A very sexy creep.

Stop it!

He's still kind of the enemy, even if I feel a little differently about him now.

I jump into the pool and try to get Kael off my mind.

It doesn't work. Not even a little.