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A Little Harmless Addiction(46)

By:Melissa Schroeder


Panic set in first, along with a healthy dose of fear. “I’m not sure I can give that to him.”

Cynthia looked up at Jocelyn’s quiet admission. “Oh, honey.” She walked over to her and pulled her into her arms. “You are right. You just have to take it one day at a time, but be sure not to forget that if there was a guy worth it, it would be Kai.”

Jocelyn sighed. “That is probably the problem.”

Cynthia pulled back and mischievous smile curved her lips. “So, there are rumors about certain piercings?”

Jocelyn laughed. “I don’t kiss and tell.”

Cynthia stuck out her tongue. “What fun is that?”

“Okay, only the nipple.”

“Oh God, a nipple piercing. I wonder if Chris would go for it.”

Jocelyn snorted. “I doubt that. He has a thing about the sight of blood. Just his own…although if I were you, I would think twice about having him in the delivery room. He might just pass out on you.”

Cynthia laughed. “Leave your big brother alone. Poor man has had a bad time. He’s lost about five pounds in the last two weeks.”

“Only my brother would do something like that, butthead.”

“I wish you hadn’t called your brothers to tell them about the morning sickness.”

“I think it’s proper payback for telling my mother that I was sneaking out of my room at night.”

Cynthia laughed. “I can see him doing that. But really, I’m happy for you. You might not know where it’s going, but it is nice to see you happy about a man.”



Kai walked into Dupree’s trying to figure just what he was going to say to Chris. He had cleared his schedule because he needed more information about the bastard who had hurt Jocelyn. He could have pushed her and she probably would have told him, but she had been so damned fragile after telling her story, he would have been a bastard to bother her for more info.

“Hey, Kai,” Maryann, one of the full-time waitresses said to him. “May’s not working today.”

“Hey, I’m here to see Chris.”

“Oh. Well, he’s in the back doing something. I am not sure what. He’s been spending a lot of time in his office.”

Kai thanked her and headed to the back of the restaurant. He had liked Dupree’s since it had opened and he had always been friendly with Chris. He was a good boss in a business that tended to have some real asses, and Kai was thankful that May had gotten a job here. He reached the office and frowned at the closed door. It wasn’t like Chris to close his door. Kai knocked.

“Who is it?” Chris asked, his voice weak.

“Kai. Need to talk to you.”

There was a pause and then Chris said, “Come in.”

He opened the door and found Chris slumping down behind his desk. He looked like death warmed over.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Shut the door.”

Kai did it and studied his sister’s boss.

“This pregnancy is going to kill me. She better start keeping things down.”

“Oh,” Kai said, trying to hide a smile. “I forgot about that. Cynthia still having a bad time of it?”

Chris nodded. “Doc says everything is fine, but I don’t know if I am going to be able to survive this.”

Kai took a seat without being asked, but he figured Chris just didn’t have it in him to be social.

“I came here to talk to you about Jocelyn.”

Chris’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you were going to leave her alone.”

“Uh, I never said that exactly. I would have to be a fool, especially since your sister is a beautiful and intelligent woman.”

Chris grunted as he sipped his water. “So, what did you want to ask me?”

“What happened to Greg?”

That had Chris pausing in drinking his water and studying Kai. “She told you about it?”

Kai nodded. It was still hard to keep his anger under control at the memory of her story. He had never felt so damned helpless in all his life. Even after his mother’s death and the resulting mess it left the family in, he had never felt so impotent.

“She hasn’t told me much. I mean, I got some from the police report.”

He cocked his head and studied Chris. “Spying on your sister?”

Chris sat up a little straighter. “It is part of public record.”

“Hey, don’t get me wrong.” He shrugged. “I would do the same for May, and being that they are both strong women, I won’t tell her you did it. I have a feeling she would make your life a living hell for it.”

“So what did you want to know about the bastard?”

“What do you mean?” Then he remembered his question. “Where is he?”