I was furious. At him for being such a pretentious prick, and at myself for choosing not to see that he had always been one. Kenneth Walters was a partner at one of the most successful law firms in Charlotte. His father started the firm from the ground up decades ago, and their family was known as modern day royalty.
When a temp agency had assigned me to his office, I had hoped to reevaluate my life goals. Once upon a time, I wanted to pursue a career in law. I had majored in criminal justice and had hoped to focus on family law. But as the saying goes, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.” Robert Burns got the memo on just how shitty life could be.
I shook off the shock of seeing him and gave Kenneth a hard glare. “My skill set? I answered phones and fetched your coffee, Kenneth. There’s nothing to be disappointed about. I actually like it here.”
“That’s cute,” he scoffed. “But if you change your mind about your future, you know I can find a place for you at the firm. Just say the word. I’m serious, Kamilla; you don’t have to slum it at some rundown bar just to avoid me.”
“Who’s slumming it?” a smooth as silk masculine voice said from behind me. With the tension swirling between Kenneth and I like noxious gas, I hadn’t even felt him approach. Usually the lower regions of my body knew he was near before my head did.
Another smug smile played on Kenneth’s lips. “Well, if it isn’t Blaine Jacobs. I see not much has changed since high school. Still working at the family bar?”
“What are you doing here, Walters?” Blaine nearly growled, his jaw tight with visible anger. He was not a Kenneth fan.
He shrugged. “I heard the hottest band in town played here on the weekends. Me and the guys thought we’d check it out. I didn’t know the staff was just as enticing,” he said pinning me with his dusky blue eyes. I couldn’t believe that I had once found them gorgeous and alluring. Now they just seemed icy cold.
“Is that right?” Blaine answered flatly.
“It is,” Kenneth shot back, making his retort sound more like “Fuck you.” He looked Blaine up and down, sizing him up. “Congrats on beating those charges, Blaine. I heard it was a tough one, but Edward Maren is one of our best attorneys. Hopefully, you won’t require his services again.”
I looked up at Blaine with question in my eyes but bit my tongue. Kenneth was baiting him and I’d be damned if I aided in his extreme assholishness. But I knew something was up. I had never seen Blaine look at anyone so threateningly, and it both worried and thrilled me. Something inside me liked this side of him. It was dangerous and undeniably sexy.
Blaine stared daggers right back at Kenneth before returning my gaze, his eyes instantly softening into melted chocolate. I could see his mouth troubling the metal in his mouth, and I reflexively focused on his lips, fighting the urge to still his assault with my own tongue.
“Ahem.”
Both our heads snapped back to Kenneth who looked like he had just experienced a drive-by colonic. “Hmmm, interesting,” he sneered. “Looks like those… special skills… aren’t going to waste after all, though I have to say, they could be put to better use. All the same, you know where to find me if you change your mind, Kamilla.” Then he slapped a hundred dollar bill on the bar along with his business card, summoned his cronies, and turned away.
I knew that if I didn’t intervene, Blaine would fly over the bar and beat Kenneth into the hardwood. His fists were balled at his sides, and his lips were drawn so tight that they were white. I could feel the heat of rage radiating from his trembling body. He was beyond pissed and if I didn’t act fast, Kenneth would be leaving in an ambulance and Blaine in a squad car.
So I did what any normal young woman would do when an incredibly hot man was turning her on with his bad boy charm. I pressed my hands to his chest, stood on my tiptoes, and kissed the hell out of him.
Blaine didn’t reciprocate at first, being that I had caught him totally off guard. But once his lips started working with mine, his strong arms pulling me flush against his body, I could’ve sworn that Kenneth, his butt-buddies and the rest of the bar had fallen away, bringing us right back to our little island off the coast of Dive. It had been a while since we had been here, but now that we were, I never wanted to leave.
Blaine let his tongue caress mine, and I felt myself melt in his hands. I wasn’t worried though. He had me. Blaine had always had me, no matter how hard I tried to fight against that fact.
“What was that for?” he asked against my lips, our foreheads still touching.