Stay With Me by Kelly Elliott
As the girl walked away, Claire leaned over and whispered, “Are you that excited to see Cody?”
Not bothering to look at her, I stared straight ahead at Mr. Conner walking toward us. “No. I’m that excited to get laid.”
“Ugh. I just threw up in my mouth, bitch.”
Extending my hand, I flashed a smile at the head of Conner Law Firm. He was redoing their lodge in Chipita Park as a surprise for his wife.
“Tell me you have something to knock my socks off.”
“Oh, I think you’ll be very pleased,” I replied.
The second we got into my car, Claire let out a squeal of excitement. “We got the job! I can’t believe we got the job!”
With a smile on my face, I pulled out and headed back to the office. “This is huge for us. If we can move more into home interior, we can actually take on additional jobs!”
“I feel like celebrating!” Claire giggled.
“Why don’t you and Blake come out with me and Cody tonight?”
Claire moaned. “Ugh . . . Cody.”
Shaking my head, I replied, “Why do you hate him so much?”
I could feel her eyes on me. “Seriously, you don’t know why?”
With a shrug, I quickly glanced at her. “Nope. No clue.”
“Kilyn, he uses you for sex.”
Letting out a roar of laughter, I tried to ignore the tightness in my chest. “And you don’t think I do the same? Claire, that’s what I like about Cody. He’s upfront and honest. And he’s not bad in bed.”
“So you’ll have meaningless sex with him?”
Coming to a stop at a light, I turned to her. My smile was gone and the feeling in my chest was heavier. “I’ve had sex with two guys in my twenty-eight-years, Claire. Two. And one of those . . . one was—”
My voice cracked and I turned away and forced myself to talk. “I’m not a slut, Claire. I just want to have fun.”
Claire took my hand in hers. “I know you’re not a slut. I didn’t mean anything by it. I only want you to be happy, Kilyn. I’m sorry.”
I reached up and quickly wiped a tear away while trying not to get pissed at Claire. I vowed I would never let Peter make me cry ever again. Closing my eyes, I was haunted by the sound of his breathing.
Quickly snapping out of it from the honk behind me, I hit the gas and didn’t utter another word to Claire. I didn’t have to. She knew me well enough to know I needed silence.
Twenty minutes later, I walked into my office and shut the door. Dropping into my chair, I pulled in a few deep breaths and tried to clear my head. The light knock at the door had me moaning internally.
“I’m fine, Claire. I need a few minutes.”
She didn’t say a word, but I knew she was still standing there. She’d probably stay there until I got up and opened the door. I never kept my office door shut. Not even during meetings. It was just the three of us. Claire, Kasey, the office manager, and me. Kasey kept this place running by doing everything from paying bills to running and grabbing coffee on late nights.
My phone buzzed in my purse. Pulling it out, I saw I had a message from Cody.
Cody: Can’t make it tonight. Something came up. Sorry.
With a sigh, I dropped my head back against my chair. I knew what that meant. Someone better came along to occupy his time. Claire was right. I didn’t need that asshole. I had a perfectly good vibrator waiting at home for me.
Pushing my chair back, I grabbed some files and my purse. I needed to get out of here and get some fresh air.
Before I had a chance to even gather everything up, there was another knock on my door.
“Claire, I’m fine!” I called out.
The door opened and Kasey walked in. “Um . . . Kilyn, it’s not Claire. There is someone here to see you about some decorating.”
I rolled my eyes and looked at her. “Did they have an appointment?”
She pulled the corner of her lip in between her teeth. “No. But I think you might know him. When he saw your name he started laughing pretty hard. Like, it took him a good minute or so to get himself together.”
Narrowing my eyes at her, I contemplated on what to do. On one hand, I couldn’t care less who was out there and what job they wanted us to do. On the other hand, I was intrigued.
“He doesn’t want to make an appointment?”
She shook her head and stepped into my office. Quietly shutting the door, she smiled. “I could ask, but he is drop-dead freaking gorgeous. I mean, I’m pretty sure he melted my heart the second he looked at me and smiled. I’ve never in my life seen someone so good looking.”
She leaned in closer and whispered, “And he has tattoos. Lord. Help. Me.”
Giggling, I shook my head. “What was his name?”
“Oh, I think he told me, but I was too distracted by his body.”
My hands came up to my hips. “Kasey! Good Lord, you act like you’ve never seen a man before.”
She smiled. “I’ve never seen one I wanted to crawl on top of and—”
Curling my lip, I held up my hands and said, “Stop! I’ll see him. Where is Claire?”
Her smile faded. “She said she was going home. She left after she knocked on your office door and you told her you were fine.”
My heart pained for a moment. I knew it was just as hard for her as it was for me. After all, Peter was her brother.
Shaking my head, I said, “I’ll call her after I meet with this potential client.”
Kasey wiggled her eyebrows. “Want me to have him come in?”
Glancing down at my desk, I began arranging the files I was taking home. “Sure. Have him come in.”
Kasey spun on her heels and headed out of my office while I placed a few files in a bag.
Something in the air changed. Almost as if electricity was being charged through the air. Goose bumps spread across my skin as I glanced up.
My heart dropped and I fought against the lump in my throat.
How did he find me?
THE MOMENT I walked through her office door I felt it. The same pull in my chest that I had every time I saw her. Those hauntingly beautiful green eyes caught mine. Her mouth parted slightly, but she didn’t say a word.
With a smile, I walked up to her and let out a chuckle. “A cook and an interior designer. I’m impressed.”
Kilyn took a few steps back until she bumped into her chair. It took her all of five seconds to square her shoulders off and give me that beautiful smile of hers.
“I’m beginning to think you’re stalking me, Mr. Drivas.”
My eyes couldn’t help but to roam quickly over her body before settling back to her eyes. I lifted my hands in defense. “I swear, I was shocked when I saw your name.”
She folded her arms over her chest and lifted her brow as if questioning me. “Uh-huh. So you’re telling me it’s strictly a coincidence you ran into me running and now you’re standing in my office. What in the world could you possibly need an interior designer for?”
I couldn’t blame her. I’d be a little hesitant if I were her. Flashing her a smile, I watched as something moved across her face. She pressed her lips together before she caught her lower lip between her teeth. Damn if that wasn’t the cutest thing I’d ever seen.
“The cabin.”
Her eyes lit up while her mouth parted slightly.
“The one you’re building?” she said with a bit of excitement in her voice.
I wasn’t sure if I liked how Kilyn made me feel. She brought a piece of me back to life I wasn’t sure I was ready to face. No one had made me feel a damn thing since Savannah. But this girl lit up something inside of me I was having a hard time ignoring.
“It’s finished. Now I need to make it look like someone actually lives there.”
Her eyes searched my face quickly. “How big is it?”
“Twelve hundred square feet. Two bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a kitchen, dining area, and a living room. There is also a loft above the garage
When she licked her lips, my dick jumped in my pants. I’d never felt so damn confused in my life. Was I having feelings for her because we kept running into each other, or was there something about her that drew me to her?
“I normally do large homes and commercial properties. I haven’t done a smaller project in a long time. It could be fun.”
“Would it be terribly rude if I asked to see some of your work?”
She smiled slowly and tilted her head. “I’d be worried if you hadn’t.” Motioning for me to take a seat, I moved swiftly and sat.
Scanning her desk, I tried to hide my grimace. It was a mess. Files were everywhere. Pieces of paper scattered all over the place with one or two things written on them. I was beginning to regret walking into her office. If her work was as sloppy as her desk, how in the hell would I get myself out of this?
I pushed my hand through my hair and cursed under my breath.
Shit.
Kilyn reached into her bag and pulled out a file that said, ‘Conner, Chipita Park Project’.
She opened the file and handed me a few pieces of paper. “If you’d like to see the 3-D designs, I can get my laptop back out. I just presented this to Mr. Conner this afternoon. As you can see, this project is much bigger than yours. The total square footage we will be designing is six thousand square feet and that includes the outdoor pool area as well as a small guesthouse by the pool. Mr. Conner’s taste is somewhat . . . different. He hunts a lot in Africa and is going more for that look. Now, I don’t know what your style is, but I’m confident I’d be able to deliver exactly what you were looking for.”
Glancing up at her, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. I had no clue why. I hardly knew this girl, but to see how she handled herself as if standing in front of a room full of board members hell-bent on selling them her product. Confident and so in control. It was a turn on.
I took in a deep breath through my nose and filled my senses with her smell.
Damn. Now I couldn’t concentrate because I had to know what kind of perfume she was wearing. What I wouldn’t give to have her leave that smell on my bed sheets each morning.
Shit. What in the fuck am I doing?
“Thano? Did you hear me?”
Her sweet voice pulled me out of my wayward thoughts. “Sorry, I um . . . I got distracted by your perfume.”
A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she pulled her head back in surprise. “My perfume?”
For the love of God. Why would I say that? Now I do sound like a stalker.
“Yeah, it brought back memories of my great-grandmother.”
My body shuddered. Holy shit. I was just thinking of having sex with her and I brought my great-grandmother into the picture.
With a wink, she replied, “Oh. Well, I’m not sure if that is a compliment or if you were comparing me to an old lady smell.”
With an awkward laugh, I shook my head. “No, you smell amazing.”
She grinned and replied, “It’s Chanel Number 5.”
I needed to make a note of that.
Clearing my throat, I motioned with my head toward the plans. “What were you saying?”
Her eyes dropped to my lips and I’d have given anything to ask her what she was thinking.
“Um . . . I was . . .”
She stood up and barely shook her head as if trying to remember her own thoughts. “I asked what style were you thinking?”
You on top first, making yourself come, then it would be my turn, taking you from behind fast and hard.
Son-of-a-bitch.
Stop this, Thano.
“How would you decorate it if it were yours?”
Her mouth fell open in surprise. I could see her chest begin to rise and fall faster, and I wanted to punch myself in the face.
Why in the hell did I ask her that? I really wanted to know. If that cabin were hers, how would she decorate it?
“I’ve never had anyone ask me how I would decorate a room before.” She lifted her eyes in thought before looking back at me. “Is it surrounded by trees?”
With a laugh, I nodded. “There is a wraparound porch with views of the mountains and a stream that is a few hundred feet from the back of the house.”
She slowly sank into her chair. “That sounds like heaven. Pure heaven.”
I grinned. “It is.”
“Okay, well, if it were mine I think I would go for more of a rustic cabin feel. Of course, I’d have more feminine touches throughout, but nothing dramatic. I would think you’d want to do that as well, for you know, when you bring your girlfriend or someone up there, they wouldn’t feel like they were in a guy’s bachelor pad getaway cabin. Does your girlfriend not want to have any input in the decorating?”
“I don’t have a girlfriend.”
There was no doubt in my mind her eyes sparkled when I said I didn’t have a girlfriend.
“Do you never plan to have one?”
My heart dropped as Savannah popped into my head.
“Why would you ask me that?” I snapped.
Kilyn pinched her eyebrows together and readjusted herself in her seat. “I wasn’t meaning anything bad by it. I was simply stating that at some point I’m sure you’ll bring a girl up there for some sort of romantic weekend. Maybe for a few days or maybe longer. Maybe someday you’ll ask someone to marry you there. I don’t know. I’m simply stating—”
“I get what you’re saying,” I said as I cut her off. “I have no plans for any of that right now. A girlfriend is the last thing on my mind.”
Clearing her throat, she stood and began gathering the plans and putting them back into a folder. “Right. Well, anyway, it’s your house so you really need to decide how you want it to be decorated—not me.”
She pulled out another file and opened it, dropping it in front of me, this time not bothering to take out the designs.
“This is a dentist office I designed. The work has been completed on it if you’d like to call and ask them for a tour.”
Damn it. Clearly, I pissed her off with how I acted. She was no longer energized by talking about her work. Her voice was cold and distant, almost as if she didn’t care if I hired her now or not.
“Kilyn, I’m sorry I snapped like that.”
Her eyes looked briefly into mine. She looked as if she wanted to ask me something, but she looked away. “I really do need to be going, and since you didn’t have an appointment, I can gather up a few other designs and send them your way if you’d like. I’ll need your email address.”
Fuck! I needed to figure out how to turn this around.
Standing, I nodded as I pulled out my wallet and took out my business card. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you had somewhere to go.”
She didn’t even bother to look at me as she took the card. “No worries. I was supposed to go dancing with a friend, but he canceled on me.”
The zip of jealousy that raced through my body shocked the hell out of me. I quickly decided this was my opportunity to get to know Kilyn a little better.
“What kind of dancing?”
She stopped what she was doing and looked at me. “Country western.”
Scrunching up my nose, I groaned.
Her hands immediately went to her hips and I saw a playfulness in her when she tried to hide her smile. “You don’t like country music?”
“No. Not at all.”
Tilting her head, she went back to accessing me. “Have you ever listened to it, Thano?”
“Only pussies listen to country music.”
Her mouth gaped open. “So you’re saying I’m a pussy?”
My heart slammed in my chest. Fucking hell, how do I keep doing this?
“No! Wait, I didn’t mean women. I meant men who listen to country music are pussies.”
Slowly shaking her head, she placed her hand over her heart as if I had mortally wounded her. “I’ll have you know, s
I cleared my throat. Is it getting hot in here?
She closed her eyes and smiled. “Oh! Then you have Dan and Shay.” Looking straight at me, she kept going. “Hell, I’d even get into a threesome for those two. Sandwiched between the two of them . . . hell to the yes.”
Swallowing hard, I cracked my neck and rubbed the back of it. “Um . . . Kilyn, can we change the subject? It’s been a long . . . dry spell if you would.”
Her eyes darkened before she turned away and looked out the window. “Sorry. I’m passionate about my country music.”
“I see that,” I barely mumbled.
Grabbing her bag, she reached for her purse.
Fuck. What was it going to take to get back on her good side?
Before my mouth had time to catch up to my brain, I blurted out, “Why don’t you come up to the cabin this weekend? You can take a look around and decide if it’s something you want to take on.”
She had been rounding her desk when she stopped directly in front of me.
The smell of her perfume wrapped around my body as she continued to stare at me. I took that as a chance to quickly glance around the rest of her office. There was a small sitting area off to the side with fresh flowers and a few magazines neatly spread out over the coffee table. There was a bookcase behind that with books color-coded by their covers. At least the rest of her office was neat and organized, unlike her desk.
“You want me to come up to your cabin with you?”
“Just to check it out. I’m not asking you up there for the weekend or anything. I mean, the only thing up there is a chair and a bed,” I said with a laugh.
Kilyn narrowed one eye as she continued to give me the evil eye.
“Oh, cause the fact you only have a bed up there makes me feel so much better.”
I closed my eyes and sighed before looking at the floor. The last thing I wanted her to think was I only wanted in her pants. “I went up there a lot when they were building it. It’s my escape. All I needed was a place to sit and sleep.”