His Every Touch (For His Pleasure, Book 8) (8 page)

Soon they arrived at the restaurant. Kallie was growing increasingly nervous as they made their way inside, knowing that soon it would be the moment of truth.

How would her family react to her bringing this strange man along on such an important occasion? She knew she should have told them or warned them in advance, but it was such short notice that they would have been suspicious and annoyed no matter what excuse she gave.

Walking through the restaurant toward the large table in the semi-private room in back, Kallie’s heart started to hammer in her chest. She could see and hear members of her family—a glimpse of her father, a booming, almost maniacal laugh that couldn’t have been anyone but Sean, and then they were entering the room together.

The entire table consisted of her family and a couple of members from Lydia’s family, all of whom had been talking and laughing just a moment before. The whole group quieted when Kallie and Hunter entered, however.

Sean and Lydia were sitting together on the other side of the table, and when Sean saw Kallie, he sprang to his feet. “Baby sis!” he yelled. “You’re here!”

Kallie laughed as Sean ran around the table to give her a big hug. “Hey Sean,”

she said, hugging him back. He pulled away and looked at her with wide eyes. “You’ve already gone New York on us, Kal. Look at her, Mom.”

Kallie’s mother laughed. “I think she looks gorgeous.”

“Where did you get that dress, Kallie?” Lydia cried from across the table.

“It’s…uh…some department store,” she lied, not wanting to say that it was Michael Kors, as someone as up-to-date on fashion as Lydia would surely know what that meant. She probably did anyway.

“Well, it’s really lovely, Kallie.”

“Thanks, Lydia. You look great, too. And congratulations on the big news!”

Sean was staring at Hunter now, oblivious to Kallie’s well wishes. “So, you haven’t introduced us to your friend, Kal,” he said, puffing out his chest a little and looking Hunter up and down.

Hunter smiled amiably at him and extended his hand. “I’m Hunter Reardon,” he said.

Sean grabbed his hand and shook it, and the two of them seemed to size one another up. Sean was shorter than Hunter by an inch or two, but stockier of build. His brownish red hair was short and he had the look of an athlete, which he was. In high school, Sean had been a star linebacker and state champion wrestler. And although he was a nice enough guy if you were his friend, he was fiercely loyal and quick to react if he thought someone was getting out of line.

Any boy she’d ever brought home in high school had been intimidated by Sean—

and the rest of her brothers, too—but mostly they’d been afraid of Sean. Sean knew how to use his imposing physical presence and fiery attitude to make other men nervous. And now he was trying that same tactic again tonight with Hunter.

“Good to meet you, Hunter,” Sean said, finally releasing Hunter’s hand. “Kallie never mentioned she was bringing a friend to my engagement party.”

“That’s because I’m not her friend,” Hunter told him.

“You’re not?”

“No,” Hunter said, staring directly into Sean’s eyes. “We’re together.”

Kallie wanted to sit down. She felt faint. The entire table was completely silent now, watching what was taking place between these two men.

“Together?” Sean said, his jaw working. He glanced with mild annoyance at Kallie. “Kal, you never mentioned this guy to anyone. Did she, Mom?”

Kallie’s mom shrugged and shook her head as if she wanted nothing to do with this mess.

“Hey, everyone’s welcome who wants to celebrate the occasion,” Malcolm said from the seat near the corner. Malcolm was a year younger than Sean and much more laid back. Mom called him the peacemaker of the family.

“Since it’s my occasion,” Sean said, turning to Malcolm, “I think I’ll be the judge of who’s welcome and who isn’t.”

“Our occasion,” Lydia said.

“Huh?”

“It’s our occasion, Sean. Remember?”

“That’s right.” He grinned, turning back to Hunter. “And you’re welcome to come and have dinner, enjoy. Since you and Kallie are—what, an item?”

“I’m very serious about her,” Hunter told him.

Sean actually seemed perplexed. Kallie had never seen him look that way before, as if he couldn’t figure out what to make of Hunter. Sean prided himself on being able to size other men up, and Sean had always ended up being the biggest dog in the yard previously.

“That’s good, man. That’s really good for you,” he muttered, walking back around and sitting down next to Lydia.

That seemed to relax the table and everyone got back to talking and drinking, which apparently had already been going on for some time before their arrival.

There were still a few seats left, and Hunter and Kallie sat together, as far away from Sean and Lydia as possible.

Kallie introduced Hunter to the rest of her family; her mother and father, Malcolm, the second oldest brother, Jack, the middle one who always seemed to disappear in the mix, Conor, the second to youngest—he was always laughing, and finally, Ryan, the youngest brother, who was brooding and mischievous by nature. Ryan had been a bigger handful than all her other brothers put together, getting in fights and caught drinking at school functions, brought before the dean in college for streaking outside the dorms.

Hunter met them all with ease, smiling, shaking their hands, cracking a joke or two while always keeping an arm around Kallie’s shoulder.

Kallie was beginning to finally relax, now that the worst of it was over and people seemed to be moving on from the shock of her showing up with a strange man.

Lydia and Sean told the entire table about his proposal. Sean had shown up at her work with a dozen roses and a friend playing acoustic guitar. And then Sean had sung “More Than Words” and gotten down on one knee, offering her the ring and asking if she’d marry him.

Lydia got teary-eyed just retelling the story.

Kallie looked across the table at Sean, who was beaming with pride.

“I always knew you were a big romantic at heart, Sean,” Kallie told him.

He looked back at her and managed a smile. “I’ve been found out,” he said.

“You outed yourself,” Ryan laughed. He took a long drink of beer. “And you sang an eighties song to top it off—fucking sad.”

“Watch yourself, Ryan,” Sean said, his brow furrowing. “I’ll show you something sad outside in the parking lot if you act up tonight.”

“Oh, big man,” Ryan taunted, undeterred and still drinking. Ryan was small and the youngest, but he had a determined streak and very rarely backed down.

Soon, the waitress came to take their order. Everyone was eating like it was their last meal, Kallie thought. Her brothers all had big appetites and they were bound and determined to enjoy the finer things in New York, it seemed.

When the waitress got around to her father, he was taking a different attitude altogether. He seemed to think they were eating at a Michelin three star restaurant. He took out his bifocals and perched them atop his nose to look at the wine list as the waitress waited patiently for his order. “Let’s see here,” he said, squinting. “I believe we’d like one of your finest whites,” he said, slowly.

Kallie’s mother rolled her eyes.

Kallie’s dad was a simple guy and yet in some ways, he fancied himself a connoisseur of the finer things in life. At home, he had stashed away a prized collection of Elvis dinner plates that he believed would someday be worth thousands and thousands of dollars, along with a set of “mint” coins that he’d purchased a few years ago from the Home Shopping Network. Sometimes he would break them out and show them off to houseguests, offering his sage opinion on other valuable investment opportunities.

“Any particular white taking your fancy?” the waitress asked, confused.

Kallie’s dad hemmed and hawed, adjusted his glasses. “Let’s see. This 2010

Chardonnay should be pretty good,” he said. “I mean, it’s 2010. That’s pretty well aged.”

Kallie saw her brothers exchange smirks and snickers. Everyone was well aware of their father’s eccentricities in this area, so it was something of a family joke. Just the same, Kallie felt a little bad for him right now.

“So, the 2010 Chardonnay, then?” the waitress said.

“I…well…maybe not. I’m thinking…” Her father, in the spotlight, seemed to be sputtering and lost.

Hunter, who’d been perusing the wine list as well, stepped in. “I think Chardonnay is a very nice choice, Mister Young. Perhaps the Montrachet? It’s a 2010.”

Kallie’s dad smiled somewhat gratefully at Hunter. “Yeah. That’s what I was thinking, too. We’ll have the Montrachet,” he told the waitress.

She nodded. “Very good choice, sir.”

After the waitress left the table, Kallie looked at Hunter and he glanced back at her. “Thanks,” she whispered.

He nodded and took her hand under the table.

For the first time all night, she wasn’t simply wishing that the dinner could be over. She was actually enjoying herself—and most surprising of all—happy that Hunter had come with her. She’d never really had a man at her side during a family gathering, and somehow it made everything warmer, brighter, more interesting.

She felt more seasoned, older, as if she’d finally gained a measure of respect from her brothers.

And then it happened. Just when everything was going so well, she felt the tap on her knee. Tap, tap, tap. Three times.

The magic number.

“Don’t you think, Kallie?” Sean said.

“Huh?” Kallie’s head snapped up and her eyes went wide.

“I said, don’t you think Times Square beats Mall of America hands down?”

“Oh, yeah,” she said. “Definitely. I love the…ah…the billboards.”

“And don’t forget Broadway,” her father said, sipping his Chardonnay like he was on his own private yacht.

Her heart was still beating fast. She needed to leave the table immediately, per Hunter’s instructions. “I need to go to the ladies’ room,” she said, getting up from her seat. “Excuse me.”

“I’ll come with you,” Lydia said.

“Oh.” Kallie tried to smile, looked at Hunter to gauge his reaction. There was none, as Hunter was somehow in conversation with Malcolm about independent cinema.

She left the table with Lydia trailing immediately behind her. As they walked toward the restrooms, Lydia grabbed her arm and squeed excitedly. “Kallie, that guy you’re with is so cute! I mean, beyond cute.”

“Thanks, Lydia.”

“He’s hot, actually, if you don’t mind me being crass.” Lydia shook her head.

She had redder hair than Sean, and she was voluptuous. Even now, Kallie noticed how men’s heads turned when they passed by their tables. Lydia didn’t mind showing off her cleavage, either. She had big boobs and an even bigger mouth. “How did the two of you meet?”

“Oh,” Kallie said. “A party. A pool party in The Hamptons.”

Lydia’s eyes went wider still. “The Hamptons? Is he loaded?”

“I don’t know.”

They finally got to the ladies room and went to the bathroom. Kallie was desperately trying to figure out how she could lose Lydia, because she was supposed to meet Hunter outside ASAP.

But how could Hunter be angry with her if she failed? It wasn’t her fault that Lydia had screwed up the plan. Kallie figured he wouldn’t care about her excuses. She had to get out there and get rid of her brother’s fiancé.

When they were done using the restroom, Kallie pretended to fix her dress in the bathroom mirror as Lydia washed her hands. And that’s when Lydia’s gaze dropped to Kallie’s feet. “Oh my god. Kallie, those are Prada! I just saw them in the new catalog!”

Her voice had risen to positively ear jangling proportions.

“Are they?” Kallie asked weakly.

“You didn’t know that?”

“I—I…they were a gift.”

“From him?” Lydia’s eyes were piercing. She was moving closer now, like a bird getting ready to swoop down and eat some tiny little worm wriggling in the mud.

“Were they from him, Kallie?” She saw the look on Kallie’s face and her mouth turned up into a disbelieving smile. “Oh. My. God. He’s rich. He’s totally uber rich and he’s courting you.”

“Please, Lydia, it’s not like that.”

Lydia grabbed her by the elbow. “Sean is so going to freak out when I tell him.

You know how he hates rich boys.”

“Please, don’t say anything. I don’t want him doing anything crazy.”

Lydia nodded, her smile fading. “Well, that’s true. He might do something stupid, like beat your new boyfriend up outside the restaurant. And that would totally ruin the night.”

Kallie nodded in response, although in her head she was remembering how Hunter handled himself with Brad at the pool party. She wasn’t so sure that Sean could just “beat him up” so easily, but she didn’t want to find out either.

“So maybe we could keep that detail between us, Lydia?” Kallie asked.

“Of course. I won’t say a word. My lips are sealed.” Lydia seemed to really like the idea of having a secret just between them. She’d always wanted to get closer to Kallie, and had often tried to spend time together. The problem was, Kallie knew that Lydia was a gossip, and could sometimes have an attitude (much like Sean), and she didn’t want to get too close to her brother’s girlfriend and then have to deal with the possible fallout.

Now, however, it was convenient to keep her happy. “Thanks, Lydia. You’re awesome.”

“I know.” She grinned. “So, should we get back to the party?”

“Yeah.” They started back and then Kallie suddenly pulled up short. “Shit, I just realized I forgot my phone in the car. I’ll meet you back at the table, Lydia.”

Kallie turned and walked as fast as she could, not waiting for a reply. She didn’t want Lydia to try and follow her yet again.

Once outside the restaurant, she stood a few feet from the door, arms crossed, shivering even though it wasn’t very cold out. She wished she were a smoker. This was the kind of moment where maybe she’d feel more at ease, lighting up, blowing smoke into the night air and looking forlorn.

Instead, she just was nervous and twitchy.

After another couple of minutes, Hunter came out, seeing her instantly but his expression didn’t change. He walked up to her. “Come on.” He grabbed her by the arm, somewhat roughly, and pulled her as he continued walking at a brisk pace.